Stories for

Striped red-and-white flags adorn a sacred grove in a quiet neighborhood in Ranchi in India. The ubiquitous flags are an assertion of tribal identity.
Sacred Nation
Adherents of Sarnaism try to preserve their identity and culture by pushing for more recognition of their faith in India
Three collaged photos of international college students
The price of higher ed
International students weigh in on hurdles and successes of studying in the US
Students in black caps and gowns holding inflatable globes in the air
The price of higher ed
High fees paid by international students help US universities balance their books
Gaza Strip as seen from the window of the Jordanian cargo plane carrying aid.
Israel-Hamas war
The view over Gaza onboard a Jordanian aid plane
Illustration by Megan J. Goff
Hacking
Inside the i-Soon papers and China’s secret world of hackers-for-hire
shepherd with photo
Shadow of ISIS
Oil refineries in northeastern Syria are sickening people and polluting the environment
People watch the Purim parade in Jerusalem, Monday, March 25, 2024. For the first time after 42 years and amid the Israel-Hamas war, Jerusalem holds a Purim parade on Monday. 
Israel-Hamas war
‘Our joy is limited’: A subdued Purim in Israel during wartime 
The back of a group of students in black gowns and graduation caps.
The price of higher ed
The World’s 2024 education special: The price of higher ed 
Two girls in casual attire at home
The price of higher ed
How a US education is already paying off for some
Polyethylene bags are used to protect bananas from pests and blight on a plantation in Costa Rica.
Business, Economics and Jobs
The shadow of the United Fruit Company still reaches across the globe today
Police officers walk near the Basmanny District Court in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 24, 2024.
Violence
Politics over intelligence: Crocus Hall shooting in Moscow raises security concerns
Image from a poster depicting a toucan at the new exhibition, "Imaginary Amazon," at the University of San Diego, featuring works by contemporary artists, many of them Indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon. 
Arts, Culture & Media
‘Imaginary Amazon’ exhibition counters negative stereotypes through contemporary art
Structures built by the Nabateans more than two millennia ago, like this remnant at Mada’in Salih, Saudi Arabia, rival those of ancient Rome and Greece.
Out of Eden Walk
Out of Eden Walk: Walking to the Holy Land
A US Abrams Tank is part of NATO military excercises at the Ādaži military base, outside of Riga, Latvia.
Military
‘We have to prepare’: NATO conducts biggest military exercises since Cold War
Job seeker Johannes Oveida looks over a brochure at a job fair at Lehigh Carbon Community College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, March 7, 2024. 
The price of higher ed
Open secret: Some international students in the US are going hungry
Group of people detained in a truck
Conflict & Justice
Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez on Haiti crisis: ‘There is no interlocutor on the other side’
Haitians who were detained hold up their immigration status documents to prove they have work permits, in Haina, Dominican Republic, March 16, 2024.
Conflict & Justice
‘We have different cultures, but we share the same island’: Dominican Republic priest says his country should do more to help Haiti
A main street on the edge of Mea She'arim, a Haredi (religious) neighborhood in Jerusalem.
Israel-Hamas war
Neturei Karta: an Orthodox Jewish sect that doesn’t believe in the concept of a Jewish state of Israel
Students cheer on speakers during a gathering to mark the first anniversary of student groups stormed the parliament in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, March 18, 2015.
Protest
10 years ago, the Sunflower Movement pushed Taiwan away from China
a group of tourists take photos of the birds perched on the balcony rails
Environment
Macaws lighten things up in Venezuela’s capital, and form a special bond with residents
Speaker of Ghana Parliament Alban Sumana Bagbin speaks at the Parliament House in Accra, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024.
LGBTQ
‘What crime have we committed?’ Ghana’s LGBTQ community braces as anti-LGBTQ bill may turn into law
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during an interview with a Russian state-owned media organization in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
Elections
Russians have ‘limited ability’ to monitor a presidential election that favors Putin. Some are still trying.
Many parts of the United States are desperately in need of doctors, especially in rural and medically underserved areas.
The World's Global Classroom
Virginia bill would give alternate licensing path to foreign doctors
Secretary Blinken and the US ambassador to Jamaica shake hands
Foreign policy
‘Frank, difficult conversations’: State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel speaks on Haiti, Gaza
Ein 'Arik is a small village just west of Ramallah in the West Bank.
Israel-Hamas war
‘No one is helping us’: Palestinians in West Bank barred from Israel face unemployment, financial insecurity
 Former combat medic Hector Bernal trains soldiers in tactical medicine at his center outside Bogotá. Bernal says he’s trained more than 20 soldiers who have gone to Ukraine recently.
Ukraine
Colombian army veterans join Ukraine’s army — motivated by financial need
woman in market
Shadow of ISIS
Residents in northeastern Syria react to recent attacks on US bases
city scape drawing
Books
Can endangered languages be saved? This new book may have the answer.
Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry attends a public lecture at the United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya, March 1, 2024.
US pledges support for security leading to Haiti elections as prime minister resigns
Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack, center, and Erin Barclay attend a briefing on the 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices at the State Department in Washington, March 20, 2023.
Conflict & Justice
The US is helping the ICC investigate war crimes in Sudan, diplomat says
children on the grass
No place to call home
The backstory of The World’s Uganda orphanage investigation
Build it, and they will come: The dream of King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia. Join the journey at outofedenwalk.org.
Out of Eden Walk
Out of Eden Walk: Paul Salopek traverses the Arabian Peninsula via Saudi Arabia
A buffalo grazes on the drenched land in the Cardamom Mountains, southwest Cambodia.
Human rights
‘It’s a lose-lose situation’: Carbon ‘offset’ project in Cambodia accused of human rights violations
In this Aug. 9, 1945, file photo, a giant column of smoke rises after the second atomic bomb ever used in warfare explodes over the Japanese port town of Nagasaki, Japan.
Arts, Culture & Media
‘Oppenheimer’ film ‘fails’ to show devastation of atom bombs in postwar Japan, critics say
sign
No place to call home
A tale of two children’s homes in Uganda
children's home
No place to call home
A Dutch children’s home in Uganda full of complaints
sign
No place to call home
American missionary accused of abuse at his organization, AidChild
No place to call home
Despite a global movement to deinstitutionalize orphans, Americans continue to support Ugandan orphanages
Gaza Sunbird team members distribute much-needed food aid and other supplies in Rafah, Gaza in February 2024.
Israel-Hamas war
Gaza Sunbirds paracycling team pivots to aid distribution amid war
Children play in the surf at Kite Beach with the Burj al Arab, the Dubai Marina and a man flying a powered parachute in the background in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 8, 2016.
Climate Change
To beat the heat, beach lovers in Dubai head to the shores at night
Bernardo Arévalo ran on an anti-corruption campaign to become president.
Politics
‘We want to eradicate corruption’: Guatemala’s new president makes promises that stir hope — and impatience