Migrants from Africa reaching Spain in record numbers 

Conflict & Justice

Spain received more than 46,000 migrants in 2024. This, despite the dangers and tougher border controls at the fence-line between Morocco and the tiny Spanish enclave of Ceuta. To skirt security, migrants are swimming farther and farther out to sea, and sometimes drowning. 

Young classical musicians join forces in Middle Eastern ensemble

Music

Ukrainian refugees make a home in neighboring Moldova

Ukraine

A Costa Rican dance against colonialism becomes a paradoxical tourist attraction

Arts, Culture & Media

Out of Eden Walk: South Korea’s love motels

Out of Eden Walk

Conservators scan Ukraine’s wooden churches to help preserve them

Sacred Spaces

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, people have been evacuating and safeguarding Ukrainian works of art and museum pieces. Now, a team of conservators and students are also creating permanent, 3D records of buildings and objects that can’t be moved in case they are damaged or destroyed.

In Japan, an automotive light bulb manufacturer pivots to growing mushrooms 

Japan in Focus

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. 

‘Thank God, the nightmare is over’: A Syrian returns home to Damascus to witness celebration and struggle

Syria

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.

How Ukrainian writers are processing war through poetry 

Ukraine

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. 

Former US President Jimmy Carter dies at 100

Leaders

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.

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