Not matcha left
The global thirst for matcha is reportedly drinking Japanese producers dry, causing price hikes, shortages and pressure on the green tea’s farmers. With the international market doubling in the past year to become a multi-billion dollar industry, matcha makers say that the refined production process – inherited across generations – simply cannot meet demand.
Deadly tensions
July saw Syria’s second episode of mass killing this year, when Druze communities in Suweida were attacked by gunmen, resulting in 1,000 deaths and 128,000 displaced. Led by Bedouin tribes, the shooters also included Islamist government forces. Israel used the attack to justify airstrikes on Damascus and military targets in southern Syria, claiming defence of the Druze, though many of the minority’s leaders accused Israel of stoking sectarian violence (See ‘Sign of the Times’, page 14).
Unprecedented posting
As Israel’s campaign of mass destruction in Gaza reaches new heights, the overstretched IDF is seeking to outsource the demolition to private bulldozers. In a series of Facebook posts, the Israeli military advertised daily rates of up to $882 for qualified operators, while the Haaretz newspaper found payments of $1,400 per destroyed building.
French exit
France has officially withdrawn from its former colonies in West and Central Africa after handing over its two remaining airbases in Senegal in June, marking the end of a 65-year presence in the country. The departure follows similar exits by France across the continent as the former colonial power seeks to ‘reinvent’ its relations with Africa.
No say, no way
The Dalai Lama has reaffirmed the autonomy of his successor’s selection process in a statement aimed at Beijing, amid fears of Chinese interference. The exiled spiritual monarch took the occasion of his 90th birthday to state that ‘no-one else’ had authority to intervene in the centuries-old tradition of reincarnation, angering China, which has claimed control of Tibet since 1950.
The right to die
Slovenia’s parliament has legalised assisted dying for terminally ill adults, following a 2024 consultative referendum in which a majority of voters expressed support for the measure. The bill will allow for euthanasia in cases of unbearable suffering where treatment options have been exhausted, but not in instances resulting from mental illness.
