In nearly three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of people have left Russia. Outside of Russia, anti-war activists have attempted to organize support, but often, these attempts have led to harsh disagreements. The most recent debate is about whether the Russian flag has become a symbol of war.
Classes have resumed at Columbia University amid new restrictions following last year’s protests and encampments against the war in Gaza. Yasmeen Altaji, a May graduate of Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism and now a freelance journalist, dedicated her final semester to documenting those protests. Altaji brings the story of one student who is resolved to continue her fight against the war despite new rules limiting protest.
Israel has conducted thousands of strikes in Gaza and Lebanon since the start of the current war last October. Footage shot by witnesses, as well as survivors’ testimonies, raise serious ethical and legal questions about some of those attacks.
Armenian Christians in the Old City of Jerusalem say their centuries-old community is facing an existential threat. It stems from an ongoing legal dispute over a real estate deal signed three years ago. Members of the small minority community of Armenians in Jerusalem say they are fearful about their future in the holy city.
Sanctions on Russian diamonds, imposed in response to the war in Ukraine, have damaged business in Surat, India’s diamond polishing hub. Many of the city’s diamond artisans from lower-income communities have become collateral damage in a tussle between the West and Russia.
An affluent neighborhood of Seoul is the latest stretch of National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek’s worldwide walking journey. He tells Host Carolyn Beeler about the Gangnam entertainment district, its important links to K-pop, and the hyper-competitive career paths young people have pursued to stardom.