Jan. 14 Beijing, China The linguist Zhou Youguang died at the age of 111 in Beijing. Zhou is credited with creating pinyin, a system of transcribing Mandarin into roman characters,…
Cuba after Castro: PSU professors discuss what might happen next
Fidel Castro, the proclaimed hero of the 1959 communist revolution in Cuba and the country’s president for nearly a half-century afterwards, died on Nov. 25, 2016. Although the Cuban revolutionary…
US Intelligence agencies issue Russian hacking report
On Jan. 6 the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a declassified version of its report on Russian involvement in the recent U.S. presidential election. The report drew…
This week around the world Jan. 7–13
Jan. 9 France Kim Kardashian’s chauffeur was among 17 people arrested in connection to a highly-publicized October heist. The 40-year-old and his co-conspirators allegedly made off with million-dollar jewels and…
UN increases sanctions on North Korea in response to nuclear aspirations
On Nov. 30, 2016 the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to increase various sanctions on North Korea in reaction to the country’s repeated long-range nuclear missile tests. The original…
Reconciling the past: Japanese Prime Minister visits Pearl Harbor
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was joined by President Obama on a solemn visit to Pearl Harbor to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Hawaii. The Dec. 27, 2016…
This week around the world Dec. 31–Jan. 6
Dec. 31 Worldwide The world breathed a sigh of relief as a tumultuous 2016 finally rolled to an end. Celebrations from the glorious fireworks over Sydney Harbour to the inebriated…
Scandal-plagued Brazilian president oversees passage of controversial austerity measures
As the Brazilian economy continues to experience its worst recession in decades, the government has opted to pursue an unprecedented austerity program over the next 20 years in order to…
Mosul: As siege continues, humanitarian crises intensify
As the U.S.-backed Iraqi government and its allied forces continue the offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-occupied city of Mosul, Iraq, thousands are being either killed…
South Korea’s leadership crisis leads to uncertain future
If current U.S. presidential politics are considered a clown show, then the recent events surrounding the scandal-ridden administration of South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye qualify as a full-blown three-ring-circus. The…
This week around the world Dec. 6–12
Dec. 7 Philippines Philippine President Duterte found himself again in the spotlight after a spirited defense of several police officers suspected of killing a mayor with alleged ties to illegal…