The World: Latest Stories

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.

This week, representatives of more than a dozen Caribbean nations are in the UK to promote the reparations for slavery, and the mistreatment of Indigenous people in former colonies. Host Marco Werman learned more from Eric Phillips, the chair of the Guyana Reparations Committee and Vice Chair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission. He joined the show from London.

A whopping $236.4 million. That's how much a painting by Gustav Klimt brought in at Sotheby's yesterday. It broke a record for money paid for a work of modern art at auction. And tonight, a Frida Kahlo painting is expected to break records of its own. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have the details.

Luis Rubiales lost his job and a court case, after being accused of forcibly kissing a Spanish player at the World Cup last year. So, he wrote a book to defend himself in the court of public opinion. It's called "Killing Rubiales." But at its launch, someone did take shots at him - with eggs. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have the details.

One piece of news coming out of this week's visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to the White House: President Donald Trump announced that the US would be selling advanced military jets to Saudi Arabia. This is a sensitive sale, one that has the Kingdom's neighbors in the region worried. The World's Shirin Jaafari explains.

US and Russian officials met in Miami last month to secretly draw up a 28-point framework to end the war in Ukraine. Officials from Kyiv were not at the table. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Alina Polyakova of the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington about what's in the plan and how it differs from previous efforts.

King Emeritus Juan Carlos I has named his autobiography "Reconciliation." But it might not have the intended effect, if early criticism is any measure. Juan Carlos dishes out criticism toward his own family, praises the late dictator Francisco Franco and glosses over a lot of his gaffs. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

Francisco Franco died 50 years ago. The general-turned-dictator had been at the helm of a violent authoritarian regime that caused immense hardship for the people of Spain. The current Spanish government is marking the anniversary of Franco's demise with a year-long celebration called "Spain in Freedom." But not everyone is on board. The World's Gerry Hadden brought us this story from the village of Belchite when the festivities first got underway earlier this year.

Despite this week's United Nations resolution to adopt a peace plan for Gaza, life for residents of the territory remains precarious. From Al-Mawasi, on the southern coast of Gaza, Joseph Belliveau, the executive director of the aid group MedGlobal, tells The World's Host Carolyn Beeler why the October ceasefire hasn't brought security.

It's been 10 years since the landmark Paris agreement was signed. In those years, people who started as youth activists pushing for faster action on climate change have become experienced advocates. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler re-connects with two activists she met while reporting on the Paris climate summit, to get their perspectives on the change they've witnessed since then.

In response to recent acts of violence against Nigerian Christians, the US has determined that Nigeria is a "country of particular concern." Some Nigerians - including religious leaders - see the US response as an oversimplification. The World's Host Marco Werman spoke with journalist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani in Umuahia, Nigeria, for further insight.

The Trump administration is moving to label Venezuela's so-called Cartel of the Suns" as a foreign terrorist organization - placing a murky network of military and political elites on the same list as ISIS and al-Qaeda. Experts say the label doesn't fit, and wouldn't create a legal basis for military action against Venezuela. The World's Tibisay Zea explains.

An Australian beach outfitter, Swim Shady, is in trouble. Marshall B. Mathers III, better known as Eminem, is suing the beach accessory brand for - as his lawyers put it - creating a "false association" with the rapper's alter ego, Slim Shady. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have more.

In the US and the UK, over half of the foods eaten in a typical diet are ultra-processed. That is, packaged foods significantly altered from their natural state, with many added ingredients, artificial colors. A study just published in The Lancet journal shows the extent of the damage being done by excessive consumption of these foods, and looks at their role in people's diets from one part of the globe to another. Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina is one of the lead authors of the study. He joined Host Marco Werman to share the major takeaways.

Civilizations don't really build palaces anymore, except in Indonesia. Its new Garuda Palace," shaped like a mythical bird, rises from a hilltop in the country's fledgling new capital. The wings are formed by thousands of pillars made from dark copper. The palace is a monument to the country itself, and will eventually serve as a new home to the president and his staff. Reporter Patrick Winn was the first foreign journalist allowed in for a look.

There are many tales of individuals and groups helping Jews during the terrifying years under Nazi rule across Europe. They gave them safe spaces to stay, helped them escape or gave them food and other essentials. Karen Kirsten grew up in Australia listening to her mother's story of being kept by nuns during that time. Kirsten shares memories of her pilgrimage to Poland to find the nuns, with GBH's Stories From The Stage.

One of the biggest culprits of mercury pollution is small-scale gold mining, where mercury is used to separate gold from rock and soil. The problems this causes for the environment and for the health of gold miners is especially easy to see in South America, where small-scale gold mining has taken off. The World's partners at the Deutsche Welle, DW, program "Living Planet" looks into some of the projects in Peru aimed at reducing the problem. Kathleen Schuster reports.

An inmate in Australia is suing a state corrections department over a policy that forbids Vegemite in prisons. Andre McKechnie, 54, claims the prison policy that forbids Vegemite violates his right to enjoy his culture as an Australian." Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have more.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman met with US President Donald Trump today at the White House. MBS, as he is known, was sidelined seven years ago after the US intelligence community concluded that he had ordered the operation that led to the killing of an outspoken critic of the Kingdom. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports.

A UK research project is hoping to fast track the hunt for new antibiotics by using artificial intelligence. The World Health Organization warned last month that infections involving drug-resistant super bacteria are on the rise globally. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks to Dr. Andrew Edwards, a member of the research team.

A French court sided with Perrier today in a case about what is natural" water, according to the French paper Le Figaro. A consumer group had requested that the famous mineral water be pulled from shelves, because the company was using a micro-filtration process to remove contaminants from the water. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman explain.

One of the rules for sports in the Winter Olympics is that they have to be contested on either snow or ice. But with a changing climate and growing calls for increased diversity at the Winter Games, some people are advocating for a new sport to be added to the lineup - one without snow or ice. The World's Bianca Hillier explains.

Germany's public-private vocational apprenticeship programs are a traditional cornerstone of its economy. But the programs are increasingly short of trainees, raising alarm about the future of the country's skilled labor force. Vocational programs are quietly looking to foreigners to fill the gap, and that's creating problems of its own. Valerie Hamilton reports from Germany.

New research finds that, on average, everyone spends 78 minutes a day traveling, whether it's for commuting, shopping, entertainment, etc. This average holds regardless of where you are or your income. These findings are important when designing urban layouts and transit systems to support green energy transitions. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with researcher Eric Galbraith about his findings.