‘A seismic shift’: How US President Joe Biden altered perceptions of age | Joe Biden News

‘A seismic shift’: How US President Joe Biden altered perceptions of age | Joe Biden News

Rumblings about Biden’s age began well before he was elected in 2020. When Biden, a former vice president, started to mull his candidacy for the White House, critics pointed out that he would be 86 years old if he completed two full terms in office. “The issue won’t necessarily be…

How India’s Chennai mints world-beating chess champions, one move at a time | Arts and Culture

How India’s Chennai mints world-beating chess champions, one move at a time | Arts and Culture

Chennai, India — Giant banners of a smiling teen beamed down on hundreds of students gathered at the school campus of Velammal Nexus to receive the young champion. It was August 10, 2024, and the school was ready to put on a show unlike any it had witnessed before: 220…

Facing the fear of water: Refugees learn to swim in Lesbos | Refugees

Facing the fear of water: Refugees learn to swim in Lesbos | Refugees

YSR has its roots in swimming, explains Estelle Jean, the organisation’s founder and executive director. “In 2016, thousands of people were coming by the sea, especially in the northern part of the island, where the Turkish shore is only 12 km [7.5 miles] away. Rescue teams had formed spontaneously.” The…

‘Genocide-free’ cola makes a splash in the United Kingdom | Israel-Palestine conflict

‘Genocide-free’ cola makes a splash in the United Kingdom | Israel-Palestine conflict

London, United Kingdom – On a sunny autumn day, the Hiba Express – a fast food chain in Holborn, a bustling central London neighbourhood packed with restaurants, bookstores and shops – is full of diners. Above Hiba is Palestine House, a multistorey gathering place for Palestinians and their supporters, built…

Soldier students: Job training gives hope to Myanmar’s military defectors | Conflict

Soldier students: Job training gives hope to Myanmar’s military defectors | Conflict

Myanmar-Thailand border – At a secret gathering above a cafe in a town on the Myanmar-Thailand border, Ko Aye examined the inside of an Android phone alongside 10 fellow defectors from Myanmar’s military and police forces. The trainer, an ex-captain in the Myanmar army, guided the group through the process…

Can Colombia’s talks with the Comuneros del Sur help achieve ‘total peace’? | Conflict News

Can Colombia’s talks with the Comuneros del Sur help achieve ‘total peace’? | Conflict News

For Gómez-Suárez, if Colombia’s conflict is regional, then the solution should be too. He draws a contrast between his approach to the Comuneros and the way the Colombian government previously negotiated peace with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), once the largest rebel group in the country. In 2016,…

Romania sanctuary seeks to save bears as hunting resumes | Environment

Romania sanctuary seeks to save bears as hunting resumes | Environment

At a bear sanctuary in the heart of Romania’s Carpathians, several cubs believed to have been orphaned have just arrived. There are fears that more will need shelter now that the country has authorised the hunting of this protected species, effectively overturning a ban in place since 2016. Florin Ticusan and…

Lebanese Australians reminded of past wars as Israel attacks Lebanon again | Israel attacks Lebanon

Lebanese Australians reminded of past wars as Israel attacks Lebanon again | Israel attacks Lebanon

Melbourne, Australia – Israel’s devastating bombing of Lebanon has reverberated around the world, reaching as far as the suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne. In Sydney’s Bankstown neighbourhood and Coburg in Melbourne, where Australia’s vibrant Lebanese community is visible in the local shops, restaurants and places of worship, Israel’s latest war…

‘The atmosphere was electric’ – the fall and rise of Morocco’s cinemas | Cinema

‘The atmosphere was electric’ – the fall and rise of Morocco’s cinemas | Cinema

“You used to be able to smoke inside,” Omar Edressi recalls about Cinema Rif, the 86-year-old movie theatre that still stands on Tangier’s Grand Socco. “The first thing that welcomed you when you entered the building was a thick cloud of vapour.” Tickets to the cinema were a lot cheaper…

‘Stripped of our human dignity’: What it means to be hungry in Gaza | Israel-Palestine conflict

‘Stripped of our human dignity’: What it means to be hungry in Gaza | Israel-Palestine conflict

Khan Younis, Gaza – What does it mean to be hungry for months? In Gaza, where more than 43,000 of us have been killed by Israel’s bombardment and ground invasions – and many more thousands are lost, feared dead, under the rubble – we have been punished with hunger now…