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Ugandan author Kakwenza Rukirabashaija is seen in an undated photo posted to his Twitter Dec. 25, 2021.
Free speech
‘The torture of political prisoners is real’ in Uganda, says poet and free speech activist
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.
Afghanistan
Afghans endure indefinite limbo at 5-star hotel in Albania
Syrian Democratic Forces soldiers hold a position in Hassakeh, northeast Syria, Jan. 27, 2022.
Conflict & Justice
A prison battle in Syria puts the spotlight on the plight of child detainees
Teachers wearing face mask and face shield behind plastic barriers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus use computers during online classes at the Senator Renato "Companero" Cayetano (SRCC) Memorial Science and Technology High School in Taguig city, P
Education
Remote learning in the Philippines has no end in sight
Pharmacist Kenni Clark injects Robert Champion, of Lawrence, Mass., with a booster dosage of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic at City of Lawrence's "The Center," which serves seniors, families and the community
Coronavirus Conversations
Coronavirus Conversations: What researchers have learned about the omicron variant
A health worker gives a shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to 8-year-old Indigenous youth Davi Seremramiwe Xavante at the Hospital da Clinicas in São Paulo, Brazil, Jan. 14, 2022. 
COVID-19
Omicron hits Indigenous communities in Brazil as fake news and denialism undermine vaccination efforts
Mobile banking transfers do not require a connection to a formal banking system.
Economics
With soaring debt, Ghana considers controversial mobile money tax 
People inspect the rubble of a prison facility hit by a Saudi-led coalition airstrike in a stronghold of Houthi rebels on the border with Saudi Arabia, in the northern Saada province of Yemen, Jan. 22, 2022. Internet access remained largely down for four
Yemenis struggle to maintain contact with loved ones amid attacks, internet blackout
People wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk along the street in Tokyo, Japan
Coronavirus Conversations
Discussion: What researchers have learned about the omicron variant
In this Oct. 13, 2011, file photo, Funafuti, the main island of the nation state of Tuvalu, is seen from Royal New Zealand Air Force's C-130 aircraft as it approaches at Funafuti, Tuvalu. 
Technology
Tuvalu cashes in on its coveted internet domain name amid rise in online streaming
A semazen leans his head back while turning during a sema ritual at the Irfan Civilization Research and Culture Center in Konya, Turkey.
Sacred Nation
Turkey’s ‘whirling dervishes’ strive to keep the practice sacred amid tourist demand
Dozens take turns to receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot at the Adabraka vaccination center in Accra, Ghana. 
COVID-19
Ghana revs up its COVID-19 vaccination campaign as omicron cases surge
A woman gathers her three children around the dinner table.
A long journey from Kabul brings one family to New Bedford
People line up to enter a COVID-19 vaccination clinic with a torch of the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics painted on the staircase in Montreal, Jan. 6, 2022.
COVID-19
‘On the brink’: Canada postpones or cancels tens of thousands of medical procedures amid COVID surge
In this photo provided by the New Zealand Defense Force, volcanic ash covers roof tops and vegetation in an area of Tonga, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022.
Natural disasters
Tonga volcanic eruption is a ‘1-in-1,000-year event,’ volcanologist says
Dead trees stand on the beach and in the ocean at "The Boneyard," created by beach erosion and fierce storms, in Hunting Island State Park on Hunting Island, S.C., in the United States
Climate Change
Seemingly small shifts in global temperatures have huge consequences for the planet
Medical Technologist Erika Alvarado performs a COVID-19 test on a patient who just delivered a baby outside a hospital in Manila, Philippines, on Dec. 24, 2021.
COVID-19
Health care workers in the Philippines reject new COVID-19 rules as ‘inhumane’
A massive sinkhole in central Turkey is attributed to a three-year drought and climate change.
Climate Change
Massive sinkholes appear in farmers’ fields in central Turkey due to climate change and drought
Mexican singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada. 
Music
Mexican crooner converts heartbreak into joy — and music
In this April 20, 2021, file photo, an alert from the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is photographed. 
Russia has cyber capacity to ‘drive a lot of dissonance across America’ cybersecurity expert says 
Afghan women chant during a protest in Kabul, Afghanistan, Oct. 21, 2021.
Afghanistan
‘We have no future’: Afghan women protest Taliban restrictions
A vial of the Moderna vaccine for the coronavirus.
What does Moderna owe the world?
View of the Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Canary Islands of La Palma, Spain
Natural disasters
Residents remember their losses as they rebuild from La Palma’s volcanic eruption
In this Oct. 17, 2014, photo, a worker walks at power plant area in Cirebon, Indonesia. 
Energy
Indonesia poised to ease export ban on thermal coal
A man passes by a wall displaying an urban art project in the Transylvanian town of Sibiu, Romania, Wednesday, May 8, 2019. 
Migration
‘The best is yet to come’: Thousands of Bulgarians return home during pandemic
An image of male and female legs dancing in the final round of the stage category during the Tango World Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. 
Music
Feminist tango collectives take center stage in Argentina
An Indian teen reacts as she receives Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine at a government school in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. 
COVID-19
India postpones in-school learning as omicron surges 
Commuters wear protective face masks as they walk through a subway station, in São Paulo, Brazil, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Brazil joined the widening circle of countries to report cases of the omicron variant. 
COVID-19
Brazil heads into latest COVID surge amid public health information blackout
Devotees carry a statue of the goddess Mazu in a procession on Meizhou Island, China.
Sacred Nation
‘She’s in our hearts’: Devotees from China and Taiwan come together to celebrate the goddess Mazu
A man gets vaccinated against COVID-19 at a site near Johannesburg, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. 
COVID-19
At least 9 African countries set to produce COVID vaccines, Africa’s CDC chief says
Residents stand amid their homes damaged by a gasoline truck that overturned and exploded in Cap-Haitien, Haiti
Justice
‘Haitians deserve a chance to determine their own future,’ former US envoy says
People wearing face masks to curb the spread of COVID-19 walk in downtown Lisbon
COVID-19
A COVID variant of concern or just another ‘scare-iant?’
Christians raise their hands in praise during an International Grace of God Church event led by televangelist R.R. Soares, with President Jair Bolsonaro in attendance, at Botafogo beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020. 
Religion
Progressive evangelicals in Brazil wage a battle ‘against Bolsonaroism’ ahead of elections
A mini break with a humorous meme can take the momentary edge off during a stressful time. 
Go ahead, enjoy your memes – they really do help ease pandemic stress
Clerics carry the coffin after the funeral for Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu at the St George's Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, Saturday, Jan 1, 2022.
Science & Technology
What is aquamation, the burial practice Desmond Tutu chose instead of cremation?