Global Security

The number of Americans studying in China is a fraction of what it once was

The US and China want more foreign exchange students between their two countries. But politics and bureaucracy often complicate the process, and far fewer Americans are going to China to study than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘It’s a lifelong injury’: From Gaza to Doha, children bear the scars of war 

Israel-Hamas war

‘He was killed with no justification’: In the West Bank, a Palestinian family grieves the death of their oldest son

Israel-Hamas war

US National Security Council spokesman on heightened tensions between Iran and Israel: ‘We don’t want to see this conflict widen and deepen’

Israel-Hamas war

‘Sacred refuge:’ This cultural center provides a safe space for Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem

Israel-Hamas war
Rows of people kneeling in prayer

Tens of thousands attend Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem

Israel-Hamas war

On April 5, the final Friday in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan this year — a special time for Muslims worldwide — more than 3,500 Israeli police were deployed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Here, an estimated 57,000 Muslims attended Friday prayers. 

man in front of bookcase

Sharing the national burden in Israel

Israel-Hamas war

In Israel, most Jewish men are drafted into three years of military service soon after they graduate from high school. Jewish women serve two-year stints. The ultra-Orthodox community has been exempt. But this is beginning to change. Israel’s Supreme Court just ruled that religious seminaries called yeshivas are being cut off from government funding because they don’t send students into the military.

shepherd with photo

Oil refineries in northeastern Syria are sickening people and polluting the environment

Shadow of ISIS

Across northeastern Syria, makeshift refineries pump out fuel for cars, heating and electricity. They are also a major source of income for local residents who have endured more than a decade of conflict. But this critical resource is also harmful.

Secretary Blinken and the US ambassador to Jamaica shake hands

‘Frank, difficult conversations’: State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel speaks on Haiti, Gaza

Foreign policy

As conflict continues to unfold in Haiti and Gaza, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel joins The World’s Carolyn Beeler to talk about US policy options in both places.

woman in market

Residents in northeastern Syria react to recent attacks on US bases

Shadow of ISIS

About 900 American forces stationed in Northeast Syria have been attacked by militia forces in neighboring Iraq. The Americans act as a deterrence against ISIS and Turkey, both of which consider the Kurds in northeast Syria as their enemy. The residents in this area are on edge about the recent militia attacks and the possibility of a US withdrawal.