Globally, rates of smoking are in decline. But in Indonesia, a cigarette is a measure of masculinity and hospitality. That makes it habit hard to break. A hand holds a lit cigarette. (Credit: Geri Tech, Pexels) To see blue fire that flames up as high as five meters...
Muslim Indians near Bangladesh find themselves seized and sent over the border, even when they can prove their citizenship. Muslims protest against being declared foreigners in Assam. (Photo courtesy of Sajid Raina and Tauseef Ahmad) This article was produced...
In a small town in Northern Italy, young people transform discarded materials into musical instruments to bridge social barriers. Drums made out of discarded material. (Photo courtesy of Banda Rulli Frulli) This article was produced exclusively for News Decoder’s...
In India, a private ambulance service is filling a need in a country with a dire shortage of emergency medical services. But should there be profit in that? An ambulance in Old Goa, India 8 July 2023. Credit: Radosław Botev for Wikimedia Commons Quick-commerce service...
Some 90 million students across the globe lose their access to education, not from snow or hurricanes, but from the political storms that rage around them. Sarah Qanan studies inside her family’s tent in the Gaza city of Khan Younis 28 June 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel...
It is difficult to undo almost eight decades of hostility. To understand what’s happening now in Gaza you have to go back to the creation of the Israeli state. The bodies of Palestinians who were killed while attempting to access aid trucks entering northern...
Racial bias isn’t readily apparent in Latvia. But simply how you use your voice can set you apart as a foreigner. People tell a young woman to be quiet. (Illustration by News Decoder) The first time someone told me I was “too loud” in Latvia, I laughed. Not...
On July 18, the world celebrates the birthday of Nelson Mandela and his legacy of determination that oppression can be overcome. Former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela in London, 23 June 2008 to celebrate his 90th birthday. (AP Photo/Akira Suemori)...
Fish are disappearing in an African lake that feeds the people of four countries. Freshwater lakes may not be as vast as oceans but they are just as important. A fisherman casts a net from his boat on Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa. (Credit: Martin Harvey/WWF) This...
Nine justices hold seats on the U.S. Supreme Court. In their hands lie fundamental questions of liberty, equity and who has the right to American citizenship. The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2025. Front row, left to right: Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor,...