The World: Latest Stories

With former President Bashar al-Assad ousted from power, comedians in Syria see a new moment for their art form. They have been putting together shows at cafes and clubs across Damascus. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports on how these comedians are telling jokes that were unthinkable under the former regime.This story originally aired on May 30, 2025.

Ukrainian comic Anton Tymoshenko is based in Kyiv, and since the start of the war in Ukraine, he's begun performing in both Ukrainian and English. Amid a groundswell of comedy in his country, Tymoshenko has managed to cross over to reach a global, English-speaking audience. He says that, for him, comedy is a way to process the war - it's also a defense mechanism, and sometimes a distraction. The World's Daniel Ofman reports.This story originally aired on March 11, 2025.

Romesh Ranganathan took a circuitous route to comedy. The son of Sri Lankan immigrants in the UK, he taught high school math for about a decade before abandoning it for a full-time career in entertainment. He does standup, radio shows, podcasts and TV specials. As he started the North American leg of his current Hustle tour, Ranganathan stopped in at The World's studio in Boston for a conversation with Host Carol Hills.This story originally aired on Jan. 17, 2025.

Learnmore Jonasi, from a small village in Zimbabwe, is making a name for himself on the US comedy scene. And yes, his first name really is Learnmore. Carol Hills speaks with the comedian.This story originally aired on Dec. 6, 2024.

More than 8 million Venezuelans have fled their country in the past 10 years, and some of them have become comedians and satirists. A 2018 anti-hate law passed by the government of President Nicolas Maduro clamped down on all sorts of speech and made it impossible for them to ply their trade. The World's Tibisay Zea reports on whether there's a distinct Venezuelan sense of humor, and the challenge of punching up at a dictator.This story originally aired on February 24, 2025.

Meet Daisy, a British AI conversationalist made to sound like an older woman who's not very tech savy. She's been deployed to take up phone scammers' time - and collect information about new scams. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have the story.This story originally aired on Nov. 14, 2024.

There are plenty of jokes. And lots of laughs. But the regular Chinese-language open mic events in New York city called "Nuzhizhuyi" - which translates to "feminism" from Mandarin - are not just about stand-up comedy. These get-togethers also serve as a place for activists, students and young professionals to meet, engage in group therapy and share pointed views on life back home in China and here in the United States. The World's Matthew Bell has the story.

A series of videos brings together climate scientists and comedians from the UK. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Nick Oldridge and Ben Carey, two of the producers of "Climate Science Translated," a project that uses snark, whimsy and irreverence to communicate the serious issues around climate change.This story originally aired on Nov. 3, 2023.

On Tuesday the European Space Agency (ESA) launched a small bioreactor carrying genetically engineered yeast into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It's part of a larger plan to develop in-space food production systems to serve the International Space Station and future missions to the Moon and Mars. Host Marco Werman speaks with Aqeel Shamsul, CEO of Frontier Space, a UK biotech company that is developing the platform for biotech and biopharma in space.This story originally aired on April 22, 2025.

Green tea is a major industry in Shizuoka prefecture, on Japan's Pacific coast. Over a third of the tea leaves produced in Japan come from Shizuoka. Google Shizuoka" and you'll find images of hillsides covered in neat rows of bright-green tea bushes with Mt. Fuji in the background. But that scenery is changing. Reporter Hannah Kirshner headed to Shizuoka to find out why some tea farmers are innovating, and others are calling it quits.This story originally aired on Aug. 27, 2024.

The cuisine of Nigeria packs in all kinds of global influences and ingredients: curries from India, sauces from China, spices from Lebanon. They all co-mingle with a particular repertoire of staple ingredients from Nigeria. Food anthropologist and Nigerian native Ozoz Sokoh is out with a cookbook that's being hailed as the first comprehensive guide to home cooking in all six regions of the country. She joins Host Carol Hills for a conversation about the flavors, ingredients and recipes in her book - as well as the culture around eating in Nigeria.This story originally aired on April 11, 2025.

Italians looking to avoid "egg-flation" have been flocking to a farm in northern Italy for classes in how to raise hens. Reporter Dany Mitzman from our partner Deutsche Welle, DW, reports from Flori, Italy.This story originally aired on March 26, 2025.

Styles may vary when it comes to barbecuing, but the basic idea is cooking meat, over fire - low and slow. It's also a culinary tradition with an global history, obviously infused with flavor from around the world. A new cookbook called "Barbecue: Smoked and Grilled Recipes from Across the Globe" explores these traditions. It was compiled by Chef Hugh Mangum with contributions from May Chow, a chef in Hong Kong. Both chefs speak to Host Marco Werman.

Cold beet soup is a culinary staple in Latvia and Lithuania, and across Eastern Europe. This year, Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, hosted a "Pink Soup Festival" celebrating the dish. But the city's tourism agency also started a public beef with Latvia, claiming that the Lithuanian version of the soup is better. The World's Daniel Ofman reports from Latvia's capital, Riga.This story originally aired on June 4, 2024.

Move over fish and olive oil! Try plantain and fermented banana drink. According to a recent study in the journal Nature Medicine, traditional eating habits in rural Africa can boost the immune system and reduce inflammation. The so-called "African heritage diet" has not been explored before, unlike the Mediterranean and Japanese diets, which have been studied and promoted by the global health community for years. Experts say its time to expand what healthy eating looks like, beyond the Euro-centric mindset.This story originally aired on April 22, 2025.

Uganda is known for bananas. The tropical fruit grows there, and it's also a major culinary staple in the country. But banana growers in the country struggle to make a living, because of a bumper crop - there can be so many bananas that their monetary value plunges. That has Ugandan entrepreneurs seeking out uses for bananas beyond the culinary. Anita Elash visited some of the factories and farms trying to make a go of new banana products.This story originally aired on April 9, 2025.

In January, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan named 2025 as the "Year of the Family," unveiling financial incentives for new parents and urging couples to have at least three children. Over the past two decades, Turkey's fertility rate slid from 2.6 to 1.5 births per woman, a record low that has politicians concerned about an aging workforce. The World's Durrie Bouscaren and local producer Gamze Yilmazel went out to see how this request landed with parents in Istanbul.This story originally aired on February 11, 2025.

The 80th anniversary of the Holocaust, Yom Hashoah, was on April 24. There are approximately 245,000 Holocaust survivors still alive today. While there will soon be no living Holocaust survivors, it's estimated that there are around 1 million third-generation Holocaust survivors in the United States. As The World's Sarah Birnbaum reports, it's falling on them to keep the stories of their grandparents and the Holocaust alive.This story originally aired on April 24, 2025.

In the midst of missiles strikes, air raid sirens and power outages, Ukrainians are finding ways to keep living their lives. That includes searching for - and finding - love. The World's Carolyn Beeler speaks with people who are dating, moving in together and getting married in wartime Kyiv.This story originally aired on March 14, 2023.

Each May, Mother's Day is a moment to recognize moms in many countries across the globe. One book follows the lives of four women - in the US, Kenya, Finland and Japan - as they enter a new chapter of life as mothers. In her new book Four Mothers: An Intimate Journey through the First Year of Parenthood in Four Countries," journalist Abigail Leonard set out to explore the experience of parenting across cultures. Leonard told The World's Host Carol Hills what she learned by following their lives.This story originally aired on May 9, 2025.

The families of a historic apartheid murder case are taking the government and president to court for not investigating and prosecuting the crimes properly. They want nearly $10 million in damages and a public commission to look into how political interference suppressed hundreds of crimes from that era. From Johannesburg, Elna Schutz reports.This story originally aired on Jan. 28, 2025.

Statistically speaking, for every baby born in Japan, two people pass away. The country's rapidly shrinking population is, according to officials, a national emergency" threatening its future prosperity and entire way of life. They're struggling to reverse this trend but some believe fixing this problem calls for a revolution in Japanese fatherhood. The World's Patrick Winn reports with Aya Asakura in Tokyo.This story originally aired on June 5, 2024.

She was once called "the most dangerous woman in Africa." But Andree Blouin described herself as an African woman "inflamed by injustice" on a mission to free her continent from colonial rule. She was born in French Equatorial Africa, abandoned at the age of three, escaped an arranged marriage at 15 and became politically active after French officials denied her son medication for malaria, leading to his death. She shares the whole story from her own point of view in her book, My Country, Africa: Autobiography of the Black Pasionaria." Originally published in 1983, a new edition of the book edited by her daughter, Eve Blouin, came out this year. Host Marco Werman spoke with Eve Blouin about the book and how she remembers her mother.This story originally aired on Jan. 28, 2025.

Being a uniquely American sport, football (not soccer) can be a bewildering game to understand if you're not from the United States. To help their international students, many universities now offer a crash course (no credit) in the rules, scoring and, of course, their fight songs. Shannon Young reports from football-crazed Boulder, Colorado, that the classes aren't just to help international students understand football, but also American culture.This story originally aired on Nov. 15, 2023.

Caster Semenya won her first Olympic gold medal in 2009. But claims that her naturally high levels of testosterone should disqualify her have marred her career. At times, she has been effectively banned from the sport she loves. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Semenya about her new memoir called, "The Race to Be Myself."This story originally aired on Oct. 31, 2023.

A collective of female skateboarders in Bolivia has caught the attention of the news media all over the world. That's partly because of the clothes they wear. But, as The World's Tibisay Zea reports, it's not just a matter of skateboarding fashion. These Indigenous women are trying to change stereotypes rooted in Bolivian society.This story originally aired on Aug. 12, 2022.

Emma Raducanu, a former British number-one-ranked tennis player, stopped a match in Dubai to ask the umpire to remove a man who she said had been stalking her. Reportedly, he approached her in a public place the day prior. Tournament officials ejected the man from the match and he has been banned from World Tennis Association games. The incident was a reminder of the harassment looming over female sports celebrities, and the particular challenges around minimizing risk. Lindsay Gibbs is a sports reporter who writes the Power Plays newsletter, all about sexism in sports. She explains the dynamic at work and what officials aren't doing to protect athletes.This story originally aired on March 6, 2025.

Ajay Gallewalle grew up loving baseball in a small town in India, where most of his friends and neighbors loved cricket. So, when he finally got the chance to play, his reputation was on the line. Upon learning that the existing pantheon of Hindu gods did not include a deity overseeing success in baseball, Gallewalle got creative. This story was originally told as part of GBH's Stories from the Stage series.This story originally aired on April 28, 2025.

Hurling is a national sport in Ireland that dates back centuries. It's also one of the fastest field sports in the world. The wooden sticks known as hurleys that are used in the game are made from ash trees. But a deadly fungal disease is threatening to wipe out ash trees across Ireland and much of the EU. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry reports.This story originally aired on Oct. 3, 2024.

ACL tears are an ugly constant in the beautiful game of soccer. The anterior cruciate ligament is located in the knee, and can be torn during stops and starts and sudden changes in direction. The injury plagues teams everywhere, but women are 2-to-6 times more likely to tear their ACLs than men. A new project seeks to find out why. The World's Bianca Hillier reports.This story originally aired on May 8, 2024.

Toward the end of September last year, India achieved a historic victory in chess - winning the gold medal in both men's and women's Chess Olympiad in Budapest - considered the Olympics of chess. This double victory, plus four individual goal medals, captured the nation's imagination. As Namrata Kolachalam reports, Chennai has become a global hotspot for chess, and professional-level schools and training programs have exploded in towns and cities.This story originally aired on Nov. 21st, 2024.

Sumo wrestling from Japan is among the world's oldest sports, dating back at least 1,500 years. The rules are simple: square off with an opponent, in a ring lined with sand, then try to push the other person out. Another rule: Japanese professional sumo is also off limits to women. As The World's Patrick Winn reports, Japanese women wrestlers who achieve champion status at international sumo events are frustrated to face prejudice back home.This story originally aired June 12, 2024.

In 1848, Ranald MacDonald, the son of a Chinook chief and a Scottish settler, staged a shipwreck near Rishiri Island to gain entry into Japan - then a closed country under isolationist policies. Despite being briefly imprisoned upon his arrival in Japan, MacDonald ultimately became a highly influential figure in fostering US-Japan relations. Rebecca Rosman brings us the story from Rishiri Island, in Hokkaido.This story originally aired on Feb. 4, 2025.

Fans of Hello Kitty might be drawn to the simple lines of the cartoon, or the "cute" style of Japanese culture. Leslie Bow takes the conversation much deeper. When Hello Kitty had her 50th birthday in Fall 2024, Host Carolyn Beeler talked to Bow about Hello Kitty's global fame and the meaning of the "Kawaii" style. Bow is a professor of English and Asian American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.This interview originally aired on Oct. 31, 2024.

Japan's government says keeping older folks in the workforce is one way it hopes to bolster its economy as the working-age population decreases. But most medium- and large-scale Japanese companies are enacting mandatory retirement ages - at 60 or 65. As The World's Carolyn Beeler reports, those policies are complicating efforts to keep people working longer.This story originally aired on Dec. 2, 2024.

Beijing and Tokyo have reached an agreement for China to import fish from Japan. The move comes after a dispute over slightly radioactive water around the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. Meanwhile, the dispute between the US and Japan over tariffs on Japanese cars exported to the US continues. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have more.

They go by a few different names, but Japan's "listening lounges" are going through something of a revival. They're music bars where simply sitting and listening to records is the main attraction. The World's Matthew Bell reports from Tokyo.This story originally aired on Feb. 25, 2025.

Thousands of people were displaced following an earthquake in Ishikawa province in Japan in January 2024. The epicenter was on the Noto Peninsula, an area known for its traditional lacquerware crafts. Reporter Hannah Kirshner talks with some of the artisans who relocated about how their centuries-old craft continues on.This story originally aired June 17, 2024.

In most so-called "mega-cities" with populations over 10 million people, traffic is a mega-problem, and so is the air pollution. But Tokyo - with a population of 37 million - bucks that trend with a massive public transit system. As our Transportation Correspondent Jeremy Siegel reports, Tokyo may not serve as a model for other parts of the world.This story originally aired on Feb. 19, 2025.

Earlier this week, Israel bombed Evin prison in Tehran, long seen as a symbol of the Iranian government's repression. The facility has housed political prisoners, students, and activists for decades. Israeli officials called the strike a symbolic blow against oppression. But survivors describe terror and confusion, and a former hostage says the attack only deepens the suffering of those it claims to help.

Over the last several months, international students at US campuses have found themselves caught up in political havoc. The Trump administration has announced enhanced scrutiny of student visa applications. And specifically for Harvard University, has moved to block admittance for all international students. Some colleges abroad are now stepping in to help. Kirk Carapezza covers higher education for GBH Boston and joins Host Carolyn Beeler to discuss all this.

In Syria, tens of thousands of people with connections to ISIS have been detained for years in sprawling camps. The country's transitional government is now trying to clear those camps by sending prisoners back to their home countries. Levi Bridges reports the program is considered a success, but that success is now in jeopardy.

On the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, more than a third of the population - out of about 10,000 - has applied for a chance to win a special climate change visa for Australia. The first-of-its kind visa program will allow 280 Tuvaluans to become permanent residents of Australia each year.

This week, Venice is the site of the Bezos nuptials - as Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and one of the world's richest men, marries Lauren Sanchez, a journalist, entrepreneur and astronaut. Venetians, themselves, however, don't seem to be entirely onboard with the party, as reporter Angelo van Schaik with our partners at Deutsche Welle, DW, has been finding out.

NBA Draft organizers didn't give Yang Hansen a prime seat at this week's Draft event in Brooklyn, New York. So, it came as a huge surprise when the Chinese center was picked 16th in the first round. The World's Bianca Hillier has more.

The Atacama Desert in Chile is home to a massive, and growing, mountain of discarded clothes and textiles. The items are remnants of secondhand clothes imported into the country to resell. To address the problem, the Chilean government has added textiles to its producer responsibility law. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with fashion geopolitics expert Barbara Pino about the problem, and the proposed solution.

Lalo Schifrin, the widely celebrated Argentine American film score composer, died yesterday at the age of 93. Schifrin was most well known for penning the "Mission: Impossible" theme music. But his career spanned seven decades and many styles of music. Host Carolyn Beeler dives into Schifrin's legacy.

This summer, Tokyo is set to surpass Paris as the second most popular destination for travelers from the US. As our Transportation Correspondent Jeremy Siegel reports, the massive spike in tourism is fundamentally changing life - and the economy - in the world's largest city.

It's mango season, and that means people around the world are flocking to buy the popular fruit. In Belize, the village of Hopkins hosts an entire festival dedicated to mangoes. Stoney Ferguson of Memories Farm supplied the mangoes for this year's festival. He spoke to The World's Host Marco Werman about what makes the best mango and why he keeps his business local.

Kenyan runner Faith Kipyegon has accomplished everything a professional athlete could hope for. She's a three-time Olympic champion and holds multiple world records. But today in Paris, she set her sights on perhaps an even more ambitious goal: running a mile in under four minutes. The World's Bianca Hillier reports.