Six Ways Drones Are Revolutionizing Agriculture
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—better known as drones—have been used commercially since the early 1980s. Today, however, practical applications for drones are expanding faster than ever in a variety of industries, thanks to robust investments and the relaxing of some regulations governing their use…
Normandy attack: France aims to prevent ‘war of religions’
President François Hollande will meet leaders of all French religious communities this morning in the hope of preventing a war of religion after two militants affiliated with Islamic State slashed the throat of an aged priest and critically wounded a male parishoner in a small town in Normandy. “By …
The Struggle Over Bangladesh’s Future
On July 1, militants attacked a restaurant in one of the Bangladeshi capital’s affluent neighborhoods, taking dozens hostage. Twenty-nine people died, including the five gunmen and eighteen foreign victims. This incident was the most deadly in a recent rise in violence linked to Islamist e…
From ‘Dirty Division’ to golden boys: the Iraqi force leading the country’s fight against ISIS
Iraq’s counterterrorism forces, known as the Golden Division, were once so loathed that they were nicknamed the “Dirty Division.” They were accused of running secret prisons and carrying out extrajudicial killings. Some lawmakers called for them to be disbanded. But the country’s war against the Isl…
It’s been called ‘the most impossible job on earth’. So what does the head of the UN actually do?
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is stepping down at the end of 2016 after two five-year terms, and the race is on to find his successor. So far there are 12 confirmed candidates – half of whom are women – vying to become the world’s most high-profile diplomat. And others who have been&nbs…
German Interior Minister: ‘No Constitutional State Can Prevent Every Crime’
On Monday, Riaz Khan Ahmadzai, a 17-year-old refugee living with a foster family in Germany, perpetrated an attack on a regional train near Würzburg using an axe and a knife. Ahmadzai attacked a group of five travelers from Hong Kong, leaving five wounded, two critically. Police shot and killed the …
Who Can Run The U.N.?
Why the world needs a better Secretary-General How many people around the world know there will soon be a new U.N. Secretary-General? How many care? Perhaps public interest is low because the announced candidates are all thoughtful, experienced women and men with grand ideas. None of them have held…
Exclusion and Despair Make Tunisia’s Border Regions a Powder Keg
Tunisia is often and rightly lauded for the progress it has made since the popular uprising that toppled longtime strongman Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011. But social inequality and regional asymmetries are undermining Tunisia’s democratic transition and deepening the chasm between a restle…
NK’s efforts to divide public opinion in South could backfire
Just one day after test-firing three ballistic missiles, North Korea announced on Wednesday that the drill was part of its training for a preemptive attack against South Korea’s major facilities and U.S. forces in the South. The move is understood as a form of protest against Seoul’s decision to int…
The Economics of Hosting the Olympic Games
The Olympics have evolved dramatically since the first modern games were held in 1896. In the second half of the twentieth century, both the costs of hosting as well as the revenue produced by the spectacle grew rapidly, sparking controversy over the burdens being shouldered by host countries. A gro…