Business

Zimbabwe's unique stone sculptures grace museums, gardens, and art lovers' homes worldwide.

Zimbabwe's stone sculptors struggle to keep carving

International art collectors purchased many of Zimbabwe's massive stone carvings. But buyers stopped coming in 2000 after conflict over land reform policies led to violence. Some sculptors are still trying to keep their art alive.

Zimbabwe's stone sculptors struggle to keep carving
Portrait photo of a woman

Microfinance was meant to help the world’s poor, but in Cambodia, it’s plunging people deeper into debt

Microfinance was meant to help the world’s poor, but in Cambodia, it’s plunging people deeper into debt
prison getting raided

What is behind the seizure of Venezuela's most-notorious prison?

What is behind the seizure of Venezuela's most-notorious prison?
Aerial view of the village of Mutucal, Mãe Grande Curuçá Extractive Reserve.

Rural communities in the Amazon face a complex world of carbon credits

Rural communities in the Amazon face a complex world of carbon credits
The Rhine River passes through Basel, a Swiss city that sits near the borders of Germany and France.

Salmon are returning to Europe's Rhine River, but a key barrier remains

Salmon are returning to Europe's Rhine River, but a key barrier remains
Woman takes a picture of a sunset at a park.

Barcelona gets bombarded by selfie-taking tourists

Spain’s on the rebound with tourism after huge losses during the pandemic. Those in the tourism business are relieved. But visitors are back with a vengeance and they’re not always well-behaved, irking locals who miss the quieter days.

Barcelona gets bombarded by selfie-taking tourists
The Crooked House before it got demolished.

Demise of ‘Crooked House’ pub is cautionary tale about loss of British heritage

The mysterious demolition of a lopsided 18th-century pub in England has infuriated the local community and raised questions about the loss of British heritage and the demise of the country’s famous pub culture.

Demise of ‘Crooked House’ pub is cautionary tale about loss of British heritage
Women rush out of a train during peak hours at Churchgate station in Mumbai, India, Monday, March 20, 2023.

Indian women do less paid work. It’s bad news for the economy.

Across the world, higher economic growth has seen a rise in women’s employment, according to the United Nations. But India is bucking that trend, where educated women are working less in paid positions.

Indian women do less paid work. It’s bad news for the economy.
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
An offshore gas terminal is lit up amid the Atlantic Ocean as houses lay on the beachfront between the sea and the Senegal River, bottom, in Saint-Louis, Senegal, Jan. 18, 2023.

Europe looks to Senegal for new energy supply. But what’s in it for the Senegalese?

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many European countries have been trying to find ways to reduce their dependence on Russian energy. One place they’re starting to look is West Africa, where Senegal and Mauritania are capitalizing on recent discoveries of natural gas. But many locals are wondering how much they will benefit from their own country’s resources.

Europe looks to Senegal for new energy supply. But what’s in it for the Senegalese?
A fully-covered man riding a motorbike in the street at night

New banking services tackle barriers faced by migrants

Some startups throughout the Americas are establishing loans geared towards migrants. Among them is Galgo, which helps migrants buy motorbikes in order to earn money with delivery apps like Uber Eats.

New banking services tackle barriers faced by migrants
A few customers sneak into a card shop just before closing time in Akihabara, Tokyo.

Pokémon fever once again grips fans around the world

The 27-year-old Japanese trading card franchise has exploded in popularity in recent years, leading to frenzied fans, collectors and Pokémon card players fighting for the best cards.

Pokémon fever once again grips fans around the world
Armenian skyline with buildings and mountains

More Armenians in California are moving back to their parents' native land

California is home to the largest Armenian diaspora. Since the end of the recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, there’s been a reverse migration of children of Armenian migrants in the US back to Armenia. They’re starting businesses, getting jobs and moving back with their families to set up homes.

More Armenians in California are moving back to their parents' native land
wall with women's faces marked out

Women in Afghanistan are devastated by the Taliban’s ban on beauty salons

The Taliban have given all women’s beauty salons in Afghanistan one month to close down. The ultraconservative group, which took power by force in 2021, has consistently chipped away at women’s rights and freedoms in the country. 

Women in Afghanistan are devastated by the Taliban’s ban on beauty salons
three diplomats shake hands in front of an embassy building

‘Open lines of communication’ are crucial to improving relations with Beijing, Amb Nicholas Burns says

US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns was in the room this week when Secretary of State Antony Blinken sat down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Amb. Burns spoke with The World’s Marco Werman about Taiwan, Ukraine and why US and Chinese military leaders have stopped talking to one another.

‘Open lines of communication’ are crucial to improving relations with Beijing, Amb Nicholas Burns says