The World: Latest Stories

D4RYL is a small humanoid robot that assists magician David Penn on stage. But while audiences are impressed with the robot's tricks, London's famous Magic Circle magicians' club says D4RYL is not eligible for membership.

Mexico opened the World Cup with a 2-0 win over South Africa. But for many fans in Mexico City, the celebration unfolded far from the stadium. At the the city's main public squares, one of the biggest in the world, thousands gathered for a giant public watch party - braving heat, confusing access, nearby protests and even a heavy downpour. The result was a messy, joyful, rain-soaked version of the opener, where fans without tickets turned the capital's main square into their own stadium. The World's Tibisay Zea reports from Mexico City.

Friday marks one year since an Air India flight bound for London crashed just seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people. Only one passenger survived. A much-anticipated report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau did not arrive on the anniversary, with investigators saying the probe remains ongoing. No timeline has been set for a final report. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks to Hassan Shahidi, president of the Flight Safety Foundation.

Switzerland could become the first country in the world to put a legal cap on its population. In a referendum this weekend, voters will decide whether to limit the country's population to 10 million people. It currently stands at 9.1 million. Supporters say the move would ease housing shortages and reduce pressure on public transport but critics warn it could be disastrous for the Swiss economy. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry reports.

Over 15 million people around the world live with a spinal cord injury, according to the World Health Organization. It's a lifelong diagnosis that can permanently affect a patient's mobility. In Brazil, an experimental treatment has yielded promising results, high hopes and legal challenges to get access to clinical trials. The World's Julia Franca reports on the treatment, and the patients caught between hope for recovery and uncertainty over when, or whether, they will be able to access it.

About 20 years ago, farmers living near the Mount Merapi volcano in Indonesia built a radio station to keep their neighbors informed about impending eruptions. That station has now shut down as listeners instead turn to their phones. But not everyone has - or wants - a smartphone. Naina Rao reports on how locals are staying informed.

British painter David Hockney was one of the most famous living painters of the past half century. Known for his colorful, sun-soaked depictions of Los Angeles, he was 88 when he died. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Mark Rozzo, writer with Vanity Fair, about his life and legacy.

A new report out this week shows conflicts between states have now surged to their highest level since World War II. Meanwhile, protracted conflict in the Middle East suggests the world may be entering into an era in which states increasingly remain in perpetual confrontation without crossing into all-out war. The World's Host Marco Werman talks with Monica Duffy Toft, director of the Center for Strategic Studies at Tufts University's Fletcher School, about the current state of global conflict.

Australia is now about six months into a social media ban that prohibits children under 16 from using certain platforms. But whether or not that ban is working is still up for debate, as kids have resisted, found work arounds or not been kicked off at all. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with author and psychology professor Angela Duckworth about why bans may not be the best way to get kids off of social media.

FIFA World Cup Host Mexico will play in the first match, going toe-to-toe - or cleat to cleat - with South Africa. The visiting squad is making its first appearance at the men's World Cup in 16 years. Host Marco Werman hears from Kamogelo Ndlovu, a soccer fan and sports journalist in Johannesburg who says there's not as much hype in South Africa as he had hoped.

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek has been walking around the globe on foot for over 13 years. One facet of life that he encounters everywhere he goes is gender. He joins Carolyn Beeler to talk about the importance of walking alongside women in his travels, and what's missing from his project when social barriers make speaking to women difficult.

Summertime in Japan means festivals to deities, and each individual shrine hosts its own. A highlight of the season is happening now: a 10-day festival in Tokyo, which will culminate in a parade on Friday, featuring the god of fortune riding a shrimp. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have more.

Global conflict is increasing - more than at any time since World War II, according to some estimates. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are driving the surge. But there are exceptions to the grim headlines. Last year, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in Central Asia signed a deal that ended a decades-old border conflict. From southern Kyrgyzstan, Levi Bridges has this story of two countries making peace.

Local officials in southern Iran say the US has struck a water reservoir there, leaving thousands of people without clean drinking water. This comes with the two countries engaged in fraught negotiations to end the fighting between them. The World's Shirin Jaafari joins Host Marco Werman with more.

The FIFA Men's World Cup, which begins tomorrow, is a big deal for fans around the world, especially in host countries. GBH reporter Sarah Betancourt went to one community in East Boston that is especially excited.

Renowned author and war correspondent Anna Badkhen has seen humanity under pressure. In her new collection of essays, "To See Beyond," she explores how humans have managed to survive catastrophic change by employing what she calls radical hope." Badkhen speaks with The World's Host Carolyn Beeler about how to approach climate change through that lens, arguing that hope can serve as a powerful tool for addressing the crisis without succumbing to wishful thinking.

It's not uncommon for people in Sardinia to live to be 100 years old, and some have attributed their famous longevity to the foods commonly eaten on the island. Italian chef Francesco Mattana is out with a new cookbook, "Eat Like a Sardinian: Live to 100." Mattana grew up in Sardinia, but now lives most of the time in London. He came on The World to talk about his book with Host Marco Werman.

As part of The World's Chasing Democracy series, about American democracy on the world stage 250 years after the country was founded, we look at how the colonies' fight for independence is taught elsewhere, namely, in the countries whose authority was defeated: England, France and Spain. Reporter Gerry Hadden has our story.

The Fijian government this month rejected a proposed waste incinerator plant that would, in their view, risk increasing "waste colonialism." That is, the pattern of trash from the Global North being dumped in developing nations. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler discusses this global garbage network with Ernesto Estrada, a research professor at the Institute of Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complexity in Spain.

Violent anti-immigrant riots erupted in Belfast last night in Northern Ireland, in response to a viral video showing a stabbing attack perpetrated by a Sudanese national. Masked protesters burnt down houses and torched cars overnight, sending some families fleeing, and others into hiding. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry joins Host Marco Werman with the latest.

The US has imposed visa restrictions on dozens of soccer players and other related personnel trying to get into the country for the World Cup. It includes referees, team staff members and soccer officials from different countries. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman explain.

When his mother was catfished on a dating app, journalist Carlos Barragan got curious about who was on the other side of the screen. In his new book, The Yahoo Boys: Real Life with the Love Scammers of Lagos," Barragan takes readers to Lagos, Nigeria, to meet face-to-face with the love scammers exploiting lonely victims and costing them thousands of dollars. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with the author.

Host Marco Werman offers us a calming track called "Ocean Blue" from Austin-based, Mumbai-born singer Nagavalli.This story originally aired on Feb. 7, 2023.

As the World Cup approaches, one tradition is taking over schoolyards and city plazas across Latin America: the Panini sticker album. The albums started in 1970, and now bring people from different walks of life together, while generating a profitable trade for street vendors, who will re-sell rare stickers of star players like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo for up to $200. From Bogota, Colombia, Manuel Rueda reports.

Women in Afghanistan are increasingly facing arrest and detention for leaving their homes without wearing a full face and body covering. Rights monitors say they have verified at least 16 arrests and detentions, including that of a pregnant woman, in the western city of Herat. Rina Amiri, the former US special envoy for Afghan women, girls and human rights, tells The World's Host Marco Werman that Taliban forces have opened fire on civilians protesting the restrictions.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un played host to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week. It's the Chinese leader's first visit to North Korea in seven years and follows two high-profile meetings in Beijing between Xi and the leaders of the US and Russia. Host Marco Werman speaks with Isabel Hilton, the London-based founder of China Dialogue.

Pope Leo XlV will be in Barcelona this week, to offer blessings at two Catholic churches that couldn't be more different. First, he'll hold mass at the Sagrada Familia, the spectacular brain-child of Antonio Gaudi, and then at a humble church referred to as "The Cathedral of the Poor," in a densely packed, largely immigrant neighborhood. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

Germany has dozens of German American friendship clubs around the country. They came into being after WWII, and are part of a decades-long effort by the US and German governments to cement people-to-people ties between their citizens. But now, with US-German relations on the ropes and Germans' trust in the US at a historic low, does anyone still want to be a member? Valerie Hamilton takes a look from Munich.

Don Broussard grew up in Louisiana, moving from neighborhood to neighborhood, school to school. He struggled to make friends. On the GBH live television series Stories from the Stage, he remembered one person who made a difference, and unwittingly sent him down paths neither of them expected.

It has been six months since the 20,000 acre Collersola natural park was declared off limits to humans - so that authorities could cull it of wild boar infected with the African Swine Flu. But they keep finding sick boar, and extending the park's closure. The World's Gerry Hadden went to a protest where hundreds of hikers slipped around blockades to demand access again to their beloved green space.

The Strait of Hormuz has been closed for about three months as the US war in Iran has developed. With about 1,600 ships still stuck in the gulf, shipping organizations are issuing new safety guidance to vessels. The Word's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with John Stawpert, marine director for the International Chamber of Shipping, about those recommendations.

The humble trout is a big deal in Kashmir. Fish farmers there have seen their businesses boom. There's even a festival devoted to the fish, where village residents flock to a local spring each year to catch the them - old school style, with wicker baskets. Syed Shahriyar reports from Panzath village.

In Japanese, "minyo" refers to Japanese folk songs. The band Minyo Crusaders takes traditional Japanese songs and rearranges them using Caribbean, African and Latin styles. We take a listen to their latest, a traditional poignant tune titled "Shigesa Bushi" which was popularized by sailors during the Edo period (1600-1800s), which the band has effectively turned into a bouncy Ghanaian-style highlife melody.

The World Cup is becoming a stage for Mexico City's unresolved social issues. Teachers, mothers searching for disappeared children, anti-gentrification groups, sex workers - just about everything. These neighborhood activists may not all be protesting the same thing - but they are using the World Cup spotlight to say: "You're preparing the city for the world, but what about us?" The World's Tibisay Zea reports.

Armenia's pro-West prime minister secured an election victory on Monday, despite a Russia-backed disinformation campaign and economic pressure from Moscow. Journalist Francesca Ebel tells The World's Host Marco Werman why the former Soviet republic has drifted from Russia's orbit.

As Mexico prepares to host matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, concerns are growing that the tournament's economic boom could also expand illicit markets in host cities. There are indicators of a rise in narco-businesses" embedded in tourism sectors like nightlife, transportation and short-term rentals - raising questions about who will truly profit when millions of visitors arrive. The World's Tibisay Zea reports on the hidden economies already kicking off.

A sherpa who was missing for a week on Mount Everest has been found alive by a cleaning crew on the tallest mountain. The 52-year-old Hillary Dawa Sherpa was seen crawling his way towards the base camp. This miracle comes at the end of the busiest seasons in the mountain's history. Host Marco Werman talks with journalist Ben Ayers, who has been reporting from the base camp in Nepal all season.

For almost three decades, the T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo band was cranking out hit after hit in West Africa. Its members were so prolific that in their prime they were issuing hits every three weeks. Now, some of their more obscure "B-sides" have come out on the compilation, "West African Beat: Rare 7s and EPs from Benin and Niger."

Ellie Wilson is a classically trained violinist who has previously performed in rock and folk bands.

Voters in Peru head to the polls this weekend for a runoff presidential election. One key issue shaping their decisions is a wave of extortion that has surged in recent years. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Peruvian journalist Marco Sifuentes, based in Spain, about the dynamics heading into the vote.

There is a tradition in Germany called Aufguss." It combines the heat of a sauna with aromatherapy using essential oils. But the practice has evolved into something theatrical. Show Aufguss" mixes together that experience with music and choreographed towel movements, performed by so-called Aufguss masters." And it's getting quite competitive. The World dispatched reporter Joshua Coe in Denmark to sweat it out for the country's national championships.

The Pacific island nation of Fiji has rejected an idea to build an incinerator for Western fashion houses. A French fashion mogul and an Australian billionaire pitched an idea to send non-recyclable trash from all over the region to the island, and then burn it, as a source of energy. Host Marco Werman has the details.

Iran has conditioned a ceasefire with the US with an end to the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel in Lebanon. Tehran has long had a close relationship with the Lebanese militant group, and as The World's Shirin Jaafari reports, it is now using it as leverage in the talks with the US.

The Iranian author Marjane Satrapi has died at the age of 56. She was famous for her graphic novel "Persepolis," which blended memoir and political history in the story of a young girl in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with professor Nahid Siamdoust about Satrapi's literary impact and legacy.

Kenya is a powerhouse when it comes to geothermal energy. The country generates about half of its electricity by harnessing the Earth's heat. Its neighboring countries have the same underground resources, but almost no geothermal power. Now that is starting to change. For The Big Fix, Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Anderson Kehbila, an expert on climate and energy with the Stockholm Environment Institute's Africa Center, based in Nairobi.

The ongoing bloodshed between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon almost hit a pause, when the two sides announced a ceasefire yesterday. But today that deal is off. This latest attempt comes on the heels of a 10-day agreement in April and then a 45-day extension in May. Each agreement has been derailed by back-and-forth strikes. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have the details on the latest agreement and what factors are putting it at risk.

This Fourth of July marks 250 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Although a defining moment for the US, life, liberty and happiness" were not strictly American pursuits - and indeed the Declaration explicitly addresses the larger world. As we approach US Independence Day, The World is taking a look at the American Revolution and its global reverberations. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with historian Nathan Perl-Rosenthal, author of the 2024 book, The Age of Revolutions: And the Generations Who Made It."

The US, Canada and Australia all have sports they call football, and they're not "the beautiful game" that's soon to get underway at the World Cup in North America. The World's Gerry Hadden takes a look at what people from different parts of the world think about the sport's name, and whether a common moniker can ever be agreed upon.

Today marks 37 years since Chinese troops opened fire on peaceful protestors in Tiananmen Square. For three decades after the 1989 massacre, Hong Kong was the only place on Chinese soil where large public commemorations honored those killed. Today, in Hong Kong, even symbolic acts caught police attention, as journalist Tom Grundy explains to The World's Host Marco Werman.

Otzi the Iceman, the mummified Copper Age man discovered in the Italian Alps in 1991, has been dead for more than 5,000 years. But a new study has found multiple types of microbes that survived the extreme cold of the glacier that preserved his body. Scientist Frank Maixner told The World's Host Carolyn Beeler that some of these microbes came from the environment, while others were part of his gut microbiome, which could offer new insights for future medical research.