Infrastructure

man outside

Ukrainian rock band Vopli Vidopliassova and fans rediscover an old hit 

​​​​​​​In 1989, the Ukrainian punk rock band Vopli Vidopliassova released an album called “Tantsi” or “Dances.” In 2019, the original session tape was rediscovered, and in 2023, Tantsi was finally officially released.

Ukrainian rock band Vopli Vidopliassova and fans rediscover an old hit 
cars on streets

90% of the cars on Ghana's roads are imported used cars. Many are polluting or unsafe.

90% of the cars on Ghana's roads are imported used cars. Many are polluting or unsafe.
man on rooftop

Ukraine's air defense adapts with more sophisticated technology, equipment

Ukraine's air defense adapts with more sophisticated technology, equipment
protest

Energy workers in France threaten power cuts over retirement age

Energy workers in France threaten power cuts over retirement age
smoke comes out from a building

Sudan’s health care system near collapse amid fighting

Sudan’s health care system near collapse amid fighting
canal

Archaeologists uncover ancient Moorish waterways to irrigate Granada 

The Moors, who ruled in Spain, had a network of canals 800 years ago that moved water from the Sierra Nevada down into cities and farms. Archaeologists today are trying to uncover those canals, and put the ancient wisdom about irrigation to use today.

Archaeologists uncover ancient Moorish waterways to irrigate Granada 
building that was destroyed

Life returns to Antakya, a city nearly leveled by earthquakes in southern Turkey

​​​​​​​Two months after devastating earthquakes killed more than 57,000 people in Turkey and Syria, survivors are living in tent camps and shipping containers outside the ruins of their former homes. As mobile businesses and streetside kebab shops return to the city of Antakya, some people are determined to stay in their hometown to grieve and rebuild. 

Life returns to Antakya, a city nearly leveled by earthquakes in southern Turkey
Wind generators near the Indigenous town of Juchitán de Zaragoza in Mexico.

Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor aims to rival the Panama Canal

​​​​​​​Mexico is hard at work on a huge development project that the country’s president hopes will rival the Panama Canal. It won’t be another waterway, but when it’s finished, the Interoceanic Corridor will connect ports on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Mexico in numerous ways. President Andres Manuel López Obrador is looking to the US for support on the project. But Indigenous communities are fighting the decision. 

Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor aims to rival the Panama Canal
A lab worker removes crane hoist from a load of rebar used to construct full-scale buildings and bridge spans that are then pushed to the limit in field tests.

This ‘earthquake lab’ is designing buildings to withstand natural disasters

At Spain’s Institute of Science and Concrete Technology, engineers are trying to find ways to keep buildings and bridges from falling down. The lab is getting attention after the deadly earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria in February.

This ‘earthquake lab’ is designing buildings to withstand natural disasters
buildings

Redevelopment proposal for Mumbai's largest informal settlement stirs controversy

Dharavi is known as the largest informal settlement in Asia, where 1 million people live in 1 square mile of Mumbai. For decades, it's been slated for redevelopment. Plans are finally taking shape, but debates remain over where people will live and work. 

Redevelopment proposal for Mumbai's largest informal settlement stirs controversy
tram in Kolkata with dancers

India's tramway turned 150. But it’s on its last legs.

​​​​​​​Kolkata's 150-year-old tram system is limping along. It's down to just two lines and there is little political will, or room in the city's crowded streets, to bring the streetcars back to their former glory days. The tram does have a small but loyal band of supporters who want to keep it alive.

India's tramway turned 150. But it’s on its last legs.
highway

A Cuban filmmaker returns home to see his family during the island nation’s worst economic crisis in decades

​​​The economic crisis crippling Cuba is causing shortages of everything, from gas to food to medical supplies. Filmmaker Armando Guerra, who lives in Valencia, Spain, recently returned to his home city of Camaguey in central Cuba, where he found that things are worse than he expected.

A Cuban filmmaker returns home to see his family during the island nation’s worst economic crisis in decades
A coal-fired power station in Witbank, South Africa , Monday, Oct. 11, 2021.

Scheduled blackouts roll South Africa into electricity crisis

The lights may be off, but "crisis mode" is definitely switched on in South Africa. Despite a national state of disaster and a new minister of electricity, scheduled power outages, known as load-shedding, continue to heavily impact citizens.

Scheduled blackouts roll South Africa into electricity crisis
To get certified by the Starlight Foundation, Villa de Leyva, Colombia, plans to change its streetlights so they only point downward and use light bulbs with warmer colored temperatures.

This Colombian town is dimming its lights to attract more tourists to view the night sky

Thousands of people gather every year in Villa de Leyva, Colombia, for the annual Astronomy Festival. Now, event organizers are working with the local government to implement lasting improvements for the town to draw more tourists to see the stars.

This Colombian town is dimming its lights to attract more tourists to view the night sky
road in winter

Ukrainians move home and promise: ‘It’s going to go back to normal’ 

In parts of northern Ukraine, near the border with Belarus, Russian troops were firmly in control for several weeks early last year. One village occupied by Russian soldiers and later retaken by Ukrainian forces is in the middle of trying to rebuild. 

Ukrainians move home and promise: ‘It’s going to go back to normal’