Worldcrunch
? Ahoj!* Welcome to Thursday, where Boris Johnson faces rising calls to resign, an ex Syrian colonel is convicted in a landmark torture trial, and the U.S. finds loopholes in the Gruyère cheese label. We also mark 10 years since the Costa Concordia disaster off the coast of Tuscany. [*Czech] SIGN UP This is […]
In Sunday’s regional elections in Thuringia, yes, 400,000 people voted for the extreme-right party AfD. Is that a lot? Depends on how you look at it. But looking at overall electoral trends, we know that the vast majority of Germans do not want right-wing extremists in power.
The landslide victory of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom is first and foremost a stinging defeat for the Conservatives, who are paying for their Brexit lies over the past eight years. An estimated 65% of Britons now believe that Brexit was a mistake. This offers lessons for other European countries.
Though the U.S. and Ukraine haven’t signed onto the arms convention banning the dangerous weapon, many of their closest allies have. Thus both Washington and Kyiv are coming under fire for the announcement of new U.S. supplies of cluster bombs.
Many lives have been lost, rights trampled and dreams crushed. But through the haze, the world took the right turn on many fronts this past year, from Ukraine to Iran to China. Trying to take stock amid the suffering.
Fears of European discord over energy prices, as Ukraine is facing what the UN calls “appalling conditions of life” amid Russia’s onslaught timed with the arrival of winter.
Liz Truss’ record-setting short time in office showed that the UK cannot do whatever it pleases — even now that it’s left the EU.
Russia’s progress on the frontline has stalled. But without weapons promised by the West, Ukraine has not been able to carry out decisive counteroffensives. The West’s indecisiveness risks the war being dragged out until next year — which is exactly what Putin wants.
Britain’s new prime minister has not hidden the fact that she is focused on the domestic economic crisis gripping her country. That could sway her from the hardline anti-Russia stance of outgoing prime minister, Boris Johnson. Also, Truss has flip-flopped before.
Western countries are shipping refugees to poorer nations in exchange for cash.
The Kremlin has been less than transparent about its battlefield casualties in Ukraine, as
Volodymyr Zelensky’s suspension of two top security officials over treason allegations is a high-stakes five months into the war. Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov face allegations of high treason and cooperation with Russia. Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive […]
Boris Johnson’s resignation is another example of the political crises in the democratic world. But that does not necessarily mean that dictators and despots will win.
As one of the world’s most ardent supporters of the Ukrainian cause, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson helped steer the Western response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion. Moscow has been gloating over his fall from grace. The diplomatic cards may (or may not) be shuffled by a switch at 10 Downing Street.
Both the U.S. Secretary of State and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed they would not have bilateral meetings with their Russian counterpart.
Welcome to Worldcrunch’s LGBTQ+ International. We bring you up-to-speed each week on the latest news on everything LGBTQ+ — a topic that you may follow closely at home, but can now see from different places and perspectives around the world. Discover the latest news from all corners of the planet. All in one smooth scroll! […]
What is happening in Ukraine is decidedly not a war of words — it’s a war. Every day people are dying, soldiers and civilians alike. And it is that war which will determine the fate of both Ukraine and Russia, and have a lasting impact all around the world. Stay up-to-date with the latest on […]
Officials fear the death toll will continue to climb after two Russian missiles hit the Armstor shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kramenchuk. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, more than 1,000 people were inside the mall Monday at the time of the attack. Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, […]
Ukrainian President Zelensky addressed the G7 leaders via video call at the summit in Kruen, Germany, where he asked to “intensify sanctions” against Russia and warned against the war dragging on.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says the Russia-Ukraine war could last “years,” and Boris Johnson concurs that signs show it won’t be resolved anytime soon.
Ukrainians assess their friends, enemies and frenemies…
While Russia is accusing Ukraine of carrying out attacks on its territory, the U.S. is set to send rocket launchers that could fire into Russian territory. But Washington is also warning Kyiv of the high risks of escalation.
Russia says it has conquered new territory in Donbas, while Ukraine says it has retaken parts of the city of Kharkiv. The competing claims come as Vladimir Putin appears to be bracing for a long “protracted” conflict.
The system of post-World War II alliances has ultimately proven insufficient at the moment the Russian threat turned into actual war. Ukraine’s military has risen to the challenge in a way that may help reorder the system of security for decades to come.
Early in the pandemic, Swedish authorities were roundly criticized for the lack of COVID-19 restrictions and for arguing for a different cost-benefit calculation in trying to eliminate the virus at all costs. Now, more and more countries are dropping all restrictions even as Omicron continues to spread. But is this really about herd immunity?
The damning findings of Sue Gray’s independent probe into the “partygate” scandal held No. 10 Downing St responsible for “serious failure to observe high standards.” But whether Boris Johnson is forced resign, the impact internationally should not be overlooked, particularly as it relates to the West’s need to stand up to Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
January 15-16 Kazakhstan’s vicious circle of strongmen COVID school chaos around the world The truth behind why we lie to ourselves … and much more! BUT FIRST, A NEWS QUIZ! What do you remember from the news this week? 1. What extreme measure did the Canadian province of Quebec take to encourage people to get […]
? Sveiki!* Welcome to Thursday, where boosters appear to work on Omicron, Jimmy Lai is found guilty and there’s a mind-blowingly bad idea for a new wine. We also see how Ukrainians are measuring the Russian threat of an invasion. [*Latvian] SIGN UP This is our daily newsletter Worldcrunch Today, a rapid tour of […]
The post-Brexit row of fishing rights is the last straw for not only France, but all of the European Union, who must put an end to the whims of Britain’s prime minister, who seems ready to toss out years of negotiations for the divorce between the UK and EU.
As Turkey fears the EU closing ranks over defense, Turkish President Erdogan is looking to Boris Johnson as a post-Brexit ally, especially as Angela Merkel steps aside. This could undermine the deal where Ankara limits refugee entry into Europe, and other dossiers too.
? Aloha!* Welcome to Thursday, where the first malaria vaccine gets approved by WHO, Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah wins the Nobel Prize for Literature and Squid Game sets off a flood of prank phone calls. We also feature an America Economia report about why the flowering cannabis business in Latin America is not just about […]
-Essay- PARIS — I’ll admit it straight away: As a bilingual journalist, the growing use of Franglais by French politicians makes my skin crawl. Not because I think this blend of French and English is a bad thing in and of itself (it is!), or because the purity of the French language should be preserved […]
? 안녕하세요* Welcome to Thursday, where Tunisia’s president tightens his grip, Lithuania tells people to throw away their Made-in-China phones, and a memeworthy side-eye gets the NFT treatment. Chinese-language weekly Economic Observer also explains why some cities in China waste millions in massive building projects that go unused. [*Korean] 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT […]
-OpEd- BERLIN — Theresa May can only lose. The British Prime Minister is fighting alone against a grand alliance of conspirators, poisoners, and wire-pullers, supported by opportunists, weather-vanes and underlings from her own Tory party — ready to tear each other apart wherever they feel they can gain power: on the one hand, ambivalent personalities […]
Promising voters to get the EU to change is easy, delivering that change is next to impossible.
SPOTLIGHT: STATE OF EMERGENCY, THE OBVIOUS ANSWER? If the whole world is always in a state of emergency, does that mean there’s no emergency? We’re not quite there yet, but an official “state of emergency” decree, with additional regulations and the granting of special police powers, is increasingly how governments react in times of crisis. […]
SPOTLIGHT: MIXED GREEN FEELINGS Even as we’ve been consumed by a news cycle that includes wars, elections and the biggest European reorder after World War II, our planet is quietly waiting for some attention. Nature reveals that pledges taken by countries during the Paris COP21 climate summit may need a big boost “to maintain a […]
Metro, July 1 This Friday’s Metro front page features a parody of the hit TV series Game of Thrones with the faces of three Conservative Party pols, from left to right, Michael Gove, Boris Johnson and Theresa May, with the headline “The Real Game of Thrones.” After last week’s Brexit vote effectively ended the career […]
“This has implications for absolutely everything,” political editor for BBC News Laura Kuenssberg declared of the prospect of Britain leaving the European Union. And now that Brexit camp has won, and the UK prepares to bid farewell to the EU, the parties and the gawkers have begun to gauge the fallout of ending the 43-year-long […]
SPOTLIGHT: CHINA’S SILENT ANNIVERSARY It was 50 years ago today that the Chinese Communist Party and its leader Mao Zedong released a circular that was bound to unleash a decade of violence that would kill more than 1.5 million people. It would come to be known as the Cultural Revolution, and the history books consider […]