Borders

Yahritza Martinez and her two guitar-playing brothers make up the trio Yahritza Y Su Esencia.

Mexican American teen star sings on after heated controversy with Mexican audiences

Yahritza Martinez, 16, went from apple picking in rural Washington, to becoming a TikTok sensation and chart-topping musician. But her career nearly came to a halt after her comments about Mexico went viral. Despite the controversy, Martinez played at a major Mexican Independence Day concert in Mexico City — but some fans were not yet ready to embrace her.

Mexican American teen star sings on after heated controversy with Mexican audiences
people on train

Reparations for Japanese Canadians imprisoned during World War II viewed by many as too little, too late

Reparations for Japanese Canadians imprisoned during World War II viewed by many as too little, too late
people in a line

Dominican Republic closes border with Haiti over water rights dispute

Dominican Republic closes border with Haiti over water rights dispute
man performing

‘We don’t have this past anymore’: Ukrainian artist revives Kyiv’s prewar soundscape

‘We don’t have this past anymore’: Ukrainian artist revives Kyiv’s prewar soundscape
event gathering

In Kyrgyzstan, a fight to keep alive the memory of a century-old rebellion against Russia

In Kyrgyzstan, a fight to keep alive the memory of a century-old rebellion against Russia
Under the suspicion of drug consumption, police officers frisk a group of migrants at a camp on a street in downtown El Paso, Texas, April 30, 2023.

Report: Human rights abuses by US immigration officials are rampant at the southern border

Two human rights advocacy groups have listed hundreds of incidents of human rights violations by immigration officials that include physical violence, verbal abuse and sexual harassment — including some cases that have been fatal.

Report: Human rights abuses by US immigration officials are rampant at the southern border
gathering of schoolchildren

New Russian high school history textbook blames West for war in Ukraine

This coming school year, high school students in Russia will receive new history textbooks. They offer a rewritten rendition of Russian history that reflects the Kremlin’s narrative about the war in Ukraine. The textbooks are part of a wider effort by the state to tighten control over the flow of information.

New Russian high school history textbook blames West for war in Ukraine
Gino Yevdjevich – who goes by “Gino” — is the founder and lead singer of the Seattle-based punk band Kultur Shock.

‘Sing every single song like it’s your last’: How conflict in Sarajevo changed this musician’s life

Thirty years ago, war raged in the city of Sarajevo in the former Yugoslavia, where Gino Yevdjevich was once a pop artist. In our latest segment of “Movement,” our series on music and migration, we hear how this conflict changed Gino’s life and led him to create the Seattle-based punk band Kultur Shock.

‘Sing every single song like it’s your last’: How conflict in Sarajevo changed this musician’s life
grain facility in Ukraine

US Amb to UN: ‘We’re hopeful’ the Black Sea Grain Initiative can be revived

Since Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July, its troops have been attacking Ukraine’s ports, destroying 220,000 metric tons of grain in the past week alone. But US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that the grain deal could be brought back to life.  

US Amb to UN: ‘We’re hopeful’ the Black Sea Grain Initiative can be revived
woman by basement

Flooding from Ukraine’s ‘Hero River’ may be a silver lining of war

​​​​​​​ In order to prevent Russian troops from advancing toward Kyiv, Ukrainian forces destroyed a dam on the Irpin River early on in the war. The flooding, as it turned out, created new wetland areas. Some conservationists hope to see the wetlands stay. Even residents whose cellars remain flooded are glad the water came and the Russian troops did not. 

Flooding from Ukraine’s ‘Hero River’ may be a silver lining of war
farmer

Farmland off-limits in Ukraine due to mines

Ukraine is now considered the most heavily mined country in the world. Nearly 1,000 civilians have been killed or injured by landmines and unexploded ordnances since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. And about a third of the country needs to be cleared of these explosives. Much of that land is farmland.

Farmland off-limits in Ukraine due to mines
In this Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, file photo, an ethnic Armenian soldier stands guard next to Nagorno-Karabakh's flag atop of the hill near Charektar in the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, at a new border with Kalbajar district turned over to Azerb

Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan lead to humanitarian crisis

Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh are seeing shortages in basic necessities and are calling on the US and EU to step in.

Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan lead to humanitarian crisis
damage to street

A coalition of Ukrainians is documenting environmental crimes 

The Ukrainian government is doing an unusually thorough job of documenting environmental damages being caused by Russian attacks. Their primary goal, according to the Ministry of the Environment, is to eventually win compensation for these damages.

A coalition of Ukrainians is documenting environmental crimes 
woman

The Liberian women who took on their traffickers and won

Liberia has been on and off the State Department's human trafficking watch list for years. In this desperately poor country, people accept jobs from agents to work as domestic servants in other countries. Usually, they are trapped, earning little money and subject to abuse. But several hundred Liberian women used social media to escape their traffickers in 2022.

The Liberian women who took on their traffickers and won
Migrants and asylum seekers attend the Sunday Spanish-language service at The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Brooklyn, New York.

New York City urges migrants to find shelter elsewhere, but many don’t know where to turn

New York City has opened 188 shelters, including several humanitarian relief centers. But with 56,200 migrants currently living there, the shelter population is at an all-time high.

New York City urges migrants to find shelter elsewhere, but many don’t know where to turn