by Rafiullah Nikzad | 27 Jul 2023 | Art, Journalism, Russia, Ukraine
One Ukrainian journalist in exile sells art to help colleagues in peril back home as she waits for the war to end. Ukrainian journalist and artist Lyudmila Makei examines a painting of flowers on exhibit at the National Museum of Kosovo in June 2023. (Photo by...
by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski | 20 Jul 2023 | History, Malaysia, Media Literacy, Science
What one correspondent learned by writing an “enhanced biography” of a little-known 19th-century teenager from Borneo. The 15-year-old Malay, known to history only as “Ali” is featured on this graffiti signboard in Ternate, Indonesia. The artist refers to Wallace’s...
by Martin Langfield | 14 Jul 2023 | Americas, Decoders, History, Human Rights
How can a nation whose history is steeped in war and repression break free of violence? Salvadoran Army soldiers patrol in the La Campanera neighborhood in Soyapango, El Salvador, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. In March 2022, El Salvador suspended some constitutional rights...
by Jeremy Solomons | 12 Jul 2023 | Americas, Economy, Journalism
A young reporter once exposed the lies of a prime minister. That reporting had global repercussions. Then came the backlash. Scene from a beach on a Caribbean island. (Credit ViliamM/Getty Images) This article was produced exclusively for News Decoder’s global news...
by John West | 23 Jun 2023 | Asia, Decoders, Educators' Catalog, Japan, World
Japan remains a global economic powerhouse and is becoming an ever closer political partner of the West. People walk at a pedestrian crossing in Ginza shopping district in Tokyo, Japan, 31 March 2023. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) This article was produced exclusively...
ND correspondent and Asia specialist John West takes students to Japan in this Decoder explaining the island nation’s growing geopolitical importance and evolving defense strategy. Ranked the 17th-most democratic country in the world ahead of both the United States and France, Japan remains a key Western ally in a region fraught with tension.
Exercise: Geography has always played a significant role in the founding of civilizations and countries, shaping a nation’s economy and security. Launch a class discussion about how Japan’s geographic location and topography may have influenced the developments described in the article. Then, have students brainstorm how your country’s own geographic location (and geographic features like mountains, water sources, etc.) affects its role and influence on a world stage. This exercise is particularly well-suited to be a complementary lesson after students learn about the conditions of Japan’s surrender after World War II, highlighting the lasting effects of history in the present day.
by Rafiullah Nikzad | 9 Jun 2023 | Asia, Educators' Catalog, Health and Wellness, Human Rights, Women
The Taliban are pressuring female nurses in Afghanistan to quit, further intensifying a medical and humanitarian crisis there. Afghan nurses wait to receive their salaries outside an administrating office at the Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, in Kabul,...
ND writer Rafiullah Nikzad shares the perspective of female nurses in Afghanistan, who are being pressured to quit the profession in large numbers. With the Taliban in power, Afghan women are facing growing limits to freedom and choice — with significant humanitarian consequences.
Exercise: This article hones in on a specific country and profession, serving as a case study of gender inequality in Afghanistan. Read the article together as a class, then discuss how issues of gender inequality affect your local community. Have students take a look at these infographics from UN Women to spark discussion. Which statistics are surprising? What are some actions that may be implemented in your local community (school, city, country) to achieve gender parity?
by Barry Moody | 30 May 2023 | Europe
As Italian authorities reinvestigate the disappearance of a teenage girl from the Vatican 40 years ago we have to ask: Why is Italy so ripe for conspiracies? The Bramante spiral staircase at the Vatican. Credit: Andreas Tille (CC By-Nc-Nd 4.0) Prosecutors in Rome...
by Keya Dutt | 23 May 2023 | Asia, Human Rights, Journalism, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, Youth Voices
For Parisa Haidari, staying alive after the Taliban came to power meant leaving journalism. But that wasn’t enough. Parisa Haidari made her way more than 3,100 miles from Afghanistan to Italy. This article, by high school student Keya Dutt, was produced out of...
by Aralynn Abare McMane | 18 May 2023 | Art, Environment, World
Children across the globe were invited to tell the world, through art, what needs to be done to save our planet from climate change. These are their messages. Julia, 10, from Brazil created this logo for her local news outlet, Jornal da Criança based in São Paulo,...
by Shefali Malhotra | 15 May 2023 | Asia, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
The Indian government has proposed strengthening privacy protection, but at the cost of transparency. Is this about protection or repression? Photo illustration by News Decoder. India’s proposed digital privacy law is creating fault lines between the right to privacy...