Worldcrunch
👋 Halo!* Welcome to Thursday, where U.S. President Donald Trump signs a travel ban for 12 countries, Israel recovers the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages in southern Gaza, and our daily quiz question goes Back to the Future. Meanwhile, for Worldcrunch, Hagar Farouk explores how Gulf states are using architecture as a strategic tool of […]
China is blocking exports of rare earth material in response to the U.S. trade war, which is now beginning to affect Western industries. Indeed, the American position is weakened just as negotiations are set to resume. Will Trump chicken out again?
As China’s population declines, more women want children without husbands. But strict laws and traditional values still block their path to single motherhood.
As Trump’s administration ramps up attacks on civil rights, diversity efforts, and climate initiatives, artists across the U.S. are transforming urban spaces into places of resistance. From anonymous culture jamming to pointed gallery installations, the creative community is mobilizing in protest — and grappling with how best to respond to the current political landscape.
👋 Saluton!* Welcome to Wednesday, where Trump doubles steel and aluminium tariffs, South Korea’s new president is sworn in and our quiz question takes you to one of Amsterdam’s iconic museums. Meanwhile, for Daraj, Iman Adel tells us the story of Laila Soueif, the mother of a jailed British-Egyptian activist who has been on a […]
South Korea had been in political crisis since December, when its conservative president attempted a power grab by declaring martial law. On Tuesday, South Koreans elected the progressive candidate Lee Jae-myung, turning the page and preparing to tackle the immense challenges facing a region on edge.
Laila Soueif, the mother of a jailed British-Egyptian activist, has not eaten in more than 240 days in an effort to free her son. Her hunger strike paints a tragic picture of the cost of activism in modern Egypt, where individual protest through the body may be met with institutional silence and indifference.
The Trump administration backed populist and far-right presidential candidates in Romania and Poland: It lost in Romania but won in Poland. Washington’s agenda is to weaken the European Union by supporting its detractors within it.
For the author, cycling in the northern city of Chandigarh, offers the opportunity to glide past grand, sleepy bungalows, or race the early morning sun along Sukhna Lake, free from honking horns and red lights. In New Delhi, it’s not quite the same, but worthy nonetheless. It’s also a connection to our inner child.
👋 Yumalundi!* Welcome to Tuesday, where Israeli forces kill at least 27 Palestinians in another deadly confrontation near a food distribution site in Gaza, Mount Etna erupts, and we’ve got one sour quiz question for you. Meanwhile, for La Stampa, Stefano Stefanini looks at Ukraine’s recent long-range drone strike deep inside Russia — and what […]
As famine grips Gaza under Israel’s blockade, drones drop cartons of cigarettes and hookah tobacco into the Strip. Lebanon-based journalism platform Daraj investigates the perverse profiteering that thrives in war zones, exposing how tobacco continues to flow even as food and medicine are denied.
With a long-range drone strike deep inside Russia, Ukraine sends a clear message ahead of Istanbul peace talks: we are ready to keep fighting if Moscow insists on total victory.
In a tightly contested election night marked by twists and turns, Karol Nawrocki emerged victorious as Poland’s next president. But what does the rise of this conservative-nationalist, backed by the Law and Justice party, signal for the country’s future?
👋 Konta!* Welcome to Monday, where conservative Karol Nawrocki clinches a narrow victory in Poland’s presidential election, Ukraine launches a major drone attack on Russian bombers ahead of key negotiations, and today’s quiz question hails from Mumbai airport. Meanwhile, Mohamed Abu Shahma in Lebanon-based Daraj investigates how tobacco continues to flow in Gaza, even as […]
A new horror during food distribution in Gaza comes, with the warring parties digging in their heels at the expense of the population. Only the White House has the weight to impose a truce. Why is it waiting?
For the first time, countries are growing richer, but their people are not. Income and wealth inequality not only skew per capita averages, they make economies seem healthier than they are. In short, they reflect realities of a few, at a huge cost to others.
Far fewer Latin American migrants are trying to reach the United States under the Trump administration, but is this a “problem solved”? For now?
May 31-June 1 • Who owns AI?• RIP Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o• Reading from a mile away• … and much more ⬇️ STARTER Poland’s presidential showdown, between Europe and its illiberal shadow It has become something of a classic pattern: every election in Europe is presented as decisive in the battle between democracy and illiberalism — […]
The murder of an 14-year-old girl in Italy by her ex-boyfriend has sparked reflection on how patterns of control and possession, long associated with adult relationships, are now increasingly present among adolescents.
Having produced nothing but mirages, Donald Trump is now threatening to pack up and let everybody fend for themselves. That’s exactly what the strongman in Moscow wants.
As Berlin and Tel Aviv mark a diplomatic milestone, the relationship born out of pragmatism, guilt and survival faces its toughest questions yet — especially amid war, protest and growing calls for criticism.
Sunday’s second round of the Polish presidential election feels like a clash between democratic values and nationalist conservatism, with high geopolitical stakes. With Poland’s international profile growing, Trump, Putin, Zelensky, and all the big European players are watching closely.
Becoming a parent doesn’t just change your life — it rewires your brain. Science is showing that both mothers and fathers experience profound neurological shifts, with emotional, mental, and social consequences that go far beyond biology.
Egypt has tried again to reaffirm its historic regional role by condemning Israel’s war in Gaza. But Cairo’s economic weakness, and reliance on Israel and the Gulf countries, ultimately leave its hands tied.
As Europe debates how to play a bigger role in the digital sphere, the industry and some politicians blame strict regulations for stifling innovation. But a closer look reveals that smart rules may be Europe’s greatest strength — not its weakness — in the global tech race.
👋 Gude!* Welcome to Thursday, where a U.S. court blocks Trump’s tariffs, a series of Israeli airstrikes kill at least 37 in Gaza, and today’s quiz question addresses James Bond rumors. Meanwhile, Die Zeit’s Tanja Schwarzenbach weighs the concrete pros and cons of raising a young child in your 40s. [*Tok Pisin, Papua New Guinea] […]
The distribution of food aid in Gaza was suspended yesterday after chaotic scenes prompted the Israeli army to open fire. Humanitarian experts had warned the effort was doomed to fail after Israel bypassed established aid organizations in favor of an unknown foundation.
👋 Inuugujoq kutaa!* Welcome to Wednesday, where Donald Trump threatens new sanctions on Russia, the UN issues a grim climate report, and today’s quiz question comes to us from Fukushima, Japan. Meanwhile, Cairo-based Hagar Farouk looks at the quiet rise of “transactional marriage” in Egypt between older foreign women and much younger Egyptian men. [*Greenlandic] […]
It is a genocide committed by the German colonial army 120 years ago, but it is being officially commemorated for the first time this week in Namibia. A painful memory is resurfacing — here, as elsewhere in Africa — that is unsettling the former colonizers.
Romania and Poland, both countries divided between their liberal Pro-European and conservative nationalist parties, both countries with a communist past, have now had to make a choice about which direction they wish to go in.
In Egypt’s sun-soaked tourist towns, a new form of romance blooms — one where age, money, and longing collide in quiet transactions masked as love.
👋 Chào!* Welcome to Tuesday, where Hamas and Israel bicker over a proposed new Gaza ceasefire, Germany green lights Ukraine to fire missiles into Russia and today’s quiz question comes from the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. Meanwhile, Patricia Simón and Maria Volkova for La Marea explore the dark side of Ukraine’s surrogacy business as […]
Donald Trump called Putin crazy, but he’d never use his favorite insult against the Russian president: Loser. But that’s what Trump is beginning to look like after five months of promising to end the Ukraine war in 24 hours.
Sources say Hezbollah is in such dire financial shape, as Israel and Lebanon are successfully cutting off funding from Iran, it puts the organization at existential risk.
👋 Hej!* Welcome to Monday, where Israeli airstrikes kill at least 52 in Gaza, U.S. President Donald Trump has harsh words for Vladimir Putin, and today’s quiz question is about vandalism in the beautiful Belgian city of Bruges. Meanwhile, Viola Kiel in Die Zeit asks scientists: Is “ultra-processed” food truly the enemy? [*Danish] ✅ SIGN […]
There may be plausible explanations for the delay in international reactions to the tragedy in Gaza. But in the past two months of killing and blockades, the tide has turned.
Yerba mate to-go, innovative phone app, Jim Morrison’s stolen bust and much more.
TikTok videos and promises of big paydays have lured Nepali men to Ukraine’s front lines — but many haven’t come home. Now, their families are crossing continents to learn their fates.
May 23 – June 5, 2025
From Pope Leo XIV and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin to Italian Prime Minister Meloni and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, intense maneuverings are underway to see if the peace process can be relaunched in Rome. There are both religious and judicial hurdles to overcome.