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Francois Hollande: The Man Who Would Be France’s Next President
Francois Hollande is France’s Socialist candidate for the 2012 French presidential campaign. READ MORE

Huge Water Reserves Found Under Africa
Researchers from the British Geological Survey (BGS) and University College-London have mapped out  the groundwater aquifers resting under the African continent. They found huge reservoirs of water under the northern countries of the African continent. READ MORE

Myanmar Seeks Out Japanese Aid To Relieve Debt
Myanmar President Thein Stein hopes to achieve a resolution with Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda about Myanmar’s debt. READ MORE

Newspaper Boom In Asia Defies Trends In West
Asia is experiencing an increase in newspaper circulation, giving hope to newspaper publications that fear their eclipse in western countries, such as the United States. READ MORE

Palestinian Prisoners Stage Hunger Strike In Israel
1,200 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have gone on a hunger strike on Tuesday, National Prisoner’s Day, to protest Israel’s practice of administrative detention and the intolerable treatment in Israeli jails. READ MORE

Air Canada Pilots’ No-Show Cancels Flights
An unusual large number of pilots of Air Canada called in sick on Friday, cancelling and delaying half a hundred flights in Toronto and Montreal. READ MORE

Black Widow: Japanese Woman Sentenced To Death For Killing Three Boyfriends
A Japanese woman, nicknamed the “Black Widow,” has been sentenced to death for murdering three former lovers in 2009. READ MORE

Guinea-Bissau Victim of Another Coup
The military has taken over the West African country of Guinea-Bissau, in a coup d’etat on Thursday, a few weeks before the country’s presidential elections. READ MORE

China and Philippines in Standoff Over Resource-Rich Islands
A naval standoff in the South China Sea is pitting the Philippines against China, and is highlighting how a growing Chinese military presence in the region may create tension in a resource-rich area. READ MORE

U.S. Teenage Birth Rates Fall To Historic Lows
Teenage birth rates in the United States have fallen by 9 percent from 2009 to 2010, reported the National Center for Health Statistics. They have never been so low since measuring began in 1946. READ MORE

Norway Changes Health Care Laws In Wake of Breivik Massacre
In effect, this law would allow for Breivik to be locked up forever in a top security mental hospital unit. READ MORE

UN Believes Joseph Kony Hiding In Central African Republic
The United Nations’ Central Africa envoy believes Joseph Kony is hiding in the Central African Republic. READ MORE

Al Jazeera Will Not Broadcast Killer’s French Massacre Videos
Al Jazeera decided not to broadcast Mohammed Merah’s video of the Toulouse massacre.READ MORE

Norway Sentences Islamic Cleric For Death Threats
Oslo courts have convicted Mullah Krekar, an Iraqi-born Islamist cleric, to five years in prison for posting online death threats against Kurdish immigrants and Norwegian officials. READ MORE

Pope Benedict XVI Wraps Up Cuba Trip
Pope Benedict XVI ends his three-day trip to Cuba by delivering a mass and meeting with former leader of the communist island, Fidel Castro. READ MORE

Japan Threatens To Shoot Down North Korea Rocket
Japan said Friday it will shoot down a long-range rocket North Korea plans to launch next month if it flies over any part of its territory, the defense minister said. READ MORE

France Expels Islamic Radicals In Aftermath Of Toulouse Murders
On Monday, French Minister of the Interior, Claude Gueant, announced the expulsion of Algerian and Malian imams because they posed a threat to the French public’s security. READ MORE

Mali Unrest: Unesco Fears For Safety Of Timbuktu World Heritage Site
Unesco has issued a warning for the safety of Timbuktu since the Tuareg rebels defeat of Malian government authorities in the northern part of the country. READ MORE

The Race Against Time: America vs. China
China’s rise has unsettled many Westerners, especially Americans who fear Chinese influence could overwhelm that of the U.S. As the U.S. struggles through economic recovery, will China seize its chance to lead the world?. READ MORE

Bosnia Commemorates Siege Of Sarajevo As Ethnic Divisions Linger
Bosnia-Herzegovina commemorated on Friday the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the longest siege in history: the siege of Sarajevo, which defined the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995. READ MORE

Too Many Foreigners in France, Sarkozy Says
In a televised interview Tuesday night, the French president up for re-election Nicolas Sarkozy, claimed there were too many immigrants in France. He suggested a mass scaledown of foreign entries to jump-start the French integration system. READ MORE

Japanese Whaling Fleet Returns Home With Sharply Reduced Catch
The Japanese whale hunt did not go as well as predicted. Blaming activists and environmentalists, the Japanese Fisher Agency reports that the whaling fleet is “on schedule” back to Japan despite its minimal catch. READ MORE

Syrian Conflict Shifts Chinese Foreign Policy
The Syrian crisis has pushed the Chinese to engage internationally significantly more than it has in the past. Some remain skeptical as to China’s interest in Syria, but the recently released 6-point statement shows a China attempting to strike a middle-ground. READ MORE

Libya Claims Al-Senussi Extradition From Mauritania
According to Libya’s Vice Premier, Mustafa Abushagur, and a government spokesman, Mauritanian has agreed to hand over Gaddafi’s former intelligence chief, Abdullah al-Senussi to Libya. READ MORE

Burma Opens Elections to Foreign Monitors
Burma has sent out invitations to the US, EU, and ASEAN member countries to send observers to the upcoming April 1st elections. READ MORE

Chinese Lawyers Must Swear Allegiance To Communist Party
The Ministry of Justice in China announced that lawyers working in the country will have to take an oath of allegiance to the Communist Party of China (CPC). READ MORE

Uganda Opposition Leader Arrested After Policeman Killed
Kizza Besigye, Uganda’s principal opposition leader, was arrested Thursday after a demonstration took place in the capital. A police officer was fatally hit in the head with a stone, which prompted Besigye’s arrest. READ MORE

EU Sanctions Syrian First Lady
The wife of Syria’s leader, Asma al-Assad, will suffer sanctions from the EU, including a travel ban to Europe and an asset freeze. READ MORE

French PM Denies Gunman Could Have Been Prevented From Committing Murders
French Prime Minister, Francois Fillon, asserts that French terrorist Mohamed Merah could not have been arrested before the Toulouse massacre. READ MORE

Italian Screenwriter Tonino Guerra Dies
Legendary screenwriter, Tonino Guerra, died at 92 in his hometown in Italy on Wednesday. READ MORE

Human Rights Activist, Zainab al-Khawaja, Released in Bahrain
Prominent human rights activist, Zainab al-Khawaja, was released from detention on Tuesday. She was taken into custody about a week ago after attempting to approach the Pearl Roundabout in commemoration of last year’s first uprisings against Bahrain’s authoritarian regime. READ MORE

Venezuelan President Chavez Flies to Cuba for Surgery
Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, will fly to Cuba this Friday in preparation for the surgery he will undergo next week. Chavez has a recurring growth in his pelvic region. He was operated on in the same area last year in June when he was diagnosed with cancer. READ MORE

Hong Kong: Mandarin Supplants English as Second Most Popular
The latest Hong Kong census reports that Mandarin has surpassed English as the second most spoken language in Hong Kong. READ MORE

Will China Help to Alleviate the Euro Zone Debt Crisis?
China’s engagement in resolving the euro zone debt crisis has been a topic of contention. High-profile Chinese leaders, such as Vice Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice President Xi Jinping, have reassured the European countries that China would invest in alleviating the debt. However, a financial plan has yet to be communicated. READ MORE

Sarkozy Seeks Refuge in Cafe From Protesters
French President Nicolas Sarkozy took refuge in Bar du Palais, a cafe in Bayonne, after Basque separatists and supporters of the Socialist party overwhelmed him in the streets. READ MORE

Spain May Miss 2012 Deficit Target
Despite agreeing to the new European Union fiscal stability pact, Spain has autonomously decided to defy the established deficit target. Spain will not reach the previously set deficit target of 4.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and instead opts for more flexibility, setting a new target of 5.8 percent of GDP. READ MORE

Christchurch Cathedral To Be Demolished
Bishop Victoria Matthews announced that the 131-year-old Anglican cathedral, a landmark in Christchurch, New Zealand, will be demolished and make room for a new cathedral. READ MORE

Mubarak Business Associate Extradited From Spain
Spanish court has agreed to the extradition of former Egyptian president’s business partner and close associate, Hussein Salem. READ MORE

Nose-Job Results in Egypt MP’s Resignation
Egyptian MP, Anwar al-Bilkimy, of the ultra-conservative and religious al-Nour party violated party lines by not only undergoing plastic surgery for his nose but lying about it. Al-Bilkimy has submitted his resignation, which awaits parliamentary approval. READ MORE

Maoist Fighters Leaving Nepal Camps After 5 Years
The Maoist fighters who have been living in United Nations-monitored camps since 2007 are now leaving. They have the choice of accepting compensation to help them return to civilian life or of undergoing re-training to join the Nepali army. READ MORE

Two American Women Kidnapped in Egypt Released
The two American women who were kidnapped on Friday morning were released by their Bedouin kidnappers several hours later. READ MORE

Jean Dujardin Posters Taken Down in France
Posters of Jean Dujardin and his costar Gilles Lellouche have been taken down from Paris billboards on Friday. The posters were deemed to be overtly sexual and sexist by France’s Authority of Professional Regulation of Advertising (ARPP). READ MORE

IMF and Joe Biden Both Question China’s Economic Growth Prospects
The International Monetary Fund and Vice President Joe Biden have both raised doubts about China’s economic growth, although for different reasons. READ MORE

French Elections: Sarkozy’s Last Stand?
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is up for re-election this year. He faces stiff competition from both the Socialist Party and the extreme right National Front. With France’s economy in shambles, Sarkozy’s re-election prospects look slimmer every day. READ MORE

China: Year of the Dragon Will Bring Baby Boom Despite One-Child
In the Year of the Dragon, China expects a 5 percent increase in births despite the country’s strict one-child policy. This brings into question whether the one-child policy is still an effective population control tool. Or is the policy actually damaging Chinese society and economy?. READ MORE

Xi Jinping: New Friend of the U.S.?
Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States is all the rage as Washington scurries to get a better impression of the presumed successor of President Hu Jintao. However, it would be premature to judge Xi’s comfortable and amicable style as a sign of any weakness. READ MORE

Anthony Shadid, NYT’s Foreign Correspondent, Dies in Syria
Renowned and respected, Anthony Shadid of the New York Times died on Thursday of an asthma attack in Syria. The entire journalism community mourns his death, remembering him for his accurate and moving stories on the Middle East and the peoples’ suffering in the region. READ MORE

Greece’s Olympia Museum Robbed; Culture Minister Offers to Quit
Early Friday morning, two armed men with masks robbed a museum in Olympia. They stole priceless artifacts more than 3,000 years old depicting Olympic athletes. This was the second such robbery in Greece in just two months — The National Gallery in Athens was robbed of paintings in January. As a result, Greece’ Minister of Culture has submitted his resignation. READ MORE

Chinese Land Seizure Protests Lead to Arrests
After a month of protesting against local officials taking away their land, residents of Panhe village in Zhejiang province are being detained. These arrests have put a stop to the social unrest for now. However, land disputes remain a rampant issue in China — one that seriously shakes the “harmonious society.” READ MORE

Western Hostages Freed From Somalia Return Home
Last week, U.S. Special Operations Forces went in to rescue the two hostages from their Somali kidnappers on orders from President Barack Obama. READ MORE

25 Kidnapped Chinese  Workers Freed in Egypt
On Wednesday, 25 Chinese workers were released from 15 hours of captivity in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. They were kidnapped just yesterday by Bedouin tribesmen, who were demanding the freedom of five relatives. The Chinese workers were returned to their hotel unharmed. READ MORE

French Company, Dassault, Wins $10.4 Billion Indian Bid
The French aviation company, Dassault, defeated Eurofighter in India’s $10.4 billion bid. Negotiations are now in the works for Dassault to sell 126 Rafale combat aircrafts to the Indian Air Force. READ MORE

Facebook IPO: Top 10 Largest U.S. IPOs
Having filed for its initial public offering (IPO) on Wednesday, Facebook has the potential to debut on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with one of the largest IPOs ever. Check out this slideshow to see which were the largest IPOs in U.S. history. READ MORE

LIVE REVIEW: Brit Boras and The Cavalry
The best live shows are when the music transcends the studio recording. That’s when you know an artist is good. Though Spike Hill’s sound-system didn’t sound quite perfect, Brit and The Cavalry delivered a more than worthy show. It was the voice of Brit Boras, the band’s lead singer, which brought Brit and The Cavalry to such a level. Her enchanting vocals prevented her band from drowning under instrumentals. READ MORE

Seasons
It’s so odd how Seasons’ newest EP Winter fits right into this summer. It’s the kind of music you want playing in the sweltering heat of your non air-conditioned apartment, just to let its sound swell your overheated thoughts until they are numbed still. READ MORE

Olivia Gerber
Oregon native Olivia Gerber moved to New York City about a year ago where she continues to pursue her studies and music. At Brooklyn’s Southpaw, she opened Zoe Sundra’s CD release party for her album Death By Love Songs. READ MORE

Spit Like a Big Girl at Rubicon Theatre – There are times when the universe grabs you and says, “Girl, you need to make a change.” Clarinda Ross’s solo performance Spit Like a Big Girl is a memoir of a life full of such changes, and of the soul-grabbing moments that make them necessary…READ MORE

Genesis West’s La Terrasse at Center Stage Theater – Premiering in New York back in 1999, Jean-Claude Carrière’s La Terrasse crosses the Atlantic once again to our very own Center Stage Theater.READ MORE

In The Continuum – When it comes to survival, the saying goes that “it’s every man for himself.” This theme shows up powerfully in Ensemble Theatre Company’s new production of In the Continuum directed by Saundra McClain.READ MORE

Mamma Mia! at the Granada – “Mamma mia, here I go again, my, my …” How can you resist? The all-time greatest ABBA tribute – the wonderful show about “A mother. A daughter. And three possible dads” – is coming to Santa Barbara.READ MORE

Three Reasons to Sing Along with Annie at Dos Pueblos School - The Dow is falling, endowments are slipping away, and loans are on the point of extinction. Yet, we know that the sun will come out tomorrow.READ MORE

In the Mood at the Lobero Theatre – Do you remember what is was like befre the iPod, when Walkmans were the next big thing? Consider the time when the radio was the only way to listen to music or music could only be heard live.READ MORE

CAMA Brings Classical Music to Area Schools – I met an extraordinary group devoted to preserving the value of classical music among younger people. READ MORE

Young Playwright Explores Identity in Muéveme, Muévete – They say adolescence is the toughest phase of life because it’s when we search for who we are – our identity. READ MORE

Santa Barbara Film Festival
Closing Night’s Hometown Connection
Written by Mike Cram and directed by Jeff Balsmeyer, Lightbulb ends the festival reminding its viewers of the seemingly lost American principle of perseverance and of the original American Dream.READ MORE

Eastern Bloc Sidebar
The Eastern Europe movies share the historical break from suppressive Soviet Union regime and, consequently, these 11 films share the underlying theme of existentialism. The films’ storytelling techniques are innovative and fresh as they search for new and expressive ways to convey their culture formerly trained to stay in the shadows.READ MORE

Stirring the Pot
Desperation. Vanity. Futility. Greed. Those were some of the ingredients boiling in Stirring the Pot. In these four one-act plays, the actors provoked their audience to feel sorry, hopeless, ironic, and pitiful. READ MORE

Spoon River Anthology
“I see dead people” Remember that quote from the film the Sixth Sense? It made perfect sense last Saturday after seeing the play Spoon River Anthology. READ MORE

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
From, war-ravaged Republic of Georgia, the Marjanishvili State Drama Theatre brought the U.S. premiere of its innovative production of Shakespeare. READ MORE

Blue Tempest Rages at Westmont
Since 2005, the Lit Moon Theatre Company has produced three distinct interpretations of Shakespeare’s the Tempest. READ MORE

The Imaginary Invalid
“Though he may appear to eat, sleep, and drink like everyone, he is very, very, very ill!” Director Roger DeLaurier and adapter Patricia Troxel succeeded in transplanting Moliere’s traditional French humor into a hilarious English version of Le Malade Imaginaire. READ MORE

Aftermath
“How precious is my life?”, Aftermath shows us a world ravaged by the arrival of the bomb through the eyes of youth. The play tackles the theme of global collaboration in order to provide for our planet, our people and our lives -to help the future survive. READ MORE

Hair
The split that divided the generation of the 1960s is one that transcends all eras-the massive contradiction of love against hate. READ MORE

Newton’s Cradle – PREVIEW
seven years of your life drag the suffix “teen”. Newton’s Cradle-exposes the struggles, questions and triumphs of your average teenager. READ MORE

The Spin Cycle
The Spin Cycle touches on such strong themes as the nature and meaning of success and love, but most of all, it explores the idea that growing up means moving on. READ MORE

Leading Ladies
Leading Ladies is ridiculously hilarious, presenting the audience with a complicated knot spilling over with Shakespearean premises, men becoming women, and men kissing men. READ MORE

The Wizard of Oz
The musical itself was an all-around successful show. Furthermore, the creative elements came from the choreography and musical incorporation of songs from Sting and the B-52s in several dance ensembles. READ MORE

Stoop
Given 10 women of different ages and sizes, one would assume separate identities, separate purposes, and separate lives, but over the course of this evening, a hard truth emerges. READ MORE

It’s Only Life
What keeps you going when love abandons you, and “the one” doesn’t think you are his or her “one”? And if nothing lasts forever, then what’s the point. READ MORE

Isla Vista: The Video Game
The Video Game is an endearing effort to raise awareness concerning the recent closure of I.V.’s popular center. READ MORE

Mata Hari – The Original Femme Fatale New Trial
Long considered the besr historical example of the French term “femme fatale,”, her name synonymous with spying, Mata Hari is overdue for a second look. READ MORE

The Butler at the Ranch
Who’s in Bed with the Butler? employs the farcical tools of miscommunication and willful confusion to their fullest extent. READ MORE

New Plays by UCSB student
Bellows by Nathan Kuljian, The Blue Elephant by Stacy Johnstone, and Winter Fruit by Corrie Triz – focuses on the paradox of painful memories. READ MORE

Through the Roots, Iration, and Rebelution
Twiin Productions welcomed these three bands for The Jesusita Fire Benefit at the Granada Theatre. READ MORE

Verna Beware, Killola, and Kristeen Young
A return to the roots of rock ‘n’ roll that’s fueled by sex, drugs, and women. READ MORE

Dilated Peoples
Established as a renowned West Coast underground hip-hop in 1992, Dilated Peoples continue to uphold their worth to the music community some 16 years later. READ MORE

Cesaria Evora’s -Preview
Unforgettable Voice Transcends Nostalgia. READ MORE

Pepper and Slightly Stoopid
Reggae has most definitely evolved since Bob Marley. The category has come to include ska, rock, rasta and dub. READ MORE

Jon Foreman- CD
Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman presents his more vulnerable side on his seasonal collection of EPs; Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. READ MORE

Dominic Balli – CD
With his debut album, Public Announcement, Dominic Balli places himself among some of the brightest upcoming Santa Barbara music-makers. READ MORE