Christian Science Monitor

In Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Beijing sees lessons for Taiwan

As the world reels from the economic toll of Iran’s blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, concern is rising over China’s potential cutoff of another critical waterway.The Taiwan Strait, a narrow, 110-mile-long channel between Taiwan and mainland China, is a lifeline not just for Taiwan, but for Asia and the rest of the world.One-fifth of the world’s maritime trade flows through the Taiwan Strait, compared with about 8% through the Strait of Hormuz, according to research by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Why We Wrote This In its quest to unite the self-governing island of Taiwan with mainland China, Beijing has considered – and practiced – a blockade of the Taiwan Strait, a critical waterway on which global trade relies. Is the world prepared? Yet China has considered – and recently practiced – a military blockade of Taiwan as part of its long-term goal of taking over the self-governing island, which would include restricting access to the strait. Such a blockade, if it lasted a year, could slash world gross domestic product by more than 5%, a February report by Bloomberg Economics found.Beijing is closely watching how the Iranian regime has wielded its leverage

A new US indictment puts Mexico’s president in a political predicament

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has spent the past year and a half since Donald Trump took office mastering a high-stakes balancing act, managing to satisfy both her constituents at home and her demanding neighbors to the north.The United States’ indictment and extradition request for 10 Mexican government officials this week could throw that balance off kilter.The charges from U.S. federal court in New York allege ties between the sitting governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, and the Sinaloa drug cartel, which the U.S. designated as a terrorist organization last year. Nine other current and former Mexican officials are also named in the indictment on drug-related and weapons charges. Why We Wrote This The Trump administration has taken the rare step of charging a group of ruling-party Mexican officials in U.S. federal court. The move puts Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo in a tough spot with her own political constituents. On Thursday, Dr. Sheinbaum dismissed the idea of arresting or extraditing anyone named in the U.S. indictment, and she accused Washington of “meddling” in Mexico’s affairs.The president said that Mexican prosecutors would conduct their own investigation to “determine whether there is evidence establishing that the allegations made by the U.S.

What we’ve learned from Nepali POWs in Ukraine

When the Monitor first reported on Russia’s recruitment of Nepali citizens two years ago, officials and activists in Kathmandu were still trying to grasp the scale of the problem. Authorities moved to curb departures to Russia, while volunteers scrambled to trace missing men.What once appeared to be isolated cases has since become a pattern. According to Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at least 118 Nepali nationals have been killed while serving in the Russian army and 132 remain missing – and about a dozen are now prisoners of war in Ukraine.Their testimonies – emerging through official interrogations, media releases, and letters – offer a rare window into how foreign nationals are being drawn into the conflict. Why We Wrote This Similar to what's happening in African countries, many Nepalis have been drawn into the Ukraine war with misleading promises of high-paying, noncombat roles. Some have been captured as prisoners of war, and their testimonies offer important intel for militaries – and comfort for families back home. In an interrogation video published by The Kyiv Independent, for example, a Nepali prisoner describes how he traveled to Russia in search of work after falling into debt, only to be deployed to the

A war in Europe drags on, and Africans pay the price

Last October, Maxwell Aidoo was scrolling TikTok from his home near Ghana’s capital, Accra, when a video caught his eye.A Ghanaian man describing himself as a travel agent explained that he was recruiting for cleaning and construction jobs in Russia. The pay – $4,000 a month – was many multiples of what Mr. Aidoo and his mother earned running their small general store. So he sent a message. The agent got back to him quickly: Would he be interested in working as a “helper” moving equipment for the Russian military? Why We Wrote This Citizens of Ghana, Kenya, and several other African nations are ending up on the front lines in Ukraine as Russia looks overseas to bolster its armed forces. Some governments are now sounding the alarm. That seemed easy enough. “I thought, ‘It pays well,’” Mr. Aidoo recalls.When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin imagined a quick, decisive victory. Instead, the war has become the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, with combined casualties expected to surpass 2 million this year. The grueling war has killed as many as 325,000 Russian soldiers and wounded nearly a million more.To make up

Fighting for a better life: connecting global stories

Last December, I was in Miami reporting on the Cuban diaspora when a source casually mentioned Cuban soldiers being sent to Russia to fight in the war against Ukraine. I made a mental note to follow up with my colleagues reporting regularly from Ukraine, but wondered: How would we tell this story? How – and why – are citizens from halfway around the world ending up on the front lines of a war that has nothing to do with them or their nation?It turns out, editors across our international desk were hearing similar anecdotes – from Nepal to Botswana to Colombia. Although our team is spread around the globe, our daily meetings where we discuss what we’re covering – and what we should be reporting next – keep us closely connected.This is a space to throw out half-baked ideas and question colleagues about news we may not understand from their patch of the globe. And it often serves as an incubator for international spreads like this week’s multicontinent feature on how foreign mercenaries have ended up on the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Why We Wrote This Our foreign desk editors noticed independently that people from their regions were

Latin America’s grip on democracy

In its daily use of social media (three hours, 32 minutes on average), Latin America leads the world. Over the past quarter century, it has nearly tripled the number of people attending university and cut poverty by about half. This list of notable trends could go on, regardless of concerns about crime, corruption, and caudillo-style rulers. Together, however, they might help explain this latest news:Last year, the region saw the greatest improvement in key indicators of democracy, such as political participation and civil liberties, compared with Asia, Africa, and elsewhere. In fact, it was the only region to improve.And Latin America did so after seeing nine years of decline on the index of democracy compiled annually by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). More than half of the region’s countries raised their scores in 2025. Bolivia stood out for its election of a centrist presidential candidate after nearly 19 years of a descent into deep political polarization. (Colombia had the sharpest decline, mainly due to political violence.)Perhaps part of the reason for the shift is a rise in conservative leaders who exhibit an unusual bent for reforms more than for power.“Today’s Latin America is a region where the tone and substance

In the show ‘Wowsabout,’ Muppets meet the national parks

Tourists in Sequoia National Park typically keep their eyes peeled for bears, bighorn sheep, and elusive mountain lions. Recent visitors to the California park might have spotted something even more remarkable: A piglet singing and hiking through the giant trees.Ronald the piglet is a puppet character in “Wowsabout,” the latest offering from The Jim Henson Company. The show, which was filmed on location at Sequoia National Park rather than inside a studio, tells the story of Ronald befriending a hedgehog named Roxy. She drives a camper van. Premiering on PBS Kids on May 1, and also available for streaming on PBS Kids on Prime Video, “Wowsabout” celebrates American history and environmental preservation.Anything with Jim Henson’s name on it has long represented a top-tier standard for children’s entertainment and imagination – including “Sesame Street,” “Fraggle Rock,” and the Muppets. Now, that major name in art is matched with a major name in nature: the real-life wonder of Sequoia National Park. Why We Wrote This Ronald and Roxy are a piglet and a hedgehog who meet in Sequoia National Park, in a new kids TV show about the wonder and history of nature in America. Both Halle Stanford, a co-creator, writer, and

Immigrants pulled out of their naturalization ceremonies are now suing

In Boston’s Faneuil Hall, a site tied to the American Revolution, immigrants were pulled out of line during a naturalization ceremony last December, moments before taking the oath that would have christened them as U.S. citizens. In the months since, they’ve waited to hear about rescheduling. Those immigrants are done waiting. A group of 14 green card holders sued the Trump administration in federal court this week, alleging that immigration officials have unlawfully delayed their naturalizations. The plaintiffs hail from Haiti, Venezuela, and Ivory Coast, and are clients of Project Citizenship, a Boston-based nonprofit that provides immigrants with legal advice. Other green card holders around the country have also had their naturalization ceremonies canceled in recent months. Why We Wrote This A lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston marks a latest push by immigrant advocates to challenge the Trump administration’s moves to tighten legal migration pathways, amid a decline in naturalizations overall. The lawsuit marks the latest push by immigrants and their advocates to challenge President Donald Trump’s moves to narrow pathways to legal migration. After an Afghan national shot two National Guard members, one fatally, in Washington, D.C., last year, administration officials tightened vetting procedures and paused asylum

Congress ends DHS shutdown amid flurry of action before taking a break

After a week of late nights, last-minute votes, and party infighting, Congress passed a flurry of items – including a bill to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown – ahead of a one-week recess and multiple impending deadlines. The House of Representatives voted on Thursday to fund all of DHS except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law Thursday evening.That ended a record 76-day partial government shutdown that included agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Coast Guard. The excluded agencies – ICE and CBP – already have funding through the Republicans’ tax and spending bill last year. Why We Wrote This Lawmakers resolved several persistent issues, including some that had been held up by inter-party disagreements among Republicans, and addressed homeland security funding less than a week after an alleged assassination attempt against President Donald Trump. The House passed the measure in a voice vote, just before the last paychecks were set to go out to DHS employees. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had warned that the Trump administration’s temporary funding to cover their pay would run out during the first

Is our home safe? Is it rubble? For displaced Lebanese, anguished uncertainty.

Displaced by war but hungry for home, Faiz Hilal’s family squeezed into their decades-old car and drove from relative safety in eastern Lebanon to their apartment near the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre – only to find their street wrecked by Israeli airstrikes.They were undeterred by the piles of rubble and mangled metal, and cleared a dust-free path through the ground-floor car park. They hung their washing lines, and made one room habitable for their family of six.Buoyed by hope that a fragile ceasefire will hold in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, the Hilal family is making a calculated gamble faced by many of the 1.2 million Lebanese residents forced from their homes by two months of war. Why We Wrote This Lebanese people displaced by war have been on an emotional roller coaster. A ceasefire has been extended, but fighting in the south hasn’t ended. Even as families yearning for home prepare to return, despite the uncertainty, they are warned not to take the risk. In the wide spectrum of circumstances of Lebanon’s displaced, each family or individual must decide whether the risks of returning – whether their home still exists, and is accessible –

As high gas prices squeeze voters, Republican midterm challenges deepen

When Donald Trump ran for president in 2024, he promised to get gas prices below $2 a gallon “within 12 months.” That sounded good to an electorate unhappy about the high cost of living; Mr. Trump secured his second term in the White House, propelled by double-digit advantages on the economy, inflation, and energy prices.A year and a half later, with the United States at war with Iran, those onetime advantages are looking like potential liabilities, as voters express growing dissatisfaction with high prices in the run-up to the fall midterm elections.Oil and gas prices have surged to their highest levels since 2022, with the average cost of a gallon of gas reaching $4.30 on Thursday. This week alone, gas jumped by 72 cents a gallon in Michigan and 60 cents a gallon in Ohio, both states with key Senate and House races. Nationally, polls show Mr. Trump’s approval rating has sunk below 40%, with the cost of living a top concern for voters, who now say they trust Democrats more than Republicans on the economy for the first time since 2010. Why We Wrote This High prices at the pump pose a direct hit to many Americans’ wallets, and

Forest bump: Fewer trees being felled

New data on global deforestation has the potential to infuse a breath of fresh air into conservation efforts and the world’s ongoing quest to balance environmental and economic priorities.Findings released this week from the University of Maryland’s Global Land Analysis and Discovery laboratory show that the rate of tree loss worldwide went down by 14% from 2024 to 2025. More significantly, deforestation in tropical rainforests – which help regulate weather by absorbing carbon and releasing water vapor and oxygen – plummeted by 36%.“Improved governance, recognition of Indigenous land rights and corporate commitments” helped spur these achievements in countries such as Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Colombia, noted the World Resources Institute. While the advocacy group and other environmental experts caution against reading too much into what may be a one-year “lull,” signs of progress are present.Recent years have seen more countries engaging in measured policymaking and enforcement efforts; pursuing private- and public-sector cooperation; broadening civic engagement and participation of Indigenous peoples; and using technology such as satellite imagery to monitor performance. In addition, sophisticated financial instruments are also being used to incentivize forest protection. (This includes the Tropical Forests Forever Facility launched last November to target investment capital to countries maintaining

Congress presses Hegseth on Iran war justification, spending, and conduct

When President Donald Trump initiated strikes against Iran in late February, he did so without explicit backing from Congress, which holds the constitutional authority to declare war. Since then, members have argued over whether Mr. Trump illegally bypassed them.Now, even some Republicans are showing unease about the length and cost of the war, just as a deadline approaches that could test Mr. Trump’s control over military action – and whether Congress has the will to push back.Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, the president is legally required to notify Congress within 48 hours of military action and is barred from deploying armed forces for more than 60 days without Congress’s permission. On May 1, that 60-day deadline will expire. Why We Wrote This A U.S. law from 1973 sets a 60-day limit for military operations that haven’t been approved by Congress. The Iran conflict is hitting that deadline. It’s the latest test of how Congress – and the president – view the war and their respective powers. On Wednesday, tensions between the White House and Congress came into sharp relief when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth answered questions from the House Armed Services Committee, which pressed him on the administration’s strategy

Voting rights ruling amps up redistricting contests. Will states move before November?

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on Wednesday to sharply curtail the use of race in drawing electoral districts under the Voting Rights Act could carry big repercussions for political representation among minority communities, and appears certain to further ramp up partisan redistricting debates. But the timetable might be too tight for most states to redraw their maps before November’s elections.The ruling in Louisiana v. Callais struck down as unconstitutional a Black-majority congressional district in Louisiana. The decision was quickly seized upon by some Republicans as an opening to eliminate other safe Democratic seats in GOP-controlled states that had previously been protected under the landmark 1965 civil rights law. At least a dozen such House seats, many in the South, are seen as vulnerable, creating an opportunity for significant Republican gains. And it also appears likely to reduce the number of Black and Hispanic lawmakers in Congress, because the GOP conference is overwhelmingly white. Conservative legal scholars have long argued that drawing district lines to protect the voting power of racial minorities was a violation of constitutional safeguards against racial discrimination. On Wednesday, the court’s conservative majority agreed. While it did not wholly strike down Section 2 of the Voting Rights

Hardest-hit by Iran, the UAE pivots from cooperation to confrontation

As the Trump administration mulls a diplomatic path to concluding its war with Iran, one Middle East country – beyond Israel – is pushing Washington to take a tougher line.The United Arab Emirates, the tiny confederation of Persian Gulf ministates hit hardest by Iran’s barrage of missiles in the war, has emerged as the Arab country most determined to confront Tehran.The UAE is urging the United States to demand greater concessions and restrictions on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. And it is seeking to definitively end Iranian maritime “blackmail,” citing threats not only to the Gulf, but to the global economy for decades to come. Why We Wrote This For years, the business-friendly United Arab Emirates had sought regional normalization. Now, after being targeted by Iran, it is pushing the United States to demand greater concessions from Tehran, and is pressing its neighbors to cooperate militarily. “There’s no point in kicking the can down the road when we’re just going to end up where we started, maybe even with a more emboldened regime,” Reem al-Hashimy, the UAE’s minister of state for international cooperation, told ABC News April 19 regarding U.S.-Iran talks.It is building up its own military to back up

How the Iran war has revived interest in greener energy worldwide

A different kind of climate change has hit the Caribbean coastline of Colombia over the past few days – triggered not just by oil or gas, but also by missiles and attack drones.It’s a change in the political climate around recently flagging international efforts to limit the effects of global warming and agree on a “roadmap” away from carbon-based fuels toward cleaner, greener energy.The war in Iran wasn’t on the original agenda for this week’s First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, held in the Colombian city of Santa Marta. But it was clearly on the minds of delegates from the more than 50 countries represented in what the co-organizers – Colombia and the Netherlands – called an effort by a “coalition of the willing” to explore practical steps away from fossil fuels. Why We Wrote This The Iran war has brought change to the climate-policy debate. In many countries, a revived interest in greener energy might well be here to stay. The conflict has choked off about one-fifth of the world’s supply of oil and gas.“We already had a very good reason to move on,” said Wopke Hoekstra, the climate envoy from the European Union. But with the

Righting a free oil market

By many accounts, these are the days of resource nationalism. China tries to control exports of its rare earth minerals. The United States restricts certain exports of advanced computer chips. Even a few West African countries that dominate cocoa production often collude to control prices for the world’s chocolate-makers.Yet history teaches that a zero-sum mentality of resource manipulation or price-fixing among rivals often ends up pushing consumers to find creative ways to adjust. Cartels or monopolies then crack apart. The natural state of free competition in a market returns. And the notion that one can only get ahead if somebody else loses starts to recede.A good example of how mercantilism can melt away could be happening now. On Tuesday, one of the world’s top oil producers, the United Arab Emirates, announced it is quitting OPEC, along with the cartel’s stringent quota system among member states to rig global petroleum prices. The UAE, which produces about 12% of OPEC’s oil, said it would now align its prime export “with demand and market conditions.”The Gulf Arab nation has other reasons to exit. A fellow OPEC member, Iran, has bombed the UAE more than it has Israel during the recent war. Saudi Arabia,

Their nation at war, Israelis still demand to know: How could Oct. 7 happen?

Three wars later, Israelis are still seeking the truth about Oct. 7.They are anxiously watching the unfolding events in the wars with Iran and Hezbollah. Yet a large majority is still demanding answers regarding the war with Hamas in Gaza, especially the buildup to Oct. 7, 2023, and what failed that day.In recent days, all eyes have been on the nation’s top court, where justices were weighing petitions that the court instruct the government to establish an independent state commission of inquiry, as has been the practice in previous times of national crisis. Why We Wrote This Amid wars with Iran and Hezbollah, Israelis still very much want an independent state commission of inquiry to learn the truth about the failure to prevent the Hamas attack that sparked the Gaza war. Israel’s top court has given the Netanyahu government more time. On Monday, the hopes among bereaved families and other Israelis for such an order were put on hold, as the panel of seven Supreme Court justices gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government until July 1 to set up a “suitable” investigative framework.“We deemed it appropriate at this stage to allow the government an additional stay of approximately two months,

Why violence against the political right appears to be growing

A California man was charged in federal court on Monday with allegedly seeking to kill President Donald Trump at a gala dinner in a Washington hotel on Saturday night. Cole Tomas Allen faces two other criminal charges in connection with the thwarted attack at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.To Mr. Trump’s supporters, the incident is more evidence of a rising tide of left-wing violence. They accuse Democratic leaders and members of the media who rail against the president of creating a permission structure for extremists. And while the link between rhetoric and action isn’t straightforward, political violence experts point to a recent uptick in left-wing extremist attacks after years in which far-right extremists posed a far more deadly threat to the public and to government officials. This uptick includes the killing of a health insurance chief executive in New York in December 2024 and the killing of Charlie Kirk, a right-wing commentator, on a Utah college campus last September.Mr. Trump has now been the target of at least three assassination attempts, including a July 2024 shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the presidential campaign. Two months later, a gunman was arrested at a club where Mr.

Iran war

Is our home safe? Is it rubble? For displaced Lebanese, anguished uncertainty.Lebanese people displaced by war have been on an emotional roller coaster. A ceasefire has been extended, but fighting in the south hasn’t ended. Even as families yearning for home prepare to return, despite the uncertainty, they are warned not to take the risk. Hardest-hit by Iran, the UAE pivots from cooperation to confrontationFor years, the business-friendly United Arab Emirates had sought regional normalization. Now, after being targeted by Iran, it is pushing the United States to demand greater concessions from Tehran, and is pressing its neighbors to cooperate militarily. How the Iran war has revived interest in greener energy worldwideThe Iran war has brought change to the climate-policy debate. In many countries, a revived interest in greener energy might well be here to stay. Amid extended ceasefire, Lebanon assesses high cost of Israel-Hezbollah warIn this latest round of Israel-Hezbollah fighting, Lebanese civilians have once again paid a heavy price. Even as the ceasefire in Lebanon is extended, neither combatant is showing signs of backing down. A nuclear deal could end the Iran war. What was Obama’s version Trump rejected?In the absence of renewed talks, the U.S. and Iran

Christian Science Monitor

Is our home safe? Is it rubble? For displaced Lebanese, anguished uncertainty.Lebanese people displaced by war have been on an emotional roller coaster. A ceasefire has been extended, but fighting in the south hasn’t ended. Even as families yearning for home prepare to return, despite the uncertainty, they are warned not to take the risk. By Scott Peterson / 6 min Hardest-hit by Iran, the UAE pivots from cooperation to confrontationBy Taylor Luck / 6 min How the Iran war has revived interest in greener energy worldwideBy Ned Temko / 4 min As high gas prices squeeze voters, Republican midterm challenges deepenHigh prices at the pump pose a direct hit to many Americans’ wallets, and are a driver of other costs. Some GOP strategists worry that even if the Iran war ends soon, voters may not feel an improvement in their finances before the midterm elections. By Sophie Hills, Patrik Jonsson / 6 min Voting rights ruling amps up redistricting contests. Will states move before November?By Simon Montlake / 6 min Congress presses Hegseth on Iran war justification, spending, and conductBy Caitlin Babcock / 5 min Why violence against the political right appears to be growingBy Simon Montlake, Sophie Hills,