The World: Latest Stories

2018 may be the National Audubon Society's Year of the Bird, but birds face a variety of threats from human activity. Novelist and avid birder Jonathan Franzen makes the case that birds matter greatly and deserve our respect and protection.

A new contract could give the federal government a way to track license plates. But it’s with a private company that is collecting a lot of data, which concerns the mayor of Alameda, California.

Playwright Mary Kathryn Nagle's new play, "Sovereignty," at the Arena Stage in Washington, DC, puts her Cherokee ancestors center stage along with American history to tell a bold tale of justice.

Much of the work being done in the budding field of artificial intelligence ethics has been approached with Western ethical traditions in mind. One group of researchers is trying to change that, and recently released a report on what artificial intelligence developers — and the technologies themselves — can learn from Buddhism, Confucianism, Ubuntu and other non-Western ethical traditions.

South Korean media speculate that the country’s birthrate, one of the world’s lowest, could rise thanks to the perceived enhanced fortune during this year of the "golden dog."

COMMENTARY: Chinese state media often hypes American problems and foibles to redirect attention away from China’s poor human rights records. And yet, when it comes to American gun violence, it takes a measured tone.

She is just one out of 1.7 million Korean Americans living in the US. Do they all have to be exceptional to deserve to immigrate?

The National Rifle Association has called the AR-15 the "most popular rifle in America" and estimates Americans own more than 8 million of them. The NRA says the gun is popular because it's "customizable, adaptable, reliable and accurate." Those features may also explain why it's also become a weapon of choice for mass shootings.

COMMENTARY: Reporter Amy Costello writes that speaking plainly about sexual abuse and harassment in the humanitarian aid sector is long overdue.

A big push into offshore wind power in the UK is pushing down the cost of the low-carbon energy source, but fishermen say it's also harming fish populations. Scientists say they're not so sure.

Understanding a mother’s mental illness through photography.

Listener Sam Cook left the church — but he can’t leave Christian rock behind.

“The First Family” broke new ground for comedy by openly mocking — and impersonating — a sitting president.

How actress Denise Gough gets into character for “Angels in America.”

The Panama Papers revealed Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's offshore accounts. Mass protests demanded his ouster... and then the military took matters into their own hands.

In recent years, more and more overseas beer drinkers were trying out the bold, often hoppy experiments coming from America's craft brewers. Exports of US craft beers boomed. But now, exports are cooling off. We visit the New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado, the nation’s fourth-largest craft brewer, to learn about the challenges becoming a global player.

Marvel's new superhero movie, "Black Panther," had a premier Tuesday night in Kisumu, Kenya, the hometown of Lupita Nyong'o, one of the film's stars.

Europe's investments in offshore wind have fueled better technology, more competition and cheaper capital for new projects. That's driven down the cost of offshore power and now the US is capitalizing on the savings.

A family holds its breath, wondering if a young son will be deported back to El Salvador — and the dangers of gang life.

The UK's big push into offshore wind power is bringing down the cost of the low-carbon energy sources, and bringing new life to some down-on-their-luck English ports.

The joint hockey team was popular, but the North Korean cheer squad was called "a little robotic." Either way, it's unlikely to make a huge difference in North-South relations.

Discussing race, religion and gender in France has long been the third rail. And activists who thought things would be different under Emmanuel Macron are sorely disappointed.

Offshore wind has gotten way cheaper in the UK, thanks to technological innovations and government subsidies. That's always been the plan.

He wrote to her mainly in Swedish, and she replied in Finnish. A linguist in Texas says the letters are a goldmine for the study of code-switching.

More than 800 Puerto Rican families have evacuated the island to Philadelphia. What happens when aid runs out?

If someone in your family is sick with the flu, you already know this: the flu season this year is bad. Maybe even record-breaking bad, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Last Friday, the CDC said this could be the worst flu outbreak since the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Join The World for a discussion about the flu outbreak during an event at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Tuesday from noon-1 p.m. ET. We'll be live streaming the forum here.

Leading Pakistani human rights activist lawyer Asma Jahangir died on Sunday in Lahore. But her influence continues.

In December, three months after Puerto Rico was pummelled by Hurricane Maria, a spokesman for the island's tourism industry declared it was open for business. But much of Puerto Rico is still struggling to get back on its feet. So what's an island lover to do for spring break? Embrace the devastated destinations or give them space to breathe?

Mokhtar Alkhanshali is sourcing some of the world’s best ranked beans from Yemen — and arguing that we should rethink just how much we pay for our daily brew.

More than 200 athletes representing Team USA are taking part in 15 sporting events during the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. One competition that always gets attention is figure skating, and this year, it's notable for the record number of Asian American skaters.

If you ever wondered why America is slow to protect the environment compared to Europe, you might consider how we educate our children.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act and related rules have helped safeguard many millions of birds since 1918, but now the Trump Administration has reinterpreted the act in a way that would loosen its protections and shield from prosecution companies that kill birds.

When one Finnish journalist smashed her laptop with a hammer, causing it to catch fire, she didn't know that it would lead to one of the biggest debates about security and press freedom in Finnish history.

The American economy is strong by most metrics. But income inequality remains a huge concern: In some cases, a CEO can make a workers' annual income in a single day.

Lykanthea nestles comfortably in the electronic-ambient genre. But she's begun to add traces of her childhood training in Carnatic music.

Pope Francis appears to be eager to make a historic compromise with the Chinese government for the sake of Chinese Catholics. His critics worry that he’s making a huge mistake.

How Ruth E. Carter created the costumes for “Black Panther.”

The widely loathed font serves a noble purpose.

An old ballad teaches a new parent about fatherhood.

Should we ignore Strunk and White's “The Elements of Style”?

The Chinese government is cracking down on the country's nascent hip-hop scene. The genre recently exploded into the mainstream in China, after the popular Rap of China contest debuted last summer.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly on Tuesday suggested that young immigrants who have not applied for legal status are either afraid or "too lazy to get off their asses." Immigrants, advocates and Democrats have called Kelly's words offensive and wrong.

Civilians in Syria are bearing the brunt of a new onslaught by Russian and government forces against the last rebel-held areas of the country.

In February 2017, Italy and Libya signed an agreement to try to slow the arrival of migrants across the Mediterranean from Africa to Europe, with Italy giving logistical and financial support to Libya's coast guard. Since then, migrant sea arrivals in Europe have declined, and so have drownings, but many migrants returned to Libya face abusive detention.

In a speech Monday, President Donald Trump mused out loud whether or not Democrats who did not applaud him during his State of the Union Address might have been committing treason. Aides dismissed it as a joke, but treason is no laughing matter.

Kenyans investigate the murder of Esmond Bradley Martin, a conservationist who took immense risks to expose the ivory trade.

Last summer, Haiti’s senate passed legislation that would further curb LGBT rights. It was just the latest in a series of incidents that LGBT Haitians say shows an increasingly hostile attitude toward their community.

The Refugees and Asylum Seekers Movement in Caserta argues that undocumented migrants need "protezione umanitaria," or humanitarian protection, because they are vulnerable to exploitation by employers.