The World: Latest Stories

It's been a busy year of news - including in sports. The World's Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman revisit some of our favorite sports stories of 2024 with our sports correspondent Bianca Hillier.

Finnish authorities seized an oil tanker on Thursday, claiming it was involved in cutting vital undersea cables and that the ship might have been part of Russia's shadow fleet" aimed at evading Western sanctions. The investigation comes as a number of other undersea cables have been cut in recent months. Host Carolyn Beeler spoke to The World's Joshua Coe, who has recently reported on Russia's shadow fleet. He joined the show from Denmark.

Jan. 1 is, of course, the start of the new year. But it's also the day Haitians celebrate their independence from France. It's a proud legacy they're honoring: Haiti was the first nation to gain independence through a successful slave revolt. To mark the occasion, Haitians on the island and across the globe celebrate with a special soup. Belinda Baptist is originally from Jacmel, Haiti. She spoke to The World from her kitchen, in Savannah, Georgia.

Normal life is returning to many places in Syria. Children are going back to school, students back to universities. There are clean-up campaigns in different cities. Meanwhile, Syria's revolutionary flag is being painted on walls and buildings across the country, while former soldiers in the regime's military are being processed and handing in their weapons. Expatriates and refugees who haven't been to Syria in years are also returning. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with The World's Omar Duwaji about the situation in the country after the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad.

Yemen's Houthi militants are backed by Iran. But as Israel and the US ramp up strikes on Houthi strongholds in Yemen, the militants continue to hit targets inside Israel and threaten international shipping in the Red Sea. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, about the challenge of neutralizing the Houthi threat.

Nearly a quarter of a million people died from the earthquake and tsunami of December 26, 2004; the majority of deaths were in Indonesia. But one island, off the coast of the hardest-hit province in Sumatra, had just a handful of deaths. Researchers say residents on the island of Simeulue survived, in part, because of folklore passed down from generation to generation. Twenty years later, locals are trying to keep these traditions alive. Leila Goldstein [LIE-luh GOLD-steen] spoke with survivors on the Island.

In October, Albania's former president was arrested on suspicion of corruption and money laundering. The former prime minister and leader of the main opposition Democratic Party is also awaiting trial on corruption charges. But there's more. The first interior minister and former environment minister have both been jailed for corruption and abuse of office, and the deputy health minister was also forced to resign for abuse of office. Others have skipped the country. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry reports from the country's capital, Tirana.

India's former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has died at the age of 92. Singh was widely regarded for two achievements: a landmark nuclear deal with the United States and engineering India's economic reform. As finance minister in the 1990s, he put reforms in place that moved India toward a capitalist economy, while avoiding a potential economic crisis.

British singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka recently came out with his fourth studio album "Small Changes," hewing closely to a sound he's become known for: a thoughtful combination of soul and acoustic-guitar folk. Co-hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler give it a listen.

Russia is being blamed for a passenger plane that crashed yesterday in Kazakhstan. Thirty-eight people were killed, and 29 survived, but all with injuries from Wednesday's crash. Authorities in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia all say they're investigating the incident. Many aviation experts suspect the plane was hit by Russian air defense systems.

A few years ago, around Christmastime, an elderly man in Wales passed away and left a pile of Christmas gifts for his neighbor's son, a 2-year-old at the time. Thousands of heart-warmed people on social media helped the parents decide to make the kindness last - and allow their son to open just one gift each year for 14 years. The World's Host Marco Werman first spoke to Owen Williams about his neighbor Ken Watson's presents, and now, they catch up again on the significance of these gifts.

On Christmas Day, the Russian military landed drone and missile strikes across Ukraine. The target was the country's energy infrastructure. Many in Ukraine lost electricity or are dealing with rolling blackouts. Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said half a million people in the Kharkiv region alone were without heat as a result. Host Carolyn Beeler hears from Andrian Prokip in Kyiv. He's an energy expert with the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center.

Succulents are wildly popular among plant enthusiasts. So much so that theft of the plants has actually become a massive illegal trade across the globe. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Jared Margulies, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama, about what's behind this growing illegal trade.

Earlier this week, a missile from Yemen hit a park in Tel Aviv, injuring more than a dozen people. Israel's military carried out extensive air strikes in Yemen on Thursday, targeting Houthi infrastructure, including the international airport in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami, which took the lives of more than 220,000 people. In the hardest-hit province of Aceh, Indonesia, $1.6 billion in international aid was used to build 140,000 homes for survivors. But two decades out, many of these houses have been abandoned. With support from the Pulitzer Center, Leila Goldstein traveled to Lampuuk Beach, outside of the city of Banda Aceh to understand why.

In January, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a grand Hindu temple in Ayodhya, in northern India. The temple stands at the spot where a mosque stood until December 1992, when it was torn down by a Hindu mob. The attack sparked riots across South Asia, killing thousands of people, and is considered the most violent incident since India's partition. Sushmita Pathak reports from Ayodhya on what the new Ram temple means for local Hindus and Muslims and Indian politics.This story originally aired on Jan. 19, 2024.

Guatemala has one of the world's most vibrant celebrations of Holy Week, or Semana Santa. There's a tradition of creating elaborate, colorful flower "carpets" out of sawdust on the streets for processions to pass over. Last year, UNESCO named Guatemala a world heritage site for its Holy Week commemorations. From the town of Antigua, Michael Fox meets a young man leading a team of friends in making colorful wood chip carpets.This story originally aired in September 2023.

Taiwan is replete with Taoist temples: sacred grounds where the faithful seek blessings. Recently, politicians have been seeking both the gods' and voters' favor. When election season was in high gear before a big vote in January, candidates were converging on temples, demonstrating their piety to the public. The World's Patrick Winn followed a would-be lawmaker facing a tough race, as she campaigned at a Taoist temple.This story originally aired in December 2023.

In the heyday of the British Empire, Kolkata, India had a thriving Jewish community. Today, there are only about 20 or so Jewish people living in the entire city, and the synagogues that once held services there are closed. But one synagogue, built in the 19th century, recently opened its doors for an important occasion, the funeral services of one of the community's elders. Reporter Sandip Roy brings us the story.

In Thailand, alters to ghosts in homes, shops and along streets, often include food and drinks. Reporter Patrick Winn in Bangkok looks into the history and use of one particular offering: Strawberry Fanta.This story originally aired in 2017.

Armenian Christians in the Old City of Jerusalem say their community is facing an unprecedented threat. It stems from an ongoing legal dispute over a real estate deal signed three years ago. But this isn't just a real estate squabble, they say. Members of the small minority community of Armenians, that have lived in Jerusalem for centuries, are fearful about their future in the holy city. From Jerusalem, The World's Matthew Bell reports.This story originally aired on Nov. 5, 2024.

Young people in the United Kingdom are becoming less and less likely to be part of organized religions. Still, some spiritual groups are growing in membership. The fastest growing religion in the UK is Shamanism, and the growth is driven by millennials and Gen Z. As part of a series on religion and young people in the UK, Rebecca Rosman reports from London on why a loose collection of spiritual movements are so appealing to them.This story originally aired in December 2023.

Millions of people have made the journey to the Iraqi city of Karbala to participate in the Arbaeen walk. It marks the 40th day of mourning after Ashoura, the day that Husayn, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, was killed. It's not a required act of worship, but it still attracts people of all ages from around the globe. The World's Sara Hassan was there.This story originally aired in September 2023.

Two Argentine Jewish musicologists have embarked on a mission to revive their community's musical heritage. They are recording lost songs. From Buenos Aires, Natalio Cosoy first reported this story in October, on how these musicians are bringing that music back to life.This story first aired on Oct. 17, 2024.

The Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God was constructed over a natural spring that is sacred for Istanbul's Greek Orthodox community. On the first day of every month, hundreds of visitors of all faiths come to make wishes. When a wish comes true, the faithful bring sweets to share. The World's Durrie Bouscaren paid a visit.This story first aired on Aug. 30, 2024.

Far out in the South Pacific, there's a tropical island called Bougainville. Its people are devoutly Catholic - with a twist. Many revere the Virgin Mary almost as much as her son, Jesus. Women are exalted in the island's culture as givers of life and sometimes makers of miracles. The World's Patrick Winn visited Bougainville, discovering an icon of Saint Mary believed to have supernatural powers.

Musician Annamaret comes from a Sami reindeer-herding family and lives way up in northern Finland, close to the Arctic Circle. She describes how the ancient Sami tradition of yoiking helps connect her to her roots.This story first aired on Dec. 27, 2023.

"Wind Phones" are not connected to any phone line, but they are connected in a different sense. The phones create space for people to have a one-way conversation with their loved ones who have died. The wind - so the idea goes - carries your message. The World's Bianca Hillier visited a Wind Phone and speaks with people who use them as a tool to process grief.

Times are tough in Argentina, while the new president attempts to tame inflation, and poverty is on the rise. But there's one sport, and one very special place, that brings people together. As part of our Sacred Spaces series, reporter Lautaro Grinspan takes us to the the 80-year-old soccer stadium La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, Argentina. La Bombonera was home to the late soccer great Diego Maradona, and has become a kind of holy site for Argentina's soccer fanatics.

One person who has thought a lot about what it means to encounter the power of a wave is Karma Lekshe Tsomo. She is a Buddhist nun who grew up surfing in Malibu, California, and is a professor emerita of theology and religious studies at the University of San Diego. Host Marco Werman meets up with her at a surfing beach in San Diego to discuss the higher sense of purpose that can come from being in the natural world.

Chile's Indigenous Mapuche people have long fought the government over land claims. They've faced discrimination and assimilation in Chilean society. But some Mapuche communities are now turning the page. And they're using an ancestral sport to help protect and revive their culture, customs and language. Michael Fox has the story from Chile's capital, Santiago.

Berlin is considered the world's clubbing capital, and for some, those clubs offer an almost religious experience. But the city is changing, and more and more nightclubs are under threat from gentrification and rising property values. Back in 2020, a group of club enthusiasts in Germany campaigned to have nightclubs given the same cultural status as opera houses - a move they hoped would afford the clubs more protections. The measure passed, but then the pandemic hit. The World's Sarah Birnbaum reports.This story first aired on March 3, 2020.

More people voted around the world this year than any election year before. The four-year elections lined up with the five-year election cycle for an exceptional string of voting from the beginning of the year to the end. Ravi Agrawal, the editor in chief of Foreign Policy and host of FP Live!, talks through the biggest electoral moments of the year and what they mean for democracy.

Japan's second- and third-largest automakers are pursuing a $50 billion deal that could dramatically shake up the global auto industry. The move is designed to help the Japanese face headwinds from their major rivals in electric vehicles: Tesla and China's BYD. The World's Host Marco Werman discusses the impact of the potential merger with auto industry analyst Michael Dunne, head of Dunne Insights.

A music teacher in a small town in Iowa looked around at his school a realized that it was increasingly Latino - but there were few Latinos playing in school bands. So, he decided to make a change. He started a mariachi band, a rarity in the Midwest. Now there are four, and they're a big hit with the town. Bret Hayworth of Siouxland Public Media has our story from Denison, Iowa.

In Denmark, there seems to be a porridge for every occasion. A quintessential part of the Christmas diet in the Scandinavian country is a rice porridge called risengrod. The dish hearkens back to a time when rice was a luxury in the Scandinavian country, says restaurateur Lasse Andersen. He takes The World's Joshua Coe behind the counter at one of his porridge bars in Copenhagen to learn how to cook this Danish classic.

Over the years, Japan has developed its own idea of Christmas and the food that comes with it. Fried chicken and strawberry shortcake, or a version of it, are now de rigueur. Gabriella Gershenson, a food journalist and author of the recipe book "Love Japan", explains the country's Christmas food culture.

When "Snoopy's Christmas," a song by The Royal Guardsmen, was released in 1967, it was an international hit. It lacked longevity, though, and quickly fell off the radar. - except in New Zealand. And no one knows why. The World's Sarah Birnbaum investigates Snoopy's staying power there.

'We Are Not Numbers': Palestinians grapple with death

Over the weekend, The Guardian published the first known photos of an uncontacted community living in the Amazon. The group is called the Massaco, named after a local river. But what they call themselves, like many other details, remains unknown. The World's Host Marco Werman spoke to John Reid, one of the series' co-authors, about Brazil's policies to avoid direct contact with communities like the Massaco.

There are all kinds of delicacies that people get excited about during the Christmas season. In Britain, there's a fragrant, raisin-filled cake from Milan, Italy, that's become all the rage. It's been a rapid and near-total conquest by the panettone, even though the cake is not so easy to bake. Reporter Leo Hornak put on an apron and tried his best to connect with his Italian roots by baking his own version of panettone. (This story first aired in December, 2022.)

Each December, Turkish Americans from Kansas City bake an enormous batch of a Middle Eastern sweet to share with people from different cultures and faiths across the city. This year, Laura Ziegler of KCUR joined them as they baked and distributed the baklava.

In language-divided Belgium, it's cause for complaint when a train conductor greets a Flemish passenger in both Dutch and French, despite being in a non-French speaking region. That's what happened on a recent train heading through Flanders. The country's Permanent Commission for Linguistic Control is now reviewing the case, but Belgian journalist Maithe Chini with the Brussels Times tells Host Carol Hills that many in Belgium find the complaint ridiculous.

Pubs in the UK are running out of Guinness stout, a seasonal favorite. Host Carol Hills tells how the popular - some say irreplaceable - Irish beverage has been sold out across the UK, and how pub owners and Guinness fans are coping with the drought of the distinctive draft.

Christmas lights burning up the night sky are a seasonal phenomenon, but ecologists have long warned about the everyday issues of light pollution. Our partners at Deutsche Welle took a walking tour of the problem in Cologne, Germany, for the program "Living Planet" with journalist Kathleen Schuster.

Local authorities in Mexico City are sponsoring what they call "the largest mural project in the world," an initiative to recover public spaces where abandonment has led to safety concerns. The World's Tibisay Zea takes us on a tour to Iztapalapa, the most populous borough in Mexico City, where close to 11,000 murals have been painted by local artists in recent years.

As the strategic map of the Middle East is reshaped by Hezbollah's fall from power in Lebanon and the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the US is pushing hard for a diplomatic solution in the Gaza Strip. Aaron David Miller, a negotiator for the US State Department on Arab-Israeli issues in the '90s and aughts, explains why the conditions for a ceasefire are improving, and what incentives are pushing the talks forward between Israel and Hamas.

The US State Department's top Middle East envoy, Barbara Leaf, arrived in Damascus today for meetings with Syria's new interim government headed by Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham. Afterwards, it was announced that the $10 million bounty on the group's leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, also known as Ahmed al-Sharaa, had been removed. Host Carol Hills spoke with Ibrahim Al-Assil, a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute, about Leaf's visit.

In Sweden, the temperance movement has been promoting a December of no-drinking called "Vit Jul," which translates to "White Christmas." Jonas Raninen, a senior research specialist at the Karolinska Institute, has studied drinking in Swedish society and explains the trends behind "Vit Jul."

A husband and wife team (he's from Kenya and she's from Botswana) have designed a trivia game called Sawa, focused on Africa. Game designers Kioko and Thato Mwosa challenge Host Marco Werman to a round of questions that explore some of the continents' 54 countries through geography, cinema, business, technology, history, politics, arts and sports.