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The World: Latest Stories

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Updated 2025-07-09 23:30
Top scientist says he quit research council over poor European response to COVID-19
Mauro Ferrari, head of Europe's top science body, resigned from his post — passionately citing frustration with institutional resistance and bureaucratic infighting in the EU's complex structures. He spoke with The World's Marco Werman about problems facing the European response to COVID-19.
Joy in water: One family's life in the Chinese mountains of Tianmushan
Need a respite from COVID-19 news? Art historian Lindsay Shen writes about the refuge her family found in the cool, clear streams of the mountain village of Tianmushan, China, in Zhejiang Province.
A new book chronicles the Koch empire's impact on American society
Much of the anti-climate policy efforts in the US can be traced back to one powerful man: Charles Koch, who sits at the helm of a fossil fuel-based corporate empire.
Science for sale and profits before health and safety
A former head of OSHA explains why science is under attack during the coronavirus pandemic.
DACA health workers risk their lives to fight COVID-19 while they await SCOTUS ruling
Nearly 30,000 DACA recipients work as health care professionals. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the industry needs them more than ever. Their fate lies in a Supreme Court decision that could come any week now.
Latter-day Saints calls missionaries home amid coronavirus
This isn’t the first time that missionaries have been called home in large numbers. It happened in World War II, when hundreds of Latter-day Saints missionaries left Europe.
Kalsarikännit: Drinking at home in your undies, like Finns
With Kalsarikännit, the party starts at home and stays at home — there is no intention of going out.
Need tips on surviving self-isolation? Ask this astronaut.
American astronaut Cady Coleman lived on the International Space Station for nearly six months in 2011. During that time, she developed some techniques for staying connected to loved ones even while she was far away — techniques that are helpful whether you’re living in space, or practicing social distancing in the age of the coronavirus.
Mutual aid groups respond to double threat of coronavirus and climate change
CareMongering is one of many mutual aid organizations around the world that have either been created or expanded to help people struggling during the pandemic — either because of age, health status or financial vulnerability, among other things.
Mexico City's Passion play usually draws thousands. This year, attendance is virtual.
The reenactment of Jesus' crucifixion has long been an important tradition for the Mexico City borough of Iztapalapa. But with stay-at-home measures in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the Passion play's actors are performing for a virtual audience.
For rabbis trying to connect the faithful, lockdown creates Catch-22s
Some rabbis think videoconferencing technology such as Zoom is a good platform for bridging the gap during the pandemic. Others make the opposite case.
Wajahat Ali on maintaining one's faith through crises
Wajahat Ali is a writer and lawyer whose Islamic faith was tested last year when he learned his 3-year-old daughter had liver cancer. He tells The World's host Marco Werman what his family's journey taught them about living through great challenges — and maintaining one's faith.
Mourning in the midst of a pandemic
The coronavirus has fundamentally changed how we live our lives, but perhaps most heartbreakingly, how we deal with death. Around the world, centuries-old burial rituals are being stopped. Gatherings to mourn someone’s death are limited. Even something as simple as a hug for a grieving friend is now essentially out of bounds.
Amid lockdown, churches find creative ways to keep in touch with the masses
The pope, the Vatican — a tiny city-state surrounded by Rome — and the church in predominantly Catholic Italy have all been forced to modify centuries of tradition because of the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Music to soothe the soul: Ludovico Einaudi's 'Elegy for the Arctic'
Composer and Italian classical piano superstar Ludovico Einaudi teamed up with Greenpeace in 2016 to perform a concert in support of the campaign for a marine sanctuary in the North Pole’s international waters.
Buddhist nun recommends calming the mind to cope with pandemic
Buddhists believe the path to enlightenment requires periods of detachment from the world — so self-quarantine offers an opportunity. Karma Lekshe Tsomo, a Buddhist nun and social activist, speaks with The World's Marco Werman about the role of meditation and reflection during the spread of COVID-19.
In a historic move, US designates white supremacist group as a terrorist organization
The Trump administration designated the Russian Imperial Movement as a terrorist organization. It's the first time ever that such a label has been given to a white supremacy group, opening new paths to countering right-wing extremism in the US.
As pandemic disrupts US elections, states look for online alternatives
Renewed interest in online voting is reigniting an old debate about the security risks that come with it.
Some countries are banning alcohol sales in their lockdowns — leading shoppers to panic-buy
In the US and elsewhere, alcohol sales shot up as restaurants and bars closed to slow the outbreak. But in parts of Mexico, South Africa, Thailand and Greenland, government officials have banned sales of beer, wine and liquor in an attempt to limit social gatherings and temper alcohol-fueled domestic violence.
'Dueling dinos' set off a long legal battle and a scientific debate
In 2006, an amateur fossil hunter made an unprecedented find: two dinosaurs fossilized while apparently locked in battle. A court case followed over mineral versus surface rights, bringing into question the future of fossil discovery in the US.
For this year’s Passover Seder, to Zoom or not to Zoom?
It's an added question for the holiday this year as social-distancing measures in place all over the world are preventing big, in-person gatherings.
Food supply logistics need a coronavirus ‘reset,’ says UN economist
How stable is the global food supply chain? The World's Marco Werman speaks with Maximo Torero, chief economist for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome.
Tommy the robot nurse helps Italian doctors care for COVID-19 patients
Robots like Tommy can measure blood pressure and oxygen saturation for the patients in the ICU. They also limit the number of direct contact doctors and nurses have with patients, thus reducing the risk of infection.
Spain's street vendors deliver food, medical supplies amid coronavirus crisis
For over three weeks now, Barcelona’s union of African street vendors has been distributing food and other necessary items every day to hundreds of families in vulnerable situations — including fellow street vendors.
Connecting with nature in the time of COVID-19
Around the world, people are doing their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by staying at home. But that doesn't mean we can't take the time to connect with nature. Richard Louv, author of “Last Child in the Woods," shares some ideas about how to connect with nature in the midst of the pandemic.
Coronavirus lockdown: A tale of two South Africas
As some South Africans retreat to the comfort of their homes, reports of police violence and panic buying in markets foreshadow how the COVID-19 response in South Africa is as unequal as the country itself.
Amid coronavirus, grassroots groups move online to capture Latino vote
An estimated 32 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in November. Registering them to vote requires a substantial in-person effort that grassroots groups can't do right now because of the coronavirus outbreak. Some are shifting their strategies to the internet.
Coronavirus restrictions challenge customs of ultra-Orthodox in Israel
After most of Israel went into isolation, Bnei Brak was slow to adopt the country’s social distancing regulations.
Research on COVID-19 vaccine shows unique global collaboration, says Ebola vaccine scientist
The World speaks with Gary Kobinger, an expert in special pathogens who helped pioneer an Ebola vaccine, about progress towards a vaccine for COVID-19.
Taiwan’s success in fighting COVID-19 is overshadowed by global politics
Taiwan leads the world as the most-prepared and best-equipped nation to fight the pandemic. But pressure from China continues to stymie their involvement in international public health care efforts.
A sobering report on biodiversity loss spurs big plans to save species
A United Nations biodiversity report concludes that as many as one million species are at risk of going extinct in the coming decades. In response, the the UN Convention on Biodiversity and the Center for Biological Diversity have released new plans to avert the crisis.
What the US can learn from West Africa to slow the spread of coronavirus
Contact tracing, or meticulously tracing individuals exposed to illness, has been key to combating outbreaks of Ebola, cholera and tuberculosis throughout the world. Dr. Sheila Davis of the nonprofit Partners in Health explains what the US can learn from those crises.
Bolsonaro is still downplaying coronavirus. Many worry about the impact on the most vulnerable.
The virus is spreading quickly across Brazil. As of Monday, there were 11,721 people infected with COVID-19 and 516 deaths in the country, according to state health department information.
‘I am lucky I survived’: Voices from Iran, one of the worst-hit COVID-19 countries
Iran has the fifth highest death toll from COVID-19. And while some people are wondering whether they can survive financially, others are struggling to overcome the disease.
Emergency authoritarianism? Hungary’s Orbán uses coronavirus to seize more power
Hungary's government under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has granted itself sweeping powers under the auspices of the coronavirus pandemic. But critics warn it is hastening Hungary's authoritarian decline.
Can Tulane University’s monkeys help the global fight against the coronavirus?
Monkeys at the Tulane National Primate Research Center have been infected with the coronavirus. Eventually, the animals will be tested with potential vaccines.
Brazilians protest Bolsonaro’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic
President Jair Bolsonaro has remained defiant even after US President Donald Trump, who has been his political role model, walked back his own skepticism about the coronavirus outbreak. Bolsonaro’s stance has isolated him politically in Brazil.
International doctors can help the US fight COVID-19. But can they get here?
The COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges for doctors on visas who are already in the US, and for international physicians who are supposed to arrive in the US to start work at US hospitals in a few months.
Coronavirus has changed how we transport goods and ourselves. But will it last?
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that what’s “normal” can change dramatically and quickly to protect public health — and those lessons may be good for the climate, too.
How the US coronavirus stimulus package compares to those of Europe
The US just passed a $2 trillion stimulus. But how does it look compared to efforts in some European countries to mitigate the economic effect of the coronavirus pandemic?
South Korea flattened the curve. Now what?
While an increasing number of countries are tightening their borders in an effort to halt further infections, South Korea is taking a different approach. But a rise in imported cases threatens to roll back some of the country’s progress.
South Korea's delivery workers face 'unbearable' pressures amid COVID-19
Even before COVID-19 swept through the country, South Korea had a well-known reputation for being a so-called “delivery nation.”
Monopoly on COVID-19 treatment would be 'dangerously stupid,' MSF doctor says
When a treatment for the coronavirus becomes available, who would get access to it? This question is of growing concern to policymakers and medical officials around the globe. Dr. Manuel Martin, an advisor with Médecins Sans Frontières, speaks with The World's Marco Werman about why a potential monopoly by one pharmaceutical company worries him.
Is the Navy doing enough to protect sailors from coronavirus?
Sailors are especially vulnerable in the coronavirus pandemic. Following an outbreak on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, The World's Marco Werman spoke to Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly about the US military's readiness for coronavirus — and the sometimes conflicting goals of protecting US sailors while maintaining combat effectiveness.
Damn coronavirus! How the Dutch use diseases as curse words.
What to do with pent up anxiety? Some say profanities help relieve stress. But while English swear words and phrases are often linked to sex, in the Dutch language, many profanities and expletives are derived from disease.
Many people aren’t putting love on hold during COVID-19
Dating while in isolation is probably not the ideal way to hook up with a new partner, but dating apps are all reporting increases in usage. Boredom and a little loneliness are likely playing a part.
How groups are helping domestic violence survivors during coronavirus lockdowns
Millions of people across the world have been ordered to stay home under the assumption that home is the safest place for them. That's not the case for people who are now stuck at home with their abusers. A network of women's organizations in Europe explains how groups are stepping in to help domestic violence survivors.
As coronavirus spreads, poor communities in Kenya are left vulnerable
In Kenya, which has confirmed more than 100 cases of the new coronavirus, the latest mitigation measures came in the form of a nationwide curfew, which went into effect on March 27.
Gaza Strip fears spread of the coronavirus, Palestinian epidemiologist says
In the Gaza Strip, roughly 2 million Palestinians are squeezed into a small territory. And though there have been few reported cases of the coronavirus, experts worry Israel's years-long blockade has left the territory ill-equipped to handle the outbreak.
Will the US ever mimic Asia’s culture of ‘universal masking’?
Across much of Asia, masks are considered an essential weapon in the war against the new coronavirus. Should Americans follow suit?
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