Reportage
Caring for Orphans in a Time of War
As U.S. and Israeli bombs fell on Iran, the country's strict child welfare system was forced to break with decades of practice, placing infants in private homes to shield them from attacks on hospitals and orphanages. The move is reshaping how Iranians think about motherhood and guardianship.
The Price of Recognition
In December, Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland as a sovereign state. Officials in both countries are presenting this controversial move as an opportunity for development and business cooperation, though most analysts see it as a strategic play on Israel’s part. Will Somaliland benefit?
The Last Traces of a Family the Assad Regime Marked for Destruction
Syria's National Commission for the Missing has concluded that the six al-Abbasi children, disappeared with their mother in 2013, are dead. With no remains recovered, the finding rests on footage tied to the Tadamon massacre, shedding light on how the Assad regime turned detainees’ children into enemies of the state.
What Remains of South Africa’s Industrial Dream
Once built on steel, cheap electricity and state planning, South Africa’s Vaal Triangle symbolized the country’s industrial ambition. Today, much of that industry is shrinking or closing, and communities are left struggling to survive.
Can Syria’s Trains Get Back on Track?
As plans for overland corridors linking the Gulf to the Mediterranean regain momentum, Syria is being cast as a hub for regional trade. Yet on the ground, a shattered railway network and aging infrastructure reveal the vast gap between these ambitions and reality.
In Kazakhstan’s Oil Heartland, the Workers Who Built the Country Are Dying Quietly
Kazakhstan is the world's 13th-largest oil producer, and hydrocarbons fund nearly half its national budget. In the steppe villages above the Tengiz and Kashagan fields, residents describe respiratory illness, sudden deaths, falsified air quality data and entire towns being rebuilt elsewhere to escape the smell.
How Israeli Airstrikes Targeted Iran’s Steel Industry
An open-source investigation using satellite imagery, geolocated footage and 3D reconstruction reveals how Israeli strikes disrupted steel plants tied to 5% of Iran's gross domestic product and 1.2 million jobs.