Posted on November 8, 2012 / Comments Off
After joining the euro in 1999, Spain’s economic boom made it the land of opportunity for millions of Latin American migrant workers. But since the decade-long boom turned to bust roughly four years ago, many of those immigrants have returned, joined by a growing number of disillusioned Spaniards who hope that Latin America, with its developing economies and low cost of living, has more to offer.
Posted on October 2, 2012 / Comments Off
Tourism to Berlin is booming as never before and filling the debt-ridden city’s coffers with much-needed cash, but not all Berliners are cheering the influx of visitors.
Some blame the tourists, especially the young 20-something “Easyjet set” who ride the budget airline to party through the night in the uber-cool, hedonistic German capital, for a host of ills from rising rents to noise pollution.
Posted on August 30, 2012 / Comments Off
It’s been more than half a century since some of the first concept cars boasting self-driving features were presented to the world, and they’re still not on the roads. But many auto executives say the industry is on the cusp of welcoming vehicles that make the idea of keeping both hands on the wheel an anachronism.
General Motors showed off “dream cars” in the late 1950s, like the Firebird II and Cadillac Cyclone with features automakers are now starting to roll out in new models as the technology — based on sensors, lasers, radar systems, GPS, cameras and microchips — improves and becomes less costly.
Posted on August 1, 2012 / Comments Off
More than 12 million Mexicans have joined the ranks of the poor since 2005, leaving July 1 presidential election winner Enrique Pena Nieto facing a tough battle to live up to his election promises.
Pena Nieto has said he will bring jobs, education and clean water to wide swaths of the country where poverty is a stubborn reminder of successive governments’ failure to unlock Mexico’s full economic potential.
He has made firm commitments: the day his campaign began, he pledged to lift 15 million people out of poverty.
Posted on July 27, 2012 / Comments Off
Convicted crack dealer DeWayne Wilkerson would be in prison until 2015 if not for changes in Michigan’s controversial “mandatory minimum” laws. Instead he has made a film.
“The Greatest Gift 2.0,” which Wilkerson, 42, began working on after his 2009 release, premiered recently and is booked for several other screenings in coming weeks.
Posted on July 13, 2012 / Comments Off
BULGARIA: Bulgaria’s history museum plans to display a “vampire” skeleton this month after unearthing the 700-year-old remains of two men stabbed through the chest with iron rods.
