Dispatch
The view from the ground.
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A police officer gestures at the railway station in Stockholm on Sept. 12, 2015. The Hidden Flaw in Sweden’s Anti-Lockdown Strategy
The government expects citizens to freely follow its advice—but not all ethnic groups have equal access to expertise.
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Migrant workers wearing protective face masks walk past a factory-converted dormitory. Singapore’s Coronavirus Success Story Hits a Snag
Though the curve has flattened, new cases have exploded among migrant workers who live in the country’s far-flung dormitories. Human rights watchers say these developments should be no surprise.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waits before meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea on June 30, 2019. The Curious Case of the Maybe Dead Dictator
A story with a single source sent Twitter into a frenzy: Is Kim Jong Un brain-dead, or is he resting after a successful operation? Once again, no one really knows what’s happening in the elusive country of North Korea.
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An Israeli woman wearing a face mask with "crime minister" written on it How the Coronavirus Saved Netanyahu’s Political Career
For an Israeli leader who stokes fear to fuel his power, the pandemic came as opportunity.
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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis removes his face mask after attending the departure of unaccompanied minors who were living in migrant camps on the Greek islands to travel on a special flight to Germany at Athens International Airport on April 18. In Europe, the Lives of Refugees Are on Hold
The pandemic proves a mixed blessing: Deportations are suspended but so is health care.
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An aerial view of an emergency makeshift field hospital at Pacaembu Stadium for coronavirus patients with a capacity of 200 beds in São Paulo on March 27. Brazil’s Health System Isn’t Ready for the Coronavirus
The country’s public hospital capacity is already strained, and Jair Bolsonaro’s reckless policies will hit the poor the hardest.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Brother Tayyip’s Soup Kitchen
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s battle with opposition local governments over who provides coronavirus relief is endangering the public.
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A man wearing a face mask leaves a shop in Vienna's city center following an easing of restrictions during the coronavirus crisis on April 15. After Flattening the Curve, Austria Takes a Gamble
Under political and public pressure, Austria has begun to reopen the economy. Will that backfire?
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A man arrives with his luggage at a nearly deserted United Airlines check-in counter at Los Angeles International Airport on March 18. Safer Abroad
While some Americans scramble to get home, others watch the growing number of infections in the United States and say they are better staying put.
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Men wearing face masks walk past a wall painted with images of U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on April 5. In Afghanistan, the Coronavirus Could Be Deadlier Than War
The pandemic has hit the war-ravaged country at the worst possible time—just as peace appeared possible and as foreign military aid disappears.
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An officer takes the temperature of a commuter passing through a police checkpoint in Quezon City, the Philippines Duterte’s Response to the Coronavirus: ‘Shoot Them Dead’
The Philippines president’s order to kill quarantine violators amid coronavirus chaos tests democracy yet again in his country.
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Alexander Gauland (foreground), the parliamentary group co-leader of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany, and members of his party's parliamentary group attend a session at the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, in Berlin on March 25. The Coronavirus Has Paralyzed Europe’s Far-Right
The continent’s borders are closed, as extreme nationalists always wanted—but they’re one of the pandemic's victims anyway.
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Supporters of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party listen to a speech during the recent election campaign as citizens take measures to protect themselves against the spread of the coronavirus in Seoul on April 10. South Korea Holds World’s First National Coronavirus Election
The opposition appears to be coming up short by criticizing the shortcomings of the government’s COVID-19 response.
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People maintain social distance as Indian paramilitary personnel distribute food for those in need during the government-imposed nationwide lockdown in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 9. Slow Internet Is Speeding the Spread of the Coronavirus in Kashmir
The region is accustomed to lockdowns, but New Delhi’s ban on high-speed internet is undermining the medical community’s ability to fight the pandemic.
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Sanitation workers in Secunderabad, India No Masks, No Gloves
With India on lockdown, hundreds of thousands of people are cleaning up trash, medical waste, and even sewage without any protective equipment.
