The World: Latest Stories

A decade after protesters took to the streets to oppose the Assad family’s rule, President Bashar al-Assad has retaken control of most of the country. But that doesn’t make it any easier to return.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is running out of space to store its radioactive water. Japanese authorities want to release it into the Pacific Ocean.

This week, the Biden administration put forward a power-sharing arrangement between the government in Kabul, Afghanistan, and the Taliban, the details of which were leaked by TOLONews.

"How Beautiful We Were" tells the fictional story of West African villagers who stand up to an imagined American oil company that is poisoning their land and water.

Three weeks after the devastating winter freeze, Texans are facing major home repairs, and many still don’t have running water. Immigrants will play an outsized role in helping families get their housing back in order, while also dealing with destruction in their own communities.

The Asian American Pacific Islander community has a website where people can report hate crimes in more than 10 Asian languages. Russell Jeung, co-founder of StopAAPIHate.org, tells host Marco Werman about the increase of anti-Asian hate crimes in the US during the pandemic, and what steps his organization is taking to document them.

Greek authorities say the technology will make police checks more efficient, but critics are sounding the alarm about potential abuses.

Adam Levy, who goes by "Climate Adam" on YouTube, often uses humor to debunk climate change myths.

The World revisits the Saeki family in Ishinomaki, Japan, which was one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that devastated the country on March, 11, 2011.

Seeing a surge in attacks against Asian Americans during the pandemic, community ambassadors are finding ways to help elders in Chinatown feel safe.

The pandemic has changed so much of our lives. It has robbed so many of loved ones, too quickly, and unexpectedly. It’s changed routines and rituals. For Mark Stobert, the lead chaplain at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge in the UK, poetry has been a way to navigate the challenges. Host Marco Werman speaks with him about his practice and what it means to be one year into the pandemic.

Academic Pierre-André Taguieff coined the term in the early 2000s to describe what he saw as a growing link between left-leaning academics and France’s Muslim community. But over time, it came to mean something more pejorative.

Artists collected thoughts from people who lived through the massive earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that hit Japan 10 years ago.

As COVID-19 vaccine rollouts continue across the US, grassroots organizations are fighting not only vaccine access inequities — but also misinformation and skepticism among immigrant groups and communities of color.

The International Anticorruption Champions Award, issued by the US State Department, is part of a broader US strategy to fight corruption.

A bombshell interview between Meghan Markle and Oprah has rocked the UK and its royal family. The interview covered issues of race, mental health and personal security for Markle and Prince Harry and their son Archie. The World’s Marco Werman spoke with Bristol’s former Lord Mayor Cleo Lake about the issues surrounding the interview and its aftermath.

Mesopotamia Agency, Turkey's largest Kurdish news outlet, is often at odds with the government’s narrative about its longtime struggle against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Several small, celebratory demonstrations sprang up across Brazil on Monday night after the news broke that a Supreme Court judge threw out three corruption convictions against former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The Knowing Buddha Organization in Thailand scours the internet and chases tips, seeking out people who’ve used Buddha’s image flagrantly.

The Biden administration has said that managing US-China relations is a top priority. One flashpoint for a potential conflict between the two countries is the island of Taiwan. From Beijing’s perspective, Taiwan is a rogue province that must never be treated as an independent country, even though it effectively runs its own affairs. Washington says it's determined to keep the democratic territory free. But where does Taiwan stand in all of this? Host Marco Werman talks with Bi-khim Hsiao, Taiwan’s top diplomat in the US.

Yoichi Funabashi, one of Japan’s most imminent journalists and author of a new book titled "Meltdown: Inside the Fukushima Nuclear Crisis," told The World that there was a lack of emergency training for that critical scenario faced on March 11, 2011.

The pandemic appears to have further cut off North Korea from the rest of the world. But now, the country is set to receive nearly 2 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine through the COVAX program.

China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, released its latest five-year economic plan in conjunction with the annual meeting of its National People’s Congress on Friday.

Before password protection or message encryption — or even envelopes — there was something known as “letterlocking" to secure letters from prying eyes.

Treasures of Colombia breeds tiny amphibians, native to Colombian forests, for export to Europe and the US.

The world has gotten really clean during the pandemic and our hypersanitized lives may pose health risks.

Amid massive, ongoing farmer protests, the Indian government has cracked down on climate activists, including Disha Ravi, who founded Fridays for Future India.

Pope Francis’ upcoming three-day tour of the country will include meetings with political and religious leaders plus visits to historical sites.

The ruling effectively ends a decadeslong debate over citizenship status in the largest tribe in the country.

The multibillion-dollar Danish company Velux is pledging to address its legacy emissions dating back to 1941 through forest conservation projects in places like Myanmar.

During the pandemic, many have reconnected with new hobbies, from sourdough to houseplants. In Turkey, and elsewhere, the ancient practice of raising pigeons is also seeing a revival.

French Ivorian director Philippe Lacôte wanted to send a political message with his film that "poetry can come from everywhere, telling stories can come from everywhere — even from prison."

Although some Serbians see it as a big win for the country — and a rare victory at that — others are critical of what they see as the politicization of vaccines.

Ghanaian Australian artist Genesis Owusu speaks with Marco Werman about his experience growing up in Australia and how Prince inspired him to be true to himself.

For Russia, the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine is an opportunity to appeal to faraway governments and citizens.

Prominent groups are calling on the Biden administration to lift Trump-era sanctions on ICC members. But Israel, one of America's closest allies, is asking the new president to keep them in place.

Vaccine workers in Pakistan have faced threats for a long time. The reasons behind anti-vaccination sentiments and hostility toward workers vary, but misinformation and a CIA operation have played an outsized role.

Aspern Seestadt — home to various industries, researchers and small businesses — demonstrates the possibilities for building an entirely green mini-city.

Up to 200 undocumented migrants, including teenagers, have occupied St. John the Baptist in Brussels since the end of January. They're calling on the government to grant them legal status.

Regarding the Constitution as divine amounts to “constitutional fundamentalism,” according to one law professor.

In Germany, the pandemic has ushered in a new crop of vocabulary words like impfneid, the feeling of resentment that other people are getting vaccinated before you.

The company wants to hire an archivist to examine its collection of 3,000 insurance relics to suss out connections to the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

To boost the public’s confidence, the French government is putting power in the hands of everyday citizens in the form of a 35-person collective — selected at random — to help oversee the country’s vaccine rollout.

Ship strikes and entanglement in fishing nets threaten the survival of the North Atlantic right whale, one of the world’s most endangered species. Conservation groups have now filed a lawsuit to compel the US to expand protections for the whales.

The Chinese government hasn’t actually forbidden travel this year, but they’re strongly discouraging it.

With the pandemic mostly behind them now, along with a lack of data around the efficacy of Chinese vaccines, many citizens are taking the “wait-and-see” approach to getting vaccinated.

Over the past week, thousands of protesters rallied in rapper Pablo Hasél’s defense while hundreds of artists — including Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar and actor Javier Bardem — signed petitions calling for his release.

Mexico's vaccine rollout has been slow and cumbersome. Mexican residents with US citizenship, permanent residency or valid visas are starting to take matters into their own hands.

Experts say that as the US rejoins the UN Human Rights Council, it should hold allies — and itself — accountable for human rights violations.

During the day, dozens of guests of all backgrounds crowd around long tables at Yemen Kings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to share traditional Yemeni dishes like fahsa, a stew made out of beef or lamb.