East African concerns about food security are accompanied by farmers’ concerns that they will not have sovereignty over their own crops in the wake of a push toward GMOs.
Author: Worldcrunch
July 24 – July 30, 2023
A 15-year-old girl is murdered by her parents in Iran, three years after her arranged marriage, in yet another possible “honor” killing the Islamic Republic is loath to punish.
India goes to the polls next year, with a united opposition hoping to unseat Prime Minister Modi after 10 years in power. Mallikarjun Kharge, who may be the best candidate, is from India’s “lowest” caste system.
In Nepal, local schools are encouraged to offer instruction in the first languages of their students. But even in linguistically diverse regions, the only words they still hear and read are in Nepali.
Numerous studies in the past have shown how holidays are important for human health and well-being. Now, researchers say even the anticipation of your break is good for your body (and mind).
Funk is a music genre that originated in Rio and is inspired by social consciousness. Women have been overlooked in the genre, but a new generation of women funk artists are changing that.
July 15-16 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. Which two countries have backed Sweden’s NATO membership bid after months of negotiations? 2. New protests in Israel this week against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu were sparked by the reform of what institution? 3. Which world leader […]
The Salton Sea is a 316-square mile, shallow glaze of water in Southern California that has been receding in recent years. Scientists believe the toxic dust kicked up from the exposed lakebed is contributing to respiratory disease in the region. It now offers a tableau of dead wildlife, toxic dust, and neglect.
Iran can expect few real economic benefits from joining the China-dominated SCO, but its leaders hope China and Russia will help the regime tighten its grip at home.
On this day in 2016, an attacker drove a truck into a crowd gathered to celebrate Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, killing 86 people and injuring hundreds more. Who was responsible for the Nice attack? The attack in Nice was carried out by Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian-born French resident. He […]
July 17 – July 23, 2023
The Live Aid benefit concert was a dual-venue concert held on this day in 1985, in London, England, and Philadelphia, United States. It was organized by musician Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. The event aimed to bring together the world’s top musicians and engage a global audience […]
Mass protests which lasted for months in Iran last year galvanized Iranians at home and abroad, in a way not seen since the 1979 revolution. That unity must be maintained as political capital for the next time Iranians challenge the Islamic Republic.
An art-model collective gives voice to a group of women that, for centuries, has been seen but not heard.
AI is so far unlikely to trigger a global nuclear catastrophe, but it might gradually undermine humans’ capacity for critical and creative thinking as some decision-making and even writing tasks may increasingly be delegated to artificial intelligence.
From sick kids to kindergarten and travel. The everyday realities of paternity operate in the extremes. In the latest iteration of his “Recalculating” newsletter on parenthood, Argentine writer Ignacio Pereyra examines what it means to be a father.
July 8-9 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. What extremely dangerous attack have Ukraine and Russia accused each other of plotting? 2. President Macky Sall announced he would not seek reelection. Which African nation is he from? 3. Meta has launched its rival app to Twitter. […]
July 10 – July 16, 2023
The Wagner mercenaries, who came to the world’s attention for their involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and more recently in the coup attempt, have been operating in Africa and elsewhere for years with a profitable formula to cash in on ongoing conflict.
Hong Kong police have arrested five people accused of supporting eight pro-democracy activists living abroad, two days after the government put up bounties on them. As part of the sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing, the move is yet another attempt by China to stifle oversea dissidence.
To head-off a new spillover, scientists are combining a menagerie of animals, AI-driven models, and open communication.
Coffee producers in Oaxaca, Mexico, are adapting to climate change by restoring their coffee plantations in agroforestry systems. While the costs of their work are increasing, the price of coffee is not.
July 1-2 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. In what country did Yevgeny Prighozin find refuge after his Wagner Group’s short-lived insurrection? 2. What did a protester do outside Stockholm’s Central Mosque that prompted international condemnation? 3. What happened to all South Korean citizens overnight on […]
July 3 – July 9, 2023
Humorous covers of the iconic comicTintin taking aim at Narendra Modi’s government have caused a backlash on social media. But the Belgian “bande dessinée” has a long history of satirizing authoritarian government.
Writers and translators in Shona, the most widely spoken language of Zimbabwe, have dedicated the past five years to bringing the George Orwell classic to a country that has known the cruel formula of human despotism first-hand.
Ukraine is warning about a possible terrorist attack on the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which Moscow’s military has occupied since the early days of the invasion. The U.S. Senate warns that, in that case, NATO is ready to enter the war.
June 24-25 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. Which jailed critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin is now facing a new trial? 2. U.S. President Joe Biden used this word to describe Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. 3. Which soccer superstar became the first player […]
Scientists are increasingly seeing evidence of “dark extinction” in museum and botanical garden collections.
June 26 – July 2, 2023
The Biden administration’s bid to revive a nuclear agreement with Iran is seen by some as a “weak” approach to exercising power in the Middle East. However, it may be an attempt to restrict Russia’s strategic influence inside Iran, which may serve both the West and Tehran.
The hyper-inclusive queer world of fashion challenges the view that gayness is a “curable” tendency.
Those who supported Turkey’s opposition in the recent national elections are suffering a particular syndrome since the victory of incumbent President Erdogan. They could seek advice from supporters of Hillary Clinton, or even Al Gore.
June 17-18 OUR WEEKLY NEWS QUIZ What do you remember from the news this week? 1. Which country has reportedly started taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons? 2. What was the nickname of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who died this week at age 86? Il Cavaliere / Casanova / Bunga Bunga […]
June 19 – June 25, 2023
The Hong Kong security bill protests were a series of mass demonstrations and civil unrest in Hong Kong. The protests began on this day in 2019 and were sparked by a proposed extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China for trial. Why did the Hong Kong security bill […]
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has revealed fault lines in Georgia. Many in the country strongly condemn Russia, but some pro-Russian voices have positioned the country as a Kremlin ally. In an exclusive interview with Ukrainska Pravda, Georgian President Salomé Zourabichvili draws the line on what side of history her country will ultimately stand.
Will it help you, control you … or replace you?
The deadliest tsunami in Japan’s history occurred on this day in 1896. The Sanriku earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.6 to 7.9 on the Richter scale. What caused the Sanriku earthquake of 1896? The earthquake was caused by the movement of the Pacific Plate subducting beneath the Okhotsk Plate along the Japan Trench. It was […]