Famine in Sudan

Plus booming space exploration and strikes in Germany [View this email in your browser]( [The Week Evening Review]( A hunger crisis in Sudan, a golden era of space exploration, and German transportation strikes   We hope you've enjoyed reading the Evening Review. Your free trial to these subscriber-exclusive editions ends on Monday. To continue receiving these premium newsletters, [take out a digital subscription]( from just $1.     Good evening, It's International Women's Day, a holiday meant to celebrate the accomplishments of women and the progress made thanks to women's rights movements worldwide. But as today's poll points out, many in younger generations feel there is not much work left to be done. Women's rights have "gone far enough"? Talk about not getting into the holiday spirit. Summer Meza The Week Digital     Today's big Question Is history repeating itself in Sudan? The 10-month conflict between Sudan's military and paramilitary groups risks creating the "world's largest hunger crisis," the U.N. has warned. "Millions of lives and the peace and stability of an entire region are at stake," said U.N. World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain after visiting South Sudan. Two decades after the world rallied to respond to famine in the country's Darfur region, the people of Sudan have been "forgotten," she added. What did the commentators say? "Sudan has not so much slid down the international agenda as off it entirely," said the Financial Times. Yet the fighting that has raged since civil war broke out last April has "both geopolitical and humanitarian consequences the world has yet to digest." The Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti), attempted to seize control of the government in a coup last April. As the Sudanese Armed Forces, headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, stood firm, the conflict quickly spread across the whole country, including Darfur, where famine and genocide raged in 2003. According to the U.N., more than 8 million people have been displaced in Sudan during the current conflict, and more than 13,000 have been killed. Almost half the population needs humanitarian assistance. Both the RSF and army have been accused of "indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, targeting civilians and obstructing and commandeering essential aid," said Al Jazeera. Multiple sources across Sudan said to Middle East Eye that children are also dying every day of hunger. The situation is "perhaps worst in Darfur, the vast western region that serves as the RSF's power base," said the site. In 2003, Darfur's famine arose due to internecine violence between its Arabs and Masalit ethnic groups. That history has "now resurfaced," said Euronews. International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan said in late January that there were grounds to believe both sides were committing possible war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide in Darfur. Swathes of the region "haven't received aid since before the war began," said Reuters after speaking to residents and aid agencies. After previously blocking the entry of aid from Chad into Darfur, a U.N. official said on X on Tuesday that the Sudanese authorities had agreed to the transfer of aid through a border crossing into North Darfur. "Although it is a sideshow," said the FT, reports that a small unit of Ukrainian troops is fighting Russian mercenaries inside Sudan underline the "extent to which the country has become a magnet for global mayhem." What next? With no letup in the war, the "stalled diplomatic process must be urgently revived," said the FT. Last month, Sudan's warring factions participated in secret talks in Bahrain, a "sign that even the deluded generals may realize that neither side can win." Stopping the violence will be "critical to restoring critical humanitarian aid to Sudan's people and a democratic transition — something that the Sudanese have demonstrated for and demanded," said Vox. "The conflict and humanitarian situation will only continue to spiral if the international community keeps ignoring it."     QUOTE OF THE DAY "Donald Trump is a little bit of a single-celled organism: He responds to one stimulus and one stimulus only, which is, 'Does this make me feel good or does it make me feel bad?'" Congressman Jim Himes of Connecticut, the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, on the former president's appeasement of Vladimir Putin   Advertisement by Betterment [Betterment is the automated investing app that puts your money to work](   In Depth We're in the golden age of space exploration Does it feel like you are constantly hearing about new space endeavors? According to experts, we are currently living in a golden age of space exploration. Here is what that means. Going far outThe world has cast its eyes to the skies with fresh curiosity. "Technologies are opening new frontiers and providing incredible tools to more deeply study places we thought we already knew," said The Wall Street Journal. Exciting discoveries in recent years include exoplanets that could hold life and fascinating images of distant celestial bodies, plus new moon landing goalposts following decades of stagnation. (Some even claim we are in a new space race.) These developments keep coming as more parties invest in the advancement of our understanding of space. Rocketing interest"Competition is what will get us to the stars," said the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). In recent years, private companies, including Elon Musk's SpaceX, have tried to make low-cost space travel a reality. Given “burgeoning investment flows into aerospace companies," space exploration will probably become more commonplace, FEE added. "Since 2021, more private astronauts have flown to space than government astronauts," said the Journal. "Environments like space and the deep sea are opening up for regular exploration, not just for nations hoping to plant flags but also for scientists and industry," said the Journal. Still, some experts worry that involving more private parties in space exploration may lead to "dangerous joy rides for the wealthy elite.” Brave new worldPart of the growing interest in space exploration is due to the uncertainty of life on Earth. Climate change is making the world less inhabitable, so researchers are hoping to mine the cosmos for resources or look to them for complete human relocation. While we are not yet close to being ready to move our civilization to another celestial body, there is hope for things to come. "Exploring space is an opportunity not only to discover new worlds and build advanced technologies but to work together toward a larger goal irrespective of nationality, race or political ideology," ExtremeTech said.     Why The Week is asking you to subscribe We've spent the past year developing a new approach to covering the news – one that's more rewarding for readers and more sustainable for The Week. [Click here to find out more]( about what you get with a new digital subscription.     Statistic of the day 390M: The age in years of the world's oldest fossilized forest, recently discovered by scientists in England. The fossilized trees were found near cliffs off the Bristol Channel near the town of Minehead and could grow beyond 13 feet tall. The record for the oldest forest was previously held by a 4-million-year-old forest in New York state. CNN     The Explainer Germany's transportation grinds to a halt amid strike Germans may need to put travel plans on hold. The country's transportation industry was brought to a standstill Thursday as workers staged a walkout. The striking employees are union members from Germany's two largest transportation companies: Lufthansa, the country's national airline, and Deutsche Bahn, the national railway. Workers are planning to strike through at least Saturday. The dual walkouts are the beginning of a "so-called strike wave" across Germany, said Claus Weselsky, the head of the train union. Why are they striking?The rail and airline unions are demanding better wages and working conditions. GDL, the train union, is seeking a "reduction in the working week for shift workers from 38 to 35 hours, with no change in payment," Deutsche Welle said. GDL had previously broken off negotiations after these demands fell apart. Verdi, the union representing about 25,000 Lufthansa employees, is "demanding a 12.5% pay raise or at least $545 more per month," DW said. It is also seeking an "inflation-compensation bonus" of about $3,200. Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn have pushed back. GDL "doesn't budge a millimeter from its maximum position," Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Achim Stauss said to the BBC. Lufthansa has offered a 10% pay increase, which Verdi's chief negotiator, Marvin Reschinsky, said was not enough. Some Lufthansa employees "no longer even know how to make ends meet in Germany's most expensive cities." How has this affected Germany?Millions of travelers had their plans upended as Germany's transportation systems were effectively stopped. This led to "traffic jams in cities and on highways, a shortage of share and rental cars, and plane passengers trying to desperately rebook flights," said The Associated Press. About 80% of all long-distance trains in Germany were canceled, said Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, Lufthansa said about 1,000 flights per day would be canceled for the duration of the strike, affecting about 200,000 airline passengers. What is the endgame?Germany has been "troubled by industrial action for months as workers and management across numerous sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity," AFP said. Strikes have also hit "supermarkets and the civil service, among other areas of public life." Transportation industry mediators are attempting to hatch a deal. Additional action, particularly any future strikes, will be announced "when we think the time is right," said Weselsky.   Advertisement by Betterment [Betterment is the automated investing app that puts your money to work](   Poll watch Millennials and Gen Z are more conservative than older generations when it comes to gender equality, according to an Ipsos poll. The poll surveyed more than 19,000 people in 24 countries and found 60% of Millennials and 57% of Gen Z felt that women's rights had "gone far enough," compared to 43% of Baby Boomers who felt the same.     INSTANT OPINION Today's best commentary 'Biden spurred another immigration calamity' Stephen Moore in the Boston Herald Americans are a welcoming people, but President Joe Biden's "welcome mat" to migrants has "stretched the bounds of our compassion to the breaking point," says Stephen Moore. That is unfortunate, because he hasn't just allowed asylum seekers to overwhelm our cities; he has soured the public on legal immigrants. The United States issues two million visas a year to these newcomers who bring "talent and brainpower" that our economy needs and keep our workforce strong despite declining birth rates. 'Kyrsten Sinema sets sail'Jill Filipovic at SlateSenator Kyrsten Sinema's announcement that she wouldn't seek reelection was an "on-brand moment" intended for her "favorite constituency" — herself, says Jill Filipovic. The Arizona Democrat turned independent said she had chosen "civility" and compromise, but America wasn't interested. Sinema styles herself as a "reasonable moderate just trying to get stuff done." She is really a "self-serving attention monster," bending "any purported principle if she believes doing so will empower her." She has bowed out because she knew the "jig was up." 'Inflation isn't the real problem for the US economy. The housing shortage is.'Ben Harris in the Los Angeles TimesInflation has fallen but is still high enough to be a concern at 3.1%, says Ben Harris. But "unlike the inflation we saw soon after the onset of the pandemic," prices on the goods we buy these days aren't rising sharply. The most recent price struggles are "overwhelmingly driven" by rising rents or estimated potential rent for owner-occupied homes. Blame a shortage of housing units. Building millions more is the "only effective long-term answer."     Picture of the day Balancing act The Intha fishermen of Inle Lake in Myanmar's Shan state use all their limbs to steer and fish. The unusual technique is believed to date back to the 12th century. Hilton Chen / Solent News / Shutterstock     Good day 📸 … for Instagram. The Meta-owned photo-sharing social media platform bypassed TikTok in new app downloads last year, with the platform's growth "powered by copying its Chinese rival's success with short-form videos," said the Financial Times. Instagram downloads grew by 20% in 2023 to 768 million, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, making it the most downloaded app in the world. In the same period, downloads of TikTok, owned by Beijing’s ByteDance, increased only 4% to 733 million.     Bad day 🔍 … for spammers. Google is implementing new changes to its search engine ranking systems to push back against "low-quality" spam content and blatant SEO grabs. The company said it was deploying new tactics to "fight against spammers" with "algorithmic enhancements" and more spam policies. Google said the changes would help "reduce unoriginal content in search results" and "continue delivering useful content and connecting people with high-quality websites."     Puzzles [Daily crossword]( Test your general knowledge with The Week's daily crossword, part of our puzzles section, which also includes [sudoku]( and [codewords](. [Play here](     The Week recommends [Explore these bustling US downtowns]( As Petula Clark sang about heading downtown, the "lights are much brighter there, you can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares." Here are some U.S. downtowns well worth a visit. Alexandria, VirginiaAlong the Potomac River waterfront sits Old Town, Alexandria's historic downtown founded in 1749. Book an eerie guided Ghost & Graveyard Tour conducted by lantern light or a more serious tour tackling Alexandria's role in the slave trade. A self-guided walk through the Duke Street corridor includes stops at the Bruin Slave Jail and Freedom House Museum, dedicated to honoring the "lives and experiences of the enslaved and free Black people who lived in and were trafficked through Alexandria." Athens, GeorgiaYou can practically hear tunes floating through the air in downtown Athens. The city is known for its electric music scene, and venues like the iconic 40 Watt Club (an early home base for R.E.M. and the B-52s), Flicker Theatre & Bar, Hendershot's Coffee & Cafe, and The Georgia Theatre offer live music most nights, featuring local acts and major names alike. PhiladelphiaWhen you are exploring Philadelphia's historic Center City, you might need to check your calendar to make sure it is not 1776. Striding down charming cobblestone streets past 18th-century buildings can feel like taking a trip back in time, especially if you stop at Independence Mall, Elfreth's Alley or the Betsy Ross House. There are plenty of modern haunts, too, like Sonny's Famous Steaks, an Eater-recommended spot to grab a Philly cheesesteak. [Read more](     WORD OF THE DAY chroming A dangerous social media challenge that involves huffing toxic chemicals from common household items to get high. The trend has been linked to numerous deaths, including an 11-year-old boy in the U.K., leading his family to call for TikTok to be shut down, according to The New York Post.     In the morning Tomorrow, you can read about the white evangelical movement, the stalled dream of self-driving cars, and more in our Saturday Wrap. And a quick reminder that your free trial of this subscriber-only newsletter will end on Monday, so why not [sign-up now]( and enjoy seamless delivery? Or, if you already subscribe to The Week, [activate digital access here](.  Thanks for reading and have a great weekend, Summer     Evening Review was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Harold Maass, Kelsee Majette, Joel Mathis, Summer Meza, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz, Anahi Valenzuela and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek. Image credits, from top: Illustrated / Getty Images / Shutterstock / Alamy; dima_zel / Getty Images; Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images; Denis Tangney Jr. / Getty Images   © Future US, Inc • [theweek.com]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Privacy Policy]( The Week is published by Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036.