The World: Latest Stories

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman take us through some headlines that might have flown below your radar.

After Mexican forces killed cartel leader "El Mencho," questions remain about the future of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Experts say the group's reach extends far beyond drug trafficking - into extortion, fuel theft, human trafficking and many parts of Mexico's economy. With the country preparing to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, analysts say cartel leaders may try to keep a low profile. But the long-term future of the organization remains uncertain. The World's Tibisay Zea reports from Mexico City.

It's a troubling chapter of American history that is often overlooked: The incarceration of more than 120,000 US residents of Japanese descent during World War II, following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Today, survivors of those internment camps worry that similar social and political conditions exist that could lead to internment camps popping up again. KQED's Keith Mizuguchi reports.

With the Academy Awards coming up this weekend, we turn our ears to a new interpretation of soundtrack music from the late Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson, performed by German-Japanese classical pianist Alice Sara Ott. As The World's Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler explain, she was inspired by the intimacy of Johannsson's work as a contrast to the dissonance of the modern world.

Several members of Iran's soccer team were given asylum by the Australian government. It follows the women's team refusing to sing the national anthem during one of their games at the Asian Women's Cup last week. The World's Host Marco Werman learns more from Nazanin Nour, an Iranian American actor and activist based in Los Angeles.

Since the Iran war began, Iran has been sending drone and missiles into its Gulf state neighbors' territories, targeting both Western military bases and civilian and infrastructure hubs. The Gulf countries insist this is not their war, but Iran doesn't see it that way. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

Nine out of 10 countries have goals for increasing the amount of exercise their populations get. But globally, the percentage of people who meet recommendations for physical activity has not increased. That's partly because, while being inactive has similar detrimental health impacts as smoking, it's not a political priority to reverse the problem. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Andrea Ramirez Varela. She's an epidemiologist at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, and has been looking into why this is the case.

A new report from Human Rights Watch finds that drone strikes targeting Haitian gangs have killed dozens of civilians and children. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Juanita Goebertus Estrada, director of the Human Rights Watch's Americas division, and Widlore Merancourt, the editor of the Haitian news outlet Ayibopost in Port-au-Prince.

A former Austrian intelligence officer is on trial in Vienna accused of spying for Russia. It has been described as Austria's biggest espionage scandal in years. The case has put a spotlight on Russian intelligence operations in the country and on Austria's unusually lax spy laws. From Vienna, The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry reports.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco review news headlines from across the globe flying just under the radar.

Immigrant-owned businesses are a staple around the US. But in general, they have less access to loans and capital, and now they're also feeling the effects of Trump administration policies. That includes losing foot traffic and staffing due to immigration enforcement, plus the rising costs of goods. GBH's Sarah Betancourt reports from Chelsea, a neighborhood of Boston.

In Kashmir, schools and businesses have been shuttered ever since the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran. For most of that time, thousands of marchers took to the streets all over Kashmir, demanding justice for the killing. The Shia community in Kashmir followed the Ayatollah as a religious leader, and not just as the political leader of Iran. Protesters have faced curfews and police crackdowns. Syed Shahriyar reports from Srinagar.

In the Republic of Georgia, the country's wealthiest man isn't a politician, but he seems to be running the country anyway - as the mover and shaker behind the Georgian Dream party. A new podcast, "The Land In Between," chronicles the billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili's rise to power from modest beginnings, and its implications for Georgia. Victor Swezey has the story from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

The US and Israel bombed five oil depots in Iran over the weekend. The burning fuel engulfed Tehran in thick, dark smoke, burning the skin, eyes and throats of the millions of people in the city. Authorities are warning residents to wear masks and stay inside. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Kaveh Madani, former Iranian environment minister, about the impact of this pollution.

The tuba, like the Mexican genre of music known as banda, gets a bad rap from critics who say it's too simple and can't be taken seriously. But fans of both know that's not true. This includes writer Sam Quinones who's written the book, "The Perfect Tuba: Forging Fulfillment from the Bass Horn, Band, and Hard Work." He recently told The World how perceptions have evolved when it comes to how the tuba is played in banda.

The powerful clerical body known as the Assembly of Experts has selected Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new Supreme Leader. Although he's not a top-ranking cleric, he has deep ties to the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and has long been called the power behind the robes." Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discusses the implications of the selection with The World's Host Marco Werman.

When you think of Sweden, things like ABBA, IKEA and Pippi Longstocking are among its cultural exports. While Swedish food doesn't quite capture international attention in the same way, surstromming - fermented herring in a can - is getting noticed in some corners of the internet. Now, the Swedes are hoping to get this delicacy designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage - despite how disgusting some people find it. The World's Joshua Coe set out to see what all the fuss was about.

Live classical music is usually a formal affair. But one family in Prague is changing things up with relaxed concerts in their living room. Reporter Rob Cameron, from Deutsche Welle, DW, brings us the story.

Cursed by a climate that does not produce ice, the Vallvidrera Curling Club has never actually competed. But the farcical squad has gained notoriety for its deadpan adherence to its gag of a team, despite only meeting once a year for a big meal. A group of Canadian teams in Winnipeg has invited the Catalans over to play - and learn - while a film crew follows, making a documentary. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

Some of the most famous buildings in the world are made from earth and clay, and they date back thousands of years. Now earth homes are making a comeback, as engineers try to reduce carbon emissions. Manuel Rueda has the story from Colombia.This story originally aired on Feb. 18, 2025.

Please Don't Touch The Art" is sort of a golden rule at museums and exhibitions, but Berlin-based artist Joseph Marr has a to deal with a slightly different issue: People have been licking his sculptures. It doesn't help that, for over a decade, his medium has been sugar. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler learned more from the artist himself.

The US and Israel carried out the most intense round of airstrikes on Iran on Friday. Residents in the capital, Tehran, report multiple explosions around the city. At least 1,000 people have been killed so far in those attacks, according to the country's Red Crescent Society. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports.

After a week of near-constant sirens and retaliatory attacks from Iran and now Hezbollah, life is still completely disrupted across Israel, especially in the northern region, where strikes are most frequent. New polling shows how the Israeli public is responding. Reporter Noga Tarnopolsky gives Host Carolyn Beeler a ground's-eye view from Israel.

The war in the Middle East is just under a week old, but the history of US intervention in Iran dates back to the 1950s. We take a step back to look at the history of relations between Iran and the United States with Naghmeh Sohrabi, a professor of Middle East history at Brandeis University. She joins Host Carolyn Beeler to explain.

In northern latitudes and high altitudes, the permafrost layer is a layer of earth that stays frozen year round. It's that layer of permafrost that holds many mountain summits together. As climate change drives up global temperatures, much of that permafrost is starting to thaw. That thawing in turn loosens the soil, which can collapse and turn into landslides. National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek is in Alaska, where he spent time with a man creating an early warning system for landslides to help communities there prepare. He tells Host Carolyn Beeler all about what he learned.

Thousands of Africans have fought in Ukraine over the past four years of war. Exact numbers are hazy, but Ukraine estimates that over 1,700 are actively serving Russia today, and Kenya's intelligence service says over a thousand of its citizens have fought. Last week, Ghana's foreign minister said at least 55 Ghanaians have died in the war. Kunle Adebajo is editor of the African Academy for Open Source Investigations. He's the lead researcher on a recent dossier looking into African casualties in the war in Ukraine. He joined the show from the Nigerian capital Abuja.

Catrin Finch is a world renowned harpist from Wales. She is known for her collaborations, but her newest recording is a solo project. It features recent works that Finch, now in her 40s, composed and dedicated to her 13-year-old self. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler offer some soothing sounds from Finch's latest recording, "Note to Self."

Earlier in the show, we heard about the rings of expansion in the fighting that began over the weekend. Now, Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler catch you up on some of the political developments we've been watching in this war over the last 24 hours.

In South Korea, food waste already gets recycled on trash day. That's the law - no food sent the way of the landfill. But that hasn't cut back on the amount of food waste coming out of people's kitchens in the first place. Jason Strother reports from Seoul on the latest attempt to change that.

An art exhibition in the Czech Republic's capital Prague is causing a good bit of consternation. It details the political struggle for cultural expression in neighboring Slovakia. The exhibition is called Free National Gallery - Description of a Struggle" and documents the dismissals, resignations, strikes and standoffs in Slovakia under the populist government of current Prime Minister Robert Fico. From Prague, Deutsche Welle, DW's, Rob Cameron reports.

What began as a US-Israeli campaign against Iran within the Middle East is spreading far beyond the region. It now includes Iranian drones striking an airport in Azerbaijan, NATO forces shooting down a missile headed toward Turkish airspace and a US submarine sinking an Iranian frigate in the Indian Ocean. Ali Vaez, Iran Project Director at the International Crisis Group, speaks with The World's Host Carolyn Beeler about how and why the conflict is expanding.

New Bedford, Massachusetts, is know for its whaling and fishing industry. It's also known for it's large and vibrant Portuguese community. A new podcast called "Catching the Codfather" looks at one man who left Portugal for New Bedford in 1968 and began working in the fishing industry. By the 1980s he was a multi-millionaire. Then the IRS came calling. Host Ian Coss offers this excerpt from the podcast.

As the war between the US, Israel and Iran unfolds, another battle is playing out online. Within minutes of the first strikes, misleading videos and images began spreading across social media - from recycled footage to AI-generated visuals. Experts say the early hours of a crisis create the perfect conditions for misinformation to thrive. Reporter Tibisay Zea examines how false narratives spread during conflicts, why they're hard to trace and what people can do to avoid amplifying them.

Police in the UK have arrested 3 men accused of spying for the Chinese government. The accused include the partner of a sitting member of Parliament. The World's Marco Werman spoke with Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King's College London, about the arrests and the larger UK-China relationship.

The war waged by Israel and the US on Iran is fast-changing and fast-expanding. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman share some of the most recent developments we're keeping our eyes on.

Anti-government demonstrations last September in Nepal, largely driven by college students, saw 76 people dead and the government dissolved. Now, some six months later, the country is holding elections this weekend. One of the big winners is expected be a 35-year-old rapper and former mayor of Kathmandu. From the Nepalese capital, Danielle Preiss reports.

Israel has ordered people in dozens of border villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately." It has carried out airstrikes on the suburbs of Beirut. Israel says its attacks are in response to Hezbollah's firing of rockets and drones into northern Israel, killing more than 50 people. Hezbollah, which is a strong supporter of the Iranian government, carried out the attacks in retaliation for Israel's war in Iran, and the killing of the country's Supreme Leader over the weekend.

For decades, Washington has pressured Havana to open its economy to private investment. Those calls grew more urgent in recent weeks as the US oil blockade pushed Cuba's economy into a tailspin. Now, the Trump administration has begun easing certain trade restrictions, while officials on the island are making overtures to the nascent private sector. Ricardo Herrero of the Cuba Study Group discusses the implications with The World's Carolyn Beeler.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has forbidden the US from using its two American bases in Spain to support the Iran attacks. Trump has threatened to cut economic ties with Spain in retaliation. But as The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona, that's not very likely to happen.

Peru has seen significant rain and flooding for the past several weeks, resulting in damaged infrastructure and 68 confirmed deaths so far. Local authorities have linked these rains to the start of a coastal El Nino. The World's Carolyn Beeler speaks with scientist Pedro Rau about what's happening.

The Brazilian film "The Secret Agent" has been one of the buzziest and most awarded films at festivals and ceremonies around the globe this past year, and it's heading into the Oscars in under two weeks with four nominations including best picture and actor. Something that also stands out is its selection of music from the period of dictatorship in Brazil in which the film is set. We hear one particular track that was well known to Brazilian audiences in the 1970s.

They may not have seen it coming, but now that the US and Israel have taken out Iran's top leadership and continue to pound targets, the majority of European nations are lending their diplomatic support and, in some cases, military support to the cause. But the European Union wants this conflict resolved fast, as instability in the Middle East has a direct impact on its own stability. The World's Gerry Hadden reports.

As the US-Israeli war with Iran carries on through its fourth day, some of the Trump administration's justifications for the war have shifted. But one objective has remained constant so far: Preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, despite Trump claiming that US airstrikes obliterated" Iran's nuclear program last June. To better understand this specific US objective, The World's Marco Werman spoke to Darya Dolzikova. She's a nuclear proliferation expert at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in the United Kingdom.

In China, the city of Hefei has deployed a legion of robots to staff its local metro stations. Those robots help passengers find directions and assist the human workers with maintenance. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have more details on what could be a glimpse at the future of rail travel in China.

The assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was a jolt for Iran. But its political system is built to sustain abrupt change. History shows the regime has been able to quickly find new leaders and avert crises. From Doha, Ali Hashem, a war correspondent affiliated with the University of London, tells The World's Carolyn Beeler that US President Donald Trump's call for Iranians to seize this moment" and topple the regime may be wishful thinking.

Last month, five European governments shared the results of an investigation into the death of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny in a Siberian prison. They said Russia's government was responsible. That's not surprising. But the means used to kill him were something new: a substance derived from South American frogs. From London, reporters Ilya Kolmanovsky and Ilya Marritz report it's a gruesome new entry in the long history of Russian chemical killings.

Purim in Israel is usually a festival, with street parades and games for kids who often dress up in costumes, much like Halloween in the US. This year, the celebration goes on, but underground in parking garages. The World's Aaron Schachter reports on one such party in Tel Aviv.

Thomas Gould, the Irish politician who recently captured global attention because of his distinctive accent, says he has been overwhelmed by the volume of messages received from social media users worldwide, particularly from Jamaica. Gould, a member of Sinn Fein, went viral after a speech he delivered in the Irish parliament in early January began circulating across social media platforms. The World's Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have more.

The World's Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler catch us up on a few stories you may have missed.

The impact of the bombing of Iran is rippling outward, drawing in multiple Middle Eastern governments through direct attacks, defensive operations and diplomatic fallout. Shockwaves are reverberating into Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Lebanon. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Giorgio Cafiero, the head of Gulf State Analytics, a Washington DC-based geopolitical risk consultancy, about the spreading instability.