WorldcrunchThe weekend is almost upon us, which means it’s time for our weekend staff playlist. And if this week’s edition seems farewell-themed, it’s because our business developer Garrett is setting off to conquer new horizons — so we’re all feeling a bit nostalgic. So long, Mister G!
SEOUL — For a long time, China was the only ally of real consequence of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. This is no longer the case, as Moscow and Pyongyang have been edging closer together over the past year. Russia’s multiplying contacts on the North Korean spectrum, where it has played a very discrete […]
A farmer from northwest China makes a living scouring the Yellow River to recover dead bodies, most of whom were poor migrants, often women and children. A modern Chinese tragedy.
What is it like to be the parent of a “monster?” After their teenaged son confessed to rape and murder in southern France, the parents of Matthieu Moulinas decide to tell their story.
A new Swiss study suggests that playing video games, especially first-person shooter games like GTA and Call of Duty, facilitates the kind of learning that could be useful for other tasks.
The second edition of the Worldstock festival, an event that aims to break the barriers of genres, started this week in Paris. The motto remains the same as last year’s successful inaugural edition: search for that universal je-ne-sais-quoi that somehow gives music from anywhere the possibility to touch anyone. Until Dec. 13, artists from all […]
AL-HALBOUNI — Adel, a teenager, worked with his father at their small shop near al-Halbouni, not far from Damascus. By age 17, he had dropped out of school to support his family, as their financial situation grew desperate after years of war. Adel wasn’t a supporter of Syria’s government, but that didn’t prevent him from being forced to fight on its behalf. He was arrested at one of the army checkpoints in the town of Qudsaiya in the Damascus countryside, then sent off to battle. “We were on our way to work,” Adel’s father recounts. “We got stopped at a […]
A 17-year-old recording of a freestyle battle between Eminem and a local rapper named A.L. has been released online. The two-part recording features a 25-year-old Marshall Mathers in his early rapping career displaying an already impressive talent for freestyle. The battle took place when Eminem visited New York’s Baruch College’s Solo Vibes radio show for […]
“What is a DJ if he can’t scratch?” Sims asks in his bio. The answers to this question may not be crystal clear for us at Worldcrunch, but at least one thing is certain: Sims can scratch and sample, and is therefore a DJ. He proves it on Instagram, where in a series of short […]
It’s not only Friday, it’s Black Friday! If you’re planning to go berserk this weekend like these people above in London, listening to our weekend staff playlist might help. It puts together, among many other more or less acceptable musical favorites, One Direction, Primus and Bob Dylan.
Words that made news …
KOBANI — Sardar is a 26-year-old fighter in the ranks of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, known by its Kurdish acronym, the YPG. A former blacksmith, he has taken up arms for the past five years, since he first became involved with the militant group. In his eyes, it is the core of a Kurdish army that will someday represent the future state of Kurdistan. His priority now is to defend the city of Ain al-Arab, also known by its Kurdish name Kobani. The city has been under attack by ISIS since September. “Compared with the weapons used by ISIS, […]
Thankfully, Indonesian band Navicula’s nickname “the green grunge gentlemen” refers only to their environmental nature and not to a type of radioactive dirt. They are one of Indonesia’s most successful rock bands, having just returned home to their island of Bali after touring the U.S. and Australia. Their name “Navicula” refers to a type of […]
Searching for a quiet public space in Cairo sets you up against unscrupulous police and leering neighbors, oppressive moral codes and an eternal maze of streets. One woman’s failed hunt for tranquility in the Egyptian capital.
Nestled in between Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea, far from mainland Russia, Kaliningrad feels much more like Europe, and its residents are proud of its Western-like values.
It’s Friday! Time to celebrate like Ricky Martin, who just got a wax figure of himself at Las Vegas’ Madame Tussauds. Can you tell which one is real? On another note, Worldcrunch’s staff comes from many different places so our music tastes are just as wide-ranging. So we’ve decided to create weekly and extremely varied […]
Early on August 8, 1969, London police held up the traffic on Abbey Road for 10 minutes so the Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan could shoot the cover for the Beatles’ album that shares its name with the street. He took six photos of the Fab Four crossing the zebra stripes, one of which would later […]
KARACHI — In Pakistan and many other Asian countries, politicians are given preferential treatment on the roads, in airports, and in services while everyone else waits in line. So it’s not surprising that this lopsided system is breeding growing outrage. In a wealthy suburb of Karachi, where many high-profile politicians live, a small middle-aged man stands at a busy traffic intersection. Wearing a long a black gown with a sign that reads “NO VIP,” he says that while your house is yours, the public road is for everyone. With him is a group of around 50 protesters who have been […]
Photo: Kickstarter One in five American teens suffers from a slight hearing loss and one in 20 from a more severe loss, in what are respectively 30% and 77% increases compared to 20 years ago, according to a study by the American Medical Association. The cause of this increase is believed to be the mass […]
When Grandmaster Flash wrote “The Message” and The Notorious B.I.G. turned out “Juicy,” it was not just a way to share a glimpse of everyday life in New York’s toughest neighborhoods, but also escape it. “It’s like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from goin” under” Grandmaster Flash raps, urging himself […]
Too small and not productive enough, cocoa plantations can no longer meet global demand. Industrialists are intervening to help the farmers and save an indulgence beloved the world over.
Words that made news…
“Our sovereign king is ill, let’s pray for him, tragedy eventually comes knocking on the door of the unknown,” Burkinabe rapper Smarty says in his track “Le Chapeau du Chef” (“The boss’s hat”), which was released back in 2012. The song, which now sounds almost like a prophetic warning to Burkina Faso’s recently ousted President […]
To appease conservatives, Egypt’s government is again targeting the LGBT community, arbitrarily arresting them, conducting anal examinations and jailing them for “debauchery.”
A rather bluesy version of “I’m Waiting for the Man” will be featured on the upcoming 45th anniversary reissue of the Velvet Underground “s third and self-titled album, released in 1969. The remastered edition is set to be released on Nov. 24 on Polydor. According to Pitchfork, this “super deluxe” version of “The Velvet Undergorund” […]
Calais, France along the English Channel has served as a hub for UK-bound illegal migrants for more than a decade. Now Egyptian, Kurdish and Albanese traffickers are fighting for control.
China may be Africa’s largest trade partner and investor, but what China brings to the table is often regarded as sloppy, thoughtless and inconsistent with African values.
Have you ever wondered if someone, somewhere in the world, once went through their playlist and selected the exact same song at the exact same moment you did? If you and a complete stranger, for a few minutes, shared a musical communion without knowing it? Spotify’s first “Artist in Residence” Kyle McDonald has. To answer […]
BEIJING — After a development period of more than 10 years, and with final approval from the China Food and Drug Administration, Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Co. has just launched a generic erectile dysfunction drug based on Viagra, to be sold at half the price. At the press conference for the launch of “Jinge” (literally meaning […]
LEIMBACH — At first glance, nothing distinguishes this apartment building on the outskirts of Zurich from those around it. Located on the upper reaches of a peaceful neighborhood in Leimbach, Switzerland, its sandy-colored walls are surrounded by a wild and vast garden. The tall trees of the Entlisberg Forest, perched on the nearby mountain, cast […]
It’s Friday AND it’s Halloween! Time to check out what the world has been listening to between spooky playlists this week. Worldcrunch Pick: King Horror, “Loch Ness Monster” France: David Guetta feat. Sam Martin, “Dangerous” Mexico: Calvin Harris feat. John Newman, “Blame” Uganda: Korede Bello, “Cold Outside” Lebanon: Marwan Khoury, “Law” Vietnam: Taylor Swift, “Shake […]
In Sinai’s Sharm el-Sheikh, a cliff restoraton project has mobilized a community against an over-the-top contractor.
JAIPUR — Having a full-bodied moustache has long been a symbol of masculinity for Indian men and once was also an indicator of caste status. So-called untouchables, excluded from India’s caste system altogether, were not allowed to have a moustache at all, while lower castes had to grow theirs with the ends drooped down. Even now in modern India, there are annual competitions to judge who sports the best facial hair. For the last hour, 61-year-old Ram Singh Chauhan has been massaging his moustache, which is how he spends at least two hours each day. “I use mustard oil, coconut […]
News around the world that counts…
In its bid to root out financial corruption, China’s government is hunting down fugitive suspects from Canada to Colombia, U.S. and Australia.
BERLIN — A historically loaded conflict with potentially serious consequences about compensation for Nazi crimes looms between Germany and Italy. The Italian Supreme Court in Rome has ruled that Nazi victims can sue Germany for compensation in Italian civil courts. The court ruled last week that international law’s principle of “state immunity,” which would normally […]
A Syrian activist from the northern countryside talks about keeping alive the anti-regime, non-Islamist revolution amid the constant threat of shelling and the spectre of ISIS.
Smartphones and iPads, we all know, can be pretty cool. We also know they can suck. Take music concerts, when the other fans in front of you form a view-blocking field of little blue lights in their own private attempt to take home a digital souvenir of the show. Filming performances has even been encouraged […]
-OpEd- CAIRO — The record of police violations is extensive, ranging from murder to extortion and illegal bribes. While some claim these are individual incidents and that the situation should not be generalized, tedious accounts of numerous violations reveal the dysfunctional role of police in daily Egyptian life. Within the old structures of authority under […]
Photo: Roy Anderson/Family handout A sad note in the music world today with news of the death of Raphael Ravenscroft, the British saxophonist who worked with some of the best artists of his generation. He died at age 60 after an apparent heart attack on Sunday in Exeter, UK. Ravenscroft is best known for penning […]