In Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta, oil bunkering — the practice of siphoning oil from pipelines — has transformed parts of the once-thriving delta ecosystem into an ecological dead zone, according to the U.N. Environment Programme. Edward Burtynsky, courtesy Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco / Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto hide caption
In 2012, this mother carried her 5-year-old son to a malaria clinic in Thailand from Myanmar. Two new studies find that multidrug-resistant parasites are rendering front-line malaria drugs ineffective in Southeast Asia. Ben de la Cruz/NPR hide caption
Oil production platforms on Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo. Venezuela sits on some of the largest oil reserves in the world. John van Hasselt/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption
The Candylicious store in the Dubai Mall in the United Arab Emirates. John Stanmeyer for NPR hide caption
With a mobile phone, Kenyans can send and receive money via a service called M-PESA. Now Facebook is entering the digital currency realm. The social media giant has helped develop a digital currency called Libra that plans to launch in 2020. Nichole Sobecki for NPR hide caption
A youth scouts for mud crabs and snakehead fish on the parched bed of Chembarambakkam Lake on the outskirts of Chennai, India. Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Activists from Girl Up. Top row from left: Valeria Colunga, Eugenie Park, Angelica Almonte, Emily Lin. Bottom row from left: Lauren Woodhouse, Winter Ashley, Zulia Martinez, Paola Moreno-Roman. Olivia Falcigno/NPR hide caption
A menstrual cup — this one is made of silicone rubber — is designed to collect menstrual blood. The bell-shaped device is folded and inserted into the vagina. The tip helps with removal. Science Source hide caption
Kim Davey (left), a passenger in Menzi Mngoma's Uber, made a video of his in-car opera singing that went viral. Kim Davey/Facebook hide caption
A new study finds that drug prices can vary dramatically in the developing world, especially as a country moves up the economic ladder. Jose A. Bernat Bacete/Getty Images hide caption
A trash picker carries a sack of recyclable materials she collected at the Ghazipur landfill in the east of New Delhi. Xavier Galiana/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Pakistani women jostle to receive their ballot papers prior to casting their ballot at a polling station on May 11, 2013 in Lahore. A study in The Lancet provides evidence that free and fair elections are associated with a lower burden of chronic diseases. Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images hide caption
Annah Goba, 20, carries water to her shack in Azania, the name squatters gave to a section of private property they took over in Stellenbosch. Goba said the lack of running water was a challenge, but she couldn't afford to pay rent in crowded Kayamandi township. Her shirt is from the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters party, which encourages supporters to occupy the land of wealthy farm owners. Daniella Cheslow for NPR hide caption
A kid tries to beat the heat in New Delhi on June 15. The changing climate is especially brutal in India. Temperatures are soaring. Asphalt roads are melting. People are dying. Nasir Kachroo/NurPhoto via Getty Images hide caption
A popular crosswalk in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Cases of rubella have been reported in Tokyo and other Japanese tourist destinations. TommL/Getty Images hide caption