The World staff

The World
People demonstrate in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, June 30, 2023.

Student loans can be ‘simple’ and ‘automatic.’ Other countries offer lessons to the US.

In the US, interest on student loans started accruing again on Sept. 1. Soon, more than 40 million borrowers will have to resume their payments. The US is an outlier when it comes to high tuition and the debts that students take on.

Student loans can be ‘simple’ and ‘automatic.’ Other countries offer lessons to the US.
Ilona Kravchenko and Jan Vana perform in “Giselle” with the Ukrainian Classical Ballet in Bucharest, Romania.

The long fight for arts and culture in Ukraine as war rages on

The long fight for arts and culture in Ukraine as war rages on
Nelson Mandela, left, and his wife Winnie, raise clenched fists as they walk hand-in-hand from the Victor Verster prison near Cape Town, South Africa on Feb. 11, 1990.

'Winnie and Nelson': A new book explores a fraught political partnership

'Winnie and Nelson': A new book explores a fraught political partnership
Yellow sign on beach warning people to stay out of water because of pollutants, in Tijuana River Valley

Pollution from Tijuana River contaminates marine border areas

Pollution from Tijuana River contaminates marine border areas
DMV rapper and record producer Oddisee realized early on that purpose and success are self-designated.

Sudanese American rapper Oddisee on overcoming cultural taboos and confronting self-doubt

Sudanese American rapper Oddisee on overcoming cultural taboos and confronting self-doubt
Pilani Bubu found her music community after she moved from South Africa to New Orleans. She understood that the people she met wanted to learn more about her culture back home. That’s when she started to incorporate South African music into her repertoire

South Africa’s Pilani Bubu has ‘jumped off the shoulder of giants’ to create music filled with tradition

The singer-songwriter has always straddled between the worlds of globalization and the traditions of her homeland.

South Africa’s Pilani Bubu has ‘jumped off the shoulder of giants’ to create music filled with tradition
Belongings of Halima Ali Maiyanga and Maryam Ali Maiyanga, two of the young women kidnapped by Boko Haram in a boarding school in Chibok, Nigeria, in April 2014.

'The Stolen Daughters of Chibok': the impact of the abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls 9 years on

Author and human rights activist Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode documented the heartbreaking stories of the Chibok families nine years after the Boko Haram abductions that gripped the world’s attention.

'The Stolen Daughters of Chibok': the impact of the abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls 9 years on
soldiers

50 years ago, Nixon announced the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam

In 1973, the last United States combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America’s direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.

50 years ago, Nixon announced the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam
Haitian Musician and Voudo priest Erol Josué has a new album titled Pèlerinaj, which includes songs like “Rén Sobo,” “Ati Sole” and “Palave Maria" that invoke Voudo goddesses and saints.

Erol Josué’s new album Pèlerinaj highlights Haiti’s Vodou tradition and the artist’s own pilgrimage

The 18 tracks on "Pèlerinaj," or “pilgrimage” in Haitian Creole, are a mix of sacred Vodou chants and traditional Haitian rhythms with funk, jazz, rock and electronic music.

Erol Josué’s new album Pèlerinaj highlights Haiti’s Vodou tradition and the artist’s own pilgrimage
Aïda Muluneh's "To pursue the ceaseless way," is exhibited on a bus stop in the Boston area. The photograph is part of "This is where I am," presented by New York-based Public Art Fund.

Aïda Muluneh's public art photo exhibit is 'a love letter to Ethiopia'

Ethiopian photographer and educator Aïda Muluneh is showcasing the culture of her birth country in a series of 12 photographs displayed at more than 300 bus stops across Boston, New York, Chicago and Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Aïda Muluneh's public art photo exhibit is 'a love letter to Ethiopia'
Singer Gloria Estefan performs at the Statue of Liberty Museum opening celebration at Battery Park, in New York, May 15, 2019.

Gloria Estefan is set to be the first Hispanic woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

She's already won numerous awards and has been a pioneer of Latin music.

Gloria Estefan is set to be the first Hispanic woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Vira Ustyanska, a 34-year-old artist, fled her home in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, soon after the war started. She now lives in San Diego, California, with a host family waiting for the war to end.

Finding home in California after fleeing war in Ukraine

Amid war and displacement, Ukrainian artist Vira Ustyanska and her daughter find home in San Diego, California, as they wait for the war to end.

Finding home in California after fleeing war in Ukraine
soldiers on field

A year of war in Ukraine: A timeline of key moments

Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine that began on Feb. 24, 2022, sent shockwaves around the world. It’s now been a year since Russia’s war in Ukraine began. Here’s an account, by month, of some of the key moments in the conflict.

A year of war in Ukraine: A timeline of key moments
Firefighters and rescue teams search for people in a destroyed building, in Adana, southern Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023.

How to support relief efforts in Turkey and Syria after deadly quakes

The earthquakes that hit southern Turkey and war-ravaged northern Syria on Monday have killed over 12,000 people, with the death toll expected to rise as rescue crews race against time to save people trapped beneath rubble.

How to support relief efforts in Turkey and Syria after deadly quakes
president with officers

Who are Brazil's private security guards who outnumber the police?

Erika Robb Larkins, director of Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University, visited a training school for private security guards. She spoke to Gemma Ware, the host of The Conversation Weekly podcast.

Who are Brazil's private security guards who outnumber the police?