Fenghuang Ancient Town, known as Phoenix City, is hailed as one of China’s most beautiful towns and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated along the Tuojiang River in Yunnan, this historic gem features traditional stone houses, iconic upturned roofs, and…

Angola became a Portuguese colony in the 16th century, and before long its new ‘masters’ had turned it into one of the major hubs for the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaved people were shipped to another territory under Portuguese control – Brazil. Historians…

Millions of people have fallen victim to a so-called ‘infobusiness’. Those behind it, often referred to as info-scammers, are typically pseudo-trainers and coaches who promise fabulous wealth and instant success but, in reality, sell little more than empty…

Some 90% of Afghanistan’s population struggle with food insecurity, meaning that they don’t have enough to eat every day. Over half of Afghans rely on humanitarian aid. Financial desperation makes some parents consider selling their daughters for up to $2…

Members of Japan’s feared Yakuza crime syndicate are often portrayed as grim-faced professional killers in sharp black suits and dark glasses, but the reality is somewhat different. Meet Mr. Makoto, a tubby tattooed Yakuza mobster and ‘old-fashioned guy’…

Andrey Skory, a Ukrainian government official, took the side of Donbass in 2014, and became the LPR militia’s leader. Eight years later, he was among those who hoisted the Russian flag over liberated Lisichansk.The city, which was once the Lugansk region’s…

This time, American Tofurius Crane heads to Vladimir Region to explore how Russian traditions and crafts are being revived.In Suzdal, he joined the Apple Feast of the Saviour, or Apple Spas festival, tried his hand at shooting an ancient bow, and picked up…

Water scarcity has become a luxury in India’s Punjab, as thousands of villages rely on expensive water deliveries. Farmers face low crop yield, debts, and a stunning rise in suicides. The crisis stems from unintended consequences of the green revolution and…

Hong Kong is famous for its dense skyline dominated by luxurious skyscrapers. And it’s not just the city’s high rises that soar above the clouds - rents are exorbitant. So much so that the poorest residents have no choice other than squeezing into tiny apartments…

Nigeria gained independence in 1960 but was soon engulfed by power struggles and internal conflict. This led to a series of military coups and a civil war from 1967 to 1970, which stifled the development of the young nation. Despite its vast resources – including…

Monk Herman of the Valaam Monastery arrived on Kodiak Island near Alaska along with other clergy by decree of Catherine the Great. Their Christian mission was to help corner the fur trade and pave the way for the Russian-American Company. But when they saw…

The terrorist group Boko Haram* emerged in northeastern Nigeria in the early 2000s. In its first years, its members claimed they wanted to put an end to the West’s influence on Islam in the region, and the movement operated openly. But after a series of clashes…

‘Once, the navigation started very early, and several ships got ice-locked. Back then I was working on the ‘Captain Dranitsyn’ and the old ‘Arctic’ icebreaker saved 5 or 6 ships. One was simply squashed’, recalls boatswain of new icebreaker ‘Arctic’. Back…

In autumn of 2025, a woman became Japan’s prime minister for the first time in its history. For the island nation’s traditionally patriarchal society, the move was widely seen as an unprecedented moment. Sanae Takaichi has been compared to Margaret Thatcher…

With the world's first-ever female-majority parliament, Rwanda has been hailed as a role model for gender equality in Africa. Women have been at the forefront of the effort to rebuild the country following its 1994 genocide. Although they are now much more…

Even today, slavery persists in Bangladesh’s brick factories; millions work hard to make bricks by hand. As Bangladesh is rapidly urbanising, the high demand for affordable building materials is driving brick production. There are thought to be around 10…

International soldiers of the Donbass militia volunteered to fight Ukrainian neo-Nazism. They’re from Mexico, Columbia, the USA, Serbia, and all over the globe. Locals treat them as heroes, while their homelands consider them criminals and mercenaries. If…

They committed crimes against their own country in exchange for rewards from Ukrainian intelligence, but the promised money never came. Instead, each of them ended up with a prison sentence including years behind bars.They were all given assignments by Ukrainian…

Kondo Akihiko is an ordinary Japanese man who married a hologram named Miku. Hatsune Miku is a very popular synthesized pop singer with a cartoon avatar. When Akihiki, who’d always been shy around women, ‘met’ Miku he took an instant liking to her. The fact…

The fighters of the Archangel Michael Battalion aren’t just drone operators; they also manufacture essential military hardware needed for the frontline. Their engineers design, adapt, and develop equipment necessary for the modern way of executing combat…

Curious Tofurious heads to Kamchatka! The American traveller spends time with the Koryaks, one of the region’s Indigenous peoples, learning about their everyday life and trying traditional local dishes. At a mining site, he watches precious metals being extracted…