Poland’s powerful Catholic Church is facing yet another crisis: following an exodus of parishioners, notably among younger Poles, now priests are leaving the clergy too.
Month: October 2023
Follow a coffee enthusiast and professor of marketing who studies justice in capitalist systems through the aisles of all the java claiming to be doing the right thing. Not all so-called *ethical coffee merits the label.
Melitopol, Ukraine has been occupied by Russian forces since Feb. 2022, and the occupiers have set up prisons where residents are routinely tortured. Russian independent news site Vazhnyye Istorii/Important Stories spoke with people who have escaped these nightmarish prisons.
Updated October 7, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a pivotal event in Russian and world history that started on this day in 1917. What was the October Revolution? The October Revolution was a revolution of the Bolshevik Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, which took place in […]
The 157-year-old cosmetics firm is banking on the “personal touch” and enterprise of its familiar women sales representatives to see it through the multiple threats of online retailing, changing tastes and global economic tumult.
An investigation by the Russian publication Agents Media finds that a number of Russian criminals who were granted amnesty in exchange for fighting in Ukraine have returned home and have been implicated in violent crimes — including more than a dozen murders.
Despite the panic on social media, at home and abroad, there is absolutely no evidence of a “bed bug invasion” in the City of Lights. French philosopher Gaspard Koenig explores why Paris (and the world) get sucked in to a bunker mentality of always fearing the worst.
A year has passed since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial mobilization of military reservists on Sept. 21, 2022. As rumors of a second wave of mobilization continue to circulate on social media, the independent Russian news site Vazhnyye Istorii (Important Stories) and the Conflict Intelligence Team found how the Russian draftees were largely treated as cannon fodder for the Ukraine war.
The European Union has just banned glitter, among many other microplastics. Still, that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of ‘sparkle’ — we’ll just need to look for more environmentally-friendly alternatives.
The deep dysfunction of American democracy is bringing smiles (and big ideas) to autocratic regimes around the world, convinced that it is a sign of the West in decline.
October 9 – October 15, 2023
The assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat on this day in 1981 was a shocking and pivotal event in the history of Egypt and the Middle East. Who was Anwar Sadat? Anwar Sadat was the third President of Egypt, serving from 1970 until his assassination. He succeeded Gamal Abdel Nasser and pursued a different foreign […]
Pope Francis has convoked a momentous synod gathering in Rome to debate changes to Catholic doctrines and practices. It is a frontal reformist push that reflects the current pope’s ideals — and it has conservatives seething.
Twenty years of American military intervention and occupation have left vast ecological damage that may never be repaired.
Categories
Airing Dirty Laundry On The Couch
A patient suggests that our Neapolitan psychiatrist stick to what she knows best.
Hot dog-loving Argentines even have a high-class sausage made entirely of tender Kobe beef, to be enjoyed without a thought for its price.
This is a tale of a Ukrainian special forces operator who wound up surviving 14 hours at sea, staying afloat and dodging Russian air and sea patrols.
As Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh are forced to flee their homes, is culture or corruption or something more sinister forcing a people to suffer so greatly a century after a genocide tried to wipe them out?
The referendum in Chile took place on this day in 1988, when citizens voted against extending General Augusto Pinochet’s regime. Who was General Augosto Pinochet, and what was his regime like? General Augusto Pinochet was a military officer who came to power in Chile through a coup in 1973, overthrowing the democratically elected government of […]
The nomadic pastime, in which people compete to break thick animal bones in half with only their hand, carries dire risks for the untrained. That hasn’t slowed its popularity.
Vegan donuts, a Lithuanian spin on the borscht, a berry well-kept secret — and even a hint of Stranger Things: Discover the Vilnius recipe for a great culinary experience.
The diplomatic showdown between India and Canada continues to worsen, the latest sign of the rising power of former mid-level nations that increasingly are asserting themselves in the face of Western dominance.
Mothers everywhere are struggling with the pressures of parenting in an increasingly individualistic culture. Enter the rapidly growing empire of parenting influencers who promise to help – at a price. In Italy, where mothers have long been seen as models of strength, the novelty is particularly acute.
A closer look at the science shows there are many factors that contribute to weather-related emergencies. It is important to raise climate change awareness, but there’s a risk in overstating its role in every natural disaster.
They were offered high salaries, promises of honor, and state welfare. But Wagner Group fighters say Russia treated them like pariahs after they returned from the war in Ukraine.
Zoos are often associated with animal cruelty, or at the very least a general animal unhappiness. But on everything from research to education to biodiversity, there is a case to be made for the modern zoo.
Despite facing a growing number of charges, Donald Trump continues to rise in the 2024 presidential election polls. His most likely opponent, current President Joe Biden, is raising fears of a worst-case scenario due to his deteriorating health and old age, despite his solid economic record. A French political analyst weighs in from abroad, and from experience….
Poland has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. Several parties vying in national elections on Oct. 15 are competing for conservative Catholic voters by promising new laws that could put women’s lives at risk.
The history of war shows that the losing side tend to lose ground as they are cut off from supply lines to replenish troops with weapons, food and material. Independent Russian publication Important Stories reports why this appears to be the dynamic at play right now for Russian troops in southern regions of Ukraine.
Europe’s foreign ministers traveled together to Kyiv yesterday to reaffirm their support for Ukraine. It is necessary after the first signs of “fatigue” in Western support, from a Polish about-face to the victory of a pro-Russian prime minister in Slovakia.
No country in the world has as big a cigarette industry as China. This is the story of how a giant state-backed monopoly created the industry, which provides more tax revenue than any other, and ultimately sabotaged the country’s anti-smoking efforts in the process.
Unemployment, stress in the workplace, economic difficulties: more and more young Chinese graduates are flocking to monasteries to find “another school of life.”
The Biden administration’s exploration to lift sanctions on Venezuela, hoping to gently push its regime back on the path of democracy, might have taken its cue from Brazilian President Lula’s calls to stop demonizing Venezuela.
The area around Robotyne, in southeastern Ukraine, has been the centre of a fierce two-month battle. Ukrainian publication Livy Bereg breaks down how Ukrainian forces were able to exploit gaps in Russian defenses and push the counteroffensive forward.
Congress and President Biden averted a shutdown, but thanks to a temporary deal that doesn’t include new aid for Ukraine’s war effort. An analysis from Kyiv about what it means, in both the short and long-term.
One man’s victory in Slovakia may move the tides of European support for Ukraine, and play into an “illiberal temptation” that is spreading across the continent, with Hungary’s prime minister set to cash in on his perennial clash with the EU.
An orchid rehabilitation project is turning a small Mexican community into a tourist magnet — and attracting far-flung locals back to their hometown.
The Russian Orthodox Church has long supported Russia’s ongoing war effort in Ukraine. Now, clergy members in other countries are suspected of collaborating with and recruiting for Russian security forces.