Students in black caps and gowns holding inflatable globes in the air

High fees paid by international students help US universities balance their books

The US is the world's top destination for higher education, with more than 1 million international students generating over $40 billion each year. Their families save up for decades — with their full-fare tuition dollars going to subsidize US students. The World's Carolyn Beeler speaks to The Chronicle of Higher Education reporter Karin Fischer, who writes the weekly "Latitudes" newsletter that covers international higher education.

High fees paid by international students help US universities balance their books
Two girls in casual attire at home

How a US education is already paying off for some

How a US education is already paying off for some
Gaza Strip as seen from the window of the Jordanian cargo plane carrying aid.

The view over Gaza onboard a Jordanian aid plane

The view over Gaza onboard a Jordanian aid plane
Illustration by Megan J. Goff

Inside the i-Soon papers and China’s secret world of hackers-for-hire

Inside the i-Soon papers and China’s secret world of hackers-for-hire
shepherd with photo

Oil refineries in northeastern Syria are sickening people and polluting the environment

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. 

‘Our joy is limited’: A subdued Purim in Israel during wartime 

Jews around the world just celebrated the holiday of Purim, which is said to mark the survival of Jews in ancient Persia. In Israel, it is known for being a raucous holiday with parties, costumes, sweets and drinking. But for many Israelis, the war meant this year’s holiday felt different.

‘Our joy is limited’: A subdued Purim in Israel during wartime 
Polyethylene bags are used to protect bananas from pests and blight on a plantation in Costa Rica.

The shadow of the United Fruit Company still reaches across the globe today

About a hundred years ago, the Boston-based banana company, United Fruit, reigned supreme in Central America. It didn’t just own banana plantations, but also railroads and telephone lines. The company even dictated national policies and overthrew governments. For his podcast “Under the Shadow,” about US involvement in Central America, Michael Fox traveled to Guatemala, where he looked at the legacy of United Fruit and its impact on the global fruit industry today.

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.

Politics over intelligence: Crocus Hall shooting in Moscow raises security concerns

Russia is mourning the deadly attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue outside Moscow, on Friday, March 22. Despite many unanswered questions about the attack, the Kremlin is already forming a narrative that will likely have severe political and security implications. 

Politics over intelligence: Crocus Hall shooting in Moscow raises security concerns
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. 

Open secret: Some international students in the US are going hungry

Community colleges are an attractive option for international students, in part, because they’re a fraction of the cost of four-year universities. But higher nonresident tuition fees, ineligibility for state or federal aid and limited options for work can still generate sticker shock for people when they arrive in the US.

Open secret: Some international students in the US are going hungry
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: Walking to the Holy Land

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek has been recreating the journey, on foot, of the first humans. He tells host Marco Werman about his walk, in 2013, through Jordan into the Israeli occupied West Bank, lands that are both ancient and now part of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Out of Eden Walk: Walking to the Holy Land
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. 

'Imaginary Amazon' exhibition counters negative stereotypes through contemporary art

University Art Gallery at San Diego State University has just unveiled an exhibit, "The Imaginary Amazon," featuring works by contemporary artists, many of them Indigenous inhabitants of the forest. The artists' intent is to address some of the stereotypical Western perspectives of the Amazon.

'Imaginary Amazon' exhibition counters negative stereotypes through contemporary art
A US Abrams Tank is part of NATO military excercises at the Ādaži military base, outside of Riga, Latvia.

‘We have to prepare’: NATO conducts biggest military exercises since Cold War

Across Europe, the NATO military alliance is conducting its largest exercise since the Cold War, with tens of thousands of troops from 32 countries taking part. NATO officials and European leaders warn that a direct conflict with Russia is becoming an increasing threat.

‘We have to prepare’: NATO conducts biggest military exercises since Cold War
Group of people detained in a truck

Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez on Haiti crisis: 'There is no interlocutor on the other side'

The Dominican Republic has stationed 10,000 soldiers on its border with Haiti. Officials there are worried that chaos in Haiti will send migrants streaming into their country. The Dominican Republic’s Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez tells The World’s Carolyn Beeler his country’s national security is his top priority, and he doesn’t back the establishment of a humanitarian corridor into Haiti. 

Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez on Haiti crisis: 'There is no interlocutor on the other side'
A main street on the edge of Mea She'arim, a Haredi (religious) neighborhood in Jerusalem.

Neturei Karta: an Orthodox Jewish sect that doesn’t believe in the concept of a Jewish state of Israel

Neturei Karta is an Orthodox Jewish Haredi sect that takes an anti-Zionist stance. Its members who live in Israel say they do not vote, run for office or take assistance from the government, while openly supporting the return of all of Israel to Palestinians.

Neturei Karta: an Orthodox Jewish sect that doesn’t believe in the concept of a Jewish state of Israel
Haitians who were detained hold up their immigration status documents to prove they have work permits, in Haina, Dominican Republic, March 16, 2024.

'We have different cultures, but we share the same island': Dominican Republic priest says his country should do more to help Haiti

The Dominican Republic has decided to impose tighter border restrictions to keep people from Haiti out of the country. The World's host, Carolyn Beeler, speaks with Osvaldo Concepción, a Jesuit priest who works closely with Haitians who have crossed into the Dominican Republic, about the situation.

'We have different cultures, but we share the same island': Dominican Republic priest says his country should do more to help Haiti