Advances in the fight against direct and indirect censorship have forced the enemies of freedom of expression to seek other, more subtle methods to distort and weaken public debate.
Month: September 2024
Data shows solar energy is booming worldwide. Is humanity about to have energy in abundance for the first time in its history?
As Israel celebrates the death of Hezbollah’s leader, Washington and Tehran both suddenly seem powerless, looking like spectators of an unraveling tragedy that is beyond their control. Yet, given its demographics and geography, Israel desperately needs allies.
After Italy and the Netherlands, Austria has also broken a post-War taboo in choosing the far-right party in Parliamentary elections. It is a direct challenge to the European Union’s founding ideals at a moment when global uncertainty requires a strong democratic voice.
The Israeli Prime Minister has scored a major victory with the elimination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. But Netanyahu is showing no signs of relenting, continuing the bombing of Lebanon, and also striking Yemen. All with Iran as the ultimate target. Yet can force alone guarantee Israel’s security?
Updated September 30, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. On this day in 1938, the Munich Agreement, (also known as the Treaty of Munich) was signed by Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Édouard Daladier and Neville Chamberlain. What was the Treaty of Munich? The Treaty of Munich, also known as the Munich Agreement, was an agreement signed on […]
Wounded by the bombs, some had to face surgeries on kitchen tables. La Stampa reporter Francesca Mannocchi met them and their parents in Doha, Qatar, where they seek refuge.
Have you ever been torn between two emotions and don’t know why? Research is uncovering how your brain can cause you experience two conflicting emotions at the same time.
Many young Vietnamese pay huge sums to get a training position in Germany. Only very few of them have any idea what they are getting themselves into. It’s a troubling twist to the eternal struggles of the immigrant journey.
Chilean winemakers are promoting their celebrated wines in several key markets for consumer spending power: the United States and China are already saturated with every kind of wine. But now India must be a focus despite crushing tariffs.
The call in Lebanon to “postpone politics” is driven by a narration of the war as a religious, and not a political, event: that’s the root of Hezbollah’s ideology.
Israel has killed Hassan Nasrallah, longtime charismatic head of Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah. His recent leadership had been marked by a new kind of realism in the face of the balance of power, and served as a complement to Hezbollah supporters’ knee-jerk celebrations even when they are defeated.
Many Sri Lankan women leave with the hope of finding work and a better life, and that makes them the perfect target for human traffickers.
As Israel continued its strikes in several parts of the country, more than 30,000 Lebanese and Syrians living in Lebanon set out for the Syrian border. It’s an improbable turn of events, after years of Syrians fleeing into Lebanon.
What should we make of Vladimir Putin’s “new rules” regarding what constitutes a nuclear aggressor and how Moscow might retaliate? A closer look, especially after another recent failed launch test of the Sarmat missile system, shows the Soviet legacy increasingly appears to be a rusting shell of its former self.
The first calls for ceasefire made by the United States and France, supported by a broad coalition, was ignored by the belligerents Hezbollah and Israel, for different reasons. The risk of escalation, including an Israeli ground invasion, grows with each passing day.
After the killing of Georgia’s best-known trans woman Kesaria Abramidze, and a harsh new anti-LGBTQ law, Holod spoke with another well-known Georgia-based trans woman, Sofi Beridze, about homophobia in the country, as well as her birthplace, Moscow.
The author, whose family was forced to flee during the 1947 “Nakba” expulsion of Palestinians, sees how the event has been used by leaders in the Arab world to wield authority without actually improving anyone’s life.
Categories
Worldcrunch Magazine #100— Escalation
September 30 – October 6, 2024
Updated September 26, 2024 at 10:50 a.m. On this day in 1988, The National League for Democracy was founded in Yangon, Myanmar. How did the NLD come into existence? In 1988, Myanmar‘s pro-democracy uprising, known as the 8888 Uprising, began. Citizens took to the streets to protest against the authoritarian rule of the military junta. […]
Though mainly associated today with Islamic countries, underage marriage is increasingly being reported in Colombia, and other places in Latin America, often with a financial motivation pushing poorer families to effectively “sell” their daughters to older men.
Nearly a year into the war in Gaza, the people of Lebanon are paying a price for both a failing of Hezbollah security, and more broadly for a support war so ambiguous that it’s impossible to understand its cause, purpose, or if anything has been achieved.
The latest developments in the Middle East are part of longer-term shifts that are pushing to U.S. into a tougher stance in the region.
As the conflict rages on across the Israeli-Lebanese border, Iran, which is Hezbollah’s principal sponsor, appears to be doing all it can to avert a war spreading around the Middle East. It could wind up on Tehran’s doorstep.
Updated September 26, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. On this day in 1980, the Oktoberfest terrorist attack happened in Munich. What was the Oktoberfest terrorist attack? The Oktoberfest terror attack was a deadly bombing that occurred during the opening ceremony of the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, Germany. The attack was carried out by Gundolf Köhler, […]
The prize-winning García Márquez library in Barcelona has joined the ranks of the Catalan city’s designer buildings, showing with its runaway popularity the enduring appeal of civilizing, communal spaces.
Joe Biden delivered his final speech to the UN General Assembly, in the form of a message from a wise old man who has seen dark times before. But while he has re-established a predictable presidency, he still appears hesitant on Ukraine and the Middle East, which tarnishes his record.
![Close-up photo of a Hezbollah supporter sporting a headband that reads in Arabic and Hebrew "We swear we will cross [into Israel]" during a rally in Beirut.](https://worldcrunch.com/assets/uploads/2025/03/close-up-photo-of-a-hezbollah-supporter-sporting-a-headband-that-reads-in-arabic-and-hebrew-we-swear-we-will-cross-into-israel-during-a-rally-in-beirut-1568x1176.jpg)
We have entered a new phase of confrontation. The war on the northern front has become a reality and not just threats. Hezbollah may be reeling after the pagers attack and the bombings in southern Lebanon, but it is also set to go on the offensive, taking aim at Israel’s northern coastal city of Haifa.
Russia’s annexation of Crimea, in 2014, warned Europe over a changing geopolitical scenario and the bloc’s vulnerability in terms of security. Now, the war in Ukraine has pushed EU member states to strengthen their defense policies and reopened the debate over the need for a European army.
Updated September 25, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. On this day in 1964, the Mozambican War of Independence against Portugal began. What was the Mozambican War of Independence? The Mozambican War of Independence was a protracted armed conflict that took place from 1964 to 1974 in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique. It was fought between the […]
The country’s Constitutional Court ruled on Sept. 20 in favor of maintaining the death penalty, in line with the position expressed by an overwhelming majority of the population. Yet, capital punishment remains controversial for a country that sees itself as East Asia’s model democracy.
Madonna, the TV show The White Lotus, fashion shows, weddings — little by little, the beauty of neglected regions like Sicily and Puglia has rightfully emerged in the algorithm of digital desire. Finally, the secret power of Southern Italy has gained a global audience.
After the pagers explosions and the elimination of several key Hezbollah leaders, Israel massively bombed southern Lebanon, killing more than 550 people. Proportionality is over. Escalation has begun. The civilian death toll may start to pile up just like in Gaza.
Whether they’re Mafia bosses or strongmen on the run, there’s a long history of discovering unusual items in the secret lairs and bunkers of the world’s Most Wanted bad guys.
Earlier this year, Darya Trepova was sentenced to 27 years in prison for the attack that killed pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky — the harshest sentence a woman has received in modern Russia. Holod‘s Marina Kiryunina spoke with her husband Dmitry Rylov, who is still trying to get Dasha, as he calls her, out of jail.
Retirement homes in Germany are increasingly improving their levels of care for queer residents – yes, even the Catholic ones.
Monday was the deadliest day in Lebanon since at least 2006 as Israeli strikes killed hundreds, including dozens of women and children. The strikes appear aimed at forcing thousands of Lebanese to flee their homes in the southern part of the country, as all-out war looms between Hezbollah and Israel.
Updated September 24, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. On this day in 1988, Barbara C Harris of Mass became the first woman to be elected as an Episcopal bishop. What was Barbara C. Harris’ background before becoming a bishop? Before becoming a bishop, Barbara C. Harris had a diverse background. She was born in Philadelphia and had a […]
Discrimination and misdiagnoses are common for overweight patients in the country, which has the world’s second-highest obesity rate. The results can be life-threatening.
As Israel pounds Hezbollah in Lebanon, after its well-orchestrated attack on the group’s remote devices, the militia’s patrons in Tehran were increasingly concerned they could become the next targets of Israel’s ruthless campaign.