Marta Khomyn, Adelaide University US President Donald Trump once called cryptocurrency a “scam”. It’s now a major moneymaker for him: his just-released annual financial disclosure shows he made more than US$1 billion from cryptocurrency last year. This news has raised the ire of Trump’s critics. Juliana Stratton, the Illinois lieutenant governor and a
Ph. A statue of Alexander Hamilton on the campus of Columbia University in New York. Spiroview Inc / Shutterstock Sam Edwards, Loughborough University The plans for the 250th anniversary of the American revolution, which kicks off in earnest on July 4, have drawn media scrutiny in the US. One issue has been the
Ph. Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images Clare Corbould, Deakin University It’s almost the Fourth of July and Donald Trump is making the most of the 250th anniversary of American independence. He has all but declared himself Patriot-in-Chief. He’s putting his face on commemorative $250 bills and passports. A giant
Ph. Israeli soldiers patrol near the border with Lebanon on June 9, 2026. Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images Amy McAuliffe, University of Notre Dame A lot hangs on whether the United States can compel Israel to cease operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. After all, an end to the Israeli military offensive was a
Ph. The Dames Point Bridge spans a river in Jacksonville, Fla. Jonathan Zander/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY Alex Krasnok, Florida International University Every bridge has parts that drivers never see: steel buried in concrete, welds tucked under girders, and soil packed around foundations below the waterline. A bridge can look fine from the road
Ph. Smoke rises from Israeli bombardment near the village of Kfar Tibnit in southern Lebanon on June 14, 2026. AFP via Getty Images Mireille Rebeiz, Dickinson College The United States and Iran inked a long-awaited provisional ceasefire deal on June 17, 2026. After months of uncertainty, the people of the Gulf region can,
Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, SOAS, University of London What a disaster the war against Iran has been for Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran signed on June 17 has formally brought a halt to the devastating war. Yet, as the ink dries on the 14-point
Gemma Ware, The Conversation https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/561/4fbbd099d631750693d02bac632430b71b37cd5f/site/index.html When Roberto Baggio missed a penalty in the 1994 Fifa World Cup final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, more than 94,000 people were there to watch Italian heartbreak and Brazilian ecstasy. To this day, no other World Cup has been as well attended as the 1994
Ph. The Eurofighter Typhoon was one of the most successful military collaborations of the cold war. R. Sanchez Aviation Photo / Shutterstock Arun Dawson, King’s College London The effective collapse of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet programme is a major setback for European defence cooperation. France, Germany and Spain have
Ph. Peruvian army personnel during operations against alleged drug trafficking. Cris Bouroncle/AFP via Getty Images, CC BY Michelle D. Paranzino, US Naval War College More than any other U.S. president in decades, Donald Trump has aggressively pursued military interventions in Latin America. On Jan. 3, 2026, U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás