economy

Why Indian men are fighting for Russia in Ukraine

Conflict & Justice

After being lured into the Russian military with promises of “helper” jobs, young men from India find themselves training to fire weapons and getting caught up in combat with no way out.

Paraguay’s soy bonanza leaves small farmers in the cold

Move over Orlando, Brazil’s Balneário Camboriú is on the rise

Development

Nearly half of Venezuelans are considering leaving the country in the coming months, poll says

Migration

Japan awakens for the global art market

Japan in Focus

Syrian refugees in Lebanon face growing restrictions and deportation

Israel-Hamas war

Thirteen years since Syria’s civil war broke out, Lebanon remains home to the largest Syrian refugee population per capita in the world: roughly 1.5 million people. Now, Lebanese politicians say they must be sent home. Many employers have stopped hiring Syrians for menial jobs. And municipalities have issued new restrictions, even evicting Syrian tenants, according to recent news reports.

As Dutch residents struggle to find housing, some are trying new initiatives

Economics

The Netherlands is experiencing one of the worst housing crises in all of Europe. The new coalition government led by the far-right Freedom party has promised “large scale” housing construction over the next few years but many say it will not be enough to resolve the issue. One group of young Dutch citizens has come up with their own solution.

House of Cards

Arts, Culture & Media

The fall of the investment bank Bear Stearns can tell us a lot about how we ended up in the current recession. Writer and former banker William Cohan gives Kurt his take on the narrative of the new economy. Cohan’s new book is House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall […]

Ancient latrines

A new study tracks the ancient Roman economy using the city’s early lead plumbing

Technology

Researchers examining soil cores from an early Roman harbor found correlations between layers of lead and the city’s economic growth.

Woman looks at her phone

A world without men? When men go abroad to work, women in Nepal take the lead at home.

Development

Forty years ago, Amar Basti was forestland. Then, in the 1990s, labor migration to the Gulf States began in earnest and everything changed.