The World: Latest Stories

Earlier this year, the US moved 5,700 men and boys suspected of involvement with ISIS out of Syria to Iraq. A new report by Human Rights Watch today warned that these prisoners risk abuse, unfair trials and possible execution. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler spoke to Letta Tayler, senior counterterrorism advisor at Human Rights Watch, who joined the show from Savannah, Georgia.

Mexico has embraced Korean culture in a big way - from K-pop and skincare to food and TV dramas. That enthusiasm is now spilling into a broader relationship between Mexico and South Korea, as trade, investment and diplomacy deepen. In Mexico City, fans, business owners and members of the Korean community show how a cultural connection that started with music and entertainment is reshaping everyday life - and even reaching the presidential level. The World's Latin America Correspondent Tibisay Zea reports.

When the Taliban reclaimed power in Afghanistan five years ago, the impact on girls' education was instantaneous: No schooling past the age of 12. No exceptions. That's why one activist, Shabana Basij-Rasikh started Afghanistan's only boarding school for girls: the School of Leadership, Afghanistan, or SOLA. But since the return of the Taliban, SOLA has relocated to Rwanda. Basij-Rasikh recently spoke with The World Host Marco Werman.

Researchers call it the Morocco Paradox. It's a society where family, friends and community are tight-knit and ever-present, yet people can feel unseen and misunderstood. But talking about loneliness is still considered taboo. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from the city of Tangier.

Spain is headed for early general elections. It comes after the Spanish Parliament narrowly rejected two emergency measures on Friday meant to address the country's high housing costs. The measures were championed by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. In announcing snap elections, he called on Spaniards to give him a broader left-wing coalition. Host Carolyn Beeler has more.

A young woman who worked at a plague research institute in Siberia has died, fueling concerns of a lab leak. Local authorities are monitoring other workers in the area. But much of what happened is unknown, and the reports coming out of Siberia are conflicting. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Nahid Bhadelia, director of Boston University's Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases, to clear up what we know and what we don't.

The first round of Brazilian elections over the weekend produced two leading presidential contenders. A runoff will be held later this month between the incumbent, leftist President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva - known simply as Lula - and Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a close ally of US President Donald Trump. The Trump administration's open backing of Bolsonaro has soured US relations with Brazil, and spurred Lula to warn against US interference in the upcoming elections. Rose Gilbert reports from Florianopolis, Brazil.

The Culture Train ran between Berlin, Germany, and Wroclaw, Poland, for 10 years, before halting in 2025. Live bands, DJs, poets and performance art "witches" entertained and educated passengers on Europe's quirkiest train journey. Running at a time of rising nationalism, organizers billed the train partly as a way to address prejudices held by many Germans against Polish people. On a train somewhere between the two cities, Jamie Fullerton reports.

The 2026 Brazilian election will be one of the first major elections since the introduction of widely-accessible generative AI. In preparation, Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) created a framework aimed at preventing the use of AI to spread election misinformation, and it's already faced a major test. From Florianopolis, Brazil, Rose Gilbert reports.

Egyptian authorities this week arrested the entire newsroom of the independent investigative outlet Matsaddash. It's part of a wider, years-long crackdown against journalists and a restriction of press freedoms. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Timothy Kaldas, deputy director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, about what this means.

Spain's progressive government was dealt a costly legislative defeat on Friday when lawmakers rejected a package of emergency measures aimed at tackling the nation's housing affordability crisis, as protesters gathered outside Parliament demanding help for renters. Host Carolyn Beeler has more.

An independent panel found the Premier League club Manchester City was guilty on 114 out of 115 charges related to, among other things, widespread financial misconduct. The UAE-owned British soccer team continues to deny all charges and lodged an appeal on Friday. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler learned more from Joey D'Urso, a sports journalist and author of the book More Than A Shirt: How Football Shirts Explain Global Politics, Money and Power."

In Haiti, violent gangs have taken over most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and are pushing northward. In the chaos, about a million and a half people have been displaced. Hospitals are crowded and there is a shortage of basic supplies, from food to medication. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks to the International Rescue Committee's Deputy Director for Programs, Allie Pasieka, who is in Port-au-Prince.

Residents living near a chemical factory in Lancashire, in the north of England, have high levels of PFAS forever chemicals" in their blood, including the highest result ever recorded in the UK, most of it the banned carcinogen PFOA, according to an investigation by Manchester Metropolitan University and Watershed Investigations. Leana Hosea, with Watershed Investigations, reports.

This year's super El Nino is supercharging marine heat waves. That has scientists concerned about the risk to coral reefs already stressed from rising temperatures. But past research has shown that the sounds of healthy reefs can actually encourage coral to grow in degraded locations. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with bioacoustician Aran Mooney about whether this research could be applied to El Nino conditions.

Hoonah, Alaska, is a small fishing village with a population or 862 members who make up the local Tlingit community. But each year, more than half a million cruise ship passengers step ashore for a few hours of recreation. National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek made his own stop there, as part of the Out of Eden Walk. As he explains to Host Carolyn Beeler, the village's residents have spent decades trying to strike a balance between economic sustainability and preserving their own identity.

Russia's war in Ukraine is prompting a new debate across Western Europe about how far the conflict's security risks could spread. Drone incursions, suspected sabotage and increasingly stark warnings from European governments have put the threat from Russia back at the center of the continent's security concerns. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry reports.

Egyptian authorities today rounded up six members of the editorial board of Matsaddash, one of two remaining independent news sites in Egypt. The government accused them of being members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, and of producing fabricated news. Host Carolyn Beeler has more.

At Istanbul's quayside, despite all the bustle, all is not well. Russia's war in Ukraine is hitting Black Sea grain transports hard, both financially and physically. As warnings of soaring global food prices grow, Turkey is stepping up its diplomatic efforts to protect ships, cargo and sailors alike. From our partners at Deutsche Welle, DW, Inside Europe's Istanbul Correspondent Dorian Jones visited a local ship yard to speak to those at the sharp end of Russia's maritime hunger games.

The FBI is reeling from a massive data breach by a cybercrime collective known as "ShinyHunters" that claims to have a trove of personal information about thousands of FBI employees and their family members. Dutch police arrested a suspected member of the group a week before the FBI's security breach. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler learned more from investigative reporter Joseph Cox, who broke the story about the ShinyHunters hack for 404 Media, and investigative news site.

India is the world's most populous country, yet many people - especially seniors - report feeling lonely. Namrata Kolachalam visits rural communities in central India to learn how public health workers are reducing loneliness for seniors.

According to Israeli authorities, a plane traveling into Tel Aviv from the United Arab Emirates nearly crashed after a pilot stabbed another pilot and appeared to have tried to crash the aircraft. In a press conference today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said passengers and crew managed to subdue the alleged attacker, and the plane landed safely after being diverted to Saudi Arabia. The World's Transportation Correspondent Jeremy Siegel has been tracking the story.

Livestock is the livelihood of northern Kenya's rural communities. For herders who tend to sheep, goats, cattle or camels there in drought conditions, it is getting more difficult to find adequate pastures with enough water; and that means having to travel further from home, in rising temperatures. That is not unlike what herders experience in the United States. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Penn State University anthropologist and researcher Anne Pisor, about the impact rising temperatures have on herders, from Kenya to the United States.

Students in more than 400 high schools across France are protesting funding cutbacks, overcrowded classes and teacher shortages. In some cities, the demonstrations have turned violent, with teens throwing paving stones and setting fires. Vincent Latour, a professor of British studies at Toulouse Jean University tells The World's Host Carolyn Beeler that this summer's heat waves helped expose chronic government under-funding of education.

In Spain, an octogenarian is shaking up the housing market. Her name is Maricarmen. The 87-year-old has been a headline all week after an investment fund bought her apartment building, tripled her rent, then evicted her for not being able to pay. She'd lived in her Madrid flat for 70 years. The outrage has led to street protests and, just maybe, to changes in government housing policies. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

Cuba is under intense economic pressure from Washington, as Havana opens more space for private business and foreign investment. At the same time, Cuban American investors in Florida are already positioning themselves for potential opportunities on the island. The World's Tibisay Zea looks at whether this opening could mark a real shift for Cuba's economy - which may benefit first, and how much say ordinary Cubans will have in what comes next.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has laid out a broad range of changes that he says should help reduce the world's highest rate of homicide and violence against women. Advocacy groups are not impressed. Host Carolyn Beeler has the details.

In Ghana, getting into university is largely about one thing: results on the annual WASSCE test. Students compete for places based primarily on that test, and their grades. There is little to no consideration of personal essays, extracurricular activities, leadership or other aspects of their background. From Accra, reports.

Several thousand US troops are pulling up stakes in Iraq, leaving their remaining bases by the end of the day tomorrow. US soldiers have been stationed in Iraq for more than two decades. Victoria Taylor, director of the Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council and a former US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq and Iran during the Biden administration tells The World's Host Carolyn Beeler that Baghdad and Washington will have to hammer out a new relationship.

Jin Hi Kim finds links between traditional music from South Korea and European classical music. Kim was born in South Korea and moved to the US in 1980. For the past 40+ years, she's been composing and playing the komungo, a traditional Korean stringed instrument, to audiences around the globe. Now, the expansive Jin Hi Kim Collection is out: 52 tracks recorded over the course of her career. She recently stopped by The World's studio to speak to Host Carolyn Beeler.

Four years ago, the Restoration Ecology team at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, published new research that uses super-sensitive microphones to listen to and analyze the health of soil. The researchers say this new method could replace traditional ones, which are expensive, disruptive and laborious. Reporter Bianca Hillier has more.

The Moscow Times and TV Rain are two of the most prominent independent Russian newsrooms in exile. After being forced to leave Russia, they've both now headquartered in the Netherlands, and continue to cover Russia from abroad. But even from the relative safety of the Netherlands, they face security threats from Russia. The World's Joshua Coe caught up with journalists at the two organizations, who continue to connect audiences.

What appears to be a copper shark has gotten stuck in a South Korean canal. Experts say the shark probably chased prey into the canal and couldn't find it's way out. Officials have tried to push it back to the open ocean, but so far two different efforts have failed. They say they'll try again on Friday. Host Carolyn Beeler has more.

A massive, slow-moving swell of water is approaching the West Coast of North America. Known as a "Kelvin wave," the ocean phenomenon tied to the current El Nino is expected to raise the sea level up and down the California coast by a foot. The World learned more from Dillon Amaya, an oceanographer at North Carolina State University, who joined from Raleigh.

Dismissed in Taiwan as propaganda, the Chinese television spy drama Jiaofeng," or The Long Watch," has proved a sensation across the strait with its references to real-life political crises. Since its premiere on Sept. 6, it has become a huge hit, with a fictionalized take on a subject rarely treated so directly: the modern history of spies and double agents across two decades of tensions with Taiwan. The series, which received support from China's ministry of state security, will run for 40 episodes. From Taipei, Ashish Valentine reports.

Spain took the coastal city of Melilla by force and acquired Ceuta by treaty. Both events took place centuries ago - and both have been a sore spot for relations with Morocco since the outset. As The World's Gerry Hadden reports, they are a legacy of the colonial era that are not likely to disappear.

British authorities are investigating whether a foreign state was involved in an apparent plot to attack an airbase used by the US military. Five masked men were arrested near an RAF base in England early yesterday on suspicion of "explosives and terrorism offenses." The base has been used by US warplanes to carry out what have been described as defensive operations against Iranian attacks. Iran's embassy in London has denied any involvement in the incident, and the five suspects have since been released. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry joins Host Aaron Schachter with the latest.

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is a growing problem. Much of it ends up in Ghana and Nigeria, where informal recycling operations have blossomed. There's now an effort to organize and formalize some of those informal networks. The World's Host Aaron Schacter speaks with Khiddir Iddris, researcher at the University of Ghana, about e-waste as an economic engine.

More than 30 people have been reported killed in a series of at least four separate mass shootings that have taken place in South Africa over the past week. The World's Host Aaron Schachter learned more from Guy Lamb, a criminologist at Stellenbosch University, who joined the show from Capetown.

Waves of jet-powered drones struck the National Academy of Sciences as well as a hospital in Kyiv today. Elsewhere, Russian attacks killed residents, including children, in Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipro. Increasingly, vital economic targets are coming under fire. Reporter Jared Goyette tells The World's Host Aaron Schachter that Ukraine has few means to defend itself against escalating attacks on its infrastructure.

Teenagers across Latin America are turning an internet joke into a real-world competition. In aura battles," participants face off with poses, dance moves and swagger, trying to win over the crowd - and sometimes cash prizes. The trend has drawn hundreds to public plazas from Mexico to Argentina. The World's Tibisay Zea looks at where farming aura" came from, why it caught on, and why some adults see an unexpected social upside.

Brazil's high-stakes presidential election is less than a week away, and a crisis is unraveling at the country's Supreme Court. A corruption scandal has led to justices trading insults and canceling sessions. Now, some voters are casting their ballots to help shape the Court's future. Michael Fox has the story from Florianopolis, Brazil.

The right of the dead to be buried is a theme so ancient that Sophocles' heroine Antigone gave her fictional life for it almost two and a half thousand years ago. Antigone's principled insistence that the dead must be buried, no matter who they are or what they might have done, is something that speaks straight to us today. Lisa Louis reports from Latvia, where for decades, a group of international volunteers has been painstakingly digging up the remains of tens of thousands of soldiers fallen in battles past. Many of these soldiers were Russian - but the war in Ukraine is making things rather complicated.

The Mighty Sparrow, a musician known as the king of calypso, has died. Sparrow helped preserve and popularize the music of his home country Trinidad and Tobago.

The English Premier League has reportedly found one of its top soccer teams, Manchester City F.C., guilty of wide-ranging financial misconduct. According to several media reports - which have yet to be officially confirmed - investigators have found Man City guilty of 114 violations of league rules.

New research is shedding light on the murky evolutionary history of bats. The World's Carolyn Beeler speaks with evolutionary biologist Ariadna Morales about the latest findings from the largest analysis of the bat genome.

Once a week, since late August, a plane has left Louisiana, carrying Haitians across the sea to the city of Cap-Haitien. Many had been living in the US under Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. But the Department of Homeland Security ended TPS for Haitians in late July. Today, we focus on what that decision actually means for one individual. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with the Miami Herald's Jacqueline Charles, who has been closely following the fate of 33-year-old Haitian pastor Molis Augustave.

The UK is planning to call a Parliamentary Select Committee hearing to ask why Britain always seems to do so badly in the Eurovision Song Contest. DW's Daniel Rosney gathered his own expert witnesses and made a valiant attempt to figure out why the UK can't win.

Global foreign aid is shrinking at a historic rate, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). US aid fell by 57% last year but America is far from alone. Several European countries, including the UK, France and Germany, have all slashed their overseas aid budgets in the past two years. International aid organizations warn that the cutbacks are already having a serious impact. The World's Europe correspondent Orla Barry reports.

The US government says the war with Iran has cost about $44 billion so far. But experts say that figure captures only part of the bill, leaving out long-term costs like military repairs, veterans' care, debt, economic ripple effects and environmental damage. The World's Shirin Jaafari looks at why the true cost of a war can take a long time to come into focus.