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McKenna Johnson

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Photo of a hand waving a rainbow flag and a Cuba flag at a pro-LGBTQ+ rights demonstration in Havana, Cuba
LGBTQ Plus

LGBTQ+ International: Greece Intersex Surgery Ban, Cuba Gay Marriage Hope — And The Week’s Other Top News

Welcome to Worldcrunch’s LGBTQ+ International. We bring you up-to-speed each week on a topic you may follow closely at home, but can now see from different places and perspectives around the world. Discover the latest news on everything LGBTQ+ — from all corners of the planet. All in one smooth scroll!

Featuring, this week:

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Photo of a doctor's hand pointing at a screen showing the fertilization process as part of an IVF procedure
Society

What If IVF Is Next? The U.S. Supreme Court And My Very Being

As a child of IVF in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the U.S., fearing for the future of infertility treatments.

-Essay-

When Roe v. Wade was overturned last month, Americans were quick to speculate what the U.S. Supreme Court might come after next. Many noted Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion that urged the Court to “reconsider” rulings on contraceptives and same-sex marriage.

I am particularly worried about the future legality of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Part of my concern is because of the would-be “scientific” connection between the procedures of ending a pregnancy and starting one. And I’m also concerned because IVF is how my twin brother and I came into this world.

The Supreme Court made it clear it has no problem tearing down family planning methods when it overturned Roe. What if they now make it harder (or outright illegal) for those who do want to bear children and can’t — like my mom?

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Screenshot of characters from the Sims 4 video game
LGBTQ Plus

LGBTQ+ International: South African Fatwa, “Sims” Update — And The Week’s Other Top News

Controversy in Morocco, video games news from the U.S. and Japan, Russian activists ... and plenty of other news.

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!

Featuring, this week:

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Photo of the Golden Owl statue
Weird

The "Golden Owl," France's Enigmatic Treasure Hunt Still Unsolved 30 Years Later

For nearly 30 years, this treasure hunt has brought together tens of thousands of players in a frantic quest involving wild excavations, low blows and even lawsuits. Based on mysterious clues from a book, this treasure hunt has turned into a flourishing business, while keeping thousands of hunters hooked over decades.

PARIS — Philippe Portier lives a double life. The lawyer, who for 18 years was managing partner of Jeantet, one of Paris’ oldest and most renowned business firms, travels the world for his clients. And when he has some time to spare, he searches for the golden owl.

When the corporate finance and M&A specialist talks about this treasure, his eyes sparkle.

“Each enigma contains a cryptogram and a visual. There are eleven, but we now know that a twelfth is hidden in the previous ones. It might be a meta-riddle, the one that gives the final solution,” he says. He produces an annotated book, scribbled with clues and calculations: “On the trail of the golden owl.”

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Zelensky Asks Hague For "Special Tribunal" To Judge Russia's War Crimes
In The News

Zelensky Asks Hague For "Special Tribunal" To Judge Russia's War Crimes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has qualified yesterday's deadly attack in Vinnytsia as an “open act of terrorism”. On Thursday morning, missiles hit the car park of a nine-story office block in the small city south-west of Kyiv, far away from the heart of the fighting happening in the Donbas region.

Residential buildings were also hit in the same city, killing 23 — including children. "Every day, Russia kills civilians, kills Ukrainian children, carries out missile attacks on civilian facilities where there is no military target. What is this, if not an open act of terrorism?" Zelensky said in a statement on social media.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

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This happened as Ukraine's top war crimes prosecutor and judicial authorities from across Europe met in The Hague to coordinate investigations into crimes committed by Russia since the Ukraine invasion. The Netherlands hosted the Ukraine Accountability Conference with the goal to examine existing evidence and establish a prosecution strategy. It also provided international war crimes expertise to investigators currently on the ground. Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken participated in the meeting via video link.

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Photo of Tashi Choden, crowned Miss Bhutan 2022 in June
LGBTQ Plus

LGBTQ+ International: Iraq Homosexuality Ban, Bhutan’s Beauty Queen — And The Week’s Other Top News

Italian police, Brazilian soccer, Japanese politics, and plenty of other stories from around the world

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!

Featuring, this week:

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Photo of Russian President Vladimir ​Putin speaking with the Russian State Duma in Moscow on July 7
In The News

Putin Issues “Last Ukrainian Man Standing” Warning

Vladimir Putin has threatened the West and Ukraine time and time again since the start of the war, whether through nuclear intimidation or warnings about Finland and Sweden joining NATO. But the Russian president’s latest comments are his strongest yet.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

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On Thursday, during a meeting with the heads of the State Duma party factions that was aired on state media television Russia-24, he warned of a long war, saying it will drag on until the “last Ukrainian is left standing.”

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Photo of a person walking in a supermarket with empty shelves
Economy

Food Shortages Around The World, Product By Product

The war in Ukraine and the climate crisis have been devastating for food production. Here's a look at some of the traditional foods from around the world that might be hard to find on supermarket shelves.

The consequences of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia have been far-reaching. A Russian blockade of the Black Sea has meant Ukraine, known as “Europe’s breadbasket,” has been unable to export much of its huge harvests of wheat, barley and sunflower oil.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

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So even those thousands of miles from the battlefields have been hit by the soaring prices of basic necessities.

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Adieu Roe, Watching From Paris As My Rights Are Stolen Away
Paris Calling

Adieu Roe, Watching From Paris As My Rights Are Stolen Away

A young American takes in the most personal and political moments of her life far from home. What will it feel like when she lands back in Idaho?

-Essay-

PARIS — When Roe v. Wade fell, I was sitting in the lobby of my long-stay hotel nestled among the skyscrapers of the La Defense business district just outside the city limits of Paris. I had spent the day working my summer internship remotely, while dealing with a leaky ceiling and a hotel concierge who didn’t understand my broken French.

My first reaction to hearing the news was physical. I got chills; my heart sank; I felt sick; Then I texted my mom, my grandma, my childhood best friend if they had seen the news. Sitting with another intern from my program, a student from Texas, all we could do was stare at each other. I can’t speak for her, but I simply couldn’t find words.

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Work → In Progress: The Ripples Of Ukraine War On The World Of Work
Work In Progress

Work → In Progress: The Ripples Of Ukraine War On The World Of Work

Jobs for Ukrainian refugees, too busy to quit in Hong Kong, the rise of 'asynchronous' work....and more

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, the working world — still recovering from the global pandemic, no less — was dealt a sizeable blow, from ripple effects of unemployment to supply chain disruptions to office campaigns to support the victims of the war.

Of course, the most immediate impact of the war is inside Ukraine itself, which UN News estimates has lost 4.8 million jobs. The immediate impact has also been felt across the global economy, as energy embargoes and grain blockades have undermined the most basic elements of life. Meanwhile, the influx of refugees has put newfound pressure on labor markets in certain countries.

But as the war unfolds before us on our screens, business in Western countries have also felt compelled to get involved, often with spontaneous initiatives to offer help. In the UK, for example, several companies have put pressure on the government to make it easier on refugees, and have offered jobs themselves to Ukrainian refugees. Some are going even further by offering relocation and other assistance.

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Photo of a person swimming
LGBTQ Plus

LGBTQ+ International: Sports Bans Tipping Point, Indian Uterus Transplant — And The Week’s Other Top News

All things LGBTQ+, from Peru, Morocco, NYC, Uganda ...

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!

Featuring, this week:

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Stark World Divisions, As BRICS And EU Meetings Coincide
In The News

Stark World Divisions, As BRICS And EU Meetings Coincide

Russian President Vladimir Putin is being hosted (virtually) by China, along with Brazil, India and South Africa, as Europe is set to offer precious EU candidate status to Ukraine.

The synching of the diplomatic calendar is pure coincidence, but it offers a clear picture of a world starkly divided nearly four months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

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China is hosting the 14th BRICS summit alongside the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa to discuss global economic recovery, climate action and public health. The meeting is the clearest opportunity for Russian President Vladimir Putin since his invasion of Ukraine to demonstrate that he is not isolated diplomatically.

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