Worldcrunch
A number of international humanitarian organizations, local associations, and organizations operate within the al-Hol refugee camp in northern Syria. Most of these organizations are primarily funded by the U.S., meaning that three sectors and several community segments are directly affected by the U.S. State Department’s decision to halt foreign aid.
It is 2025, and yet many doctors remain largely uninformed about how women’s bodies function, since the standard has always been the male body. To grasp the full extent of the problem, we must imagine a much different future.
A Palestinian journalist in Gaza chronicles his long road back to the north, walking along with hundreds of thousands of displaced people returning to their homes. He, like most others, arrived at his family house reduced to rubble. What do you do then? What do you tell the kids?
Researchers have identified a possible link between climate change and the frequency of earthquakes — and the quakes may also start a vicious circle of accelerating climate change.
Donald Trump touts the delusion of turning Gaza into the Riviera of the Middle East. Hamas would seem satisfied to continue to lord over a land turned to rubble after the folly of its Oct. 7 massacre. Where does that leave two million Gazans?
Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s flurry of tariffs on Canadian, Mexican and Chinese products, Europe is expecting similar announcements. France, whose wines and spirits are a traditional target in trade conflicts with the EU, is particularly at risk. Its cognac is already being targeted by China.
This week, the Taliban closed a radio station broadcasting from Kabul and aimed at women — yet another act in its unprecedented isolation of half of Afghanistan’s population. While the world is not turning a blind eye, it lacks the means to put pressure on the Taliban.
February 7 – February 13, 2025
The end of a dictatorship, the birth of a Hollywood star, and a record-breaking voyage.
With striking shots from Washington, D.C., Gaza, Cologne, Russia’s far east, and more.
After waiting more than two years for a visa appointment at the U.S. embassy in Bogotá, Héctor Abad Faciolince’s meeting was cancelled following the Jan. 26 spat over migrants between Gustavo Petro and Donald Trump. Nevermind, the Colombian novelist and essayist writes; in a world clearly run by idiots, we’re better off staying at home.
Luxembourg is Europe’s luxury car capital, boasting one high-end ride for every 13 residents. Luxembourgers’ love for high-powered engines remains strong, even as the crackdown on carbon emissions intensifies. Take a ride through roads where roaring engines still rule.
With many of Gaza’s banks and ATMs destroyed, Palestinians are turning to money brokers to obtain cash — and paying commission fees of up to 30% . While the practice is criminalized under the Palestinian law, many say agencies in Gaza are not taking action against the brokers, allowing their businesses to flourish.
What’s Donald Trump aiming for with his flood of provocative statements? Part distraction, part negotiating ploy, it’s all meant to allow the marketer-in-chief to always claim victory.
The birth of a music icon, the dawn of a new monarchy, and a timeless board game.
Authorities say they don’t have the funds to clean up the scenic gem. Instead, a determined community has stepped up.
In a world of growing tensions, the European machine seems increasingly inadequate. In the face of unpredictable adversaries and allies alike, the ability to know how to play what you’re dealt may be the key to protecting the interests of the Old Continent.
Hijab is merely a custom that, by force of tradition, has turned into a religious symbol — nothing more. The early Quranic interpreters, who favored transmission over reason due to their limited knowledge and weak analytical abilities at the time, interpreted the so-called “verses of hijab” without considering their historical context or the reasons behind their revelation.
Donald Trump suggested that U.S. aid to Ukraine could be secured through the country’s rare earth deposits — those precious metals over which China holds a global monopoly. In reality, the idea was first pitched by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who knew exactly what kind of argument would resonate with Trump.
The birth of a football legend, a massive gold discovery, and a cinematic classic.
The first ever Marathi film presented at the Sundance Film Festival is among the few Indian films that address the sexual desires of people living in poor rural community — and even fewer that show queer folks in Indian villages.
Currently, the majority of Turkey’s fish currently comes from cultivation, also known as fish farming, compared to just 10% two decades ago. The short-sightedness of this shift risks eliminating fishing output from both the farms and the open seas along Turkey’s 5,200 miles of coastline.
In economics, disruption describes an ordinary process: innovations replace outdated technologies. But in politics? It takes on a far darker meaning, writes German weekly Die Zeit.
Hundreds of people from Russia’s theater world have left the country since its invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. At the end of 2023, theater researcher Mikhail Kaluzhsky began trying to map and identify key trends of Russia’s theater-in-exile. He shares what is happening with the Russian theater scene in the capital of Georgia and what potential futures he sees for Russian theater professionals in exile.
The best images from the past week of celebrations of the Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, spread farther and wider around the globe.
It appears that Syria’s new rulers, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, are refusing to respond to the social and political demands of former President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite minority, risking a sectarian conflict in the war-torn country.
Leaving no room for diplomacy, Donald Trump is ramping up aggressive moves toward the rest of the world — tariffs, cutting international aid, threats. But there’s a big risk: playing right into the hands of China, which already has a foothold on every continent.
A pivotal world conference, the election of a founding father and the birth of a social media giant.
At universities and startups around the globe, researchers are searching for microbes, bacteria, fungi and algae that could serve as a substitute for ingredients like eggs, milk, meat, and flour.
A French writer goes deep into the imagined reality of the violent Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, and finds a full-throttle, 360-degree takedown of American society.
A personal journey through memory, loss, and resilience — reflecting on Eunice Facciolla Paiva’s quiet strength, Marcelo Paiva’s storytelling, and the haunting echoes of dictatorship in today’s world. It’s a rare Oscars Best Picture nominee from Brazil.
The collapse of the Assad regime in Syria freed thousands detained in the country’s prisons. But it has also revealed potential rights violations by international children’s NGOs, which received children whose parents were detained in Assad’s prisons. The situation echoes similar violations in Canada and Russia.
Talks for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire — and with it, the release of hostages and prisoners — kick off today as the Israeli prime minister arrives in Washington. His meeting with Donald Trump tomorrow could be a turning point, deciding between peace or war in the months ahead.
The American president had promised tariffs of at least 60% on all Chinese products. For now, it will be only 10%. Washington has other issues to negotiate with Beijing. Hitting old allies harder is part of a much different approach.
A dictator’s fall, a deadly blizzard, and a tragic day for rock ‘n’ roll.
When the desire to transition outweighs the severe risks of self-medicating.
Trump’s suggestion that Egypt and Jordan take Palestinians in Gaza is the ultimate nightmare scenario for Cairo and Amman, but the U.S. president looks prepared to use his leverage to get a deal the Israelis would prefer.
The post-liberal world needs an added dose of cautious and realistic diplomacy, and the United States remains its natural promoter. Yet there is little evidence, for now, that the Trump administration has an interest in diplomacy to keep the collective peace.
A groundbreaking novel, the birth of a global music star, and the tragic loss of a celebrated actor.
In another sign of changing power relations in the ‘post-Western’ world, the BRICS group of emerging economies could frustrate the United States’ bid to sink communism in Cuba by strangling its economy.