The group Obiní Batá has taught dozens on women how to play Afro-Cuban drums since it started in the early 1990s.

How a group of Cuban female musicians claimed a drum — and a tradition

The legendary group Obiní Batá is celebrating 30 years of music and women’s empowerment in Cuba. But the road to acceptance and success was not easy. 

How a group of Cuban female musicians claimed a drum — and a tradition
app

Crowdsourcing morality: How an app allows the Iraqi government to arrest ‘indecent’ influencers

Crowdsourcing morality: How an app allows the Iraqi government to arrest ‘indecent’ influencers
Sandré in concert recently in Tarragona, Spain.

Young people in Spain use punk rock to vent their frustrations

Young people in Spain use punk rock to vent their frustrations
protest

Energy workers in France threaten power cuts over retirement age

Energy workers in France threaten power cuts over retirement age
Barnacle geese have developed new migration routes and breeding grounds amid warming global temperatures. 

Animal species are evolving to adjust to climate change, but scientists say time is running out

Animal species are evolving to adjust to climate change, but scientists say time is running out
man showing picture

Palestinians celebrate a new generation of West Bank militants 

Israelis see the Lions' Den group as terrorists, blaming it for a rise in shooting attacks. But in Nablus, many Palestinians hail these men as brave fighters standing up to the Israeli occupation.

Palestinians celebrate a new generation of West Bank militants 
stadium

New Kings and Queens soccer leagues enlist internet stars to revamp sport

The game is loosely based on soccer, but immersed in video game culture and reality TV antics. In Barcelona, Spain, the second season of the Kings League kicks off the first weekend of May alongside the first season of the Queens League. This summer, the Prince Cup will launch for kids ages 9 to 11.

New Kings and Queens soccer leagues enlist internet stars to revamp sport
Karolina Daremyan bikes just six weeks after receiving her new prosthetic legs at Shriners Children's Boston.

How a Boston hospital transformed a Ukrainian child’s life

UN human rights groups have recorded over 500 children killed and nearly 1,000 injured from the Ukraine war. The Ukrainian hospital system has been overwhelmed, and only a fraction of injured children, like 6-year-old Karolina Daremyan, have been able to make the journey to the US for complicated medical procedures and rehabilitation.

How a Boston hospital transformed a Ukrainian child’s life
The downturn in  Ionuț Spiță’s profits was driven by the glut of cheaper Ukrainian grain and oilseeds, intended for Africa and the Middle East that flooded the Central and Eastern European markets. 

‘Trade is trade and war is war’: Romanian farmers say helping Ukraine is hurting their bottom line

A row over cheap Ukrainian grain threatens to fracture a show of solidarity between the EU and Ukraine. Romanian farmer Ionut Spiță said his profits took a hit due to a glut of cheaper Ukrainian grain and oilseeds intended for Africa and the Middle East that flooded Eastern European markets.

‘Trade is trade and war is war’: Romanian farmers say helping Ukraine is hurting their bottom line
Nelson Mandela, left, and his wife Winnie, raise clenched fists as they walk hand-in-hand from the Victor Verster prison near Cape Town, South Africa on Feb. 11, 1990.

'Winnie and Nelson': A new book explores a fraught political partnership

Author Jonny Steinberg’s new book, "Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage," explores the complex relationship between Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, two of the world’s best-known freedom fighters. Steinberg joined The World’s host Marco Werman to discuss the fraught political partnership of these iconic revolutionaries.

'Winnie and Nelson': A new book explores a fraught political partnership
Yellow sign on beach warning people to stay out of water because of pollutants, in Tijuana River Valley

Pollution from Tijuana River contaminates marine border areas

Pollution and trash carried from the Tijuana River to the Pacific Ocean have long plagued swimmers and surfers on both sides of the US-Mexico border. A recent court settlement is bringing hope for cooperation.

Pollution from Tijuana River contaminates marine border areas
Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa during welcome ceremonies outside the 16th century Jeronimos monastery in Lisbon, Saturday, April 22, 2023. 

Portugal’s president says country should apologize, 'assume responsibility' for slave trade

This week, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said Portugal should formally apologize for its role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The Portuguese were responsible for selling nearly 6 million people into slavery — mostly in Brazil. Some activists and scholars say an apology is just a start and there's still a long way to go.

Portugal’s president says country should apologize, 'assume responsibility' for slave trade
woman at computer

‘Out of reach’: Over 40 academic editors leave global publishing company they say overcharged to publish their work

​​​​​​University professors and researchers depend on getting published. So it was considered a bold move when the editors of two prestigious brain journals resigned en masse this month after the publisher refused to lower the fees it charges academics to publish their work.

‘Out of reach’: Over 40 academic editors leave global publishing company they say overcharged to publish their work
Indian students in uniform clothing arrive at a government-run junior school in Udupi, Karnataka state, India, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. 

Indian govt removes parts of Muslim history from federal textbooks

The Indian government’s new school textbooks have significant deletions in them related to Muslims in Indian history. Some historians accuse the ruling BJP government of rewriting the country's history to suit its Hindu nationalist ideology.

Indian govt removes parts of Muslim history from federal textbooks
People sit along Bitcoin Beach in El Zonte, El Salvador.

El Salvador's bitcoin experiment rides on choppy seas as currency fluctuates

The bitcoin cryptocurrency has seen its ups and downs lately, gaining and losing 10% of its value in just the past week. Nowhere is this volatility felt more intensely than in El Salvador, which became the first country in the world to adopt bitcoin as legal tender in 2021.

El Salvador's bitcoin experiment rides on choppy seas as currency fluctuates