The World: Latest Stories

“When I first came down here, I was astonished by how nature wanted to kill you at every turn.” Author Lauren Groff on writing and surviving in Florida.

In the 1990s, pirate radio station WBAD started playing hip-hop music without bleeping it like commercial radio. But even if it was playing church music, the FCC still would have come after them.

For many Muslim Americans, the presence of a Quran is a symbolic moment amid a presidential administration that has seemed to wage an all-out war on the triple whammy of what Tlaib and Omar represent: immigrants, Muslims and women.

Higher education institutions in the US are stepping into some of the nation's most pressing immigration policy debates.

"Strong man" calendars are making a comeback in 2019.

Just two countries in the world, The Gambia and Morocco, currently have policies that meet the target of 1.5 degrees Celcius set by the Paris climate agreement. The majority of signatories have not fully implemented policies to meet their emissions reductions goals.

2018 saw populist political movements drive leadership crises in France, Germany and the UK. The World asks Francis Fukuyama, author of "The End of History," to focus on identity politics and ginned up divisions in those countries and here in the US.

Back in the 1980s, scientists tried to breed captive Sumatran rhinos to save the species, with very limited success. But now a new coalition is hoping to learn from past mistakes and renew the breeding program.

Once viewed as a promising solution to the global increase of carbon emissions, biodiesel fuels have become a huge part of the problem — especially in the rainforests of Indonesia.

Singer Angélique Kidjo on her Talking Heads cover album.

How a whimsical advertising mascot became part of a really dark story.

How library music composers anonymously churned out some of the strangest, funkiest music of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.

The Trump administration seems determined to ignore the findings in the recently released climate report from its own agencies.

There was a lot of great music released this year, but we had to narrow it down. Here's a selection of our favorites as chosen by The World's Marco Werman, April Peavey and Brandi Fullwood.

Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton returned to Jamaica in early December after serving seven years in a US prison on drug charges. Banton got a hero's welcome, despite his infamous, 1993 anti-gay song “Boom Bye Bye” which called for the murder of gay people.

Four years ago, Alejandro Benítez, a former professional soccer player, decided to help a group of immigrant friends who played pickup soccer in an open field. He had the idea of creating a professional team that would work as an experiment for migrant integration. That’s how Alma de África, “soul of Africa,” was born.

How much credit, or blame, does Washington deserve for jobs moving back, or not moving back, to the US?

"Israeli" war planes attacked with missiles unspecified targets near Damascus, the Syrian capital, on Tuesday and injured three Syrian soldiers

Japan will resume commercial whaling from July in its waters and exclusive economic zone while ending its controversial hunts in the Antarctic, officials said on Wednesday.

Illustrator Molly Crabapple spent evenings at the McAllen, Texas bus station, where many migrants arrive after being released from custody. This is what she saw.

Before Ken Watson passed away, he bought 14 Christmas gifts for his neighbor's 2-year-old daughter.

Tamales are central to Latino holiday celebrations. Some families buy dozens at markets and others gather around a kitchen table to assemble them.

In El Paso’s Chihuahuita neighborhood, where border security is an everyday concern, Border Patrol agents break barriers and build community with an annual Santa Claus visit tradition.

What might it mean for environmental policy in the US if politicians tapped into the 20 million ‘super-environmentalist’ registered voters who mostly tend to stay home on election day?

Cosmonauts and corncobs on a Christmas tree? Scratch that ... on a New Year's Day tree! That's what you'd find on a holiday tree if you were in the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Writer Garrett Graff tallied up all the known Trump investigations. He tells The World US President Donald Trump faces "a much broader legal assault" than any other modern president.

"Right to Repair" promotes resources people need to fix the things they own, from smartphones to dishwashers to agricultural equipment. The movement started as a response to the growing stream of e-waste but has broadened its message.

The first-time actress was a preschool teacher before she was cast in Alfonso Cuaron's newest film. Now she's the cover of Vogue Mexico.

The killings of two Honduran teenagers this week are a sobering reminder of the dangers asylum-seekers may face while waiting in violent Mexican border regions as the Trump administration rolls out a new plan to keep migrants in Mexico until their asylum claims are decided.

A story from The World inspired a Boston 4th grader to write a poem about climate change and the Amazon. Then her whole class got into the act.

The Christmas dinner menu in Brazil is just as shaped by history and politics as everything else.

Ambassador Nick Burns calls Mattis' resignation "a significant blow to the United States" and says that the publicly-released resignation letter was "a resignation in protest against the feckless policies of President Trump."

Rep. Adam Schiff tells The World that the resignation of Gen. Jim Mattis is 'an inestimable loss' for the United States.

With US help, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have captured large parts of northern and eastern Syria from ISIS, but warn that the jihadists still pose a threat even if President Donald Trump has declared their defeat.

Why a black Muslim prison reform activist became an aficionado of the all-white world of Hallmark Christmas movies.

Carol Stabile shares the untold history of women in the 1950s Red Scare.

The complicated legacy of John Ford’s problematic masterpiece starring John Wayne.

The airport, expected to handle some 115,000 passengers, grounded flights after 'industrial' drones were spotted.

The Women’s Tennis Association has announced new rules on dress code and maternity leave for tennis players.

Younger Uighurs want to advocate for an independent East Turkestan, the Uighur homeland, but older Uighurs say they’ve already tried that.

New documents show gala invites, a charismatic CEO and high-powered lobbyists burnished the image of VTB, a state-owned Russian bank.

Krampus, St. Nicholas' scary sidekick, is as popular as ever. But some say he's been tamed for a modern audience.

It's estimated that between 70 and 90 percent of doctors in Italy are "conscientious objectors" and refuse to perform abortions, even though it's been legal for 40 years.

A judge will decide on Tuesday whether former national security adviser Michael Flynn should be sent to prison for lying to the FBI.

US officials say a 7-year-old’s death is an example of risks migrants take when crossing the US border. But the girl died in US custody.

Roe v. Wade made abortion legal in the US. But legal and accessible — that's not always the same thing. Some states are passing legislation aimed at restricting abortion. The latest is in Ohio, where two bills to limit abortion just landed on the governor's desk. And that has some women in need turning to an unconventional place: the internet.

Negotiators created rules to help the world meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. But the UN climate chief still told the delegation, "Climate change is still running faster than us."

A company wants to build a city from 'the internet up,' but locals are worried about privacy controls over personal data.

When The New York Times took to Twitter to ask Londoners about petty crime, they responded with a uniquely British level of gusto and sarcasm.

For years, the model for American recycling was pretty simple: throw it in a bin, then let China deal with the mess. But no longer.