Categories
Ideas Society

In China, Women Still Have To Fight For Their Right To Be Single

A stand-up comedian in China recently used the term “single panic” to describe fears among women about being alone, and the words have since resonated in online discussions. The “panic” is a product, the female comedian pointed out, of pressure and prejudices in Chinese society against single women. The only way for single women to […]

Categories
Ideas Society

Diversity Efforts in Opera Fall Flat

BERLIN – Now, in the opera, there are Black people portraying Germanic gods, Russians appearing as Chinese people, and Don Giovanni may even be played by a trans woman. If ethnically correct casts are required to be politically correct, this would mean the end for many classics and several would become unemployed. Trinidadian-born soprano Jeanine […]

Categories
Migrant Lives Society

For Chinese Adoptees In The U.S., Identity Comes In Layers

Over the past 30 years, more than 170,000 Chinese-born children have been raised by U.S. families. Most of the parents are white and many live in areas where Asians are almost nonexistent.

Categories
Ideas Society

Are The Olympics More Trouble Than They’re Worth? The View From Asia

From global politics to the pandemic, problems abound for the Tokyo Games. Next year, when Beijing hosts the Winter Olympics, things could get messier still.

Categories
Society

”Seditious” Sheep? Inside Hong Kong’s Crackdown On Children’s Books

Hong Kong’s national security police recently arrested five people over the publication of children’s books featuring sheep, which it says represent Hong Kongers, attacking wolves, allegedly standing for mainlanders.

Categories
Geopolitics Society

Why Chinese Youth Are Still So Eager To Join The Communist Party

BEIJING — “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to join the party…” Yanru, a 22-year-old university student studying at a well-known university in northern China, just became a CCP member last year. For her and her peers, joining the Chinese Communist Party is something that just seems natural: “It has led us […]

Categories
Ideas Society

For Chinese Regime, Suicide In Hong Kong Is An Act Of Terrorism

If someone is unhappy, that’s one thing. But if a city is unhappy, that means something very different.

Categories
In The News

China’s New Crackdown Against LGBTQ Activists At Universities

Reports have come in from LGBTQ activists around the country that the government has shut down the organizations pages on WeChat, the top Chinese platform.

Categories
Economy Ideas

Regional Disparity Trap: Why China’s Economy Resembles Europe

The Northeast is the Chinese equivalent to Greece …

Categories
In The News

As China’s Communist Party Turns 100, ”Red Tourism” Is Booming

Zunyi, in the mountainous province of Guizhou, is chock full of communist-themed museums and memorials, and is attracting especially large crowds this year.

Categories
Geopolitics Ideas

Putin’s Shadow Army: Russian Mercenaries Enter African Wars

BERLIN — It was late May, as 10,000 spectators arrived at Barthélemy Boganda Stadium in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, for a special film premiere. There was a red carpet for the VIPs arriving for the film “Tourist” — a feature that glorifies the use of Russian mercenaries, who heroically defend the […]

Categories
Ideas Society

Death Of Apple Daily, What It Really Means For Hong Kong

Was this the last media ready to take on the regime in Bejing?

Categories
Geopolitics

Ethiopia’s Great Renaissance Dam Risks Diplomatic Blowup

Built by Ethiopia, the massive Dam project is fueling tensions with Sudan and Egypt. The second filling, set to take place next month, risks making the area even more explosive.

Categories
In The News

Chinese Millennials Defend Their ”Lying-Flat” Doctrine

With real estate prices high and job prospects low, a growing number of young Chinese say they choose to both work and spend less in order to escape the pressures of contemporary life.

Categories
Geopolitics Ideas

Austria, A Laboratory For Hard-Line Policies On Islam

Heated debate over an ‘Islam Map’ is drawing new attention to the center-right government’s aggressive policy, which some in Germany now see as a model.

Categories
Geopolitics Ideas

Politics Helps Explain Hong Kong’s Low Vaccination Rates

Think about what other *advice the government is giving people…

Categories
Geopolitics Ideas

Why Putin And Erdogan Are Both Going After Germany’s Greens

On the Internet, Russian trolls are attacking the top candidate of the German Greens in the worst possible way. Attacks on Annalena Baerbock and other Green politicians also come from Turkey. Behind this is the concern about a green foreign policy.

Categories
Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics Ideas

The Promise And Illusion Of Biden’s Visit To Europe

The U.S. president is taking a leadership role among western democracies that was sorely missed. But these complicated times also call for a Europe that does more than just cheer from the sidelines.

Categories
In The News

Nord Stream 2: A Triangular Knot For U.S., Germany And Russia

An unavoidable topic for President Joe Biden’s first foreign trip is Germany’s support for the massive pipeline project that Washington believes makes Europe too dependent on Moscow.

Categories
In The News

Sweetening The Deal: A Global Tour Of Vaccine Incentives

Million-dollar jackpots, free food and … a cow? Governments around the world are getting creative to encourage COVID vaccination, particularly among the young and healthy, who have some of the highest rates of vaccine hesitancy. Not everyone, of course, can be convinced. Die-hard antivaxers who fear medical side effects (that have no scientific grounding) may […]

Categories
In The News

Science, Rice And Propaganda: On The Legacy Of Yuan Longping

He helped develop a hybrid rice that tackled hunger in his country and beyond, and when Yuan died last month both the Chinese Communist Party and young people wrestled with the many meanings of his life.

Categories
In The News

Taiwan Counting On ”Self-Discipline” To Stop COVID Spread

After having just a handful of cases, the virus is suddenly spreading on the island nation. Despite a relatively loose lockdown, residents boast that they know how to shut COVID down on their own.

Categories
In The News

The Latest: German ‘Todesflut’ Toll, COVID In Africa, Teen In Space

Welcome to Friday, where the European flood death toll tops 100, Lebanon’s prime minister steps down and a teenager gets a seat on Jeff Bezos’ trip to space. We also get a look from Kommersant on the rising hopes of the reformist revolution in the post-Soviet state of Moldova. • Germany death toll rises to […]

Categories
In The News

The Latest: China’s Missile Silos, India’s Grim COVID Milestone, Young Chess Champ

Welcome to Friday, where new proof is revealed of China’s long-range missile silos, India surpasses 400,000 COVID deaths, and we meet the youngest chess grandmaster ever. El Espectador also looks at how the popular Hass avocado is threatening Colombia’s ecosystems and causing water shortages in areas once dominated by coffee bean cultivation. • China is […]

Categories
In The News

The Latest: Bill Cosby Freed, China’s CCP Turns 100, Saudi Speed

Welcome to Thursday, where Bill Cosby is freed, a new study finds that COVID-19 is common in pets and China’s Communist Party celebrates its 100th anniversary. Le Monde also takes us in the kitchens where African-American soul food has become a thing in the capital of haute cuisine. • The Chinese Communist Party celebrates its […]

Categories
In The News

The Latest: Delta Variant Hits Russia, Tigray Ceasefire, Facebook’s Trillion

Welcome to Tuesday, where Russia sees record deaths from the Delta variant, former South African President Jacob Zuma gets 15 months and Facebook becomes a $1 trillion company. Meanwhile, ahead of the Chinese Communist Party’s 100th anniversary, The Initium takes us to the “red village” where it all began. • Ethiopia declares unilateral Tigray ceasefire: […]

Categories
In The News

The Latest: Miami Building Collapse, Calling Out Orban, Ancient Shark Attack

Welcome to Friday, where dozens are still missing in the Florida building collapse, Dutch and Hungarian prime ministers clash, and tourists are confused about Mexico City. We also turn to Les Echos for an analysis of the Sudan-Egypt tensions generated by Ethiopia’s Great Renaissance Dam. • Dozens missing after Florida building collapse: A 12-story oceanfront […]

Categories
In The News

The Latest: Mogul’s Prison Suicide, Indigenous Graves, Britney’s Back

Welcome to Thursday, where software mogul John McAfee is found dead in his Spanish prison cell from apparent suicide, hundreds of indigenous graves are discovered in Canada and French soccer fans get very lost. Meanwhile, the Worldcrunch Express stops at iconic train stations around the world that are being kept alive in unusual ways. • […]

Categories
In The News

The Latest: Apple Daily Shuts Down, Taliban Gains, Millions Of New Millionaires

Welcome to Wednesday, where Hong Kong’s pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily officially announces its closure, new clashes have broken out in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and the number of millionaires continues to increase despite the pandemic. Latin American business magazine America Economia also reports on how business schools around the world are now adding the environment to […]

Categories
Geopolitics

The Latest: Germany’s “Supermedizin,” Gbagbo Is Back, Juneteenth Signature

Welcome to Friday, where the global COVID-19 death toll exceeds 4 million, ousted Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo is back in town and Joe Biden makes Juneteenth official. We also go to Hong Kong where so-called “vaccine hesitancy” is particularly high as a direct result of rising mistrust of the government. • Global COVID-19 death […]

Categories
In The News

The Latest: Biden And Putin Punt, Iran’s Unpopular Elections, Heavenly Harmony

Welcome to Thursday, where Biden-Putin talks reinstate ambassadors but achieve little else, Japan lifts some COVID restrictions ahead of the Olympics and boy is the Rhine river filthy. We also turn to Berlin-based daily Die Welt to understand why hackers (from Turkey and Russia alike) keep targeting Germany’s Green Party. • Biden-Putin summit talks: U.S. […]

Categories
In The News

The Latest: Japan PM Stays On, UK Delays Reopening, Record Roller Coaster

Welcome to Tuesday, where Japan’s Prime Minister survives a vote of no confidence one month before the Olympic Games, the UK delays its reopening for fears of the Delta variant spreading and a devilishly high roller coaster opens in New Jersey. New Delhi-based news website The Wire also looks at the need for comprehensive development […]

Categories
In The News

The Latest: A Man-Made Famine, Confucius Institute Probe, First National Fur Ban

Welcome to Friday, where an Amnesty International report accuses China of “crimes against humanity,” Israel’s government makes PETA animal activists happy and the Euro 2020 soccer competition kicks off after a one-year delay. Business daily Les Echos also reports on how hackers manage to use fake news to threaten big businesses and influence the stock […]

Categories
In The News

The Latest: NGO Workers Killed In Afghanistan, Macron’s Slap, Pricey Scroll

Welcome to Wednesday, where NGO workers are killed in Afghanistan, two are arrested after the French president is slapped in the face, and a 61-foot-long scroll makes a splash in China. Le Monde also takes us to Mali, where a second military coup in nine months leaves Malians and international allies alike worried about what […]

Categories
In The News

The Latest: Peru Election Too Close To Call, Pakistan Train Collision, Turkey Sea Snot

Welcome to Monday, where two Latin American countries await the results of key elections, a deadly train collision rocks Pakistan, and Turkey faces a worrying — not to say pretty yucky — sea of snot. We also look at some of the most creative vaccine incentives around the world. (Spoiler alert: They involve free food. […]

Categories
Geopolitics In The News

The Latest: Sinovac Greenlight, Belarus Court Drama, Comrade Seagal

Welcome to Wednesday, where a second Chinese vaccine gets WHO’s greenlight, Sri Lanka faces its worst maritime disaster ever and an asparagus recipe makes its way into a Belgian legal decree. Meanwhile, our latest edition of Work → In Progress takes the pulse of the work-life balance in a fully-vaccinated future. • COVID travel system […]

Categories
In The News

The Latest: Belarus Hijacking, China Storm Kills 21 Marathoners, Tinder After COVID

Welcome to Monday, where Belarus agents hijack a Ryanair flight, a freak storm in China kills 21 marathoners and Bob Dylan gets sung in 11 languages for this 80th birthday. We also feature a Le Monde reportage from Siberia on Nikita Ouvarov, the Russian teenager busted for hanging anti-government posters, who was jailed without a […]

Exit mobile version