A microbiologist checks on a bacterium’s resistance to an antibiotic at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, 25 November 2013 (AP Photo/David Goldman). By Alan Wheatley What could be killing millions of people a year by 2050? What...
Vaping has exploded in popularity with young people. But the case against e-cigarettes — for smokers and non-smokers — is mounting. A man exhales while vaping, Dallas, Texas, 6 September 2019 (EPA-EFE/LARRY W. SMITH) Vaping can sound so pleasant — a small device that...
The U.S. used a drone, controlled from an Air Force base thousands of kilometers away, to kill Iran’s top general. Are drones reshaping war? A U.S. MQ-4 Predator drone at Balad Air Base, north of Baghdad, Iraq, 21 June 2007 (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) The death of...
Protests across Latin America target common complaints, including poverty and corruption, and offer lessons for much of the rest of the world. A demonstrator holds a flag during anti-government protests in Santiago, Chile, 6 December 2019. (EPA-EFE/ALBERTO VALDES)...
Nations defend themselves with armed forces. But the military alone cannot solve today’s crises. Diplomats and “soft power” are needed. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, right, arrives to testify in Congress, Washington, DC, 15...
The next push to combat climate change comes soon in Spain, when more than 190 countries meet to tackle global warming. Here’s what to expect. Smoke rises behind a destroyed apartment complex, Ventura, California, 5 December 2017 (AP Photo/Noah Berger) At the...
The Kurds are the world’s largest nation without a state. Yet, when thrust onto the world agenda, questions over the group’s identity invariably arise. Supporters of Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party dance during Nowruz, the Kurdish New Year, in Istanbul,...
Are the Houthis in Yemen “Iran-backed” or “Iran-aligned”? Are Hezbollah members “terrorists” or “liberators”? Labels can make a big difference. Hezbollah supporters wear headbands with pictures of Iran’s Ayatollah...
The people of Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens but have no vote in Congress. The island is a U.S. territory, but many Americans know nothing about it. Tattered Puerto Rico and U.S. flags, eight months after Hurricane Maria, 16 May 2018, Yabucoa, Puerto Rico (AP...
Central banks are among the world’s most powerful institutions, but often operate in the shadows. What do they do? And why do they matter? London in 2008 during the Great Recession (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File) The ideal global economy is a Goldilocks...