by Rashad Mammadov | 27 Feb 2020 | Asia, Decoders, Human Rights
Azerbaijan blames Armenia for a massacre of civilians in the South Caucasus. Armenia denies the charge. Meanwhile, lasting peace proves elusive. Victims of the Khojaly massacre, 1992 (Ilgar Jafarov/Wikimedia Commons) Azeris around the world this week mourn the 28th...
by Allison Daniel | 5 Feb 2020 | Decoders, Globalization, Health and Wellness, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
The World Heath Organization has declared the new coronavirus a global public health emergency. What does that mean? And what are the dangers? A man stands along a river in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, 20 January 2020 (AP Photo/Arek Rataj,...
by Maggie Fox | 28 Jan 2020 | Decoders, Health and Wellness, Media Literacy
Coronavirus headlines are taking readers on a roller coaster of fear, hope and confusion. Here are tips for telling what’s true and what’s not. Medical staff check the temperature of passengers at Nanjing South Railway station in Nanjing, China, 27 January...
by Maggie Fox | 27 Jan 2020 | Decoders, Health and Wellness, Media Literacy
What’s more harmful to your health — sugar or fat? Is it most important to exercise? The answers can depend on who’s paying for “scientific” research. Cans of soda and bottled water in New York, 7 May 2018 (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) “I love...
by Alister Doyle | 21 Jan 2020 | Climate change, Decoders
Sea levels are rising quickly due to global warming. If the trend continues — or accelerates — entire coastlines will be threatened. Scientists walk on ice in Antarctica, 25 November 2018. (EPA-EFE/FELIPE TRUEBA) Sea levels are rising ever faster around...
by Alan Wheatley | 20 Jan 2020 | Decoders, Health and Wellness, Technology
A microbiologist checks on a bacterium’s resistance to an antibiotic at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, 25 November 2013 (AP Photo/David Goldman). By Alan Wheatley What could be killing millions of people a year by 2050? What...
by Maggie Fox | 15 Jan 2020 | Decoders, Health and Wellness
Vaping has exploded in popularity with young people. But the case against e-cigarettes — for smokers and non-smokers — is mounting. A man exhales while vaping, Dallas, Texas, 6 September 2019 (EPA-EFE/LARRY W. SMITH) Vaping can sound so pleasant — a small device that...
by Bernd Debusmann | 14 Jan 2020 | Decoders, Islam, Middle East, Technology
The U.S. used a drone, controlled from an Air Force base thousands of kilometers away, to kill Iran’s top general. Are drones reshaping war? A U.S. MQ-4 Predator drone at Balad Air Base, north of Baghdad, Iraq, 21 June 2007 (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo) The death of...
by Martin Langfield | 30 Dec 2019 | Americas, Decoders
Protests across Latin America target common complaints, including poverty and corruption, and offer lessons for much of the rest of the world. A demonstrator holds a flag during anti-government protests in Santiago, Chile, 6 December 2019. (EPA-EFE/ALBERTO VALDES)...
by Bernd Debusmann | 5 Dec 2019 | Americas, Decoders, Donald Trump, Economy, Joe Biden
Nations defend themselves with armed forces. But the military alone cannot solve today’s crises. Diplomats and “soft power” are needed. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, right, arrives to testify in Congress, Washington, DC, 15...