Spain’s new eviction law to rein in squatters isn’t working, critics say

Development

The goal of the law, nicknamed the Evictions Express, is to allow property owners with illegal tenants to get them out within 15 days. But the law relies on a court system that’s currently overwhelmed, with cases that are delayed for months or even years. Meanwhile, housing prices continue to rise, making it harder for people to pay rent.

Photos: Syrian photographer documents loss and rebirth in the country following the fall of Assad  

How the Russian economy is faring as new sanctions hit 

Conflict & Justice

Hot nights are worsening India’s heat crisis. But low-tech solutions show some promise.

For this photographer, the fall of Assad means a rediscovery of his home country

Syria

Ontario approves $15 billion plan to build small modular nuclear reactors

The Big Fix

As part of The Big Fix series, Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Chris Bataille, a fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, about the state of small modular nuclear technology and Ontario’s plans to construct four of these new reactors.

Community, conversation, music: How people are tackling eco-anxiety around the world

Climate Change

People are meeting at “climate cafés” to talk about how climate change is impacting their lives and their feelings around it. With locations around the world, attendees can share their anxieties and fears about the future without the pressure of trying to find a solution.

Christians in historic town in Syria reflect on new moment in the country

Sacred Nation

Last December, after more than a decade of fighting, forces opposing President Bashar al-Assad ousted him from power. Some people in Maaloula, long a center for Christianity in Syria, shared their concerns and hopes for the future under the new government, which has a conservative, Islamist past.

Trump vows to lift US sanctions on Syria, expressing confidence in the country’s new leader

Global Politics

President Trump’s announcement that US sanctions on Syria would be lifted was met with elation by Syrians. Syria has a long way to go to recover from years of civil war and brutal dictatorship. But experts say the country needs to see sanctions lifted just to have a chance at beginning the long process of rebuilding.

Trump kicks off Middle East visit with talk of a ‘golden age’ 

Leaders

President Donald Trump wrapped up the first day of his three-nation tour of the Middle East today in Riyadh. He thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a warm welcome and said the US-Saudi partnership has never been stronger. The visit is expected to focus on economic and trade agreements, but the president’s hosts are likely to raise concerns about some regional security issues as well. 

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