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A view of Paris, France, with the iconic Eiffel Tower in the distance.

20 years after France’s hijab ban, the issue remains divisive

Women & Gender

Two decades ago, France introduced a law banning the hijab and other religious symbols in public schools. Today, with French athletes prohibited from wearing any religious items while competing at the summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, the issue is more divisive than ever.

Rows of people kneeling in prayer

Tens of thousands attend Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem

Israel-Hamas war
Riot police check spectators' bags as they guard an area at the Oktyabrsky Concert Hall prior to the concert of the rock group Picnic and the symphony orchestra Tavrichesky, in St. Petersburg, Russia, March 27, 2024.

Central Asians in Russia face increased scrutiny, discrimination after mass shooting 

Race
The sun rises over a Mosque on the Persian Gulf in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 9, 1990.

Saudi Arabia’s conservative clerics have a new relationship with the government under Mohammed bin Salman

Lifestyle & Belief
A convoy of Brazilian army troops, tanks and other vehicles pauses on the way to Rio de Janeiro, on April 1, 1964, after conspirators in the country's military high command overthrew the government and forced Brazilian President João Goulart to flee. 

Brazil remembers the 1964 coup and victims of the dictatorship 

History
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.

Adherents of Sarnaism try to preserve their identity and culture by pushing for more recognition of their faith in India

Sacred Nation

India is home to millions of Indigenous people consisting of hundreds of tribes. Now, the followers of Sarnaism want official recognition of their religion by the state.

Gaza Strip as seen from the window of the Jordanian cargo plane carrying aid.

The view over Gaza onboard a Jordanian aid plane

Israel-Hamas war

As part of the effort to get more food and water into Gaza, the Jordanian air force is participating in airdrops into the beleaguered territory. The World’s Shirin Jaafari traveled along on one of the flights to see what it takes to get aid into Gaza from above.

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

Violence

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. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during an interview with a Russian state-owned media organization in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, March 12, 2024.

Russians have ‘limited ability’ to monitor a presidential election that favors Putin. Some are still trying.

Elections

Russia is holding presidential elections on March 15, and results are nearly a given. Vladimir Putin has been in power in Russia since 1999 — as president or prime minister — and he’s looking to secure his fifth term in office. Yet, some Russians are still trying to monitor the elections to point out various irregularities and falsifications.

Ein 'Arik is a small village just west of Ramallah in the West Bank.

‘No one is helping us’: Palestinians in West Bank barred from Israel face unemployment, financial insecurity

Israel-Hamas war

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank have been barred from working in Israel. Tens of thousands in the West Bank who were doing building or agricultural jobs are out of work, and it’s drastically impacting their daily lives and the lives of many shopkeepers as people tighten their belts.