A media frenzy was born on Feb 27, when the hashtag #WhereIsKate exploded online with speculation about the whereabouts of Britain's Princess of Wales. It opened a rabbit hole of amateur detective work, memes, bizarre theories and jokes — mixed with genuine concern about Kate's health — into which thousands… Read
Contemporary South Korean politics has traditionally been dominated by just two main parties – in common with many other countries with strong presidential systems. But that could soon change. Recent voter discontent is creating opportunities for smaller political parties in the upcoming parliamentary election on April 10. Heading into that… Read
After a whirlwind ascent to the top of Irish politics, Simon Harris has little time and few levers to pull to secure a fourth term for his weary centre-right Fine Gael party and prevent a first government led by left-wing Sinn Fein. Harris was elected unopposed as the new leader… Read
“First comes love, then comes marriage” – so goes the classic children’s rhyme. But not everyone agrees. Increasingly, the idea that love is the most important reason to marry – or at least to stay married – is under attack. Republican pundits and lawmakers have been pushing back on the… Read
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza, have left tens of thousands dead and sent shockwaves across Europe and the Middle East. But – brutal and tragic as they are – the wars in Ukraine and Gaza are regionally bounded, meaning that most of the rest of the… Read
Artificial intelligence’s capacity to process and analyze vast amounts of data has revolutionized decision-making processes, making operations in health care, finance, criminal justice and other sectors of society more efficient and, in many instances, more effective. With this transformative power, however, comes a significant responsibility: the need to ensure that… Read
“Dune,” widely considered one of the best sci-fi novels of all time, continues to influence how writers, artists and inventors envision the future. Of course, there are Denis Villeneuve’s visually stunning films, “Dune: Part One” (2021) and “Dune: Part Two” (2024). But Frank Herbert’s masterpiece also helped Afrofuturist novelist Octavia… Read
Since the 1990s, American aerospace giant Boeing and its European competitor Airbus have dominated the market for large passenger jets. But this year, Boeing has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. In January, an emergency door plug blew off a Boeing 737 MAX in mid flight, triggering an investigation… Read
Does the Chinese government have officials inside TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, pulling the strings? And does the storing of data from the popular social media app outside of China protect Americans? These questions appear to dominate the current thinking in the U.S. over whether to ban TikTok if its owner,… Read
Having harmony with others is very important in Japanese society. So, people rarely make a racket in public. However, Japan is also a conflict-averse nation. This aspect has led to an ironic problem in that when someone makes noise, others hesitate to confront them because it creates conflict. Thus, certain… Read