COVID-19 has slashed incomes in Indonesia, spurring illegal logging, poaching and mining. The environment and wildlife habitats are taking a hit. Activists protest against a government bill they say would harm the environment, Jakarta, Indonesia, 14 July 2020. (AP...
They are the world’s two most powerful economies, deeply interlocked. But China and the U.S. are increasingly at odds — with vast implications. A Taiwanese Air Force fighter in the foreground flies on the flank of a Chinese bomber as they pass near Taiwan, 10...
The relationship between China and the United States will have a profound impact on the lives of today’s students. In his examination of the bilateral relationship, Jim Wolf reviews the fraught history between China and the West, and looks at the two nations’ current leaders and how their agendas are radically at odds. Wolf eschews the bias that can creep into reporting on China by Western correspondents. This tour d’horizon offers students a starting point for deeper examination of the forces — economic, military, geographic, political — that will shape the world they will inherit.
Africa is often misrepresented in the media as a poverty-stricken safari-land. Who benefits from such stereotypes? How can we reshape the image? Outsiders and Africans themselves often resort to stereotypes to represent the continent — wild animals, jungles and...
A viral campaign on Instagram meant to empower women has its recent roots in a bleak reality familiar to women who are victims of violence in Turkey. Women march in support of the Istanbul Convention on preventing violence against women, Istanbul, Turkey, 19 July...
Jews were blamed by some for spreading the Black Death plague in the Middle Ages. Now, incidents of antisemitism are on the rise during COVID-19. Only the word “masks” can still be read from an inscription that was formerly “Jews = mask...
Sports are emerging from the wreckage of a year of disruption not seen in 75 years. With COVID-19 still a threat, uncertainty and frustration prevail. Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic, center, wears a face mask before the start of the first stage of the Tour de France...
They’ve been around for a long time and flourish in a crisis. Conspiracy theories may seem absurd and harmless to some — but they can do damage. Activists demonstrate against 4G/5G cell towers in Los Angeles, California, 2 May 2020. (AP Photo/Damian...
Like fake news, conspiracy theories abound in today’s polarized political world. Sarah Edmonds shows that they have been around for a long time and thrive in times of crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic. In an age when facts and science are under attack, how can a student know what to believe in? Should we simply dismiss those who perpetrate conspiracy theories — or engage with them? Edmonds interviewed numerous experts for her article and skilfully weaved in their quotes — a good example for student writers. Teachers of subjects from Science to Politics can use Edmonds’s story to encourage students to suspend their prejudices and push themselves to see contrasting viewpoints.
Donald Trump has scored few foreign policy wins with his transactional approach. A peace deal between Israel and the UAE is a feather in his cap. U.S. President Donald Trump announces a peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Washington, DC , 13...
When I arrived in Hong Kong half a century ago, it was just starting its explosive growth. Now it’s caught again in the middle of a big-power dispute. Before Hong Kong’s old airport closed in 1998, it had just one runway, and airliners used to skim low...
The Uighurs are not the only ethnic minority in China. Beijing’s repressive tactics reflect fears a separatist movement could threaten the state. Uighurs in Hotan, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, 6 April 2008 (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) Last...