The need for international institutions, the United Nations foremost among them, amid conflict is clear: to deliver emergency relief, fairly apply international law, and save lives. Yet among both Israelis and Palestinians, distrust of the U.N. is profound.

• Israeli forces storm Gaza hospital: The raid Feb. 15 came a day after the army sought to evacuate thousands who had taken shelter at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. Separately, Israel launched more airstrikes in southern Lebanon, killing 10 civilians and three Hezbollah fighters after a rocket attack killed an Israeli soldier.
• Dispute triggered Kansas City shooting: Police say the shooting that left one person dead and nearly two dozen wounded after the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade appeared to stem from a dispute between several people.
• Trial date for Trump case: A New York judge denied a request to dismiss criminal charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star, paving the way for the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president. 
• Endangered rhinos return to Kenya: The successful move of 21 eastern black rhinos to a new home will give them space to breed and could help increase the population of the critically endangered animals.

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The United States has wrangled historically over playing a large role on the global stage or turning inward. As the pull of “America First” intensifies, the current battle could have significant security consequences for Ukraine and the rest of Europe. 

The line between amateur and professional is increasingly blurred for college athletes. But what does a new ruling identifying basketball players as employees suggest about the need for compensation? 

Beaver populations are rebounding in Europe and North America. Communities are seeking balance between valuing the rodents’ benefits and managing conflicts with humans. 

Indigenous peoples have long been stewards of their land. In the Ecuadorian Amazon, a group of women has mobilized to safeguard waterways and critical habitat.

Located at the heart of the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic is a major point for drug transit by organized crime. Its democracy is less than three decades old. And lately it has felt the spillover effects of violent chaos in Haiti, its island neighbor. Yet despite such head winds, the country of 11 million was the only one in the Americas last year to make significant progress against corruption, according to Transparency International.

Its rise on that watchdog’s corruption index stands out because efforts against corruption in Latin America have lately stalled or declined. The region is looking for fresh inspiration on how to create honest governance. It may now find it in the Dominican Republic.

Much of the credit for the country’s progress is given to the election of a new president in 2020, Luis Abinader, a popular anti-corruption crusader and former executive in the tourism industry. He has appointed prosecutors without political links, improved the judiciary, and set up auditing of public spending. So far, the number of convictions of former officials for graft has been modest. Much still needs to be done to reform the national police, who are often associated with drug syndicates.

All of that helps explain why the president says he finds his work incomplete and seeks a second term in May 19 elections. He’s projected to win. Also, he has lately appealed to the source of his political rise – a grassroots protest movement of youth and others in 2017-2019, known as the Green March, which called for an end to impunity and corruption.

In a speech to young people last October, Mr. Abinader acknowledged how much citizens now feel empowered to bring transparency and accountability to government. “When you work with ethics and honesty, resources yield more and the possibilities of solving problems expand,” he said.

“Wherever you see something that is going to affect the national interest, that is being done against transparency and honesty, you shout, you protest.” He added that ethical thinking is a quality that accompanies every human being and helps create an environment of trust.

The nonprofit group Citizen Participation, which is the local arm of Transparency International, describes the work of volunteers against corruption as “spiritual sublimation,” or building a just society “without asking for anything in return.”

For those in Latin America looking for advice in fighting graft, the Dominican Republic may be getting it right.