For about a decade, it seemed that no one knew what was going on with Britney Spears. She toured the world, released albums, had a hit Las Vegas residency. And when it comes to celebrities the tabloid media loves to pile on, it’s easy to assume that no news is good news.

Japan's former foreign minister Fumio Kishida looked set to become the country’s new prime minister Wednesday after he was elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), according to media reports.

Kishida, 64, beat the minister heading Japan’s COVID-19 vaccination program, 58-year-old Taro Kono, in a runoff poll among LDP lawmakers and rank-and-file party members, winning by 87 votes according to broadcaster NHK World.

Germany's election on Sept. 26 ended without a clear winner, but one thing at least is certain: Angela Merkel will soon exit the political stage she has occupied for the past 16 years, kickstarting much debate about her legacy for Germany, and for the world.

Comparisons with her mentor and predecessor Helmut Kohl, who led Germany through reunification, are as inevitable as they are unfair.

On Sept. 1, Texas enacted an extreme law that effectively ended abortion care in the state. Since then, clinics in states on the western and northern borders have seen a dramatic increase in patient visits and calls from abortion funds. But here in the Gulf region, not much has changed. And that might be the most alarming news of all.

There is no region more crippled by abortion restrictions than the Deep South.

When President Joe Biden directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on Sept. 9 to impose strict COVID-19 vaccination and testing protocols on large businesses, the OSHA employees were ready. It marked the first time in nearly five years that the small agency had the opportunity to fulfill its mission to protect workers across industries from “recognized serious hazards.

(NEW YORK) — The R&B superstar R. Kelly was convicted Monday in a sex trafficking trial after decades of avoiding criminal responsibility for numerous allegations of misconduct with young women and children.

A jury of seven men and five women found Kelly guilty of racketeering on their second day of deliberations.

Both men and women are feeling even more burned out in 2021 than they were in 2020. Given that the labor force is sojourning through a second year of dangerous work conditions, a lack of childcare options and unprecedented workforce dropout, the fact that Americans are feeling high stress levels isn't all that surprising. But a distressing new report suggests that pressure put on women to balance work and childcare is leading to disproportionate levels of strain.

For the spectator, Broadway is magic, not work: Every show, whether it’s a drama or a musical, is a feat of illusion, designed to allow an audience to slip into another world for a few hours. But the creation of any illusion involves labor, and that’s especially true on Broadway. Every performance of every show is in some way touched by thousands of hands.

BERLIN — Germany's center-left Social Democrats won the biggest share of the vote in a national election Sunday, narrowly beating outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel ’s center-right Union bloc in a closely fought race that will determine who succeeds the long-time leader at the helm of Europe's biggest economy.

Everything is easier said than done, and that’s especially true for big challenges. Like, for example, trying to establish America’s place in the 21st century world—or persuading other governments to place their confidence in you. But no matter how tall the tasks, we shouldn’t dismiss a presidential speech at the United Nations as only hot air.