Development & Education

Berlin politicians and property investors tussle over rent freeze

December 05, 2019

A five-year rent freeze in Berlin, Germany, has been challenged as unconstitutional.

Early childhood education is critical, but limited. In Oregon, immigrant teachers could be the solution.

December 02, 2019

America faces a shortage of early childhood teachers. One program in Portland, Oregon, is trying to address it while helping immigrants overcome challenges in moving up the workforce.

Environment

Rainforests are 'worth more alive than dead,' according to science — and economics

Living on Earth

November 22, 2019

Earth’s rainforests are astonishingly biodiverse ecosystems that can drive the climates of faraway continents, but they’re disappearing in the name of the kind of economic development that values rainforests more when logged, mined, or turned into farmland. A new book argues that the world’s rainforests are most valuable when kept intact.

Health & Medicine

Chinese medicine is getting WHO recognition. Some doctors are alarmed.

The World

November 21, 2019

For the first time, The World Health Organization is including a section on traditional Chinese medicine in its upcoming guide for diagnosing and classifying diseases.

Environment

California must learn to fight fire with prescribed fire, experts say

Living on Earth

November 21, 2019

A century of fire suppression has turned much of the West into a tinderbox. Prescribed fire could help bring nature back into balance, but it’s currently far more common in the Southeastern US than in the West, where it’s sorely needed.

Education

In Turkey, a boarding school cares for Uighur children separated from their parents

The World

November 20, 2019

The children have been unable to speak to their parents in China. No one knows when — or if — the families will be reunited.

Climate Change

Venice floods: Historical myths may attract the aid the city needs

The Conversation

November 20, 2019

Venice is a place with a long tradition of convincing outsiders of its uniqueness. This tradition may continue to shape the way the world sees the city today — and could be what ends up helping the city survive.

Health & Medicine

Brazil reduces sex education amid spike in sexually transmitted infections

The World

November 15, 2019

Updated

11/22/2019 - 12:00pm

Under President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s ascendant religious right is winning a war over sexual health information — and sexual health educators find themselves increasingly marginalized.

Global Politics

Good wives, good soldiers: Durga Vahini women take up arms to protect Hindu identity

The World

November 14, 2019

The majority of Durga Vahini members come from traditional backgrounds as Hindu wives and mothers. After joining the group — often through a close relative or friend — some say they find voice, solidarity and empowerment as protectors of Hinduism.

Refugees

Greece’s new asylum law ‘poses continuous traps’ for refugees

The World

November 05, 2019

The law includes sweeping changes that narrow the criteria for eligibility for refugee status and introduces several stringent provisions that, if not strictly followed, would render one’s asylum’s application void. This is the latest in a series of measures taken by the government to crack down on asylum-seekers.

Updated

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