The global shift toward new automotive technologies can be difficult for companies producing parts that may become obsolete. It’s straining local economies in areas with a lot of manufacturing, like Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture. To adapt, one company specializing in automotive light bulbs has expanded into mushroom cultivation. 

Amr al-Azm, an archaeologist and former professor at Damascus University, left Syria with his family in 2006. He recently returned to witness firsthand the celebrations and struggles that followed the abrupt departure of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad. The World’s Carolyn Beeler speaks with Azm about what it’s been like to return.

Many Ukrainians are turning to poetry as a symbol of patriotism and resistance. Some say it’s a creative platform to express their feelings about the war or to stir a degree of national pride during wartime. 

Jimmy Carter’s presidency was, among other things, known for his Camp David Accords, the Iran hostage crisis and the Panama Canal treaties. The Nobel Peace Prize winner continued his humanitarian work beyond his years at the White House.

The majority of deaths from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami were in Indonesia. But the island of Simeulue was largely spared. Researchers say this was partly due to folklore passed down through the generations that residents are now trying to keep alive.