Thirty years ago, South Africa released famed political prisoner Nelson Mandela from prison. I covered the momentous story. Nelson Mandela with his wife Winnie Manela, two days after he was released from prison, in Soweto, South Africa, 13 February 1990 (EPA/STR)...
Wary of the coronavirus, North Korea has all but shut its borders, choking its economic lifelines. How grim a toll might the disease take? A wedding in Pyongyang (Photo by Sarah Edmonds) North Korea vaulted back into international headlines this month, with Western...
Global warming and its consequences can provoke anxiety in young people. Educators need to be trained on how best to teach about climate change. A student attends a climate strike protest in Canberra, Australia, 15 March 2019 (EPA-EFE/LUKAS COCH) “Are we going to...
The U.S. is considering pulling forces out of the Sahel in Africa, where they are fighting Islamic extremists. Would a withdrawal make Americans safer? People flee as security forces aim their weapons during an attack by extremists at a luxury hotel complex in...
A deeply polarised Spain finally has a new government. Can Madrid punch above its weight and shore up a wobbly European Union? Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (L) speaks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, 18 October 2019....
Censorship in China allows the government to control the media narratives. How can democracies protect free speech and sort fact from fiction online? A protester demonstrates against censorship, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1 July 2016 (AP Photo/Denis Farrell) Welcome...
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...
Iran has signaled a desire to avoid full-out war with the United States. But the conflict between the two nations remains, and Tehran has other options. Mourners attend the funeral for Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, Tehran, Iran, 6 January 2020 (Saeid...
Among pro-democracy protesters around the world in 2019, youth and women in Sudan led a movement that ousted a ruthless, 30-year dictatorship. A Sudanese boy during a protest in Khartoum, Sudan, 18 July 2019 (AP Photo/Mahmoud Hjaj) Authoritarian-style governments have...
By Jonathan Thatcher WEST JAVA, Indonesia – Rizki doesn’t have a job. A high school graduate, he’s what my mother would have called “a nice young man” — well spoken, polite and conservatively dressed. He’s also too short. He may look of average height and be in...