Oman

woman

The Liberian women who took on their traffickers and won

Liberia has been on and off the State Department's human trafficking watch list for years. In this desperately poor country, people accept jobs from agents to work as domestic servants in other countries. Usually, they are trapped, earning little money and subject to abuse. But several hundred Liberian women used social media to escape their traffickers in 2022.

The Liberian women who took on their traffickers and won
Two small fishing boats are shown in the near ground with large oil tankers off in the distance.

Iran bypasses Hormuz Strait to export crude oil

Iran bypasses Hormuz Strait to export crude oil
A woman is shown walking and pulling a rollaboard in an airport terminal with the Tokyo Olympics 2020 sign in the background.

Olympics director fired over Holocaust joke

Olympics director fired over Holocaust joke
On Jan. 14, 2020, Nadhira al-Harthy became the first Arab woman to reach the summit of Mount Ama Dablam — about 22,000 feet — according to mountain records.

‘Married to the mountains’: Arab women mountaineers set records despite social restrictions, pandemic

‘Married to the mountains’: Arab women mountaineers set records despite social restrictions, pandemic
Two people are shown from behind wearing head coverings and looking up at a screen showing with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Gulf Arab leaders sign declaration with Qatar to ease rift

Gulf Arab leaders sign declaration with Qatar to ease rift
A close-up photo of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wearing headphones

Illiberalism isn't just rising — it's spreading (Part I)

Why does there seem to be a global rise in illiberal laws that restrict nongovernmental organizations and civic life? Critical State's Sam Ratner looks at research on how policies that restrict civic life spread.

Illiberalism isn't just rising — it's spreading (Part I)
US President Donald Trump is shown in a close up photo wearing a blue suit and striped tie.

Trump warned Tehran a US attack was imminent, called for talks: Iran

Iranian officials told Reuters on Friday that Tehran had received a message from US President Donald Trump warning that a US attack on Iran was imminent but saying he was against war and wanted talks on a range of issues.

Trump warned Tehran a US attack was imminent, called for talks: Iran
Men and women sit around a negotiating table with flags in the background.

Things That Go Boom: In nuclear negotiations, diplomacy can be a slog

Diplomacy is often awkward, stymied by translators, late nights and unsecured yurt communication (yes, that really happened). But diplomacy can also stop a war, as years of secret and not-so-secret negotiations between the US and Iran proved when the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was reached in 2015.

Things That Go Boom: In nuclear negotiations, diplomacy can be a slog
members of a battalion lining up in front of a palace

There are 28 other monarchies in the world

Are you obsessing over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding? Well, to help you get your royal fix, here's some other information about other royal families.

There are 28 other monarchies in the world
The recovery of what’s believed to be the bell of the Esmeralda, a ship that sailed on Vasco Da Gama’s second expedition to the Indian Ocean, and was lost in 1503

Vasco da Gama's shipwreck sheds light on the earliest days of Europeans visiting Asia

In 1498, Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama made history by becoming the first European to reach Asia by sea, ushering in the world's first episode of globalization. Naval archaeologists have just published their findings into one of his lost ships, providing insights into the earliest days of European imperialism.

Vasco da Gama's shipwreck sheds light on the earliest days of Europeans visiting Asia
Donatella Lorch's son running the dunes just before sunset.

A dream realized: Adventure in Arabian Peninsula's 'Empty Quarter'

What is the appeal of this desert sand? "This is the one place that I had desperately wanted to discover as a young girl," writes a former New York Times correspondent during her dusty journey. "It had only taken me 40 years to get here."

A dream realized: Adventure in Arabian Peninsula's 'Empty Quarter'
The Royal Opera House in Muscat, the capital of Oman.

Oman is fusing its traditional culture with modern touches... and pulling in tourists

The Sultanate of Oman has always been different than its neighbors in the Persian Gulf. It’s known as a calm, tranquil oasis, and frequent host to high-level secret talks between heads of opposing nations. But the most visible difference is an emphasis on local culture over glitz and glam.

Oman is fusing its traditional culture with modern touches... and pulling in tourists
The Sexy Ebola Nurse Halloween costume

Consumerism knows no bounds when it comes to taste

With Halloween coming, there's a great deal of hand-wringing over potentially offensive and racist Halloween costumes. This "Sexy Ebola Nurse' outfit isn't racist, but it probably is offensive. Meanwhile, in China, the country considers dropping counterfeiting from the long list of crimes subject to the death penalty, and a burglar runs into his victim at the bank. Those stories and more in today's Global Scan.

Consumerism knows no bounds when it comes to taste
A Canadian dollar coin, commonly called a "Loonie" and an American dollar bill are seen in this staged photo in Toronto, March 17, 2010. The Canadian dollar rallied above 99 U.S. cents on Wednesday morning, its highest level in almost 20 months, putting i

For Americans, Canada is becoming a bargain again

The Canadian dollar has been about equal with the US dollar in recent years. But as the US Fed moves to ease up on its stimulus, the loonie is falling. In Russia, 50 years of work still hasn't fully domesticated the wild fox. And an Indian comic takes on the country's widespread use of skin lightening creams, in today's Global Scan.

For Americans, Canada is becoming a bargain again
The World

Two legendary daredevils take on one of the world's biggest caves, and climb it

What are you to do when you encounter a cave so large it can hardly be called a cave, so large it could swallow on the pyramids of Egypt? Why, climb it, of course.

Two legendary daredevils take on one of the world's biggest caves, and climb it