The World: Latest Stories

Two of OpenAI's agents teamed up to hack into a different company's digital library. This was during a test, when the AI models were supposed to be cut off from the internet. It sounds like something out of science fiction. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Rumman Chowdhury about what this all means.

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 into "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 our story.This story originally aired on July 4, 2025.

US President Donald Trump approved a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia Wednesday that would expand cooperation on nuclear energy, according to The Wall Street Journal. While details have not yet been officially released, critics say the deal could also make it easier for the kingdom to support a nuclear weapons program. Matthew Bunn, faculty chair of the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, pointed out to The World's Host Marco Werman that Saudi Arabia would be the only country to sign such an agreement with the US, despite its leader suggesting it would build nuclear weapons if necessary.

Since the introduction of ChatGPT, many people are using the chatbot to find out what they need to know, instead of Google. According to Google, its AI Overview now has over 2.5 billion monthly active users. But what happens when the AI gets the answer wrong - or is tricked into providing misinformation? Brian Reed and the team at "Question Everything," an investigative podcast from KCRW and Placement Theory, looks into that question.

For 10 nights, the US has carried out airstrikes in southern parts of Iran. Most of the targets, according to the Pentagon, have been military assets and facilities, but residents say they are suffering as a result of the attacks. Residents say they're living in constant fear of further attacks while struggling to access basic necessities. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports.

A new UN report finds the number of people experiencing hunger dropped in 2025 compared to the year before. However, several events this year, including the war in Iran and the ongoing El Nino weather pattern, could threaten that progress. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with chief economist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Maximo Torero, about the report's findings.

Mexico City has been sinking for more than a century, but new satellite data is showing scientists exactly where the ground is dropping fastest. In some areas, it's been recently falling by more than a foot a year. The World's Tibisay Zea walks through the city with experts who point out the signs hidden in plain sight - and what they reveal about the city's future.

ChatGPT has gone rogue. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, disclosed yesterday that it was running a security test on a new AI agent when things went sideways. An agent is an AI system that, unlike traditional chatbots, has the ability to plan and execute multiple steps without human intervention. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler explain.

An increasing number of alcohol-fueled violent incidents have happened on German trains and in Deutsche Bahn stations. The railway is banning public consumption of alcohol from its stations beginning in September. Some test cases, they say, have proven wildly successful. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler explain.

Gan Erez, known as "Israel's Metal Man," is one of the world's preeminent metal detection experts, called on by governments to recover lost historic artifacts, by militaries to search for missing weapons and families to find lost heirlooms. His current projects include overseeing dozens of volunteers trying to recover artifacts of a missing Australian soldier killed in Israel during a WWI battle against the Ottoman army. In recent years, he received Italy's peace prize after recovering ID bracelets of missing WWII Italian POW's.

Tijuana is a Mexican city less than 20 miles south of San Diego. Because of that close proximity, some musicians in Tijuana are much closer to music trends coming out of the US, than the vibes coming out of Mexico City some 1,700 miles away. Still, some artists proudly want to represent Tijuana with their own sounds. Marco Werman went crate-digging in Tijuana with music journalist Betto Arcos last spring. They set out to look for vinyl, taking in Tijuana music, both past and present.This story originally aired on April 16, 2025.

There is a new project of melodic, metal nostalgia seekers called Nuclear Messiah. It's Brits, Americans and Canadians all dedicated to the glorious noise emerging from their Marshall amps, featuring Canadian vocalist Sebastian Bach.

Days after an ICE agent shot and killed 25-year-old Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, his death is reverberating across the US and his native Colombia. There have been fervent protests in Maine, while friends and family grapple with the young man's loss. Maine Public's Ari Snider reports.

Sunday marked 47 years since the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) toppled Nicaragua's dictatorship. To mark the occasion, the former leader of that guerrilla movement and now president of the country, 80-year-old Daniel Ortega, announced the country would no longer hold elections. To understand how Ortega got here and where things are headed for Nicaragua, The World's Host Marco Werman spoke to Cindy Regidor, a Nicaraguan journalist based in Costa Rica.

A British amateur genealogist is tracking down the stories of people who were enslaved on the former British colony of Grenada, and is publishing their stories in an online archive. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Steve Lewis, the founder of the Depths of Paradise project, about his work, why he's publishing stories of both people who were enslaved and those who owned slaves and how his own family history fits into his research.

Scientists are working at breakneck speed to develop a vaccine that targets the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. Dr. Armand Sprecher, an epidemiologist with Doctors Without Borders, just returned from Democratic Republic of Congo's worst-affected province. He talks with The World's Host Carolyn Beeler about potential vaccines in the pipeline and why local populations and front-line workers need more protection now.

While Iran and the US continued to trade attacks for an eighth consecutive night, strikes on both sides were calibrated to avoid a resumption of full-scale fighting. Still, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Oman and Qatar have all had to defend themselves from Iranian drones and missiles in recent days. Bader Al-Saif, a professor of history at Kuwait University, speaks with The World's Host Marco Werman about how Gulf states are balancing their neutrality with hosting US military assets.

This month, Poland marked the 83rd anniversary of a war-time massacre. To this day, the incident still has the power to upset one of Europe's most crucial strategic alliances. From Deutsche Welle, DW, Inside Europe's Adam Easton reports from Warsaw and explains that, when it comes to Poland and Ukraine, it's best not to raise old ghosts.

In India's capital, New Delhi, police used tear gas and batons against thousands of student demonstrators earlier today. They are with the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party, and they were trying to march on Parliament to demand the education minister's resignation. The police crackdown came as students started to breach security barricades around the protest site. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have more.

The first Tibetan Freedom Concert was held 30 years ago in San Francisco. The two-day festival was a chance for fans to hear some great music, while concert organizers wanted to raise awareness about what was happening in Tibet and their campaign for independence from China. A new podcast called "Freedom Needs a Soundtrack" tells the story of how the Tibetan Freedom Concerts began, what they achieved and what their legacy is. It's hosted by Erin Potts, who co-founded the concerts.

The new British prime minister is something of a groundbreaker. Despite being in politics since he was a young man, Andy Burnham has refused to lose his northern England accent. Many politicians - and all prime ministers - have been known to speak in a polished, posh accent, which was once known as "the queen's English." Host Marco Werman explains.

It took the Spaniards 105 minutes to score, but they dominated the Argentines from the outset. Fans went wild after the final whistle, celebrating Spain's second World Cup championship title. Meanwhile, Argentines held out hope that their superstar, Lionel Messi, might provide the last-minute magic he's been serving up for the whole tournament. It was not to be. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona. And Manuel Rueda reports from Rosario, Argentina, Messi's hometown.

This week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the US is going to dismantle the International Criminal Court brick by brick if necessary." He wrote those words in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. The State Department then published a video repeating the same message. His argument is that the ICC is too focused on the Trump administration, and that it plans to prosecute American officials and service members once Trump is out of office. The World's Shirin Jaafari speaks with law experts to get their take.

At SCI Chester, a correctional facility half an hour south of Philadelphia, they are trying what is being called a bold experiment. They have adopted what they're calling the "Scandinavian Prison Project." It prioritizes the well-being of everyone in prison, from the inmates to the guards. Cristina Quinn reports for the "Fighting Crime" podcast, "Little Scandinavia - An American Prison Experiment."

Toronto had some of the world's worst air quality this week, thanks to wildfires burning up north. It's a growing problem across North America. The World's Carolyn Beeler speaks with Eric Kennedy, professor of Disaster and Emergency Preparedness at York University, about practical ways you can protect yourself from that smoke, both outdoors and indoors.

Friday marked an anti-government activist's 20th day on hunger strike in Delhi, India. Sonam Wangchuk has been protesting in support of the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and its call for the country's education minister to resign. The World's Host Marco Werman learned more from political anthropologist Mukulika Banerjee, who researches Indian democracy at the London School of Economics. She explained how hunger strikes have a special resonance in India.

Cape Verde seduced the world with its appearance at the World Cup, making its historic run to the round of 32. Host Marco Werman takes us to Friday night in the capital Praia to hear one of the hot pop tunes at the moment in the country: "Obrigado," or "Thanks," courtesy of Cape Verdean pop star Helio Batalha, featuring Djodje, one of the country's top musical collaborators.

The massive wildfires in Canada are continuing to spread in Ontario. There are intense fires in the north of the province where there have been evacuations. There are also fires around Thunder Bay, on the edge of Lake Superior, not far from the US border. Carolyn Beeler is reports from Toronto, which has been blanketed by smoke.

Ukrainians took to the streets of Kyiv Thursday to protest the removal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During Fedorov's tenure, Ukraine saw successes in slowing Russian advances. To learn more, Host Marco Werman spoke to Oleksiy Sorokin, the deputy chief editor of the Kyiv Independent, who joined the show from Kyiv.

This week, France became the latest country to legalize assisted dying, honoring a promise made by President Emmanuel Macron to introduce a distinctly French form of legalization. But opponents have been quite vocal about their concerns. From Paris, DW's John Laurenson reports.

Climate change is undeniably bad for the animal kingdom. But some animals are able to adapt - so far - by changing their behaviors or even their bodies. Science journalist Ari Daniel reports.This story originally aired on May 3, 2023.

The final two games of the 2026 World Cup take place this weekend. We've been keeping track of the competition. Today, we get an update from The World's Gerry Hadden.

Musician-turned-politician Bobi Wine was forced to flee Uganda last January after soldiers broke into his home and attacked his wife. That was after President Yoweri Museveni, the country's aging authoritarian leader, was declared the winner of a disputed election. Wine tells The World's Host Marco Werman that Museveni's powerful son is determined to crush the last vestiges of democracy in Uganda.

The World's Carolyn Beeler is in Toronto this week, to get a look at how the wildfires in Ontario are affecting the province's largest city. She speaks with Host Marco Werman about what authorities there are doing, and how people on the street are responding.

Sightings of colobus congoensis, a black colobus monkey with human-like eyes and pink-and-orange fur ringing its mouth are rare. But this week, scientists announced they have confirmed that the monkey is a distinct, new species. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Junior Amboko, a field conservationist at Florida Atlantic University and anthropologist Kate Detwiler who were among the co-authors of a paper announcing the discovery.

Producer Dan R. Morris reflects on the importance of a damaged flag, a protest symbol he discovered while living in Romania in the 1990s. Morris made the story for Audio Flux, an independent platform for short-form audio storytelling.

There's a certain romance in the idea of the "gap year." You pack a bag, maybe travel somewhere totally different. Maybe you even settle into a new culture and return home a little wisee - possibly with a new language under your belt. Spain seemed like the perfect choice for one Canadian woman on her gap year: a steady job as a nanny. On GBH's Stories from the Stage, Angela Lu shared how she managed to rewire the tedium of that work, so that it wouldn't define the rest of her life.

"The Sound of Milk" took French singer Camille 15 years to produce. It spans the years since she became pregnant with the first of her two children. She had so much to sing about that it became a three-record set. Just three singles have been released so far, but they display a much more mature artist compared to the experimentalist musician of Camille's younger years. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

After years of negotiations between the EU and the UK, the border wall between the British territory of Gibraltar and Spain has come down. Brexit had complicated travel between the two, leading to traffic snarls for the residents, tourists and workers who cross the border daily. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler explain.

At one coffee shop in Manila, customers can get more than a latte. They can listen to stories about how former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's Drug War" shattered families. The cafe is staffed by mothers, wives, sisters and friends of people who were killed. They explain the emotional cost of the war and try to convince people it's a war on the poor. Dave Grunebaum reports.

Egypt has announced the discovery of an entire city, a well-preserved Byzantine-era residential city in the Western Desert. Host Carolyn Beeler has more.

Two oil tankers were struck by projectiles Tuesday, killing one seafarer and injuring several others aboard, according to the company ADNOC Logistics & Services. Since the beginning of the US-Israeli war with Iran, thousands of seafarers have been stuck in the Persian Gulf. John Canias is maritime operations coordinator for the International Transport Workers' Federation. He spoke to The World's Host Marco Werman from London.

Andy Burnham is on the brink of becoming the UK's next prime minister. Next Monday, he'll move into his new residence at 10 Downing Street, replacing outgoing leader Keir Starmer, who held office for just two years. Burnham has promised sweeping plans to help tackle the UK's cost of living crisis, and tamp down on the high cost of living. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry has more.

Cuba's entire national power grid collapsed yesterday - for the third time in less than 10 days. The island's aging power infrastructure has been especially stressed since the Trump administration imposed an oil blockade on the island in late January. Havana-based journalist Ed Augustin tells The World's Host Carolyn Beeler that most Cubans, for years now, have been suffering through daily blackouts.

By tomorrow, we'll know who will be in the finals on the biggest soccer stage - the World Cup. Men's soccer has always gotten plenty of attention and money, but women's soccer is reportedly the fastest growing game globally, with millions of young girls joining for play on the pitch - and scrambling for merch. From our partners at Deutsche Welle, DW, Inside Europe's Lars Bevanger reports on a company in Manchester, England, that's helping to meet the growing demand.

The lights are going out at South Africa's largest diamond mine. De Beers says it's stopping production at its Venetia mine for two years. That facility produces some 40% of the country's diamond output and employs thousands of people. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have more.

One of the many grievances going around these days regarding the World Cup is that FIFA is "rigging" the tournament to favor Argentine superstar Lionel Messi. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with soccer aficionado Anders Kelto about this and the state of the 2026 World Cup.

On the first day of the US and Israel's war on Iran, a tragedy hit the southern Iranian city of Minab. Missiles hit a school, killing about 120 students, as well as some of their teachers. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports on a new music video released by two Iranian artists, who say they want the stories of these children to be remembered.

Given Bob Marley's continued popularity around the globe, it's little surprise to hear locals in the Solomon Islands have been inspired to play one of his hits on PVC pipes. Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler take a listen.

A new Anthropic study of its flagship AI model, Claude, shows the large language model's values shift depending on which language it's speaking. For example, Claude is frank when it speaks Dutch, shows more emotional warmth in Hindi and is especially deferential in Arabic. Princeton University's Zeynep Tufecki tells The World's Host Carolyn Beeler that there's a lot more at stake than styles of speech.