Dispatches

On an island whose religious diversity is part of its democratic identity, many of the faithful participating in a pilgrimage for Mazu, Goddess of the Sea, were in their 20s and teens.

As the war drags on, communities that were steadfast in their commitment to the effort have been shaken by the unending violence on the front line.

Even through the Myanmar army’s communications blackout, residents of a conflict zone find moments of grace, and occasional connectivity, away from the battlefield.

Coffee shops and kiosks are everywhere in Ukraine’s capital, their popularity both an act of wartime defiance and a symbol of closer ties to the rest of Europe.

To lure swiftlets, whose saliva-built nests fetch high prices in China, people in Borneo compete to build them the most luxurious accommodations: safe, clean, dark and with pools for bathing.

Al-Shifa Hospital lies in ruins after a battle there between Israeli soldiers and Gazan gunmen. Shortly before withdrawing, the Israeli military brought journalists from The Times to witness the damage.

Thirteen years ago, a stork landed on a fisherman’s boat looking for food. He has come back every year since, drawing national attention.

Once a semipro baseball player in Japan, Yukihiro Shimura has now become a baseball missionary.

Business is good for snake catchers in Australia, as the period of brumation, a sort of hibernation for reptiles, is shrinking — a result of the warming earth.

The British-designed capital, Belmopan, is bureaucratic and, some say, boring. Some in the city want it to stay that way.