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A new documentary offers a nonlinear, lyrical look at the activism and life of poet Nikki Giovanni. What our commentator comes away with is a sense of love and awe.

Iowa Republicans say Monday’s caucuses will be open and transparent. But any irregularities could cause big problems.

Taiwan kicks off a year of elections, with 2 billion people worldwide due to go to the polls. But not all will uphold democratic standards.

Ideally, campaign season is a time of rich debate, problem solving, and civic engagement. But in Pakistan, conversation has focused instead on the unlevel political playing field, which threatens to undermine upcoming elections.

An erosion in public safety often happens in steady decline, and Ecuador is no exception. But brazen violence this week has shaken the Andean nation.

The word “unprecedented” gets tossed around a lot. But the Supreme Court finds itself with cases with no legal precedent to fall back on. And the rulings are likely to affect the 2024 election.

How far did the Vikings venture into North America? A historian hunts for evidence, and sorts through myths about the Norse warriors.

The UN has said they are “deeply concerned” over the detention and abuse of Afghan women not wearing the hijab. Their statement is the first official confirmation of the Taliban’s crackdown on dress codes for women since the Taliban took power in 2021.

Nearly two years into a stalemated war, Ukrainians take a cue from their president and clergy on biblical ways to sustain themselves.

Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, sat down with reporters at a Monitor breakfast to speak about a potential government shutdown and the need for bipartisan trust in budget negotiations.

Social media feeds in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan have been flooded with AI-generated fabrications ahead of elections this year. Experts say there aren’t enough safeguards in place to keep voters from getting misled.

Donald Trump’s historic lead is the dominant narrative in the GOP presidential race. But Iowa caucuses are an unpredictable process, and even strong second-place finishers can gain momentum there.

The latest round of strikes affecting the United Kingdom’s National Health Service is testing the limits of the public’s support for NHS staff, but young doctors feel they have few other options.

New York is trying to connect migrants with open jobs. Even when migrants earn work authorization, barriers to employment remain.

An election in Taiwan may serve as a model for democracies in how to equip citizens to discern the truth about false news.

WhatsApp groups are helping to level the playing field for Nigerian women shut out of credit markets.

Immigrants from Hong Kong are organizing for the re-election of Taiwan’s ruling party led by William Lai. Despite high barriers to entry for Hong Kong immigrants, many are united to take a strong stand against political ties to Beijing.

The shops on Wajima’s popular Asaichi Dori street were badly damaged Jan. 1 by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake. But Yoshie Minamidani plans to band together with other fish sellers and neighbors to rebuild the once bustling community.

The year 2023 was the world’s hottest year on record, blowing past the mark set in 2016, according to Europe’s Copernicus climate agency. Global temperatures are on track to hit the Paris climate accord’s annual 1.5 degree warming threshold this month.

For three days, the White House was unaware that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was in the hospital, raising security questions about the chain of command. Now, the administration pledges to examine what went wrong and enact reforms.

In Brazil, municipal nurseries prioritize native trees and in Togo, hairdressers are trained to offer counseling. A progress roundup.

North Korea again fired artillery shells near its tense sea boundary with the South on Sunday. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, mocked the South’s ability to detect its weapons launches.

The cross-border escalation comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken starts his fourth Mideast trip in three months in hopes of preventing the Israel-Hamas war from turning into a regional confrontation.

Defending democracy and opposing authoritarianism. Projecting leadership and coming to the aid of allies. President Joe Biden’s values-laden foreign policy has been a political asset ... until this challenging election year.