Worldcrunch
👋 নমস্কাৰ* Welcome to Friday, where Israel’s plans to take control of Gaza City spark widespread condemnation, historic wildfires rage on in France and California, and today’s quiz question comes courtesy of a motorist in Germany. Meanwhile, Kyrgyz investigative outlet Kloop uncovers potential wavering support from Central Asia’s traditionally Kremlin-aligned nations. The Worldcrunch Today crew […]
Updated July 10, 2024 at 12:15 p.m. The Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior was bombed on this day in 1985. The bombing was carried out by agents of the French intelligence service, specifically the “Action Service” division of the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE). What was the motive behind the Rainbow Warrior bombing? The French government […]
Updated June 24, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. The Rugby World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand took place on this day in 1995 at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. Who won the 1995 Rugby World Cup final? South Africa, known as the Springboks, emerged as the champions of the 1995 Rugby […]
While busy delivering the best international journalism, the Worldcrunch team also stumbles on a fair deal of downright strange stuff happening around the world, reported in every language.
While busy delivering the best international journalism, the Worldcrunch team also stumbles on a fair deal of downright strange stuff happening around the world, reported in every language.
Updated on Nov. 27, 2023 at 12:50 p.m. Helen Clark became the first elected female Prime Minister of New Zealand on this day in 1999. Who is Helen Clark? On Nov. 27, 1999, Helen Clark became the 37th prime minister of New Zealand, and the first woman to ever be elected to that office. She […]
As the Rugby World Cup final approaches, French writer Yves Bourdillon notes that the sport is popular almost exclusively in democratic countries. The reason? Its Anglo-Saxon origins, the complexity of its rules and its values, a miracle of balance between individualism and collective spirit.
Coverage of the Women’s World Cup has been more about the athletes’ personal lives than sport. Once again, sexism in sport is on fully display.
The species of pig evolved into ultra-resilient, disease-free predators while isolated on Auckland Island that could be a boon for state-of-the-art xenotransplantation, a medical procedure in which cells, tissues, or organs from one species are transferred into another species, which could reduce the need for human organ donors.
It’s rare that the Prime Minister of New Zealand becomes a globally recognized leader. But Ardern, who was the youngest female elected head of government in history, deserved all the positive attention.
The war in Ukraine and the climate crisis have been devastating for food production. Here’s a look at some of the traditional foods from around the world that might be hard to find on supermarket shelves.
New Zealand politics professor Richard Shaw comes to terms with how his family’s silences finds roots in the historical amnesia surrounding the acquisition of lands by Irish settlers in Taranaki, a region in the south west of the Aotearoa’s North Island.
If Mexico could forge a clear vision of its business interests, the showdown between the United States and China would present it with some major trading and strategic opportunities.
As New Zealand grapples to bring a Delta outbreak under control and to accelerate the vaccination rollout, social cohesion is vital for a successful elimination strategy. Political consensus on elimination has endured so far. Unlike the anti-mask and anti-vaccination movements elsewhere, most New Zealanders continue to back the prime minister’s decision to place the country under the strictest lockdown. But strains on public consensus are beginning to show, with a less-than-ideal parliament, some pushback against lockdowns and agitation to “open up.” These debates will become more pressing as the government moves towards difficult discussions about an exit strategy and targets […]
Welcome to Monday, where chaos continues at Kabul airport, flooding kills at least 22 in Tennessee, and Taiwan hisses at the culling of smuggled cats. Meanwhile, Les Echos invites you to mind the gap and hop on Europe’s rekindled love for overnight rail travel.
New Zealand’s referendum last month to legalize recreational marijuana use was the first time a country put the controversial topic to a popular vote. Initial results point to a narrow defeat of the measure, which would still leave Uruguay and Canada as the only countries to fully legalize cannabis at a national level. Still, in […]
*Other than Donald Trump’s jaw-dropping push for a second term, we will also see Maduro’s Venezuela and Myanmar (also) testing the limits of democracy in the coming weeks.
It was the kind of definitive piece of information that has been rare since the COVID-19 pandemic began: On Monday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that coronavirus transmission has been officially eliminated in the country, since its appearance there in late February. According to the Director-General of Health, it has been at least […]
Humans have been greeting each others with handshakes for thousands of years. Are we witnessing the end to pressing the flesh, and giving some skin? “I don’t think we should shake hands ever again,” declared Dr Anthony Fauci, one of the key members of the US coronavirus task force, in a Wall Street Journal podcast. […]
Welcome to Wednesday, where the pandemic has spiked again in Germany and South Korea, New Zealand reports decades of child abuse and a cigar box contains an ancient Egyptian mystery. Le Monde, meanwhile, reports on France’s Chechen community reeling since a radicalized 18-year-old beheaded a French teacher in October. SPOTLIGHT: THE NEXT PANDEMIC MAY BE […]
The white supremacist who killed 50 at New Zealand mosques is like other mass killers attached to myths of ideological identity that lack any real political horizon.
How messages of hate and violence drive both radical Islamists and white supremacists.
Images that made news around the world.
WHAKATANE — “Here, hang this around your neck, we’re nearly there,” says Keris Adams, handing out yellow gas masks to some 50 ship passengers. I’m starting to feel uneasy. It’s only a few kilometers to White Island, the only New Zealand isle with an active volcano. Even from a distance the island has something mystical […]
The world in numbers travels far and wide, and still counting…
“It’s not easy being green.” — Kermit the Frog PARIS – For some of us, being green is a hard-to-quantify choice of using a reusable bag at the grocery storetaking or taking public transport. But for others, environmental friendliness is a hard calculation to reach carbon-neutral status. That means removing as much carbon dioxide from […]
SYRIAN KURDS FLEE ISISTurkish authorities have closed some of the country’s border crossings with Syria after ISIS’ advance has caused some 130,000 Syrian Kurds to flee to Turkey over the past two days, the BBC reports. But after clashes with the refugees on the border, with Turkish troops using water canons and tear gas, British […]
Monday, August 11, 2014 IRAQ SINKS DEEPER INTO CRISISThe United States is providing weapons to Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in Iraq as they battle Islamic State (IS) terrorists who are slaughtering civilian minorities, the AP reports. The Obama administration had previously said it would only sell arms to the Iraqi government, but that policy has changed. […]
Worldcrunch Over the past year, China’s outbound investment set new records. Although North America jumped to the forefront of Chinese business activity, it is likely to be temporary: Chinese companies move as a group from region to region, from sector to sector, according to a survey by the Heritage Foundation. Wine, treasury bonds, soy, ports… […]
Worldcrunch SAGARMATHA – Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay ascending to the highest point on earth – the summit of Mount Everest. Since May 29, 1953, an estimated 4,000 alpinists have climbed to the ‘roof of the world.’ We have crunched Everest, by the numbers… 8,848 – The height […]
Worldcrunch WASHINGTON – As the list of 2012’s most popular baby names in the U.S. was unveiled this week, it appeared that King and Messiah were among the fastest growing names for boys, said the AP. Major was another fast-rising name. Last week, however, New Zealand released its annual list of banned baby names and […]
TVNZ, NZ HERALD, FAIRFAX NZ NEWS, 3 NEWS (New Zealand) Worldcrunch WELLINGTON – New Zealand has become the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to legalize same-sex marriage. Parliament voted 77-44 late Wednesday to amend the 1955 Marriage Act to describe marriage as a union of two people regardless of their sex, sexuality or how […]
AAP (Australia); NZ HERALD, RADIO NEW ZEALAND, SCOOP (New Zealand) Worldcrunch WELLINGTON – Parliament on Tuesday approved a measure that would make New Zealand the first country to legalize synthetic drugs, otherwise known as party pills. If it gains final approval later this year, the Psychoactive Substances Bill would create a system to test and […]
TVNZ (New Zealand); SCIENCE WORLD REPORT; PLOS ONE JOURNAL Worldcrunch BEAUFORT ISLAND – A new study published this week by U.S. and New Zealand researchers shows that there are actually some winners when it comes to global warming: the Adélie penguins. The study, published in the PLOS One journal, shows that the colony of Adélie […]
The death of Hugo Chavez, who propped up Venezuela with oil profits, is another reminder that Latin America needs to look for economic development beyond natural resources.
STUFF, TV3, ONE NEWS, NEW ZEALAND HERALD, AUCKLAND NOW (New Zealand) Worldcrunch AUCKLAND – An award-winning filmmaker was killed in a shark attack on Wednesday at a popular surfing beach west of New Zealand’s largest city. Muriwai beach on Auckland’s west coast has been closed after a fatal shark attack: ow.ly/i52Gv — nzherald (@nzherald) February […]
TVNZ, NEW ZEALAND HERALD (New Zealand) Worldcrunch WELLINGTON – In order to adapt to the decreasing volume of posted items, the New Zealand Post is considering cutting mail delivery from six to three days a week to allow “greater flexibility” in its services, according to the New Zealand Herald. Although Communications and Information Technology Minister […]
In his native Germany, Mr “Dotcom” is called by his real name, Kim Schmitz; but Germans joined with the rest of the world to see the roll-out of his new outsized Internet file-sharing site.
Worldcrunch Tens of thousands of Australians turned out to watch a rare total solar eclipse Wednesday morning, with the spectacle plunging the northeastern state of Queensland into darkness for two minutes. Residents of New Zealand and eastern Indonesia were also able to see a partial eclipse. Take a looks at these photos as the next […]