Worldcrunch
A R A B I C A ارابيكا EGYPT: PAST & FUTURE *This survey polled more than 22,000 Egyptians to discover public attitudes about the upcoming March 19th referendum on constitutional amendments, which would loosen the grip of the longtime ruling National Democratic Party over the entire political process (from presidential down to municipal elections). […]
Editorial: Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to cede power sets dangerous African precedent.
After Gaddafi’s forces attacked Ras Lenuf by land, air and sea, Al Jazeera reports that the rebels are “preparing to return to the city.” A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie FRONT LINES *After Gaddafi’s forces attacked Ras Lenuf by land, air and sea, Al Jazeera reports that the rebels are […]
Virtually unknown to the rest of the world, this former judge was the first senior cabinet minister to abandon Gaddafi and join the revolution. Now Mustafa Abud Al-Jeleil may be the last best hope to take down the old regime. With some help.On the road to Baida (Al Jazeera) BAIDA – The road to Mustafa […]
A veteran news editor at Switzerland’s SF television network says apparently dramatic battleground images are being staged by insurgents for the benefit of photographers and cameramen…who are in on the game. By Marc Brupbacher Something like a civil war is raging in Libya as rebel insurgents and Muammar Gaddafi’s troops are engaged in intense battles […]
In an interview, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi insists his father’s regime is “the target of a propaganda fomented by the foreign media.”
Al Jazeera ran a story citing unnamed Israeli security sources who say that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak not only back Muammar Gaddafi, but have also recruited African mercenaries in order to prevent “an Islamic regime” from taking over Libya. A R A B I C A […]
Refugees are pouring out of Libya. Many of those who have made it across the border to Tunisia are too scared to talk, with reports that some may be African mercenaries. By Monica Fahmy RAS JEDIR – The steady stream of people fleeing Libya is creating a whole new crisis for Tunisia. In the eastern […]
As locals search for corpses at the Ground Zero of the Feb. 17 Revolution, military and civilians map out a final assault on Muammar Gadaffi. Opposition poster (mshamma) BENGHAZI – Osama is rotating in his hand a new Belgian-made 9-mm Parabellum cartridge. He took it after the assault on Al Fadil, a major Libyan police […]
The Libyan leader is gearing up for what might be his last stand, counting on sons and loyalists to lead the way.
For the third time in five days, Muammar Gaddafi spoke to Libyans, friend and foe. A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie LATEST FROM LIBYA *For the third time in five days, Muammar Gaddafi spoke to Libyans, friend and foe. This time, the Libyan leader made his shout-filled appeal in central […]
The Arab world’s eyes and ears continue to strain to better gauge the situation in Libya, where Muammar Gaddafi appears to be using all means at his disposal to hold on to power. A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie FUZZY PICTURE *The Arab world’s eyes and ears continue to strain […]
In the heart of the uprising against the Libyan regime, the death count is still unknown, but the scars are everywhere.
In the heart of the uprising against the Libyan regime, the death count is still unknown, but the scars are everywhere. By Cécile Hennion BENGHAZI – The shots that resound in the night are no longer the echoes of the fierce street battles that set off the uprising against the Libyan regime of Colonel Muammar […]
The city of Tobruk has been liberated from Gaddafi’s rule, but residents worry that the regime will strike back.
A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie The popular unrest spreading through the Arab world has met its most deadly crackdown so far in Libya. Estimates are that some 300 people have been killed in recent days as Libyan security forces attempt to put down the growing protests, with the outside […]
An end to hand-clapping masses and showman priests in papal document reportedly aimed at cracking down on abuses of traditional Catholic ceremonies.
The Jordanian intelligence service is denying that its agents hacked into the popular Ammon News website earlier this week and forced it offline for several hours. A R A B I C A ارابيكا By Kristen Gillespie MEDIA MATTERS *The Jordanian intelligence service is denying that its agents hacked into the popular Ammon News website […]
Twenty-five years of “doi moi” reforms have unleashed Vietnam’s economy and solidified one-party rule. Yet in Hanoi, a rare few offer the first signs of rebellion.
Times are tough for budget airlines, with rising fuel costs and new competition from traditional companies joining the price-cutting game. ( Mikel Ortega) By Ernst August Ginten DIE WELT/Worldcrunch BERLIN – A young woman wearing a fluorescent yellow-green safety vest looks slightly aloof as she monitors the security line at Berlin-Schönefeld airport. But when a […]
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After several dogs die at her English estate, Queen Elizabeth orders probe the queen loves her corgis LONDON – Perhaps it’s some sort of poison, or a mystery fungus. Whatever the cause, the canine-loving Queen Elizabeth II must also be fearing for the lives of her own beloved corgis after the unexplained death of several […]
Han Han, China’s top blogger and a glamor-boy race car driver, failed to get his culture magazine past all the roadblocks Han Han (Julien Min) EYES INSIDE – CHINA China’s top blogger, Han Han, has pulled the plug on his brand new paper-based literary magazine, making the surprise announcement with his trademark cutting irony that […]
Targeting Christians in Egypt is also a way for Islamists to attack the leaders of the most important Arab country Egpytian soldiers (Jose Antonio Sanchez) After the New Year’s Day church bombing in Alexandria, Egypt, there are at least two ways we can choose to interpret this grave, anti-Christian attack. The first focuses on the […]
The spectre of strife looms ahead of UN indictments in 2005 Hariri murder Monuments have risen to honor slain leader Rafiq Hariri (Steven Damron) EYES INSIDE – THE MIDDLE EAST Lebanon is an edgy place these days, as a UN-backed special tribunal prepares to charge suspects in the February 2005 bombing assassination of ex-Prime Minister […]
Italian train restoration experts bring the legendary luxury railroad back up to standards to feed nostalgic travel buffs Orient Express (D McG) SANTHIÀ – The biting chill of Magliola di Santhià”s open-air workshop masks the warm and romantic interior. Here, encircled by the rice fields in this small northern town near Vercelli, the Orient Express […]
Swiss-based Ethical Coffee Company, run by former top Nespresso executive, ready to crank up its production of biodegradable single-use coffee pods. By Gabrielle Serraz LES ECHOS/Worldcrunch ANNEMASSE – The challenge to Nespresso starts brewing here. The Ethical Coffee Company (ECC) has leased a 4,000 square meter factory in the French town of Annemasse, just across […]
Shares of Prime Minister’s TV network Mediaset rise — then fall — after surviving no-confidence in Parliament. Though Berlusconi still denies politics and business are linked, the markets disagree. By Francesco Spini MILAN – Earlier in the week, as Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi faced a pair of crucial confidence votes, and riots broke out in […]
Like a global version of the Chinese water torture, Wikileaks has been dripping revelations day after day that will render diplomacy painful and less useful for the common good. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange/Worldcrunch (Jose Mesa via Flickr) Paris-The fact that international relations’ specialists aren’t learning anything new from these revelations is beside the point. What […]