The World: Latest Stories

Sleeper trains were most popular during the "Golden Age of Travel" in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But then budget airlines emerged, and spending hours on a train lost its appeal. Now, something funny is happening across the world: From Europe to East Asia, sleeper trains are making a comeback. The World's Jeremy Siegel reports.

Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Serhii Zenin was the host of one of the nation's most popular hard rock radio shows on Radio ROKS 103.6. Three years later, Serhii is a soldier, and Radio ROKS has taken on a whole new role as well. Radio Roks is trying to make millions of Ukrainians feel a little less alone - as they manage the changing landscape of war. From the CLICK HERE podcast, Dina Temple-Raston reports.

They're just like regular nighttime raves except totally different: they happen when other humans are having breakfast, and the drink in hand is hot. Sunshine, caffeine, afro-house music and people dancing as the day begins. It's fun and healthy, and the waiting list to get in now exceeds a thousand people. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from a coffee rave in Barcelona.

The International Chopin Piano Competition has been called the Olympics of the piano world, and on Tuesday, Eric Lu of Massachusetts became the first American to win it. The event takes place in Warsaw, Poland, every five years, and this year's competitors came from 20 different countries. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have more.

Today, the airport in Khartoum was scheduled to reopen for the first time since the start of the country's civil war two years ago. But a series of drone strikes near the airport put the kibosh on those plans. While the city has been back in the hands of the Sudanese military since March, the breakaway Rapid Support Forces are pressing the besieged city of El Fasher in the western region of Darfur. Kholood Khair is the head of Confluence Advisory, a think tank founded in Sudan. She speaks with host Marco Werman from Nairobi, Kenya.

Japan's parliament has named Sanae Takaichi as the country's first female prime minister. The 64-year-old heads the Liberal Democratic Party - a conservative party that has held on to power in Japan since the end of World War Two. Now she needs to navigate Japan through multiple domestic and international challenges. The World's Marco Werman learned more from Jeffrey Hall. He's a lecturer in Japanese politics at Kanda University of International Studies just outside Tokyo.

For more than three decades, the Mexican band Cafe Tacvba has redefined Latin rock with humor and experimentation. Now, founding member Emmanuel Meme" del Real steps into the spotlight with "La Montana Encendida" ("The Burning Mountain") - his first solo album. From the forests of central Mexico, Meme reflects on solitude, creativity, and community, as well as what touring the US for thirty years has taught him about belonging in a time of rising divisions. The World's Tibisay Zea reports from Mexico City.

Pimpa, the beloved Italian children's comic character, is celebrating her 50th birthday this year. A white dog with red spots, long floppy ears and a penchant for adventure, Pimpa's been Italy's answer to Paddington Bear for more than two generations. Dany Mitzman, from our partners at Deutsche Welle, DW, shares a gloriously anarchic tribute.

A small group of local boosters and veterans is working to bring the 2029 Invictus Games to San Diego. The games - launched in 2014 by Prince Harry of Great Britain - feature disabled veterans from around the world competing in an array of adaptive sports. The five other finalists are Denmark, Nigeria, South Korea, Ukraine and Italy. From KPBS, Andrew Dyer reports.

At least 20 people have been arrested in Cameroon in connection with protests over the Oct. 12 presidential election, authorities said on Tuesday. That election put long-time incumbent Paul Biya, 92, against a field of opposition candidates. Results are expected to be announced this week, as Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler explain.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy began serving a five-year prison sentence on Tuesday for conspiring to accept millions in campaign funds from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. From Paris, Jalel Harchaoui, a Libyan analyst, tells The World's Marco Werman why Libyan leaders were so eager to work closely with the former head of state.

Russian forces attacked an energy facility in the Chernihiv region overnight, leaving its northern part without power and in some cases without water. Power engineers are working to repair the damage and restore electricity. Ukrainian authorities say they can weather Russia's attacks, even as winter approaches. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Kateryna Hodunova, a reporter for the Kyiv Independent newspaper.

National Book Award winner Ha Jin is set to publish a new coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square massacre. He joins Host Carolyn Beeler in the studio to discuss "Looking for Tankman," which mirrors his own experience coming to the US as a student in 1985 and deciding to stay.

Authoritarian governments are increasingly using foreign agent' laws to intimidate and suppress civil society organizations and journalists. A new report by the nonprofit CIVICUS describes how this type of legislation has crushed the work of NGOs in countries including El Salvador, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Nicaragua. CIVICUS head Mandeep Tiwana describes the global impact to The World's Marco Werman.

Hindus across the globe are celebrating Diwali today. The festival of lights involves oil lamps and fireworks. But friendly gambling is also a big part of the holiday spirit, especially for the Hindu diaspora. Sushmita Pathak explains, from a card party in New York City.

Two members of the Trump administration, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, arrived in Israel today, attempting to hold together a ceasefire plan that began to fall apart over the weekend. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman provide a recap of the day's news in Israel and Gaza.

For thieves, a diamond-studded gold tiara is more tempting these days than, say, stealing the "Mona Lisa." Organized gangs can quickly break down jewelry into its valuable parts to sell, while covering their tracks. The World's Gerry Hadden reports.

President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met at the White House for the first time since Trump began his second term. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have the details on the minerals deal they just inked and what this means for their alliance.

In Lebanon, cancer rates have been climbing faster than anywhere else on earth, according to a new study published in the medical journal The Lancet. One factor has to do with how the country supplies power to houses, factories and businesses. The World's Shirin Jaafari explains.

Visiting Antarctica used to be a truly extraordinary trek. From just a few hundred explorers in the 1950s, to more than 120,000 tourists last year. Right now, tourism season is picking up again in Antarctica. Reporter Charli Shield brings us a look at the tension that business creates between exploration and preservation. She filed this story for our partners at Deutsche Welle, DW, and their show "Living Planet."

Bolivians have elected a center-right candidate to be their new president, marking an end to 20 years of leftist political leadership. The World's Carolyn Beeler speaks with Kathryn Ledebur, director of the Andean Information Network, about what that means for the country and the region.

"Koln 75" is a new feature film that tells the backstory to the famous concert given in Cologne, Germany by jazz pianist Keith Jarrett., and the teenager Vera Brandes who booked the show at the city's opera house. Co-host Marco Werman saw the movie and spoke with the real Vera Brandes to hear about her audacious move and the concert that almost didn't happen.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting the White House for what will be his third visit since US President Donald Trump returned to office. While Zelenskyy hopes for stepped-up US support in the form of Tomahawk missiles, the Trump's newly announced second summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin could complicate matters. To get a sense of how Ukrainians are feeling about the meeting, The World's Host Carloyn Beeler turned to Mariia Zolkina, the head of regional security and conflict studies at the Democratic Initiatives Foundation, a Kyiv-based think tank.

A little-known art museum in the central German city of Wiesbaden has just gotten a surprise gift for its 200-year anniversary: an unprecedented spike in young visitors, flocking in from around the world to view a single painting. "Ophelia" was painted around 1900 and depicts a character from Shakespeare. As Host Carolyn Beeler explains, it isn't the Bard who's inspiring visitors.

Frederic Chopin isn't just a composer in Poland, he's a national hero. His music fills concert halls, cafes and even the capital's main airport bears his name. Every five years, Warsaw hosts the legendary International Chopin Piano Competition, a contest so intense it's been described as the Olympics of piano playing. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry has more.

In South Korea, the tattoo industry has long been underground due to prohibitive licensing rules. With those restrictions set to lift in 2027, some practitioners are breathing a sigh of relief; they'll no longer risk fines or jail time. Others, however, fear that the changes won't all be for the better. Jason Strother in Seoul gives us a glimpse of an industry at a crossroads.

While Israelis are cheering the return of 20 living hostages, and the potential remains of another 28, not all Israeli families will get closure. The hostage deal will not bring relief to the relatives of those deceased hostages whose bodies cannot be found and won't be returned from Gaza within the 72-hour framework set out by the agreement signed in Egypt. Tovah Lazaroff reports from Jerusalem.

What would the fall be in France without bellowing stags? To celebrate and appreciate the deer, France's forest service runs nocturnal tours. Lots of people sign up, including The World's Gerry Hadden, who spent a night in the foothills of the French Pyrenees.

Rowers from around the world are trickling into Boston for this weekend's Head of the Charles Regatta. For one couple, it's an event that transcends countries - and age. GBH's Esteban Bustillos went to the Boathouse in Cambridge, MA, just as the couple was setting out on the water.

A small population of desert lions in Namibia have become the only maritime lions in the world. They've moved to the country's Atlantic coast in search of food, as climate change and extreme weather force a shift in their hunting patterns. Griet Van Malderen is a wildlife photographer who has spent years following the pride. She spoke with The World's Host Carolyn Beeler about what she's seen.

A remote village in Alaska called Shishmaref is home to an Indigenous Inupiaq community of about 550 people. That community's way of life is under threat as the ever-looming dangers of climate change speed up erosion, and government support to relocate them is nowhere in sight. National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek paid a visit to Shishmaref as part of his Out of Eden Walk, tracing the path of human migration, and tells Host Carolyn Beeler all about it.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu survived two votes of no-confidence today in Parliament. Either could have toppled his fragile new government and plunged France deeper into political chaos. Host Carolyn Beeler explains what a month it's been for Lecornu.

On Wednesday, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced that it shuttered its emergency care center in Port-au-Prince. Operations were already on pause since March 2025, but the humanitarian organization said it was closing due to "increasing insecurity" in the heart of the Haitian capital. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks to Diana Manilla Arroyo, MSF's country director in Haiti. She joined the show from Port-au-Prince.

One hundred and thirty years after playwright and author Oscar Wilde's "reader pass" was revoked, the British Library is reinstating it. The library card was revoked in 1895 after Wilde was convicted of "gross indecency," essentially for being homosexual. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler has the details.

On October 5, 1970, a militant separatist group in Quebec kidnapped two public officials in Montreal, triggering what became known as the October Crisis. The Front du Liberation de Quebec galvanized the French working class and demanded social reforms. But when their tactics turned violent, Quebec had to choose between escalating the violence or finding a political solution. This story is told by Laicie Healey and Katie Toth from the PRX national security podcast, "Things That Go Boom."

In an Oval Office press conference on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump confirmed that he has authorized the CIA to carry out secret operations in Venezuela. Trump went on to say the White House was weighing the possibility of a land attack on the country. Phil Gunson, a Caracas-based senior analyst with Crisis Group, discusses the implications with The World's Host Carolyn Beeler.

The head of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 said today that China is carrying out cyber-espionage, stealing technology secrets and trying to interfere covertly in UK public life." Ken McCallum spoke in a rare public appearance saying, "Do Chinese state actors present a UK national security threat? And the answer is, of course, yes, they do, every day." The comments will bring more attention to the failed prosecution of two British men accused of spying for China. The World's Matthew Bell reports.

Staff members at La Fenice, a prestigious opera house in Venice, Italy, say the new, incoming conductor Beatrice Venezi lacks the experience needed for the role. They're now going on strike to protest her appointment. The World's Bianca Hillier reports.

Every year, a sleepy town 50 miles north of Lagos, Nigeria, holds the World Twins Festival. It's a celebration of the community's unusually high rate of twin births - about 50 twins per thousand babies compared to an average of about 12 around the world. Host Carolyn Beeler has more information about the festival held last week.

The Terada Honke sake brewery is like a shrine to the microorganisms brewers must cooperate with to make sake. The workers there sing traditional songs as they pound steamed rice to make a fermentation starter with ambient yeast. Reporter Hannah Kirshner captures these rare sounds in an audio postcard and tells the story of why the owner brought back the old songs.

Mashid Nazemi was already an activist living outside her country of Iran when the Woman Life Freedom uprising began in 2022. But it was during those protests that the outspoken advocate was thrown into a deportation camp in Turkey. Nazemi now lives in France, under police protection, and life is better - though she still gets death threats. And although the 2022 movement fell short of its goals, women's lives are different now. Reporter Fariba Nawa recently spoke with Nazemi for her perspective on what has and hasn't changed, and to learn what gives the activist hope.

As Israelis and Palestinians celebrated the ceasefire in Gaza, a video made the rounds on social media. It appears to show Hamas gunmen executing a group of eight men in the street in Gaza City, accusing them of being criminals and collaborators with Israel. There have also been gun battles inside the Gaza Strip between Hamas and rival groups. One expert says Hamas wants to reassert its control in the territory and send a warning to any group that would challenge its authority. The World's Matthew Bell reports.

Revered Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, who died this week at age 80, played a pivotal role in institutionalizing multiparty democracy and shaping Kenya's constitution. But he was also known as a ruthless politician who formed alliances with rivals in a relentless, though ultimately unsuccessful, quest for the presidency. Kenyan journalist Ramah Nyang explores Odinga's legacy with The World's Host Carolyn Beeler.

It takes an average of four to six months for a thru-hiker to complete the Pacific Crest Trail. Julie Brock however, a 59-year-old runner from Australia, finished in just over two months. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Brock about the experience.

More than 4,000 Americans applied for British citizenship in the first half of this year - a record, and a 39% increase from last year. And those who are leaving the US are taking their beloved pets with them. That's supercharged an industry that took off after the COVID-19 started - pet-centric charter travel, where the dogs - and some cats - fly upfront. Jane Little traveled to the UK with her dog, Ronin, and found luxury - and some stress - in the whole process.

When writer Robin Reif's adopted daughter wanted to know where she came from, she decided it was important to go back to China to find answers for her daughter. So, they flew 7,000 miles to try and find a slip of paper that had been left with her daughter as a baby. Reif shared this memory with GBH's Stories From The Stage.

Jan Marsalek's face is on wanted posters all over Germany, after the financial tech firm he ran evaporated in a $2.5 billion fraud case in 2020. Now, a group of journalists, including GBH's Frontline, is working with investigator Christo Grozev to prove Marsalek is in Moscow, and has been working with Russian intelligence services for years. Grozev describes the ongoing investigation to Host Carolyn Beeler.

The US military has long been a leader in adapting to the realities of climate change. But that could change under the Trump administration. The new budget request for the Department of Defense would eliminate $1.6 billion in funding for climate change research and adaptation planning. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Floodlight reporter Ames Alexander about what this would mean for military operations.

Truckloads of aid are entering Gaza, but the long-promised surge in deliveries has yet to materialize. Israeli officials say the key Rafah border crossing will remain closed until Hamas returns the bodies of all slain hostages. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler discusses the implications with Sean Carroll, president of the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), a relief organization with deep roots in Gaza.

Each year, fishermen discard tons of worn out gear, which often makes its way across the Pacific Ocean and winds up on Hawaii's beaches. In an effort to both clean up the ocean and find a way to recycle the junk, some of that fishing gear is now being sent up to Omaha, Nebraska, where it's being repurposed. Nebraska Public Media's Kassidy Arena reports.