These are polarising times. If we want to heal divisions and save democracy, we need to listen to views we don’t like to hear. People stick fingers in their ears to keep from hearing what they don’t want to hear. (Illustration by News Decoder) Editor’s...
If you owe too much money and can’t repay it, you could lose your car or home. Can a nation have too much debt? What happens then? A rooster, a national symbol of France, peeks out from within an empty bank vault. (Illustration by News Decoder) Editor’s...
How we perceive events like the war in Ukraine depends on our news sources. While never perfect, news media perform invaluable services. A note tacked onto a refrigerator reminds someone to pick up needed items including news. (Illustration by News Decoder)...
With an influx of migrants over the past decade, Germany is reconciling to rapidly changing demographics. The idea of German identity is evolving. In a refuge for asylum seekers in Eichsfeld, Germany, a father hugs his son who has just returned from school, 24 April...
It is easy to write off mass shootings as a U.S. problem. But they are on the rise globally. Can we find global solutions to this massive problem? Candles, flowers and other memorabilia are placed at the Viertola school in Vantaa, Finland, 3 April 2024. A 12-year-old...
A selfie on the Olympic podium of competing ping pong players from North and South Korea reminds us of the ability of sports to bridge political divides. North Korea’s Ri Jong Sik, left, and Kim Kum, foreground left, with their bronze medals, China’s Wang...
Drones are being used in warfare in Ukraine, Sudan and the Middle East. Other nations have them. How did we get to this point and how much should it worry us? Ukrainian servicemen of the Ochi reconnaissance unit launch a drone to fly over Russian positions at the...
As China and Russia tighten their alliance, Japan has emerged as an important partner to the West. A sudden change in leadership there has wider implications. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shakes hands with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in Tokyo on 26...
As athletes compete in the Olympics and Paralympics, we see the possibility of competition without fear or hatred. Can we all learn from their example? Turkey’s Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu, left, and Poland’s Wiktoria Choluj compete during their women’s...
The chaos taking place in Venezuela over its recent election feels like a rerun. Why can’t a nation rich in oil satisfy the needs and desires of its people? Nicolas Maduro dances outside the Miraflores presidential palace after electoral authorities declared him...