World

Europe

The First Lady and the Showgirl

Chris Lord / Truthdig Oct 29, 2026 As Paris burned, Céline Dion reasserted celebrity culture as the soul of modern France. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Global Voices

How Tehran, Washington and London Are Shutting Out Ordinary Iranians

Kamin Mohammadi / Truthdig Oct 27, 2026 An Iranian bill, a U.S. sanctions campaign and a British law each claim to target Iran-based hostility. But together, they leave ordinary Iranians very isolated. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

Americas

The Secret to Lula’s Victory

Guilherme Levorato / Panamerican Dispatch Oct 26, 2026 The Workers Party’s long recovery of the urban vote continues as Lula wins 49% of the vote in Brazil’s 200 largest cities to overtake Bolsonaro. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Race

Deported to Liberia, Again

Natalia Cintra, Tosin Durodola / Africa Is A Country Oct 23, 2026 Two centuries after the American Colonization Society shipped free Black Americans to Liberia, Washington is again using the country as a deposit for its undesirables. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Opinion

Thomas Piketty and the Twilight of Macronism

Luke Savage / Truthdig Oct 23, 2026 France’s most famous economist says its youth are revolting against a model that has destroyed shared goods while funneling unprecedented wealth upward to a small few. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Technology

UN Presses Meta Over Manipulation in Brazil’s Election

Jamil Chade / Panamerican Dispatch Oct 22, 2026 Reports suggest Meta is using its moderation, recommendation and AI systems to disproportionately restrict the accounts of one side. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Business & Economy

The Secret Terms of Trump’s Venezuelan Oil Deal

Cate Brown, Aaron C. Davis, Sebastian Rotella / ProPublica Oct 22, 2026 The Trump administration committed the U.S. to taking a large stake in a Venezuelan company, some of whose owners and investors are shielded from public view. Dig deeper ( 14 Min. Read )

Americas

The Limits of Bolsonarismo

Sahasranshu Dash, Ana Tereza Duarte Lima de Barros / FPIF Oct 21, 2026 A movement built on reactionary cultural issues has no plan for making Lula’s social transformation economically durable. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Europe

Evidence of a Russian ‘Hybrid War’ on Europe Is Vanishingly Thin

Thomas Fazi / Responsible Statecraft Oct 21, 2026 While nearly all cases fall apart under scrutiny, the narrative of a gray-zone conflict with Moscow conditions citizens of Europe to believe they are under attack. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Middle East

Eisenkot and Netanyahu Attempt to Out-Hawk Each Other Ahead of Elections

Connor Echols / Responsible Statecraft Oct 16, 2026 The two leading Israeli candidates are telling voters they will crack down hard on Hamas and fight Iran. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Technology

AI Has a Labor Problem

Lena Simet / Inequality.org Oct 16, 2026 The World Bank is bullish on AI. Experiences in the gig economy give us reason to doubt that confidence absent strong regulations. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Global Voices

¿En qué se traduce para los venezolanos el “mayor acuerdo petrolero de la historia”?

Jessica Dos Santos Jardim / Truthdig Oct 14, 2026 El reciente acuerdo petrolero entre EE.UU. y Venezuela le deja muy poco a los venezolanos en ingresos y beneficios, y aún menos en soberanía. Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )