When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
Switzerland

A Weird 2021 : Our Favorite "What The World" Stories

A man in a white polo shirt reading the news

A man reading the news

Zahra Amiri via Unsplash

Tales of odds and ends from deep inside the world's newspapers....


Starsky And Hutch Busted In France For Driving Under Influence

Starsky And Hutch Busted In France For Driving Under Influence

worldcrunch.com

Yes, they are both French. Yes, those are their real names. No, they weren't driving a Ford Gran Torino.

— WORLDCRUNCH

Skiing Across Sweden-Norway Border To Slip Past COVID Lockdown

Skiing Across Sweden-Norway Border To Slip Past COVID Lockdown

worldcrunch.com

There was only one problem: the weather.

NRK

It's Raining Fish, Hallelujah! Mysterious Lluvia de Peces Lands Again In Honduras

It's Raining Fish, Hallelujah! Mysterious Lluvia de Peces Lands Again In Honduras

worldcrunch.com

Residents near the Caribbean coast of Honduras have been witness to an unlikely, and much welcome, event: fish that seem to arrive from the skies. Or maybe from somewhere else?

LA TRIBUNA

Author Of Italian Thrillers Arrested For Staging Parents’ Murder-Suicide

Author Of Italian Thrillers Arrested For Staging Parents’ Murder-Suicide

worldcrunch.com

Police say the published novelist killed his father with a hammer and slit his mother’s wrists to make it look like the wife killed her husband and then herself. The mother is clinging to life.

— WORLDCRUNCH

In Skinny Japan, New Company Offers Plus-Sized People 'For Rent'

In Skinny Japan, New Company Offers Plus-Sized People 'For Rent'

worldcrunch.com

It's an economic dictum that virtually anything that is rare is bound to create a valuable market: diamonds, limited edition clothing and, in Japan, obese people.

OUEST-FRANCE

Budapest or Bucharest? A Tale Of Very Lost French Soccer Fans

Budapest or Bucharest? A Tale Of Very Lost French Soccer Fans

www.google.com

Let's be honest, as European capital names go, Budapest (Hungary) and Bucharest (Romania) are pretty similar. It's even slightly closer in French.

— WORLDCRUNCH

Fart At Famous Thermal Spa Sparks 12-Person Brawl, Three Arrested

Fart At Famous Thermal Spa Sparks 12-Person Brawl, Three Arrested

www.google.com

Close your eyes. You've arrived in the lush and peaceful microstate of Andorra, known around the world for its natural spas. You've spent the day relaxing with that special someone in the 70°C thermal waters. Maybe you've just gotten a nice massage... And then someone farts.

— WORLDCRUNCH

Asparagus Recipe Baked Into Belgian Legal Decree

Asparagus Recipe Baked Into Belgian Legal Decree

worldcrunch.com

"Preheat oven to 250 °C, add three teaspoons of salt into water, rinse and peel the asparagus and wait 30 minutes before cooking…"

— WORLDCRUNCH

Plane Struck By Lightning Exorcized After Landing

Plane Struck By Lightning Exorcized After Landing

worldcrunch.com

What happens when lightning strikes a plane? First, thanks to modern safety features, it flies on and lands without incident. But in Togo, airport staff last week made sure one such plane was thoroughly *explored and inspected.

— WORLDCRUNCH

Parents Call Cops On Teen Son For Refusing To Clear The Table

Parents Call Cops On Teen Son For Refusing To Clear The Table

worldcrunch.com

Parenting can be a tricky thing.

Who can safely say they've never, in the heat of the moment, brandished over-the-top threats to try to get unruly offspring to comply? And who ever follows through?

— WORLDCRUNCH

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

"Every Day Counts" — How The U.S. Shutdown Melodrama Looks In Ukraine

Congress and President Biden averted a shutdown, but thanks to a temporary deal that doesn't include new aid for Ukraine's war effort. An analysis from Kyiv about what it means, in both the short and long-term.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky with US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican of Kentucky) and US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat of New York) in the Ohio Clock Corridor in the Capitol.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky with US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican of Kentucky) and US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat of New York) in the Ohio Clock Corridor in the Capitol.

Annabelle Gordon/Cnp/dpa/ZUMA
Oleksandr Demchenko

-Analysis-

KYIV — The good news for President Joe Biden, a steadfast supporter of Ukraine, is that the United States managed to avoid a federal shutdown this weekend after both House and Senate agreed on a short-term funding deal.

With a bipartisan agreement that cut out the extreme wing of the Republican party, the U.S. Congress managed to agree on a budget for the next 45 days, until November 17.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

The bad news, however, is that the budget excludes any new aid for Ukraine. On top of that, there remains a looming possibility that by year-end, the U.S. may face a full-blown government shutdown that could dry up any further funding support for Kyiv as Americans focus on domestic priorities.

The problem, though, runs deeper than mere spending issues. The root cause lies in significant shifts within the U.S. political landscape over the past two decades that has allowed radical factions within both parties to emerge, taking extreme left and far-right positions.

This political turmoil has direct implications for Ukraine's security. Notably, it was the radical wing of the Republican Party that successfully removed a provision for over $6 billion in security assistance for Ukraine from the temporary budget estimate.

Keep reading...Show less

The latest