The World: Latest Stories

The roots of Afrobeat — not to be confused with the more pop-oriented Afrobeats, which has exploded in popularity in recent years — is socially conscious music, according to Made Kuti, Fela Kuti's grandson.

In the last year, 86 countries have taken out $110 billion in emergency loans from the IMF, and many are struggling with the debt.

Author Stephen Walker discusses his biography on Yuri Gagarin with The World's host Marco Werman.

England’s potential COVID-19 certificate scheme would require customers to show proof of vaccination, a negative COVID-19 test or immunity status to gain entry into shops, pubs and theaters.

In the last four months, a wave of violence has taken over much of the city, as two criminal groups, Los Chotas and Los Espartanos, vie for control.

Reports of suicide attempts within the refugee population are up, as are other symptoms related to depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Meanwhile, virtually all mental services on the island are at capacity.

The Biden administration faces pushback from Republicans as it tries to pass legislation to further regulate "ghost guns" assembled with homemade parts.

Wood used to rule much of the building world, and now, it’s poised for a comeback, as engineered wooden buildings start to become an eco-friendly alternative to concrete and steel.

Chinese families are also thinking twice about sending their children to the US to study amid growing concerns about safety and security.

From hiding, a parliament-in-exile takes shape and seeks to build a new armed resistance force.

The new US-Mexico-Canada agreement paves a clear pathway for some workers in Mexico to unionize and also file labor complaints directly with governments. In March, two women petitioned Mexico and the US on gender and pay discrimination allegations.

When drinking bubble tea — the straw is essential. How else can you suck up all those chewy tapioca balls? Complaints from bubble-tea drinkers have sparked a national conversation about straws.

The company that built and operates the Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River in Brazil has begun drawing down some 85% of the river, an amount scientists and Indigenous peoples believe will have catastrophic effects.

The European Union has announced a quarter-billion euros in funding for five new refugee camps on Greek islands, including on Lesbos. Some are worried the new site will not improve conditions for migrants on the island.

A recent survey by a UK recruitment company indicates that over two-thirds of transgender people nationwide continue to conceal their identity at work, and the numbers are increasing.

A rare but tense rift within Jordan’s royal family is playing out in public. But for one Jordanian who spoke to The World, it's the economy that should be the focus.

As the rate of new infections is starting to slow down in Brazil, health officials brace for a new spike after Easter holiday gatherings over the weekend.

After 14 years of efforts, activists are calling the US out on an international stage for failing to protect domestic workers.

The stories of these women, who remain vulnerable, can now be heard on an album called "I've forgotten now who I used to be."

As part of the multimillion-dollar event, the 18 kings and four queens were transported from the Egypt Museum in Tahrir Square along the River Nile to their new home at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, south of the capital.

As anti-immigrant sentiment grows in Colombia, kickball league organizers in Riohacha hope the sport can facilitate integration between Venezuelans and their new neighbors.

Despite his efforts to buy a climate-friendly refrigerator, climate reporter Phil McKenna ended up buying a "carbon bomb" containing a greenhouse gas thousands of times more potent than CO2.

While much of the focus along the border has been on the arrival of Central Americans seeking asylum, Haitians have also experienced violence, political instability and racism in their journey to border cities like Tijuana.

Javad Zarif discussed everything from Iran’s recent partnership with China to his bedtime routine. Iranian state media published parts of his conversation.

France’s cultural spaces may be closed, but many artists are insisting that the show must go on.

Fears of a failed state abound as hospitals close and EMTs dodge bullets.

Biolyse’s unconventional move to try to produce single-dose COVID-19 vaccines adds to a fierce global debate about who controls vaccine knowledge and production in a pandemic.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine started more than seven years ago when Russia annexed the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula. Now, the two countries are at war in eastern Ukraine. The so-called “frozen conflict” has heated up again. Fighting is escalating in eastern Ukraine despite a ceasefire, and there have been reports of military buildup in Crimea and on the Russian side of the border. Host Carol Hills speaks with Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the commanding general of the US Army in Europe until 2017.

K-pop band Blackpink put out a climate change video expressing concern for the environment. Soon after its release, they were named cultural ambassadors to COP26, the upcoming United Nations’ climate talks in Glasgow.

On Tuesday, the heads of the Brazilian navy, army and air force jointly resigned after Bolsonaro removed the defense minister in a major Cabinet reshuffle. This comes on the anniversary of Brazil's 1964 coup that ushered in a decadeslong dictatorship.

A month into its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Zimbabwe has struggled to surpass the 75,000 mark as some front-line health workers are skeptical about the Chinese-made Sinopharm efficacy rate.

A group of residents gathered in the port city of Mytilene to protest plans for a permanent migrant facility on the island.

The Spanish government has proposed a three-year pilot project to help companies switch to a four-day workweek, and will partially fund companies who may need to hire additional staff or reorganize workflows.

As vaccination rates have risen and death rates have fallen, a gradual unlocking has begun, starting with outdoor leisure facilities. That includes lidos — a very British institution.

Last week, Islamist insurgents stormed Palma, killing dozens of people, according to Mozambique’s Ministry of Defense spokesperson Omar Saranga.

For UK photographer and anthropologist Liz Hingley, the COVID-19 crisis brought home the need to rebuild a connection with the natural world. She began the "Nature of Care" project 10 months ago to help nurses and doctors in London cope with pandemic-induced stress and anxiety by teaching them nature photography skills.

CRISPR has enabled us to manipulate the code of life. Where might it take us next?

Iranian American composer Sahba Aminikia, who had to leave his homeland due to religious persecution, says his pain comes out in his music.

Are we doing our work, or just talking about it?

Up-and-coming rapper Ali ATH overcame many obstacles to get into the music business in Afghanistan. Now, as the Taliban gets ready to return to power, he wonders if he will be able to remain in his country.

Kim Nicholas, a climate scientist at Lund University in Sweden, has a new book out this week, "Under the Sky We Make: How to be a Human in a Warming World," to help people understand where they fit into solving the climate crisis.

These mothers say they were separated from their families by the Chinese government’s campaign of forced labor camps and surveillance, which has targeted the ethnic Uyghur minority living in the Xinjiang autonomous region since 2017.

The Bug Picture has worked for the last six weeks in Kenya to pilot a program that pays farmers to collect locusts from their fields in exchange for cash.

As several cities welcome record numbers of cyclists, Madrid lags far behind the walking and biking trend. Activists are trying to change that with an anti-car movement.

In Honduras and in low-income countries across the world, the vaccination process is riddled with uncertainty.

A new bill under consideration in the Czech Republic could compensate women who were involuntarily sterilized up to $13,000. Roma women and activist groups say reaching this stage is a huge milestone.

With the new, highly contagious Amazon variant spreading around the country and a slow vaccine rollout, there seems to be little light at the end of the tunnel.

The Jesuits are pledging to donate $100 million to a newly created Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation. They also plan to raise $1 billion in scholarships for future descendants and fund a process of truth and reconciliation in the US.

A new book describes how environmental activists in El Salvador brought conservatives and progressives together to institute a nationwide ban on metal mining in 2017. The World’s Marco Werman spoke with attorney Luis Parada, who led El Salvador’s defense team in a mining lawsuit at the World Bank, and Robin Broad, a co-author of the book, "The Water Defenders: How Ordinary People Saved A Country from Corporate Greed."

The Iron Dames is one of just three all-female teams in the world. Far from a marketing gimmick, they’ve already qualified for big-name races and hope to lead the way for future female pilots.