It sounds like fiction: a religious group exiled to Siberia in the 1600s and later persecuted by the Soviets. But that’s the history of Buryatia’s Old Believers, who are now being welcomed back into Russian society. Fourth in a five-part series.
Athletes whose families fled Vietnam decades ago are now returning to play professional basketball. They’re key in the effort to expand the sport’s popularity.
Has China simply become too powerful for the world to protest its human rights abuses? A vast surveillance and detention campaign against a Muslim minority is putting that to the test.
Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was forced out of office on Friday by disgruntled lawmakers, the fourth prime minister pushed out of the job since 2010 in a period of political instability. The leadership change has struck a particularly sour note among Australians.
The Myanmar government claims it is ready to repatriate its Rohingya refugees from camps in nearby Bangladesh. But Rohingya who did not flee Myanmar during the August 2017 exodus report continuing harassment from government forces and unlivable conditions.
In the wake of disaster, the rush to rebuild can sometimes leave whole communities behind. One year after hurricane Harvey, coastal Texas struggles to rebuild equitably.
Students filed nearly 24,000 federal fraud complaints over the past year, almost entirely against for-profit colleges, as enrollment falls. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has proposed changes to Obama-era regulations that would bolster the struggling industry.
Efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute have been stymied so long that the Trump philosophy of “disruption” would seem to be a perfect fit. But the complexity and emotion of the Palestinian refugee issue may require a step further.
Cleaning up corruption can be a powerful campaign platform, and recent news has given Democrats a clear opening. Still, history shows it isn’t always a top concern for voters – and can even run the risk of backfiring.
The most devastating day in President Trump’s tenure seems unlikely to deter his supporters. And as long as Mr. Trump’s voters stick with him, Republicans in Congress are likely to as well.
The mass internment of minority Uyghurs in western China is just the latest assaults on Muslims and demands far more than denunciation. What’s needed is religious response to such religious intolerance.
A hostile situation with co-workers gave way to a renewed spirit of goodwill as today’s contributor considered what Christ Jesus showed us about the power of God’s love.
As Venezuela falls apart and triggers a mass exodus, Colombia extends a welcome to the refugees, perhaps encouraging international moves to end the crisis.
Today’s contributor was completely and permanently healed of recurring allergies as she learned more about the beauty and grace of God and His creation.
An assertion by the president’s former lawyer could trigger an impeachment hearing and a closer look at the role of campaign finance rules in a democracy.
Investor expectations have swung positive amid a slow-rolling boom. When those run too high, they can signal a coming correction. But it doesn’t take much to sway investor perceptions – and behavior.
Climate change, which many skeptics argue is more bark than bite, is starting to demonstrate an impact on economies – and perceptions.
The most recent GDP report was the best since 2014. The White House predicts growth topping 3 percent for the calendar year, which would be a first since the Great Recession. Here's a deeper look at the trends.
Farmers running small-scale organic farms say lax regulations have allowed large confined animal operations to dominate the industry, leaving smaller owners either barely squeezing out a profit or in most cases losing money. They are pushing back by appealing to consumers.
The one-year halt of new licenses for Uber and other ride-hail services is the first attempt by a US city to regulate the rapidly changing industry. The proposal's backers say the explosion of such services harms its own drivers and taxi drivers, while opponents say restrictions limit reliable transportation options.
Surprise alligator sightings on South Carolina’s saltwater beaches are challenging residents’ and researchers’ notions of where these fearsome predators belong.
The nation's largest grocery chain hopes to end the use of plastic bags in its stores by 2025. Americans generate more than 4 million tons of plastic bags, sacks, and wraps waste each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Swedish city of Vaxjo has done what some say is impossible: cut emissions and continue to grow economically. The city plans to eliminate carbon emissions from fossil fuels by 2030, far ahead of the timetable set by almost 200 nations in the Paris climate agreement.
The plan gives state authority to determine how to regulate coal power plants, with the Environmental Protection Agency calling the previous administration's regulations "overly prescriptive and burdensome." Opponents say the move will increase the nation's climate-changing emissions.
Overfishing and climate change are robbing Cape Cod of its namesake fish. Ever adaptable, fishermen are shifting sights to the dogfish. But Americans aren’t quite ready to bite just yet.
Robots are often considered a threat to workers. But for dairy farmers, robots can not only relieve the no-days-off pressure and a labor shortage, they’re helping younger people consider staying on the farm.
Rural communities in Japan are facing a labor shortage as farmers age and young people move to urban areas. The drones, which fly over fields quickly performing tasks strenuous to farmers, may be one part of how farms in the aging rural heartland can adapt.
Microsoft is unique among tech companies with its approach that uses US courts to fight computer fraud, acting more like a government detective than a global software giant.
Facebook has banned hundreds of accounts, groups, and pages linked to Russia and Iran, the latest group of fake accounts turned up by the company’s increased policing efforts since last year, when it acknowledged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
In previous court filings, Microsoft outlined how a network of fake sites are designed to trick victims into installing malicious software. Ahead of midterm elections, five sites spoofing US conservative groups and the Senate have been uncovered and shutdown.
Scientists claim the discovery of a new fossil specimen supports the theory that extinct human subspecies, like Denisovans and Neanderthals, were absorbed into Homo sapiens populations instead of being wiped out in warfare.
Asteroids collide with planets all the time, so scientists at NASA are working to prepare for the unlikely possibility of a major collision.
Two missions to bring back space rocks will provide clues about the origins of the solar system and the threat of a doomsday collision with Earth.
The story of human history is in many ways one of migration. But that tale isn’t always easy to tell. Sometimes we need science to teach us.
NASA's Solar Parker Probe, designed to withstand heat like nothing before it, will hurtle through the solar atmosphere and get nearly seven times closer to the sun than any previous spacecraft.
The adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel is sweet and unprepossessing.
The movie, which focuses on a trio of brothers, is all nuance with no clear sense of place.
As companies try to get Americans to eat fewer animal products, “plant-based” is replacing “vegan” and “vegetarian” because of the unappetizing and polarizing associations the v-words might have.
Surfing has long been entwined with California culture and now Gov. Jerry Brown has inked the relationship into law. Although Hawaii is the sport's birthplace, Californians helped to modernize and popularize the art of riding waves.
A new National Geographic video explores the biggest wholesale market in the world, Marvel’s various heroes join together to fight a powerful foe in 'Avengers: Infinity War,' and more top picks.
A hostile situation with co-workers gave way to a renewed spirit of goodwill as today’s contributor considered what Christ Jesus showed us about the power of God’s love.
Yale University historian and author Joanne B. Freeman talks about the stunning extent to which US Congressmen treated each other with violence in the years before the Civil War.
Tomalin also sounds a subtly feminist note, revealing how a woman who’s been a daughter, wife, and mother slowly found a life of her own in the reading and writing of books.
Today’s Jewish community continues to be divided over issues related to assimilation and secularization.
Loyal readers will be rewarded with an extended cameo from the star of Steinhauer’s 'Tourist' trilogy.
As the importance of school attendance comes into focus, schools are putting more effort into communication with parents, accelerating a shift away from a punitive "truancy" mind-set.
Places like Nashua, N.H., are choosing the full-day option. Even so, most states pay only for half-day kindergarten and don’t require students to attend it.
Student activism is growing, but it's not happening in a vacuum. Young people say that to make lasting changes, they have to speak with a united voice.
Establishing a mentorship program can seem like a costly and onerous task. But in Alabama, one man’s service to the community is supporting the next generation at the same time.
When low-income students have less access to enrichment activities, it widens the learning gap between them and their better-resourced peers. The summer months are a time to address that.
