More than 50 cities have canceled or drastically cut traditional Carnival extravaganza due to public cutbacks. But some say killing the party will only make things worse.
Category: Society
BOGOTA — Bogotá”s new mayor, the technocratic Enrique Peñalosa, wants to remove some of the Colombian capital’s abundant graffiti — those deemed to be “non-artistic.” But the move is being perceived by some as a reversal of the socially oriented policies of his predecessor, leftist Gustavo Petro, who essentially considered all such street art socially […]
In Italy, between 5,000 and 7,000 priests have given up their robes. Some ex-priests re-enter lay society with a female companion, others struggle to build a new life from scratch.
Mothers in traditional Muslim families instill in both their daughters and sons the values that lead to the subordination of women, which can lead to sexual attacks like those that have made headlines in Germany.
Social media and advances in cosmetic medicine are pushing beauty standards to new limits and putting anyone who dares ignore their looks at risk of being rude.
A tough-talking mayor leads the polls in the Philippines, which will elect a new president in May. Rodrigo Duterte’s message is simple: stop crime and corruption. But some question his methods.
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Chile’s preeminent 20th-century artist and a leading global figure of surrealism and abstraction, Matta’s work was both unique and quintessentially Latin American.
Too many wild boars are roaming Germany, causing considerable damage to farms and forests. Their numbers need to be severely reduced, but German hunters have their own code for proper conduct.
The popular U.S. streaming service has finally made it into the biggest Arabic-speaking market. Some of the normal content (House of Cards, for example) is missing. But for Egyptian viewers, it’s a big step up from dubbed Turk
Just how much help should parents offer to their children? Like anything, it’s a delicate balance, but a word with the school may also be a required assignment for mom and dad.
A tiny African tribe, the Hadza continue hunter-gatherer lives on the edge of the sedentary world. They recognize no official leaders, but vote in national elections for the most practical reasons.
Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi has been arrested for her provocative work. With a new exhibition in Hong Kong, Asia’s battle for free speech and open sexuality comes together.
In 10 languages, the world bids farewell to the British rock legend, who died at the age of 69.
The boom of platforms for freelance workers, on the Uber model, presages a world where the wage system will no longer dominate. This will require new social protections for the good of workers — and the economy.
VATICAN CITY — For Pope Francis, “a work of art is the strongest evidence that incarnation is possible.” It is an idea expressed in his book “La Mia Idea Di Arte” (My Idea of Art), co-written with Italian journalist Tiziana Lupi as part of the Church’s latest attempt to recover bonds with its traditional allies […]
Czech President Milos Zeman, Donald Trump and other over-the-top personalities may not offer any practical solutions to society’s problems, but they do have a function in an increasingly uniform political arena.
LOIKAW — Myanmar“s so-called “giraffe women,” famous for the traditional neck coils they wear, appear destined to disappear. Young Burmese have rejected this tradition of wearing the heavy brass rings, saying they are painful and uncomfortable. And for those who do, carrying on the custom has become less about tradition and more about earning a living from tourists. San Bon village is one place where Burma’s long-necked women call home. It’s about 30 minutes by car from Loikaw, the capital of Kayah state. Residents say that at one time all the women here wore the neck coils as a symbol […]
Since the Jan. 7, 2015 killings, many humorists have been struggling to tackle the question of Islamic terrorism, security and freedom of speech. Most are undeterred.
On Jan. 7, 2015, Chérif and Saïd Kouachi gunned down most of the Charlie Hebdo staff. It should have been a wakeup call that the number of radicalized Muslims in France is increasing at an alarming rate.
CARACARAÍ — When a 21-year-old indigenous woman gave birth to her fourth son in this small settlement in northern Brazil, she noticed that the newborn was suffering from a malformation in his leg. She knew what that meant, but still consulted with the leaders of her Yanomami tribe in a desperate hope for an exception. […]
Long relied upon to rally against the far-right National Front party, young French people are increasingly seduced by the ideas of Marine Le Pen. Terrorism isn’t the only reason.
A recent study found that 40 million rural Chinese children’s cognitive ability was significantly lower than the national average. A program called “Nurturing the Future” focuses on toddlers too often left at home by parents who go to work
College students increasingly describe how the pressure to perform well is wreaking havoc on their well-being. Research even shows a worrying trend toward psychological conditions related to the strain. Here’s how to prevent the worst.
LUXOR — It’s hot in the minibus that takes us to a village about 10 kilometers from Luxor’s city center. We ask the driver to drop us off at the house of Hajj Tarek* on the main street. Dotted with farmland, sugar cane and modest concrete houses, the village looks like many other Upper Egyptian […]
Categories
Can Work Make Us Happy?
The pursuit of happiness has been the endeavor of all people since the dawn of time. But can work, the central value of modern civilization, be the answer?
Since the Nov. 13 terror attacks in Paris, reams of new government safety measures and orders have been issued to schools, where teachers say the atmosphere is tense and their responsibilities overwhelming.
It took a dozen years for Juan Camilo Niño Vargas to document and create a glossary for a little-known, and unwritten, tongue being threatened with extinction. Now it has a chance to live on.
NASA scientists believe we may be just 10 or 20 years from discovering life in outer space. While they may not manifest as the kind of fantastical creatures we see in Star Wars movies, experts are convinced they’re out there.
From politicians to entertainers and ordinary citizens, we take a quick look at some of the words that made news in 2015. “Je suis Charlie” is both a slogan and logo created by French art director Joachim Roncin in the wake of the Jan. 7 shooting at the Paris offices of the French satirical weekly […]
SAO CARLOS — At 23, Sara Winter is in a mothering phase. Three months ago, she gave birth at home to her first son, Hector Valentim, and in December she published her first e-book, “Vadia, Não! Sete Vezes que Fui Traída pelo Feminismo” (I’m No Bitch! Seven Times I was Betrayed by Feminism.) As the […]
The fate of our personal data after death has become both a legal and economic issue. Online businesses such as Facebook and Google want to be able to monetize even dead users, while some families who want to erase accounts may find it problematic.
Hey Donald Trump, Hugo Chavez Would Be So Proud CHILE / America Economia, Aug. 25 Jihadism As Nihilism, An X-Ray Of Homegrown Terror In France FRANCE / Le Monde, Dec. 3 The Siberian Fasting Cleanse For Body And Mind RUSSIA / Le Temps, Aug. 17 El Chapo Escape, When Income Inequality Breeds Corruption MEXICO / […]
TURIN — In Brussels, it doesn’t matter if your 8-year-olds have a smartphone in their pockets with more computing power than the Rosetta space probe. The European Union passed a regulation this month that raised the legal age for the use of social media to 16, requiring parental consent before teenagers can open Facebook, Instagram, […]
Some believe names represent more than just a matter of taste, that they destine people to certain fates. But most everyone can agree that certain names are simply bad choices.
Both private and public French organizations are trying to strike the right balance between respecting beliefs among Muslim employees and keeping company welfare in mind.
Medellín officials tout the city’s transformation, diversions and high-tech investments. They’re less keen to talk about criminal gangs that operate with impunity reminiscent of the drug cartel days in the 1980s.
PARIS — Our fair-minded but ever subjective staff of journalists, translators and editors have chosen what we believe to be the year’s most engaging and provocative stories. Why The Chinese Are So Good, But Rarely Great CHINA / Caixin, Jan .5 That Slippery Euphemism We Call “Cultural Differences” FRANCE / Worldcrunch, Jan. 15 Artificial Intelligence […]
For a secular country, France sure does have a lot of Christian symbolism. The National Front’s youngest leader, 26-year-old Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, thinks it’s as it should be. She says France is a Catholic nation, where Muslim
BEIJING — President Xi Jinping is now be turning his attention to China’s so-called “black households,” those without an official family registry document, who are thus barred from obtaining legal proof of identity. But China will need more than Xi’s good will to solve the problem, which ultimately can be traced in large part back […]