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Matthew Medinsky

Trade war danger: China could quickly strangle American tech with metals cutoff

There’s no telling exactly where the Trump administration’s trade war is going as the president authorizes tariffs and then quickly suspends them, only to authorize them again and suspend them again or provide waivers for certain industries

Vatican says hospitalized Pope Francis is showing 'gradual, slight improvement'

Nuns pray for Pope Francis on Saturday in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, where the pontiff is hospitalized. Andrew Medichini/AP

Syria’s new Islamist regime escalates the persecution of Christians as fears of massacres by jihadists grow

The persecution of Christians in Syria has been escalating since Ahmed Al-Sharaa took over as the country’s president, after his al-Qaeda affiliated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group overthrew the Assad regime in December. Al-Sharaa rece

Restoring watersheds and fostering communities of practice in Baja California Sur

Introduction: A vision for change At some point, we all wonder, Can I really make a difference? Imposter syndrome creeps in, and we remind ourselves that we are just one person. But history has proven that where there’s a will, there’s a wa

5 takeaways: China's foreign minister slams Trump's 'two-faced' policies

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a news conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing on Friday. Ng Han Guan/AP

Automakers granted relief from tariffs. And, fired USDA workers return to work

Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today's top stories President Trump has granted automake

Extractivism and Resistance: Gendered Perspectives on the Global Resource Economy

Extractive economies are deeply gendered, disproportionately harming women and Indigenous communities (mining, land dispossession, violence, health effects) while benefiting multinational corporations and financial markets (Altamirano-Jimén

How Can the Study of Hierarchy/Heterarchy Influence the Future?

This article was produced by Human Bridges. Hierarchies are a familiar form of human organization where individuals and groups of high social status are ranked above others and make decisions. Some examples are an oligarchy, a small group o

Insight: Is China Still a Communist Country? With Carl Zha

Mike Robinson speaks to Carl Zha for more discussion of China. Carl is a Caltech graduate and is host of the Silk and Steel Podcast focusing on everything China, history, culture and politics Carl was born in China at the end of the Cultur

Kenya’s problems with electronic voting methods continue

An audit has found that more than 200 biometric election devices linked to the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (“KIEMS”) have gone missing and cannot be accounted for. These devices are crucial for voter authentication during e

Solar power is at least 10 times more expensive than natural gas

A peer-reviewed study published in 2022 found that wind and solar power are more expensive than coal, natural gas and nuclear power. The study shows that even in favourable locations like Texas, solar power is 10 times and wind power 7 time

Mexico faces off with U.S. gunmakers at the Supreme Court

Mexico is arguing at the Supreme Court that U.S. gun manufacturers are aiding and abetting an illegal invasion of guns from the United States into Mexico. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: 'I have always longed to be known'

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on the themes of her new novel, Dream Count: "I wanted to write about women's lives. And the reality of it is that for many women, the men in their lives in some ways, shape their lives."

Turkish attacks on Tishreen water dam are an ecological threat to the whole region

Ed note: To give the following post some context, Make Rojava Green Again is an organisation that describes itself as the following: We, the Internationalist Commune of Rojava, want to contribute to the ecological revolution in Northern Sy