Russian General Hospitalized After Shooting in Moscow

A Russian general was shot at an apartment building in Moscow on Friday and taken to a hospital, Russian officials said.  Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement that "an unidentified individual fired several shots" at Vladimir Alekseyev, the deputy chief of military intelligence. The spokesperson did not say who could be behind the shooting

Halabja Aftermath: Survivors’ Enduring Trauma

Some 182,000 Kurds living in Iraqi Kurdistan were killed in 1988 by chemical weapons launched by Saddam Hussein's regime in a series of attacks known as the Anfal campaign. That campaign included chemical attacks on Halabja, a village on the Iraq-Iran border, and other communities. Five thousand people are estimated to have died in Halabja. They were

Restoring Arctic Kelp Forests Revives Marine Life

When Norwegian researcher Hans Kristian Strand stepped aboard a research boat in the Arctic waters of northern Norway last May, his expectations weren't very high.  He had grown used to seeing a gray and lifeless sea, even in the spring. The tall kelp forests that had once billowed serenely beneath the waves had been replaced by the sea

African fans angered by US World Cup travel ban

As soaked Senegal fans celebrated winning the Africa Cup of Nations in a Moroccan rainstorm on Sunday, thoughts and talk would likely have soon turned to a World Cup opener against France less than six months away. The June 16 clash against their former colonial rulers, who Senegal memorably beat in the opening match of

Berlin Redistributes Four Million Kilograms of Potatoes

Around 4 million kilograms of potatoes, neatly sorted and stored in a cool, dry place — in perfect condition for consumption, and yet threatened with destruction. A farm in Saxony, Germany, ended up stuck with a harvest of potatoes that had been ordered by a trader. Due to this year's unusually high supply that affected the market price

Veronika the Cow Uses Tools to Scratch Herself

Meet Veronika. The 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow lives in the village of Nötsch at the foot of the Carinthian Mountains in southern Austria. She's kept as a pet by a local farmer, and can roam her meadow to her heart's delight. Like many other pets, she likes to have her back scratched. If no friendly humans are

Why Germany Is Unlikely to Get Political at the 2026 World Cup

The German national team's sporting director, Rudi Völler, stressed in a  weekly sports talk show recently, that while no gag order would be imposed on anyone, "it cannot be that it's being talked about, practically on a matchday like with this disaster in Qatar." Völler was referring to the One Love armband debate in Qatar, which Germany – and several other

Sentimental Value Dominates European Film Awards

Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value," probably the most spectacularly European film of the past year, has, quite appropriately, swept the 38th European Film Awards (EFA), held in Berlin on January 17.  The quietly devastating Norwegian melodrama won the so-called "big five," taking best film, best director for Trier, both best acting honors — for Stellan Skarsgard and Renate Reinsve, for

Dolly Parton at 80: Eight Surprising Facts

Over 100 million records sold, 25 No. 1 hits on the US country charts, 11 Grammys and three Emmys — country star Dolly Parton is one of the most successful singers in the world. At 80 years old, she's bringing the same energy she did when her career was just getting started. Here are eight facts

Why European Cinema Is Outshining Hollywood

European cinema is having a moment — and not the kind engineered by marketing departments or toy companies. As much of Hollywood doubles down on sequels, superheroes and slasher movies, the most vital films of the past year have come out of Europe. Not as escapist fantasy adapted from comic books, toys or video games, but as
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