When Malmö launched its Malmö Festival around 20 years ago, local daily Sydsvenska Dagbladet printed up t-shirts that said: “If you have seen Malmö, you have seen the world.”
Soon after, neighbouring Lund launched its riposte: “If you have seen Lund, you don’t need to see Malmö.”
This little anecdote tells you something of the challenges facing [...]

This December, Queen Elizabeth II will become a great-grandmother. Elizabeth’s grandson, Peter Phillips, and his wife, Autumn, are expecting their first child, “a baby who will be Queen Elizabeth II’s first great-grandchild,” according to the AP.
For folks used to hearing only about Princes Charles, William, and Harry, this may come as a bit of a [...]

China has wrapped up a three way summit with neighboring South Korea and Japan by calling for calm amid escalating tensions. South Korea and its partners have yet to win China’s firm support of an investigation blaming North Korea for the deadly sinking of a South Korean naval ship.
The leaders of South Korea, Japan [...]

By AMY TEIBEL (AP)
JERUSALEM — The cobblestone alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old City became moving forests of wooden crosses as Christian pilgrims and clergymen commemorated the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, Good Friday
Black-robed nuns filed past metal barriers erected by police as dozens of tourists in matching red baseball hats held up digital cameras. Some pilgrims carried [...]

When you first head off to places in the world that are a lot different from where you live, a number of things change. You have to learn to adapt.
I still make a lot of mistakes everywhere I go, but I try to learn from each of them. Here’s a short list of things I [...]

In its first estimate, the United Nations reports about 10 percent of the housing in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince has been destroyed, leaving some 300,000 people homeless. The UN says a full assessment of the damages inflicted by the powerful earthquake will take several days to complete.
In its first estimate, the United Nations reports about [...]

By Wang Huazhong (China Daily)
Unlike most people who connect the image of a loving mother with a smiling face, Xiong Mingqiang visualizes the pair of thin shoulders that have carried him for 35 years.
Born with a deformity, Xiong’s head is disproportionately large for his small 80-cm tall body, which prevents him from even standing up [...]

Beijing total vehicle sales hit 13.6 million — a 45 percent growth over 2008
BEIJING – China overtook the United States as the biggest auto market in 2009 and automakers should see more strong growth this year, an industry group reported Friday.
Boosted by Beijing’s stimulus, 2009 passenger car sales soared to 10.3 million and total vehicle [...]

COPENHAGEN — A man charged with attempting to kill a Danish cartoonist over his Muslim prophet Mohammed caricatures was also involved in an alleged plot against US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a Danish newspaper reported Sunday.
But one Danish diplomat played down the report.
The online edition of Politiken newpaper said that the 28-year-old man charged [...]

NAIROBI, Kenya — Property prices in Nairobi are soaring, and Somali pirates are getting the blame.
The hike in real estate prices in the Kenyan capital has prompted a public outcry and a government investigation this month into property owned by foreigners. The investigation follows allegations that millions of dollars in ransom money paid to Somali [...]