Wide green expanses of farmland outside a picturesque northern French village hide memories of a World War I battle in which thousands of British and Australian troops were killed or wounded on a single night.
WWI mass graves to be opened in France
Tag Archives: western
ANC scores landslide win in South Africa
The African National Congress secured an expected landslide victory in this week’s South African general elections, paving the way for party leader Jacob Zuma to become president, according to results released Saturday. But the ANC, which has convincingly won every election since the end of apartheid in 1994, fell just short of retaining a two-thirds parliamentary majority that would have given it a mandate to change the constitution
Western brands eye Chinese women
The opening of clothing retailer H&M’s first store in China’s capital was marked by the sight of hundreds of umbrellas clustered around its front doors. These were fearless shoppers, determined to get fist dibs on the new merchandise. It was a cold and rainy morning as salespeople opened dozens of new branded umbrellas and passed them out for free
S. African vote tests ANC’s grip on power
The ruling African National Congress is expected to win Wednesday’s elections in South Africa by a landslide, but polls predict it might lose its two-thirds parliamentary majority. The ANC has gained votes in every election since 1994, but a new player that threatens the party’s grip on power has entered the fray. The ANC is also dogged by corruption and is accused of failing to deliver services to the poor.
Why the Somali Pirates Keep Getting Their Ransoms
U.S. and European officials insist they don’t pay ransoms to pirates. And why would they?
Lesson for Africa from global economic crisis
If there is one thing that Africa can learn from the global financial crisis it’s that the West doesn’t always get it right, Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai told CNN. “It sends a message that anyone can make a mistake
Image shows North Korea rocket on launch pad
A North Korean rocket slated for launch sometime early next month can be clearly seen in a satellite photograph taken Sunday, the Institute for Science and International Security said Sunday. The satellite imagery, obtained by the ISIS from DigitalGlobe, is said to show the rocket at the Musudan-ri launch site in northeastern North Korea.
Jerusalem Rabbi Insists the Pope Must Hide His Cross
Pope Benedict XVI hopes his planned visit to Jerusalem’s Western Wall next month will be taken as a gesture of reconciliation in the long-troubled relationship between Judaism and the Catholic Church. But at least one influential rabbi will take offense — unless the pontiff removes or conceals the golden cross he wears on a chain around his neck, “out of respect” for the Jews. Explaining his demand that Benedict hide the very symbol of the Catholicism he represents, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, the spiritual authority responsible for overseeing Judaism’s most sacred site, told TIME, “I wouldn’t go into a church wearing Jewish symbols, out of respect for the place, and I would expect that the Pope would act the same here.” Quoting King Solomon, the rabbi says that the Temple in Jerusalem was “a house of prayer for all people, not just Jews.” He added: “We welcome this Pope.
America’s Ski Resorts: Saved by the Snow
The early-March snowstorm that creamed the Eastern seaboard largely missed Vermont’s big skiing areas. But resort operators were delighted nevertheless, because the storm whetted the appetite of all those coastal skiers. The industry calls it the “backyard syndrome,” and it can either feed or starve the sport in a given year.
Chinese furious over Laurent sale of ‘treasures’
When Christie’s announced its plans to auction off two 18th-century bronze sculptures, the Chinese flatly said "no." At the center of the dispute are two bronze sculptures, part of the late Yves Saint Laurent’s private collection of arts and antiquities. The two 18th-century pieces — fountainheads of a rabbit and a rat — disappeared when French and British Allied forces pillaged Beijing’s Old Summer Palace during the second Opium War in 1860. China says the relics are part of its cultural heritage and should be returned.