A family remembers a relative who died in the Holocaust with a ‘stumbling stone’ in her German hometown

Sacred Spaces

David Bliss grew up hearing stories about his great-aunt Bertha, a once-energetic woman who ran her own shop in the small German town of Husen. But he knew very little else about her until he found a high school in Husen, which for decades has had students research the lives of Holocaust victims. Bliss’ journey to memorialize his great-aunt unearthed debates about such memorials in Germany, including those over the Stolperstein, or “Stumbling Stone” project. Rebecca Rosman traveled to Husen and Munich to tell this story.

Exercise hedgehog kicks off in Europe

DW

Estonia is on the brink, as Russia ramps up hybrid warfare in Europe

DW

As democracies flounder, an old idea gains new traction

DW

As Taiwan’s birth rate falls, universities shut down one after the other

Concerns grow over suspicious candidates in Mexico’s 1st judicial election

Conflict & Justice

Mexico is about to become the only country in the world where every judge in every court, including the Supreme Court, will be elected by popular vote. The reform aims to fight corruption and restore trust in the justice system. But critics say it’s opening the door to dangerous and unvetted candidates.

How Hungary’s higher education overhaul became a model for US conservatives

Universities in the US face the possibility of federal funding cuts if they don’t comply with White House demands to walk back initiatives the Trump administration deems biased. Internationally, the use of federal funding to force change in higher education settings is nothing new. The Trump administration might be learning from Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán.

5 years after George Floyd, did the global reckoning spark any real change?

Conflict & Justice

It’s been five years since George Floyd died under the knee of a police officer in Minneapolis — an event that sparked a wave of protests and a global reckoning with racism, policing and systemic inequality. Half a decade later, has anything truly changed?

Uber partners with Chinese firm to launch robotaxis in Middle East

Transportation

Uber has announced that as soon as next year, people in the UAE will be able to hail rides on their phones and get picked up by fully autonomous vehicles, with no drivers inside. The move could upend the global race to dominate the robotaxi market.

After Assad’s fall, a revered Shia shrine in Syria faces a new era of uncertainty

Syria

A shrine on the outskirts of Damascus has long been a prominent destination for Shias from around the world. Its golden dome glistens in the sun and its outer walls are covered in tiles from Iran. But the shrine’s connection to Iran goes beyond aesthetics. Iranian guards not only once protected the holy site — they also helped keep Syria’s former leader, Bashar al-Assad, in power.

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