Latest News

How London, Paris and New York coped in the heatwaves of the past

By The Conversation - May 26, 2026

Paris, London and New York are more often associated with culture, finance and history than with dangerous heat. Yet each summer all three are increasingly exposed to extreme temperatures they were never designed to withstand. Like many dense urban areas, they amplify heat through what is known as the “urban heat island effect”. This reflects […]

Bogotá is home to some 800,000 exiled Venezuelans. Photo: Richard Emblin

Exiled Venezuelans may well support regime change – but diasporas don’t always reflect the politics

By The Conversation - February 18, 2026

Protest and military action raised the prospect of regime change in Iran and Venezuela, and the voices of both countries’ diasporas were heard loud and clear through the media of their host nations. Venezuelan exiles in the U.S. were, according to the popular narrative, broadly behind President Donald Trump and his plan to “run Venezuela,” […]

Black-market will push Venezuela for bigger discounts following US oil tanker seizure

By The Conversation - December 15, 2025

The U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast appears designed to further squeeze the economy of President Nicolás Maduro’s government. The Dec. 10, 2025 operation — in which American forces descended from helicopters onto the vessel — followed months of U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean and was immediately condemned by Venezuela […]

Canada’s Mark Carney leads Liberals to fourth term in historic vote

By The Conversation - April 29, 2025

Mark Carney secured a fourth term for Canada’s Liberal Party after winning a historic election on April 28. The election has polarized Canada’s political landscape after months of threats from U.S President Donald Trump to declare Canada as a 51st States.

The infected female Aedes aegypti mosquito is the main disease vector. Its tiny eggs look like dirt stuck to the wall of breeding sites such as vases, plates, cans, packaging, and tires. Muhammad Mahdi Karim/Wikipedia

Brazilian single-dose Dengue vaccine could turn tide against fever

By The Conversation - March 12, 2024

The Brazilian single-dose vaccine breakthrough comes with a major global increase in the dengue disease, which has already registered five million cases in 129 countries this year.

Ecuador: From model of Latin American stability to nation in crisis

By The Conversation - January 17, 2024

The drug violence that erupted on January 9 in Ecuador’s Quito and Guayaquil sends an ominous message across Latin America, given the nation’s long standing reputation of stability in the region.

Wagner Group’s Yevgeny Prigozhin: Dead man flying ?

By The Conversation - August 24, 2023

Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, dies in a private jet crash over Russia, sparking speculation of a potential power rift within the Kremlin and Russia’s invasion of Ukarine.

Chinese spy balloons: How they work and what they see

By The Conversation - February 6, 2023

The downing of a Chinese spy balloon off the South Carolina coast, was preceded by a confirmation that a second spy balloon was crossing South American airspace.

Why central banks face an epic battle against inflation amid political obstacles

By The Conversation - January 5, 2023

Where is the global economy heading in 2023? After all the challenges of last year, it’s a question we ask with trepidation. Just as the economy was dealing with the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February ramped up inflation.

The iconic Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York. Photo: Andrew Dallos/Creative Commons.

Why the Christmas tree is a tradition older than Christmas

By The Conversation - December 21, 2022

Evergreens have long served as symbols of life during the bleakness of winter. But Queen Victoria spurred the tradition that has become a global phenomenon.

Queen Elizabeth II: The end of the “new Elizabethan Age”

By The Conversation - September 11, 2022

The proclamation of King Charles III ends the longest-serving monarchy of Queen Elizabeth II and sovereign who oversaw the transformation of the United Kingdom and her Commonwealth.

For Colombia’s ex-combatants: “Words of reconciliation are our only weapons”

By The Conversation - June 13, 2022

After six decades of fighting, it is estimated that almost 20% of Colombia’s population is a direct victim of the internal conflict, including almost nine million internally displaced people.

Stockholm+50: What’s worked with the UN’s environmental policy

By The Conversation - June 2, 2022

The Stockholm Conference was a turning point in how countries thought about the natural world and the resources that all nations share.

Healing Colombia’s war-ravaged landscapes

By The Conversation - October 5, 2017

The post-conflict may bring peace to the countryside, but the scars of Colombia’s war-ravaged landscape could take much longer to heal.

Colombia’s FARC prepares risky shift from armed revolt to party politics

By The Conversation - April 6, 2017

As FARC prepares to reconstitute itself as a political party, it must create opportunities for political participation of its rank-and-file members.

Opinion: Can Colombia actually put its peace plan into action?

By The Conversation - March 13, 2017

The slow implementation of the final peace accord with FARC is generating fears that the financial costs and security concerns may be too much for the administration of President Santos.