In April, the General Services Administration announced plans to automate 1 million work hours annually after cutting nearly 40 percent of its staff since October 2024, with similar reductions being seen across the government workforce. ...

Cuba’s deepening crisis has once again pulled the Vatican into a familiar role. In March, it was revealed that Cuban officials ​turned to the Holy See to help persuade U.S. President Donald Trump to ​ease its oil embargo, underscoring the Church’s position as one...

The need to protect populations from environmental harm or contamination is not new. Whenever human welfare was imperiled, those in power within most ancient civilizations passed laws to address these issues. ...

Washington’s 2025 strike on Iran, the raid to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early 2026, and its renewed interest in acquiring Greenland have clarified the country’s international priorities. Meanwhile, securing Ukraine’s independence, once a defining rallying cry of the liberal world...

A major medical milestone took place in May 2025, when doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia used CRISPR-based gene editing to treat a child with a rare genetic disorder. Unlike earlier CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) treatments that targeted well-known genetic...

The U.S.-UK technology deal announced in September 2025 promises to accelerate Britain’s AI sector, but critics warn it will happen at the expense of national tech sovereignty. It reflects the steady trend of U.S. government and private interests extending a technologically driven form of...

The Trump administration’s July 2025 decision to have the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) investigate Brazil’s “attacks on American social media companies as well as other unfair trading practices,” followed by the launch of 50 percent tariffs, drew immediate headlines and...

In the United States, diquat is used everywhere—from the potato fields of the Pacific Northwest to the watersheds of New England and the weeds wilting along suburban sidewalks. Approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this fast-acting herbicide remains a go-to...

For the Jarawara, an Indigenous people of Brazil’s Juruá and Purus river region, snuff—known as sinã—is more than a daily habit. It is a substance deeply tied to thought, care, and meaning. And it belongs, above all, to women. Jarawara women are the primary...

Music has the unique power to transcend language, geography, and culture. Across the globe, people gather to celebrate this universal art form through music festivals—vibrant events that bring together artists and audiences. From the deserts of California to the forests of Belgium, music festivals provide...