When activist Oliver Barker Vormawor saw reports in September that Ghana’s water agency would not be able to supply some parts of the country with water due to extreme contamination of main rivers from small-scale mining activities, he knew he had to do something. Later that month, Vormawor and dozens of other concerned Ghanaians took … Read more
Bogota, Colombia – Jesus Medina Ezaine had already spent 16 months in a Venezuelan military prison, accused of crimes he said were related to his work as a photojournalist. But another prison stint seemed imminent, particularly after the contested re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. With Maduro set to be sworn in for a third … Read more
Musina, South Africa – Every day, Fadzai Musindo walks across the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa – sometimes via the official border post but usually by taking the more dangerous informal route. Streams of men, women and children regularly cross the bridge separating the two countries, but for the 43-year-old mother of three, it … Read more
In the late months of 1949, aspiring American writer William S Burroughs evaded gun and drug charges in the United States by bringing his family to Mexico where he planned to study while waiting out the statute of limitations on his crimes. Burroughs’ letters describe the early days after their arrival – settling in the … Read more
It is August 2022, and four Americans – all men in their 70s – disembark at a small airport outside Quy Nhon, a city of about half a million located on the south-central coast of Vietnam and the capital of the Binh Dinh province. With its lush landscapes and stunning tropical beaches, it is hard … Read more
Khijou and Samar al-Khateeb were tortured in Bashar al-Assad's prisons and lost family to the system.
Palestinians in Gaza are entering the new year as defenceless and beleaguered as the last. Israel’s war on the enclave continued into 2024, killing 23,842 people and wounding 51,925 during this year alone, driving the grisly official death toll to 46,376, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel has used siege and starve tactics, as … Read more
Beirut, Lebanon – The Palestinian Authority (PA) is cracking down on armed groups in the Jenin refugee camp in what experts say is an attempt to restore its limited authority in the occupied West Bank and persuade incoming United States President Donald Trump that it can be a useful security partner. However, the crackdown has … Read more
While serving as a contractor and senior adviser for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Alex Smith had a broad mandate. He was tasked with offering insight on issues concerning gender, infectious disease, nutrition, and the health of mothers and children. And all of those issues converged in Gaza, as Israel’s siege unfolded. The … Read more
Khan Younis, Gaza – The face of Samar Ahmed, 37, shows clear signs of exhaustion. It is not just because she has five children, nor that they have been displaced several times since the start of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza 14 months ago and are now living in cramped, cold conditions in a makeshift … Read more