WorldcrunchEL UNIVERSAL (Mexico) Worldcrunch MEXICO CITY – About 200,000 restaurants, taverns and cafés in the Mexican capital removed saltshakers from their tables – permanently – on April 4. The move, reports El Universal, is part of an effort to raise awareness on the dangers of a high sodium diet and its correlation to hypertension and […]
BUENOS AIRES – Argentina’s capital has a new problem: the growing number of “underground” parties in improvised nightclubs and bars – a sector that is thriving in utter illegality. In the past two months, authorities have closed down 15 so-called mega-parties, where alcohol was being sold without a license and which operated without a city […]
Authorities worry for the safety of the mostly young sign-ups, but also the risk that they return home radicalized — and set on striking targets in Europe.
After the death of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela is set for the second presidential election in less than six months. Chavez’s handpicked successor Nicolas Maduro faces challenger Henrique Capriles.
MANAUS – As the plane approaches the dense green mantle, interrupted by the curves of the most abundant river in the world, you start to make out the shapes of the friendly – and not so friendly – animals living in the rainforest. Before we embark for our cruise on these alligator, snake and piranha-infested […]
After several high-profile miscarriages of justice, could a Chinese movement take root to abolish capital punishment? But public outrage cuts both ways.
An interview with Zhang Xianmin, founder of one of the many independent cultural events that were banned last year by the Chinese government.
LYON – Those familiar with the Freegan movement know that dumpster diving to find food to eat is nothing new. But organizing free food distributions to denounce food waste is a novel form of Freeganism – as practiced by the activists from the Gars Pilleurs organization founded by two young men from Lyon, east-central France. […]
BEIJING – On March 9 and 10, many Chinese families were disappointed. It was on those two days that American private high schools announced their admission results for foreign students. For those who have just been through the one to two year enrolment process that includes cramming for tests, sending application forms and recommendation letters, […]
In Spain and Latin America, debate is raging in the publishing world about whether a dead writer’s heirs have the right to publish works, which in life, the author did not want to publish.
In modern life, artificial light is pervasive. A lack of natural darkness not only stops city dwellers from seeing the stars, it can cause real harm to both the environment, and human health.
ADDIS ABABA – Initially, her idea was to provide work for her family in her native village of Zenabework, about 30 kilometers from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. When she announced that she was going to start her own company on a plot of land lent by her grandmother, everyone said: You are crazy! You […]
BUENOS AIRES – Expectations for Argentina’s Holy Week were already pretty high after the election of the first Argentine pope, anticipating a strong wave of domestic religious tourism. But the “Francisco Effect” has gone beyond expectations, creating huge demand among Catholic pilgrims from across the region. With occupation rates of around 80% and many hotels […]
-Essay- RABAT – A year ago, Tuareg rebels from the Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA) decided to launch an attack to take back the territory of Azawad in northern Mali that they claim as their native land. They managed to chase Mali military troops from their land, but weren’t able to gain the upper hand […]
BYTOM – In this desolate coal-mining town in southern Poland, every fifth resident is unemployed. You can see the impact of mining on the surroundings in this rugged region of Silesia: damaged buildings and streets, and the remains of industrial structures. Many of Bytom’s store and home windows are boarded up or covered in bricks. […]
The two world powers and BRICS nations enjoy friendly relations, and both have an interest in expanding economic and political links. Still, there is another big player always looming.
Mexico’s New President Peña Nieto’s has pushed through a sweeping reform of the telecoms and TV sector, which could undo the monopoly that turned Carlos Slim into the world’s richest man.
At the German capital’s Jewish Museum, the starting point for are anonymous questions from ordinary visitors — and a sense of humor.
The South American root has been shown to boost energy for athletes, increase fertility for women, and enhance a man’s sex drive.
LUXEMBOURG – For Wolfgang Schäuble, the world is sometimes a pretty simple place. Cyprus, for example, just had the wrong business model. Those were the words the German Finance Minister used to explain the problems that that European Union island nation is experiencing now. According to Schäuble, the Mediterranean state counted too much on its […]
CHALLAPATA – Standing beneath the Bolivian sun, it takes just one long look at the quinoa fields stretching as far as the eye can see, to understand why the Andean people call quinoa the golden grain. “We also call it chisiya mama, which means ‘mother of all grains’ in the Aymara language,” smiles Valentina Rodriguez, […]
For one grandfather, disaster has struck again — 30 years later.
BUENOS AIRES – The hunger to learn more about the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now and forever known as Pope Francis, is gripping the Argentinian capital. Just back from a meeting with the new pontiff in Rome, Mauricio Macri, head of the municipal government of Buenos Aires, announced that he will launch a “pope […]
The death penalty is alive and well in the land of the rising sun — and death row is particularly wretched.
SANTIAGO – On January 16th a Boeing 787 Dreamliner from All Nippon Airlines (ANA) was forced to perform an emergency landing in a regional airport after smoke was detected in the electric compartment. This was the fourth incident in less than a month for one of the world’s most state-of-the-art aircrafts. Dreamliner had represented a […]
Sebastião Salgado’s blue eyes have seen a bit of everything in this world – and this might not even be an exaggeration. For the past eight years in particular, the 69-year-old Brazilian photographer has traveled to more than 30 isolated regions of the world, collecting images of dozens of remote tribes, endangered animals and unusual […]
Two years after a plagiary scandal turned him into a pariah in his own country, Karl-Theodor Guttenberg is thriving in the United States. A profile in contradictions.
El UNIVERSAL (Mexico) Worldcrunch MEXICO CITY – Let’s call it spot-a-cop! The Mexico City’s Ministry of Public Security has dubbed it Mi Policia (My Police), a smartphone app launched this week that uses GPS technology to allow smartphone users to communicate with their local police directly, and in real-time, reports El Universal. This is believed […]
And a Peronist to boot!
PARIS – The horsemeat lasagna scandal has reignited the debate on “junk” food. However, it can be very difficult to sort out the good and the bad… Some key recommendations from Dr. Laurent Chevalier, a prominent French nutritionist: 1 – Favor organic products. They are less contaminated by chemicals – especially pesticides and hormones – […]
TELESUR (Venezuela) Worldcrunch CARACAS – Venezuela has launched an inquiry to determine if late President Hugo Chavez’s cancer was caused by “foreign enemies.” Acting President Nicolas Maduro told teleSUR that Venezuelan officials were convinced that “Chavez was poisoned by dark forces that wanted to be rid of him.” “He had an illness, a cancer that […]
EL DIARIO, SEXENIO (Mexico), LA PRENSA (Honduras), LA VOZ (Argentina), LAVANGUARDIA (Spain) Worldcrunch Latin America’s time has come. The papacy is ours for the taking. Strong candidates walking into the conclave, and more than 40% of the world’s Catholics come from this region. This is exactly what Latin America’s faithful, and newspapers, were saying back […]
-OpEd- BEIJING – A few days ago in the northeastern city of Changchun, a man left his baby in his SUV while he went inside a convenience store. He returned to find his car, which he had left unlocked and running, stolen, along with the baby. After 48 hours of public mobilization and searches, Zhou […]
VATICAN CITY – Amidst intense speculation and great uncertainty over who will be the new pope, one thing appears certain: no matter who is chosen in the conclave, we should not expect substantial changes on doctrinal matters that have long left many Catholics around the world unhappy. We should expect the bans to continue on […]
LA CRÓNICA, EXCELSIOR (Mexico) Worldcrunch MEXICO CITY – Ciudad Victoria, a city in one of the most dangerous states in Mexico today, Tamaulipas, was recently flooded with brochures offering money for information on the people behind a project called “Valor por Tamaulipas” (Courage for Tamaulipas). The project is indeed courageous, aiming to diffuse information regarding […]
CARACAS – When Hugo Chávez took office for the first time in February 1999, Venezuela was on the edge of an economic abyss due to the ravages caused by almost 40 years of corruption from traditional political parties. The reach of poverty touched almost 80 percent of the population. This ticking social time bomb was […]
CLARÍN Worldcrunch SÃO PAOLO – “The Girl from Ipanema” made Brazilian women famous for their beauty but now, it seems, the South American country has a new fetish for a different kind of woman says Clarín. For three days, São Paolo will host the first Inflatable Doll World Congress, organized by an online sex shop, […]
Most say the cardinals must shake up the Church. That gives better chances to electing a cardinal from South America… or North America.
EL NACIONAL, VENEZOLANA DE TELEVISION, EL CARABOBEÑO (Venezuela), DIARIO POPULAR (ARGENTINA) Worldcrunch CARACAS – Venezuelans have been lining up over the past 24 hours around the Venezuelan Military Academy in the capital to say their last goodbyes to the late President Hugo Chávez. Meanwhile, Chief of the Presidential Guard in Venezuela, General José Ornella offered […]
BUENOS AIRES – Whatever your view is regarding the Hugo Chávez’ era in Venezuela, it is impossible to ignore two central facts: 1) Chávez was a product of the deep failure of the Venezuelan political system; 2) The deceased president had a strong influence on Latin America, during a historic moment when many countries in […]