Andrew Connelly

An ambulance is parked outside Portcullis House, backdropped by the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben, in London, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022.

‘Winter of discontent’ for UK as nurses begin strike action

Jobs

Across the United Kingdom this month, up to 100,000 nurses are predicted to take part in a series of strikes over pay and conditions. The British government has so far refused to budge, which nurses warn ultimately puts patients at risk.

street intersection

Leicester’s Indian diaspora searches for answers after violence rocks multicultural British city

Conflict
Some Ukrainian students were evacuated from Ukraine thanks to a Czech circus company, Cirk La Putyka. “Boom," a performance they took to Edinburgh, was rewritten to reflect the students’ perspectives of war and displacement.

A bittersweet experience for Ukrainian artists at Edinburgh Festival

Ukraine
a woman enters the Supreme Court in London

Northern Ireland decriminalized abortion 3 years ago. But services are still difficult to access.

Abortion
Natalya, a 70-year-old retired epidemiologist from Odessa, has lunch at the Asconi Winery near Chisinau, in Moldova, where she is being hosted for free.

Moldova struggles amid fallout from war in Ukraine

Ukraine
A Moldovan volunteer distributes food to refugees who are leaving to Romania after fleeing from Ukraine, at the border crossing in Palanca, Moldova, March 17, 2022.

Many Moldovans are wary of their proximity to the conflict in Ukraine 

Ukraine

The tiny, Western-leaning, post-Soviet country of Moldova not only borders Ukraine but has seen part of its territory occupied by Russian troops since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many Moldovans worry they could be Russia’s next target.

A woman walks past the Museum of the History of Religion in Lviv, western Ukraine, March 4, 2022. Workers are assembling metal containers in the patio at the museum to safely store the remaining items before placing them in basements in case the Russian i

A race against time to preserve Lviv’s cultural treasures

Ukraine

In the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and on the east of the country, museums and churches have already been targeted as Moscow escalates its bombardment of civilian areas. Meanwhile, the residents of Lviv race to ensure their city does not suffer the same fate.

woman praying

The Ukrainian city of Lviv is a sanctuary. But a humanitarian crisis is deepening.

Ukraine

The western city of Lviv is regarded as one of the safest parts of Ukraine, at least for now. On the first day of the invasion, an airport 80 miles southeast to Lviv was bombed by Russian forces but no fighting has occurred in the city itself.

People fleeing the conflict from neighboring Ukraine arrive to Przemysl train station in Przemysl, Poland, on Feb. 25, 2022.

Ukrainians abroad return to defend their homeland 

Ukraine

While thousands of people are fleeing Ukraine, others are headed in the opposite direction — back home.

The luxurious Rafaelo resort is in stark contrast with the conditions in Afghanistan. At least 2,000 Afghans feel fortunate to stay here but also guilty about those left behind.

Afghans endure indefinite limbo at 5-star hotel in Albania

Afghanistan

More than 2,000 Afghans are currently living at an upscale hotel in Albania, awaiting visa processing for the US and Canada. But behind the luxurious façade — guilt and uncertainty reign.