A fresh face and new era for Canada

By Janet Guttsman Canada ousted its secretive, centralized Conservative government in a decisive vote this week, opening the door to a Liberal administration that promises a stepped-up role in the fight against climate change and a more welcoming hand to refugees from...

A yellow paste and Burmese identity

Irena Grizelj recently discovered Myanmar and was impressed not so much by how quickly it is modernizing but by an ancient tradition that thrives even as the Southeast Asian nation opens up to the rest of the world. Irena sent us a series of photographs of Burmese...

Kabuki, comb-overs and tweets

Our correspondents look at a U.S. presidential campaign that has global implications but has many scratching their heads — and checking their tweets. We asked four News-Decoder correspondents with decades of experience following U.S. politics for their thoughts...

Where your moral compass wavers

Conventional wisdom can be comforting, but it can also be an easy way out. We want to challenge moral assumptions. Last week we wrote about female genital cutting in Uganda and laid down a challenge to readers. We said: Help the Sabiny people end...

Why Syria is so important

Syria is in its 10th year of gruesome armed conflict — a war that has important implications for the region and increasingly for global security. Syrian men play backgammon at a market in Damascus during more peaceful times, 26 October 2005. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)...

Your chance to change an ancient rite

Your chance to change an ancient rite

Our article on female genital cutting has attracted global interest. Now’s your chance to propose an alternative to this age-old rite. A six-year-old girl screams while being cut in Somalia, 17 June 1996. (AP Photo/Jean-Marc Bouju) Earlier this week,...

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