The World: Latest Stories

At the AI for Good Summit underway this week in Geneva, innovators are showcasing tools that promise hyper-productivity and unlimited creativity harnessed for human advancement. Journalist Karen Hao, author of the new book "Empire of AI" is at the conference and says she's skeptical of these lofty claims. She tells Host Marco Werman why she thinks AI represents a new form of empire that must be challenged if democracy is to survive.

In the 1960s, France had around 200,000 cafes nationwide. It's down to 36,000 today. Most of the bistros that disappeared were in small, rural towns. Up until now, it's been virtually impossible to bring them back, mainly because of restrictive French liquor laws. But a bill in parliament hopes to change that, and breathe some life back into thousands of small towns. The World's Gerry Hadden first filed this report from Jujols, France in March.This story originally aired on March 14, 2025.

Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug in the United States. But at the US-Mexico border, something unexpected is happening. Seizures of the synthetic opioid have fallen sharply - more than 50% compared to last year. But what's behind the drop? The World's Tibisay Zea looks at what the numbers can - and can't - tell us about the state of the fentanyl crisis.

The TSA has announced that it's dropping the longstanding "shoes off" policy for security checks at airports around the US. As the World's Transportation Correspondent Jeremy Siegel reports, the move falls in line with international efforts to increase efficiency for travelers.

Across Kenya, thousands have taken to the streets to protest the government of President William Ruto. The protests are driven by young people in the country who are frustrated with a host of government policies and they are demanding change. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Maxie Daniel, a 28-year-old human rights activist in Kenya, and Irng Houghton, executive director for Amnesty International in the country.

Russia launched more than 740 drones overnight at the northwestern part of Ukraine, hitting the city of Lutsk among other targets. Ukraine's air force says it faced a mix of drones and decoys. The attack came in the wake of President Donald Trump's announcement that the US would send more weapons and aid to the war-torn country. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have more.

Countries such as Austria, Denmark, Mexico, Panama and the US consistently do well at global flag football championships. But more athletes are now coming to the sport than ever before. And they're coming from a wide range of places, including the NFL and new, smaller flag football leagues. The World's Bianca Hillier reports on how athletes around the world are getting ready for flag football's debut at the 2028 Olympics.

Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for attacking a merchant ship in the Red Sea on Sunday, forcing its crew to evacuate. Sunday's attack was followed by a similar attack on another ship late yesterday. The Yemeni government and the EU have said that attack was also carried about by the Houthis, although the rebel group has not claimed responsibility for it.

A Spanish proposal would ban all advertising for traditional fossil fuels and products that use them, including cars. The prohibition would be the first of its kind in Europe. The goal is to stop petrol companies from green-washing" their images. In this two-part Big Fix sequence, The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona on the proposal. Host Carolyn Beeler then speaks with Ben Franta, a professor of climate litigation at the University of Oxford, about efforts to fight the exaggerated environmental claims of fossil fuel companies and their contribution to climate change.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman highlight several global headlines that might have flown under the radar.

Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler return to the historic significance of Hotel Oloffson and the meaning behind its destruction.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Britain today for a rare state visit - the first by a French leader in 17 years. He was welcomed with full royal honors at Windsor Castle, in a display of diplomatic warmth aimed at resetting ties between two nations that have clashed in recent years over Brexit, migration and defense. With both sides now keen to move on from the political turbulence, Macron's visit marks a symbolic moment of rapprochement between London and Paris. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry brings host Marco Werman the latest.

As part of its recent war on Iran, Israel has killed around 14 Iranian scientists who worked on the country's nuclear program. In some cases, the scientists were killed along with their families. This is part of Israel's longstanding effort to delay Iran's nuclear development. But some experts have raised concerns about the legal and ethical implications of these assassinations. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports.

The Hotel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince had stood for generations, surviving political upheaval, weather events and the devastating 2010 earthquakes that are believed to have killed more than 200,000 people. But over the weekend, the iconic, gingerbread-style building burned to the ground. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with independent reporter Harold Isaac about what happened and the legacy of the Hotel Oloffson.

Water levels in two of Europe's biggest rivers, the Danube in Hungary and the Vistula in Poland, have hit historic lows amid an intense heat wave. The issue has forced shipping authorities to limit the amount of cargo that ships can carry, which could have major economic implications.

The Seine reopened for public swimming on Saturday, after being closed for more than a century. That comes a year after swimming events were held in the river for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and is the result of billions of dollars' worth of investment into revamping the city's sewers. Authorities say it's safe to swim on most days, but some would-be swimmers remain skeptical. Host Marco Werman has more.

US President Donald Trump says there's a "good chance" a Gaza ceasefire could be reached this week, as he sits down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But while an agreement for a ceasefire would be an immense relief for Palestinian civilians, it would leave them with few options, says Fawaz Gerges of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Gerges discusses what's next for Palestinians with Host Marco Werman.

The 14th Dalai Lama, who's lived outside of Tibet since 1959 and just turned 90 years old, announced last week that he will be reincarnated. In other words, the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism says he will have a successor. He also said that Tibetan religious authorities living outside of China will have the responsibility of locating that successor. For its part, the Chinese government insists that it, alone, can choose the next Dalai Lama. The World's Matthew Bell reports.

Twenty years ago today, four coordinated bombings tore through London's transport network, killing 52 people and injuring hundreds. The four perpetrators who died in the blasts were all raised in the UK, and were later revealed to have been motivated by Islamist extremism. In the years since, British security services say they've become far better equipped to detect and prevent such attacks. But as The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry reports, the nature of the threat is more complex than ever.

Flood disasters around the world are growing as climate change makes intense and erratic rainfall more likely. Early warning systems are a critical tool for people to know if they are in harm's way. Host Marco Werman speaks with Dr. Bayes Ahmed from University College London about how effective early warning systems are, what hurdles still exist to ensure those warnings are communicated and what disparities exist for those who are and are not warned.

When wrestlers are doused with olive oil, a wrestling match is elevated to a battle of technique, speed and willpower, fans say. The World's Durrie Bouscaren went to the Turkish city of Edirne to witness the 664-year-old oil wrestling festival and follow the athletes' journey to win the Golden Belt.

Recently in Norway, there was yet another clash between indigenous Sami reindeer herders and a mining company. It's the latest such incident to act as a reminder of the ongoing threats to traditional Sami life and culture. Lars Bevanger, from our partners at Deutsche Welle, DW, sent us this report from Tromso.

A new documentary from Frontline explores the quest for stability in Syria in the months since opposition forces caused former President Bashar al-Assad's government to fall. Ahmed al-Sharaa was the rebel leader who led the toppling of the Assad regime, and is now the country's transitional president. The documentary is called "Syria After Assad," and filmmaker Martin Smith discusses it with Host Carolyn Beeler.

With former President Bashar al-Assad ousted from power, comedians in Syria see a new moment for their art form. They have been putting together shows at cafes and clubs across Damascus. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports on how these comedians are telling jokes that were unthinkable under the former regime.This story originally aired on May 30, 2025.

Ukrainian comic Anton Tymoshenko is based in Kyiv, and since the start of the war in Ukraine, he's begun performing in both Ukrainian and English. Amid a groundswell of comedy in his country, Tymoshenko has managed to cross over to reach a global, English-speaking audience. He says that, for him, comedy is a way to process the war - it's also a defense mechanism, and sometimes a distraction. The World's Daniel Ofman reports.This story originally aired on March 11, 2025.

Romesh Ranganathan took a circuitous route to comedy. The son of Sri Lankan immigrants in the UK, he taught high school math for about a decade before abandoning it for a full-time career in entertainment. He does standup, radio shows, podcasts and TV specials. As he started the North American leg of his current Hustle tour, Ranganathan stopped in at The World's studio in Boston for a conversation with Host Carol Hills.This story originally aired on Jan. 17, 2025.

Learnmore Jonasi, from a small village in Zimbabwe, is making a name for himself on the US comedy scene. And yes, his first name really is Learnmore. Carol Hills speaks with the comedian.This story originally aired on Dec. 6, 2024.

More than 8 million Venezuelans have fled their country in the past 10 years, and some of them have become comedians and satirists. A 2018 anti-hate law passed by the government of President Nicolas Maduro clamped down on all sorts of speech and made it impossible for them to ply their trade. The World's Tibisay Zea reports on whether there's a distinct Venezuelan sense of humor, and the challenge of punching up at a dictator.This story originally aired on February 24, 2025.

Meet Daisy, a British AI conversationalist made to sound like an older woman who's not very tech savy. She's been deployed to take up phone scammers' time - and collect information about new scams. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have the story.This story originally aired on Nov. 14, 2024.

There are plenty of jokes. And lots of laughs. But the regular Chinese-language open mic events in New York city called "Nvzizhuyi" - which translates to "feminism" from Mandarin - are not just about stand-up comedy. These get-togethers also serve as a place for activists, students and young professionals to meet, engage in group therapy and share pointed views on life back home in China and here in the United States. The World's Matthew Bell reported the story with Vickie Wang.

A series of videos brings together climate scientists and comedians from the UK. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Nick Oldridge and Ben Carey, two of the producers of "Climate Science Translated," a project that uses snark, whimsy and irreverence to communicate the serious issues around climate change.This story originally aired on Nov. 3, 2023.

On Tuesday the European Space Agency (ESA) launched a small bioreactor carrying genetically engineered yeast into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It's part of a larger plan to develop in-space food production systems to serve the International Space Station and future missions to the Moon and Mars. Host Marco Werman speaks with Aqeel Shamsul, CEO of Frontier Space, a UK biotech company that is developing the platform for biotech and biopharma in space.This story originally aired on April 22, 2025.

Green tea is a major industry in Shizuoka prefecture, on Japan's Pacific coast. Over a third of the tea leaves produced in Japan come from Shizuoka. Google Shizuoka" and you'll find images of hillsides covered in neat rows of bright-green tea bushes with Mt. Fuji in the background. But that scenery is changing. Reporter Hannah Kirshner headed to Shizuoka to find out why some tea farmers are innovating, and others are calling it quits.This story originally aired on Aug. 27, 2024.

The cuisine of Nigeria packs in all kinds of global influences and ingredients: curries from India, sauces from China, spices from Lebanon. They all co-mingle with a particular repertoire of staple ingredients from Nigeria. Food anthropologist and Nigerian native Ozoz Sokoh is out with a cookbook that's being hailed as the first comprehensive guide to home cooking in all six regions of the country. She joins Host Carol Hills for a conversation about the flavors, ingredients and recipes in her book - as well as the culture around eating in Nigeria.This story originally aired on April 11, 2025.

Italians looking to avoid "egg-flation" have been flocking to a farm in northern Italy for classes in how to raise hens. Reporter Dany Mitzman from our partner Deutsche Welle, DW, reports from Flori, Italy.This story originally aired on March 26, 2025.

Styles may vary when it comes to barbecuing, but the basic idea is cooking meat, over fire - low and slow. It's also a culinary tradition with an global history, obviously infused with flavor from around the world. A new cookbook called "Barbecue: Smoked and Grilled Recipes from Across the Globe" explores these traditions. It was compiled by Chef Hugh Mangum with contributions from May Chow, a chef in Hong Kong. Both chefs speak to Host Marco Werman.

Cold beet soup is a culinary staple in Latvia and Lithuania, and across Eastern Europe. This year, Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, hosted a "Pink Soup Festival" celebrating the dish. But the city's tourism agency also started a public beef with Latvia, claiming that the Lithuanian version of the soup is better. The World's Daniel Ofman reports from Latvia's capital, Riga.This story originally aired on June 4, 2024.

Move over fish and olive oil! Try plantain and fermented banana drink. According to a recent study in the journal Nature Medicine, traditional eating habits in rural Africa can boost the immune system and reduce inflammation. The so-called "African heritage diet" has not been explored before, unlike the Mediterranean and Japanese diets, which have been studied and promoted by the global health community for years. Experts say its time to expand what healthy eating looks like, beyond the Euro-centric mindset.This story originally aired on April 22, 2025.

Uganda is known for bananas. The tropical fruit grows there, and it's also a major culinary staple in the country. But banana growers in the country struggle to make a living, because of a bumper crop - there can be so many bananas that their monetary value plunges. That has Ugandan entrepreneurs seeking out uses for bananas beyond the culinary. Anita Elash visited some of the factories and farms trying to make a go of new banana products.This story originally aired on April 9, 2025.

In January, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan named 2025 as the "Year of the Family," unveiling financial incentives for new parents and urging couples to have at least three children. Over the past two decades, Turkey's fertility rate slid from 2.6 to 1.5 births per woman, a record low that has politicians concerned about an aging workforce. The World's Durrie Bouscaren and local producer Gamze Yilmazel went out to see how this request landed with parents in Istanbul.This story originally aired on February 11, 2025.

The 80th anniversary of the Holocaust, Yom Hashoah, was on April 24. There are approximately 245,000 Holocaust survivors still alive today. While there will soon be no living Holocaust survivors, it's estimated that there are around 1 million third-generation Holocaust survivors in the United States. As The World's Sarah Birnbaum reports, it's falling on them to keep the stories of their grandparents and the Holocaust alive.This story originally aired on April 24, 2025.

In the midst of missiles strikes, air raid sirens and power outages, Ukrainians are finding ways to keep living their lives. That includes searching for - and finding - love. The World's Carolyn Beeler speaks with people who are dating, moving in together and getting married in wartime Kyiv.This story originally aired on March 14, 2023.

Each May, Mother's Day is a moment to recognize moms in many countries across the globe. One book follows the lives of four women - in the US, Kenya, Finland and Japan - as they enter a new chapter of life as mothers. In her new book Four Mothers: An Intimate Journey through the First Year of Parenthood in Four Countries," journalist Abigail Leonard set out to explore the experience of parenting across cultures. Leonard told The World's Host Carol Hills what she learned by following their lives.This story originally aired on May 9, 2025.

The families of a historic apartheid murder case are taking the government and president to court for not investigating and prosecuting the crimes properly. They want nearly $10 million in damages and a public commission to look into how political interference suppressed hundreds of crimes from that era. From Johannesburg, Elna Schutz reports.This story originally aired on Jan. 28, 2025.

Statistically speaking, for every baby born in Japan, two people pass away. The country's rapidly shrinking population is, according to officials, a national emergency" threatening its future prosperity and entire way of life. They're struggling to reverse this trend but some believe fixing this problem calls for a revolution in Japanese fatherhood. The World's Patrick Winn reports with Aya Asakura in Tokyo.This story originally aired on June 5, 2024.

She was once called "the most dangerous woman in Africa." But Andree Blouin described herself as an African woman "inflamed by injustice" on a mission to free her continent from colonial rule. She was born in French Equatorial Africa, abandoned at the age of three, escaped an arranged marriage at 15 and became politically active after French officials denied her son medication for malaria, leading to his death. She shares the whole story from her own point of view in her book, My Country, Africa: Autobiography of the Black Pasionaria." Originally published in 1983, a new edition of the book edited by her daughter, Eve Blouin, came out this year. Host Marco Werman spoke with Eve Blouin about the book and how she remembers her mother.This story originally aired on Jan. 28, 2025.

Being a uniquely American sport, football (not soccer) can be a bewildering game to understand if you're not from the United States. To help their international students, many universities now offer a crash course (no credit) in the rules, scoring and, of course, their fight songs. Shannon Young reports from football-crazed Boulder, Colorado, that the classes aren't just to help international students understand football, but also American culture.This story originally aired on Nov. 15, 2023.

Caster Semenya won her first Olympic gold medal in 2009. But claims that her naturally high levels of testosterone should disqualify her have marred her career. At times, she has been effectively banned from the sport she loves. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Semenya about her new memoir called, "The Race to Be Myself."This story originally aired on Oct. 31, 2023.

A collective of female skateboarders in Bolivia has caught the attention of the news media all over the world. That's partly because of the clothes they wear. But, as The World's Tibisay Zea reports, it's not just a matter of skateboarding fashion. These Indigenous women are trying to change stereotypes rooted in Bolivian society.This story originally aired on Aug. 12, 2022.

Emma Raducanu, a former British number-one-ranked tennis player, stopped a match in Dubai to ask the umpire to remove a man who she said had been stalking her. Reportedly, he approached her in a public place the day prior. Tournament officials ejected the man from the match and he has been banned from World Tennis Association games. The incident was a reminder of the harassment looming over female sports celebrities, and the particular challenges around minimizing risk. Lindsay Gibbs is a sports reporter who writes the Power Plays newsletter, all about sexism in sports. She explains the dynamic at work and what officials aren't doing to protect athletes.This story originally aired on March 6, 2025.