Worldcrunch
Russia is planning a large-scale offensive in Ukraine for the coming months. Putin wants to gain as much territory as possible, while Kyiv is waiting in vain for the West to provide more weapons. But the Ukrainian army is by no means as vulnerable as it seems.
Updated April 8, 2024 at 11:45 a.m. This famous picture taken during the Sudanese revolution in 2019 depicts Alaa Salah, a young Sudanese woman, standing on top of a car and leading a crowd of protesters. Who is Alaa Salah? Alaa Salah is a Sudanese student and activist who became an icon of the Sudanese […]
Shakira made headlines this week for calling the Barbie movie “emasculating,” yet the Colombian superstar, with a radical image change in 2009 and her signature hip moves, has created her own pack of undeniable feminist she-wolves.
A telephone call between French and Russian defense ministers on Wednesday gave rise to Russian accusations and threats against France. The terrorist risk shared by the two countries did not allow the slightest progress to be made: this is worrying just a few months before the Paris Olympic Games.
David Thomas, Professor of Geography at the University of Oxford, has been studying dunes for the past 40 years. And no, they’re not “just sand” — far from it.
After seven workers with the NGO World Central Kitchen were killed by an Israeli drone, we must ask what drives humans to give themselves to others, and risk everything. It should put any lingering cynicism to rest.
Updated April 7, 2024 at 12:25 p.m. The Rwandan genocide started on this day in 1994, and lasted for approximately 100 days, during which as many as 1 million people were killed. What was the Rwandan genocide? The Rwandan genocide was a mass slaughter of Tutsi and moderate Hutu civilians in Rwanda that occurred over […]
NATO this week unveiled new plans to massively expand its support for Ukraine. A plan by Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg includes an additional 100 billion euros in military aid to be coordinated by the Alliance — together with weapons delivery and military training. The plan is meant to reverse the momentum in the defensive campaign against Russia. But it carries several major risks.
Colombia’s second-largest city has imposed a six-month ban on all prostitution in a bid to tackle the sexual exploitation of minors. But it only shows the government’s ignorance of — and possibly even indifference to — one of the city’s most shameful trades.
Turkey has more than a century of democracy and elections, and a bonafide opposition, which stands out from recent Russian and Iranian votes. We see it again in the victory in Sunday’s victory for Istanbul Mayor of the opposition party. Still, the increasingly authoritarian Turkish regime risks sliding toward a point of new return with its assault on rights and freedoms.
Updated April 6, 2024 at 10:10 a.m. The first modern Olympic Games took place on this day 1896, in Athens, Greece. Why were the first modern Olympic Games held? The first modern Olympic Games were held to revive the ancient Greek tradition of athletic competition and promote international understanding and goodwill. How many countries participated […]
In late March, the Palestinian embassy in Cairo organized a crossing for Palestinians back into Gaza. Al Manassa talks with some of the Palestinians preparing to leave the safety of Egypt about their motivations for returning to the war-torn homeland.
This year’s Ramadan has seen a significant decrease in food donations in Egypt, where more and more families depend on them amid exceptional inflation rates.
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.
The eighth part of an anthology of poetry from the IDF’s front line soldiers prompted the withdrawal of its copies, with some poems articulating an Israeli “call for revenge.” Sometimes only poetry can truly expose the brutal truth.
Updated April 5, 2024 at 1:05 p.m. The Siege of Sarajevo was a military siege of the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, that began on this day in 1992 during the Bosnian war. Who was involved in the Siege of Sarajevo? The siege was carried out by the Army of Republika Srpska, which was […]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to lower conscription age from 27 to 25 may not be sufficient to replenish the army’s ranks, in a country where the age of the average soldier is far above other countries at war — now and historically. Here’s why.
April 8 – April 14, 2024
Recent Cuban protests over fuel and food swiftly turned against the communist system but unlike the past, the state, which is asking the UN for food aid, refrained from giving a crushing response. Venezuela is no better off, and the age of symbiosis for Latin America’s leftist regimes is long gone.
How can we make the city both more dense and more liveable? By opening up its rooftops! At a time of land scarcity and global warming, this vast reservoir of largely unused land is the focus of much interest.
An ancestral city that has managed to keep its authenticity while infusing a variety of influences? Here’s a quick guide on where to find the best spots to eat, drink and discover the City of Stairs, as it is sometimes called!
Updated April 4, 2024 at 12:50 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on this day in 1968. Where was Martin Luther King Jr. when he was assassinated? Martin Luther King Jr. was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, when he was shot. Who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr.? James […]
Just because war appears more likely to spread to Europe or the Middle East than Asia, we should not forget China’s enormous weight. But does Beijing want to do with it?
The French director who made waves at the Cannes Film Festival with her film Jeanne du Barry is no stranger to controversy, with unorthodox views for a woman in the movie industry about sexual abuse accusations.
The Israeli drone strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza has set off an international outcry. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reaction was a reminder that cutting off humanitarian aid has been part of the strategy from the start of the war in Gaza.
Displaced people in Gaza accuse aid groups’ representatives of “extortion and theft” in demanding money in exchange for aid packages that are meant to be free donations from governments or NGOs.
Updated April 3, 2024 at 1:45 p.m. The Marshall Plan was signed into law by U.S. President Harry Truman on this day, 1948. What was the Marshall Plan? The Marshall Plan, officially known as the European Recovery Program, was a plan proposed by U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall in 1947 to provide economic aid […]
For the scientist who performs medicial research on the recently deceased, there are few regulatory or ethical guardrails.
Since Ecuador’s president declared a state of emergency in January, military violence has increased. For Agência Pública, Ecuadorian journalist Thalíe Ponce talks to the families of three of those who were killed by the military.
Israel’s colonial-settler project aims to kill this protective, familiar, and memory-preserving space called “home” in the Occupied Territories. This Palestinian heartbreak is documented for all to see, and ultimately, and paradoxically, squashes any attempt to dehumanize a people.
Former mayor of Istanbul, Erdogan had once theorized that a victory in the capital meant an easier path to a national victory. Following this theory, having lost by ten points to the Republican People’s Party means an even tougher defeat for the 70-year-old president. Is this the beginning of the end?
The industrial revolution, which was also agricultural, allowed humanity to escape the “nutritional trap.” Now, agriculture is facing new challenges: income and ecological traps.
Updated April 2, 2024 at 12:20 p.m. Pope John Paul II died on this day in 2005, at the age of 84. Why was Pope John Paul II such a surprising choice? When Polish-born Karol Wojtyla was was elected on October 16, 1978, John Paul II became the first non-Italian pontiff in 455 years. What […]
The complexity of danzón, a graceful and intricate dance, encourages a group of older adults to stimulate their minds, making it a key part of protecting their mental agility and memory.
While literary distinctions are evolving, the divide between local and foreign literature remains firmly in place. In 2024, it is easier for writers to change passports than to change bookshelves, says Vincenzo Latronico, an Italian writer who lived in Berlin and published a book in German.
Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza have given Islamists new momentum and a new outlook on their recent political setbacks.
Updated April 1, 2024 at 11 a.m. The Spanish Civil War officially ended on this day in 1939, when General Francisco Franco’s Nationalist forces declared victory over the Republican forces. What was the outcome of the Spanish Civil War? The war resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and widespread destruction in […]