Independent News Drop

KELI From Inkwell, this is the Independent News Drop. It's Thursday, May seventh. The time is two p.m. Central. I'm Keli, joined by Hast.

HAST Hey Keli. We're tracking developments across the region and a few stories that got your attention this week.

KELI Let's start where we've been following the fallout. Petra, one of the world's most visited archaeological sites, is seeing almost no tourists right now. According to Al Jazeera, the tourism collapse there is being driven directly by the escalating military situation between the US, Israel, and Iran. Jordanians who depend on that traffic are facing severe income losses. This is our fourth update on how the regional instability is cascading into the economies around it.

HAST We're also following a legal outcome in the UK. The BBC reports that James Holder, co-founder of the fashion retailer Superdry, has been sentenced to jail for rape. The 54-year-old from Cheltenham attacked a woman in her flat after a night out back in May of 2022. The conviction came this week. We've covered the trial's progress in prior hours.

KELI On the science front, STAT News is examining a phenomenon researchers themselves might not want to hear about. The analysis finds that scientific breakthroughs are becoming less frequent overall, and one factor appears to be workforce aging. Most disruptive research happens early in a scientist's career, but as they advance, they tend to move away from that groundbreaking work toward more incremental contributions.

HAST A separatist movement in Canada is getting attention. Reason reports that Alberta, oil-rich and feeling economically and politically sidelined from Ottawa, is seeing real momentum behind secession talk. Economic grievances and a sense of alienation from federal policy are driving conversations that were once fringe.

KELI NPR is highlighting a unique research advantage that's now at risk. Families carrying rare genetic mutations that cause early-onset Alzheimer's have been invaluable to scientists testing treatments. But that research network is fragile and facing pressure. The families are providing a window onto the disease that's hard to replicate any other way.

HAST And the Trump administration's new mascot for fossil fuel promotion is generating reaction. The Conversation traces how "Coalie"—a cartoon lump of coal with eyes—fits into a long advertising tradition. The Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining rolled it out, and it sparked immediate backlash on social media.

KELI One more on the lead story, Hast. The temptation here is to read this story a certain way. What should listeners watch for?

HAST Right. The simple read is going to be: regional conflict directly destroys livelihoods in neighboring countries, full stop. The structural reality is that tourism markets respond fast to perceived risk, and that perception gets shaped by media coverage and travel advisories—sometimes faster than actual danger reaches a place. Watch for whether Jordan's government issues new travel warnings, or whether international carriers adjust their flight schedules in the next few days. If they don't make changes, then the simple read—that the conflict itself is driving the collapse—holds stronger.

KELI So the mechanism between the headline and the outcome isn't automatic. Information and policy decisions accelerate it.

HAST Exactly.

KELI Twenty-two years ago today, an EgyptAir Boeing 737-500 crashed on approach to Tunis-Carthage International Airport, killing 14 people on board.

HAST That's the Independent News Drop. We'll be back next hour. From Inkwell.