Masked protesters clad in black have been a feature of protests around the world for decades. And the so-called Black Bloc has been back in the news, accused by the French government of turning peaceful protests into violent riots.

‘Do not need a conductor’
Originating among anarchist and radical left activists in West Germany in the 1980s, a Black Bloc is an “anti-establishment protest tactic” used by “temporary groups formed for a specific cause” and operating “without hierarchy,” said Francis Dupuis-Déri, a political science professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal, at The Conversation in 2017.

The strategy spread through activist networks in North America in the 1990s, culminating in the infamous Battle of Seattle during the 1999 World Trade Organization summit. It has since figured in the anti-austerity movements of the 2010s and recent youth-led protests across Asia and South America.

Ideologically identified with “anarchist, anti-capitalist and anti-fascist movements,” participants “eschew political parties,” said the Financial Times. They “pose a big problem” for the police and trade unions, who “do not want chaos to mar” traditional anti-government demonstrations.

These people are “very well coordinated but in a horizontal way,” said Guillaume Farde, a security and defense specialist at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, to the Times. Tactics are disseminated via social media or encrypted messaging apps, and gatherings are often impromptu. They are like members of an “orchestra who know the music so well that they do not need a conductor.”

‘Deploys propaganda’
The “founding fathers” of the Black Bloc were “autonomist and anarchist activists,” said Le Monde, but the “spectrum has broadened” to include more people who “define themselves as free spirits.” For this reason, the movement is difficult to pin down, and police sources cited by the French paper fear that, behind the scenes, “real ideologists are developing a doctrine and structure that unifies and deploys propaganda.”

Others see this as an attempt by the authorities to make the Black Bloc something it’s not. The Black Bloc “doesn’t mean anything,” said Henri, a 40-year-old who doesn’t define himself as an anarchist or extreme leftist, to Le Monde. It’s “just because it’s not distinctive. It’s the best way not to be identified. We are all in the same boat.”

The global incidence of dementia is increasing at a much faster rate than previously known, according to new research. Cases could double by the middle of the century, with millions of people potentially at risk as the world’s population ages. 

What did the study find?
An estimated 11.3 million people were diagnosed with dementia in 2023, and that figure is expected to jump to 24.7 million diagnoses in 2050, according to research published in the journal JAMA Neurology. This estimate, a 118.5% increase, is based on data from “38,418 people across 22 population-based studies spanning 18 countries and territories on six continents,” said the researchers at Australia’s University of New South Wales (UNSW). Overall, the rate of dementia diagnosis is 9.7 new cases per 1,000 people.

Dementia incidence is “higher among women than men and substantially higher in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries,” said UNSW. This marks a change from prior research, as a large part of what’s known about dementia has “historically come from high-income countries, despite some of the greatest future increases being expected in lower-resource settings.”

What can be done?
The results of the study “highlight the growing need for dementia prevention, diagnosis and care as populations age,” said USA Today, especially as dementia “already affects more than 57 million people worldwide.” Dementia is “not a future problem.” It’s an “accelerating epidemic crisis that demands immediate attention,” said Dr. Liron Sinvani, the director of research and innovation at the Northwell Institute for Healthy Aging, to HealthDay.

There’s some good news on the research front. For the “first time, we can compare dementia incidence across a geographically diverse group of populations using the same statistical approach, giving us a clearer picture of where and among whom new cases are occurring,” said lead study author Dr. Ashleigh Vella. Understanding risk factors among different groups will be “critical” in developing a prevention and care response to “populations facing the greatest future risk.”

Emergency services work at the site of a train collision south of Madrid. At least 68 people have died and more than 50 were injured. This is Spain’s “second major crash” this year on the “same high-speed train line” with the “same trains,” said ABC News.
Javier Soriano / AFP / Getty Images

Audiobooks combine compelling storytelling with expressive narration that can transport listeners to another world. From classic literature to contemporary favorites, these are the most memorable audiobooks ever recorded.

‘A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire’ (2003)
George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series now has an HBO television adaptation, but fans first heard the story come alive when the audio version was released. Many audiobooks win awards, but this one has also “broken records,” said Good Housekeeping. It earned a place in the Guinness World Records for the most character voices in an audiobook, delivered in style by Roy Dotrice. (Audible, Everand, Libro.fm, Spotify)

‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ (2011)
Maya Angelou’s poetic autobiography is considered an American classic, and there are “few better ways to encounter the work” than through a “narration by Maya Angelou herself,” said Esquire. The seven-volume series chronicles her life from her childhood in Arkansas through motherhood. (Audible, Everand, Libro.fm, Spotify)

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ (2014)
The audiobook of “Harper Lee’s magnum opus” is a “must-listen,” said Esquire. With actor Sissy Spacek “serving as your gateway” to such iconic literary figures as Scout and Atticus Finch, you are immersed in the “powerful tale of justice, hatred and America.” (Audible, Everand, Libro.fm)

‘The Dutch House: A Novel’ (2019)
Ann Patchett’s Pulitzer-nominated novel spawned a Grammy- and Audie-nominated audiobook narrated by Tom Hanks. The actor brings his “customary warmth and sensitivity” to a “multigenerational tale” with “shades of ‘Hansel and Gretel,’ plus a dash of ‘Cinderella,’” said The Guardian. (Audible, Everand, Libro.fm, Spotify)