Categories
Future

Solid Help For Humanitarian Aid? Introducing, The Concrete Tent

Concrete Canvas, YouTube Worldcrunch CARDIFF – Introducing the concrete tent: It’s made of a material called Concrete Canvas and needs only water and air to “pitch it.” The material has all the elements of concrete, but is flexible enough to move before it hardens. Inspired by plaster casts for broken bones, the fibers of the […]

Categories
Economy

Record Unemployment Figures Spell Doom For Europe

Worldcrunch PARIS – On Friday, the European statistics agency Eurostat, released new European Union and euro zone unemployment figures from January, showing record highs. Here is a breakdown of the alarming numbers: – More than 26 million people unemployed in the 27-member European Union. – Almost 19 million unemployed in the 17-country euro zone. – […]

Categories
The Next Pope

Cardinal Resigns Amid Abuse Allegations And Conclave Intrigue

BBC, THE GUARDIAN (UK), THE IRISH TIMES (Ireland) Worldcrunch EDINBURGH – Cardinal Kevin O’Brien has announced he will be stepping down as Archbishop of Edinburgh and St. Andrew’s following allegations of “inappropriate behavior” during the 1980s, reports the BBC. The announcement comes three days before Pope Benedict XVI is slated to step down, and Cardinals […]

Categories
Geopolitics

As UK Moves Toward EU Exit, Envisioning A New Northern European Union

BERLIN – Europeans are in a virtual state of paralysis about the future, frozen by a fear that – were they to turn away from Brussels – the result would be a rise of reactionary nationalism. Not surprisingly, these new chauvinisms are perfectly suited for some political agendas – on all sides of the ideological […]

Categories
Society

Global Love: 14 Valentines From Around The World

Worldcrunch 1. ARGENTINA – The twin sister of a murdered model is set to wed her dead sister’s killer, much to the dismay of her parents, according to Buenos Aires daily Clarín. The wedding has been in the works for months, but these two lovebirds hold back nothing when it comes to romance: the ceremony […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Lessons From Kosovo: What Europe Could Not Achieve

PRISTINA – Before General Xavier Bout de Marnhac can walk up to the second floor of the Gagi restaurant in the center of Kosovo’s capital, his security escort must inspect the premises. This is standard procedure. The French general, whom we were meeting only a few hours before he was leaving Kosovo, is the outgoing […]

Categories
Food / Travel

Reigning In Horsegate Scandal’s Best And Worst, As Internet Is Off To Races

Worldcrunch PARIS – Call it “Horsegate” or just a really bad case of un-authentic Italian food, but the story of horse meat winding up in one of Europe’s most popular brands of “all beef” frozen lasagne has been galloping on for four days. We have Romanian meat in question? And also e-questrian. You see where […]

Categories
Food / Travel

UK’s Most Popular Frozen Lasagna Contains Up To 100% Horsemeat

THE INDEPENDENT, THE GUARDIAN, THE DAILY MAIL, BBC (UK) Worldcrunch LONDON – British government food officials have warned the public not to eat frozen beef lasagna sold by the Findus brand after tests showed they contained up to 100% horsemeat. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has ordered all British companies to test their processed beef […]

Categories
Society

Four Days, Three Big Steps For Gay Rights In The UK, U.S. And France

SKY NEWS (Australia), THE GUARDIAN (UK), LIBERATION (France), AP Worldcrunch PARIS – Gay marriage rights are gaining momentum around the world. In the last four days, three countries have each taken a major step toward expanding marriage rights to same-sex couples. FRANCEThough the legislative process is just beginning, the French National Assembly approved a centerpiece […]

Categories
Future

Buckle Up! A Ride In The World’s Smallest Car (Video)

BBC 2 (UK) Worldcrunch LONDON – In the first episode of the new installment of Top Gear, on BBC Two, Jeremy Clarkson tries to build a car that is “even smaller than the famous Peel P50.” Peel P50. Photo mrflip Rising to the challenge, as always, Clarkson tests his tiny invention in London’s suburb of […]

Categories
Economy

Italian Coffee Giant Lavazza Lands In UK To Take On Starbucks, Earl Grey

LA REPUBBLICA, LA STAMPA (Italy), THE TELEGRAPH (UK) Worldcrunch LONDON– Once upon a time, the English just drank tea. Now, they’ve discovered real caffè all’italiano and Italian coffee giant, Lavazza is planning to invade the UK with 400 coffee shops over the next ten years, reports La Repubblica. Currently there is just one, in Manchester, […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Karzai/Taliban Secret Meetings, France Backpedals, World Cancer Day

KARZAI HAD SECRET MEETINGS WITH THE TALIBAN Afghan President Hamid Karzai has held covert negotiations with Taliban officials, aimed at forging a peace agreement without the participation of Western allies, The New York Times reports. The discovery of these meetings seems to explain Karzai’s recent combative behavior toward the U.S., the Times reports, citing his […]

Categories
Future

Biofuel On The Fire? New Study Says Renewable Energy Causes Pollution

PARIS – It is a new stain on the already tarnished reputation of biofuels. After being accused of aggravating food insecurity and driving up food prices, accelerating tropical deforestation and even increasing greenhouse gas emissions, crop-based biofuels are now being accused of worsening air pollution and creating health problems. The European Union’s target of 10% […]

Categories
blog

Explosion In Mexico City HQ Of Petrol Giant: 25 Dead, 100 Injured

EFE, EL INFORMADOR, EL MEXICANO, MILENIO (Mexico) Worldcrunch MEXICO CITY– Rescue workers continue to search for survivors after an explosion killed at least 25 people at the headquarters of Mexico’s state-owned petroleum company Pemex. The number of injured had surpassed 100 by early Friday, with some people still believed to be trapped underneath the rubble, […]

Categories
Ideas

Imagining A British Future Outside Of Europe, And Europe Without The Brits

After UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s support for a referendum on pulling out of the European Union, a German viewpoint on what it means for a country and a continent.

Categories
Geopolitics

Cameron Paves Way For Referendum That Could Pull Britain Out Of EU

BBC, THE GUARDIAN, THE TELEGRAPH (UK), THE NEW YORK TIMES (USA) Worldcrunch LONDON – UK Prime Minister David Cameron has opened the door to a national referendum to allow voters to decide whether to pull Britain out of the European Union. During a much anticipated speech Wednesday in London, Cameron said that if he is […]

Categories
blog

As Spanish Nears Half A Billion Speakers Worldwide, Its Next Conquest Is Asia

MADRID – Spanish has become the most spoken language in the world after English – in real life as well as on social networking sites. It is the second most used language on Twitter, after English, ahead of Portuguese and Japanese. These findings were presented in Madrid last week by the head of the Cervantes […]

Categories
blog

Letter from Worldcrunch Editor Jeff Israely

How we see the world, and how you can help

Categories
Economy

Analyst: Amazon Shares To Rise 13% This Year, But Not Thanks To E-Books

Jeff Bezos’ company has its head in the cloud.

Categories
blog

Helicopter Crashes During London Rush Hour, At Least Two Dead

BBC, SKY NEWS, THE GUARDIAN (UK) Worldcrunch LONDON – A helicopter crashed during London’s morning rush hour on Wednesday, killing two people and wounding 11 others. The incident happened at St George’s Wharf on the River Thames near Vauxhall, in southern London. According to The Guardian the helicopter hit a crane on a building site. […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Northern Ireland Sees Fifth Night Of Riots

BBC, BELFAST TELEGRAPH (Northern Ireland), THE IRISH TIMES, RTE (Ireland) Worldcrunch BELFAST– The North Ireland capital of Belfast saw its fifth consecutive night of violence last night after a largely peaceful demonstration at City Hall erupted into riot. The Union flag over Belfast City Hall. Photo: Anosmia via Flickr The Belfast Telegraph reports that loyalist […]

Categories
Geopolitics

Pakistani Schoolgirl Targeted By Taliban Leaves British Hospital

BBC NEWS, ITV (UK) Worldcrunch BIRMINGHAM – Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban for urging girls to attend school, has been released from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, reports ITV. The Pakistani schoolgirl activist was admited at the hospital in October following an attack on October 9 on her schoolbus in […]

Categories
blog

Five Men Charged With Horrific Rape, Murder Of Indian Student

THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THE TIMES OF INDIA, ASIAN AGE (India) AFP Worldcrunch NEW DELHI – Eighteen days after the violent gang rape of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student set off a worldwide outcry, police filed charges in court against the five men arrested in the case, reported the Indian Express. The young woman, who was brutally […]

Categories
Geopolitics

The Best Of 2012, Worldcrunch Style: Your Favorite Stories, And Ours

Yes it’s that time of the year again! Readers’ Picks These are the articles that got your attention (and clicks) in 2012. 1. Catholic Church Makes A Fortune in the German Porn Business DIE WELT Weltbild, one of Germany’s largest publishing companies, happens to be owned and operated by the Catholic Church. But that has […]

Categories
blog

WATCH What Happens When A Tupolev Jet Crashes On A Russian Highway

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 […]

Categories
blog

After Vote, Morsi Signs Decree Establishing New Egyptian Constitution

AL MASRAWY (Egypt), SKY TV Worldcrunch CAIRO – After weeks of confrontation over a proposed new Egyptian Constitution, President Mohammed Morsi has signed the decree that makes the new document the law of the land after voters approved a nationwide referendum, according to press reports early Wednesday. Al Masrawy reported the official results of the […]

Categories
blog

Japan’s Seventh Prime Minister In Six Years Unveils New Cabinet

THE JAPAN TIMES, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN, (Japan) THE NEW YORK TIMES (USA), BBC NEWS (UK) TOKYO – Japan’s new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has unveiled his Cabinet lineup, as he begins the task of resuscitating the country’s economy. Parliament voted Shinzo Abe back to power after Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda resigned Wednesday, ending the country’s […]

Categories
Society

Run For The Hills: Meet Lizzy Hawker, England’s Queen Of The Ultra-Trail

CHAMONIX – Bruce Springsteen sang the song, but Lizzy Hawker was actually born to run. She just replaced the New Jersey rocker’s urban jungle for mother nature, open spaces, and most of all– mountains. Lizzy Hawker is the queen of ultra-trail running, an increasingly popular athletic and mystical sport. Ultra-trail running or ultra-marathon is any […]

Categories
Society

“Cash Mobs” Go Global – Battle Spreads Against Chain Store Dominance

LONDON- We’re at 70 Lower Clapton Road, northeast London, where David and Eleanor are manning the register. While the clock approaches noon, the machine passes the 500-pounds mark (more than $810). It’s been ages since the two owners of independent bookshop “Pages of Hackney” managed to tally such amount, all done without any special marketing […]

Categories
Future

Fighting Fire With…. Twitter… London’s Fire Brigade Goes 2.0

BBC, LONDON FIRE BRIGADE (UK) Worldcrunch LONDON – Are you already getting Twitter alerts from the subway company? Football results? Movie listings ? Now it’s your turn to do your city a favor. The London Fire Brigade is now recruiting the Twitter army to spread information on fires and incidents around the city. Tweet your […]

Categories
blog

Gerard Depardieu To Give Up French Passport – Check Out Where He Could Go Next

Worldcrunch French acting legend Gérard Depardieu said he was surrendering his French passport after France’s prime minister called his move to Belgium for tax reasons “pathetic.” The acting legend had come under criticism last week for declaring permanent residency in the Belgian town of Néchin – allegedly to duck out on France’s new 75% tax […]

Categories
Food / Travel

The Greatest Extermination Of Rats The World Has Ever Known

SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG (Germany) Worldcrunch Located some 1,800 kilometers off the coast of South America, South Georgia Island has no permanent human residents – but millions of rats. The rodents first made their way to this south Atlantic island on whaling boats in the 18th century and, feeding on sea birds, proliferated quickly. No one can […]

Categories
Society

Why Is There A Giant Rubber Duck Floating Down The River Thames?

LONDON – Londoners were left slightly bemused on Tuesday when they stumbled across a giant rubber duck floating down the River Thames. First a monkey wearing a coat roaming around IKEA in Toronto? Now a rubber duck swimming up the Thames? Has everyone gone quackers? Is it already the end of the world? No, it […]

Categories
Society

My Father’s ‘Eviscerated’ Work – Son Of Hobbit Scribe J.R.R. Tolkien Finally Speaks Out

Christopher Tolkien gave his first ever press interview with Le Monde, shedding light on his father’s vision and sharing his own deep dismay with Hobbit director Peter Jackson.

Categories
Society

Buckle Up For The Most Boring Conference In The World

SUDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG (Germany) Worldcrunch Think of the most boring thing in the world: Tupperware? Celery? Jazz music? People talking about jazz music? That cool friend from college who can’t stop telling you how motherhood has changed everything… Now imagine a roomful of people giving enthusiastic talks about all these things, and you have the third […]

Categories
Geopolitics

From The Ashes Of Arab Spring, A New Generation Of Global Jihad Emerges

TUNIS – Overnight, the name of their organization, Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), became famous. They were brought into the spotlight after the deadly attacks on several U.S. embassies that they were accused of organizing after the broadcast of the Islamophobic movie “Innocence of Muslims.” In 2011, in the course of just a few […]

Categories
Society

Front Page Pregnancy – UK Press Goes Mad Over Royal Baby News

Worldcrunch LONDON – It’s time to get the bunting out again. After months and months of speculation and glossy magazines waiting with bated breath so they can roll out the pregnancy tips and photos of Pippa Middleton’s gloomy, baby-envious face, we can all rest assured: Kate is preggers! With the London Olympics over and the […]

Categories
Society

Death And Beauty – When Is War Photography Art?

MUNICH – In his Munich art gallery, Daniel Blau has an exhibition called Death and Disaster, which features German and American war photographs. Whether to view these photographs as documents or art depends on one’s perspective. The pictures bear witness not only to death and destruction but also to the power of imagery as a […]

Categories
Geopolitics

More Heads Roll At BBC, As Its Former Boss Set To Lead NY Times

GUARDIAN, BBC, REUTERS, INDEPENDENT Worldcrunch LONDON – Two more top BBC news executives stepped aside Monday, as the British broadcaster faces a spiraling scandal over two separate bungled reports involving pedophilia. News chief Helen Boaden and deputy Stephen Mitchell have been put on leave following the uproar over the November 2 airing of a report […]

Categories
Society

Francis Bacon, A Modern Master In Florence

FLORENCE – It is an obvious point, but holds a hidden meaning. The last century did not have many artists who merit the “adjectivization” of their name, like Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Rembrandt or Goya, to define an entire genre. Writers have given us Kafkaesque and Chekhovian, but can we say “Baconian”? The current exhibition at Florence’s […]

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