Justin and Angela Escher began the year 2013 full of hope. In July, they expected the birth of their first child. But four months before her due date, Angela noticed the baby wasn’t kicking. They decided to go in for a checkup.

“We found out she had passed away,” Angela said. “On April 25, our daughter Leila was stillborn.”

Before Leila’s birth, the doctors asked if they wanted to take pictures with their baby. Angela felt unsure of the idea and talked it through with Justin and her extended family. Although still uncertain, they decided to do it.

During the past year, WORLD received more than 100 self-published books for possible review. This past May we had our 14 students at the 2015 World Journalism Institute each choose the books that most appealed to them—and from those to choose one to review. For the WJI students, that’s useful experience for future work in publishing or book reviewing. For the authors who sent their books, thank you. Although some of you will be disappointed not to find your book reviewed here, you have helped in the training of these budding journalists.

This is the 10th year of WORLD’s awards programs for Christian groups that practice effective compassion, the kind that helps people rise out of poverty and not just stay in it. We wanted to see whether winners of our first year’s competition, in 2006, had overcome obstacles and persevered in their mission. 

Rite Aid and Food Lion announced they will start placing Cosmopolitan magazines behind blinders to hide the magazine’s inappropriate covers and content.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCSE) and Victoria Hearst, granddaughter of Hearst Corporation founder William Randolph Hearst, ran a campaign called “Cosmo Harms Minors” that inspired the move. NCSE began its battle for Cosmopolitan, to be placed in wrappers and not sold to minors in 2013.

President Barack Obama’s trip to Africa began Friday with a warm welcome in Kenya, where his father was born. Billboards announcing his arrival covered the streets, and he spent the first evening reuniting with his Kenyan family over dinner.

But Obama’s first visit to East Africa since becoming president involved a lot more than a reunion. During meetings with leaders from both Kenya and Ethiopia, Obama addressed gay rights, corruption, and other social and political crises troubling the region.

A new legislative bill in Portugal could require women to get counseling before abortions and cover part of the expense themselves.

The European Union has agreed to help the Tunisian government fight Islamic extremism in the North African country.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday agreed to several cooperative measures with Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid. The agreement follows last month’s beach resort attack in Tunisia that left 38 tourists dead, many EU nationals.

“We have to keep hope alive in a region that faces so many difficulties,” said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who also said it’s in Europeans’ own interest to assist Tunisia.