The World: Latest Stories

Researchers at Cambridge University’s Zoology Department analyzed the sound spectrum of howls from various members of the canid family — from wolves to coyotes to domesticated dogs — to identify their unique signatures and to understand how and why certain species use particular howls.

What can we expect from cyber crime and ransomware attacks in the future?

For years, the knock against renewable energy has been that it doesn't work because it's intermittent. So research has centered on how to store the energy for future use. Now a new study from NOAA suggests the US could quickly convert to wind and solar power without waiting for battery storage technology to catch up.

Given how the issue of institutional racism — from law enforcement to the Oscars to medical care — has moved to the center of public discussion, some are asking how might events have played out differently if the occupiers of Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon had been black instead of white?

What is it going to take to help restore the health of malnourished children? This group of scientists says we need to look beyond access to quality food and also pay attention to the microbiome.

The woodland caribou population in Canada is dwindling and conservationists fear the species' extinction. But does that justify killing wolves, the animal's main predator? It's a question with no easy answers.

John Kasich says US ground troops should be sent to Libya because it is a "fertile ground'' for ISIS. Marco Rubio wants air strikes and some special forces to restore order. Are either a viable idea? We chew it over.

A former Brazilian president is back in the spotlight, and not for a good reason. Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva was accused of corruption and was detained by police while they searched his home.

Berta Cáceres, a 44-year-old mother of four, fought to save her beloved Gualcarque River in Honduras. Despite death threats, she led a movement that stalled a hydroelectric dam. US and UN officials are demanding answers after her killing.

One of the child actors who was the butt of a joke about Asians at the Oscars told us how it felt. And the Internet reacted.

The years of armed conflict across the Middle East — from Syria to Iraq to Afghanistan — have wrecked havoc on the antiquities that remain in what is considered the cradle of civilization. But here's one way their memory is being preserved.

It's been about week since the start of a fragile "ceasefire" in Syria. Reporter Rasha Elass spoke with a Syrian woman named Zein who lives in a rebel-held part of Aleppo. Zein says that people are coming out of their shelters to get food and demonstrate. But she says they're preparing for renewed bombardment.

You can get Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme in India now, but with distinctly Indian flavors

Should you travel to Latin America with the Zika virus raging? Should you buy mosquito netting now. Science writer Karen Weintraub answers frequently asked questions.

Art can imitate life, but can it represent an identity?

The world is watching the US presidential election process, and not just to see if a billionaire real estate tycoon can win the White House. The future of international climate change policy hangs in the balance.

The Supreme Court must decide on the constitutionality of a restrictive Texas abortion law but an abortion rights activist says it's already intruded on Latinas' access to abortion in Texas.

Lebanon's own civil war ended more than 25 years ago, but thousands of people are still missing. Their families think they may still be alive in Syrian prisons.

A growing number of British Asian families are hiring detectives to check on potential spouses. But does "honeytrapping" cross the line?

"Here's what I know," the 2012 GOP presidential nominee says. "Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University."

English speakers may not realize it, but the world is full of people who speak more than one language. A couple of recent studies show that we begin to develop our ear for language — or languages — long before we learn to speak.

Whether you grew up speaking one or more languages, chances are you picked your first cues in utero. Scientists are learning much more about those early moments of language acquisition.

Yes, people ask Americans abroad about Donald Trump. But there are also questions about our "complicated" electoral process.

In Mexico, where so many have relatives in the US or have lived there themselves, many see the presidential election as one that can "shape our future."

Five missing booksellers from Hong Kong have re-surfaced after months in the twilight zone. They appeared on Chinese TV this week as "guests" of China's judicial system. Their crime appears to have been selling books that allege misdeeds by China's elite.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly told his congressional colleagues that they will drop the GOP presidential frontrunner “like a hot rock.” It's gotten serious now.

Mateo Kingman grew up in a small town deep in the Amazon. He didn't know the depth of his connection to the jungle until it moved to the city, where music helped him cope.

Experts who study America's extremist white supremacist groups say there's clear evidence that many of them are supporting Donald Trump's candidacy for the presidency, drawn to him by his rhetoric on illegal immigration and Muslims.

Th US is stepping up its game against Boko Haram in central Africa with drone surveillance and intelligence gathering. Airbase 301 is up and running in northern Cameroon.

Reporter Anna Therese Day and her camera crew were held in Bahrain for 48 hours. They were released after a back and forth between the US and Bahrain government.

Few Syria-watchers thought the partial truce would be so effective. Even fewer have a clear idea of whether the truce is the start of a true ceasefire.

ll parties in Germany get financial aid from the government when they reach a certain threshold, and some accuse the National Democratic Party of being neo-Nazis. Germany is attempting to ban the party accused of stoking hostility towards immigrants and Jews.

Starbucks announced this week that it will open its first store in Italy, in Milan in 2017. More will follow if the first is a success.

Not every criminal gang is content with traditional targets. This week, a jury in Britain convicted thirteen members of the so-called ‘Dead Zoo Gang’ of involvement in a series of highly specialised robberies, with targets including rhino horns, museum treasures and Chinese antiquities.

Skateboarding went mainstream in the United States long ago. But in Cuba, it remains a counterculture activity. Especially for women.

The end of sanctions on Iran is giving rise to a fledgling tech startup scene. The folks at TechRasa in Tehran want to be at the center of it.

France has its own issues with a lack of diversity in films and movie awards. But those who are trying to compile statistics on racial and ethnic representation in France face another problem. It's taboo to even collect those kinds of numbers in France.

Six months to go until the 2016 Rio Olympics. How close is Brazil on fulfilling the promises made to attract the event?

”If any future president wants CIA to waterboard anybody, he better bring his own bucket.” That’s the view of Michael Hayden, responding to comments from Republican presidential contender Donald Trump. Hayden was one of the key players in America's war on terror. He was head of the NSA on 911 and later head of the CIA.

French officials have begun dismantling a portion of a large migrant camp in the port city of Calais. Authorities were forced to put out a fire at a makeshift shelter and riot police were on hand after migrants began throwing stones inside the camp known as the Jungle. The government plans to relocate migrants to reception centers.

Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem was once nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. But since October, Jewish and Palestinian women are both avoiding its shared maternity ward.

The weather pattern known as El Niño has brought some much-needed rain and snow to the parched California landscape. Still, water experts caution, California should prepare for an extended period of drought conditions.

This is a story that gets to the bottom of edible underwear (see what we did there?). Read ahead. It's good. We promise.

We've all been there: heading to the mall or the theater or dinner, and it ends up taking longer to find a parking space than it did to get there in the first place. This isn't just frustrating; it turns out all these cars driving in circles are bad for the climate, and bad for the air we breathe.

If you’ve ever turned your dial away from public radio, you have very likely heard Delilah. The self-proclaimed “queen of sappy love songs,” and a powerhouse DJ airs on commercial radio stations across the country.

Vienna valued music; it got Mozart. We value technology; we got Mark Zuckerberg. Author Eric Weiner explains how place and culture shape the rise of geniuses.

"Sex in the Sea" looks at some clever and unusual reproductive strategies unique to sea-dwellers and explains why understanding them is critical for maintaining a healthy ocean ecosystem.