Maternal mortality declines across the globe
Maternal mortality is down significantly across the globe, according to a new study in The Lancet. Since 1980, the rate at which women die in childbirth has fallen by 40 percent, with major reductions in the world’s most populous nations, India and China. Experts credit better education for women, which correlates with lower pregnancy rates, along with more access to doctors and midwives. “Two decades of concerted campaigning by those dedicated to maternal health is working,” said Lancet editor Richard Horton.
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Circus reopens in Turkmenistan after decade-long ban
The circus has returned to Turkmenistan, after being banned a decade ago by the former Soviet republic’s late dictator. Saparmurat Niyazov, who ruled for 21 years until his death in 2006, had closed all movie theaters and libraries, and banned the opera, ballet, and circus as “alien culture” that was “contrary to the Turkmen mentality.” Those bans have all been lifted, and last week, the circus reopened, delighting more than 1,000 children with acrobats and clowns and a display of traditional Turkmen horseback-riding stunts.
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Five key changes from Rachel Reeves’ make-or-break budgetThe Explainer The chancellor is relying on a ‘smorgasbord’ of targeted revenue raisers to keep MPs, markets and voters onside
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Prisoner 951: ‘illuminating’ Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe dramaThe Week Recommends 'Harrowing' tale of prison ordeal and an ‘unbreakable’ bond between husband and wife
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Crossword: November 26, 2025The daily crossword from The Week
