The Bombs of Ambition
NEED TO KNOW The Bombs of Ambition SUDAN This week, downtown Khartoum became a war zone. Fighters have been attacking residents, United […]
Paradise, Imperfect
NEED TO KNOW Paradise, Imperfect COSTA RICA Those who live in Costa Rica practice what they refer to as the “pure life.” […]
Wanted: A Government
NEED TO KNOW Wanted: A Government BULGARIA Bulgarians have voted in five general elections in the last two years. Voters, meanwhile, are […]
Peace and Sabers
NEED TO KNOW Peace and Sabers TAIWAN After the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, met with Taiwanese President […]
Fathers and Sons
NEED TO KNOW Fathers and Sons UGANDA Muhoozi Kainerugaba is the son of the long-serving president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, a 78-year-old […]
Fair Weather Friend
NEED TO KNOW Fair Weather Friend BELARUS Belarusian authorities recently announced that Russia would station nuclear missiles in their country, placing the […]
On the Precipice
NEED TO KNOW On the Precipice SURINAME Suriname’s gross domestic product (GDP) plunged by 16 percent during the coronavirus pandemic – the […]
Allies, Enemies and Other Horrors
NEED TO KNOW Allies, Enemies and Other Horrors KOSOVO The former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, and other prominent politicians who were […]
New Kids on the Block
NEED TO KNOW New Kids on the Block WEST BANK/ GAZA For years, Fatah and Hamas have vied for control of Palestine. […]
The Spiral
NEED TO KNOW The Spiral BURKINA FASO Security forces in Burkina Faso recently murdered a 16-year-old boy and others in Ouahigouya, a […]
The Cheerleaders
NEED TO KNOW The Cheerleaders RUSSIA Russian blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, had been a cheerleader for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of […]
Taking Out the Trash
NEED TO KNOW Taking Out the Trash NICARAGUA Nicaraguan officials recently aired a prison interview with Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who in […]
The Hero and the Strongman
NEED TO KNOW The Hero and the Strongman RWANDA When ethnic Hutu militants committed genocide against members of the minority ethnic Tutsi […]
The Revolution Playbook
NEED TO KNOW The Revolution Playbook FRANCE French authorities last week closed the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and other popular tourist sites […]
Israeli Spring
NEED TO KNOW Israeli Spring ISRAEL Civil unrest in Israel has prompted many observers to wonder if the same pro-democracy impulses that […]
Waterfront Property
NEED TO KNOW Waterfront Property MONTENEGRO The presidential race in tiny Montenegro, a NATO member with close ties to Russian-ally Serbia, became […]
Joyful Warriors
NEED TO KNOW Joyful Warriors FINLAND For the fifth time in a row, Finns are the happiest people in the world. According […]
Banking On It
NEED TO KNOW Banking On It WORLD Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank (ECB) recently told European Union leaders […]
Books, Traffic and Trauma
NEED TO KNOW Books, Traffic and Trauma IRAQ Twenty years after the American invasion of Iraq, the booksellers of Mutanabbi Street are […]
The Forever Search
NEED TO KNOW The Forever Search MEXICO In what the BBC called a “twisted moral code,” Mexican mobsters affiliated with the Scorpions […]
Legion of Doom
NEED TO KNOW Legion of Doom RUSSIA The prime minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, is worried. He didn’t like the implications of […]
When Hate Comes To Town
NEED TO KNOW When Hate Comes To Town TUNISIA Tunisian President Kais Saied has recently been claiming that migrants originating from sub-Saharan […]
Voting With Feet
NEED TO KNOW Voting With Feet CUBA Almost 23 years ago, heavily armed federal agents wearing body armor seized five-year-old Elián González from […]
Rubber Duck Politics
NEED TO KNOW Rubber Duck Politics THAILAND Thai authorities sentenced a man to jail for two years for peddling calendars featuring rubber […]