Literary scholar and fiction writer Mykhailo Nazarenko discusses the would-be cast of characters of fantasy writer JRR Tolkien in Ukraine’s war against the Russian invaders.
Month: May 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden is pushing Saudi Arabia and Israel to sign on to a broad “normalization” deal, which would be a landmark of his first term in the White House. But Israel’s Netanyahu and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman each have their own calculations standing in the way.
There’s the obvious stops. And then there’s the off-the-beaten path venues and activities — all recommended by an Istanbulite travel journalist!
Updated May 24, 2024 at 10:45 a.m. Legendary American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan was born on this day in 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. Who is Bob Dylan? Bob Dylan is a renowned American singer-songwriter and musician who has been active in the music industry since the early 1960s. He is widely regarded as one of the […]
May 27 – June 2, 2024
The United States has shown it prefers economic incentives over penalties to help keep regional democracies within its orbit and away from China. That is a national-interest opportunity Latin American states cannot ignore.
The “Return to the Neighborhood” program aims to recover vacant houses in order to create affordable rentals that will allow former residents to return to Lisbon’s historic center.
The death of Iran’s hardline president might create some political terrain for moderates there and stabilize relations with a complacent West and especially the Biden administration, eager to put a lid on the Middle East before November’s presidential elections.
Britain’s prime minister has announced a surprise decision to hold a general election six months early, on July 4.
The Israel-Hamas war has revived the urgency of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the two-state solution. The West views that this solution would soften polarization in Western societies, and calm down the Middle East, so the United States and NATO can again focus their efforts on confronting the real adversaries in Beijing and Moscow.
Updated May 23, 2024 at 12:10 p.m. Giovanni Falcone was assassinated on this day in 1992 by the Sicilian Mafia. Falcone, his wife, and three police officers were killed in a bomb attack of their car as it was driving on a highway near the city of Palermo. Who was Giovanni Falcone? Giovanni Falcone was […]
For 3,000 years, the Sts’ailes Nation cultivated and nurtured plants for survival. Now researchers’ work about those forest gardens is being used to support a legal land claim by Canada’s Sts’ailes Nation against the province of British Columbia.
Bavaria’s ban of the schwa (ə) and other symbols used in gender-sensitive writing is yet another step in the debate over inclusive language. But language changes when society does, not the other way around.
In spite of the political or diplomatic headaches this could cause, there are preliminary grounds for not ruling out foul play as causing the Iranian president’s helicopter to crash days ago, reports the leading independent Persian-language news site.
In Germany, support for the far-right AfD party is dwindling while its French counterpart, the Rassemblement National of Le Pen, is leading the polls. Opposed trajectories that stem from very different approaches: German radicalization vs. French “dédiabolization.”
An international police operation of African and Caribbean officers is set to begin in Haiti to help local police overwhelmed by armed gangs. It’s a mission with a historic backstory, but this force may be inadequate to deal with the scale of the problem.
An anthropologist who has focused on urban geography and violence, Omnia Khalil reflects on how her daily movement was shaped by architectural design in Egypt, a country where sexual harassment is a widespread and serious problem.
Updated May 22, 2024 at 12:05 p.m. The so-called “Great Chilean earthquake” was a magnitude 9.5 earthquake that struck off the coast of Chile on this day in 1960. What caused the Chilean earthquake of 1960? The Chilean earthquake of 1960 was caused by the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate. […]
The Mechi River serves as the border between Nepal and India. But much of the land east of the river is considered Nepali territory, due to changes in the course of the river. And there is no bridge connecting these Nepali exclaves to Nepal, which means wading through water to get to school each day.
Gardening, cooking sweets or binding books are tasks associated with monasteries. But today, a growing number of Spain’s contemplative communities have turned to activities such as gourmet products, tourist rentals through digital platforms, astrotourism and even sushi making to achieve economic sustainability.
Politics has always been associated with image. This is especially true in Latin America, where white men in suits have dominated the field for years. But a new generation of women are shaking up politics — as well as how female politicians are expected to dress.
Pollution and climate change have prompted some cities to convert into more sustainable and liveable spaces. But these same policies can widen social inequality. How can cities fix this paradox?
A failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo saw the unusual involvement and arrest of U.S. fighters, but it is part of a growing anti-Western sentiment throughout the continent.
With the current edition in full swing, we take a look back at Cannes history, with a little help from the photographic archives of INA, France’s public audiovisual institute. This 1962 episode features icons, heartthrobs and rising stars …
The announcement of the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor that he would seek arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and defense minister, as well as three Hamas leaders, provoked indignant reactions in Israel and the U.S. and revealed the rifts between the West and the global South.
Updated May 21, 2024 at 10:50 a.m. Charles Lindbergh flew from New York City to Le Bourget Field in Paris, covering a distance of 3,610 miles (5,810 kilometers) in just 34 hours. He touched down in Paris on this day in 1927. Who was Charles Lindbergh? Charles Lindbergh was an American aviator and military officer […]
In Chiapas, 42% of indigenous people who were arrested did not receive the assistance of an interpreter in any part of their legal proceedings. Today, they serve their sentences without understanding what was said during their trials.
A winemaker in Italy reclaimed her grandparents’ vineyards and created her own queer winery dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community, including wines bearing the names of women accused of witchcraft. And yet this innovative and sustainable initiative has generated unforgivable homophobic and sexist comments on social networks.
With the passing of President Ebrahim Raisi, some dare hope for a boost in anti Iranian regime movements. Others mourn the death of a martyr or blame Israel. But his succession is for all a high-stake issue.
Updated May 20, 2024 at 12:50 p.m. Cher was born on this day in 1946, in El Centro, California, United States. The American singer, actress, and performer, who has had a career spanning over six decades, is known for her distinctive voice, theatrical performances, and iconic fashion sense. What was Cher’s childhood like? Cher had […]
The death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash comes in an already tense context, five weeks after Iran’s confrontation with Israel. The consequences are heavy, both in terms of regional and domestic conflicts.
An often dysfunctional state has turned Mexicans into a vigorously self-reliant, hard-working nation. But plans by the leftist presidential candidate to create a welfare state seem like the sure-fire way of pushing Mexico toward “Argentine-style” reliance on the government.
Updated May 19, 2024 at 5 p.m. On this day in 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were married at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, England. How did Prince Harry and Meghan Markle meet? Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly met on a blind date in July 2016, set up by a mutual friend. […]
Ahead of the June’s EU elections, Europeans are deeply divided between fears of migration and of the Ukraine war, between emotion and reason. How can the EU respond in the most united and credible manner to the Russian threat?
Updated May 18, 2024 at 11 a.m. The volcano Mount St. Helens erupted on this day in 1980, in the state of Washington, United States. What caused the eruption of Mount St. Helens? The eruption of Mount St. Helens was caused by a combination of geological factors, including the movement of tectonic plates, the buildup […]
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.
Categories
Brigida’s Dream Of All-Inclusive Hotels
On International Day against Homophobia & Transphobia, our Naples-based psychiatrist remembers Brigida, a former trans patient who shared her life story and aspirations.
After its defeat in municipal elections in March, the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reopened a dialogue with the main opposition party after years of ruling by sheer political power. This has been touted as normalization of the Turkish political system. But there’s still much work to be done, and trust to be regained.
May 20 – May 26, 2024
Paris has accused Azerbaijan of meddling in the unrest in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia. But in this new hybrid war of influence, external actors don’t create problems, they amplify them.