The World: Latest Stories

There are all kinds of delicacies that people get excited about during the Christmas season. In Britain, there's a fragrant, raisin-filled cake from Milan, Italy, that's become all the rage. It's been a rapid and near-total conquest by the panettone, even though the cake is not so easy to bake. Reporter Leo Hornak put on an apron and tried his best to connect with his Italian roots by baking his own version of panettone. (This story first aired in December, 2022.)

Each December, Turkish Americans from Kansas City bake an enormous batch of a Middle Eastern sweet to share with people from different cultures and faiths across the city. This year, Laura Ziegler of KCUR joined them as they baked and distributed the baklava.

In language-divided Belgium, it's cause for complaint when a train conductor greets a Flemish passenger in both Dutch and French, despite being in a non-French speaking region. That's what happened on a recent train heading through Flanders. The country's Permanent Commission for Linguistic Control is now reviewing the case, but Belgian journalist Maithe Chini with the Brussels Times tells Host Carol Hills that many in Belgium find the complaint ridiculous.

Pubs in the UK are running out of Guinness stout, a seasonal favorite. Host Carol Hills tells how the popular - some say irreplaceable - Irish beverage has been sold out across the UK, and how pub owners and Guinness fans are coping with the drought of the distinctive draft.

Christmas lights burning up the night sky are a seasonal phenomenon, but ecologists have long warned about the everyday issues of light pollution. Our partners at Deutsche Welle took a walking tour of the problem in Cologne, Germany, for the program "Living Planet" with journalist Kathleen Schuster.

Local authorities in Mexico City are sponsoring what they call "the largest mural project in the world," an initiative to recover public spaces where abandonment has led to safety concerns. The World's Tibisay Zea takes us on a tour to Iztapalapa, the most populous borough in Mexico City, where close to 11,000 murals have been painted by local artists in recent years.

As the strategic map of the Middle East is reshaped by Hezbollah's fall from power in Lebanon and the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the US is pushing hard for a diplomatic solution in the Gaza Strip. Aaron David Miller, a negotiator for the US State Department on Arab-Israeli issues in the '90s and aughts, explains why the conditions for a ceasefire are improving, and what incentives are pushing the talks forward between Israel and Hamas.

The US State Department's top Middle East envoy, Barbara Leaf, arrived in Damascus today for meetings with Syria's new interim government headed by Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham. Afterwards, it was announced that the $10 million bounty on the group's leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, also known as Ahmed al-Sharaa, had been removed. Host Carol Hills spoke with Ibrahim Al-Assil, a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute, about Leaf's visit.

In Sweden, the temperance movement has been promoting a December of no-drinking called "Vit Jul," which translates to "White Christmas." Jonas Raninen, a senior research specialist at the Karolinska Institute, has studied drinking in Swedish society and explains the trends behind "Vit Jul."

A husband and wife team (he's from Kenya and she's from Botswana) have designed a trivia game called Sawa, focused on Africa. Game designers Kioko and Thato Mwosa challenge Host Marco Werman to a round of questions that explore some of the continents' 54 countries through geography, cinema, business, technology, history, politics, arts and sports.

A new report by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services is warning that governments are "underestimating or ignoring the links between five key areas - biodiversity, water, food, health and climate change." Host Marco Werman speaks with Paula Harrison, a co-chair of the report, about the significance of the findings and the costs of tackling these issues in a separate manner.

Three detainees were transferred from US custody at the Guantanamo Bay military prison this week. The prisoners, a Kenyan man and two Malaysian men, were repatriated to their home countries. They leave behind 27 men still detained at Guantanamo Bay. Host Marco Werman has the details.

Journalists used fake Tinder profiles to identify and follow the movements of hundreds of soldiers in Europe, including many Americans. Host Marco Werman speaks with Sebastiaan Brommersma, part of a reporting team that exposed security flaws in the dating app, Tinder, for the independent news site Follow The Money.

The US State Department yesterday said it had brokered a four-day ceasefire between Turkey and the Syrian Defense Forces, and said that the ceasefire was extended on Tuesday. Turkey's defense ministry on Thursday denied having agreed on a ceasefire with the SDF, stating that Ankara will not halt its military campaign until the Kurdish-led force disarms."

Two years into her leadership, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has seen her approval ratings start to fall. Around 37% of Italians now say they are happy with the performance of the far-right leader. In Albania, Meloni has some fans too. Perhaps none more so than a businessman in the port city of Shengjin who has dedicated his new restaurant to the Italian leader. From Shengjin in northern Albania, The World's Europe correspondent Orla Barry reports.

Dozens of men will head to prison in France after a court today found them guilty in connection to one of the country's largest rape cases. Outside the courthouse in Avignon, supporters of the survivor Gisele Pelicot cheered her on for her courage in the public spotlight. Her ex-husband is among the guilty and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. Host Marco Werman shares news of the verdict.

The Instagram account "Official Stick Reviews" is the brainchild of two friends from Utah: Boone Hogg and Logan Jugler, who started reviewing sticks they found out and about in 2023. But this sapling of an account has grown to 3 million followers, and people from across the globe sharing the cool sticks they've found. This month marked "Stick Nations" first ever "Stick of the Year" competition. Host Marco Werman caught up with Hogg and Jugler to hear about the results.

Lebanon has always been tied together economically, socially and politically with Syria. But now that the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad has collapsed, Lebanon is looking to chart a new path for itself. Host Marco Werman speaks with Sami Halabi, director of policy at the Alternative Policy Institute, about the reactions from Lebanon to Assad's fall.

In Ghana, a controversial anti-LGBTQ bill that drew international condemnation, is one step closer. Today, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed a challenge questioning the bill's constitutionality. The court ruled that the bill cannot be declared unconstitutional as it has not yet been signed into law. From Ghana's capital Accra, Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman reports.

The largest American embassy in the world was dedicated today in Mexico City. The US spent more than $1 billion dollars on its new embassy in Mexico. Ambassador Ken Salazar said it highlights the singular relationship" between the US and Mexico. Host Marco Werman has more.

Countries from Europe to the Middle East to the US have seen an anti-migrant backlash and erected higher barriers to refugees. But Thailand is taking a step in the other direction: offering a path to citizenship for nearly half a million stateless people in its borders, a move the UN calls historic." The Thai government says it's a New Year's gift." The World's Patrick Winn reports from Thailand's northern hills.

A tiny island nation in the Pacific is struggling to recover after a powerful earthquake killed at least nine people and injured hundreds. Communications on Vanuatu aren't fully restored, power remains unstable and essential services are overwhelmed. From Guam, Naina Rao reports.

Syria is going through historic changes and that has some minority groups on edge. Take the Kurds, who have their own autonomous region in the northeast. They say Turkey is preparing a military attack against them, and they fear a resurgence of ISIS. The World's Shirin Jaafari speaks with the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), General Mazloum Abdi, about the challenges ahead.

A holiday soup in Catalonia, in northeast Spain, dates back to the Middle Ages. But it's as hot as ever. It's called Escudella de Nadal, or Christmas Bowl in English. The World's Gerry Hadden sat stove-side in a small village to see how it's prepared.

Two men have been charged with conspiring to export sensitive technology to Iran. It was allegedly used in a drone attack in Jordan that killed three American troops early this year and injured dozens of other service members, the Justice Department said Monday. Host Marco Werman has more.

Ten years ago today, Washington and Havana announced a historic deal to normalize diplomatic relations. President Donald Trump then rolled back the accord. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with the two diplomats who hammered out the deal: Ricardo Zuniga, a former senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the National Security Council, and Ben Rhodes, the former deputy national security advisor.

A mass grave in Al-Qutayfah, Syria, has been located, bringing clarity to the fate of political prisoners under the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad. Mouaz Mustafa, the executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, was involved in the site's discovery, and explains what's been found.

Canada has long been an attractive option for international students. It's seen as a safe and generally non-discriminatory place to study, with impressive schools and post-graduation work rights. But 2024 brought a year of significant changes to the education sector. Prospective international students fear an unknown future. The World's Bianca Hillier reports.

The fate of more than 50 men accused of rape and sexual assault in a harrowing case that has gripped France will be decided by a French court this week. Gisele Pelicot waived her anonymity so the men, including her ex-husband, would face trial in public. Pelicot has since become a feminist icon in France, and her case has sparked discussion about attitudes toward sexual assault in the country. The World's Europe correspondent Orla Barry reports.

There's an archive at Manhattan University in New York for the De La Salle Christian Brothers, a lay order founded in France and now headquartered in Rome. The order, dedicated to education, is shrinking. As its institutions shut down, boxes upon boxes of relics are being sent to this campus, where an archivist wants the objects to be displayed in a reliquary so that visitors can venerate them. Jon Kalish reports.

The Royal Mail, the UK's postal service, will be sold to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky. It was privatized back in 2013, but Krestinky's "EP Group" will be the first foreign owners of the postal service. The World's Host Marco Werman explains.

Early this morning, a bomb went off in Moscow, killing a Russian general by the name of Igor Kirillov. He was the head of the Russian military's nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces. The World's Daniel Ofman reports.

An iceberg the size of Rhode Island is once again floating through the Southern Ocean, after being stuck in place due to being caught in a vortex. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Till Wagner about why the iceberg was stuck and what its release means for life on the planet.

The straits of Denmark are notoriously narrow and shallow. And they're a strategic gateway for Russian oil. But because that oil is sanctioned by the West, Russia tries to sneak it out through Danish waters to the North Sea and on to places like China and India. The World's Joshua Coe has our story.

The six justices on South Korea's constitutional court have begun deciding whether or not to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office. The World's Host Marco Werman has more.

In the south of Thailand, the dialect is faster, the sun is hotter and the food is not just spicy, it's atomic. The World's Patrick Winn visited a small-town cook in the region who makes curry soup with a twist - adding big, gooey eggs from a local species of giant catfish.

After Jamaica gained independence from England in 1962, it retained the British monarch as head of state. But if new legislation presented in parliament were to pass - which is unlikely - that would bring the ceremonial nod to the island's colonial past to an end. The World's Host Marco Werman explains.

When Amazon brought a fulfillment center to Tijuana's Nueva Esperanza neighborhood in Mexico, the business community praised the new addition as a welcome boost to the local economy. A city press release said the new warehouse would contribute to the ongoing (post-pandemic) economic recovery." Three years later, residents the Nueva Esperanza neighborhood say little has changed; the community still lacks paved roads, drinkable water and a functional storm drain system. From KPBS, Gustavo Solis reports.

There's a Barcelona neighborhood that's home to a cluster of women whose average lifespan far exceeds the global average. But that neighborhood in Spain, "L'Eixample", is anything but a haven of healthy living. It's filled with polluting cars, few green spaces and a lot of noise. So, what might explain their longevity? The World's Gerry Hadden takes a look.

Cyclone Chido roared through the island nation of Mayotte on Monday with 140-mile-per-hour winds. Thousands are feared dead in the French Indian Ocean territory, though France's interior minister said it could be "days and days" before an exact death toll is known. The World's Sarah Birnbaum reports.

Zakir Hussain died on Sunday in San Francisco. Zakirji, as he was known to his admirers, was a man whose fingers turned into a blur when he performed on the tabla - drums from the Indian subcontinent. The World's Host Marco Werman had the opportunity several times to speak with him. We hear excerpts from two interviews in which Hussain describes performing for American audiences for the first time, and his great fortune in being able to collaborate with artists from a wide range of musical backgrounds.

If you're unfamiliar with the science around "mirror life", well, welcome to the club. But this somewhat obscure field of research is coming under new scrutiny. Because a new study says that "mirror microbes" could actually be an existential threat to life on Earth. Host Carol Hills speaks with Vaughn Cooper, an evolutionary microbiologist at the University of Pittsburgh.

An Iranian singer was hailed as a hero by supporters on Thursday but faced prosecution after giving an online concert without wearing a head covering - the hijab - in defiance of the Islamic dress code. Host Carol Hills has the story of Parastoo Ahmadi, who streamed the concert on her YouTube channel late on Wednesday.

President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan has proposed updating the country's national anthem. The current anthem was adopted shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union and no longer represents the mature republic Kyrgyzstan has become in the years since, according to Japarov. Host Carol Hills has the details.

Emerging research pinpoints the exact time when Neanderthals and Homo sapiens began interbreeding to 47 years ago. That interbreeding left a genetic marker on modern human beings. Host Carol Hill speaks with evolutionary scientists Chris Springer about the significance of the study and what these genetic markers actually look like.

Sednaya Prison in Damascus was synonymous with the brutality of Syria's Assad regime. Once inside, prisoners had little chance of coming out alive. Yet over the past week, thousands of families rushed to the prison in the hope of finding their missing loved ones. Many left with no answer. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports.

For decades, Canada has been home to the largest Sikh community outside the Indian state of Punjab. But as diplomatic tensions flare up between Canada and India, some members of the Sikh faith face heightened threats. The World's Bianca Hillier reports from Toronto.

Amrith Saligrama spent the early days of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in his Massachusetts town going on long walks with his grandfather until the lack of public restrooms on their route became a problem. Saligrama tried to make restrooms easier to locate, but he hit a bureaucratic wall. Ultimately, one of his grandfather's proverbs inspired him to try a different approach. This story comes to us from the television show, "Stories from the Stage."

Climate change is a challenge for farmers everywhere. That includes coffee farmers. But climate change alone doesn't explain the current uptick in prices. There's another force at play. Peter Roberts, an academic director of specialty coffee programs at the Business and Society Institute at Emory University, helps demystify what's happening in the market.

In northern Tunisia, along the coast, farmers have been practicing a unique form of agriculture that goes back to the 17th century. It is called Ramli, where crops grow on sandy substrates in the lagoons by the sea. Because of climate change and urbanization, this unique form of agriculture is now threatened. Lilia Blaise reports from the small beach town of Ghal El Mellah.