The World: Latest Stories

Cafés in downtown Seoul are nearly empty during lunch hour as businesses typically filled with office workers dropping in for a cup of their favorite brew go takeout-only because of the pandemic.

Five years after German chancellor Angela Merkel's famous words, "Wir schaffen das!" or "We can do this!" many of her critics' worst predictions on Europe's migrant crisis have not come to pass, says Constanze Stelzenmüller, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

The toys are designed to help children who are blind or visually impaired learn the Braille system of reading and writing, where characters of the alphabet are represented by raised dots.

A new analysis of 194 countries found that women-led nations have a better handle on the coronavirus pandemic. Not only were infection rates generally lower; fatality rates were also noticeably lower, too.

Taiwanese American jazz pianist Eric Pan's new album reflects on metaphysical treks — through the world of the music and within the self.

As debates in the US rage over the removal of Confederate and other monuments that celebrate a racist past, some in Russia have been thinking hard about how people there confront their own history.

Millions of schoolchildren across Mexico began the academic year this week in front of a TV. But teachers in Oaxaca say televised classes won’t meet fundamental educational needs and many families lack the technology to keep up, deepening Mexico's socioeconomic divide.

Organizers did not offer an explanation for the sudden cancelation and indefinite hiatus, but co-founder Charlene Liu cited "safety" concerns for all involved.

The University of Texas at San Antonio is home to the largest collection of historic Mexican cookbooks in North America — some dating back to the 1700s, including many handwritten manuscripts.

The history of white supremacy is complex and the meaning of that term often disputed. But if people, by association, are part of a larger structure in which whites dominate, is it appropriate to call them "white supremacists"?

Pyongyang has closed its borders, preventing aid groups from entering the country. Now, the regime’s ability to effectively respond to the disaster could be curtailed due to the absence of such organizations.

Eric Lybeck is a sociologist at The University of Manchester. He told The World's host Carol Hills that British universities are under huge financial pressure to welcome students back in person.

As many countries continue to deal with the health and economic crises caused by the pandemic, a new report by Deloitte Canada warns of a “third-order crisis” to come.

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s choice of Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate made history and highlighted the campaign’s focus on environmental justice.

About 140 ukulele aficionados from around the globe gathered online for UkeFest, an annual confab. They took to Zoom out of love for the four-stringed, guitarlike instrument adapted from the instruments Portuguese immigrants brought to Hawaii in the 19th century.

A PETA campaign is scandalizing Thailand’s huge coconut industry. But some of its claims are overstated.

More than 700 Indigenous people have died from the coronavirus while more than 27,000 have been infected across 155 tribes. The loss of many ancestral leaders is taking its toll.

Earlier this month, Canada’s immigration minister Marco Mendicino announced that the country will grant permanent residency to some asylum-seekers who have been working in institutions hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic: hospitals and long-term care homes.

The situation for furry friends has improved as airlines slowly increase the number of flights and some nations reopen their borders. But transporting house pets during this time is still very challenging.

Nodia Mena is Afro Honduran and moved to the US nearly 30 years ago. She left Honduras when she was 19, but was able to vote for the first time before leaving. She said the lack of change in her country led her to not take voting seriously. But that changed after seeing the enthusiasm toward politics in 1992.

US Secretary of State Pompeo has been trying in vain to get European support for reinstating multilateral sanctions on Iran. Two years ago, the Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, which was negotiated by the Obama administration.

A new trend on YouTube known as bardcore sees modern pop songs like Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks" or Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" reimagined in a medieval sound.

In her new book, “Hatemonger,” investigate reporter Jean Guerrero focuses on White House adviser Stephen Miller, who pushed President Donald Trump to implement policies that have impacted people’s lives in ways that are far less visible than the wall.

Police intimidation is a fact of life for many Roma living in Bulgaria and elsewhere in Europe, but in the last five months tensions have heightened, according to activists.

With friends and family spread out across the globe, perhaps a Zoom wedding is the only way to really have everyone present — in pandemic times or not.

From the scent of a cinema to a classic pub or outdoor music festival, this candle line aims to transport you to the places you miss when you can't go anywhere.

Some viewers say "Love on the Spectrum" accurately portrays the dating lives of autistic people. Others warn it degrades them and is inherently voyeuristic.

Health authorities say Sarang Jaeil Church and its outspoken pastor are at the epicenter of South Korea’s second-largest COVID-19 outbreak since the pandemic started. About 3,400 of the church’s members have been tested and about 20% have contracted the coronavirus as of Thursday.

Migration is an adaptive strategy that builds on a long tradition of people moving around the world for better lives and opportunities. In her new book, author Sonia Shah argues we must reframe migration as a solution to the climate crisis — not a crisis itself.

The pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for schools providing special instruction for English-language learners — and the burden has fallen on parents who often don’t have the language skills to help their children.

WeChat, a wildly popular app in China and among the Chinese diaspora, could soon become unavailable in the US, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting the app over security concerns.

Turkey’s reopening follows a national lull in the coronavirus infections. But the country’s largest association of doctors says that based on its own research, the actual number of cases of the coronavirus in Turkey is much higher than reported figures.

Poland is considered the worst country in the European Union in terms of gay rights.

The risks of extreme heat are often overlooked. The newly formed Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance wants to develop a system for naming heat waves, like we name hurricanes, to bring more attention to the "silent killer."

Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, discusses the latest intelligence report and its clear warnings for 2020 US elections.

The distinctive brown and white residential towers of the Old City in Sanaa, Yemen, date back centuries. Amid heavy rains, floods, war and economic collapse, more than a hundred have recently seen their roofs partially collapse.

Mozambique’s Minister of Defense Jaime Neto said the attackers had attacked the village from the inside, killing civilians and damaging the nearby port.

With a record 32 million Latinos eligible to vote this year, many political observers expected to see lots of Latino politicians and representatives at the virtual Democratic National Convention. But Latino activists argue the programming missed the mark.

Cameron Johnson is a businessman and management consultant in Shanghai, but ever since the pandemic started, his life has been taken over by the high demand for personal protective equipment (PPE).

The Somali sengi, commonly called an elephant shrew, had been spotted by locals but not by scientists for at least 50 years — until now.

In L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, a city bordering Barcelona, rent prices are skyrocketing, and some people face eviction even amid the pandemic.

Taiwan has kept its COVID-19 numbers low compared to other countries: It has seen fewer than 500 cases and seven deaths. Much of that success has been attributed to Taiwan's approach to technology, led by the government's digital minister Audrey Tang.

A fleet of more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels off the coast of the Galápagos Islands poses a danger to the area’s delicate ecosystem, Ecuadorian officials say.

Legislators have been fighting for the museum for decades. Finally, the proposal is making some headway in Congress.

How do we make elections secure? Try paper. Professor J. Alex Halderman, a security expert at the University of Michigan, explains why.

Dozens of domestic workers have been stranded in Lebanon since last week's blast. Many have lost their jobs and homes. They say they have no money for plane tickets back to their countries. The coronavirus pandemic has made the situation even more complicated.

For many Indian Americans, Harris symbolizes the inherent multiculturalism that defines their lives in the US.

Mass protests in Belarus have been met by violent crackdowns after the recent election. Veronika Tsepkalo, who helped create one of the largest expressions of dissent Belarus has seen in years, joined The World's host Marco Werman from Moscow to talk about the latest events.

Kenneth Prewitt, who oversaw the nationwide tally in 2000, says that counting 56 million households amid a pandemic, along with a hurried census deadline, may "result in an unprecedented undercount."

The court battle, known as Climate Case Ireland, is one of many cases around the world of climate activists bringing their own country’s governments to court for insufficient action on climate change.