photo essay

Photos: Millions celebrate Chinese New Year, year of the Fire Rooster

By Abbey Oldham

Lunar New Year is the only time many people make the long trek to see their families, some traveling more than a thousand miles to reach home.

Schools scrub signs of ISIS rule in battle-scarred Mosul

By Larisa Epatko

Soccer balls are bouncing again and schools are reopening their doors in eastern Mosul, a city in Iraq where government troops recently wrest back control from Islamic State militants.

The Spanish lifeguards who save migrants from risky waters

By Larisa Epatko

When a boat packed with migrants went adrift in the Mediterranean Sea, bobbing uselessly off the coast of Libya earlier this month, a team of Spanish lifeguards knew just what to do.

Here’s what Aleppo looked like before the shelling began

By Larisa Epatko

Syria’s northern city of Aleppo was once a thriving commercial hub with a proud history dating back millennia. Photos show what it was like before the bombings.

Photos: In drought-stricken Malawi, rains just ‘don’t come’

By Larisa Epatko

Southern Malawi’s dry, crusty fields used to be waist-high with corn. But two consecutive years of low rainfall have meant scarce harvests and have forced farmers to change just about everything they know about farming.

PHOTOS: See the supermoon rise around the world

By Larisa Epatko

The bright orb of a supermoon – the closest full moon to Earth since 1948 -- crossed the night sky on Monday, treating observers to spectacular views.

Photos: Iraqis flee violence as forces close in on Mosul

By Larisa Epatko

As the campaign to free Iraq’s second largest city from Islamic State militants enters its fourth day, aid groups rush to prepare camps for the residents fleeing the fight.

Photos: Cholera outbreaks feared after hurricane hits Haiti

By Larisa Epatko

As Haiti began rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, aid groups worried that cholera and other diseases would quickly spread in the flood waters. The Caribbean island nation has battled cholera for six years, but conditions following the hurricane could…

Photos: What happened to Haiti after Hurricane Matthew

By Larisa Epatko

Hurricane Matthew cut through southwestern Haiti on Tuesday, flooding towns and knocking out at least one major bridge, as it rolled toward Florida where it is expected to hit late Thursday.