Conflict & Justice
Parents of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin speak up about latest deal to get him home
The biggest issue in Israel today is the fate of the 133 hostages still held captive in Gaza. Israel says, according to military intelligence, 33 of them are dead. Demonstrators have held sit-ins, marches and protests almost every day over the past six months demanding their return. The World’s Marco Werman spoke with Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, the parents of 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was taken hostage on Oct. 7. They have just returned from a trip to the US where they met with top officials.
‘We are helpless’: Protesting farmers in India pose challenges — and demands — to Modi
With polls opening this month in India, farmers are angry with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In 2021, Modi made a rare concession by repealing farm laws after they were met with massive months-long protests in Delhi. Now, farmers are returning to the streets. Sushmita Pathak reports from Delhi that the main demand now is guaranteed crop prices.
‘I have to work to help my family’: Child laborers in Raqqa face dangerous conditions
The campaign to liberate Raqqa in northeastern Syria from ISIS in 2017 left the city in ruins. Today, children make up a significant portion of the workforce that is rebuilding the city. One family knows the dangers of this work firsthand.
For Palestinians, a grim reality in Gaza obscures the future
The Biden administration says it’s looking for leadership from the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank after the war in Gaza is over. A new technocratic government has been sworn in, but as war continues to rage in Gaza, Palestinians are not hopeful. The World’s Matthew Bell speaks with people in the West Bank city of Ramallah about their vision for the future.
Lungs of stone: How Silica has sickened a generation of quartz cutters
Quartz is used for countertops in millions of homes around the world — the manmade stone is popular for its beauty and durability. But for workers who make, cut and install quartz counters, it can be deadly. The World reported from Turkey, Spain and Australia — three stops along the quartz countertop supply chain — to learn more about silicosis, an incurable and often fatal lung disease caused by inhaling dust laden with excessive amounts of a mineral called silica.
Tens of thousands attend Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem
On April 5, the final Friday in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan this year — a special time for Muslims worldwide — more than 3,500 Israeli police were deployed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Here, an estimated 57,000 Muslims attended Friday prayers.