Maybe that’s just what a mermaid looks like…
Month: November 2021
An Iranian public healthcare official warns that a parliamentary bill to boost birth rates will cut access to condoms, and could fuel sexually-transmitted diseases like AIDS.
? ሰላም!* Welcome to Tuesday, where Russia is under fire for blowing up a satellite in space, clashes erupt at the Poland-Belarus border and Leo’s Beach opens again. Courtesy of German daily Die Welt, we also look at the reasons behind the major discrepancies in COVID-19 vaccination rates across Europe. [*Selam, Amharic – Ethiopia] […]
If you compare vaccination rates in European countries, you immediately notice huge differences. And this is despite the fact that the EU has provided all members with sufficient coverage. There are clear reasons of culture, history and attitudes for the gap.
Casual Friday? Or Casual Monday-through-Friday? In Argentina and elsewhere, confinement completely upended work routines — and may lead to the end of “dressing up” to go in the office.
The final deal at COP26 falls well short of what’s needed to confront global warming. Still, the Glasgow summit has provided a new blueprint for how we measure progress — and shown how pressure can be applied to world leaders.
? Bonghjornu!* Welcome to Monday, where leaders of the world’s two superpowers meet (virtually), the EU is set to tighten sanctions against Belarus, and an Italian racing legend retires on top. We also have a Ukrainian news report on the methods used by Russian authorities to target the Muslim minority Crimean Tatars. [*Corsican] SIGN UP […]
Seven years after Moscow annexed Crimea, arrests and trials of Crimean Tatars are used as weapons to repress this ethnic minority that has already suffered for centuries.
When the author’s father died suddenly two years ago in Colombia, the Catholic Church mourning rituals offered little comfort. Two weeks ago, by chance in Mexico City for the annual Día De Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations, she discovered how these ancient rituals for the departed could finally help her face the pain, and find true peace.
Driven by the desire to offer an experience rooted in their terroir, more and more star chefs are turning into farmers. They have the same goal: to keep up with the times by offering local and sustainable produce.
Kheira Hamraoui and Aminata Diallo are not Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding, the two U.S. figure skating rivals at the center of a soap opera-like attack in the 1990s. For starters, the two French midfielders are longtime friends. Still, while Diallo was released from custody, questions remain about possible involvement in the similar iron-bar assault on Hamraoui’s legs.
Having shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela, former President Frederik Willem de Klerk was largely credited with courageous leadership and a key role in dismantling apartheid. But his legacy, both before and after the transition, is decidedly mixed.
Reminiscent of the Tom Hanks movie The Terminal, an Argentine student has been “living” in the Madrid international airport for months after changing her return flight to Argentina in the middle of the pandemic and running out of money.
? Kamusta!* Welcome to Friday, where COP26 negotiations near crunch time, two iconic multinationals are split up and a very lost penguin arrives in New Zealand. We also sit back and ask the eternal, though not-necessarily-easy, question: What makes a comfortable chair? [*Tagalog – Philippines] SIGN UP This is our daily newsletter Worldcrunch Today, […]
Buddhist and Shinto temples in Japan hold “ningyo kuyo” (人形供養) funeral rites for unwanted dolls, a spiritual send off to thank dolls for their service and properly put them to rest.
Hundreds of migrants arrive in Germany every day from Poland, which makes the Belarus border a national issue for Germany. It’s long past time that Europe acknowledge that tough measures are needed — maybe even walls…
? سلام* Welcome to Thursday, where overnight clashes are reported at Poland’s border with Belarus, South Africa’s last white president died and history links Yuri Gagarin and Elon Musk. We also look at how COVID may be the tipping point to push cities into a bicycle-centric future. [*Salam – Arabic] SIGN UP This is our […]
A highly subjective concept, the notion of comfort has evolved over time and place — but what does it mean today?
When the author, a black Cuban immigrant living in Spain, was diagnosed with breast cancer, she had to overcome not only the physical toll but also the daily humiliations by a medical system and society that treated her as a second-class patient. But then she decided to say, enough.
? Moien!* Welcome to Wednesday, where COP26 draft calls for higher pledges by 2022, Poland accuses Russia of orchestrating the migrant crisis at the Belarus border, and a vintage Apple computer sells for a whopping $400,000. Meanwhile, Germany daily Die Welt argues that China will be the geopolitical winner in the battle over climate change. […]
After slowly shifting in some cities to a more bicycle-centric model, the pandemic has accelerated the shift from cars to bikes in cities around the world. Here are some prime examples
Since winning this year’s Eurovision contest, Italy’s rock band Måneskin has been taking its message of breaking down stereotypes around the world, while its native country’s politicians are stuck in last century’s prejudices.
M.J. “Sunny” Eberhart just became the oldest person to complete the Appalachian Trail…at the ripe young age of 83. He is just one of many of the graying outdoor pioneers to set mind-boggling records that redefine staying power.
? Habari!* Welcome to Tuesday, where tensions escalate as hundreds of migrants at the Poland-Belarus border, Austria reintroduces restrictions to curb a new COVID wave and an 83-year-old sets a new record on the Appalachian Trail. Meanwhile, Worldcrunch’s Hannah Steinkopf-Frank (a human) takes a look at rad robots around the world. [*Swahili] 7 THINGS […]
Energy issues are power issues. That is why the fight against climate change will also lead to geopolitical upheavals — to Europe’s detriment. China, one of the biggest climate sinners, is likely to benefit from this because the People’s Republic has a strategic ace up its sleeve.
Business sectors fear the now less popular President Jair Bolsonaro’s bid to retain power will pave the way for another “red” government under Lula da Silva.
Robotics has become standard in much of industrial production, but AI also means robots are able to accomplish more and more complicated tasks. Here are some living examples around the world.
? Manahoana!* Welcome to Monday, where global coronavirus cases hit 250 million, Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega heads toward a fourth term and Amy Winehouse’s little minidress is a big auction hit. We also look at the ups and downs of Singapore’s Zero-COVID strategy. [*Malagasy – Madagascar] SIGN UP This is our daily newsletter Worldcrunch Today, […]
The decision not to get vaccinated against coronavirus is a personal one, a matter of individual freedom. But the fact that not everyone sees it this way shows the extent to which the pandemic has politicized the private sphere.
Its Zero-COVID strategy has mostly worked, and vaccinations are going well. Now a breakout spread is raising multiple questions for the Asian nation and global financial hub.
? Sugeng enjing* Welcome to Friday, where the risk of an all-out war grows in Ethiopia, Europe is once again at the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic and chiles are grown in space for the first time. French daily Les Echos also explores the often very different reasons that people change their name. [*Javanese] SIGN […]
Each year thousands of French people ask to change their surname or first name or choose a pseudonym. It may be a question of pride or identity, but it is never a small thing for those who call themselves something new. Here are some of their stories.
A car that became famous in Italy because it had been parked in the same spot since 1974 helped bring some luck to a Sicilian shopkeeper.
? Goeie!* Welcome to Thursday, where world leaders pledge to quit coal, #MeToo accusations hit China’s highest levels of power and the world’s new best cheese has been elected. Our Bogota-based journalist Laura Valentina Cortés Sierra also shines a light on the violence against LGBTQ+ in some Latin American countries, following the murder of a […]
New companies have been launched around the world that employ women to pump breast milk on contract. Yet it could lead to women pumping for profit, and even sacrificing the nutrition of their own child.
The murder of a trans activist in Honduras, and new report on violence against LGBTQ+ across the region, shines a light on the place where it’s simply not safe to be a trans person.
The post-Brexit row of fishing rights is the last straw for not only France, but all of the European Union, who must put an end to the whims of Britain’s prime minister, who seems ready to toss out years of negotiations for the divorce between the UK and EU.
? Bok!* Welcome to Wednesday, where the Taliban announce a ban on foreign currency, war crimes are blamed on both sides of the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and an Italian car has been parked in the same spot since the ’70s. We also feature an AmericaEconomia report on how South America is boosting coffee […]