The World: Latest Stories

When the Taliban regained power in 2021, women were barred from sports and the Afghanistan national women's cricket team was effectively disbanded. Many of the team members fled to Australia, where they've been fighting to play together again. Now, the International Cricket Council - the sport's global governing body - has announced support for the exiled athletes. The World's Bianca Hillier reports.

Musician El Leon Pardo has pronounced himself king of Cumbia Espacial, or Space Cumbia. It's here that he's created a tropical, psychedelic-like world where the coral is constantly changing color and the trees have a language all their own. And because El Leon Pardo is king, when he gives the signal, we all have to get up and dance.

Anyone around in the 1980s might recall the hand wringing over test tube" babies, conceived in IVF labs. That now seems quaint - today, more than 1 in 50 US babies are conceived by IVF - but on the horizon are mind-blowing experiments in reproductive science that may cause much more controversy. Breakthroughs are happening in East Asia, where birthrates are in free fall and officials are clamoring for solutions. The World's Patrick Winn reports.

Israel's security cabinet has approved a new military offensive designed to capture" Gaza and hold it indefinitely. The plan entails relocating many of Gaza's 2 million residents to the south and shuttering hundreds of community kitchens. The kitchens will be replaced with centers guarded by Israeli soldiers. UN officials and aid groups have denounced the plan. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler discusses the implications with Amir Tibon, the author of "The Gates of Gaza."

A new book by journalist Ted Genoways sheds light on the obscure history behind Mexico's most iconic spirit. Once little-known outside its homeland, tequila found unexpected fame during US Prohibition, when Americans crossed the border in search of legal libations. The World's Tibisay Zea traveled to the city of Tequila in Jalisco, Mexico, alongside Genoways, to understand why Americans saved tequila, and how it became a billion-dollar industry - and a symbol of Mexican pride.

Using coded language and emojis, cartels are dodging social media censorship to reach out to potential recruits. Their ads are vague, lean into machismo, and flashy vehicles. David Mora, a senior analyst for Mexico at Crisis Group, speaks with host Carolyn Beeler about how these ads look and feel, and what jobs are really behind them.

India is reeling from the shock of the terror attack in Kashmir last week. Gunmen opened fire on tourists, killing 26 men, mostly Hindus. Tourists have been targeted many times in Kashmir's long, bloody history, but this is the deadliest attack in two decades. And it comes amid a strong push by the Indian government to promote tourism in the region. The rising tourist numbers helped Kashmir's economy. But as Sushmita Pathak reports from Delhi, they also served political interests.

This week, clashes broke out in the suburbs of the Syrian capital Damascus. The Druze minority group, unknown gunmen and security forces exchanged fire, leaving dozens dead and injured. Israel says it carried out a strike in support of the Druze population. The World's Shirin Jaafari visits the town of Ashrafiyat Sahnaya just outside of Damascus and brings us the latest.

President Donald Trump has eliminated a tax loophole used by China's government to export cheap products to the US. It's called the "de minimus provision," and enabled small parcels valued at less than $800 to escape taxes. The loophole was often used by Chinese e-commerce giants Temu and Shein. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Rana Mitter, ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School, about how China's reacting internally to the current economic clash with the US.

Film director Rungano Nyoni moved to Wales with her family at age 9, but her films are set in her home country of Zambia. Her latest, "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl" is set in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, and is about how a family reacts to the death of a relative who turns out to not be a very good guy after all. The World's Carol Hills speaks to the director about the secrets families keep and what happens when they are revealed.

"Maybe Happy Ending" is an eccentric, endearing story, set in 2064, about two retired robots who fall in love. One of its authors, Hue Park, is Korean and the musical is set in both Seoul and an island off the Korean peninsula. And three out of the four actors in the show are Asian. It's had an interesting journey. The show was originally a hit IN South Korea, playing in Seoul in 2016, with five subsequent productions. Jeff Lunden reports.

Romania heads back to the polls this weekend just six months after a disputed presidential election was thrown out over alleged Russian interference and covert social media manipulation. The country's Constitutional Court annulled November's results amid claims that TikTok influencers were paid to boost a far-right candidate. But instead of halting their rise, the decision may have only strengthened the far right's momentum. The World's Europe correspondent Orla Barry reports.

More than two years after the worst train disaster in Greek history, the country's leaders are planning to install a new system aimed at preventing similar tragedies. The upgrade is a longtime coming and is expected to increase safety across the country's railways, but will it be enough to quell the frustration among victims' families and advocates who have consistently protested since the deadly 2023 crash? The World's Jeremy Siegel takes a look.

Wolfgang Porsche, heir to the Porsche fortune, wants to build a private tunnel to connect his palatial villa to Salzburg's city center. As The World's Sarah Birnbaum reports, his plans have reignited a debate on special treatment for the rich.

"Streetfight" is the Spanish version of the international hardcore music scene. It has many names, from Hakken to Gabber to Newstyle, but the music is essentially the same: loud, harsh and insanely up tempo, at least to the uninitiated. The World's Gerry Hadden attended a Streetfight dance night in Sabadell, Spain, and has this report.

Fifty years have passed since Vietnam's people reunified after a long and bloody struggle. Most scars from that time have healed, but not all. The chemical Agent Orange - dropped from US planes to eradicate jungles - has proven notoriously hard to remove from Vietnam's soil, even though the US has spent decades trying to do just that. As The World's Patrick Winn reports, there's another wartime chemical, Agent Blue, that's received far less attention even though it's still making people in Vietnam sick.

Journalist Maria Ressa, the co-founder of the Filipino investigative news site Rappler, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and the author of "How to Stand Up to a Dictator," speaks with The World's Carolyn Beeler. They discuss how the slide toward authoritarianism Ressa experienced firsthand in the Philippines is eerily similar to what she's seeing today in the US.

Rabbi Moshe Azman is one of the chief rabbis of Ukraine. In the early days of the full-scale invasion, like President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Azman stayed in Kyiv. This decision has had a major impact on the Jewish community in Ukraine - it was seen as a courageous act of resilience. Since then, Azman has become an even more popular figure in Ukraine, because of his multifaith outreach efforts and his engagement with important figures in Ukraine government and security establishment. The World's Daniel Ofman has a profile.

Tarot cards have been around for 600 years and seem to find new adherents with each generation. One reason is that artists, mystics and writers have given them their own particular stamp over the centuries. Carolyn Beeler speaks with independent scholar, writer, teacher and tarot card expert Mary K. Greer about the origins of tarot cards and why they continue to fascinate.

An team of scientists has conducted research into the specific ways birch trees in the Costa Bocche forest in the Dolomites mountain range use bioelectrical signals to prepare for solar eclipses. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Alessandro Chiolerio, lead author the study, about how this research was conducted and what it tells us about tree communication.

The work to choose a new pope begins next week with the secretive Papal Conclave. One of Pope Francis' lingering legacies that will need to be addressed: the late pontiff's efforts to reform the Vatican's less-than-transparent finances. The World's Carolyn Beeler heard from Massimo Faggioli who teaches theology and religious studies at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

The South Korean Indie rock group HOA may sound like a Beatles knock-off band, but since 2015, they've generated their own unique sound in a country where K-pop rules. Fans have taken notice. We'll hear two of the groups most recent tunes.

Colombia and Venezuela are neighbors in South America, and they share deep cultural ties despite different political histories. The Latin rock bands Bomba Estereo from Colombia and Rawayana, of Venezuela, have long wanted to work together. Now, the lead singers have finally made it happen in a newly released collaborative album called "Astropical." Manuel Rueda caught up with Li Saumet and Beto Montenegro before a show in Bogota ahead of a North American tour to hear about their vision for the album, and what it reflects about their countries' political situations.

A conservation charity based in the UK runs a citizen science survey called Bugs Matter. It tracks movements in the population of local flying insects via the number of bugs that splatter on the license plates of its participants' cars. There has been a worrying downward trend in recent years. Host Carolyn Beeler has more.

Operas are often performed in Italian, German, or French.That's why there are what's called surtitles" or supertitles" projected above the stage. They translate the lyrics into the audience's main language. That doesn't help blind and low-vision audience members, though. So now, an opera company in New Zealand has come up with an accessible solution. The World's Bianca Hillier reports.

Fifty years ago on Wednesday, the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, marked the end of the Vietnam War. Most Americans remember is as one of the longest and most-unpopular conflicts in US history. But in Vietnam, the anniversary is being celebrated as the end of a much-longer struggle for liberation, one that predates US involvement by several decades. The World's Matthew Bell reports.

The Sycamore Gap tree once sat symmetrically between two hills along Hadrian's Wall. But more than 1 1/2 years ago it was chopped down, causing disbelief for locals and admirers that considered it a sacred site. Now, two individuals in the UK are being tried for chopping the tree down. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with lawyer Sarah Dodd, a tree law expert, about the trial and how the Sycamore Gap tree is being remembered.

Ukrainian officials flew to Washington on Wednesday with high hopes. They thought they might finally sign a long-awaited deal with the US to develop Ukraine's mineral, oil and gas resources. Ukraine and the US were originally expected to sign the agreement back in February, until a public argument erupted in the Oval Office. Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, discusses the roadblocks to an agreement with The World's Carolyn Beeler.

Spain is testing out new artificial intelligence technology that will change the speed limit on a major highway based on weather conditions, the amount of traffic, time of day and road conditions. They hope the system will help alleviate gridlock and increase safety on one of the country's busiest highways. The World's transportation correspondent Jeremy Siegel reports.

German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a leader of the Protestant resistance to the Nazi regime, was executed 80 years ago for his role on the fringes of a failed plot to assassinate Hitler. In the past decade, US Christian nationalists and others on the far-right have adopted Bonhoeffer as a patron saint, reading into his life and writings a theological reasoning for Christians to abandon pacifism in resistance to what they consider the evils of a repressive state. Valerie Hamilton reports from Munich.

Fourteen-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi cemented his future in cricket on Monday when he became the youngest person to score a century in men's T20 cricket, a format of the sport. A century" in cricket is when a batter scores 100 or more runs in a single inning. Host Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have the details.

The Herd initiative is bringing life-size puppet animals on a migration across the globe. It's from the same team that also took Little Amal, the Syrian refugee puppet, on a global tour. This time, however, it's about raising awareness about the planet's climate crisis. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with David Lan, producer of The Herd project, about the puppet production and its mission.

The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched a first-of-a-kind satellite on Tuesday that will count the carbon in Earth's rainforests. Scientists hope to better understand the importance of rainforests in storing carbon and the impact of deforestation. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Mat Disney, a professor of remote sensing at the University College London, about his involvement with the satellite project and how the satellite will operate.

In the years following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, political repression inside Russia has increased considerably. Russia now has hundreds of political prisoners, who are tried under new laws that are all meant to suppress any form of dissent - especially against the war. The World's Daniel Ofman reports, that despite relentless pressure, there are still lawyers, and human rights defenders in Russia fighting for the rights of political prisoners.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has closed its renowned but controversial Benin Kingdom Gallery. The space prominently displayed bronze and ivory objects considered masterpieces from the former African kingdom, now a part of Nigeria. The collection has raised questions about the legacy of colonialism, looted art - and proper museum stewardship. The renowned collector who donated the works has so far remained mum about the situation. GBH's James Bennett the Second reports from Boston.

In Canada, election results mark a reversal of political fortunes. The Liberal Party's victory in Monday's federal election follows a long slump in popularity. But the Trump administration's trade policies and rhetoric concerning Canada have driven a shift in Canada's political landscape. The election results are widely being seen as a mandate for how Canada should respond to Trump. GBH News reporter Phillip Martin is in Toronto and has the results.

The Trump administration has made no secret of its desire to dismantle institutions that for decades have been the source of America's soft power." Efforts like the Peace Corps, Voice of America and USAID have been either drastically cut back or entirely gutted during Donald Trump's first 100 days in office. The World's Carolyn Beeler hears from Daniel Drezner, about what that will mean for Washington's place on the world stage.

In Hong Kong on Tuesday, Claudia Mo, Jeremy Tam, Kwok Ka-ki and Gary Fan were released from prison after spending more than four years there. They are among 47 activists arrested in 2021 for their roles in an unofficial primary election under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law. Marco Werman speaks with Kris Cheng, a reporter from Hong Kong currently based in London, about the significance of this release and what is left of the Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.

The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago this week. Le Ly Hayslip was a teenager at the time, caught in the crossfire between the north and the south. Over the course of the war, she suffered torture and abuse before moving to California where she became an advocate for reconciliation and peace. Hayslip spoke with The World's Marco Werman about her life in Vietnam, the experience of the war and the lessons from the conflict.

Wind Phones are not connected to any phone line, but they are connected in a different sense. The phones create space for people to have a one-way conversation with their loved ones who have died. The wind - so the idea goes - carries your message. The World's Bianca Hillier visited a Wind Phone and speaks with people who use them as a grief tool.

The death toll from the weekend explosion at a strategic port in southern Iran has been rising. At least 65 people have died, according to state officials. Another 1,200 have been wounded. Meanwhile, emergency crews continue to try to contain the fire. The World looks at the latest.

Ajay Gallewalle grew up in a small town in India, and when he finally got the chance to play, the stakes were high: a girl he had a crush on would be watching the game. Upon learning that the existing pantheon of Hindu gods did not include a deity overseeing success in baseball, Gallewalle got creative.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman catch you up on a few headlines you may have missed.

Over the weekend, Uganda's Health Ministry announced the end of a monthslong Ebola outbreak. Just over a dozen cases of the disease were reported, which left at least four people dead. Host Marco Werman speaks with Suudhi Bamutya, manager of epidemics - and pandemics - preparedness and response for the Uganda Red Cross Society. He joined the show from Kampala.

The 2025 London Marathon was a race for the history books. Not only was it the biggest marathon in history with more than 56,000 people crossing the finish line, but athletes also broke more than 40 Guinness World Records. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have the details.

UN and Palestinian representatives have accused Israel of violating international law by blocking all aid from entering Gaza. Israel is not participating at the International Court of Justice hearings. Israel cut off all supplies to the over 2 million residents in the besieged territory in early March. Conditions have been steadily deteriorating in Gaza. The World's Carolyn Beeler talked with reporter Noga Tarnopolsky in Jerusalem for the details.

Large parts of Spain and Portugal have been hit by power outages. This has caused widespread chaos as it stops trains, traffic and cellphone services. This includes in the countries' capital cities of Madrid and Lisbon. Officials have ruled out a cyberattack but there are no explanations so far. The World's Gerry Hadden in Barcelona reports under blackout conditions.

In recent weeks, the "almighty dollar" has seen its value tumble compared to other major currencies like the euro. It's happening at a time of uncertainty about the impact of the Trump administration's tariffs, causing some to wonder about the future of the dollar as the world's go-to reserve currency. The World's Carolyn Beeler speaks to David Lubin, a senior research fellow at Chatham House, an international think tank based in London. He joined the show from Washington.

India has suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty, a major water-sharing agreement with Pakistan. It comes in response to a recent attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. The treaty splits control of the six rivers in the Indus Basin between the two countries that's held for 65 years, despite ongoing conflict. The World's Host Carol Hills spoke with Professor Hassaan Khan, of Tufts University, about the history of the treaty, the ramifications for Pakistan - an already water-scarce country - and what this could mean for wider water diplomacy.

Coral reefs around the world are in the middle of the worst mass bleaching event in history that started in January 2023. New data released this week shows that 84% of coral reefs have been bleached since this episode began. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler spoke to scientists about the impact on ecosystems, and why this mass coral bleaching event may continue on.