Worldcrunch
NUREMBERG – Paul wanted glitter on his Christmas tree ornament; at his age – six – he doesn’t think glitter is too girly. His dad took in the request and patiently started applying the glitter to the wet paint of the ornament they’re making together. “What does an angel look like?” a little boy at […]
BUENOS AIRES HERALD, CLARIN (Argentina), THE GUARDIAN (UK) Worldcrunch BUENOS AIRES – Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has sent a letter to British Prime Minister David Cameron urging him to hand over the Falkland Islands. In the letter, writes Clarin, Kirchner asks Cameron to comply with a 1960 UN resolution that “proclaimed the necessity […]
TELESUR, ULTIMAS NOTICIAS, EL NACIONAL (Venezuela), BBC (UK) Worldcrunch CARACAS – Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro has told Latin American TV network teleSUR that he had visited President Chavez twice in the past days and that he had shown “gigantic force” as they spoke of political issues. Chavez is currently in Havana, Cuba, where he […]
Forget New York, Washington, Boston, Houston, Miami and Chicago. Starbucks, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Hooters, Checkers, Target, Best Buy, 7/11, CVS, Wal-Mart, Family Dollar? Well, forget them too. If you’re looking for the soul of America, get in your car and drive out to back country. Where nothing happens. Nothing at all. Like Hollywood, […]
CONNECTION IVORIENNE (Ivory Coast), BBC (UK) Worldcrunch ABIDJAN – At least 60 people were crushed to death after a New Year’s fireworks display in the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan. More than 250 people were wounded. The stampede occurred around 3 a.m. local time, when an explosion created a panic outside a stadium in the […]
AP (USA) Worldcrunch WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate has approved a bill aimed at avoiding tax increases and spending cuts. Senators voted 89-9 to approve the proposal. Three democrats and five Republicans dissented. In a statement released by the White House early Tuesday morning, President Obama said, “While neither Democrats nor Republicans got everything they […]
-Essay- CAIRO – During the painful Ettehadiya battle earlier this month between Brotherhood supporters and youthful opposition, the violence was not just physical. The scene was also a battlefield of chants. We chanted, “horriya” (freedom). They responded, “Sharia.” Then we uttered, “Jika.” Then they fell into a temporary silence, bedazzled and confused about what the […]
AP, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT (USA) Worldcrunch WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was admitted to a New York hospital on Sunday, after the discovery of a blood clot stemming from a concussion she suffered earlier this month, reports the AP. #SecClinton is being treated for a blood clot stemming from a concussion sustained […]
YOUTUBE, AFP Worldcrunch MOSCOW – Four people were killed when a Russian jet from Red Wings Airlines overshot the highway at a Moscow airport and crashed on a nearby highway. The Tupolev Tu-204 jet was empty of passengers, and was just carrying eight crewmembers according to the AFP. “Four crewmembers were killed and four more […]
-OpEd- BEIJING – Despite strong opposition from the international community, North Korea went ahead with its planned use of a long-range rocket to launch a satellite. As the North Koreans were cheering the successful Dec. 4 launch, their longtime Chinese ally was in no mood for celebrations. North Korea’s missile and nuclear capabilities have been […]
Bob McMahon and I typically use our weekly podcast to discuss major foreign policy issues likely to be in the news in the coming week. In honor of the approaching New Year, we decided to change things up and examine the issues likely to dominate world politics in 2013. We discussed a sluggish global economy; […]
SUDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG (Germany) Worldcrunch BERLIN– This past year was the first for Germany’s innovative new Family Care Leave law that allows workers to take time off the job to care for needy relatives. But since coming into force at the beginning of 2012, Germany has met with little interest according to Federal Ministry of Family […]
BEIJING – The tale of Cao Tian, a wealthy real estate developer from the Western city of Zhengzhou, has captured the attention of many Chinese. But it’s not, as one might have imagined, for his business success or personal riches. It all started when Cao Tian first announced his intentions last year to run for […]
THE TIMES OF INDIA, IANS (India) Worldcrunch SINGAPORE – The 23-year-old Indian woman victim of a gang rape on a New Delhi bus that sparked violent protests was flown to a Singapore hospital on Thursday morning, and remains in criticial condition. The decision to medevac the young woman to Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth hospital was taken […]
DIE WELT (Germany) Worldcrunch The Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg, a Hamburg-based consumer association, has accused food company of marketing scams, particularly free online games for children, reports Die Welt. “Many parents have complained about the games, which are usually on sites advertising very sugary and high fat products,” says the organization’s nutrition expert Silke Schwartau. “Unlike adults, […]
BERLIN – Christian Hummel knew he would suddenly be confronted with all sorts of new situations when, after nine years at a major German steel company, his boss offered him the job heading up a three-person development unit. Hummel thought long and hard before accepting. He would not only bear the responsibility for the work […]
European law may require right to anonymity. Will Zuckerberg’s ad-based business model “crumble”?
TIME, THE ONION (USA) Worldcrunch Even though Kim Jong-un seemed like a shoe-in for Time’s Person Of The Year 2012, having accumulated more online votes than anyone by far, the magazine announced today that Barack Obama had won the coveted title instead. Barack Obama is TIME’s 2012 Person of the Year | ti.me/VQVajw #POY2012 — […]
US STATE DEPT. (USA), AFP Worldcrunch An independent inquiry has criticized the State Department for inadequate security at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on the day of the September attack that killed four American government personnel including Ambassador John Christopher Stevens. The 39-page unclassified report, which also cited intelligence failures, focused much of its […]
In Aesop’s Fables, the story about the race between the hare and the tortoise tells people that the rabbit’s complacency and the turtle’s perseverance resulted in an unexpected ending to a seemingly predictable contest. In the 21st century, will the economic race between China and India also offer similar twists and turns, notably because of […]
BEIJING – After the end of last month’s 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China seems to have witnessed a nationwide wave of corruption investigations against the rich and powerful. First several high-ranking officials from Canton were dismissed from their posts. Then it was the turn of Li Chungcheng, the Deputy Party […]
-Essay- BERLIN – My five-year-old son Finn goes to an American kindergarten – a place just like Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Bethlehem in Pennsylvania is about as far from Philadelphia as Newtown is from New York – in their own way, both are typical U.S. East Coast towns. Finn’s school even looks […]
CHINA TIMES (Taiwan), XINHUA (China) Worldcrunch XIAMEN – Recently, a 17 year-old boy from the Chinese northeastern city of Changchun, in Jilin Province, secretly sold the four tires of his parents’ sports car to buy an iPhone 5. He sold the tires for about a sixth of their real value. His mother had previously refused […]
BERLIN – Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s former Prime Minister who harbors ambitions to return to his old job, has had a year to adjust reality to his private world view. And now he’s letting fellow Italians and Europeans know how he thinks. The widening of the Italo-German government bond “spread” shortly before his government fell last […]
THE CANBERRA TIMES (Australia) Worldcrunch CANBERRA – Though still holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has declared his intention to run for the Senate in his native Australia, and to launch a WikiLeaks party early next year, reports the Canberra Times. Photo – Mataparda/espenmoe In an exclusive interview with […]
BERLIN – Uri Chanoch has sent a statement to the Committee on Labor and Social Affairs of the German Parliament reminding them of the historic significance of the task they now face. The 12 members of the Committee are debating whether to make an amendment to the Ghetto Pensions law. The law, enacted in 2002 […]
Lately, it seems like the whole world is finding fault with the French. Ratings agency Moody has downgraded France and the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the European Commission have all acknowledged that the country needs to undertake critical economic reforms to avoid decline. The so-called “Five Wise Men” […]
DIE WELT (Germany) Worldcrunch BERLIN – Lufthansa is planning to launch a fourth class on long distance flights: Premium Economy Class. The entire long-haul fleet would be equipped with the new cabin, according to Die Welt. The company released a statement saying that its supervisory board had agreed to invest in an “introductory project” that […]
EL GOUNA – In Samih Sawiris’ world, “small scale” is not a concept that gets much play. Over the years, the scion of Egypt’s richest family has shown a flair for the oversized, even to the point of eccentricity. Twenty years ago Sawiris bought up around 40 million square meters of sand and rock and […]
BERLIN – Yes, he has investigated cases of murder by poisoning, says Burkhard Madea. The forensic pathologist at the University of Bonn, an expert in unexplained causes of death, recalls “a series of deaths about 20 years ago when a nurse deliberately gave old, helpless patients the wrong medication. The victims all died suddenly, but […]
BERLIN – Benjamin Netanyahu tried to be a polite guest. That’s why, when he visited the Federal Chancellery, he was careful to play down his disappointment with Angela Merkel. But the Israeli Prime Minister only made it worse. He said: “I think Chancellor Merkel was of the opinion that this vote would in some way […]
-Analysis- BEIJING – Zhang Lan, founder of restaurant chain South Beauty, is one of China’s richest women and a symbol of the country’s booming economic success. Thus it is not surprising that the recent news that the billionaire has renounced her Chinese citizenship to take on a foreign nationality has been met with some significant […]
In December 1984, this Indian city suffered what is considered the world’s worst industrial accident ever.
BERLIN – In the Qatari capital of Doha, the decisive phase of the UN Climate Conference has begun. Ministers and government representatives from over 190 countries have until Thursday to adopt concrete measures to save the world’s climate. Part of the ritual at conferences like this is that shortly before the end of negotiations, the […]
One estimate is that some 150 billion euros have been stashed in secret Swiss accounts.
HAMBURG – A chocolate penis – with bite marks – hangs around an angel’s neck. Olivia Jones breaks out in a loud, naughty laugh at the sight of it and declares it awesome. Hamburg’s most famous drag queen is wearing a Dalmatian coat and enough red glitter to deck out a whole Christmas tree. “I […]
MEXICO CITY – There are a lot of good restaurants in Ciudad de México – Mexico’s capital city (its name sounds a lot more dashing in Spanish than the English Mexico City used by most). Authentic Mexican cuisine is excellent, and Mexicans like to eat well – with little room to spare. So forget everything […]
-Analysis- BEIJING – Most agree that state-owned enterprises, which have long been at the core of China’s economy, must be reformed. That begins with fundamental changes in the way that such entities are managed, both by increasing the separation between state oversight and individual management, and the separation between management and ownership. The establishment in […]
PRAGUE – A few minutes before the concert starts, Riccardo Sahiti says he can’t believe all this is real, that it’s not a dream. He’s standing in the ornate conductor’s room of the Rudolfinum in Prague – one of Europe’s premier concert halls. All around him are photographs of his idols – conductors such as […]
YANZHAO URBAN DAILY (China), NEW TANG DYNASTY TELEVISION (US) Worldcrunch BAZHOU – In this small northern Chinese village, seven strangers, all dressed in black, arrived on a mission. They would force a family out of their own house, and then swiftly demolish it. It was one of the few houses still occupied on a street […]