The World: Latest Stories

COVID-19 masks have been contributing to plastic pollution around the world. One graphic designer has created a biodegradable mask that blooms when buried in the soil.

Advocates hope the ban on ads glorifying cheap flights and gas-guzzling cars will pave the way for larger, more comprehensive ad bans across the Netherlands and beyond.

Dr. Joanne Liu, a member of the Independent Panel for Pandemic and Preparedness Response, discusses the new pandemic report and recommendations on preparedness.

Sometimes, the most basic services are not available to patients. And it can lead to dire consequences.

Information on vaccines for pregnant women differs, depending on the country. Making the choice to get the shot while pregnant can get complicated, explains Valerie Fernández, who faced the decision herself in Arizona.

A mother of three living in Gaza discussed with The World's host Marco Werman the trauma that her children face while living under airstrikes.

New Zealand has joined other countries in calling out China for its mistreatment of Uyghurs, but falls short of calling it "genocide." Critics say the condemnation has been "watered down" to protect China as an essential trade partner.

In a matter of weeks, some parts of the globe have gone from trying to get enough vaccines to now having them, and trying to convince people to take them.

The Afghan ambassador to the US, Roya Rahmani, spoke to The World's host Marco Werman about the security situation in Afghanistan, and the government's handling of it.

Remote learning has been especially hard on students for whom English is a second language. Educators are now trying to support them and their families.

At least 25 people were killed on Thursday in a police raid on a poor community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Now, residents and local officials are demanding answers — and accountability.

Mountaineers say COVID-19 is rapidly spreading on Mount Everest. "We could have a very, very bad tragedy this year," said Leo Namen, a climber from Canada.

Global capacity for geothermal energy has nearly doubled over the past two decades.

Last month's violence in Northern Ireland was blamed on anger over Brexit but, upon closer inspection, the issues run much deeper.

The town of Älvdalen is fighting to preserve its local language amid pushback from some members of parliament.

Mustaqeem De Gama, South Africa's representative to the World Trade Organization, tells The World's Marco Werman about the global effort to relax intellectual property restrictions during the pandemic.

The expulsion of Kangana Ranaut from Twitter may put the platform on a path toward confrontation with the Indian government.

In April, French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the closure of L’Ecole Nationale d’Administration, with plans to “to build something better.” But will its replacement be more of the same by a different name?

After a year of travel restrictions, the EU commission has laid out plans that could see the continent open its borders by June. But several COVID-19 rules and restrictions will still apply.

Many of Spain’s 2 million Muslims are celebrating iftar, the traditional dinner at nightfall during Ramadan, alone. But Barcelona's Santa Anna Church has opened its courtyard for the nightly meal to keep the festive tradition alive.

William Taylor, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, joined The World's host Marco Werman to talk about what's at stake with Secretary of State Antony Blinken's strategic visit to Kyiv.

Political heat is rising in the Scottish borderlands as pro-independence parties lean toward getting the majority in Thursday’s Scottish parliamentary elections.

Two medical doctors — a brother and sister — are fighting the pandemic. She's in the US. He's in India.

In her latest record, “Vulture Prince,” Pakistani composer Arooj Aftab uses words from Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib and 11th-century Persian poet Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, alongside electronic samples and touches of jazz trumpet.

​​​​​​​Syria is set to hold presidential elections this month. Syrians in Turkey view the exercise with cynicism and bitterness.

Two months after being designated a terrorist organization in Canada, the group has disbanded, saying that it never posed a threat, as claimed by Ottawa officials.

​​​​​​​South Africa's resumption of COVID-19 vaccinations has coincided with an extra 1.1 million vaccine doses that were produced locally by South African company Aspen Pharmacare.

Leonid Volkov joins The World from Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, to give an update on Alexei Navalny's health status and the future of their political opposition movement in Russia, after being designated as "extremists."

Three-quarters of Brazil’s poor are Black or multiracial. And they have felt the brunt of the pandemic more than any other population in the country.

A 188-page report on police brutality finds that the US has two systems of justice — one for white people and another for Black people.

As governments the world over prioritize medical workers for vaccines, thousands in Mexico’s private health care sector say they’re being passed over.

Just a few months into its rollout, COVAX is now short tens of millions of doses. It has shipped some 50 million vaccines to low- and middle-income countries. It’s a fraction of what it had hoped to get out by now, and an even tinier fraction of what’s actually needed.

“The entire Jewish community is traumatized," said Abraham Nahoum, one of 20,000 protesters demanding justice for Sarah Halimi, 65, a retired doctor who was killed in 2017.

In Turkey, a center that helped get children and youth off the streets has been closed for more than a year amid the pandemic.

Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders, along with other stakeholders, are discussing potential solutions to what’s widely known as the “Cyprus issue.”

Under a new policy that deems certain parts of Syria safe to return, some Syrian refugees now face deportation and, in some cases, family separations. The European Union, the United States and numerous human rights groups have condemned the decision.

Single adults make up about 80% of border apprehensions — and men are in the majority — when trying to cross into the United States.

Armenia and human rights advocates around the globe applauded Biden’s move, while Turkey responded with furor.

The Defense Production Act has historically allowed the US to prioritize American needs in times of crisis. In an abrupt shift, the Biden administration will allow shipments of raw materials for the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines to India, explains Matt Kavanagh, an assistant professor of global health at Georgetown University.

The fracking boom has transformed large swaths of rural America, turning towns from idyllic to industrial and threatening the physical and mental health of many inhabitants.

When it comes to democracy, less may be more.

Canada's Supreme Court has ruled 7-2 in favor of Rick Desautel, a man from Washington state who was charged with illegally hunting an elk in British Columbia in 2010.

This Oscar contender mixes fantastical folktales and Irish history to tell a story that feels fresh.

Shifting attitudes about narcotics in Thailand have reached restaurants. From stir-fries and rich curries to tempura-fried leaves, chefs are experimenting with cannabis flavors.

Social and environmental concerns are now being embraced by corporate America. Here’s why.

Law enforcement agencies across the US and in Minneapolis ramped up their forces in anticipation of the Derek Chauvin verdict. Advocates say that decision, in and of itself, shows that the US can’t solve its police brutality problems on its own, and needs international oversight.

“What will our future sound like?” That's the question hundreds of artists like Dilo have answered in a new musical project that celebrates nature.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first African and female director-general of the World Trade Organization, talks to The World about her work priorities and her recent book, "Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons."

Unlike smartphones, our mental hardware is tremendously changeable. Here’s how our remarkably nimble brains rewire themselves.

Alfreda Daniels Juasemai, a community organizer and co-founder of Black Immigrant Collective in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, says the Chauvin verdict doesn't offer much hope.