At El Eco reef, scientists are gathering clues about elkhorn coral’s resistance to rising temperatures.
Month: December 2024
France’s churches are a rich religious heritage that, unlike other European countries, largely belong to the national or local governments. But with strained budgets and years of neglect, keeping these historic churches standing has become a daunting and costly struggle.
After meeting Bashar al-Assad, then heir to the Syrian dictatorship, then Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri said he feared for the country’s future.
In South Korea, the feminist 4B movement, which rejects any intimacy with men, has been causing a stir for years. What kind of feminism is it, anyway?
Amid the chaos of the collapsing Assad regime, the businessmen who were close to power know they are at risk.
A famous press conference incident, an explorer’s lifetime achievement, and the beginning of the construction of the World’s largest power station.
As 2024 comes to an end, the words we’ve chosen reflect a year of division, from “polarization” in the U.S. to “brain rot” in the UK, or Switzerland’s “non binario”, international Words of the Year show how languages mirror the complex issues of our world.
Ecuador’s exceptional Galapagos archipelago has been at the heart of an ambitious decades-long preservation policy to protect its unique fauna from too many visitors. Could it serve as a model for others for how to resist overtourism?
A region torn by centuries of conflict, caught in the relentless grip of global power struggles. The Middle East’s wars are no longer just battles for territory, but for control over narratives, lives, and destinies. And it’s all playing out on your phone.
We always want to go higher, faster, further. Understandable. But ambition creates pressure, making our everyday lives harder than they need to be. Die Zeit columnist Kilian Trotier makes the case for enjoying the average.
Categories
Worldcrunch Magazine #111— Next Syria
December 16 – December 22, 2024
Whatever the official explanations given in Tehran over Bashar al-Assad’s downfall, Iran’s thuggish regime must have noticed that no amount of terror and torture can assure a hated regime’s permanence.
The premiere of a Hollywood epic, the selection of a future U.N. leader, and the birth of a pop superstar.
As populations age, designing bicycles and networks specifically for seniors could promote health and independence, offering a viable alternative to driving or public transit.
Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president will undoubtedly bring about a transformation in geopolitics and the world economy. With a businessman rather than a politician in the White House, the country will take a more transactional approach based on negotiations.
Syrian prisons have been opened, unveiling a grim parade of horrors. The emotions are intense, yet much was already known about Assad’s machinery of death — and still, the world could do nothing. The defense of human rights ends where sovereignty begins.
Events have moved very quickly in the past week in Syria, with the demise of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Amid questions over how the country will be run and fears of more conflict, experts parse the national and international influences at play.
The opening of the world’s first motel, a historic independence celebration, and the birth of a talented British actor.
Increasingly widespread across France, these alternative currencies are emerging as a new tool for promoting short supply chains, local economies and ecological transition.
The direction of Syria’s new rulers remains uncertain, but examples of transitions in Iraq, Egypt, Libya or Tunisia after the fall of their dictators highlight the pitfalls to avoid. Will Syria be able to escape them?
Misleading videos on the platform are said to have influenced the election in Romania, with accusations against Russian influence. Have we learned anything about manipulation and disinformation since Facebook faced a similar outcry in 2016?
Since he fled in the cover of the night to Russia with his wife and three children, Bashar al-Assad’s entourage and extended family have expressed their anger and humiliation at his deception. He also betrayed his regional allies who went out of their way to protect his regime for years.
Last December, the European Court of Human Rights found that Poland was violating the right to respect for private and family life by refusing to recognize same-sex civil partnerships. This, along with the end of conservative-Catholic rule last year, brings some signs of change to couples who have been waiting for years for the legislation to pass.
A devastating massacre, an international agreement on climate change, and the fall of a massive financial fraud.
Despite its sincere tribute to Mary’s story, the film falters with over-the-top drama and underdeveloped characters, making it a mixed holiday offering.
Taking advantage of the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Turkey, the United States and Israel separately carried out airstrikes on targets in different areas of the country, each with its own agenda. The reclaiming Syria’s sovereignty will be one of the most important and complex challenges facing the country’s new rulers.
Observers thought the libertarian maverick could never transform the Argentine state’s entrenched welfare system without unleashing social chaos, but one-year later and disaster has yet to strike amidst a modest uptick in economic indices.
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, there are many questions about the future of Syria. Yet the regional and international powers who planned his collapse did not consider the Syrian people or their future in their calculations. Syrians may be out of Assad’s frying pan, but they’ve been thrown into a fire of armed fundamentalist groups.
Brazil’s independent investigative outlet Agência Pública has published revelations that link the founder of one of the country’s largest retail chains to a decade-long sexual exploitation scheme. Why has the mainstream media stayed silent?
The overthrow of the Assad regime is about more than just Russia’s boasting rights as a major power. It will have consequences on the war in Ukraine, and Russian expansion in Africa. Indeed, it may be proof that it is not a major power.
As the Assad regime was crumbling, the sight of the prisoners being freed had its own impact on so many people, including exiled Syrian writer Ruqayyah Al-Abbadi, who knew them from the inside.
The first Nobel Prizes being awarded, a milestone in the history of transnational legislation, and the loss of a soulful music legend.
Scientists and companies increasingly support blocking some sunlight to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.
Only 5% of German couples are formed by East-West partners. So why, 35 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and reunification, does an invisible wall still seem to keep Germans apart romantically?
While the Islamic Republic of Iran mulls an official response to the fall of its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad, Iranian politicians are already voicing their anger at the “backstabbing” conduct of two key powers, Turkey and Russia. Could Tehran be the next to get left to fend for itself?
As concerns grow over the risks of social media and technology on young people, a new and largely unregulated digital frontier is emerging: interactions with artificial intelligence. Platforms like Character.AI allow users to create AI-generated characters that seem human, prompting critical questions about how these virtual experiences affect our understanding of reality and relationships.
The scenes of joy and vengeance in Damascus recall the outpouring in Baghdad in 2003 when Saddam Hussein, and his statues, were toppled after years of rule by the same bloody political Ba’athist ideology that has held sway in the region for 77 years. But beware the risks of De-Ba’athification like in Iraq.
The official end of a devastating virus, the start of a major uprising, and the birth of a celebrated actor.
We must first recognize the joy of the Syrian people at the fall of a brutal regime that ruled for more than half a century. Yet, there’s also major geopolitical stakes in this highly sensitive region, with its losers — Russia and Iran — and its winners, foremost among them Erdogan’s Turkey. And a ton of uncertainty.
Is feminism wrong in its strategy? Are all male machistas? Some ideas on what we men could do better — as politicians like Trump seem to count on young, disgruntled men to push back against the victories of the feminist movement.