Worldcrunch
Once dismissed as a tragic anomaly of the post–Cold War era, the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims now echoes through today’s wars and ideologies. From Gaza to Ukraine, the logic of ethnic violence is back, and the world is once again looking away.
👋 Hay!* Welcome to Friday, where two people are killed in Russia by overnight drone attacks launched by Ukraine, the Kurdish rebels of the PKK are set to lay down their weapons after 40 years of conflict with the Turkish state, and our daily quiz question is about a futuristic restaurant in Dubai. Meanwhile, Bernard […]
The Kremlin accuses Ukraine of persecuting the Russian language as propaganda to justify the Ukraine War. But on the home front, Vladimir Putin uses language oppression as a power play — endangering Russia’s diverse native languages as a means of consolidating his rule.
Tehran’s revolutionary regime is suddenly turning to Iranian nationalism hoping to rustle up public support for itself as it faces Israeli and U.S. threats. But who in Iran could believe it now, when everything it has done for years has shown its contempt for the very notion of historical roots and national interests.
As Poland reinstates border checks with Germany and Lithuania over immigration concerns, experts warn that the situation at the Polish-German border increasingly unregulated, threatening the life and health safety of migrants.
👋 Ko na mauri!* Welcome to Wednesday, where Russia launches a record 728 drones and 13 missiles on Ukraine, the ICC issues arrest warrants for top Taliban leaders, and today’s quiz question is about a first-of-its-kind Barbie doll. Meanwhile, Pauline Gable in Le Figaro reports on the VTuber phenomenon that sees anime-inspired virtual avatars become […]
In Putin’s Russia, dissent is silenced. Yet pro-war “Z” bloggers and influencers insult and lambast military failures constantly, and go unpunished. The state tolerates them because without these defiant voices knitting the war machine’s lifelines, Russia’s offensive would stall.
Russia has carried out its largest missile and drone bombardment since launching its invasion of Ukraine. And it is preparing its summer offensive, while Donald Trump remains ambivalent about the continuation of his military aid, when the contracts signed by Joe Biden expire over the summer.
As Netanyahu visits Washington, Israel’s intelligence gears up for a covert campaign against Iran, aiming not just at military targets but at the very core of the regime’s power.
The so-called “liberal international order” was neither very orderly nor very liberal, nor even very international. Rebuilding from the current troubling state of the world means being clear-eyed about interests and influence, both past and future.
👋 Tere!* Welcome to Monday, where Israel launches first strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen since the Israel-Iran ceasefire, the death toll in Texas flash floods rises to 82, and today’s quiz question comes from a theme park near Shanghai. Meanwhile, Soline Roy in Le Figaro analyzes the mental health issues of some of literature’s […]
He ran “for fun,” filmed every step, and turned controversy into content. Now, from the back row of Brussels, Panayiotou is rewriting what it means to be an MEP in the age of the algorithm.
Citing the costly or disastrous cases of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya as warnings to the West to steer clear of regime change in Iran is mistaken and cynical. If transitions failed before, it was for a lack of planning and vision, not because toppling tyrants is a bad idea.
Between the defeats of June 1967 and June 2025 — both ironically hailed by some as victories — history seems to repeat itself. But now that Arab habit of declaring victory has also spread to Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel, still haunted by Oct 7.
Donald Trump has scored a number of domestic and international victories. But his failure to reign in either Vladimir Putin or Benjamin Netanyahu does not bode well for the future.
👋 Salam!* Welcome to Friday, where Kyiv is hit by a record number of Russian drone strikes, U.S. President Donald Trump says he expects Hamas to decide on a “final” peace proposal within 24 hours, and you can take our daily quiz question as carry-on luggage. Meanwhile, Bernd Ulrich in German weekly Die Zeit unpacks […]
In 1979, Iran was seduced by a cleric who promised freedom and delivered tyranny. In 2025, a chaotic U.S. president may be using lies of his own to help dismantle that same regime.
👋 Håfa adai!* Welcome to Thursday, where airstrikes and shootings kill at least 94 Palestinians in Gaza overnight, South Korea revises governing martial law rules, and today’s quiz question asks what’s on the menu aboard the International Space Station. Meanwhile, Tarek Ismail for Daraj draws a dictatorial parallel between Donald Trump and late Libyan strongman […]
The Dalai Lama has warned his followers against any attempt to name his successor outside the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, a veiled reference to the Chinese Communist Party, which seeks to control the reincarnation process of the 90-year-old spiritual leader.
Iran’s revolutionary regime imagined it could assure its survival by becoming an armed bunker like North Korea, ready to shoot if threatened. They seemed to forget that, for its location and resources, Iran is too important for the world to tolerate a “crazy” regime threatening vital oil routes.
👋 Halito!* Welcome to Wednesday, where Hamas stops short of accepting a U.S.-backed ceasefire deal in Gaza, Iran halts cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog IAEA, and we promise there’s zero danger answering today’s quiz question about Squid Game. Meanwhile, Maxim Kireev in Die Zeit calls out German leaders’ ambivalent attitude toward Russia. [*Choctaw, Native American] […]
Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal was sentenced to five years in prison in Algiers — the day after French journalist Christophe Gleizes had received a seven-year jail sentence. Could a presidential pardon for Sansal ease tensions?
Chancellor Merz and Foreign Minister Wadephul warn of direct threats from Moscow on the lives of people in Germany, and yet hesitate to back their words with the kind of support Ukraine urgently needs to avoid that Putin goes further.
The ceasefire agreed on between Israel and the Tehran regime is not an end to hostilities but likely a “breather” for both sides who insist they have unfinished business with one another. But Israel’s recent battering of Iranian sites, war matériel and senior cadres may have left the ayatollahs with “none of the cards.”
👋 Goeie!* Welcome to Tuesday, where dozens of NGOs and charities call for the controversial Israeli and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to be shut down, Thailand’s prime minister is suspended over a leaked phone call and our daily quiz question involves an emotional rollercoaster for Norwegians. Meanwhile, Rabea Weihser for German weekly Die Zeit explores […]
Egypt has perfected the art of passive resistance in navigating international pressures — delaying, complicating, and outlasting unwanted initiatives. From blocking the Arab NATO project to managing the fate of two Red Sea islands, Cairo deploys its bureaucratic “Madame Afaf” tactic to stall without confrontation.
👋 खुरुमजरी* Welcome to Monday, where Israel steps up bombardment on Gaza ahead of talks with the U.S. for a new ceasefire, world leaders gather in Seville for a UN aid summit and our daily quiz question is about a tech-powered event in Beijing. Meanwhile, La Stampa’s Bernard Guetta argues that like Spain after Franco, […]
In an era where every tweet from the White House sets global agendas, Donald Trump has mastered a brash spectacle, luring us into endless commentary. Behind the daily uproar lies a calculated strategy to reshape America’s alliances and democratic safeguards.
It is not the first time in history demagogues have spoken of mass movements led by a charismatic leader as “true” democracy, as is happening in several Western nations today. Even the ancients could see this for what it was: a mix of mob rule and political manipulation.
Eight decades after the UN Charter was signed, the so-called rules-based order is looking pretty battered. Still, the fact that someone breaks a rule doesn’t make it invalid. Law and reality never fully align. Otherwise, we wouldn’t need law.
👋 Aluu!* Welcome to Friday, where Iran conducts mass arrests and series of executions over alleged infiltration of secret service by Israeli agents, Ukraine has halted Russia’s advance in the northern Sumy region, and today’s quiz ran into a problem and needs to restart. Meanwhile, Betina González in Argentine daily Clarín highlights hair salons as […]
Many Iranians are angered by Donald Trump’s move to stop Israel’s precision strikes on the Tehran regime. As with Ukraine, he has shown he has little time for national aspirations, and sees the world as a playground for making deals, which often have a hidden business payoff for him and his entourage.
A report from Oxford University lists the 32 countries – 16% of the world’s nations – with the infrastructure needed to develop artificial intelligence. The gap is widening with the rest of the world, in the key technological sector of the 21st century.
👋 ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ* Welcome to Thursday, where Iran’s nuclear sites are reported to be “severely damaged,” Gaza mediators are intensifying ceasefire efforts, and our daily quiz question is related to a very old discovery from a Polish cave. Meanwhile, Inma Mora Sánchez for Ethic outlines the issues surrounding women’s self-esteem, from the housewives’ awakening of the […]
The’ “hell” continues in Gaza, with no explicit explanation of Israel’s goals. U.S. President Trump’s success in swiftly ending the missile exchanges between Israel and Iran could now be extended by pressuring the Israelis to find a solution to the Palestinian question, which is vital to progress in the Arab world. What will Trump do?
Some 49,000 soldiers have deserted from the Russian army. But to avoid the harshest charges or being sent forcibly back to the front, some are surrendering promptly in the hopes of being sent simply to prison.
👋 Hæ hæ!* Welcome to Wednesday, where U.S. President Donald Trump swears at Israel and Iran for not respecting the ceasefire, rejects a report stating that the U.S did not destroy the Iranian nuclear program, where seven Israeli soldiers are killed in Gaza, and our daily quiz question is all about social media. Meanwhile, Worldcrunch’s […]
The Israel-Iran truce brokered by the U.S. president is a major diplomatic victory for Trump. But it’s a peace plan that feels more sleight of hand than statesmanship, which raises doubts about whether the ceasefire can last.
At the NATO Summit in The Hague, European leaders are focused on appeasing Donald Trump by heeding his call for increased defense spending, while carefully avoiding any mention of Ukraine. By sidelining the ongoing war on its eastern border, the alliance errs in favor of political caution.
After 12 days of intensive conflict, President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire halting the most dramatic direct confrontation between Israel and Iran in decades. Both nations agree to abide by the truce, yet each vows retaliation if any breaches occur.