The World: Latest Stories

For years, the plight of the pangolin has been a niche concern, mostly worrying conservationists. But the COVID-19 pandemic has pulled pangolins into the spotlight.

If confirmed, Alejandro Mayorkas would be the first immigrant and the first Latino to serve as DHS secretary.

Human activity is impacting the planet, from the deepest parts of the ocean to the tallest peaks. The highest point in the Himalayas is no exception.

The case has gripped France even as the country battles a deadly second wave of the coronavirus.

While Diego Maradona never ran or held public office, his success on the field, larger-than-life personality and friendships with leftist leaders connected him to political life in Argentina and across Latin America over more than three decades.

British comedian John Finnemore made it his quarantine project to crack "Cain’s Jawbone" — and he succeeded, making him just the third person to solve it in its nearly 90-year history.

In Moldova, poverty and corruption go hand-in-hand. So when Maia Sandu, the recently elected first woman president, ran a campaign focused solely on addressing corruption, 93% of Moldovans abroad voted for her.

Armenians have evacuated houses —and attended church services — in the remote region handed over to Baku's control recently as part of a Russian-administered peace deal.

China’s investments helped Ethiopia become one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Now, the country is embroiled in a conflict that has displaced tens of thousands — and threatens to destabilize a region in which China is heavily invested.

“Movement,” a one-hour special from The World, brings you stories of global migration through music. Together, host Marco Werman and Ethiopian American singer Meklit Hadero blend song and narrative in a meditation on what it means to be American. We follow a once-undocumented singer in San Francisco on a long-awaited trip back to Mexico, reflect on the experience of exile with a Syrian DJ and hear a Sudanese American artist play his first-ever show in Sudan — all guided by Hadero as she reflects on her own American story.

The Russian grandmaster provided consulting help for the popular Netflix series, explaining how to make the game look more real and add historical context to epic US-Soviet matches.

With over three decades in the US foreign service, Linda Thomas-Greenfield hopes to chart a new course for the US in the halls of the United Nations. Marco Werman speaks to her colleague, former Ambassador Johnnie Carson, about how the adversity that Thomas-Greenfield faced in her career has prepared her for this role.

During the pandemic, LGBTQ bars in London received extra help from the government. In the US, queer women are rallying to save and celebrate the last remaining 15 lesbian bars. In other parts of the world, like Turkey, government funding for LGBTQ venues is not a possibility.

Social Hackers Academy, an Athens-based nonprofit, tries to equip migrants, refugees and long-term unemployed people with on-demand, computer programming skills.

To soar past the pandemic, aviation planners are busy sorting out the logistics and distribution difficulties of bringing delicate cargo to distant locales.

Protests erupted across Brazil last week after a Black man was brutally murdered by two white supermarket security guards. The murder is only the latest case of racist violence in Brazil, which is fueling Black Lives Matter activism across the country.

At the League of Legends World Championship held in Shanghai last month, more than 3 million people entered to win a ticket to attend the finals. Only 6,000 were allowed in because of social distancing rules due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Former CIA director John Brennan has worked closely with Antony Blinken, who is expected to be announced as President-elect Joe Biden's Secretary of State.

The global trial has enrolled more than 24,000 participants from across the world, including in the UK, South Africa and Brazil.

A new, shocking report by the Australian government details war crimes by its forces in Afghanistan — violations that US and UK forces have also been accused of committing.

The case has received international attention, partly because Greek authorities took the unprecedented step of arresting the grieving father and charging him with child endangerment.

The next president could undo the travel ban just the way Trump started it. That would trigger a reversal at the State Department, US Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies.

Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller has announced a major troop withdrawal in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. The news is being met with plenty of skepticism.

French President Emmanuel Macron's proposed "separatism law" would, among other things, monitor international funding coming into French mosques, crack down on online hate speech and create a special certificate program for French imams.

Alexei Dudoladov has been forced to go to great lengths — or rather, great heights — to take courses on the internet.

America’s top diplomat Mike Pompeo made history Thursday by becoming the first US secretary of state to visit an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, the entirety of which Palestinians claim as a part of their future state.

​​​​​​​Many of the women artists who made a name for themselves in the early 20th century and other periods have long been kept out of the spotlight. Some historians, museum curators and artists and writers are trying to change that.

Lena Einhorn, a filmmaker and former virologist, was one of the early opponents of Sweden's more relaxed coronavirus strategy. She joins The World's host Marco Werman to talk about how Sweden's new virus restrictions may not be enough.

Leaders in Delhi have resisted Beijing’s efforts to pull India into networks that China leads or dominates, including the Belt and Road Initiative and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The leading global health organization announced a name change to MSI Reproductive Choices because their namesake, Marie Stopes, was a supporter of eugenics. CEO Simon Cooke talks with The World's host Marco Werman about the name change and the future of MSI.

For the Trump administration, the UPR is a final chance for it to defend its policies — and “America first” attitude — to the global community. And while the Trump administration claims it has made gains in human rights, representatives from evaluating countries listed events which, they said, run counter to that narrative.

Turkish authorities say Halla Barakat and Orouba Barakat were killed in a family dispute. Others suspect a targeted assassination.

Brazilians voted in local elections in more than 5,500 municipalities across the country on Sunday. It was another big loss for President Jair Bolsonaro, coming on the heels of the electoral defeat of his top ally, US President Donald Trump.

The great outdoors is wild, rugged — and often cast in masculine terms. So, it can be easy for queer and gender non-conforming people to feel excluded from outdoor spaces. Photographer Wyn Wiley wants to change that.

If you thought you lived in an unequal world before, get ready.

COVID-19 has turned our world upside down. It’s also created a moment to turn things right side up.

The US is the second-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. And because the climate crisis knows no borders, who sits in the White House matters everywhere.

A new investigation looked at more than 18 million people who took part in 50 studies in the US and UK. The World spoke to Charles Kwaku-Odo with the Caribbean and African Health Network about the study's findings on the virus's inequities.

President-elect Joe Biden is taking a radically different approach to COVID-19 than President Donald Trump. The World speaks to Dr. Céline Gounder, an HIV and infectious disease specialist named to Biden's COVID-19 task force.

In September, more than 160 advocacy organizations wrote a letter to the International Olympic Committee asking for the Games to be moved out of China.

Critics argue that a nude statue honoring a feminist is sexist — and that important men in history are not typically depicted this way.

Actor Hamza Haq is the star of “Transplant.” He joined The World’s host Marco Werman from Toronto.

A little over a month ago, Italy was held up as a role model for their coronavirus response in Europe. But this week, Italy surpassed 1 million confirmed coronavirus infections, becoming one of the top 10 worst-affected countries globally.

Catholic and conservative groups are slowly chipping away at abortion rights in Italy, where abortion has been legal since 1978.

Wu Chi-wai, chairman of Hong Kong's Democratic Party, resigned Wednesday after the Hong Kong government disqualified four fellow party members. He believes Beijing's latest crackdown marks the end of the "one country, two systems" model for Hong Kong.

Officials in Tehran say that for the US to jump back into the historic agreement with world powers, new sanctions would have to be undone and a price paid for recent economic damage.

Climate change is disrupting lives and causing deep anxiety, especially for the young people organizing to address it. A new book lays out strategies to help Generation Z activists address climate-fueled anxieties and envision a resilient future.

Omar Alshogre was a teenager when security forces in Syria arrested him for participating in demonstrations. He was imprisoned and tortured. Last month, Alshogre learned he had been accepted to Georgetown University.

British Columbia’s sea wolves had been threatened by trophy hunters until environmental groups — and a photographer — stepped in.

After the NBA was banned on Chinese TV, the US basketball association made a series of public and private gestures in China to quell political tensions that erupted from one NBA player’s infamous pro-Hong Kong tweet.