Worldcrunch
BUCHAREST – When he’s not glued to his computer screen, Stefan Cornea watches films on TV. At 18 years of age, this Bucharest high school student is fed up with politics, Romania and life in general. “There’s nothing to do here,” he says in a cynical tone. “It was better before. My parents have told […]
EKANTIPUR (Nepal), AFP (France), CNN (USA) Worldcrunch Rescue workers have resumed their search Monday morning for mountaineers trapped by an avalanche on Mount Manaslu in Nepal. At least 11 people have been confirmed dead, reports Nepal’s Ekantipur news publication, including climbers from France, Spain, Germany and Nepal. AFP reported that Christian Trommsdorff, the vice-president of […]
NEW DELHI – It was a long, hard summer in New Delhi — and it was made worse by the nice weather. In a country subject to monsoons (rainy season from June to Sept.), it’s when it doesn’t rain in July and August that the weather is considered bad. From this point of view, summer […]
Worldcrunch It’s the launch of iPhone 5! As the entire world stands in line and tweets live updates of their quest for iPhone glory, we’d like to provide a little reality check. It’s just a phone, guys. Just think of all these things you could be doing instead: 1. USA – Go to the SPAM […]
LE MONDE, AFP, LA LIBÉRATION (France) Worldcrunch France is bracing itself for repercussions after satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published caricatures of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad Wednesday. Le Monde reports that a small Syrian organization called Syrian Freedom Association has filed a legal complaint against the French weekly. It accuses Charlie Hebdo of “throwing oil on […]
LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL, LA PRESSE (Canada) Worldcrunch A sushi restaurant in Montreal has been forced to change its name after “Fukyu” was deemed too “risqué” by neighboring residents. La Presse reported the lawyer of the building’s owner, David Gavitian, said that many in the neighborhood saw the restaurant as a nuisance, with many business […]
LE MONDE, i-TELE (France), RTL (Luxembourg) Worldcrunch PARIS – Riot police have been sent to guard the offices of controversial French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, in preparation of their publication of cartoons mocking Islam’s Prophet Muhammad Wednesday. The French weekly yesterday announced it would publish satirical cartoons of the prophet in this week’s edition. The […]
NEW YORK TIMES (US), O GLOBO (Brazil) Worldcrunch In a country famous for its carnival imbued spirit, it is only appropriate that Brazil’s municipal elections, often a dreary affair elsewhere in the world, are somewhat… colorful, to say the least. Inspired by superheroes, cartoon characters and American presidents, take a look at the candidates screaming […]
NEW YORK TIMES, WASHINGTON POST, MOTHER JONES (US), FINANCIAL TIMES (UK) Mitt Romney’s campaign team hastily scrambled together a press conference late Monday night to respond to a leaked video, in which the Republican candidate labels 47% of Americans as “people who pay no income tax” and are “dependent upon government.” Romney said he stands […]
GEO NEWS (Pakistan), DAINIK BHASKAR (India), AP Worldcrunch Pakistan’s military successfully test fired a missile Monday that is capable of carrying nuclear warheads and has a range of 700km, reports Geo News. A statement from the Inter Services Public Relations announced: “The test consolidates and strengthens Pakistan’s deterrence capability and national security.” The statement described […]
NEW DELHI – As Texan oil companies move in, Rajasthan’s cows are starting to feel the pressure. The oil companies have started buying up the cows’ favorite food: guar, a long, green bean grown in the desert regions of India. Guar, which means “cow food” in Hindi, was also used in the food industry as […]
AL JAZEERA (Qatar), REUTERS, BBC (UK), SANA (Syria) Worldcrunch Anger against the West is spreading throughout the Muslim world as further reports of attacks on the UK, German and US embassies develop Friday afternoon. Following Pope Benedict XVI’s arrival Friday for a three-day trip to Lebanon, anti-Western protests amassed in the country’s second-largest city Tripoli. […]
CLOSER (France), BBC (UK) Worldcrunch The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton is reportedly “furious” after a French magazine published topless pictures of the Royal couple when on holiday in the south of France. Closer, a French weekly celebrity magazine, hit shelves on Friday with images of Kate Middleton, along with the headline: “Oh my God! […]
BBC, REUTERS (UK), AL JAZEERA (Qatar), CNN (US) Protestors enraged by an anti-Islam film have stormed the U.S. Embassy in Yemen, following similar rounds of violence in Libya and Egypt that had left four American diplomats dead in the Libyan city of Benghazi. The BBC reported Thursday morning that protesters have stormed the embassy’s security […]
SAINT-OUEN – At what age does gender inequality take root? As early as the crib, according to the staff at one nursery school in Saint-Ouen, in the northern suburbs of Paris. Bourdarias nursery school was the first pre-school establishment in France to adopt an anti-sexism policy, in 2009. France’s Minister for Women’s Rights Najat Vallaud-Belkacem […]
DER SPIEGEL (Germany), LE FIGARO (France), THE GUARDIAN (UK), POLITICO (US) Worldcrunch According to new international polling data, the majority of Europeans would like to see Barack Obama voted in for a second term. Meanwhile, his Republican opponent Mitt Romney is still a virtual unknown across the pond. Der Spiegel reported Wednesday that according to […]
AL JAZEERA (Qatar), EGYPT INDEPENDENT (Egypt), ABC (US), SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (Australia), AFP (France) Worldcrunch BENGHAZI – The US Ambassador to Libya and three other staff members were killed following an attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi amid protests against an American amateur film denouncing the Prophet Muhammad. Al Jazeera reported that US Ambassador […]
THE GUARDIAN (UK), LE FIGARO (France), WALL ST. JOURNAL (U.S.) Worldcrunch The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has risen to the top spot of the annual QS University World Rankings. Last year’s top two universities, Cambridge and Harvard, both lost out to the science and technology university, being bumped down to second and third place […]
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST (Hong Kong), BBC (UK) Worldcrunch HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s pan-democracy wing has failed to capitalize on the growing anti-Chinese sentiment, after a disappointing outcome in the legislative council elections. Albert Ho, the leader of Hong Kong“s biggest pro-democracy party has announced he will step down as chairman after his party […]
LE NOUVELLISTE, LE MATIN (Haiti), MIAMI HERALD (US) Worldcrunch Bulldozers have started tearing down Haiti’s National Palace. Once a symbol of national pride, its crumbling façade has become a constant reminder of the devastating earthquake that hit the country in 2010. However, as the Palace demolition began on Thursday, the Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste criticized […]
NEW YORK TIMES, TWITTER Worldcrunch US President Barack Obama took to the stage Thursday to officially accept the Democratic nomination for a second term in office. Delivering his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Charlotte, North Carolina, his promise to America was a far cry from the exuberant speeches along the 2008 […]
THE GUARDIAN, THE MIRROR (UK), LE MESSAGER (France) Worldcrunch French police were still searching Thursday morning both for the gunman and the possible motive of a grisly shooting in a quiet village in the French Alps, which left four British tourists dead. The British tabloids Thursday were dominated by reports of the shooting spree, which […]
HONG KONG – This is the second improvised camp to appear in Hong Kong’s business district. As the last remaining diehards continue to occupy the atrium of the HSBC tower, school kids, students, parents and teachers have set up their own tents and mats outside the parliament buildings at the Tamar site, on Hong Kong’s […]
CAIRO – It is 6 p.m. at Shohada metro station in Cairo. On the cramped platform, a group of women use their shopping bags like shields to protect themselves from wandering hands. In Egypt, rush hour is conducive to sexual harassment, and even assault – a real plague. With a deafening screech, the train hurtles […]
ASAHI SHIMBUN, KYODO, NHK (Japan) Worldcrunch TOKYO – The Japanese government has agreed to buy three disputed islands for 2.05 billion yen ($26 million). The Asahi Shimbun reported on Wednesday that Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s government had struck a deal with private landowners to buy three of the Senkaku islands. The islands, which are uninhabited, […]
LE SOIR, RTBF (Belgium), LE FIGARO (France) Worldcrunch BRUSSELS – Insulting someone on the streets of Brussels is now a civil offense that is punishable by a fine of up to 250 euros. City authorities will now be able to impose fines of between 75 and 250 euros for insults, petty theft or other forms […]
CHARLOTTE – No, Obamania is not a thing of the past, quite the opposite in fact. Michelle and Barack hugging, Barack with his dog Bo, the complete family portrait… all plastered on t-shirts, books, photos, pajamas, pins, badges, mugs, cushions and posters. “Business is picking up fast,” says Delia, who has sold more than 400 […]
LE TEMPS (Switzerland), DER SPIEGEL (Germany) Worldcrunch As Greece remains under the watchful eye of Angela Merkel and the IMF to make sure it imposes strict austerity measures, there is one governmental budget that has largely escaped cuts: the defense department. Alexandre Trauvers, writing in Le Temps, reported that Greece’s defense budget amounts to around […]
AFP (France), BBC (UK), AL JAZEERA (Qatar) Worldcrunch A Syrian fighter-jet killed 18 people in the rebel-held town of Al-Bab on Monday. AFP reports that the airstrike on Monday was the latest in a series of attacks on towns and villages in Aleppo province. Victims of the attack on the building in Al-Bab included 10 […]
TIMES OF INDIA (India), DIE WELT (Germany), NY TIMES (US), REUTERS (UK), POLSKIE RADIO (Poland) Worldcrunch From using Norwegian mass murderers to sell clothes to an unnerving number of examples of Nazi references at Indian stores, shock tactics in marketing seem to be reaching a new low. Here are the worst five recent examples: 1. […]
DER SPIEGEL, DIE WELT (Germany), LE MONDE (France) Worldcrunch BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a cold, power-hungry would-be dictator overseeing the insidious collapse of democracy, according to a new book causing a political stir in Germany. Gertrud Höhler’s book, Die Patin (which means “the Godmother” in English and retains all of its mafia […]
THE TELEGRAPH, THE GUARDIAN (UK), LA TIMES (US) Worldcrunch An 11-year-old Brazilian boy born without feet has been invited to train at FC Barcelona’s youth academy. After impressing the Spanish football club during a TV appearance on Brazil’s TV Globo, the young whiz kid will travel to the Catalonian capital in September. The Telegraph reports […]
GOMA – They look tired and drawn, weeks of suffering written across their faces. “We haven’t had any assistance since we arrived: nothing to eat, no toilets, no medical treatment,” says Mandevu Amani, a church minister who has fled the Kimumba camp. Since July 7, thousands of families have come to settle in the Kanyaruchinya […]
VENICE – Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche famously said of academic writers that “they muddy the water, to make it seem deep.” Architects, we can say, have been known to do the same. Let’s think for a moment about what we have been forced to endure over the past decades thanks to an alleged building language that […]
ADDOUNIA TV (Syria), AL ARABIYA (UAE), LE MONDE (France) Worldcrunch Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the situation in Syria is getting “better,” although his government needs more time to “win the battle” against rebels trying to overthrow him. Al-Assad was speaking in an exclusive interview with the Syrian pro-government TV station Addounia, which will be […]
RTL, L’EXPRESS (France), LA STAMPA (Italy) PARIS – The scraggly hitchhiker with his thumb out on the road has given way to the plugged-in free (or almost free) rider with both thumbs on his smart phone. And it is Europe that’s leading the way in finding efficient new ways of hitting the road on the […]
JERUSALEM POST (Israel), BBC (UK) Worldcrunch An Israeli court ruled Tuesday that the state of Israel was not at fault in the 2003 death of US activist Rachel Corrie. The Jerusalem Post reports that the Haifa District Court has ruled against the Corrie family, who have been fighting for justice for the pro-Palestinian activist after […]
CNN, NEW YORK TIMES (US) REUTERS Tropical storm Isaac raged into the Gulf of Mexico Monday, threatening to become a hurricane and make landfall in Louisiana, almost seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina decimated southeastern American cities and towns. Governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have declared states of emergency, with Alabama Governor […]
REUTERS (UK), DAWN (Pakistan), AFP (France) Worldcrunch A US drone aircraft killed at least 12 people in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region on Friday. Reuters reported that the attacks targeted three walled compounds, which are suspected to be militant hideouts used by insurgents crossing the nearby border with Afghanistan. Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported the identities of […]
EGYPT INDEPENDENT, AL-AHRAM (Egypt), AL JAZEERA (Qatar), BBC NEWS (UK) Worldcrunch Egypt’s Salafi Nour Party has slammed the government’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund about a $4.8 billion rescue package, stating any potential loan that the government receives would be against sharia law. Younis Makhyoun, a member of the ultra-conservative Islamist party said: “Borrowing […]