NewsPronto

 
The Times Real Estate

.

The Conversation

North Korean spy drama in China may signal Beijing’s unease over growing Pyongyang-Moscow ties

  • Written by Linggong Kong, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, Auburn University

Chinese authorities in the northeastern city of Shenyang reportedly arrested a North Korean IT specialist in late April 2025, accusing him of stealing drone technology secrets.

The suspect, apparently linked to North Korea’s main missile development agency, was part of a wider network operating in China, according to the story, which first...

Read more: North Korean spy drama in China may signal Beijing’s unease over growing Pyongyang-Moscow ties

Measles could again become widespread as cases surge worldwide

  • Written by Rebecca Schein, Assistant Professor of Infectious Disease Pediatrics, Michigan State University
imageMeasles is one of the most infectious diseases on the planet. Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Globally, measles is on the rise across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South America and parts of Europe. In 2025, North and South America saw 11 times more cases than during the same period last year. In Europe, measles rates are at their...

Read more: Measles could again become widespread as cases surge worldwide

Repealing the estate tax could create headaches for the rich – as well as worsen inequality

  • Written by Reid Kress Weisbord, Distinguished Professor of Law and Judge Norma Shapiro Scholar, Rutgers University - Newark
imageAs it stands, only a tiny fraction of America's wealthy are ever subjected to the estate tax. Krisanapong Detraphiphat/Getty Images

Nothing is more certain than death and taxes, Benjamin Franklin famously declared. And, since 1916, the federal government has imposed an estate tax on the transfer of property owned at death.

But the Trump...

Read more: Repealing the estate tax could create headaches for the rich – as well as worsen inequality

Indonesia’s ‘thousand friends, zero enemies’ approach sees President Subianto courting China and US

  • Written by Gilang Kembara, Research Fellow, Nanyang Technological University
imageIndonesian President Prabowo Subianto participates in a panel discussion in Antalya, Turkey, on April 11, 2025.Photo by Ahmet Serdar Eser/Anadolu via Getty Images

For much of April and into May, a team of negotiators from Indonesia have been in Washington to discuss trading relations between the world’s largest economy and another forecast to...

Read more: Indonesia’s ‘thousand friends, zero enemies’ approach sees President Subianto courting China and US

How to manage financial stress in uncertain times

  • Written by Jeffrey Anvari-Clark, Assistant Professor of Social Work, University of North Dakota
imageHaving an action plan for personal finance is critical in uncertain times.Photo by Nicolas Guyonnet/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

American families are struggling to keep up with their bills.

The cost of food soared by more than 23% from 2020 to 2024. Other price increases, which are especially steep for vehicles, insurance, child care and...

Read more: How to manage financial stress in uncertain times

Buddha’s foster mother played a key role in the orphaned prince’s life – and is a model for Buddhists on Mother’s Day

  • Written by Megan Bryson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Tennessee
imagePrince Siddhartha with his foster mother Mahaprajapati.A 1910 painting by Maligawage Sarlis. Photo by MediaJet, 2009 via Wikimedia Commons

Mother’s Day offers an opportunity to reflect on what motherhood means in different religions and cultures. As a scholar of Buddhism and gender, I know how complicated Buddhist attitudes toward mothers...

Read more: Buddha’s foster mother played a key role in the orphaned prince’s life – and is a model for...

Why ‘The Calling of Saint Matthew’ by Caravaggio was Pope Francis’ favorite painting − an art historian explains

  • Written by Virginia Raguin, Distinguished Professor of Humanities Emerita, College of the Holy Cross
image'Calling of Saint Matthew,' in Chapel San Luigi.Virginia Raguin, CC BY

Pope Francis left a lasting legacy, not least his appreciation for art. In his 2025 biography, “Hope,” Francis spoke of his admiration for the Baroque painter Caravaggio. He recalled that during his travels to Rome as a cardinal, he prayed in front of the painting...

Read more: Why ‘The Calling of Saint Matthew’ by Caravaggio was Pope Francis’ favorite painting − an art...

From the moment he steps onto the balcony, each pope signals his style of leadership – here’s how Pope Leo XIV’s appearance compares with Pope Francis’ first

  • Written by Daniel Speed Thompson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Dayton
imageNewly elected Pope Leo XIV waves to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square shortly after his election on May 8, 2025.Vatican Media via AP

As crowds celebrated in St. Peter’s Square, a man in white and red stepped onto the balcony of the basilica, prompting cheers from the plaza.

It was American Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost: Pope Leo XIV,...

Read more: From the moment he steps onto the balcony, each pope signals his style of leadership – here’s how...

A new pope’s first appearance on St. Peter’s balcony is rich with symbols − and Francis’ decision to rein in the pomp spoke volumes

  • Written by Daniel Speed Thompson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Dayton
imagePope Francis stands at the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on March 13, 2013, just after being announced as pontiff.AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

As the College of Cardinals gathers in the Sistine Chapel to vote for a new pope, crowds outside will watch for the most dramatic moment of the conclave, when a wisp of white smoke...

Read more: A new pope’s first appearance on St. Peter’s balcony is rich with symbols − and Francis’ decision...

How the US can mine its own critical minerals − without digging new holes

  • Written by Yuanzhi Tang, Professor of Biogeochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology
imagePiles of rare earth oxides praseodymium, cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, samarium and gadolinium.Peggy Greb/USDA-ARS

Every time you use your phone, open your computer or listen to your favorite music on AirPods, you are relying on critical minerals.

These materials are the tiny building blocks powering modern life. From lithium, cobalt, nickel and...

Read more: How the US can mine its own critical minerals − without digging new holes

More Articles ...

  1. Can learning cursive help kids read better? Some policymakers think it’s worth a try
  2. Religious charter schools threaten to shift more money away from traditional public schools – and the Supreme Court is considering this idea
  3. Even judges appointed by Trump are ruling against him
  4. Trump targets NPR and PBS as public and nonprofit media account for a growing share of local news coverage
  5. Peace Corps isn’t just about helping others − it’s a key part of US public diplomacy
  6. Being honest about using AI at work makes people trust you less, research finds
  7. Predictive policing AI is on the rise − making it accountable to the public could curb its harmful effects
  8. Ancient Mars may have had a carbon cycle − a new study suggests the red planet may have once been warmer, wetter and more favorable for life
  9. Running with a stroller: 2 biomechanics researchers on how it affects your form − and risk of injury
  10. Pope Francis encouraged Christian-Muslim dialogue and helped break down stereotypes
  11. Worsening allergies aren’t your imagination − windy days create the perfect pollen storm
  12. National security advisers manage decision-making as advocates or honest brokers
  13. A pope of the Americas: What Francis meant to 2 continents
  14. In Yemen, Trump risks falling into an ‘airpower trap’ that has drawn past US presidents into costly wars
  15. Teachers and librarians are among those least likely to die by suicide − public health researchers offer insights on what this means for other professions
  16. Hurricane forecasts are more accurate than ever – NOAA funding cuts could change that, with a busy storm season coming
  17. How was the Earth built?
  18. Philly’s forgotten history as a hub of anarchism with a thriving radical Yiddish press
  19. Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation case is more about individual rights than the Trump administration’s foreign policy
  20. What is the biggest gaffe, blooper or blunder that a recent president has made? It may depend on what your definition of ‘is’ is
  21. The Women’s Health Initiative has shaped women’s health for over 30 years, but its future is uncertain
  22. Trump and many GOP lawmakers want to end all funding for NPR and PBS − unraveling a US public media system that took a century to build
  23. How millions of people can watch the same video at the same time – a computer scientist explains the technology behind streaming
  24. A Michigan research professor explains how NIH funding works − and what it means to suddenly lose a grant
  25. A law seeks to protect children from sex offenders − 20 years later, the jury is still out
  26. When presidents try to make peace: What Trump could learn from Teddy Roosevelt, Carter, Clinton and his own first term
  27. Children in military families face unique psychological challenges, and the barriers to getting help add to the strain
  28. Despite Supreme Court setback, children’s lawsuits against climate change continue
  29. Whether GDP swings up or down, there are limits to what it says about the economy and your place in it
  30. Some ‘Star Wars’ stories have already become reality
  31. Fleeting fireflies illuminate Colorado summer nights − and researchers are watching
  32. What makes people flourish? A new survey of more than 200,000 people across 22 countries looks for global patterns and local differences
  33. Deporting international students risks making the US a less attractive destination, putting its economic engine at risk
  34. As heated tobacco products reenter the US market, evidence on their safety remains sparse – new study
  35. What causes RFK Jr.’s strained and shaky voice? A neurologist explains this little-known disorder
  36. Is a faith-based charter school a threat to religious freedom, or a necessity to uphold it? The weighty decision lies with the Supreme Court
  37. Guns in America: A liberal gun-owning sociologist offers 5 observations to understand America’s culture of firearms
  38. Terrorists weigh risks to their reputation when deciding which crises to exploit − new research
  39. The woman who turned the Met Gala into the biggest party of the year
  40. Pandas and politics − from World War II to the Cold War, zoos have always been ideological
  41. The legal limits of Trump’s crackdown on sanctuary cities like Philadelphia
  42. Trump seeks to reshape how schools discipline students
  43. In the $250B influencer industry, being a hater can be the only way to rein in bad behavior
  44. From the Chinese Exclusion Act to pro-Palestinian activists: The evolution of politically motivated deportations
  45. AI is giving a boost to efforts to monitor health via radar
  46. Forensics tool ‘reanimates’ the ‘brains’ of AIs that fail in order to understand what went wrong
  47. What is a downburst? These winds can be as destructive as tornadoes − we recreate them to test building designs
  48. How rising wages for construction workers are shifting the foundations of the housing market
  49. Bees, fish and plants show how climate change’s accelerating pace is disrupting nature in 2 key ways
  50. How a reading group helped young German students defy the Nazis and find their faith