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To resist in China: Touch a fish, be in your Buddha nature
Social media memes are at the forefront of the latest form of passive resistance against China’s grinding work culture.
Despite health warnings, skin-lightening products persist
Millions of women try to lighten their skin although governments warn of health risks. Can anti-Black racism in the cosmetics industry be stopped?
New space telescope will let us look back millions of years
A powerful new space telescope to be launched this month will look back more than 100 million years ago to when the first stars and galaxies formed.
African Leadership Academy students share top contest prize
In a first, two students from Sierra Leone enrolled at the African Leadership Academy have won the top prize in News Decoder’s Storytelling Contest.
A Cardinal Sin: How Our Actions Affect Biodiversity
Students at my U.S. school played what they thought was a harmless prank. They found out that actions have consequences and biodiversity is fragile.
When my father left.
My father was the light in my life — until he left. A setback, for sure, but my mother and I persevered. Now I know courage bows to no obstacle.
Decoder: Crypto currencies, good or bad, are here to stay
They can fluctuate wildly in value. They can be hard to spend. They devour energy. But crypto currencies are here to stay and will surely bring changes.
Languages in Tibet under threat — and traditions at risk too
Tibet’s many languages are under threat from Beijing’s policies and economic realities, putting cultural traditions and memories at risk.
I saw Uighurs sharing music & laughing — amid much pain
Curious about my family’s roots, I visited a remote region of China where minority Uighurs celebrated and laughed despite repression and a pandemic.
Humans halted ozone depletion. Now let’s end global warming.
Humans were once on track to destroy Earth’s ozone shield. Collective action averted disaster. Global warming demands the same global cooperation.
With indecisive COP26, climate crisis is at a turning point
The COP26 climate summit offered scant relief to developing nations. If political will for a grand bargain is lacking, can solutions emerge to save Earth?
We saw ice caps, icebergs and climate change in Greenland
On a trip to Greenland, we camped on an ice cap, saw towering icebergs and witnessed the effects of climate change on the world’s biggest island.
Africa is embracing technology, innovation, entrepreneurship
Shunning the traditional tool of aid, investors are focusing on innovative technology and entrepreneurship to ensure healthier development in Africa.
Under assault, democracy will survive – News Decoder webinar
In a public webinar, a leading UK youth advocate and students from News Decoder’s network discussed challenges to democracy around the world.
How I fled danger in Afghanistan for refuge in Ukraine
My pregnant wife and I were lucky to escape Afghanistan after it fell to the Taliban. We have swapped danger for refuge and bewilderment in Ukraine.
Listen: Youth vent frustration and anger over climate change
Four students express frustration, anger and disappointment over climate change and urge world leaders to listen to youth before it’s too late.
Ancient forest holds new horrors for refugees to Europe
Thousands of refugees are in limbo in a forest straddling Poland and Belarus, caught in a humanitarian vice that is raising tensions in Europe.
Fast fashion? No thanks. I care about our planet Earth.
Clothing, especially from fast fashion, is a major contributor to global warming and pollution. Mountains of discarded garments end up in West Africa.
Do not fear hardships. Get challenged and change.
“Working hard should matter. Do not be afraid of hardships.” A Rwandan reflects on being challenged and on change.
Why do we collect? Harmless pastime or dangerous obsession?
Almost all of us collect objects of some sort. Psychoanalysts think they are part of our identity. But when does a pastime become an obsession?
I am 21 and small matter. Beyond me, love is all there was.
We are made of molecules, stardust and comets — small matter. I am 21, and I just want to love and be loved — because love is all there is.
Watch: ‘I want to change the lives of young people.’
Kamuskay Kamara grew up in the streets of Sierra Leone’s capital. He saw young people in the clutches of drugs and now is saving their lives.
COP26: Climate action has fallen short. But there’s hope.
Nations have not lived up to commitments made in Paris six years ago. But there has been progress in combating climate change. Let’s not lose hope.
COP26: Climate change is already wreaking havoc in Africa
Africa has contributed very little to global warming. But the continent is the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change — and already suffering.
COP26: No voting at UN climate meeting, where consensus rules
Like many international negotiations, UN climate talks eschew voting and require consensus of all nations for an accord — a curious form of democracy.
I procrastinated. And now I regret I never thanked “Mum.”
My landlord — “Mum” — treated me like her own son. But I procrastinated — and now regret I never showed her the gratitude she deserved.
COP26: Can world leaders save us from climate catastrophe?
Earth is headed towards unsustainably high temperatures. The jury is out whether world leaders at COP26 in Glasgow will be able to stave off disaster.
Hasty evacuation of Afghan refugees poses special challenges
After Kabul fell to the Taliban, the hurried evacuation of Afghans and COVID-19 have complicated efforts to find the refugees new homes overseas.
News Decoder kicks off fundraising campaign to extend reach
The funding drive will help News Decoder reach more young people around the world and offer new resources to educators. Consider a donation today.
Nobel Prize underscores risks to journalists and democracy
Press freedom is under assault around the world and journalists are in increased danger. The Nobel Peace Prize highlights threats to the Fourth Estate.
Elections in Hungary will be a bellwether for the world
Hungary opened the first cracks in Soviet Communism. Now, the world awaits its elections pitting a right-wing populist against a liberal opposition.
Space debris is a problem nations need to tackle now
High-speed debris is piling up in space, threatening vital satellites. Nations are developing needed techniques to clean up space and prevent hazards.
In the U.S., a slow, steady march towards racial tolerance
In 1958, 4% of Americans approved of marriages between Blacks and whites. Now 94% approve. Data shows increasing racial tolerance in the U.S.
U.S. faces stiff tests to its strategy in eastern Africa
A civil war in Ethiopia and mounting criticism of Rwanda’s leader are increasingly imperiling U.S. strategy in volatile eastern Africa.
News Decoder trustee to head United World Colleges network
Faith Abiodun, a News Decoder trustee, has been named head of United World Colleges International, a vast network of 18 schools on 4 continents.
Teenage pregnancies soar in Africa as schools shut for COVID
In Africa as elsewhere, many schools have shut classes due to COVID-19. With more girls at home, teenage pregnancies have spiked in some nations.
We knew some Afghanistan lessons long ago. Others need time.
Many of us sensed a doomed U.S. mission in Afghanistan years ago and had drawn lessons. But the final costs of the invasion are still being tallied.
News Decoder partner honors teachers in journalism education
Innovative educators from Bolivia, the U.S. and Nigeria have won awards for teaching why news matters and the dangers journalists face.
Is the U.S. superpower decaying as the Roman Empire did?
Primitive tribes helped topple the powerful Roman Empire. Did attacks on the U.S. by Islamist extremists 20 years ago augur the end of a superpower?
Now, as COVID eases, do we need to worry about inflation?
Many nations’ economies are bouncing back from COVID-19, putting upward pressure on prices. The jury’s out on whether inflation is back to haunt us.
As in Afghanistan, Islamist extremists endanger West Africa
Islamist extremists are threatening fragile nations in West Africa. Will Afghanistan’s fall to the Taliban yield lessons for France in the Sahel?
New partners, new faces as News Decoder makes a fresh start
Two new academic partners expand News Decoder’s community to 15 countries, and new staff bring fresh ideas as our non-profit starts its 7th year.
News Decoder students dive deeper into journalism over break
Students from the Thacher School in California, a News Decoder partner, gained first-hand experience in non-profit, fashion and television journalism.
COVID-19 is exposing deadly gaps in global public health
COVID-19 could have brought out the best in humanity. Instead, public health programs have fallen short, exposing us to a resurgence of diseases.
We were born after 9/11. Help us understand the attacks.
My generation was born after 9/11. Twenty years after that day, the attacks resonate with us, but we need historical context to grasp why they occurred.
Despite grim news, I’m upbeat — somewhat — as I turn 79.
My 79th birthday is a chance to survey the state of the world. So much news is full of despair, yet I feel mostly upbeat about progress that’s been made.
Oil may lie below our school. So can frackers drill there?
The U.S. government owns the rights to any oil under our school. So, could frackers drill on campus? Turns out, the only certainty is the need to vote.
I once saw Taliban take Kabul. Recapture is Western fiasco.
The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan after another failed foreign intervention. Will they ease their hard line? And what lessons can be learned?
It’s official: We’re to blame for the climate crisis
It’s taken more than a century, but experts now say humans are definitely to blame for the climate crisis. Will a UN report spur nations to take action?
9/11 scarred Americans. But will we remember its lessons?
New Yorkers will never forget the attack on our city of 20 years ago. But will Americans remember the lessons of 9/11 and of the war in Afghanistan?