The World: Latest Stories

Until recently, the vehicles cruising around major Southeast Asian cities were brands most anyone around the world would recognize. Lots of Toyotas and Hyundais. A smattering of Fords. The occasional Tesla. But about two years ago, everything changed. From Jakarta to Bangkok, totally unknown brands - with unheard of features - appeared almost overnight. Patrick Winn reports from Bangkok on the massive influx of Chinese electric vehicles.

Gambling the world over brings with it the risk of addiction. That's generally because of the excitement of a big payday. But when the payday is relatively small and there are no bells and whistles to get your blood pumping, people tend to keep themselves more in check. That's what Norway has experienced. And it's one way to help prevent problem gambling. Karen Brown, from New England Public Media, reports.

Google, Microsoft and Nvidia are among the US technology giants announcing tens of billions of dollars in new investments for the United Kingdom. The most ambitious plan is from Microsoft, which has announced a four-year, $30 billion investment, the company's biggest yet outside of the US. American tech leaders say these moves will help make the UK an "AI superpower," boost the country's struggling economy and create thousands of new jobs for Britain. But one global economy expert says these projections might be a bit overblown. The World's Matthew Bell reports.

Lithuania is training children as young as 10 years old in the use of drones as part of a new initiative by the country's Ministry of Defense. Drone warfare has been a crucial innovation since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and as a neighbor of Russia, Lithuania feels compelled to strengthen its defense capabilities. Deputy Defense Minister Tomas Godliauskas tells Host Carolyn Beeler that the training is an important aspect of Lithuania's ability to bolster resilience among civilians.

Kim Chinh grew up in the United States, with one parent from Buffalo, New York - and another from a village in Vietnam. She never thought of herself as biracial. In fact, she didn't think of herself as Vietnamese at all. Chinh joined Stories from the Stage out of GBH in Boston to tell the story of what she'd been avoiding, in that identity, and what changed for her when she finally traveled to Vietnam.

A landmark election five years ago boosted hopes for democracy in Malawi. The country's Supreme Court found evidence of fraud and ordered a historic rerun. Fresh elections put an opposition candidate in power. But today, as voters again head to the polls, corruption and lack of accountability are again major campaign issues. Boniface Dulani of Malawi's Institute of Public Opinion and Research joins The World's Host Marco Werman to discuss why.

India hosted US officials for trade talks today, restoring hope after bilateral trade negotiations collapsed over the Trump administration's steep tariffs on India. The government in New Delhi said the negotiations were "positive." Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have the details.

Today marks 50 years since Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia. With its rugged, mountainous geography, over a thousand distinct ethnic groups and almost as many languages, the young democracy has its share of obstacles to forging a national identity. But as Patrick Kaiku told the World's Host Marco Werman, the idea of direct democracy is familiar to Papuans based on traditional ways of life in the Oceanic country. Kaiku is Director for Policy and Legal Division at the Registry of Political Parties in Papua New Guinea.

There are no reliable statistics on the number of people who have lost the ability to speak their native language. But it is likely a growing number, given the rise in global migration and the disappearance of many minority languages. But once you've lost your first language, is relearning it a realistic goal? Patrick Cox brought us the story of a woman who learned Czech growing up, moved to Canada, lost her ability to use the language but then decided to re-learn Czech as an adult.This story originally aired in 2022.

Tiny Easedale, Scotland, is the proud host of the annual World Stone Skimming Championships. This year, the so-called "toss master" heard rumors of unauthorized rocks in the competition. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have more.

Israel unleashed a new military offensive on Gaza City today. After weeks of airstrikes, Israeli ground troops started advancing, with the country's defense minister, Israel Katz, declaring that, "Gaza is burning." Palestinian health officials said more than 20 people were killed today and dozens more were injured. European officials condemned the Israeli offensive, saying it would mean more civilian deaths and make an already dire humanitarian situation even worse. The World's Aaron Schachter has more.

The US military has sunk another Venezuelan boat in the Caribbean, killing three people. President Donald Trump says the vessels are tied to drug cartels, but has offered no evidence. Caracas calls the strikes aggression; Washington insists they're defense. Amid the saber-rattling, many Venezuelans say they're too consumed by economic survival to think about war. Others fear confrontation - or hope foreign pressure might finally weaken Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's grip on power. The World's Tibisay Zea reports.Journalist Isabel Guerrero contributed to this report from Caracas, Venezuela.

Iran has agreed to let international inspectors back into the country, after cutting access in June when Israel attacked its facilities. According to the new agreement, inspectors will be allowed back in to assess damage done by US strikes, and to check in on Iran's nuclear program. However, it's all contingent on the US coming back to the negotiating table, and cooperation from Europe.

The Initial Teaching Alphabet was an initiative in the UK in the 1960s and '70s that was intended to make reading more intuitive for young students. It had almost double the number of letters as the standard ABCs. But many students never successfully transitioned away from it, and have lifelong problems with spelling as a result. Dominic Wyse, a professor at the Institute of Education at University College London, tells Host Marco Werman how the ITA came about and why it failed.

The notoriously tough La Vuelta race has 21 grueling stages, made tougher this year by groups of pro-Palestinian protestors trying to stop an Israeli team for taking part. Six stages were disrupted or canceled, including the final stage and the dash to the finish line. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has praised the protestors, but many are unhappy - including race organizers. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

Thousands of spectators lined the streets of Vienna over the weekend as tram drivers from 25 different countries competed in eight different challenges. They ranged from the simple (smoothly stopping and accelerating) to the creative (tram curling and tram bowling). In the end, Austria took home gold on home turf. The World's Transportation Correspondent Jeremy Siegel reports.

Syria is set to hold its first parliamentary elections since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad, starting today. It's a major step towards a new system being led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa right now. Critics say the current setup isn't inclusive enough, but instead gives the president too much control, while leaving some religious minorities underrepresented. The World's Shirin Jaafari explains.

In 1881, King David Kalkaua of Hawaii embarked on a nine-month world tour. He met US President Chester A. Arthur, had tea with Queen Victoria in England and opened dialogue with China, Japan and Portugal. Douglas Askman is a professor of history at Hawaii Pacific University. He's studied King Kalkaua's global diplomacy tour of 1881 and speaks to Host Marco Werman.

With global demand for waterbomber planes on the rise, Canadian company De Havilland is ramping up production of its next generation waterbomber plane. This thing can scoop up water - say from a nearby lake - and drop it on wildfires. Paul Petersen is the executive director of the United Aerial Firefighters Association, and he tells Host Carolyn Beeler about the capabilities of this new generation of waterbombers.

There's an old saying: "It's a marathon, not a sprint." But sometimes a marathon turns into a sprint. That's what has happened at both the women's and men's marathons at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo over the weekend. Both races came down to the wire. The World's Sports Reporter Bianca Hillier breaks it down.

A new global treaty brokered by the World Trade Organization aims to address overfishing worldwide. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler talks with Callum Roberts, a professor of marine conservation at the University of Exeter, about what's in the treaty and what it could accomplish.

According World Athletics - the global governing body for track and field - the presence or absence of the SRY gene is a reliable proxy for determining biological sex. A new policy requiring that competitors in the female category undergo testing for the gene is being implemented ahead of the World Athletic Championships, starting tomorrow in Tokyo. Supporters say the new policy guarantees fairness. Critics say it's unethical and unscientific. This is part of a long history of sex-testing in elite women's sports. The World's Bianca Hillier reports.

Beginning today, Russia and Belarus are holding military drills they call "Zapad," meaning "West." These drills are nothing new, but the last time they happened, in 2022, Moscow sent troops into Ukraine. Poland, Latvia and Lithuania all share a border with Belarus. As DW's Lisa Louis reports from the Lithuanian border, tensions are running high in all three countries once again.

It's been the worst forest fire season in Spain's history. But in the center of the country stands Europe's largest pine forest, unscathed. At first glance, it's hard to understand why the 100,000 hectares (about 247,000 acres) around Burgos haven't gone up in flames. It's hot and dry there too, with no rain. The answer: The Draw of Pines, an ancient system of local forest stewardship. Now, that tradition the risk of irrelevance, as society changes. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Soria, Spain.

We've been keeping an eye on British singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka since 2012, when he released his debut album, "Home Again." He's now out with his fourth record, "Small Changes." Host Carolyn Beeler brings us a listen, while sharing a little bit of Kiwanuka's background growing up as a child of Ugandan parents living in exile.

Tube operators are back to work today after a five-day strike over pay and hours for the city's subway system. The stoppage caused mayhem on London's streets, with thousands of people opting to rent e-bikes to get to work. But the dramatic influx of traffic overwhelmed bike lanes, and brought busy streets to a standstill.

Brazil's Supreme Court has sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup to overturn his 2022 election loss. It's the first time a Brazilian president has been criminally convicted for trying to subvert democracy. The ruling has divided the country and raised tensions with the United States. The World's Tibisay Zea reports on what the verdict means for Brazilians.

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama has just introduced a new member of his cabinet: Diella, an AI-powered chatbot. Rama has hailed it as the world's first AI-generated minister, claiming that getting humans out of the picture might help fix corruption. Amy Kokalari researches digitalization and AI in the Western Balkans. She spoke to The World's Host Carolyn Beeler from the Albanian capital Tirana.

Underwater recordings made more than 50 years ago captured the sounds produced by humpback whales, for communication. But the mechanism by which they vocalize has only recently been researched and understood. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Magnus Wahlberg, of the Southern University of Denmark. He is part of the research team that figured out how the whales make their songs.This story originally aired on Feb. 22, 2024.

Tokyo's trains are known for three things: They're punctual. They're packed. And they're quiet. But for the next month, the quiet of one of the city's subway lines will be shattered, and it will be known for something - or, rather, someone - entirely different: Ed Sheeran. The World's Transportation Correspondent Jeremy Siegel explains.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman bring us two stories of animals making mischief.

Researchers working in Canada have trialed technology to thicken Arctic sea ice. They pump seawater out from under the ice, then let that water freeze into a layer up top. That extra thickness slows down the melting process in the summer. As part of our Big Fix series, The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Andrea Ceccolini, CEO of Real Ice, about whether his company's climate solution is effective and scalable.

Last week, a government commission in Peru voted to nix plans for a vast 3 million acre conservation reserve in the Amazon that would have protected uncontacted peoples there. Peru is among the countries with the most uncontacted tribes. Activists warn that similar protection plans could be on the chopping block in the future. The World's Host Marco Werman spoke to John Reid, who has co-authored a series about uncontacted and isolated tribes, co-published by The Guardian and Brazilian newspaper O Globo. He's an environmental economist and joins the show from Occidental, California.

Negros Tou Moria, or Black Morris, as he's known in English, is from Athens, Greece. He mixes trap beats with traditional Greek folk-music. Black Morris is not a Greek citizen, though, even though he was born there. His parents are immigrants from Ghana, and Greece does not have birthright citizenship. The World's Gerry Hadden brings us the story.

The Women's International Motorcycle Association (WIMA) was founded in the US in 1950. It has since spread to nearly 40 countries and gained more than 6,000 members worldwide. This year, the group is holding its annual international rally in Maine. The World's Bianca Hillier stopped by to find out what motorcycling means to these bikers.

In jungles along the Thai-Myanmar border, people from all over the world are trying to make quick money running online scams. Some people know what they're getting into, but others are duped into thinking they're applying for real jobs. Once they're in one of these nefarious cities, it's very hard to get out. Which is why one man has tried to intercept scammers before their victims go into these places. Patrick Winn reports.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants the United States to take control of Greenland. It was a talking point that started early in his presidency, reigniting passions in Greenland on the topic of independence - not just from the US, but from Denmark. Then-Prime Minister Mute B. Egede said at a press conference earlier this year, We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic." After the dust settled, The World's Carolyn Beeler went to Greenland's capital Nuuk to see how the movement had evolved, and she found a major division, not in whether to become independent, but how fast, and if the island is ready.

In the months following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the US government established a special military prison for "illegal enemy combatants" at Guantanamo Bay, in Cuba. Since then, hundreds of terrorism suspects have been held in detention there. Former President Barack Obama - and, after him, President Joe Biden - pledged to close the facility. But that never happened. During his first term, President Donald Trump signed an order to keep the military prison open indefinitely. Host Marco Werman speaks with Carol Rosenberg of the New York Times from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, about where things stand now.

Last night, more than a dozen Russian drones flew into Poland's airspace and at least four of them were shot down by Polish and allied NATO aircraft. While the incident drew condemnation - including from Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who said the country was now "closer to conflict than at any time since World War II" - the Kremlin has not confirmed or denied that the drones were Russian. To learn more, The World's Host Marco Werman spoke to Philip Bednarczyk, head of The German Marshall Fund's Warsaw Office.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman bring us three other big stories happening around the world today.

Divers have successfully removed a single, abandoned fishing net from a marine-protected area off the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico. It's one of the largest pieces of so-called "ghost gear" ever recorded, stretching about 300 feet; it took 17 divers 3 days to remove it from the sea. The World's Host Marco Werman spoke with lead diver Edgardo Ochoa about the effort, the impact of "ghost gear" and what solutions exist to reduce the problem.

The late Francis Bebey was a musical innovator from Cameroon who used the sounds of the natural world in his music, long before other artists were similarly inspired. Bebey's seminal album was "Tresor Magnetique." Now, that album has been remixed by a new generation of artists. Host Marco Werman speaks to Patrick Bebey, one of the musical pioneer's sons.

On two sides of the border bridge linking Calais (Callous), Maine, and St. Stephen, New Brunswick, residents are seething. Free trade between the two towns has been going on for decades. But that's up in the air with the new tariffs levied by the Trump administration. Despite the frustrations, both towns have agreed to put aside their country's disagreements and to "hug it out." Ari Snider reports from Maine.

Havana was once an outpost for the American mafia - a playground where organized crime families bought off local officials, raked in cash from drugs and gambling, and generally did as they pleased. Today, Chinese crime syndicates have set up their pseudo-colonies in parts Myanmar and are as big as small cities, housing casinos, brothels and, most-notoriously, scam compounds. Patrick Winn reports.

Caring for a newborn can be overwhelming for many new parents. Babies don't come with a manual, and the lack of sleep doesn't help. Home-Start UK offers help by sending trained volunteers into the homes of new families for whatever support they need. The World's Bianca Hillier has the story.This story originally aired on Feb. 13, 2023.

Nepal's prime minister resigned after 22 people were killed over two days of protests. Anti-corruption demonstrations escalated in Nepal's capital Kathmandu today, as government buildings were set ablaze. The unrest was sparked by a social media ban, which has now been reversed by the government. The protests have grown into a wider anti-corruption movement that took to the streets on Monday. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler explain.

Loose Ends is an organization started by two friends, Masey Kaplan and Jen Simonic. They match up a growing roster of volunteer knitters with holders of unfinished projects. The World's Sarah Birnbaum shares the stories of kindness and generosity between strangers.This story originally aired in April 2023.

Warda Al-Jazairia was fondly known as "The Algerian Rose," with many fans simply calling her Warda. She was a a household name throughout the Arab world with a long, successful career. Now, a vinyl reissue of a concert she gave in 1975 is giving us the chance to look back at her success. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have more.

The United States is one of the biggest importers of shrimp from India. Now that the Trump administration's whopping 50% tariff on Indian goods coming into the US has gone into effect, shrimp farmers in India are among those bracing for a hit. As Namrata Kolachalam reports, India could now lose its place as the top exporter of shrimp to the US.

An international team of scientists is exploring a vast source of drinking water deep under the sea floor off the coast of Massachusetts. As water scarcity increases, the team believes undersea aquifers could be a helpful source. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler spoke to Brandon Dugan, a chief scientist on the expedition. He's a geophysicist at the Colorado School of Mines.