An Argentine writer in Sweden was shocked to see pets as quiet and orderly as people there, quite in contrast with pet owners at home. Did that say all there is to say about the contrasting states of two countries?
Month: February 2024
Apple’s announcement that it has discontinued its car project is bigger than it may seem. It is a serious admission that a car revolution is not as close as we thought — and really good news for German automakers.
PARIS — Worldcrunch, the pioneering global digital media founded in 2011, has named Anne Dumon as its new CEO, effective March 1. Dumon takes over from Benjamin Sabbah, who has run the Paris-based company since joining in 2019. Through a 20+-year career, Dumon has held leadership roles in digital media, strategy and online marketing in […]
The authorities of the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria in Moldava have asked for “protection” from Russia, which has been quick to respond. It is a blatantly “engineered-from-scratch” crisis in a region bordering Ukraine. This tiny territory may be the next place on the world map to watch.
The climate crisis could provide an opportunity to invent a new way of discovering the world that is more local and sustainable.
In keeping with the pseudo-democratic style of certain autocracies of our time, Venezuela’s leftist ruler is not averse to holding a general election, to be held when he says and once he has the results readied in advance.
In countries and communities where sexuality is often kept under wraps, more and more women are taking up their microphones, pens and keyboards to talk about intimate issues without filters.
“Meatfluencers” are telling their followers to eat a carnivorous diet — ideally including raw liver and animal testicles — to cure so-called “diseases of civilization.” Yet even the Roman legionaries and German soldiers they hold up as examples of masculinity might have had something to say about that.
Why join in on a presidential debate when you can start a war or eliminate political opponents. That’s how to get your “policy” prescription across. But in a sham of a democracy, you need elections and you need debates — with the comfort of knowing the other candidates will make your talking points for you.
The French president’s suggestion that Western troops could be sent to Ukraine, took Western allies by surprise. Yet Macron wanted to send a double message at a key moment — to ally and adversary alike.
Updated Feb. 28, 2024 at 1:15 p.m. On this day in 1986, Sweden’s Prime Minister Olof Palme was shot dead while he was walking home from a movie theater with his wife. Who was suspected of killing Olof Palme? The investigation into Palme’s murder has been widely debated and there are several theories about who […]
Aspen, a former mining town in Colorado, is arguably the most fashionable winter sport destination in the U.S. That is largely thanks to one man: Klaus Obermeyer, originally from southern Germany, the inventor of the down jacket and one of the best-known pioneers of the skiing world. He is now 104 years old – and still on the slopes, where German daily Die Welt reached him.
While men take center stage in the fresh round of Indian farmers’ protests, the difficulties experienced by female agriculture workers are still largely overlooked.
As negotiations intensify for an eventual ceasefire in Gaza, sources say the release of high-profile Palestinian prisoners may be part of the deal. If that includes Marwan Barghouti, the “Palestinian Mandela,” it could be a watershed moment in the region.
After a short “honeymoon period” that followed the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukrainian-Polish relations have once again entered a state of permanent crisis. Strong words against Russia at the UN by Polish Foreign Minister were appreciated, but long-term relations between Kyiv and Warsaw are bound to be more complicated.
The Italian Ministry of Transport promoted a commercial to raise awareness about the dangers of texting and driving, and all is good except for the part where it forgot rule number one of road safety.
French President Emmanuel Macron crossed a line, at least rhetorically, in saying that the West doesn’t exclude sending troops to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia. Yet it may be time for the Western alliance to acknowledge that they’ve actually entered direct conflict with Moscow long before.
Updated Feb. 27, 2024 at 11:50 a.m. On this day in 1973, American Indian Movement members occupied the Wounded Knee village on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota to protest the federal government’s treatment of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. The occupation lasted 71 days, and brought unprecedented attention to the plight of native […]
Western diplomacy shows the West will tolerate the Iranian regime’s repression at home and violent intrigues in the Middle East and beyond, but it might clarify to the public why liberal democracies should want to keep the mullahs in power in Tehran.
Milk shortages are not new in Cuba, where the state pays producers less for their milk than what they can make by selling it on the black market.
Donald Trump is not creating the U.S. malaise any more than Putin is creating the Russian malaise or Netanyahu the Israeli identity crisis. But all three illustrate the inescapable risk if a “me-first” attitude is taken to an extreme degree by individuals who’ve accumulated power.
Based on a true story, Society of the Snow, offers an example of a well-managed community in the face of extreme hardship. The film, which is nominated for Best International Feature Film at this year’s Oscars, highlights that morality and friendship are necessary to survive.
As the humanitarian situation worsens in Gaza, and the Israeli government still threatens to launch an offensive on the town of Rafah, there is one piece of positive news: negotiations on a possible ceasefire are not stalled. And in recent hours, there are some good reasons to believe that the ceasefire could become a reality.
Updated Feb. 26, 2024 at 1:15 p.m. During the 89th Academy Awards ceremony on this day in 2017, presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway mistakenly announced “La La Land” as the winner of the Best Picture award instead of the actual winner “Moonlight.” How did the Oscars mix-up happen? The mistake happened when Beatty and […]
Women are used to getting advice about how they’re dressed, their unattended glass — and their route to get back home on Saturday night. This is what rape culture looks like. “Text me when you get home” is part of the silent sisterhood pact that we cherish, but also wish we didn’t need.
Reports abound of forced mobilization taking place in the Chechen Republic, where the regime of Ramzam Kadyrov, in an effort to gain Vladimir Putin’s favor, is using pressure and blackmail to force its men to join the Russian war effort.
A document leak from a major hacking company opens the door to the Chinese system of digital espionage and influence, which is part of worldwide system that is changing the nature of geopolitics.
Following the strike that hit Al Jazeera journalists Ismail Abu Omar and Ahmed Matar, posts spread on social media platforms calling Abu Omar a “terrorist” affiliated with Hamas. At the same time, a campaign by Israel’s Foreign Ministry and military promoted the same allegations.
Updated Feb. 24, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. On this day two years ago, Russia invaded Ukraine. Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine in a steep escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War. The campaign had been preceded by a Russian military buildup since early 2021 and numerous Russian demands for security […]
To allow for 300,000 photovoltaic solar panels in the western Bolivian town of Ancotanga, local inhabitants gave up land in exchange for promises of jobs and healthcare — that they are still waiting to see.
Categories
Freud In The Time Of WhatsApp
Our Naples-based psychiatrist shares a one-liner that leaves little room for interpretation…
Real estate is booming in Ukraine, even as the war with Russia has fundamentally changed where people want to live, and in what kind of buildings. There is, in any case, a lot of activity as lives are uprooted — and a general preference for lower floors.
Cakes and dishes that imitate something other than their own form. While culinary trompe-l’œil is not new, it is becoming more widespread, popularized in France on social networks by star pastry chef Cédric Grolet.
As Israel insists on launching a ground offensive on Gaza’s packed city of Rafah, many of the 1.4 million mostly temporary residents are consumed by plans for what their next move will be. If there is a next move.
As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, results of a survey suggest that only one European out of ten thinks that Ukraine will come out of this war with a victory. While their support has not shifted towards Russia, the poll results give an insight into how fatigue is playing in citizens’ minds — and what European governments have to put up with if they want to continue supporting an expensive war.
Updated Feb. 23, 2024 at 12:15 p.m. On this day in 1945, the American flag was raised at Iwo Jima to signal the capture of Mount Suribachi, the highest point on the island, by U.S. Marines during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The moment was captured in what is one of the most iconic war […]
February 26 – March 3, 2024
In not condemning Russia and openly siding with Israel, India’s foreign policy establishment is merely jettisoning the thin layer of politically-expedient, feel-good idealistic post-colonialism that veils an iron-fisted pragmatism.
A California law professor with an expertise in mental health and ethics, and who suffers from chronic schizophrenia, takes a look beyond the headlines at the case of Britney Spears, who has been fighting to free herself from the conservatorship of her father.
The visiting American writer pieces together how the French culture of comics (bandes dessinées) mixes with their deepening love of Japanese anime’.