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The World: Latest Stories

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Updated 2024-11-26 10:30
#BlackLivesMatter has gone global. And Brazil needs it — badly.
Latin America's largest nation is also one of the world's deadliest. And, just like in the US, violence in Brazil disproportionately affects young, non-white men. Now activists are fighting to draw attention to the problem of killings of young black Brazilian men, frequently by police. One of the leading local movements is Amnesty International’s “Jovem Negro Vivo,” meaning “Young Black Alive.”
How Aziz Ansari helped me embrace my ‘Otherhood'
Journalists Rupa Shenoy and Arun Rath talk about how Aziz Ansari's "Master of None" became a window into their own lives as first-generation Americans.
This Florida community college was named the best in the nation in 2011. So, what makes it so successful?
Valencia College is a community college that stands apart from the crowd. It's raking "geniuses from the coal." Here’s the school's secret.
An investigation finds employers abusing a visa program for guest workers
The H-2 visa program allows US employers to bring in workers from foreign countries if they can't fill the job with an American. But an investigation finds many abuses of the system.
Efforts to deploy drones for humanitarian purposes are hampered by public fears
Drones may be best known for their surveillance and military capabilities, but there’s a growing movement to use them for humanitarian aid. Inventor Mark Jacobsen is building drones to deliver humanitarian aid to Syrians stuck inside their war-torn country. But as he’s learning, bureaucracy — combined with public fears about the use of drones — has hamstrung efforts to get that aid anywhere near the Syrian border.
ISIS uses soothing music as a recruiting tool — in China
A song calling on Chinese Muslims to "awaken" and "die fighting on the battlefield" has been released by the terrorist group ISIS. The song is sung in Mandarin and is a direct attempt to recruit Chinese Muslims to the terrorist group's cause.
A Texas town stands divided, after armed men in camouflage menace worshipers at a local mosque
How a "fairly normal" Texas suburb became an international focus of Islamophobia.
Trump doesn't have a problem doing business with wealthy Muslim investors
Donald Trump has a huge new development in Dubai, along with other real estate deals in the Middle East. Yet on Monday, the presidential candidate suggested the US block Muslims from entering the country.
'The Water Knife' is climate science wrapped in pulpy goodness
It's difficult to care about climate change. It's a big, slow moving story. That's why fiction might be the key to solving the crisis. Books are empathy machines. They make us care.
She survived hunger and homelessness. Then she had to figure out her identity.
How culturally-sensitive mental health care helped this Somali American teenager stay resilient.
On the front lines of the refugee crisis, Germany’s police wonder when this ends
German cops from the national police force have become the first-responders to the ongoing refugee crisis. But the role they’re playing has more to do with customs and humanitarian aid than it does law enforcement.
A first: women voting and running in local Saudi elections. Is it real or cosmetic change?
For the first time in Saudi Arabia's history, women will be allowed to vote in Saturday's local municipal elections. They will also be able to stand as candidates. These are considerable gains for women in the kingdom, yet activists say challenges still remain.
How easy is it to buy the San Bernandino arsenal around the world?
The tragedy in San Bernandino involved two semi-automatic rifles and two handguns, all legally purchased. How easy would it have been to have acquired equivalent weapons in other countries?
'The property was stolen by the Cuban government'
Thousands of people and companies lost their land and homes after the success of Castro's Cuban revolution in 1959. That includes the Schechter family, some who are now living in upstate New York.
With France still on edge, climate negotiators search for consensus
At the massive global climate summit in Paris, it's all about trying to bring the world together to turn the corner on climate change. But with just days to go, there are still lots of devils in the details.
The Department of Justice will conduct a wide-ranging investigation of the Chicago PD
Several days of protests followed a much delayed indictment of a Chicago police officer accused of gunning down a suspect over a year ago. Now the police chief has been fired and the federal government is coming in to conduct an investigation.
Venezuelan elections rock the Socialists' political boat
Politics in Venezuela is no longer a contest between a train and a bicycle. Now there are two trains, and the Socialist party and the opposition might be crazy enough now to crash into each other and smash the whole country.
France's hard right says 'without question' it is the first party of France
Less than a month after the Paris attacks, France's hard-right Front National party has triumphed in the first round of regional elections. Could it herald a far-right future for French politics?
Republicans vow to torpedo Obama’s Paris climate agenda. Can they?
Not everybody is hoping for an agreement in Paris — Republicans are vowing to scuttle any commitments made by the Obama Administration.
Latin America celebrates Christmas with a month of baby Jesus awesomeness
Christmas is a two-day holiday in the United States. Two days. In Latin American countries, the celebration is more like a month. And Baby Jesus owns Santa Claus.
How terrorist attacks can change a nation's psyche
In the wake of the attacks on San Bernardino, we're seeing how Americans are reacting in their own lives, even if they're far removed from the attack.
Radicalized, San Bernardino shooters practiced just days before rampage
29-year old Tashfeen Malik was known as a conservative Muslim but not a radical. Yet last Wednesday she joined her husband on an ISIS-inspired mass shooting in San Bernardino. Later that day she herself was killed in a gunfight with police. So how did she become radicalized?
Although Westgate mall has re-opened in Nairobi, the terrorist threat in Kenya may be getting more unpredictable
Two years after a horrific and chaotic terrorist incident left 67 dead and hundreds wounded, Nairobi's Westgate Mall is open again for Christmas shoppers. But the rise of ISIS has Kenyan authorities worried about changes among terrorist tactics in East Africa.
Breaking the blue wall of silence: A quest for police transparency
As the Justice Department launches an investigation into Chicago's police, Callie Crossley wonders whether the code of silence among officers will ultimately be broken.
After Paris attacks, the French are uncharacteristically waving their flag
Before the Paris attacks, the only place you'd see French people waving the flag would be at an international soccer tournament. Now the French flag is popping up all over.
For African cooks, one New Jersey farmer has what they need
The Gbolos are believed to be New Jersey’s only African-born farm owners.
There's a raging controversy over Princess Leia's bikini
​Some see the gold bikini Leia wears in Star Wars Episode III as an icon. Others resent its popularity. Let the debates begin.
Was the founder of Communism a womanizer?
A new work of historical fiction tells the story of "The Communist Manifesto" author Friedrich Engels' lover, Lizzie Burns.
How seriously should we take the fluoride controversy?
Since shortly after World War II, fluoride has been added to water in the US to help strengthen children’s teeth. Today it comes out of the taps in about two-thirds of America’s households. Yet it remains a highly controversial subject.
A new Toxic Substance Control Act may be in the works — sort of
The Toxic Substances Control Act is getting its first reform since it passed in 1976. Due to loopholes in the law and industry opposition, the EPA has been mostly unsuccessful at regulating dangerous chemicals in the marketplace. Two new bills in the House and Senate aim to change this. But don't hold your breath on their passing.
Despite concerns following the Paris attacks, this high schooler is still going to the climate conference
Here's the story of one high school student's unlikely journey to Paris. Clancy is a 17-year-old who goes to school on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. He was supposed to go on a school trip to Paris, but that was cancelled after the Paris attacks. But he's decided to go anyway, because he feels climate change is an issue that his generation has to take action on.
The FBI will investigate the San Bernardino attack as an act of terrorism as the focus moves to Tashfeen Malik
In a press conference Thursday afternoon, FBI officials said the attack in San Bernardino was officially being classified as an act of terrorism. New information coming out has refocused the spotlight on Tashfeen Malik, the female suspect in the attack.
The most dangerous place to be a priest
Priests in Mexico’s most dangerous areas face increasing threats, while also hearing confessions from drug gang members repenting their murders.
A researcher is trying to document Philadelphia's ASL accent, before it disappears
A professor at the University of Pennsylvania is racing to document Philadelphia's unique sign language dialect, and the history behind its origins.
What's the bigger risk: Using nuclear energy or turning away from it?
At the Paris climate talks, most everybody is searching for a silver bullet — a technological fix to produce enough clean energy to allow us to continue to grow. Some argue we already have part of the solution: more nuclear energy.
Kenyan rapper Stella Mwangi means business
She's all about business — and that's why she sings about it. Kenyan-Norwegian rapper Stella Mwangi on the importance of #OwningIt.
Meet the pawpaw, America's forgotten fruit
The pawpaw, the largest edible fruit native to the US, is unknown to most people. Yet it has earned a loyal following among those who are familiar with it. A new book peers into the pawpaw’s storied past, how its popularity has grown today, and why it’s not a staple in the produce aisle.
China's leader brings a message of cooperation to Africa
While US government policies bar providing aid to authoritarian states, China has no such restrictions — which has made it a powerful force in parts of Africa the US won't work with.
Bilingual education: The cost of doing nothing
Students who don’t speak English as their first language rank toward the bottom in almost every measure of academic achievement. Even if their population were to stop rising, the situation signifies a looming hit to the national and regional economies.
After years of stalled talks, a veteran journalist has high hopes for this year's climate summit
Paul Brown has covered global climate talks for nearly a quarter-century. This time he says, "despite years of having the sand thrown in my eyes, I think there is a change of mood. People really want to get on with this thing.”
How gun violence in the US casts other nations in stark relief
It can be useful to view the tragic violence in San Bernardino through the lens of other countries. Mexico has just one legal gun shop and strict gun laws. But the country is awash in guns and assault rifles, like those used in the San Bernardino shootings. And South Africa sees more than its fair share of gun violence with rampant crime in cities like Cape Town, but mass shootings are foreign.
What will British jets over Syria mean for the fight against ISIS?
Only hours after the British Parliament voted in favor of joining the US-led coalition against ISIS, British fighter jets conducted strikes on oil fields in ISIS-controlled territory. But what will this new addition to the coalition mean for the fight against the group?
Climate change-linked 'everyday disasters' are displacing the world’s poorest people
We tend to think of climate change these days in terms of big disasters like storms and droughts. But in many coastal regions, the impact is less dramatic but no less devastating. Sam Eaton reports on the slow drowning of communities in a crowded, low-lying part of India called the Sundarbans.
How I talk to my American kids about mass shootings back home in the US
Gerry Hadden grew up in the US, but moved abroad to report. He's built a family in Spain — and now struggles to explain mass shootings to his kids.
There's a distinctly Philadelphia accent in American Sign Language
The Philly accent is unique. Turns out it's not just a spoken thing. But Philadelphian speakers of American Sign Language also have a distinctive accent.
This musician's quest is for clean cookstoves
Ghanaian reggae musician Rocky Dawuni is in Paris this week for the climate change summit. He's there to raise awareness how the carbon in smoke aggravates climate change. And he points out that in many parts of the world, a kitchen consists of three stones with a wood or charcoal fire below, and a pot on top to cook in. This setup is not only bad for the environment, but it's also deadly.
Texas files suit to stop Syrian refugees being resettled in the state
Texas has been extremely vocal about how opposed it is to Syrian refugees being resettled there. But refugee groups have been equally insistent they will press ahead. On Wednesday, that disagreement reached a head.
Bilingual education in the South: Confronting the challenges
Why dual-language schools, and educating language-minorities in general, has been a challenge for the US South.
Can extreme global poverty end in this century? Here's why it looks promising
Geeking out to help end global poverty. (That's meant with the highest respect for geeks.) Tapping great minds to help the world's poorest, Shashi Buluswar leads the Institute for Globally Transformative Technologies at Lawrence Berkeley Lab in Berkeley, California.
A citizen reporter's journey through the rubble of Aleppo air strikes
Under the rain of bombs in Aleppo, women, children and old men become inured to danger.
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