The World: Latest Stories

About 60% of Indonesian men ages 15 and up smoke tobacco, the second highest rate globally according to the World Health Organization. Public health advocates point fingers at a local culture that views smoking as what makes a man, plus weak regulations and poor enforcement of existing rules. Dave Grunebaum reports.

The hostages taken by Hamas, dead and alive, are back home. But that's not the end of the ordeal for them and their families. It's expected they will need years of counseling to get over the trauma they experienced, both as hostages and relatives of hostages. Stephanie Freid reports from Tel Aviv.

Money sent home to Mexico by migrants in the United States fell last year for the first time in more than a decade. The nearly 5% drop ends an 11-year run of steady growth. Mexico is one of the world's largest recipients of remittances, and millions of families rely on that support. The World's Tibisay Zea reports.

Host Marco Werman gives updates on some stories that we've covered on the show recently.

Tarique Rahman, the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was sworn in as the country's new prime minister on Tuesday. The 60 year-old Rahman spent 17 years in self-imposed exile in London, before returning to Bangladesh late last year. He's the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and will be the first elected leader to take office since the youth-led protests toppled the previous government in Bangladesh in 2024. The World's Carolyn Beeler brings us an update from Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital.

At this week's India AI Impact Summit, Delhi is bringing together leaders of nations and tech for what it's proclaiming to be the first major summit on artificial intelligence hosted in the Global South. The World's Host Marco Werman learned more from Vinay Narayan, associate director at the Aapti Institute, a public research think tank. He joined the show from the summit in Delhi.

The American civil rights icon, Rev. Jesse Jackson, died today at the age of 84. His advisor James Zogby, pollster and co-founder of the Arab American Institute, traveled with Rev. Jackson throughout the Middle East. Zogby tells The World's Host Marco Werman that Jackson broke political taboos by mainstreaming dialogue with Palestinian leaders, and engaging with Arab Americans as a political constituency, rather than treating them as marginal or politically risky.

Floodwaters are beginning to recede in northwestern Morocco, and the roughly 188,000 people who were evacuated are beginning to look toward a return home. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Tiziana Bonzon, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' North Africa delegation, about the long recovery process ahead.

Islas Marias, off Mexico's west coast, was known as "Mexico's Alcatraz" and was the Americas' last island prison until the penal colony closed in 2019, following controversy over terrible conditions and a history of political prisoners. Now, Mexico's navy, which runs the island, is allowing tourists to visit on restricted weekend tours. Journalist Jamie Fullerton spent the weekend there.

Patrice Nganang is an acclaimed Cameroonian author based in the United States. His new memoir, "Scale Boy," details his childhood in Cameroon. He speaks to Host Marco Werman about being deported from his own country, how Cameroonian President Paul Biya has stayed in power for so long and just what exactly a scale boy is.

A 700-year-old fresco discovered on the wall of a convent church in northern Italy suggests that luxurious Islamic tents were used to cover altars in medieval European churches, as Sarah Birnbaum first reported last winter.This story originally aired on Feb. 10, 2025.

The Danish government is strengthening its military. Partially fueled by uncertainty about its relationship with the United States, Denmark is increasing the length of mandatory military service from four months to 11 months. The country is also ending a rule that allowed women to opt out of serving. In Denmark, Deutsche Welle, DW's, Teri Schultz visited the first class of conscripts beginning their training under the new system.

Russian dissident Alexei Navalny died in prison two years ago today. Russian authorities said he died of natural causes, but many Russia watchers immediately suspected poisoning. Those suspicions have now been confirmed by labs that analyzed samples taken from Navalny's body and confirmed the presence of a potent neurotoxin. Host Marco Werman has more details.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio got a standing ovation when he spoke at the multinational Munich Security Conference over the weekend. That's got a lot to do with the fact that his address fell short of the hardline populism that Vice President JD Vance brought to the event a year ago. But Rubio's travel schedule after the conference wrapped up also sent a message. He went straight to Slovakia and Hungary, two countries that have embraced far-right, Euro-skeptical views and proven to be reliable friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

With 16 sports across eight locations, keeping up with the two-week Milan Cortina Winter Olympics can be overwhelming - even for the athletes themselves. Award-winning sports journalist Sarah Spain caught The World's Host Marco Werman up on women athletes going for gold. She's the host of "Good Game with Sarah Spain" and joined the show from Cortina, Italy, where she's been reporting on the ground.

After years of draining retirement accounts across the globe, Southeast Asia's scam compounds face a reckoning. In the past two months, Thailand has bombed one compound network, Myanmar's military has shelled another one. Now, the action has shifted to Cambodia, where police are raiding compounds left and right. As Patrick Winn reports from Bangkok, the driving force behind this crackdown is China, which is embarrassed that scam compounds are often owned by Chinese nationals and target Chinese citizens.

Brazil's Sao Paolo state passed a law this week that allows pets to be buried next to their owners. This is thanks to one town's love for a dog named Bob who stayed by his owner's grave for 10 years until the dog's own death in 2021. Host Marco Werman offers the details.

It's almost Valentine's Day, so we're treating you romantics out there to a lesson in dramatic expressions of love. In Mexico, there's a flower delivery trend you need know about. Because why just send flowers, when you can send a whole show? The World's Tibisay Zea checked it out for us last summer.This story originally aired on July 11, 2025.

Tarique Rahman, the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has emerged as the big winner in this week's pivotal election. The 60-year-old son of a former prime minister will take the oath of office as the new prime minister on Sunday. Rahman's BNP was the frontrunner going into Thursday's vote. He's promising to strengthen the country's democracy and improve security. The World's Carolyn Beeler reports from the capital, Dhaka.

The rain on the Iberian Peninsula simply will not stop. Multiple storms have swept through in the past several weeks, causing extreme flooding along with dangerous winds. In Portugal, the government declared a state of emergency. Several people have died, thousands of people have been forced to evacuate, and infrastructure meant to contain floodwaters has collapsed, bringing down part of a major highway. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Joao Dinis, the climate action director for the city of Cascais, about what has happened and how he thinks about climate adaptations going forward.

Students in Gaza are slowly getting back to their education after more than two years of war. Israel's strikes in Gaza destroyed or damaged almost all of the schools. Students and their families were forced to flee their homes, many faced hunger and a constant threat of death. Today, some of the students are finally returning to class. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports.

World leaders and diplomats from roughly 120 countries are in Germany today for the Munich Security Conference, where strained transatlantic ties have taken center stage. Opening the event, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that the familiar international order no longer exists." NATO's strength, he said, depends on trust among allies, and no country, not even the US, can go it alone. The conference will also hear discussions on Iran, the war in Ukraine and the future of Gaza. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry has the details.

Kenyan President William Ruto has announced that the government will reopen two checkpoints along the border with Somalia, after nearly 15 years of closure. The border was closed to due attacks in Kenya by the militant group Al-Shabaab, based in Somalia. Ruto said there would be heightened security at the border checkpoints, but critics say Al-Shabaab remains a significant threat. Host Marco Werman has the details.

Nationwide protests in Bangladesh managed to bring an end to years of repressive rule by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024. Those demonstrations were led by young people, many of them students. They had high hopes for bringing democratic change to Bangladesh. But where do they stand now, as the country voted on Thursday in one of the the most consequential elections in the country's history? The World's Carolyn Beeler reports from the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

A Ukrainian athlete competing in the men's Skeleton events has been disqualified by the IOC for wearing a helmet with the faces of victims killed by Russia in the war. And a Super League conceived five years ago by 12 of Europe's top soccer clubs officially disappeared today. Host Marco Werman has the details.

"Don't jump up and down," is the advice these days coming from winners of Olympic medals. Numerous exuberant athletes have seen their medals fall from their necks, hit the ground and break. Host Marco Werman explains what's going on.

Is it theft to take back what was stolen? That question drives the new video game Relooted. The goal is to recover real ancient African artifacts currently displayed in Western museums. The game's creative director Ben Myres tells The World's Host Marco Werman that he designed the game as a first step" to learning about African cultures and ethnicities.

Prosecutors in the US have at times used rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials. Now Britain's government is considering legislation that would limit the use of song lyrics or music videos in court. Dozens of artists and legal experts argue the practice unfairly targets young Black men. Under current UK rules, prosecutors can present lyrics or videos to suggest a suspect's involvement in crime but musicians say their work is being taken out of context. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry reports.

Born to Chilean exiles in France, rapper Ana Tijoux found home, not in a place, but in hip-hop. Then, decades into her career, Ana lost her sense of belonging. She discovered the only way back home was to rediscover creativity. She speaks with Meklit Hadero, host of the Movement podcast, about the journey.

This week, Russia announced restrictions on Telegram and WhatsApp, two messaging platforms vital to communicating with the outside world. As Russian politics expert Sam Greene tells Host Marco Werman, Russians have always found ways around censorship, but the question is where people will go to share memes and cat videos. Greene is a professor of Russian Politics at King's College, London.

The Dutch brewing giant Heineken announced that it will cut up to 6,000 jobs in the coming years as the wider industry confronts weakening consumer demand. The World's Host Marco Werman heard from how the news echos elsewhere in the industry from Rick Kempen, a beer ambassador for Bier&cO, a beer import-export distribution company based in the Netherlands. Bier&cO is owned by Royal Swinkels, a company that owns Bavarian Pils, another major Dutch beer brand and Heineken competitor.

The US is deploying 200 soldiers to Nigeria to train troops battling Islamist militants. In October, the White House began warning that Christianity faces what it called an "existential threat" in Nigeria. Amaka Anku, who heads the Africa Practice at Eurasia Group says the reality on the ground is more complex. She tells The World's Host Marco Werman the US military deployment is largely welcome but isn't expected to create stability.

Indonesia's army chief of staff said this week that his country is preparing to send up to 8,000 troops to Gaza as part of the international stabilization force. The force is part of US President Donald Trump's peace plan. Several countries have expressed interest but experts say the exact mission of these forces is vague. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports.

During her last trip to Austria, DW, Deutsche Welle's, Inside Europe producer Laura Kabelka sat down with up-and-coming artist Tamara Flores. The Austro-Mexican singer, flutist and dancer fuses her cultural heritage and plays with feminist references. For her music video, "Chingona", an entire Mexican town came out to support her.

Projects aimed at curbing light pollution are growing in popularity across the globe, particularly as a way to protect biodiversity. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Yana Yakushina, a lawyer and scientific coordinator for an EU-wide light pollution project, about how communities are balancing the impact of light on ecosystems and a concern for public safety.

It all depends how high up into the Alps, Dolomites or Pyrenees you go. At lower levels in the French Alps, nearly 200 ski resorts remain shuttered this season due to a lack of snow. Toward the peaks, heavy snow has led to a record numbers of deaths in avalanches. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

Tango may be Argentina's most famous cultural symbol, but steak is a close second. And it might be coming to markets in the US. President Donald Trump recently said he wants to quadruple imports of beef from Argentina to reduce costs to American consumers. Reporter Emily Johnson in Buenos Aires has the story of an industry in transition.

In the La Guajira region of Colombia, a multiyear drought and climate change-fueled natural disasters have disrupted Indigenous traditional agricultural practices. But new programs are helping the Wayuu people reinvigorate their traditional foods, especially the guajiro bean. Natalie Skowlund reports.

United States President Trump is threatening to block the opening of a newly constructed bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Trump is demanding the US be "fully compensated" for the bridge, even though Canada has footed the entire multi-billion-dollar bill. It's also unclear how the US president could actually prevent the bridge from opening.

Philippe Gaulier died yesterday at 82. He was a clown who became famous in France in the 1970s with a show called "LES ASSIETTES." The gag was that he and his comedic partner broke plates. Host Marco Werman will explain ... and get thoughts from some of the 82-year-old's famous alumni.

During Sunday's Super Bowl halftime performance, Bad Bunny shimmied up an electrical pole while singing his hit "El Apagon." The title translates to The blackout." Puerto Rico's electrical grid is notoriously faulty due to under-investment and an aging, centralized infrastructure. Ruth Santiago, an environmental and community lawyer who lives in Salinas, Puerto Rico, talks with The World's Marco Werman about the grid's current status and efforts to upgrade it.

If the left-leaning government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has its way, children under 16 will soon see apps like TikTok and Instagram disappear from their screens. Following Australia's lead, Sanchez says it's time for society to step up and protect kids from the onslaught of harmful content online. But pulling it off is complicated. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona

Mexico is sending two navy ships packed with humanitarian aid to Cuba as the island nation struggles with severe fuel shortages. Amid economic and military threats from the US, Mexico has had to proceed cautiously in supporting Havana, with which it has longstanding relations. The World's Marco Werman learned more from Arturo Sarukhan, former Mexican ambassador to the US.

Europe's beloved chestnut season is coming to an end. That's calling attention to new research on chestnut pollen deposits, which suggests chestnut trees may date back to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Scientists now believe the Romans planted chestnut forests across the continent, though more for the lumber than the earthy chestnuts. Durrie Bouscaren reports from Istanbul.

The war in Ukraine is now approaching its fourth year- unimaginable in 2022 when the full-scale Russian invasion began. In the West, many consider the situation a catastrophe for the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin, who had expected a quick and decisive victory. But that's not the way it's portrayed from Moscow. As reporter Deborah Amos tells us, in addition to being a deadly time for soldiers, it was the first time Ukrainian and international journalists realized it was going to be deadly for them too.

On Sunday, the Israeli security cabinet agreed on new policies for the occupied West Bank that would make it easier for Jewish settlers to acquire Palestinian land. Critics say the moves amount to de facto annexation of large parts of the Israeli-occupied territory. US President Donald Trump has said that Israeli annexation of the Palestinian territory is not acceptable. The United Nations, along with a host of Arab and Muslim-majority states, responded with sharp criticism of the new Israeli policy. The World's Matthew Bell has the latest.

In the days leading up to the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, excited young athletes have been posting videos of themselves opening up their boxes and bags of gear and Olympic apparel. From pajamas to ski suits, there is plenty of swag - and plenty of interest in it online. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are the first to feature a ban on ski wax that includes PFAS, the forever chemicals linked to a range of health problems and diseases. The chemicals had made the wax especially effective; now, athletes and wax techs are experimenting with less effective alternatives. The World's Marco Werman speaks with Julia Mehre Ystgaard, Canadian cross-country ski coach.

No, not the scary Terminator-like ones beloved of science fiction writers ... We're talking about the cute, helpful ones designed to help out in school. And yes - this really is a thing. A Norwegian company is already successful in 17 countries with a small robot that can represent absent pupils in the classroom. Lars Bevanger reports from Oslo.

Sanae Takaichi was taking a huge risk when she called for a snap election just 110 days into her first term as prime minister. Today, she won big. Her struggling political party - the Liberal Democratic Party - captured a two-thirds supermajority in the lower house of Japan's parliament. Takaichi is promising to push ahead on her conservative agenda. The World's Matthew Bell reports.