Life Is Full of Surprises in Karakalpakstan, Central Asia’s “Sixth Stan”
Karakalpakstan is a mouthful to say, one which has to be said a bit slowly so your friends don’t…
“Catastrophic” End to Ukraine’s Offensive in Kursk While Russia Seeks “Ironclad” Guarantees
Speaking with 5 Ukrainian soldiers who recently fled Kursk Oblast in Russia, the BBC received the picture of a disorganized and…
Silk Road Romance and How a Great History Was Lost to a Warlord
Among the most romantic notions perhaps ever produced by the human race has to be the experiment in distributed…
New Syria Constitution Consolidates Total Power, Rejected by Country’s Religious and Ethnic Minorities
On March 13th, Syria’s new ruler the former al-Qaeda member and terrorist leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, signed into law the…
New Study Links Higher Vegetable Oil Consumption with Decreased Mortality—or Was it the Exercise?
Ultra-processed seed and vegetable oils contain high levels of rancid, inflammatory polyunsaturated fatty acids treated with a petroleum-based deodorizer,…
Has Travel Really Changed, or Am I Changing?
The headline is a bit of a lie—travel is changing undoubtedly. Thank you for intercepting this dispatch, the first…
Terrorism on the Rise in Europe, Africa, and Syria While the World Struggles with Record Conflict Numbers
A recent report found that deaths by terrorism have risen to their highest levels in Africa, while also recording…
EU Chief Wants to Unleash Deficit Spending to “Re-Arm Europe” with an €800 Billion Military Build-up
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a triple legislative mechanism to gensis €800 billion…
Chinese 6th Generation Fighters Hint that the US Has Fallen Behind a Competitor for the First Time
It was December 26th, 2024—Chairman Mao’s Birthday—when a pair of unmarked, unidentified warplanes screamed across the skies above Chengdu,…
Trump’s Fiscal Rhetoric Fails at First Hurdle, Endorses Huge Debt and Deficit Increases
Not a month ago, Wal reported that Trump had dismantled USAID, the $42 billion soft-power arm of the CIA and Pentagon,…
Ukraine War’s Third Anniversary Sees Peace Agreements Rapidly Gain Ground
Monday marked the third year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Energized by President Trump’s approach to bringing the conflict to…
New Packaging Reduces Mercury Levels in Tuna by 35%, a Toxin That Doesn’t Seem to Affect Even Infants
A breakthrough in packaged tuna preparation has been found to reduce mercury content in the fish by 35%. Consumption…
Bamboo Panels on World’s Longest Sea Crossing Withstand 6 Years of Sun and Typhoons–Still Solid as Ever
Six years after their installation on the world’s longest sea crossing, thousands of bamboo panels have withstood six years…
Trump Team’s Russia Negotiations Rightly Shatter Europe and Kyiv’s Remaining Illusions
A round of talks between the chief diplomats of Russia and the US in Saudi Arabia regarding how to…
02/18 End of the Empire: President Trump Wants to End Some of the Empire
End of the Empire is a once-monthly feature on all news relating to the transition from the unipolar world of…
Trump’s Gaza Plan Has Left the Muslim World Rhetorically Unified Against US and Israel: Does it Matter?
From the shores of the Bosphorus to the Straits of Sorrow, from the temples of Luxor to the wastes…
New Pentagon Chief Hegseth Dispels ‘Illusory’ Hopes for Ukrainian Peace Agreement in First Major Policy
In his first headline appearance as Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth told a committee in Brussels that the Trump Administration…
3,500 Years of Climate History Show Arid Periods Linked to Periods of Turmoil and Depopulation
A recent study analyzing tree ring data has produced a 3,500-year-long record of precipitation rates on the Tibetan Plateau,…
On the Potential Upcoming Asteroid Colliding with Earth: We’ve Deflected Them Before and Can Do So Again
In January, an analysis was released by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) that concluded the planet faced…
Travelers Are Being Increasingly Turned Off by Overtourism—Consider Skipping These Trending Destinations
WaL reported last year that 2024 was the most touristy year in human history, with many European destinations reeling from…
