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Iran appears to be racing toward a major milestone in the nuclear agreement reached this summer with six world powers: "implementation day."

It's a term with no fixed date, but it will be a big deal when it arrives. It's the day when the United Nations Security Council lifts the financial and banking sanctions against Iran, and more than $100 billion in frozen assets will be freed up. But the day can only happen when international inspectors confirm that Iran has taken a number of steps to shrink and open up its nuclear program.

All the signs suggest this is happening faster than many in the West expected.

As Iran Moves Swiftly On Nuclear Deal, Sanctions Could Go Soon

Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images

Caption: Iranian shopkeepers in the main bazaar in the capital, Tehran, in September. Iranians are eager for economic sanctions to be lifted and have been moving quickly to meet their obligations under a nuclear deal, according to analysts monitoring the agreement.

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At the time, James Nealon was just being confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Honduras.

"I was told to go down to Honduras and to do whatever I could to help stem that flow," Nealon says. "And I can say that a year later, at least in the case of Honduras, we've had considerable success."

Yes and no.

U.S. border apprehensions are indeed down by a third this year, according to the Homeland Security Department. And joint Central American-U.S. efforts to improve the northern triangle's economic and security situation are starting to bear fruit.

But migrants still pour out of Honduras, largely because they continue to face many of the same brutal conditions. And a big reason Central American migrants aren't reaching the U.S. border is that Mexico is cracking down on them this year.

Back at the El Edén center, a father named Menelio Briones talks about that reality. His wife and five children — one is just a baby — set out for Texas in July. A month later, Mexican officials detained them in Saltillo, just 180 miles from the U.S. border.

"We're going to try again for sure," says Briones. "We don't have anything to leave behind anymore."

For Many Central American Migrants, U.S. Border Is Now Beyond Reach

Photo: Patrick Farrell/Miami Herald staff

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Ferenc Gyurcsany, Hungary's prime minister from 2004 to 2009, and his wife have opened their home to give Syrian migrants "one normal night." A new law criminalizing such actions won't stop them.

A Former Hungarian Leader Hosts Migrants, Despite Government Crackdown

Credit: Eleanor Beardsley/NPR

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Beatriz and Fabio Costa Vasconcelos pose for a photo in a park in Rio de Janiero. Brazilian couples are increasingly hiring professional photographers to take pictures when the wife is pregnant. The results are widely shared on social media.

If You're Expecting In Brazil, You Need A Pregnancy Photographer

Credit: Courtesy of Ale Crisostomo & Alexandre Carnieri

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There isn't much public space to be creative. Artists Arwa Alneami and Ahmed Mater are trying to change that. They host a salon where creative people gather and exchange ideas.

An Art Scene Flourishes Behind Closed Doors In Saudi Arabia

Photo: Leila Fadel/NPR

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The migrant crisis in Europe and the Middle East lurches from one drama to the next by the day. First it's a rickety boat floundering in the Mediterranean. Next it's a new surge of migrants landing on European shores. Suddenly it's thousands of refugees stranded in an unwelcoming Hungary.

The numbers are also changing by the day. Here's a snapshot of the best and most recent figures as this unfolds:

4.1 Million: The number of Syrians who have fled their country since the country's civil war began in 2011. These Syrians are the focus of the refugee crisis in the Middle East and in Europe.

In addition, an estimated 7.6 million Syrians have been displaced inside their homeland. Combine these two groups and it means that just over half of Syria's 23 million people have fled or been driven from their homes since the war began, a strikingly high figure for any war.

The Migrant Crisis, By The Numbers

Credit: Christopher Groskopf and Alyson Hurt/NPR

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Today, the 53 countries of the British Commonwealth mark a historic milestone as Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest serving monarch in British history.

She surpasses Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years, 7 months and 2 days.

In the 20th century, monarchies crumbled all over the world. The British royal family is a dramatic exception.

"I think we're a bit surprised that the monarchy is still here," says Robert Lacey, a historian and author who wrote a biography of Elizabeth II. "You think back to the swinging '60s, satire, the Beatles — you wouldn't have given much time for the monarchy then [or] in the depths of the scandals of the 1990s, Windsor Castle burning down so significantly."

Yet it endured.

A Milestone For A Beloved Monarch

Photos: (top) STF/AFP/Getty Images and (bottom) Carl Court/Getty Images

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Just 2 Russian Bros Working Out, Grilling Steak, Drinking Tea

Newly released pictures of President Vladimir Putin show him working out at a gym and grilling steaks with his prime minister. It may be part of a government effort to boost Putin's approval ratings.