Democracy by Fiat
NEED TO KNOW Democracy by Fiat SWITZERLAND Much has been written about the benefits and dangers of democracy. Some in Europe and […]
Treading Water
NEED TO KNOW Treading Water PAKISTAN Record floods have turned lowland farms in Pakistan into lakes, highlighting the fragility of an unstable […]
A New, Cloudy Day
NEED TO KNOW A New, Cloudy Day UNITED KINGDOM On Monday, hundreds of thousands of Britons lined up and millions more tuned […]
Apple from the Tree
NEED TO KNOW Apple from the Tree ITALY Over the years, liberal elites throughout Europe have fretted about the premiership of Silvio […]
Humiliating Goliath
NEED TO KNOW Humiliating Goliath RUSSIA/ UKRAINE In the first few weeks of September, Ukrainian forces retook more than 2,300 square miles […]
Going, Going, Back
NEED TO KNOW Going, Going, Back EUROPEAN UNION Jean Blum, a resident of Berlin, Germany, usually uses natural gas to heat his […]
The Tricky Dance
NEED TO KNOW The Tricky Dance CZECH REPUBLIC “Medieval,” a new movie celebrating the military exploits of Czech national hero Jan Zizka, […]
The Time To Choose
NEED TO KNOW The Time To Choose BRAZIL Tanks rolled and soldiers marched through the streets of the Brazilian capital of Brasilia […]
Going A-Courting
NEED TO KNOW Going A-Courting AFRICA In the universe of Marvel Comics, Wakanda is a secret kingdom in sub-Saharan Africa ruled over […]
Tectonic Shifts
NEED TO KNOW Tectonic Shifts RUSSIA After World War II, British influence gave way to American power everywhere around the globe except […]
If You Can’t Beat Them…
NEED TO KNOW If You Can’t Beat Them… SWEDEN A local politician in Sweden, Saida Hussein Moge, recently quit the ruling Social […]
The Best, the Worst, of Times
NEED TO KNOW The Best, the Worst, of Times SAUDI ARABIA It was a time of lavish spending on ambitious projects. It […]
Wasting Away
NEED TO KNOW Wasting Away SOMALIA Death has two faces in Somalia these days. If famine doesn’t claim one’s life in the […]
Pinned Down
NEED TO KNOW Pinned Down ECUADOR Ecuador’s president, Guillermo Lasso, managed to drag his country out of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, however, […]
The Long Road
NEED TO KNOW The Long Road UKRAINE Just over six months after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Sébastien Roblin at NBC […]
Out of Touch
NEED TO KNOW Out of Touch CHILE Technocrats, scientists, environmentalists, and other experts and policymakers love Chile’s proposed new constitution. As Nature […]
Choosing Forgiveness
NEED TO KNOW Choosing Forgiveness INDONESIA Indonesian officials are considering granting early release to Hisyam bin Alizein, also known as Umar Patek, […]
Breathing Room
NEED TO KNOW Breathing Room SOUTH SUDAN Rather than hold elections in December as previously planned under a 2018 peace agreement that […]
From the Energiewende and Back
NEED TO KNOW From the Energiewende and Back GERMANY German officials this winter may keep open three nuclear power plants that they […]
The Little Country That Could
NEED TO KNOW The Little Country That Could LATVIA Latvian authorities began dismantling a 262-foot-tall Soviet-era monument that commemorates the Allies’ victory […]
Lights Off
NEED TO KNOW Lights Off EUROPE Not a drop of rain has fallen this summer on the reservoir in Sau, a town […]
Twisting and Turning
NEED TO KNOW Twisting and Turning IRAQ From 2003 to 2009, the Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr waged an insurgency against American troops […]
The Old, the New and the Dead
NEED TO KNOW The Old, the New and the Dead ANGOLA The recent return of the body of the late president of […]
Door Fees
NEED TO KNOW Door Fees SINGAPORE In the 2013 novel (and 2018 hit film) “Crazy Rich Asians,” the ingénue travels to Singapore […]