World dispatch

With their sweeping horizons and emptiness, deserts have inspired religions, myths and inner-reflection. But ever since last year’s violence, Israel’s Negev desert has been linked to new and devastating images

Lima is one of the largest desert cities in the world. Of its inhabitants, 635,000 have no access to water. Climate change may make the situation in the Peruvian capital even worse

How Susan Murabana inspires Kenya’s children with astrophysics and the wonders of the starry sky

Working long hours and being part of the rat race are part of everyday life in China. But lots of young people are opting out - and talking about it on social media. Photographer Ziyi Le takes portraits of a disillusioned generation

For people who cross Africa from south to north, the Sahara is often unavoidable. A look at Niger, where the desert becomes a grave for many

Speaking Irish has long been controversial. But now the Gaelic language is making a comeback. What’s going on in Ireland?

Anyone who is socially active in Brazil can earn themselves “Muda” tokens. But how does the alternative currency really work? A quick look

Years ago, the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca resettled hundreds of Roma - next to a huge garbage dump. Some families fought back and managed to attract international attention

Politicians, the military, investors: in Sudan, key players are fighting over power and money. On how violence is flaring up again in a state that just won’t settle down

A Paris flat, three daughters and at least as many chosen relatives: The family of 63-year-old widower Mouss Ould Kaci redefines family ties. A visit to France

Chinese freighters are hunting for one of the world's most coveted raw materials off the Taiwanese coast. But the search for sand poses a problem not just for Taipei, but for Beijing

Almost thirty years after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, victims and perpetrators have found a refuge in Belgium. For many, a new beginning is hard to imagine

Hopes ran high that President Gustavo Petro would finally end violence in Colombia. But a year after his election, the fight for peace continues

In the middle of the Saloum river delta in Senegal lies the island of Diamniadio. Here people live off the sea – but every year the nets get a little emptier

On the social media platform TikTok, #celibacy has become a global trend. Why are more and more young people voluntarily abstaining from sex?

Sweden has long stood for cosmopolitanism and tolerance. But now a shift to the right is sweeping through the country - and its colourful image is crumbling. How could this happen?

The atmosphere for journalists in Cuba is increasingly tense. As a last resort, they are turning to the internet - or exile

Even before the Taliban seized power, health care for Afghan women and girls was sub-standard. Now it is catastrophic: a visit to the provinces

During the Second World War, Latvia was occupied by the Red Army. This legacy casts a long shadow but, amid the war in Ukraine, perceptions are suddenly shifting.

Linear, efficient and punctual: that's how the Western world ticks. But can't time be understood and used differently, for example as it is in Sudan?

Ethnic plurality, religious tensions, rival elites: Afghanistan is a nation of contradictions. In an effort to dig below the surface, we posed seven questions to four experts

Education, work, marriage: over the years, the rights of Afghan women have been fiercely contested. A chronology of an eventful history

Corrupt authorities and violence bring the people of Lake Victoria to the brink of ruin

Born in the Indian city of Chandigarh, fruit picker Jasbir Singh, 34, has been picking berries in Alentejo for five years. Soon he could apply for Portuguese citizenship. A conversation

New Zealand is struggling with bursting sewage pipes and contaminated drinking water. Now the indigenous population is to collaborate on solutions

The French island of Martinique is under attack from rotting Sargasso algae and the toxic gases it releases

In the Andes, water is a scarce resource. But gold mines in the region require enormous amounts of water and pollute their environment. Their owners do not seem to care

UNESCO's World Heritage Convention turns 50 this year. There's plenty of cause for celebration but also for concern amid loud calls for reform.

For years, Haiti has been slipping from one crisis into the next. The international community has looked away from the Caribbean nation and the Haitian government no longer cares for its own people.

Power outages, lack of young talent and scarce materials: In Damascus, arts and crafts struggle to survive

Discrimination, hate crime, equality: Where was progress seen over the past years and what more needs to be done?

On the Greek island of Samos, refugees are being crammed into a remote, high-security camp akin to a prison. Local volunteers are appalled

In Crimea, Ukraine’s future – and its cultural heritage – is at stake

Twenty years ago, the historic Taipei neighbourhood of Treasure Hill was going to be demolished. Today, it is an enclave for both international and Taiwanese artists

The notorious Mexican drug lord “El Chapo” escaped through a tunnel from the high-security prison El Altiplano in 2015. How in the world was that possible?

There have been more dinosaur bones excavated in Zhucheng, China, than at almost any other location in the world. But it all started with a search for something completely different

Radio host and journalist Waheedulaah Orya reported from the Afghan city of Mazar e-Sharif – until the Taliban threatened his life. From his exile in Greece he describes watching in disbelief as they recaptured his home country. A conversation

For a year, thousands of farmers converged at the gates of the Indian capital, demonstrating against the government’s agricultural reform. Their tenacity finally paid off, with the surprise announcement that three controversial farm laws would be withdrawn

No qualifications but you still want to study? The “Socrates” project in Berlin, Vienna and Budapest makes it happen

In Chile, a democratically elected assembly is drawing up a new constitution but it remains unclear if it will work out. A snapshot of a country at the crossroads.

In 2019, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw and Bratislava formed the “Pact of Free Cities” to counteract the swing to the right of their respective governments. What has happened since then?

Church congregation numbers in Romania beat those of all other European countries. And the popularity of the Romanian Orthodox Church is second to none. But since the advent of the pandemic, its image has started to show cracks.

One of the biggest ethnography museums in Europe is facing up to its colonial past. How exactly is it going about it?

Poland’s foreign policy is steadily turning towards the West. Its relationship with its eastern neighbours is complicated - especially with Russia

Poland’s government ramps up its attacks on media and journalists

For years the remote villages in the Caucasus have served as recruiting grounds for militias fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh. Notes from a journey through the Azerbaijani hinterlands.

Under the hashtag #MilkTeaAlliance, more and more people in Southeast Asia are rising up against autocracy and censorship. What’s behind the online movement?

Under Donald Trump, the US turned its back on its Asian allies and openly challenged Peking. Now it is up to Joe Biden to pick up the pieces 

For many children, school provides not just education but a healthy meal. The United Nations report “State of School Feeding Worldwide 2020” reveals how the pandemic has hit those who have the least the hardest.