Reporting

In chapter five of Tarnished: The True Cost of Gold, Dimiter Kenarov reports from Romania on a farmer-philosopher committed to defending his small village against the designs of a multi-billion-dollar mining company.

Pulitzer Center grantee Reese Erlich interviewed Syria's Minister of Justice and visited the Rukaya Shrine in Damascus to get a better understanding of the balance of power between the government and rebels. He filed this report for CBS Radio News. Learn more: http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/middle-east-syria-assad-balance-power-politics-government.

Fighting between government troops and rebels continues in Syria. Christian areas of Damascus are under attack from rebel mortars, and tens of thousands of Christians have fled the country. Pulitzer Center grantee Reese Erlich filed this story for CBS Radio News from Damascus. Learn more: http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/middle-east-syria-christian-extremist-rebels

Tens of thousands of Christians have fled Syria with many more internally displaced. Christian areas of Damascus are under attack from rebel mortars and rockets. In this story for the English language service of German state radio, Radio DW, Reese Erlich reports from Damascus about why Christians back Assad. Learn more: http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/middle-east-syria-christian-islam-religion-assad-migration

As civil war continues in Syria, the conflict has brought out ever deeper sectarian divides. Many Sunnis oppose the government while Shiite Muslims and other minorities tend to support it, causing problems for religious leaders. Learn more: http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/middle-east-syria-damascus-sunni-shiite-religion-politics

Starvation four decades ago in Cambodia and 70 years ago in the Netherlands appear to have long-term health consequences. Learn more: http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/asia-cambodia-diabetes-khmer-rouge-crisis

Divers in the Philippines disappear into water as opaque as chocolate milk and blindly dig for hours in search of gold trapped in muddy sediment. It is a risky business: As the miners go deeper, underwater tunnels could collapse or the jury-rigged compressor that provides air may fail. Larry Price and Hari Sreenivasan document the dangerous venture undertaken by adults and children.

Learn more: http://pulitzercenter.org/projects/south-america-ecuador-migration-public-education In Ecuador, the quality of education varies drastically from school to school, mostly predicated on the school's private or public status as well as its urban or rural setting. Student fellow Kate Riley reports for the Pulitzer Center.

Learn more: http://pulitzercenter.org/projects/africa-nigeria-US-relations-hard-soft-power-American-influence-Islam-social-economic In Masaka, Nigeria, the fight to prevent the transmission of HIV edges on at a small, primary health care center. "Mentoring Mothers" is a support group for pregnant women and new mothers living with HIV. The goal of the group is to provide women with assistance, insight, and a sort of sisterhood while they face the difficulties that come with living with HIV while carrying or caring for a child. This report is part of the Pulitzer Center sponsored project: Nigeria: US Dollars and Dubious Results

Learn more: http://pulitzercenter.org/projects/eva-nepal-bethesda-dental-crisis-malnutrition-children-health-poverty Nepal is currently facing an oral healthcare crisis. Fifty-eight percent of children and 69% of adults in the country suffer from dental caries—i.e. bacterial tooth decay. This can lead to infections, gum disease, and chronic pain as well as heart disease and diabetes. Laura Spero came to Nepal to teach English but ended up staying to implement oral health care education and treatment to 36 thousand Nepalis in five villages. Jennifer Miller reports for the Pulitzer Center. This report is part of the Pulitzer Center sponsored project: "Nepal's Dental Crisis & An Unlikely Hero"

Hundreds of thousands of Chilean students are taking part in massive protests against failing public schools, expensive private schools, non-affordable loans and an unresponsive government. The protests began in 2011 to demand change. Violence between police and the students is common with protestors tearing down street signs and destroying buses while police use tear gas and night sticks in response. Meanwhile, newspapers in Chile give the government reason to ignore what is happening. This report is part of the Pulitzer Center sponsored project: "Chile's Youth Response"

Large-scale displacement, lack of refugee protection, shortages of humanitarian aid and easy access to national boundaries have fueled widespread human trafficking inside Kachin. Lusha Chen reports for the Pulitzer Center. This report is part of the Pulitzer Center sponsored project: "Burmese Brides along the Chinese Border"

Learn more: http://pulitzercenter.org/projects/sea-of-cortez-aquaculture-ocean-fish-farming-global-market The Seri people of the eastern Sonoran desert have been fighting for their survival for 100 years. Now, only 800 remain on the coast, maintaining their traditions and fishing. There are two communities and they seem to be in constant competition. Plus, even though their land is protected by law, the people still feel that their territory is under attack, mainly from large industrial trawlers. To defend themselves and their land, the Seri have begun boarding the large boats and demanding a cut of their haul. Outsiders see it as piracy, but the Seri see it as a mode of survival. This report is part of the Pulitzer Center sponsored project: "Mexico: Emptying the World's Aquarium"

The icy waters of the South Pacific have moved center stage in a debate over how to manage fisheries once thought inexhaustible. For decades the commercial fishing industry has systematically decimated fish populations. Last December, Chile's government passed a controversial fisheries law that included dubious conservation measures, while awarding the largest share of the most lucrative fisheries—including jack mackerel and hake—to four national conglomerates. Independent fishermen, known as artisans, say the law turns the country’s marine resources into a private oligopoly—a nautical version of Latin America's epic land inequality.