The World

Brazil ranks third in the world for the most social media usage, following India and Indonesia. Now, a controversial, 3-year-old bill is weaving its way through Congress. It could regulate social media platforms in the same way as TV and radio. The “Fake News Bill” has staunch supporters, but some also accuse it of being a form of censorship.

US consumers have plenty of reasons to snap up electric vehicles. They are helping the US meet its climate goals, and new owners may qualify for a tax credit. But some of their old cars end up on roads across Africa. These vehicles provide vital transportation in poor countries, but they also cause pollution and are unsafe.

Authorities managed to avoid a worst-case scenario at the holiest site in Jerusalem during the overlapping religious holidays of Easter, Passover and Ramadan that ended a few weeks ago. Now, things are returning to normal at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

For many Ukrainians and Russians who’ve fled their homes since the war started, returning is not an option. So, they’re beginning again in new places and confronting new challenges. As part of our ongoing series on starting over, we visit Cazilhac, a tiny village in southwest France, where a humanitarian bus brought dozens of Ukrainian families to safety around a year ago. Today, just three of them remain.

After Afghanistan fell to the Taliban almost two years ago in August, tens of thousands of Afghans made their way to the United States. They were allowed to stay under a program called “humanitarian parole.” But that status expires in a couple of months, and although they can renew one time, many are calling for Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would allow them to seek more permanent status.

​​​​​​​Russia's long persecuted ethnic minorities — Buryats, Chechens and Yakuts — have seized on the war in Ukraine to make a case for the independence of their own regions. They say the conflict has laid bare Russia's violent and imperial mentality, not just in Eastern Europe, but within its own borders.

Over the weekend, President Joe Biden announced that the US will support a joint effort to train Ukrainian pilots. Administration officials also said that the US will allow its allies to supply Ukraine with advanced fighter jets, including US-made F-16s. The battle for air superiority in Ukraine has been ongoing since Russia's invasion, and now, Ukraine hopes that F-16s can help them counteract Russia's advantages. 

They call themselves the Gomi Hiroi Samurai — or the “Samurai Who Pick Up Litter.” These sword-wielding eco-warriors have turned garbage collecting into a choreographed performance. 

The people who collect garbage for recycling organized among themselves to change how they are paid and how they are treated. Today, waste pickers are officially recognized as part of the municipal waste system. 

Meanwhile, the ongoing fighting in Sudan continues to make it difficult for aid to get into the country, leaving many children at risk of starvation.