The World: Latest Stories

Lines formed around ATM machines in Delhi and other major Indian cities on Friday as the deadline approached for people to deposit old banknotes or risk having their currency declared worthless.

The people of Brockton, Massachusetts, have been debating whether to enact an ordinance to protect undocumented immigrants. Now, the question is even more difficult.

In a recent essay for the Boston Globe, author Joan Wickersham makes that case that listening to Bach is not only good for the soul, but good in times of uncertainty.

Syrians on both sides of their country's political divide search for an end to a grinding conflict.

Syria’s “moderate” rebels have agreed on a national ceasefire with the government of Bashar al-Assad. It follows their crushing military defeat in Aleppo. But the ceasefire process is far from certain; and, anyway, peace in Syria is a long way off, since other conflicts continue.

China and America have inspired and annoyed each other by turns since the birth of the United States. Understanding the many ways the countries have influenced each other over time may be invaluable going forward.

London is home to thousands of foxes, which become a considerable nuisance to city residents when mounds of holiday trash tempt the animals out into the open.

Wampanoag, like many other Native American languages, is fighting for its survival.

In October, Bob Bradley became the first American to coach in the English Premier League. In December he was fired. In between, he was criticized for speaking like an American.

Nigeria's slogan sounds like Donald Trump wrote it in a tweet: "Good people, great nation."

It's been a violent year in Chicago — the worst since the 1990s. So why aren't programs that have worked in other cities working in Chicago?

There are no cashiers. No cash registers. No computers to ring up bills and no credit card machines. Instead, there is just a bowl, into which people drop voluntary cash amounts. Remarkably, the honor system is working, says Curto Café’s owner.

Austria's word of the year is as complicated as its over 50 letters seem.

Former South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis has big problems with the incoming president, but sees some flickers of hope on climate policy despite all the red flags.

Elizaveta Glinka died last weekend when a Russian military plane taking off from Sochi crashed into the Black Sea. Glinka ran a Russian humanitarian foundation that helped orphans and elderly people and was flying to Syria to help deliver food and medicine to children caught up in the civil war.

Niloofar Rahmani, a 25-year-old pilot lionized widely as the "Afghan Top Gun" after the 1986 Tom Cruise film on flying aces, was scheduled to return to Afghanistan last week after a 15-month training course with the US Air Force. But on the eve of her departure, she declared she will not be returning citing fears for her safety, triggering a storm of criticism in Afghanistan for "betraying" her nation but also garnering support from activists.

Who invented the alphabet? Here’s a maverick theory.

Cuba looks different to its Caribbean neighbors.

After 20 years, Bhutanese refugees who ended up in camps in Nepal have mostly been resettled to third countries, but there are some aging residents who don't want to leave.

Around the US, Jewish delis have fallen on hard times. But the one of the oldest delis in Canada — Schwartz’s of Montreal — has an unlikely savior.

Before Kerry took the podium, Israel delayed a vote on permits for hundreds of settler homes at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request, to avoid further conflict with Washington.

A high-profile North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea has told the BBC in an exclusive interview that he has no regrets. Thae Yong-ho was Pyongyang's deputy ambassador to London before he defected in the summer. He and his family are now under the South Korean government's protection.

Exodus is a new documentary that follows the path of refugees as they make a life-threatening journey to Europe.

In a visit to the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Barack Obama marked an event 75 years ago that launched a war that led, eventually, to a powerful international friendship.

Thirty years ago, Paul Simon released the album "Graceland." He recorded it in South Africa, in the thick of the anti-apartheid struggle there.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrian children are attending temporary Syrian schools in Turkey, where they learn in Arabic. But the country is considering a plan to have them attend Turkish schools only.

People in Russia aren't spending much time marking the 25 anniversary of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. But its effects continue to play out in modern geopolitics.

For years, women in rural Guatemala were terrified to tell what had happened to them during the country's long civil war. But then the story of an earlier war victim helped them speak out.

A "carbon farming" expert explains how smart perennial planting can help your garden sequester more carbon, and produce more food.

Journalist Constance Hale's new book is about a Hawaiian renaissance — told through hula.

The UN Security Council voted last week to condemn the building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, calling them a flagrant violation of international law.

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell remembers Michael for coming out as gay at a difficult moment for LGBT rights.

Who doesn’t love a deal — especially when that deal involves a coupon for potentially lifesaving drugs?

A new book explores how a group of female astronomers made important discoveries and shattered the “glass universe” decades before women got the right to vote.

Critics of the law say that looser regulations could lead to unsafe drugs hitting the market.

The author John Wray discusses Albert Einstein’s life as a pop culture icon — and an outsider.

The New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has a new book that suggests ways for the world to make sense of technology, globalization and climate change, as these three forces accelerate exponentially.

Twenty-five years after the Cold War ended, Russians and Americans are nostalgic for the spirit of collaboration.

In our search for holiday traditions outside the United States, we came across a Venezuelan staple. It's called hallaca, and it's similar to a Mexican tamale.

The prime suspect connected with Monday's deadly truck attack in Berlin was shot and killed by Italian police. But Anis Amri, 24, had been rejected for asylum in Germany and was supposed to be deported.

Hidayat Palaloi's family fish ponds were swept into the sea after the shoreline eroded away. Now, he's planting mangroves all over his home island to prevent that from happening to others.

One tree expert says it has a lot to do with genetics — but you can still do a few things yourself to stave off the dreaded “needle drop”

Sponsors are ordinary Canadian citizens committed to do everything they can to help resettle the refugees — from providing financial support to offering practical support, like helping with groceries, doctor’s appointments and English lessons.

Russia drew on a long legacy of disinformation when it turned its sights on a Washington Post columnist.

Germany is facing an unprecedented wave of cyberthreats. The government is considering new rules that would impose hefty fines on social media sites that fail to rein in fake news. But is that the best way forward?

In the West Bank city of Bethlehem, there are Christian icons all over town. But many are made in China, Now, a British art expert is hoping Palestinians will embrace an ancient style of religious iconography.

More than 100 bags of plastic rice were to be sold ahead of Christmas and New Year festivities, with the price for the popular Nigerian staple hitting the roof because of galloping inflation.