Phil Balboni’s Unrelenting Pursuit to Help People Know the World Better
For Phil Balboni, a self-described "journalist entrepreneur," the mission has always been clear: to help people better understand the world around them.
Growing Pains
NEED TO KNOW Growing Pains ARGENTINA Labor unions took to the streets a few weeks ago in Argentina to oppose recently elected […]
Word Play
NEED TO KNOW Word Play ISRAEL/ GAZA In a Jan. 26 interim ruling on whether Israel was perpetrating acts of genocide in […]
‘Hustle-bro Populism’
NEED TO KNOW ‘Hustle-bro Populism’ EL SALVADOR El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has drawn admiration and condemnation since he first took office […]
Self-Serving Justice
NEED TO KNOW Self-Serving Justice SLOVAKIA Thousands of people took to the streets in the Central European country of Slovakia late last […]
Target Practice
NEED TO KNOW Target Practice BALUCHISTAN Iran and Pakistan fired missiles and drones at each other this month ostensibly to kill separatists […]
Saving Stalin
NEED TO KNOW Saving Stalin GEORGIA The late communist dictator Josef Stalin is arguably the most controversial native son of the former […]
Law & Disorder
NEED TO KNOW Law & Disorder SOUTH AFRICA Residents of Rabie Ridge, sick and tired of criminals running rampant through their township […]
The Politics of Co-Dependence
NEED TO KNOW The Politics of Co-Dependence FINLAND The former president of Finland and 2008 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari died […]
All That Glitters …
NEED TO KNOW All That Glitters … BRUNEI Prince Abdul Mateen of the small Southeast Asian nation of Brunei was described in […]
When the Street Wins
NEED TO KNOW When the Street Wins GUATEMALA Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo’s supporters came out in force outside Congress on Jan. 14. […]
Ever After
NEED TO KNOW Ever After ISRAEL/ GAZA Yossi Sharabi and Itay Svirsky were two of the more than 240 people whom the […]
A Spoonful of Salt
NEED TO KNOW A Spoonful of Salt THE GAMBIA Gambian Ebrima Sagnia, 44, in an emotional interview with Al Jazeera, recalled how […]
Gross National Gloom
NEED TO KNOW Gross National Gloom BHUTAN In Bhutan’s recent elections – the fourth since 2008, when the Himalayan nation replaced its […]
Trading in Blood
NEED TO KNOW Trading in Blood MEXICO Mexico is the United States’ top trading partner – more than 800 billion dollars’ worth […]
Troubled Justice
NEED TO KNOW Troubled Justice NORTHERN IRELAND Violence between British-backed Protestants and Irish Catholics in Northern Ireland has been relatively subdued in […]
The Coming Storm
NEED TO KNOW The Coming Storm ETHIOPIA When Eritrea won independence from Ethiopia in 1993, the latter retained access to a port […]
Simmer, and Boil
NEED TO KNOW Simmer, and Boil MIDDLE EAST On Jan. 12, the United States and its allies launched more than 100 missiles […]
Eternal Turmoil
NEED TO KNOW Eternal Turmoil COMOROS After he secured power in a coup in 1999, Azali Assoumani ran for the presidency of […]
The Loss of Patience
NEED TO KNOW The Loss of Patience TAIWAN Taiwan’s general election on Jan. 13 will have major implications for the small country […]
Nourished By Violence
NEED TO KNOW Nourished By Violence ISRAEL/ GAZA Late last year, during an interview in Qatar, Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya told the […]
My Rival, My Friend
NEED TO KNOW My Rival, My Friend AUSTRALIA The AUKUS deal signed in 2021 by Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United […]
Cops & Robbers
NEED TO KNOW Cops & Robbers RUSSIA/ UKRAINE In 2022, a Russian court sentenced Vladislav Kanyus to 17 years in jail for […]
The Fix Is In
NEED TO KNOW The Fix Is In BANGLADESH The prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, recently launched her ruling Awami League party’s […]