Perception is Key
NEED TO KNOW Perception is Key EGYPT French automaker Citroën recently apologized for airing a television commercial in Egypt that featured the […]
Falling From Grace
NEED TO KNOW Falling From Grace BENIN Benin’s former justice minister, Reckya Madougou, had been planning to run for president against cotton […]
The Honey-do-list
NEED TO KNOW The Honey-do-list UKRAINE Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a former television star and comedian, has installed friends and colleagues from […]
Mission Impossible
NEED TO KNOW Mission Impossible NORTH KOREA North Koreans were barred from laughing, drinking alcohol or enjoying leisure activities from Dec. 17-28. […]
Bloody Passions
NEED TO KNOW Bloody Passions PAKISTAN Priyantha Kumara was a Christian and Sri Lankan citizen who managed a Rajco Industries factory in […]
Once More Unto the Breach
NEED TO KNOW Once More Unto the Breach WORLD As the Omicron variant of the coronavirus spread around the globe, the Netherlands […]
A Frightful Old Year
NEED TO KNOW A Frightful Old Year WORLD Fear was the watchword of 2021. People feared the coronavirus. In Africa, where the […]
Much Ado About Something
NEED TO KNOW Much Ado About Something CANADA School officials forced third-grade teacher Fatemeh Anvari out of her classroom at Chelsea Elementary […]
Scratches in the Teflon
NEED TO KNOW Scratches in the Teflon UNITED KINGDOM The former speaker of the British House of Commons, John Bercow, recently told […]
Upstaging Ghosts
NEED TO KNOW Upstaging Ghosts CHILE If the legacy of General Augusto Pinochet’s cruel rule haunted Chile for years, the ghost of […]
After the Fall
NEED TO KNOW After the Fall AFGHANISTAN Two veteran foreign correspondents from the Washington Post recently journeyed along the 300-mile highway from […]
Through the Past, Darkly
NEED TO KNOW Through the Past, Darkly LIBYA Muammar Gaddafi was a brutal dictator who ruled Libya for four decades. After rebels […]
The Propulsion of Desperation
NEED TO KNOW The Propulsion of Desperation SIERRA LEONE When Alhaji Siraj Bah’s adopted family perished along with more than 1,400 people […]
Woke, à la Française
NEED TO KNOW Woke, à la Française FRANCE In the United States, the term “woke” generally means understanding and acknowledging the historical […]
Just Business
NEED TO KNOW Just Business UNITED ARAB EMIRATES The United Arab Emirates recently made Sunday a day off, putting the Persian Gulf […]
Olympic-sized Snubs
NEED TO KNOW Olympic-sized Snubs CHINA When President Jimmy Carter ordered an American boycott of the 1980 winter Olympics in Moscow, he […]
A Global Addiction
NEED TO KNOW A Global Addiction WORLD At the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow last month, more than 40 […]
Tits, Tats, Tragedies
NEED TO KNOW Tits, Tats, Tragedies UNITED KINGDOM / FRANCE British novelist and Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, who was born in Zanzibar […]
Moving On
NEED TO KNOW Moving On SYRIA Syrian President Bashar Assad’s friends and relatives are making billions selling an illegal amphetamine called captagon […]
Epsilon, Kappa, Pi
NEED TO KNOW Epsilon, Kappa, Pi WORLD The experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) believe the speedy infection rate and unknown […]
Pig in the Poke
NEED TO KNOW Pig in the Poke HONG KONG A wild boar infestation in Hong Kong provided fodder for a political cartoonist […]
Mining Discontent
NEED TO KNOW Mining Discontent SERBIA Lithium is a crucial component in the batteries that power electric vehicles. But many Serbs don’t […]
King of the Sinking Mountain
NEED TO KNOW King of the Sinking Mountain TURKEY President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s nearly 20 years’ long quest to dominate Turkish politics – […]