The World: Latest Stories

The Spanish Civil War was a conflict that pitted the Republican government against Spanish Nationalists led by General Francisco Franco from 1936-1939. Families were torn apart as people took sides. That includes relatives of writer Julian Zabalbeascoa, who has now written a novel based on his family history called, "What We Tried to Bury Grows Here." He discussed his book with The World's Host Marco Werman.

With more than 1 million international students on American college campuses, the US hosts more learners from abroad than any other country in the world. But that welcome mat has been rolled back up for some. Over 1,800 international students have seen their status changed by the US government, according to the latest data collected by the news website Inside Higher Ed. As The World's Joshua Coe reports, some students wonder if they should stay or go.

Pope Francis's three days of lying in state ended today at 7:00 p.m. The late pontiff's funeral will be held tomorrow in Saint Peter's Square, followed by his burial at Saint Mary Major Basilica in Rome. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Carol Hills walk through tomorrow's events, when Francis will be laid to rest.

The world's first professional curling league was announced this week. Rock League will have six teams: two from Canada, two from Europe, one from the US and one from the Asia-Pacific region. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Carol Hills have the details.

Coffee giant Starbucks is being sued over allegations that it's sourcing its coffee beans from a farm in Brazil with slavery-like working conditions. The labor rights group International Rights Advocates is representing eight unnamed Brazilian farmworkers in the lawsuit. The World's Host Carol Hills spoke to Etelle Higonnet, the founder of Coffee Watch, an advocacy group focused on environmental and human rights abuses in the coffee industry, who joined from Copenhagen, Denmark.

Nearly 3 million immigrants got amnesty under former US President Ronald Reagan. It had certain requirements. Among them, people had to prove they weren't guilty of a crime and had lived in the US for at least five years. Some of the immigrants granted amnesty still work on farms in Washington state. Eilis O'Neill reports from KUOW in Seattle.

Overnight, Russia launched another deadly attack in Ukraine. This time, the target was Kyiv. A combination of drones and missiles struck residential areas, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 60. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is pressuring Ukraine to accept a peace proposal that critics say is much more favorable for Russia. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with The World's Daniel Ofman.

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek has traveled plenty of miles on foot since 2012 when he began his long walking journey across the globe. But he's also crossed a number of sea crossings, as well. Salopek joins Host Marco Werman for a conversation about those sea crossings, the types of ships he took and the people he met along the way.

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust, or Yom Hashoah. There are approximately 245,000 Holocaust survivors still alive today, and it's estimated that there are around 1 million third-generation Holocaust survivors in the United States. As The World Sarah Birnbaum reports, it's falling on them to keep the stories of their grandparents and the Holocaust alive.

Three more Chinese astronauts are now aboard China's space station. They're part of a crew rotation to replace the three astronauts there now. China first put astronauts into space in 2003. The World's Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler discuss the space program's current goals.

People in Spain's Catalonia region celebrate Sant Jordi, or Saint George's Day, by giving each other books and roses. It's about language and love, but this year, there's a bit of anger thrown in. It's because the opening author, Javier Cercas, lives in Catalonia but only writes in Spanish - a no-no for local language purists. Cercas is also a critic of Catalan independence. It's brought separatists into the street, although in low numbers, as The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman catch you up on headlines in the news you may have missed.

Scientists have long known that the venom of each rattlesnake species is a distinct, constantly evolving chemical cocktail. Now, new research shows that the venom of rattlesnakes that live on Mexican islands with significant space and competition has evolved to be simpler and better tailored to their prey. Mark Margres of the University of South Florida discusses his findings with The World's Host Carolyn Beeler.

April is the hottest month of the year in Thailand, with temperatures easily hitting 105 degrees Fahrenheit come mid-afternoon. That'll have many tourists pining for a cold one, only to find out - even in the country's wildest party spots - a beer is suddenly hard to find. That may change soon. The World's Patrick Winn reports on efforts to repeal a controversial Thai law that discourages day drinking.

Canada is expecting a large turnout for elections on Monday. More than 7 million people have already lined up to cast their ballots over the long Easter weekend. As Katie Toth reports, pretty much every issue the candidates are focused on - from cost of living to quality health care - is shaped by the political rhetoric coming from south of the border in the United States.

A group of Afghan girls who are musicians fled their home country after the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan. They went to Pakistan in the hopes of eventually being resettled in the United States. Now, Pakistan wants to send them back to Afghanistan. The World's Shirin Jaafari spoke with them and brings us their story.

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski gave his annual address to Poland's parliament today. He warned about the threat of Russia seeking to annex European territories. The World's Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler explain.

The Arctic Circle Race in Greenland has been called the toughest race in the world. It's a three-day cross-country skiing competition through the mountains above the city of Sisimiut. This year, the race happened in an atmosphere of tension because of US claims on the territory. Reporter Emily Schwing skied the 62-mile race course herself, and has this story.

The Muslim Brotherhood is an international movement. It's branches do huge amounts of charity work, and they advocate for various kinds of political Islam. But in Jordan, their role as good samaritans and political advocates may be over. The government has banned the group. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Amer Al Sabaileh, a Jordanian university professor and nonresident fellow for the Stimson Center, who is based in Amman.

At least 26 people were killed and 17 others wounded when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday, the worst assault in years targeting civilians in the restive region, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Michael Kugelman, a South Asia analyst, about what this attack means for simmering tensions between the two countries.

The pope is a head of state and a spiritual leader. Pope Francis leveraged this dual role to maximize the papacy's use of soft power" around the world. Timothy Byrnes talks with The World's Host Marco Werman about the pontiff's efforts to foster dialogue in places as diverse as China, the Mideast and Cuba.

The Supreme Court in Brazil is examining the role allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro might have played in an alleged coup attempt that took place after he lost the 2022 election. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have the details.

Marine geoengineering projects aimed at increasing carbon dioxide storage in the ocean are on the rise. Recent years have seen more than 50 field tests of different technologies, and hundreds of thousands of carbon credits have been issued to fund the research. But the idea of experimenting with the ocean is highly controversial, especially as the technologies have not been proven at scale. As part The World's ongoing series The Big Fix, Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Susanna Lidstrom, a researcher at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, about the tension between the swell of interest in marine geoengineering and the lack of scientific consensus about its role as a climate solution.

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.

Across the globe, Catholics continue to mourn the death of Pope Francis. With questions about succession emerging, some are looking to Africa, where the Church has seen the most growth out of any region in recent years. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Reverend Father Pascal Mwambi Mwakio, a member of the Youth Advisory board of the Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network, from outside Nairobi, Kenya.

Much work is being done to restore forests that have been cleared across the world. Rebecca Cole is doing her part by restoring the land on her family farm in Costa Rica. Cole is a restoration ecologist in both Costa Rica and Fairbanks, Alaska. She recently took part in the PBS documentary called "Secrets of the Forest", and spoke to Host Carolyn Beeler about her efforts.

Today, a group of gunmen opened fire at a tourist resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir. At least 20 tourists were killed, with dozens more injured. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet but local authorities are blaming militants fighting against Indian rule of the region. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have more.

Move over fish and olive oil - and make way for 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 Eurocentric mindset.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled the first phase of a major shakeup of the State Department today. The reshuffle eliminated 132 domestic offices and cut around 700 positions in Washington, DC. Ambassador Wendy Sherman, former second-in-command at the State Department, discusses the implications with Host Marco Werman.

Gauging public opinion in an authoritarian country, especially during a time of war, has been an ongoing debate among journalists, sociologists, researchers and experts who study Russia. The World's Daniel Ofman reports on some recent findings into the matter.

Myanmar is facing very heavy rain right now, exacerbating an ongoing humanitarian disaster there caused by two powerful earthquakes late last month that left the country's infrastructure badly damaged. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Damien Blanc, a water sanitation expert for the European Union's humanitarian aid response in Myanmar, about the difficult conditions people there are enduring.

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in southern California wrapped up its 2025 edition this past weekend featuring a symphony for the first time since it started in 1999: the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Host Marco Werman explains what happened and why it's a significant cultural moment.

Freshly cut flowers are pretty to look at, but getting them to your local flower shop requires more than just picking them. Growing flowers requires a lot of time, water and energy. And the flower business employs millions of people worldwide. Reporter Kathleen Schuster set out to learn more about the global flower market trade for our partners at the Deutche Welle podcast Living Planet.

A Tunisian court has handed down harsh prison sentences of 13 to 66 years to political opponents of the country's president. It follows a mass trial of 40 people, some of whom were charged in absentia. Host Marco Werman speaks with Tarek Megerisi, a senior fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations, about the charges in the case and what it means as Tunisia continues to backslide on democracy.

More than 30,000 athletes took part in the Boston Marathon today. They range from elite runners - clocking in sub 5-minute miles for the entirety of the course - to first-timers, getting to the finish line hours after the pros. As The World's Jeremy Siegel reports, many of them, from the top of the field to the weekend warriors, come in from far-flung spots around the globe.

The Israeli military launched an internal investigation after a March incident in which Israeli troops killed 15 unarmed Palestinian medics. That investigation says that a deputy commander incorrectly assumed the medics were Hamas militants and opened fire, and soldiers under his command followed suit. That deputy commander has been fired. A video that was previously found on the phone of one of the slain medics showed that all the vehicles were clearly identified and had their emergency lights on. Host Marco Werman has more.

Colombia has announced a health emergency in response to rising deaths from yellow fever. The country's health ministry reported at least 34 deaths and 74 cases of the disease - a dramatic increase over known numbers from previous years. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks to Dr. Andrea Vicari, who leads the Infectious Hazard Management Unit at the Pan American Health Organization, a regional office of the World Health Organization headquartered in Washington.

Pope Francis died today, Easter Monday, after addressing Catholics from St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday. The World's Matthew Bell has this obituary of the Church's first pontiff from Latin America, and the legacy he leaves around the world.

Last week, a meeting at the United Nations brought together the descendants of enslaved people and slave owners. The attendees discussed ways to compensate former British colonies in the Caribbean for the legacies of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The World's Host Marco Werman spoke to Arley Gill, who attended the meeting. Gill is chairman of Grenada's National Reparations Commission and joined the show from St. George's, the Grenadian capital.

A UCSD researcher has spent years studying the language acquisition of cats and dogs in 47 countries. You may have seen some of his research on TikTok where animals learn to hit buttons that play words like "outside," "food" and "treats." But are the animals really talking to us, or do they just see us a treat machines? The World's Marco Werman gets to the bottom of things.

April 19th marks the 250th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord, the famous 'shot heard "round the world." The start of the American war of independence happened against a global backdrop of Britain, France and Spain jockeying for world dominance, with trade centered in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. The World's Carolyn Beeler explores what was going on around the globe in 1775 with Larrie Ferreiro, a professor at George Mason University and the author of "Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It."

Kristian Jamieson, a dental student in Ontario, Canada, has spent the past few years working toward a major goal of running the Boston Marathon. His dream is about to come true. But for Jamieson, the race is bigger than just a personal achievement. He's the great-great-grandson of Tom Longboat, who in 1907 became the first Indigenous person to win the Boston Marathon. The World's Bianca Hillier reports.

Saudi Arabia has been pouring billions of dollars into the electric vehicle industry in the past few years. It has even been working on its own brand of EV called Ceer. Just this month, Tesla began selling in the kingdom for the first time. All this is part of a push by the crown prince to lower the country's reliance on oil revenues. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman list a few headlines in the news you may have missed.

Xi Jinping wraps up his tour this week through Southeast Asia where he's been presenting China as a force for stability and mutual prosperity, in contrast to President Donald Trump's trade policies. The message seems to be resonating for now, though this latest round of trade tension is just getting started. The World's Matthew Bell has our story.

The Trump administration continued its bombing campaign against the Houthis, this time targeting a strategically important oil port. It's also the bloodiest attack on Yemen to date. But, the exact number of fighters killed versus civilians is still hard to know precisely. Abdul Ghani Al-Iryani is a senior Researcher at the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies in Yemen and he speaks with The World's Carolyn Beeler.

Surp Giragos is the largest Armenian church in the Middle East, and it's at least 500 years old. But the community it serves has dwindled to just a handful of Armenian families in the predominantly Kurdish town of Diyarbakir, Turkey. After a decadeslong restoration, the church is preparing to welcome thousands of supporters for Easter services this weekend. The World reports.

Climate change is reshaping the global map of wine production. A new report on fine winds finds some varieties currently at home in southern Europe could be more common in northern England by the end of the century. That shift is already underway in Yorkshire where new vineyards have cultivated a strong reputation for sparkling wines. We spoke with Alice Maltby, from Little Wold vineyard in Yorkshire, about how climate change is affecting their wines right now, and how they are planning for a changing future.

April 17th is the 200th anniversary of the independence of Haiti - but also of the indemnity agreement with France that was a condition of independence. Over the next 122 years, Haiti paid an estimated $21 billion to France. Haitians have been pushing for reparations and French President Emmanuel Macron now says he will set up a joint Franco-Haitian commission to examine France's history with its former Caribbean colony. Marco Werman speaks with Marlene Daut, a professor of French and African diaspora studies at Yale University.

African penguins are on the edge of extinction with some experts warning that they could disappear by 2026 if trends continue. Overfishing, climate change and oil spillages have had the biggest impact. Dyan de Napoli - penguin expert and author - was involved in one of the largest animal rescue missions in the world after a massive oil spill off Cape Town, South Africa in 2000. This is her story for Stories From The Stage by our partners at GBH World TV.