A blank page confronts every writer on deadline. Turning that empty space into an article someone might read takes more than simply hitting keys on a keyboard. Two images of a woman at a typewriter trying to find an idea. Photo illustration by News Decoder. This...
Western nations worry about the bond between Russia and China. But perhaps they should consider the possible consequences if this friendship breaks down. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to Chinese President Xi Jinping during a summit in Uzbekistan on 16 Sept....
The alliance between Russia and China is more fragile than their purported “friendship without limits”. What can history tell us about the Moscow-Beijing connection? And why does it matter? Decode the geopolitical context for your students in this article by Braden Holt of News Decoder partner institution Indiana University.
Exercise: After reading the article, students should select one paragraph that they feel best captures the central idea of the text. Then, they should pare this paragraph down to one sentence, then one phrase and one word. Through this process, students learn to discern and communicate the main idea of a complicated text, a skill they can use in all disciplines. Have students share their final word with classmates. Can the class come to a consensus for one word that best describes the text?
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...
The relationship between China and Russia seems to grow closer as the U.S. and China look at each other with hostile eyes. At what point does this become scary? Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, toasts with Chinese President Xi Jinping prior to the Conference...
Especially pertinent after Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow last week, this article from correspondent Jane Macartney decodes the Russian-Chinese relationship — and its effects on the war in Ukraine and beyond. While China has stopped short of providing lethal material support to Moscow, its overall trade with Russia reached a record high in 2022. Help your students understand all the moving pieces of this geopolitical puzzle with this Decoder.
Exercise: After reading the article, show students this political cartoon of Putin and Xi Jinping. Students should draw parallels between the article and the cartoon’s symbols, characters and captions. Prompting questions: Who are the characters in the cartoon? Why does Xi appear conflicted in the image? How does the image represent what Macartney described in her article? Explain to students that this cartoon was published in 2022. How has the Russian-Chinese relationship evolved since then, with Xi’s latest state visit to Moscow?
It was naive to think Russia’s long history as an empire would end peaceably in just two decades. One year after the invasion, our correspondent looks back. President of Russia Vladimir Putin at the 2022 Victory Parade in Red Square, Moscow, to mark the...
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine ends its first year, the Kremlin might like to reflect on what this has done for Ukrainian national identity. People in Kyiv kneel as Ukrainian servicemen carry the coffin of a comrade killed in a battle with Russian forces in the...
Despite conflicts on Earth, satellites orbit in peace. But use of Elon Musk’s Starlink to aid Ukraine has Russia looking to the sky with hostile eyes. A rocket booster carrying three Gonets-M satellites and the first Skif-D satellite of the Sfera programme lifts...
While all kinds of international conflicts occur on the ground, up in space things have been pretty peaceful. We depend on peace in the skies because such things as social media, multiplayer video games, Google classrooms and Zoom sessions rely on satellites bouncing signals across the earth. Correspondent Tira Shubart tells us why tensions on the ground in Ukraine could disturb the tacit and explicit agreements over satellites in the sky.
Exercise: Let’s imagine that each student has been hired to draw up an international agreement to govern and protect satellites that need to cross the skies over international borders. What are the five most important considerations that would have to be included in this treaty? Some things to consider are: The citizens in every country want fast and reliable Internet; people want their privacy protected; and countries are concerned about the possible military use of satellites.
A reporter recalls riding in the first Soviet tank convoy pulling out of Afghanistan in 1988 and considers the barriers women overcame to report on war. The author (left) together with colleagues from Italy and Germany riding an armoured personnel carrier out of...
Russia’s president has raised the prospect of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. That’s a frightful notion. But it might not violate international law. Russian RS-24 Yars ballistic missiles in Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow,...
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is likely to prompt firms to re-examine supply chains and bring business closer to home, even if that means lower profits. Pipeline taps at a chemical plant near Cologne, Germany, 6 April 6, 2022. Germany relies heavily on imports of...