The World: Latest Stories

In India this week, a government smartphone app called Sanchar Saathi sparked a big debate around government access to peoples' phones. A leaked government directive would require smartphone companies to pre-install the state-owned app on all newly sold devices. While the government has signalled it would back down on the edict, digital rights groups are raising the alarm. The World's Host Marco Werman learns more from Prateek Waghre, a tech policy researcher based in Bengaluru, India.

Board games are very popular among retirees in South Korea. Especially janggi and paduk, also known as Go. You'll often see heated matches going on in public parks. But now, there's one less place for seniors to get their game on, in Seoul. Reporter Jason Strother went to a park that banned this kind of competition and found that the games fill an important role in people's lives as they age.

At a large warehouse in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, dozens of US officials and soldiers - along with counterparts from other nations - are daily mapping out the day-after plan for Gaza. It is from this newly created hub that the activities of the US-led international stabilization force will be organized and monitored. This includes intel, reconstruction and de-mining efforts. Tovah Lazaroff reports from southern Israel.

International agencies, including The World Bank and The International Monetary Fund, are gearing up to send nearly $7 billion to Jamaica to help cover some of the country's ongoing recovery from Hurricane Melissa. The late October storm was one of the strongest on record in the Caribbean, and now, Jamaicans are trying to rebuild. Thera Edwards at the University of the West Indies talks with Host Carolyn Beeler about how that recovery is going.

Erling Haaland, the 25-year-old striker for Manchester City, knows that it's his job to score goals. Last night, he showed that he's one of the best to ever hold the role as he scored his 100th Premier League goal faster than any athlete before. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have the details.

In 2009, Swiss photographers Mathias Braschler and Monika Fischer set out to put faces to the environmental damage caused by rising global temperatures. Some 16 years later, the photographer-couple have followed up with "DISPLACED," a portrait series examining the lives of those forced to move due to climate change. Host Marco Werman speaks to Braschler and Fischer about the people at the center of their project.

Leaders of Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda are slated to travel to Washington this week to sign a peace deal overseen by US President Donald Trump. New Yorker journalist Jon Lee Anderson visited the region twice recently. He tells Host Marco Werman that the disarmament of tens of thousands of fighters in the region from more than 100 ethnic groups won't be easy now that they've seen power through the gun."

Forty years ago, Shenzhen, China, was little more than a cluster of villages, home to a few hundred thousand people. Today, it holds roughly 20 million residents and ranks among the world's fastest-growing megacities. Yet, unlike other urban centers that have ballooned at similar speeds - Mumbai or Lagos, for example - Shenzhen has largely sidestepped the air pollution, overcrowding and failing infrastructure that often accompany rapid expansion. The World's Jeremy Siegel visited Shenzhen and breaks down how that was accomplished.

If you're a human, the courteous thing to do when you get sick is to isolate yourself from others so that you don't get them sick, too. If you're an adult ant, that same courtesy still applies. But immature ants, or pupae, have a problem: They can't walk. So instead, they send a chemical signal to the rest of their colony requesting they be killed for the greater good. That's according to a new study published today in Nature Communications. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks to lead author Erika Dawson to learn more.

Juan Orlando Hernandez, former president of Honduras, was convicted last year in a New York courtroom of flooding the US with tons of cocaine. This week, he walked out of prison a free man. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Steven Dudley, co-founder of the media organization InSight Crime, about Hernandez's career and his pardon from US President Donald Trump.

What began as messy pageant drama at Miss Universe has now turned into something far more serious. A co-owner of the contest, Mexican businessman Raul Rocha Cantu, is accused of ties to a trafficking network - allegations he rejects. The World's Tibisay Zea looks at how a beauty pageant ended up at the center of a major political scandal in Mexico.

The NFL's International Player Pathway program started in 2017 as a way for the league to bring talented athletes from other sports into the world of football. One of the athletes in the 2024 class, Charlie Smyth from Northern Ireland, used to be a Gaelic football player. Last night, he made his NFL regular season debut in a game against the Miami Dolphins. The World's Host Marco Werman has the details.

Flooding across Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand has killed more than 900 people - and counting - in the past week. One of the worst-hit cities in the region is Hat Yai. Reporter Patrick Winn spoke to survivors there about their experiences.

China's status as a global superpower was unimaginable just half a century ago. In the 1970s, the country was overwhelmingly rural and poor. Today, it's a technological powerhouse, the world's second-largest economy and boasts bustling cities. Shenzhen is a megacity that embodies that transformation. The World's Jeremy Siegel kicks off a week-long exploration of Shenzhen with the story of how it went from being a little-known spot on China's map to its current status as a sprawling metropolis with some 20 million residents.

In Hong Kong, officials announced today that more than 150 people are now confirmed dead after last week's massive fire. The blaze gutted several high-rise apartment buildings in the Tai Po district. Host Marco Werman got the latest from Tom Grundy, the editor-in-chief of the Hong Kong Free Press.

As the US ramps up military pressure on Venezuela, the Maduro government is tightening its grip at home. Families of political prisoners describe disappearances, torture and a justice system that forces detainees to accept state-appointed lawyers. The World speaks with relatives, activists and human-rights experts about a worsening climate of fear across Venezuela.

There's no shortage of negotiations about how to end the war in Ukraine. Tomorrow, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff. And today, the Ukrainian leader met with French President Emmanuel Macron. Still, peace itself remains elusive, despite reports that Russia is offering enticements to the US, including access to multibillion-dollar rare-earth minerals and energy resources. Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul discusses the implications with The World's Host Marco Werman.

When scientists first found a black fungus growing at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, they were baffled. Now, a decade later, research has determined that not only is the fungus using the radiation to grow - it can also block radiation. The World's Host Marco Werman spoke with research lead Nils Averesch about the finding, and its potential applications beyond Chernobyl.

Climate change is not only impacting the Earth and its environment, but it is also impacting people's mental health. "Eco-anxiety" and "climate anxiety" are not diagnosable, but they can cause real suffering. The World's Bianca Hillier checked in with people across the globe to see how they're tackling the issue.This story originally aired on May 15, 2025.

Sea stars on the west coast of North America have been decimated by a wasting disease. For more than a decade, scientists did not know what was causing it. But new research published in the journal Nature has identified the culprit. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with scientist Alyssa Gehman about the findings and what it means for the species' recovery.This story originally aired on Aug. 7, 2025.

A new report from the climate think tank Ember finds that renewable energy sources made up more of the global electricity mix than coal for the first half of 2025. Host Marco Werman speaks with Ember global program director Raul Miranda about what drove this change.This story originally aired on Oct. 7, 2025.

An activist in Mexico City is working to protect the city's trees, whether it's by using sledgehammers to liberate" trees sinking from cement sidewalks, exposing illegal lodging to his huge social media following or planting new trees. The World's Tibisay Zea reports from Mexico City.This story originally aired on Jan. 7, 2025.

Most European countries say they expect to close their coal power stations in the next five years. But what will that transition look like? How will it reshape communities, and people's lives? There is a model. The UK was the first-ever country to announce a full coal phase-out, and it was a bumpy transition. From Deutsche Welle, DW, Dan Ashby reports.This story originally aired on Aug. 8, 2025.

Wildfires burning across western and central Canada prompted the number of people evacuated to climb to more than 30,000. The conditions were hot and dry, similar to what was experienced in 2023, Canada's worst fire season on record. John Vaillant is a journalist and author of the book, "Fire Weather." He spoke with The World's Carolyn Beeler about how climate change is exacerbating Canada's fire season.This story originally aired on June 5, 2025.

A series of ocean currents in the Atlantic drive heat northward and control much of the world's weather. Scientists believe the current - called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC for short - will slow down this century due to global warming, and some fear the circulation might collapse entirely. The melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet could be a major factor in the future health of the AMOC. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler traveled into a fjord in Greenland with scientists studying glacial meltwater to better understand what it could do to the AMOC.This story originally aired on Oct. 1, 2025.

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek has covered a lot of ground: some 14,000 miles - on foot - through 21 countries so far on his now 11-year-long Out of Eden Walk. And because he's exploring the Earth at a walker's pace, he can see things people miss when traveling by plane, rail or car. Salopek tells Host Marco Werman about surprising places only a walker would discover.This story originally aired on April 9, 2025.

The Women's International Motorcycle Association (WIMA) was founded in the US in 1950. It has since spread to nearly 40 countries and gained more than 6,000 members worldwide. This year, the group held its annual international rally in Maine. The World's Bianca Hillier stopped by to find out what motorcycling means to these bikers.This story originally aired on Sept. 11, 2025.

Donna Burke has the most famous voice in Japan. The Australian expat first moved to Japan in the 1990s, hoping to make it as a singer. Now, she's the voice of the Tokaido Shinkansen, commonly known as the bullet train, and her announcements are heard by more than 400,000 people in Japan every day. The World's Transportation Correspondent reports.This story originally aired on Jan.15, 2025.

Thousands of spectators lined the streets of Vienna over the weekend as tram drivers from 25 different countries competed in eight different challenges. They ranged from the simple (smoothly stopping and accelerating) to the creative (tram curling and tram bowling). In the end, Austria took home gold on home turf. The World's Transportation Correspondent Jeremy Siegel reports.This story originally aired on Sept. 15, 2025.

More than 4,000 Americans applied for British citizenship in the first half of this year - a record, and a 39% rise over 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 COVID-19: 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.This story originally aired on Oct. 15, 2025

Air carriers around the world are expanding premium seats and luxury cabins for big spenders. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt of the San Francisco-based Atmosphere Research Group about new offerings - like showers and double beds - for passengers willing to pay top dollar for seats on commercial flights.This story originally aired on Aug. 12, 2025.

If you've ever had to race to catch a flight, gotten lost in a foreign train station or struggled to order a meal in another language, congratulations, you're ready to play "Jet Lag: The Game." The World's Transportation Correspondent Jeremy Siegel reports that a group of YouTube streamers turned the nerve-racking logistics of world travel into friendly competition.This story originally aired on July 28, 2025.

London's Heathrow airport has produced a four-minute ambient music track titled "Music for Heathrow." Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman give us a listen.This story originally aired on July 10, 2025.

Today, Italy's legislature passed a law that will make femicide an offense punishable by life imprisonment. It also passed other measures to bolster prosecution of gender-based offenses. The law is timed to the UN's International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler spoke to Cecilia Sottilotta, an assistant professor of politics at the University for Foreigners of Perugia.

Across the country, many of the workers who are personal care aids for people with disabilities

While the US and Europe tightened their immigration policies, several Latin American countries took a different path - welcoming millions of Venezuelans with legal status, work permits and, in Brazil's case, a massive federal integration program. But now, those programs are under strain, as budgets tighten and politics shift. The World's Tibisay Zea reports on what worked, what's changing and what's at stake for migrants and host countries alike.

Tiny solar-powered radio tags are allowing scientists to track individual monarch butterflies for the first time, documenting the paths they take on their migration across North America. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Orley "Chip" Taylor, founder of Monarch Watch, about the new technology and what it tells us about the butterflies.

An online story about a hot new singles scene in a Spanish supermarket chain has exploded into a flirting frenzy in grocery stores across the country. Each chain allegedly has its designated hour for making the moves, and it depends a lot on what items are in your cart. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona on this online rumor that's become very real.This story originally aired on Sept. 3, 2024.

The Olympic flame was lit today, beginning its long relay from Greece to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. But due to cloudy weather, the flame had to be lit from a back-up blaze set earlier in the week, as the Olympic flame can only be lit by power harnessed from the sun. Philip Barker is the editor of the Journal of Olympic History. He joins The World's Host Carolyn Beeler from Ancient Olympia.

In a country known for the world's oldest wonders, a new one now rises from the desert sands. More than 20 years in the making, the Grand Egyptian Museum opened this month to great fanfare, marking a new chapter in how nations tell their own stories. With an immersive design and a view of the Giza pyramids, officials call it a modern monument to the art of preserving the past. Nadine Tag reports from Cairo.

Taiwan's president is asking lawmakers to approve a new $40 billion spending package. He wants the money to bolster the country's military because of China's recent moves. As Host Carolyn Beeler explains, China has undertaken an unprecedented military buildup, that Taiwan's president says threatens others in the region.

During a call with US President Donald Trump on Monday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping reportedly promoted his country's ambition to take control of Taiwan. The call comes amid an escalating diplomatic spat between China and close US ally Japan, as well as a growing discussion of a Trump and Putin-led peace plan for the war in Ukraine. Both issues are being followed closely in Taiwan, which hopes for US support to stay independent from China. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler learned more from William Yang, a senior analyst with Crisis Group based in Taipei.

A bomb blast outside Delhi's historic Red Fort last week killed 15 people and injured dozens more. The attack - which India's government called a heinous terror incident" - came just hours after Kashmir police announced a weeks-long investigation that led to the seizure of 6,000 pounds of explosives. Since then, authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown in Kashmir, detaining dozens, raiding homes and tightening security across the Kashmir Valley. Syed Shahriyar reports.

The early journeys of nutmeg, clove and other spices are the subject of the book, "The Spice Ports: Mapping the Origins of Global Sea Trade." Author Nicholas Nugent traces those journeys in conversation with The World's Host Marco Werman.This story originally aired on Feb. 3, 2025.

The French government will spend $150 million to rip out grapevines in response to increasing pressure on the wine industry. A combination of climate change, tariffs and changes in consumption habits have caused significant challenges for farmers across the country. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Alicia Gallais], professor of wine management at the Burgundy School of Business.

The White House says it's making tremendous progress" on a peace plan for Ukraine. And there might be a deal as soon as Thanksgiving Day. US and Ukrainian officials have been modifying a 28-point peace plan drawn up by the Trump administration. But, as The World's Matthew Bell reports, some monumental sticking points remain between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

Britain is preparing a sweeping overhaul of its asylum system, a shift reportedly modeled in part on Denmark, home to some of the EU's toughest migration laws. The move comes as governments across Europe, from left to right, tighten their asylum rules amid rising political pressure. It marks a sharp departure from the approach taken by many European countries a decade ago. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry reports.

If you're a young person, six-seven might be the funniest joke you've ever heard. If you're the parent of that young person, it might be the bane of your existence. But the meme is so widespread that even the head of the British government, Keir Starmer, is in on it, as he revealed in a recent visit to a primary school. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have the story.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman update us on some news stories you may have missed.

Fourteen-year-old Venous Baloch won the gold medal in Iran's surfing competition this year. She tells The World's Shirin Jaafari about the challenges of surfing as a woman in a remote and conservative part of Iran.