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The World: Latest Stories

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Updated 2024-11-26 07:00
Online sports gambling hums along thanks to a tiny Dutch colony in the Caribbean
The tiny island of Curaçao is home to many e-commerce companies. But a big business is sports gambling. Billions of dollars pass through the country annually.
As Brazil marks Carnival, women worry about Zika
With no end to the outbreak in sight, Zika has become a part of the five-day celebrations. Mosquito costumes have featured heavily in parades across the country. Health officials handed out paper fans with information about how to avoid the virus. And some pregnant women did what was once unthinkable in a nation known for its celebratory spirit — they stayed home.
How this century-old photo inspired Colombia's 1st Oscar-nominated film
"It's of an explorer, and he's sitting on a little bench in Colombia's Amazon. His clothing is worn. His hat is torn. He's barefoot," explains anthropologist Ignacio Prieto. "This image fascinated me."
Post-Dickens: the new London is a mega-city of migrants
The new London is an immigrant mega-city where nearly 40 percent were born abroad. This is no longer the city of Dickens. London now is a city of African night cleaners, Filipina maids and Romanian building bosses. A city where immigration has so utterly transformed the fabric that it has changed London’s very soul.
A USC program is changing the face of the predominantly-male gaming world
A USC video game creation program enrolls more women than men, and has set out as part of its mission reinventing the culture around gaming from the inside out.
The director of 'Mad Max: Fury Road' was a doctor before he started making movies
The unconventional career of George Miller includes hit kids' films, a post-apocalyptic series, and medical school
Egyptian security forces may have tortured and killed an Italian academic
The 28-year-old vanished on the fifth anniversary of the Tahrir Square protests. His body, showing signs of torture, was later found on the outskirts of Cairo in a scenario all too familiar to many Egyptians.
Young Mr. Kim will not follow orders. How Beijing got used to Pyongyang’s provocations.
This weekend, North Koreans were alerted to the news that their country had completed another technological triumph: the launch of a satellite. "The fascinating vapor of Juche [self-reliance] satellite trailing in the clear and blue sky in spring of February" was how North Korean TV described the launch. But the official response from Beijing, North Korea’s only ally, was muted.
Eddie Izzard will make you laugh in four languages
Back in 1997 Eddie Izzard took the stage in France and did an entire set of stand-up in French. It wasn't funny, he admits, but it was the start of a career goal to do stand-up in as many languages as possible. Eddie comes on the World in Words podcast this week to talk about language learning and translating humor.
France's Jews are thankful for armed guards outside their synagogues — but say it makes them feel different
After the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and Jewish market, France stationed heavily armed soldiers round-the-clock outside Jewish institutions. “There was enough fire power in my front room here to take out a small village,” according to one rabbi.
Why there aren't more minorities working in tech
More minorities and women are getting into tech — but they're not saying. And that's where the problems start. The story you haven’t heard about why talented people are giving up and dropping out.
A Dutchman’s view of New Hampshire’s political ‘fairy tale’
A swarm of international political enthusiasts are in New Hampshire for the primary. Willem Post is a Dutch academic who hasn’t missed a Granite State primary since the beginning of the ‘90s. He loves the whole experience and says the excitement, the intimacy and the scenery make the poll in the New Hampshire resemble ‘a fairy tale.’ He also wants Americans to understand the global significance of the vote.
Tens of thousands fleeing a Syrian government offensive have nowhere to hide
Civilians fleeing a Russian-backed government offensive in Aleppo are turning back from Syria’s border with Turkey as makeshift camps set up to deal with the influx have become overwhelmed.
What happened when an iconic New Orleans jazz band traveled to Cuba
While touring Cuba with a New Orleans jazz band, musical connections are made amidst dancing in the streets of Havana.
These scientists are drilling a deep hole into the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Here’s why.
A group of scientists are drilling a hole in the floor of the Indian Ocean. One reason why? They think they might be able to find life in the Earth’s mantle, the layer of Earth immediately beneath the crust.
How music can affect your sense of taste
Why your senses of smell and hearing, not just taste, play a major role in how you experience and enjoy food.
The water crisis in Flint is 'an entirely preventable man-made disaster'
What led to the current crisis in Flint, Michigan? Bad decisions, lies and evenan attempted coverup. The result is a public health crisis of enormous proportion. Will anyone be held accountable?
The mental health overhaul that's already underway
The Excellence in Mental Health Act is still in its early stages, but its estimated $1 billion investment in mental health services for low-income Americans have led advocates to call it “the biggest federal investment in mental health and addiction services in generations.”
There's a chance Venezuela's Zika outbreak is worse than Brazil's
All eyes are on Brazil, but there may be another crisis brewing next door.
Cargo ships stoke terror fears in Europe
An investigation by the Financial Times shows that hundreds of cargo ships every month are engaging in what might be suspicious activity. Security officials in Europe fear some may be aiding terrorist groups.
Osaka's kappo restaurants offer diners a delicious interactive experience
In Osaka's kappo restaurants ,dining out is much more than a meal — it's an interactive experience where customers get to watch close-up and talk to the chefs as they create their signature dishes.
Parmesan cheese worth its weight in gold? No, really!
One Italian cheesemaker is using wheels of Parmesan cheese to guarantee bonds. Yes, cheese! What makes this stuff more valuable than gold?
Syrian refugee girls in Jordan dress up for the future they want for themselves
Several girls from the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Mafraq, Jordan, got a chance to work with mentors to discuss their aspirations for the future and to develop plans to achieve them. They were then given the opportunity to design and direct their own photoshoot in which each girl poses as her future self — as someone who has achieved those goals.
Secret Chinese documents leaked to the US all lead back to semi-naked women and a Ferrari
A former top Chinese official is believed to have leaked secret documents to the US via his brother. And it's all due to being shamed for having a wealthy son die young, while flaunting his money in a Ferrari.
Swedes ask: Can we take in more migrants and maintain our generous social benefits?
Can Sweden preserve its egalitarian values and social safety net, while extending that way of life to many more people displaced by war?
How ancient Egypt influenced Maurice White and Earth, Wind & Fire
Maurice White, founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, died Wednesday at the age of 74. The band blended soul, funk, jazz and a bit of everything else. White himself, though, was heavily influenced by the study of ancient Egypt.
This Syrian band played its first European concert in a refugee camp. Now they're going on tour.
The members of Khebez Dawle are among the million-plus refugees and migrants who made their way to Western Europe last year. But for them, the journey to safety turned into a music tour.
A third term for Joe Biden?
There's no reason he can't. Also, if Bernie Sanders needs a foreign policy brush-up, or Hillary Clinton needs a ward boss in the Senate, Biden can do it.
From Lesbos to Flint — an Islamic relief group helps the poor get safe water
When the call went out in Flint, Michigan, for volunteers to help deliver bottled water, Islamic Relief USA answered. The aid group has had experience working with vulnerable populations — including refugees in Greece.
The Big Short: How Adam McKay turned the 2008 financial crisis into a hugely entertaining Hollywood film
Why you should go see this movie about the 2008 financial crisis, according to Adam McKay, the movie's director.
These are the guys and gals responsible for finding the dirt on would-be elected officials
Opposition research — it's that package that shows up in the mail of this week's political thriller. Will she use it, or won't she? But that research has to come from somewhere — and these are the people who do it.
A young Pakistani woman hopes her soul-searching motorcycle trip will inspire others
Zenith Irfan describes herself as "a 21-year-old Capricorn on an epic motorcycle journey amongst the terrains of Pakistan with nothing but her free-hearted soul."
Where human life is precarious, Haitians look out for a rare Iguana
In a country that's seen more than its share of human hardship over the years, a rare iguana is the focus of a rare conservation effort, run by an unlikely leader.
A new link between Zika and microcephaly is found in Brazil
Researchers in Brazil are still trying to see if there is a definitive connection between Zika and Microcephaly. There's new evidence that is pointing them in that direction.
Here are some of the faces behind the siege of Aleppo
The city of Aleppo, Syria, is now completely cut off by government forces. Rebels forces and thousands of civilians are now trapped. Photographer Rami Jarrah just got out of the city two weeks ago. Here are the stories of some of the people he met.
How Bernie Sanders uses imagery to appeal to younger voters
Bernie Sanders did astonishingly well among young people in the Iowa Caucuses. And that's no accident.
How 'The Revenant's' Mexican director looks at American history
“The Revenant” is one of five films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. But the film's director, Alejandro González Iñárritu already has an Oscar of his own. This is what he thinks about immigration, Donald Trump and 1820s American history.
Jacob Zuma offers to pay back some of the $23 million in state funds used to upgrade his private home
For six years, South African President Jacob Zuma justified the $23 million state-funded "improvements" to his private residence. Now he says he's willing to pay back some of the costs. South African satirist Zapiro, a relentless Zuma critic, says Zuma has run into an obstacle he can't get around: South Africa's highest court.
Luxembourg hopes to spur the next 'gold rush' in space
The tiny country of Luxembourg is promoting some pretty big plans to mine asteroids for minerals in outer space.
My search for Gaddafi's golden gun
When Libyan rebels celebrated the death of Muammar Gaddafi, the colonel's gold-plated pistol was held up as a symbol of their victory — I watched as they passed it among themselves. Four years on, I've been back to Libya to find the man with the golden gun.
3 essential facts about how the Zika virus spreads
Scientists had been blaming mosquitoes for the transmission of Zika. Now a Texas patient is believed to have become infected via sex — it's at least the second documented case.
She fulfilled her grandmother's dream by attending 'JFK's school.' Now, a college professor is out to defy stereotypes.
Otherhood talks to people who refuse to live within a stereotype. Each of them, in their own way, is trying to help society accept people who don’t fit the status quo.
Heroes' journeys end far differently, depending on their country of origin
In fairy tales, you end the story with the prince getting the girl and making bank. But what if it just ended with him contemplating his own ephemeral existence?
Danes helped him escape the Holocaust. Today, he says Denmark should do more for refugees.
Seventy years ago, Leo Goldberger fled his home on a cramped Danish fishing boat
Apple is said to be considering upending the headphone market — by changing the ubiquitous jack
The next iPhone is expected to hit the market this fall — and it may come with a new headphone jack that throws out years of prior technology.
Why one woman who is excited about Obama's mosque visit won't let her kids watch it on TV
President Barack Obama plans to visit a mosque in Baltimore Wednesday. His first visit as president to an American mosque comes amid concerns about anti-Muslim rhetoric from some presidential candidates.
Why Jordan is reaching its limits with Syrian refugees
King Abdullah of Jordan has told the BBC that his country has reached saturation point in its ability to take in and care for Syrian refugees. Speaking ahead of an international donors conference in London on Thursday, King Abdullah said Jordan could not continue to accept refugees unless it received more support, including help to create more jobs for Jordanians. The country has accepted hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees; together with unregistered migrants and Syrians there before the conflict, they make up 20 percent of the population.
Activists keen to keep momentum on climate change, post-Paris
Activists look to "fight locally, but connect globally" to hold governments accountable to their climate change promises.
In Bangladesh, a same-sex marriage might see the couple sent to jail
In 2013, a traditional marriage ceremony took place at the Hindu temple in Pirojpur, Bangladesh, just as has been happening for hundreds of years. The only problem was that both people getting married were women and same-sex marriage is not accepted in Bangladesh. Now, instead of finding happiness, one of the brides is facing criminal charges — accused of abduction.
This Latina was undocumented for 14 years — she just taught others to caucus
After a childhood of pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes and singing the national anthem, Iowa caucus veteran Maria Alcivar finally feels American.
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