The World: Latest Stories

For the last few years, the Czech Republic has been viewed as the last bastion of liberal democracy in Central Europe. That could soon change.

On Monday, the US Department of Agriculture announced that it now plans to roll back school lunch standards dealing with sweetened milk, sodium and whole grains, among other things.

You're kidnapped and put in a room with no windows, no books, no TV, nothing, and you're handcuffed to a radiator. You have no idea if or when you're going to be released. Cartoonist Guy Delisle captures the desperation of this true story.

Richard Spencer, the American white nationalist known for getting punched in the face on camera and extolling Donald Trump with a Hitlerian salute, has formed a new publishing venture with Swedish far-right extremists.

The opposition accuses elected President Maduro of maneuvering to strengthen his grip on power.

California sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild ventured out of her liberal bubble to try to grasp why some conservatives reject government regulations in Louisiana, even as industry pollution persists, largely unchecked, for years.

The US military says its THAAD missile defense system is now operational in South Korea. The hope is that it can shoot down North Korean missiles. But how effective is it?

The singer of Afghanistan’s first rock band, now living in Oakland, California, talks about how music can bring communities together.

On Saturday, a police officer in the Dallas suburb of Balch Springs shot 15-year-old Jordan Edwards, a high school freshman, through the passenger side window of a car. The officers were responding to calls of underage drinking at a house party.

A variety of religions are thriving in post-Mao China.

It's not easy being original. Especially when you're a public figure giving a speech?

The Yurok Tribe has lived along the Klamath River in Northern California for thousands of years, relying on the annual salmon run for food and revenue. But dams on the Klamath have created conditions for a deadly aquatic parasite that threatens to wipe out the vital Chinook salmon run.

Vietnam is in the midst of a four-day holiday. Their jubilant festivities mark the reunification of North and South Vietnam. But in Boston’s Vietnamese community, the "Fall of Saigon" is a day of collective mourning.

Conservative climate groups target Trump with TV ad.

Tough talk on North Korea, followed by a personal invite from President Trump. Huh?

Some US officials and pundits are fond of saying North Korea is a threat. But is it?

May 1 is France’s Labor Day, usually a festive day for union workers, a day of social engagement and rallies all over France. It always intensifies during election years, when the celebration sits between the two voting rounds. And this year is no exception.

Loyalty Day is newly controversial this year — but it's not new at all.

Seoul, the capital of South Korea, has more megachurches than any other city in the world. But right now, Protestant evangelical leaders in South Korea don’t have the best reputation.

The Bikini Anthem preserves the history of the Marshall Islands, which gained independence on May 1, 1979.

Emily has already helped hundreds of refugees make it safely to shore. Now, roboticists are trying to make the craft even more effective — by making it more autonomous.

In a tiny corner of the Siberian Arctic, Russian scientists are working to forestall global climate catastrophe by restoring the Ice Age ecosystem.

While the song has a universal message, its origins are much more complex.

Aid groups call on warring parties in Yemen to pull back from battle over the country's main seaport.

Engineer Christine Dailey spends her time puzzling over problems like exercising in space, fuel slosh in zero gravity and more.

Our smartphones are full of highly accurate sensors that make the devices a breeze to use. But these sensors could also give hackers clues about our data and passwords.

Cassini successfully plunged between Saturn’s innermost ring and the planet itself this week.

We feature a unique selection of music on The World. These are the artists we featured this week.

South African-born Gift Ngoepe debuts at second base for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Oscar-winning director was open to the world and thought the world had something to teach him. He was especially fascinated by Haiti.

In slashing financial support for the United Nations Population Fund, the Trump administration revived nefarious claims that the agency supports coercive abortion of girls. What's behind this claim.

Two Armenian PhDs, just trying to push their country forward by making jokes about it. Meet the anchors of Armenia's first satirical news program, ArmComedy.

The Trump administration promised a $1 trillion investment to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, but it has yet to offer design or budget details.

"The use of force does not solve differences and will only lead to bigger disasters," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned.

Former chiefs of USAID say slashing foreign assistance and folding USAID into the State Department will have many unintended consequences.

Tune in and you’ll see reindeer, reindeer, and more reindeer. And some incredible scenery.

After sixteen hours of debate, the Texas House approved a bill that allows local police to ask individuals to prove their immigration status. The bill still faces several legislative hurdles before it becomes law.

Trump told NASA: Get to Mars before I leave office, OK? But the new timetable has experts in space travel checking their math.

The World's host, Marco Werman, has lived in the same Cambridge community for more than 15 years. It was hard to see the change, until it smacked him in the face.

After speaking on the phone with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts, now Trump says the North American Free Trade Agreement will instead be renegotiated.

California's world history textbooks have been updated with language that is dividing the state's Indian Americans.

At supervised injection sites, users get clean needles and a booth where they can inject drugs while a nurse watches. The nurse can help with the injection if need be.

The Trump White House proposes slashing tax rates for individuals and businesses. But how will the US make up the revenue? One economist says the country can look overseas for some inspiration.

He's "6 ft tall and 5,000 pounds if it matters."

What's with that butterfly sticker on the professor's door? For some undocumented students at Swarthmore College, it means a sign of support for the challenges they face.

As their popularity spreads worldwide, some say Turkish soap operas are sending the wrong message about women.

It's been 25 years since I last visited Pakistan. A lot has changed, but life is still flourishing.

“If we’re not taking care of those aquifers, we will not have access to the resource. We cannot do anything if we do not have the basic input, the water.”

Muslim Americans are worried in the age of Trump. But feeling singled out is nothing new.