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Geopolitics

Croatia Makes It 28! But An Ever-Expanding EU Comes With Big Risks

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Geopolitics

Russia Says Syria Has Agreed To Peace Talks

AFP, AL JAZEERA (Qatar), BBC (UK), REUTERS Worldcrunch MOSCOW– Russia announced Friday that the Syrian government has agreed in principle to attend an international peace conference. The summit was proposed by Russia and the U.S. and could take place in Geneva, reports the AFP. “We note with satisfaction that we have received an agreement in […]

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Geopolitics

Iran Hangs Two Accused Of Spying For CIA, Mossad

AL BAWABA (Jordan), IRAN’S VIEW, PRESS TV (Iran), REUTERS, CNN (U.S.) Worldcrunch TEHRAN – Two men convicted for spying for the United States and Israeli spy agencies have been hung, reported Iran’s Press TV. There were no details on when the men were arrested, tried or sentenced, only that they were hung at dawn on […]

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Society

Nearly One-Third Of US Foreign Adoptions Come From China

CAIXIN (China) Worldcrunch BEIJING – Of the 8,619 children adopted by American families last year, including kids from more than 40 countries, more than 30% came from China, Caixin media reports, citing data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Because of toughened regulations, 885 fewer children overall were adopted internationally by Americans compared with […]

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Geopolitics

“Obama Doesn’t Respect Us” – The Nicolas Maduro Interview

In the first interview with the foreign press since his victory, the new Venezuelan President tells Le Monde that he will carry on Hugo Chavez’s policies, both at home and abroad.

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Geopolitics

North Korea: China Hardens Stance On “Troublemaking” Neighbor

BEIJING – On April 6, China’s new Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the North Korean situation on the phone with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Wang made China’s stance quite clear: it will not allow “troublemaking” at its doorsteps. This is the toughest talk to date from the Chinese government, and its intention is clear: to […]

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Eyes on the U.S.

Former US Envoy To Venezuela Slams Maduro For Accusing Him Of Murder Plot

EL PAIS (Spain); TELESUR (Venezuela); REUTERS Worldcrunch WASHINGTON – Late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez never tired of accusing the U.S. government of all types of nefarious deeds. His hand-picked successor, acting president Nicolas Maduro, is keeping up the tradition. First, days after Chavez’s death, Maduro accused Washington of somehow infecting “El Comandante” with his fatal […]

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Ideas

No Change You Can Believe In – Israel Is All Wrong About Obama’s Visit

President Obama’s arrival in Israel with no new peace proposal to offer is reassuring to many Israelis. They should be worried instead.

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Ideas

Ten Years After Iraq Invasion, Who Shall Be Held Accountable?

The justification for war was false and the victims are endless, even extending to those dying today in Syria. A bitter look back from leading Moroccan daily Le Soir.

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The Next Pope

Five Top Pope Contenders: What Their Home Countries Are Saying

Worldcrunch With the conclave set to begin Tuesday afternoon, the lists of papabili are being narrowed down and scrutinized by the Cardinals gathered at the Vatican. Back in the home countries and dioceses of the top contenders, the secret vote to choose the successor of Benedict XVI can be viewed with a mix of pride […]

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Geopolitics

The Hezbollah Connection in Syria And Iran

In recent days, U.S. and Mideast officials have reported that Iran and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite group, are making military preparations for the sectarian chaos likely to engulf a post-Assad Syria. Counterterrorism expert Matthew Levitt says that Hezbollah has closely aligned itself with Iran’s Quds Force, an elite paramilitary group linked directly to Ayatollah Ali […]

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Geopolitics

Palestinian Oscar Nominee Held At LAX, Michael Moore Intervenes

HAARETZ (Israel), TWITTER Worldcrunch LOS ANGELES – Palestinian filmmaker and Oscar nominee Emad Burnat was detained and questioned for several hours by US immigration officials at Los Angeles Airport, Israeli daily Haaretz reports. After being threatened to be sent straight back home, Burnat was released early Wednesday from LAX airport after the intervention of US […]

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Eyes on the U.S.

Beers And Monopolies – Don’t Mess With Corona

SANTIAGO – The recent decision of the U.S. Justice department to block the acquisition of Mexican beer giant Grupo Modelo by the Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev came as a surprise. The $20 billion acquisition was announced last June, and what’s surprising is that neither company involved is technically an American company. Belgium-based multinational AB InBev is […]

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Geopolitics

Bulgarian Bombings: Hezbollah Implicated, What Next?

AL MONITOR, NEW YORK TIMES (U.S.), JERUSALEM POST (Israel), THE GLOBE AND MAIL (Canada) Worldcrunch SOFIA– The case of five Israeli tourists killed in a July bombing in Bulgaria is anything but closed. The Bulgarian government’s findings this week that the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah was responsible for the bombing, which also killed the Bulgarian […]

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Geopolitics

Russia, Hezbollah Condemn Israeli Airstrike In Syria

BBC, JERUSALEM POST (Israel), THE NEW YORK TIMES, VOA (U.S.), REUTERS Worldcrunch DAMASCUS– Russia has expressed its concern at an alleged Israeli airstrike in Syria that left four dead and two injured says the BBC. Various reports about the airstrike differ in details, while Israel remains silent about its action. Sources told Reuters on Wednesday […]

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Society

Why The English Language Rules The World – No Really, Why?

BERLIN – In the musical “My Fair Lady,” Professor Henry Higgins expresses outrage at the “cold-blooded murder of the English tongue.” The guilty parties are the Scots, the Irish, the Welsh – and of course Eliza Doolittle, the Cockney flower girl from London with whom the linguistic purist falls in love. If Americans escape his […]

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Society

From One Mafia To The Next: Tracking The Path Of The Global Drug Trade

Two decades after the Sicilian Mafia killed magistrate hero Giovanni Falcone, crime networks have shifted drug trafficking from bases to Russia, Colombia, Burma…and beyond.

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Geopolitics

Cuba Lifts Travel Restrictions, Allows Emigrants To Come Home

EFE, GRANMA, PRENSA LATINA (Cuba) Worldcrunch HAVANA- Effective from midnight local time on January 14, thanks to a new reform by the Cuban government, Cuban citizens are now allowed to apply for passports, without having to apply for special exit visas. Photo: Rindo75 via Wikipedia First announced in October, these new regulations include an extended […]

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Eyes on the U.S.

Don’t Smoke (Or Urinate) In Public: An Italian Lawyer’s Tips For Visitors To The U.S.

Too many travelers ignore some pretty basic American laws that can seem foreign to them. Here’s how it looks to the Italian go-to lawyer in New York for just such cases.

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Future

Silk Road: Deep Inside The Internet Hides A Booming Market For Any Kind Of Drug

Behind codes of encryption, the so-called “Deep Web” hosts a vast network of people trading in illegal sales of all sorts, most notably any drug imaginable.

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Geopolitics

Another ‘Coalition Of The Willing’? Why The West Would Bypass UN On Syria War

PARIS – Syria appears to be moving closer by the day toward the end of Assad’s regime. In Western countries, the debate on a military intervention to secure the country’s “hot zones” is gaining momentum. Until now, Western leaders have said that they would only support a military intervention if Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons. […]

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Food / Travel

Presidential Kitchen Secrets – What State Menus Tell Us About World Leaders

-Essay- BEIJING – “Eat, drink, man and woman – the greatest human desires reside in them…” It is an ancient Confucian proverb, meaning that food and love are basic to human nature. Were the public invited to vote on what they’d like most to know about their nations’ leaders I’m convinced it wouldn’t be their […]

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Geopolitics

Pyongyang Style – Trouble Brewing Again On The Korean Peninsula

BEIJING – The recent speculation about North Korea’s (DPRK) intention of launching a ballistic missile is causing widespread concern. On November 24, the South Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo revealed that the South Korean military had detected North Korea transporting rocket components from its Pyongyang arsenal to its rocket launch site in the Northwest. The components […]

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Eyes on the U.S.

Joe Biden And Paul Ryan Duel To Lively Draw In VP Debate

CNN, WALL STREET JOURNAL, THE DAILY CALLER (US) Worldcrunch Joe Biden and Paul Ryan battled through a tough vice presidential debate Thursday, with commentators largely suggesting that the result was a draw. Immediate polls showed that voters were split on who won the debate with CNN putting Ryan at 48% and Biden on 44%. CNBC […]

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Geopolitics

US Embassy Security Official Shot Dead In Yemen

YEMEN OBSERVER (Yemen), REUTERS Worldcrunch SANA’A – A U.S. Embassy employee was assassinated on his way to work in the Yemeni capital Thursday. Yemen Observer reports that Qassem Aqlan, a Yemeni senior security officer working at the U.S. Embassy, was shot dead by masked gunmen on a motorcycle around 10 am Thursday. Gunmen opened fire […]

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Society

Gaga And Assange Meet In London, Sparking Endless Bad Internet

Worldcrunch LONDON – Lady Gaga, fresh from a public presentation of her new perfume Fame at London’s Harrods, paid WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a five-hour visit at the nearby Ecuadorian embassy, where the famous whisteblower has been granted asylum since June. The meeting between the undisputed Queen of Twitter — Lady Gaga has recently reached […]

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Geopolitics

Police Kill U.S. Citizen After He Opens Fire In Israeli Hotel

HAARETZ, JERUSALEM POST, ISRAEL RADIO (Israel) Worldcrunch EILAT – A U.S. tourist opened fire in an Israeli hotel resort on the Red Sea coast Friday, killing one person. The Jerusalem Post reports that Israeli counter-terrorism units arrived on the scene after the gunman barricaded himself in the kitchen. Counter-terrorism units subsequently killed him in an […]

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Eyes on the U.S.

Instant Reaction Polls Give Romney Big Debate Victory

CNN, CBS, NEW YORK TIMES (US) Worldcrunch Instant reaction polls, conducted late Wednesday night, showed Republican candidate Mitt Romney won the first presidential debate in Denver, in a performance expected to raise GOP hopes just one month before the election. According to a CNN/ORC poll of 430 people who watched the debate, 67% of registered […]

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Eyes on the U.S.

A Gaffe Or Glimpse Of The Real Mitt? Romney Stands By 47 Percent Remark

NEW YORK TIMES, WASHINGTON POST, MOTHER JONES (US), FINANCIAL TIMES (UK) Mitt Romney’s campaign team hastily scrambled together a press conference late Monday night to respond to a leaked video, in which the Republican candidate labels 47% of Americans as “people who pay no income tax” and are “dependent upon government.” Romney said he stands […]

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Geopolitics

Tunisia, Lebanon, Pakistan: Anti-West Riots Spread Further Across Muslim World

AL JAZEERA (Qatar), REUTERS, BBC (UK), SANA (Syria) Worldcrunch Anger against the West is spreading throughout the Muslim world as further reports of attacks on the UK, German and US embassies develop Friday afternoon. Following Pope Benedict XVI’s arrival Friday for a three-day trip to Lebanon, anti-Western protests amassed in the country’s second-largest city Tripoli. […]

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Ideas

After Benghazi: Don’t Let Jihadist Violence Undo The Gains Of Arab Spring

Essay: The fury of fundamentalist Muslims should not obscure efforts to consolidate democracy.

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Geopolitics

Muslim Protesters Storm US Embassy In Yemen, Marines Dispatched To Libya

BBC, REUTERS (UK), AL JAZEERA (Qatar), CNN (US) Protestors enraged by an anti-Islam film have stormed the U.S. Embassy in Yemen, following similar rounds of violence in Libya and Egypt that had left four American diplomats dead in the Libyan city of Benghazi. The BBC reported Thursday morning that protesters have stormed the embassy’s security […]

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Geopolitics

US Ambassador To Libya, Three Other Staffers Killed In Riots Against Anti-Islam Film

AL JAZEERA (Qatar), EGYPT INDEPENDENT (Egypt), ABC (US), SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (Australia), AFP (France) Worldcrunch BENGHAZI – The US Ambassador to Libya and three other staff members were killed following an attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi amid protests against an American amateur film denouncing the Prophet Muhammad. Al Jazeera reported that US Ambassador […]

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Eyes on the U.S.

The Singular Marriage Of American Arrogance And Humility (As Seen From China)

BEIJING – Conduct a survey anywhere in the world and ask respondents to describe the United States with one word, many will surely choose the word “arrogant.” In their view, this superpower has become synonymous with conceit and a bald sense of superiority. In Lord Acton’s famous words: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Typically, such people […]

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Future

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Makes Historic Landing On Mars

ASSOCIATED PRESS, REUTERS, NASA (USA) Worldcrunch PASADENA – The NASA Curiosity robotic exploration vehicle successfully landed on Mars early on Monday morning at 5:30 a.m. GMT, a historic event that prompted relief and excitement within the scientific community. The Curiosity rover will spend the next two years looking for traces of life on the red […]

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