The World: Latest Stories

When scientists first found a black fungus growing at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, they were baffled. Now, a decade later, research has determined that not only is the fungus using the radiation to grow - it can also block radiation. The World's Host Marco Werman spoke with research lead Nils Averesch about the finding, and its potential applications beyond Chernobyl.

Climate change is not only impacting the Earth and its environment, but it is also impacting people's mental health. "Eco-anxiety" and "climate anxiety" are not diagnosable, but they can cause real suffering. The World's Bianca Hillier checked in with people across the globe to see how they're tackling the issue.This story originally aired on May 15, 2025.

Sea stars on the west coast of North America have been decimated by a wasting disease. For more than a decade, scientists did not know what was causing it. But new research published in the journal Nature has identified the culprit. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with scientist Alyssa Gehman about the findings and what it means for the species' recovery.This story originally aired on Aug. 7, 2025.

A new report from the climate think tank Ember finds that renewable energy sources made up more of the global electricity mix than coal for the first half of 2025. Host Marco Werman speaks with Ember global program director Raul Miranda about what drove this change.This story originally aired on Oct. 7, 2025.

An activist in Mexico City is working to protect the city's trees, whether it's by using sledgehammers to liberate" trees sinking from cement sidewalks, exposing illegal lodging to his huge social media following or planting new trees. The World's Tibisay Zea reports from Mexico City.This story originally aired on Jan. 7, 2025.

Most European countries say they expect to close their coal power stations in the next five years. But what will that transition look like? How will it reshape communities, and people's lives? There is a model. The UK was the first-ever country to announce a full coal phase-out, and it was a bumpy transition. From Deutsche Welle, DW, Dan Ashby reports.This story originally aired on Aug. 8, 2025.

Wildfires burning across western and central Canada prompted the number of people evacuated to climb to more than 30,000. The conditions were hot and dry, similar to what was experienced in 2023, Canada's worst fire season on record. John Vaillant is a journalist and author of the book, "Fire Weather." He spoke with The World's Carolyn Beeler about how climate change is exacerbating Canada's fire season.This story originally aired on June 5, 2025.

A series of ocean currents in the Atlantic drive heat northward and control much of the world's weather. Scientists believe the current - called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC for short - will slow down this century due to global warming, and some fear the circulation might collapse entirely. The melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet could be a major factor in the future health of the AMOC. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler traveled into a fjord in Greenland with scientists studying glacial meltwater to better understand what it could do to the AMOC.This story originally aired on Oct. 1, 2025.

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek has covered a lot of ground: some 14,000 miles - on foot - through 21 countries so far on his now 11-year-long Out of Eden Walk. And because he's exploring the Earth at a walker's pace, he can see things people miss when traveling by plane, rail or car. Salopek tells Host Marco Werman about surprising places only a walker would discover.This story originally aired on April 9, 2025.

The Women's International Motorcycle Association (WIMA) was founded in the US in 1950. It has since spread to nearly 40 countries and gained more than 6,000 members worldwide. This year, the group held its annual international rally in Maine. The World's Bianca Hillier stopped by to find out what motorcycling means to these bikers.This story originally aired on Sept. 11, 2025.

Donna Burke has the most famous voice in Japan. The Australian expat first moved to Japan in the 1990s, hoping to make it as a singer. Now, she's the voice of the Tokaido Shinkansen, commonly known as the bullet train, and her announcements are heard by more than 400,000 people in Japan every day. The World's Transportation Correspondent reports.This story originally aired on Jan.15, 2025.

Thousands of spectators lined the streets of Vienna over the weekend as tram drivers from 25 different countries competed in eight different challenges. They ranged from the simple (smoothly stopping and accelerating) to the creative (tram curling and tram bowling). In the end, Austria took home gold on home turf. The World's Transportation Correspondent Jeremy Siegel reports.This story originally aired on Sept. 15, 2025.

More than 4,000 Americans applied for British citizenship in the first half of this year - a record, and a 39% rise over last year. And those who are leaving the US are taking their beloved pets with them. That's supercharged an industry that took off after COVID-19: pet-centric charter travel, where the dogs - and some cats - fly upfront. Jane Little traveled to the UK with her dog, Ronin, and found luxury - and some stress - in the whole process.This story originally aired on Oct. 15, 2025

Air carriers around the world are expanding premium seats and luxury cabins for big spenders. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt of the San Francisco-based Atmosphere Research Group about new offerings - like showers and double beds - for passengers willing to pay top dollar for seats on commercial flights.This story originally aired on Aug. 12, 2025.

If you've ever had to race to catch a flight, gotten lost in a foreign train station or struggled to order a meal in another language, congratulations, you're ready to play "Jet Lag: The Game." The World's Transportation Correspondent Jeremy Siegel reports that a group of YouTube streamers turned the nerve-racking logistics of world travel into friendly competition.This story originally aired on July 28, 2025.

London's Heathrow airport has produced a four-minute ambient music track titled "Music for Heathrow." Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman give us a listen.This story originally aired on July 10, 2025.

Today, Italy's legislature passed a law that will make femicide an offense punishable by life imprisonment. It also passed other measures to bolster prosecution of gender-based offenses. The law is timed to the UN's International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler spoke to Cecilia Sottilotta, an assistant professor of politics at the University for Foreigners of Perugia.

Across the country, many of the workers who are personal care aids for people with disabilities

While the US and Europe tightened their immigration policies, several Latin American countries took a different path - welcoming millions of Venezuelans with legal status, work permits and, in Brazil's case, a massive federal integration program. But now, those programs are under strain, as budgets tighten and politics shift. The World's Tibisay Zea reports on what worked, what's changing and what's at stake for migrants and host countries alike.

Tiny solar-powered radio tags are allowing scientists to track individual monarch butterflies for the first time, documenting the paths they take on their migration across North America. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Orley "Chip" Taylor, founder of Monarch Watch, about the new technology and what it tells us about the butterflies.

An online story about a hot new singles scene in a Spanish supermarket chain has exploded into a flirting frenzy in grocery stores across the country. Each chain allegedly has its designated hour for making the moves, and it depends a lot on what items are in your cart. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona on this online rumor that's become very real.This story originally aired on Sept. 3, 2024.

The Olympic flame was lit today, beginning its long relay from Greece to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. But due to cloudy weather, the flame had to be lit from a back-up blaze set earlier in the week, as the Olympic flame can only be lit by power harnessed from the sun. Philip Barker is the editor of the Journal of Olympic History. He joins The World's Host Carolyn Beeler from Ancient Olympia.

In a country known for the world's oldest wonders, a new one now rises from the desert sands. More than 20 years in the making, the Grand Egyptian Museum opened this month to great fanfare, marking a new chapter in how nations tell their own stories. With an immersive design and a view of the Giza pyramids, officials call it a modern monument to the art of preserving the past. Nadine Tag reports from Cairo.

Taiwan's president is asking lawmakers to approve a new $40 billion spending package. He wants the money to bolster the country's military because of China's recent moves. As Host Carolyn Beeler explains, China has undertaken an unprecedented military buildup, that Taiwan's president says threatens others in the region.

During a call with US President Donald Trump on Monday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping reportedly promoted his country's ambition to take control of Taiwan. The call comes amid an escalating diplomatic spat between China and close US ally Japan, as well as a growing discussion of a Trump and Putin-led peace plan for the war in Ukraine. Both issues are being followed closely in Taiwan, which hopes for US support to stay independent from China. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler learned more from William Yang, a senior analyst with Crisis Group based in Taipei.

A bomb blast outside Delhi's historic Red Fort last week killed 15 people and injured dozens more. The attack - which India's government called a heinous terror incident" - came just hours after Kashmir police announced a weeks-long investigation that led to the seizure of 6,000 pounds of explosives. Since then, authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown in Kashmir, detaining dozens, raiding homes and tightening security across the Kashmir Valley. Syed Shahriyar reports.

The early journeys of nutmeg, clove and other spices are the subject of the book, "The Spice Ports: Mapping the Origins of Global Sea Trade." Author Nicholas Nugent traces those journeys in conversation with The World's Host Marco Werman.This story originally aired on Feb. 3, 2025.

The French government will spend $150 million to rip out grapevines in response to increasing pressure on the wine industry. A combination of climate change, tariffs and changes in consumption habits have caused significant challenges for farmers across the country. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Alicia Gallais], professor of wine management at the Burgundy School of Business.

The White House says it's making tremendous progress" on a peace plan for Ukraine. And there might be a deal as soon as Thanksgiving Day. US and Ukrainian officials have been modifying a 28-point peace plan drawn up by the Trump administration. But, as The World's Matthew Bell reports, some monumental sticking points remain between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

Britain is preparing a sweeping overhaul of its asylum system, a shift reportedly modeled in part on Denmark, home to some of the EU's toughest migration laws. The move comes as governments across Europe, from left to right, tighten their asylum rules amid rising political pressure. It marks a sharp departure from the approach taken by many European countries a decade ago. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry reports.

If you're a young person, six-seven might be the funniest joke you've ever heard. If you're the parent of that young person, it might be the bane of your existence. But the meme is so widespread that even the head of the British government, Keir Starmer, is in on it, as he revealed in a recent visit to a primary school. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have the story.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman update us on some news stories you may have missed.

Fourteen-year-old Venous Baloch won the gold medal in Iran's surfing competition this year. She tells The World's Shirin Jaafari about the challenges of surfing as a woman in a remote and conservative part of Iran.

Despite the spotlight on the Jeffrey Epstein scandal in the US and the UK, the problem at the center of it - sex trafficking - persists. Today and tomorrow, the UN General Assembly will hold a high-level meeting to evaluate where things stand with efforts to end human trafficking. Ilias Chatzis is a policy leader at the UN office that deals with human trafficking, and talks about it with Host Marco Werman.

From apple pie on Thanksgiving to Johnny Appleseed stories passed down for generations, the apple is a symbol of American culture. But the first apples originated halfway around the world, below the towering, snow-capped mountains of Central Asia in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Levi Bridges reports on the origins and sustainable future of apples, in this story from The World's archives.This story originally aired on Nov. 12, 2024.

In 2023, Ukrainian troops attempted a counter-offensive that would push Russian troops back from the village of Andriivka. It was filmed using body cameras, giving viewers a close look from the trenches. It's now the subject of the new documentary, "2000 Meters to Andriivka." The film is produced by our GBH partners at FRONTLINE and The Associated Press. Filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov stopped by our studios to speak with Host Marco Werman.

Fires in drought-stricken Iran are threatening ancient forests that are home to endangered species. The country's water crisis is so severe that, just last week, the president proposed evacuating the capital. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with one Tehran resident about the situation.

Many artists live with the familiar struggle: juggling bills, gigs and the constant pressure to create. In 2022, the Irish government tried something new: paying 2,000 randomly selected artists about $1,500 a month to work solely on their craft. Now, the government says it wants to make the program permanent. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry reports.

The World's Host Carolyn Beeler updates Marco Werman on the outcome of the UN climate summit in Belem, Brazil, which wrapped up over the weekend.

Co-hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler remember Jimmy Cliff, a reggae legend who wasn't really known outside Jamaica until he was seen in the groundbreaking film, "The Harder They Come."

The sport of futsal is nearly 100 years old. But while FIFA has hosted a Futsal Men's World Cup since 1989, this year is the first-ever women's edition of the tournament. The World's Bianca Hillier reports on the history of the sport, which began in Uruguay nearly a century ago. and why - despite appearances - futsal isn't just indoor soccer.

In the heart of one of Baghdad's oldest neighborhoods, a cafe has been a gathering place for writers, intellectuals and artists for more than a hundred years. It's at the end of a street of booksellers and was once a publishing house. But Martyr's Cafe has been a target of extremists.

Fra means "mix" in the Ghanaian Akan language and it's also the name of a music group from Accra, Ghana. The band FRA! is a mix of music styles and influences. For a taste, we hear from band member Emmanuel Selorm Dornyoh.This story originally aired on April 19, 2023.

Theresa Hsu and Michelle Garcia noticed teens and young adults in their Asian American community struggling with anxiety, around school-related pressure in particular. So, the two started a program to train Asian American high school students to help one another manage their mental health, and understand the role history has played in shaping the pressures they currently feel. Reporter Heidi Shin has the story.

Sanna Marin took up the mantle as Finland's prime minister when she was 34. At the time, she was the youngest elected leader in the world. During her four-year term, she steered her country through major crises - from the COVID-19 pandemic to Russia's invasion of Ukraine - even as she had to fend off public scrutiny about her life outside of work. Her new memoir, Hope In Action," explores how she navigated these challenges and what it meant that she didn't look or behave like a prime minister is expected to look or behave." The World's Host Carolyn Beeler caught up with Marin for a candid conversation about it all.

China is rapidly expanding its nuclear forces, building new missile silos and increasing its stockpile of nuclear warheads. Russia and the US still have more atomic bombs than the rest of the world, but a new nuclear arms race could be expanding beyond those two powers, just as the only major nuclear agreement between the US and Russia is set to expire next year. The World's Matthew Bell reports.

This year's COP30 summit in Belem, Brazil, highlighted food, forests and land as key topics to be addressed. One sector that spreads across all of these is agriculture, which is responsible for about one-third of global carbon emissions. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler discusses how agriculture and climate change are intertwined, with Kaveh Zahedi, the climate director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.

You can't play a brass horn in Antarctica. You'll freeze your face and fingers off. Natalie Paine, a musician with New Zealand's navy living on a base there, has found a work-around. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler explains.

What happens when a government erases a people's digital past? It isn't just Uyghur language and culture that China is trying to eliminate. It's also working on removing any and all references to Uyghur history from digital memory. From the podcast "Click Here," Sean Powers reports on a lone coder determined to bring a people's digital history back to life.

The G20 Summit in South Africa, boycotted by the US. A fire scare at the COP30 conference in Brazil. These are some of the stories Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler encapsulate in just over a minute.