Worldcrunch
It’s the most insipid kind of historical revisionism. Both in Argentina and Brazil, far-right leaders are denying the countries’ history of human rights abuses during the brutal dictatorships of the 1960s and 70s, and using it to rally support around their causes.
The Israeli blockade of food, water, fuel, and essential medicines and supplies is inflicting immense suffering on Palestinians. Women in the Gaza strip are forced to sell their jewelry to feed their children amid lack of humanitarian aid and soaring prices, reports independent Arab media Daraj.
The Seine, the backbone of Paris’ Olympic celebrations, is being reclaimed as a recreational and transport hub. Does it mean Napoleon’s dream of a “Greater Paris” stretching all the way to the sea will finally happen?
The world watches as Netanyahu walks that fine line between deterrence and escalation.
Updated April 15, 2024 at 12:20 p.m. The Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris caught fire on this day five years ago. What caused the fire at the Notre-Dame Cathedral? The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it is believed to have started accidentally, possibly due to an electric short circuit or a cigarette that was not properly extinguished. How much damage did the fire cause to the Notre-Dame Cathedral? The fire caused significant damage to the cathedral, destroying the roof and spire and damaging many of the interior and exterior elements. However, the structure of the cathedral […]
Armed conflicts, droughts, floods, poverty… Many factors are pushing some young people from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to take uncertain and dangerous migration routes. In the region of Africa just south of the Sahara, unregulated migration is increasing.
Updated April 14, 2024 at 5 p.m. The Titanic hit the iceberg at approximately 11:40 p.m. on this day in 1912. How did the Titanic hit the iceberg? The Titanic hit the iceberg due to a combination of factors, including poor visibility, the lack of adequate warning systems, and the speed at which the ship was traveling. The crew also failed to take evasive action until it was too late. What damage did the iceberg cause to the Titanic? The iceberg caused significant damage to the Titanic, opening up a series of holes in the ship’s hull that allowed water […]
For the past 30 years, the number of wolves has steadily increased in France — great news for biodiversity but not for farmers, who are accusing the predator of attacking and killing their livestock. The topic, which has become explosive, is symbolic of a very contemporary divide in the country.
For decades Iran’s leaders have promoted the vision of martyrdom as a precept of the regime, but appear to have carefully weighed how much damage to try to inflict on Israel after its attack against its top military leaders in Syria on April 1. What does this say about the state and stability of the regime?
Amid increasingly dire economic, social and humanitarian conditions in Egypt, the charitable work of Islamic and Christian religious institutions is important. Yet these institutions also support the government’s failed economic policies.
Tiger Woods became the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament on this day in 1997. He was 21 years old at the time.
How the women’s partisan movement rose up from the southeastern city of Melitopol to carry out undercover operations in the occupied territories of Ukraine that undermine every step of the Russian troops.
At the end of October in western Senegal, a mob exhumed the body of a man, Cheikh Fall, then burnt it in a public square, on the grounds that he was homosexual. Since then, his relatives have been fleeing death threats.
Ecuador’s forced entry into Mexico’s embassy has been roundly condemned, but its worst effect in Latin America may be to undermine a regional tradition of dissidents seeking protection in an embassy in their country.
From time to time, testimony of sexual abuse inside the Italian entertainment industry comes out. But inevitably fails to gain much attention, another example of MeToo failing to take off in the traditionally sexist country. There are multiple explanations, though also quieter signs that something may be changing.
Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet Air Force pilot and cosmonaut became the first human ever to travel into outer space on this day in 1961.
While busy delivering the best international journalism, the Worldcrunch team also stumbles on a fair deal of downright strange stuff happening around the world, reported in every language. Here’s our weekly collection of this weird, weird world.
April 15 – April 21, 2024
The UN and the international criminal justice system are failing to prevent and punish brazen aggressions and killings around the world. When this period of turmoil ends, states must find new rules and tools to prevent the return of totalitarian violence.
While “Most Views” which aired in Egypt during the month of Ramadan is credited with showing poverty in the country, the drama series misses an important opportunity to address the root causes of the TikTok girl trend.
Russia’s semantic war against Ukraine aims to create a discourse and future in which Ukraine never was and never will be. Ukraine — and its Western allies — must take this war as seriously as the military war.
Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, viewed the confession of a detained militant as a “proof” that Ukraine was involved in the deadly attack. They employed it to facilitate comprehensive military mobilization ahead of a looming fresh large offensive on Ukraine.
Uncomfortable in strip clubs managed by men, the artists perform in their own spaces, where they have done away with quotas, fines and verbal abuse — and protect each other.
Following his AKP party’s resounding defeat in the March local elections, Turkish President Erdogan called the results a “turning point”. But will he — and country’s political landscape — really change?
The trial of Adolf Eichmann began on this day in 1961, in Jerusalem, Israel. Eichmann was captured by Israeli agents in Argentina in 1960 and brought to Israel to stand trial.
Camels’ resilience to climate change and increasingly sought-after milk make them more and more attractive for intensive farming in the Middle East. But this shift could prove detrimental to both the environment and the region’s traditional camel herding.
U.S. Congressmen and Iranian opponents want to know why Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a veteran official of the Tehran regime is working at Princeton University, when he is suspected of involvement with terrorist activities.
The success of the Netflix series 3 Body Problem, adapted from a famous Chinese science fiction novel, has rekindled hostility between Beijing and Washington. But what is really behind China’s attacks on American cultural hegemony?
After Israel’s military killed seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen — including six foreigners —, its closest allies in the West revolted. Some threatened to stop supplying Israel’s war machine. The Arab countries, meanwhile, are still taking the position of “concerned observer” of Israel’s killing of over 33,000 Palestinians, two thirds of them women and children.
Geopolitical analysts who view Russia as an unpredictable force tend to understand Moscow’s actions in purely worldly, political terms. German Professor of Theology Hubertus Lutterbach has uncovered a different message hidden in Putin’s religiosity — an implicit threat to his neighbors and the world.
If you are not a billionaire or a fund, the investment rules of yesteryear apply: gold won’t make you rich overnight and volatile assets like the bitcoin may come crashing down for reasons far beyond your grasp.
Updated April 10, 2024 at 12:35 p.m. On this day in 2010, the Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashed near the Russian city of Smolensk. The crash killed all 96 people on board, including Polish President Lech Kaczyński and many other high-ranking officials. What was the cause of the Polish Air Force Tu-154M crash near Smolensk? […]
No single, unified list exists of all species cataloged by humans. Some scientists want that to change.
Faced with the challenges of population growth and climate change, the development of new technologies such as precision fermentation or cultured meat are paving the way to an era of new food.
Rafah’s modern tragedy began with the U.S.-brokered Camp David peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The misery brought on then peaked in 2014 with the forced displacement of the Egyptian city’s residents, and is now suffering more than ever as Israel vows to invade Rafah as part of its war on Gaza.
In China, sales of electric cars, consumer goods and industrial products are stalling. State-owned companies have built up excess capacity. The new plan is to flood the European market with the products. The first signs are appearing in Germany.
Updated April 9, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. The photos of the Saddam Hussein statue being toppled were iconic images of the fall of the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on this day in 2003. U.S. forces entered Baghdad and toppled a statue of Saddam Hussein in Firdos Square and the image of the statue […]
The unlicensed workers use what they have to combat health fears in Uganda’s top salt-producing lake. A new law is supposed to offer protections. So far, little is on the way.
New drones near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, in the wake of attacks that killed at least three in the area in southeastern Ukraine, have once again raised fears of a Chernobyl scenario. Threatening nuclear disaster is a tool Putin has used before.
Spain is leading the way on European recognition of the state of Palestine. Ireland, Malta and Slovenia have also signed a joint statement asserting readiness to recognize the warring region. Will other European Union countries follow suit?