Worldcrunch
Over the past decade, the number of American fast-food chains arriving in France has accelerated. After the return of Burger King in 2014, the land of gastronomy has seen Chipotle, Popeyes and Krispy Kreme arrive — now Dunkin’ and Wendy’s are eyeing the market, which has become key, but also risks saturation.
Year after year, the Camino trails leading to Santiago de Compostela have been setting new records for visitor numbers — and are now among France’s most popular walking routes. Behind this craze, a small ecosystem has grown up to serve today’s pilgrims.
Tim Walz speaks Mandarin. But don’t expect to hear Kamala Harris’ running mate deploying his Chinese language skills on the U.S. election campaign trail.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants are in limbo in Tunisia, which has in recent years become a major transit point for migrants fleeing conflicts and poverty in Africa and the Middle East for better lives in Europe. Women in particular lack basic rights, including sexual and reproductive health services.
Activists in Poland, a country known for having some of the most restrictive laws on abortion in all of Europe, plan to open the country’s first abortion clinic in Warsaw. As they gather funds to make their dream a reality, they explain the legal loopholes that will help them to provide safe abortions for Poland in a physical, non-judgemental space.
Maria Branyas Morera, the world’s oldest person who has just passed away at age 117, once talked about the importance of socializing in old age. Even if the aging and elderly tend to wind up confined to family circles, studies have shown the often untapped benefits of friendship in our later years.
Over the past five years, tuk-tuk prices have soared because of a government ban on importing the vehicle, and the inflation waves that rocked the Arab world’s most populous country. But tuk-tuks are not only a preferred system of transport, they are also a source of income for a large part of the Egyptian population — and the price hikes are crushing many young people’s dreams.
In some school and work environments, hairstyles associated with blackness, such as dreadlocks, are still prohibited. One family is embracing a radical change in attitude.
No other African country was dominated by men to the same extent as Somalia. Yet women have been fighting against male control: whether in parliament, where there is now a quota for female representatives, in journalism or in beauty contests. But they are coming up against dangerous opposition.
While most of its competitors, crushed by competition from Asia, have closed their doors, this family company founded in Limoges in 1863 has never been doing so well thanks to to collaborations with artists and starred chefs, as well as some unexpected uses.
As demonstrations spread across India after the rape and death of a doctor in Kolkata, women from a Mumbai slum were asked to leave a protest site by residents of a high-rise complex. A sign that caste and class issues may be getting in the way of solidarity?
Uganda’s anti-homosexuality laws offer plentiful reasons for transgender, gay and other gender and sexual minorities to seek asylum abroad. But some heterosexual people have seen an easy ticket out for themselves.
Is there anyone among us who can live with the guilt of turning away those who escaped death and sought refuge in Egypt? Can our conscience bear the death of an individual because we closed our door and let him die?
As the Worldcrunch Today crew takes a week of break, we offer a series of thematic articles straight from the Worldcrunch vault. Out With The Car, In With The Urban “Super-Island” There’s no pristine white sand and palm trees framing turquoise water on Ton Salvadó’s “super-islands.” When the Barcelona architect uses the term, what he’s […]
A father goes back to the role of son for a while and discovers things about his parents: their music, habits and upbringing. Is it harder now to be a parent than it was before? What will the author’s children be left with from their upbringing?
Climate change has become an inevitable issue in the Middle East and North Africa — which may soon experience 200 days of extreme heat annually — and with those changes come questions of environmental justice.
The cities of Amsterdam and Bruges may inspire the Portuguese capital to reinvent its approach to tourism. As Porto launches an experimental new vision map designed to disperse tourist flows, could Lisbon do the same?
As the Worldcrunch Today crew takes a week of break, we offer a series of thematic articles straight from the Worldcrunch vault. How Grown Children Of Narcissist Parents Can Break Free, Finally -Analysis- BUENOS AIRES — “I’ve got a narcissistic mom with psychopathic traits. She’s 83, and I have to take care of her. Zero […]
Italian authorities have uncovered another story of caporalato gangmastering in Piedmont’s Langhe vineyards. Matteo Borgetto, the author of this article, comes from a family of wine producers — the product that made the area famous worldwide. He warns against associating the incident with a place that has always valued human dignity and respect for others.
For years, evidence has grown that school body-mass index screenings aren’t helpful and can even be harmful. Why do they persist?
Married shortly before ISIS militants began their genocide of Yazidi people in northern Iraq, Samia Samu was later abducted and held captive for nine years. Upon her recent release, she and her husband, Dakhil Hassan, celebrated by renewing their wedding vows.
The biggest firms and richest people in the world have the money states need to invest in services that can improve the lives of billions of people. That could help stop a collective slide into acute social and political tensions.
The popularity of cruises on the rivers of France and Europe is growing steadily with the wave of slow tourism. A way of traveling that reconciles freedom, concern for the environment and a different relationship with time.
Daniel Esteve, the founder of Desokupa, a company specializing in the extrajudicial eviction of squatters, has become an important player in Spain’s far-right politics. This investigation by Laura Galaup and Dani Domínguez for Spain’s La Marea shows how Esteve built his image and profitable company on fake news and hate speech.
Doing the laundry, tidying up after men, “I’ll do it”: Even modern women fall for stereotypical patterns in the household. They should learn to put their feet up.
Iranian authorities have been fining young men for wearing shorts. But while this may be an effort to show they are unbiased in their drive to safeguard public decency, reports suggest the men are treated less harshly than women.
In the darkest corners of gender violence there is “violencia vicaria”, or vicarious violence, aimed at one person (usually inside a family) to hurt another. It is a devastating shadow over mothers and children. Between silence and invisibility, this form of abuse leads to tragedies and leaves deep scars — and calls for urgent and greater recognition and protection for victims.
Women over 40 are storming the catwalks — and discovering a new source of self-esteem.
The Argentine comic strip, who is now about to get its own Netflix series, was created at a time when Latin America was going through political censorship. A testament to Mafalda’s innocent-but-serious attitude toward world problems, an excellent example of how young people often see more clearly than the rest of us.
In a world fixated on visible outcomes, we often overlook the hidden talents and unseen efforts that shape our daily lives. But less visible skills, and the complex journeys behind every achievement, are equally important.
Oil development in Uganda and Tanzania, driven by the French multinational TotalEnergies, is met with opposition from local communities and social and environmental activists. The projects are surrounded by allegations of threats and human rights abuses.
While tourism is a boon for the Spanish economy and has seen record numbers since the COVID-19 pandemic — more than 85 million visitors in 2023 — locals say the current model is untenable, and are taking to the streets to demand limits be set.
The “Dubai Unlocked” investigation has revealed how criminals from around the world invested in the UAE to launder dirty money and escape authorities. The local authorities are often complicit in the scheme, an opportunity that has been exploited by the Camorra — as the Neapolitan mob is called.
Young people have played a pivotal role in bringing down Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, offering hope of a bottom-up transition to democracy for the South Asian country. The army has promised an all-party inclusive interim government, but will youth leaders be invited to the decision-making table?
The leaders of three big Latin American powers, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico, have shown they believe keeping a fellow socialist in power is more important than respecting the votes of millions of ordinary Venezuelans who chose freedom over socialism.
A psychologist discusses with three individuals who are navigating diverse identities, as queer and Dalits, while battling anxiety disorders, ADHD and persistent depression.
Marta Lida Arias, a veteran LGBTQ+ activist in Medellín, discusses how she’s created a community for other women who were once intimidated by Colombia’s patriarchal society and norms, and why their fight isn’t over yet.
The tragic death of two people inside the Neapolitan housing complex has thrown the spotlight back on a place that had transformed quickly from model city to a Camorra stronghold. Le Vele are now once again a model for other suburbs.
Across a planet that gets hotter each summer, long school vacations are completely out-of-synch with a society that tends to require both parents are working. Are there solutions inside or outside of nuclear families?
The public can view caged wildlife in these locally managed preserves under federal laws allowing for ecotourism ventures. But the parks do more harm than good, experts say.