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Cast members perform during a rehearsal of the opera "Monkey: A Kung Fu Puppet Parable" at the Emerson Paramount Center in Boston, Sept. 20, 2023.

A modern take on an ancient Chinese folk tale

The new opera, “Monkey: A Kung Fu Puppet Parable,” had its world premiere in Boston over the weekend. The story is based on an ancient Chinese folk tale and uses modern and diverse cultural elements to create a unique rendition of the popular fable.

A modern take on an ancient Chinese folk tale
The shrines of Imam Husayn and his brother Aba Fadl Abbas in Karbala, Iraq, 2022.

'I can get close to God': Millions from around the globe participate in religious Arbaeen walk in Iraq

'I can get close to God': Millions from around the globe participate in religious Arbaeen walk in Iraq
Antakya’s Uzun Çarşı, a historic covered bazaar, was partially destroyed during the Feb. 6 earthquakes. Workers have cleared much of the debris from walkways and shopkeepers have reopened, sometimes directly across from piles of rubble.

In Turkey’s hardest-hit province, earthquake survivors adapt to a life without buildings

In Turkey’s hardest-hit province, earthquake survivors adapt to a life without buildings
exhibit

Argentines document European ancestry to migrate to the EU

Argentines document European ancestry to migrate to the EU
The site at Campus Galli near the German-Swiss border where carpenters are erecting a medieval utopia.

A group of carpenters in Germany is erecting a medieval utopia using only 9th-century tools

A group of carpenters in Germany is erecting a medieval utopia using only 9th-century tools
Zhayreth, Adriana, Freddy and Freydar Torres sit on the stoop of their apartment in Dorchester.

With strife behind them, a young migrant family prepares to seek asylum in Boston

Calling it a humanitarian crisis, Governor Maura Healey has activated the National Guard to support migrants at Joint Base Cape Cod and launched two welcome centers in Boston and Quincy. But the influx of desperate people is so great that families are flooding nonprofits and local hospitals.

With strife behind them, a young migrant family prepares to seek asylum in Boston
Seon Joo Oh cooks beef bulgogi during a recent cooking class in Hamilton High School's culinary room.

Hundreds of Milwaukeeans have learned Korean cooking from this woman

Seon Joo Oh, a grandmother in her 60s, teaches Korean cooking classes at the Milwaukee Recreation Department. She says her own grandmother back in South Korea lived to be 105 years old and told her that you’re never too old to learn something new. Now she wants to pass that on to her community in the US.

Hundreds of Milwaukeeans have learned Korean cooking from this woman
Belgian artists Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul.

‘It’s not about you, it’s about the conversation’: This Belgian music duo gets you dancing — and talking

In our latest installment of “Movement,” our series on music and migration, Meklit Hadero speaks with Belgian artists Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul, who are trying to start difficult conversations through music.

‘It’s not about you, it’s about the conversation’: This Belgian music duo gets you dancing — and talking
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
a sign outside of a clinic welcomes asylum seekers in various languages

Iceland fast-tracks Ukrainian refugees to residency, employment

About 5,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Iceland since the start of the war, and continue to do so at a rate of about 200 arrivals per month. The government gives them nearly instant resident status, on humanitarian grounds. It has also created a website in Ukrainian to help them navigate the bureaucracy and culture.

Iceland fast-tracks Ukrainian refugees to residency, employment
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?
Noam Tsuriely is a 28-year-old Jewish Israeli hip-hop artist from Jerusalem, whose debut album will drop later this summer.

This Israeli rapper brings people together through multilingual lyrics

Noam Tsuriely is a 28-year-old Jewish Israeli hip-hop artist from Jerusalem He says he likes to rap in both Hebrew and Arabic to get Israelis and Palestinians to learn both languages, so they can understand each other better. Tsuriely's story is the latest in The World's summer "Planet Hip Hop" series.

This Israeli rapper brings people together through multilingual lyrics
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
a man sleeping on the ground outside of a temple

Housing segregation in India has affected millions of people for several generations

For generations, people have moved from rural areas to cities to find opportunities. But new research shows neighborhoods in Indian cities are segregated according to caste and religion, and that impacts upward mobility for residents.

Housing segregation in India has affected millions of people for several generations
The ancient fishing village of Guet Ndar in Saint-Louis, Senegal.

An important fishing village in Senegal is on the verge of disappearing as sea levels rise

The former administrative capital of French West Africa, Saint-Louis in Senegal sits between the Senegal River and the Atlantic Ocean. Its highest point stands just 13 feet above sea level, and it gets waves from both fresh and seawater that have become a growing threat as water levels rise.

An important fishing village in Senegal is on the verge of disappearing as sea levels rise