The World: Latest Stories

In the middle of the night, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a surprise announcement on television, imposing martial law on the country. He said "North Korean forces" needed to be eradicated. Lawmakers quickly acted to cancel the emergency declaration. But the bitter political divide in South Korea remains unresolved. The World's Matthew Bell reports.

Across Japan, an aging population is redefining what it means to work. Elderly employees now make up a record 13.5% of the country's workforce. To find out why so many seniors in Japan stay on the job well into their 70s and 80s, and even beyond, reporter Rebecca Rosman met up with some of them to get their stories. Starting with Kamekichi Fujiwara, who at 86 is still making pizza and selling it at his Tokyo restaurant, Tony's Pizza.

Roberto Carlos Lange performs under the name Helado Negro, which means Black Ice Cream." Lange is the son of Ecuadorian immigrants, raised in South Florida and, in this installment of our series "Movement with Meklit Hadero," he talks about how that upbringing shapes his own work ethic. His latest album "Phasor", opens with a song that is very much about work and workers.

Belgium must pay restitution to five women who were forcibly taken from their mothers in the 1950s and placed in orphanages run by the Catholic Church. Like thousands of other children in Belgium's African colonies, such as the Belgian Congo, they were mixed race with a European father and an African mother, taken from their homes at a time when mixed-race children suffered heavy discrimination. Host Marco Werman speaks with Nicolas Angelet, an attorney for the women, about the forced adoptions in the former Belgian colonies in Africa.

A court in Vietnam has upheld the death penalty for property tycoon Truong My Lan. This follows her April conviction for embezzlement and bribery amounting to $12.5 billion, equivalent to 3% of the country's GDP. The court said Truong My Lan's sentence could be commuted to life in prison if she reimburses $11 billion of what she owes. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Bill Hayton of the Asia-Pacific program at Chatham House about Vietnam's anti-corruption campaign and the country's use of the death penalty.

December marks five years since Chinese authorities informed the WHO about a growing number of patients in the country experiencing pneumonia-like symptoms from an unknown sickness. This was the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, virologists worry about the spread of H5N1, a respiratory disease commonly known as bird flu. Host Marco Werman speaks with Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Japan's government says keeping older folks in the workforce is one way it hopes to bolster its economy as the working-age population decreases. Municipal job centers host job fairs for older people, and the government gives out awards for companies that employ lots of older workers. But most medium and large Japanese companies enact mandatory retirement ages, which require workers to retire from their lifelong careers at age 60 or 65. As The World's Carolyn Beeler reports from Japan, that is complicating efforts to keep people working longer.

A gathering of more than 200 nations that convened to reach a landmark agreement on ending plastic pollution broke down on Monday without achieving its goal. The talks in Busan, South Korea, collapsed due to pressure from oil-rich nations who argued that plastic production should not be phased out. The World's Host Marco Werman discusses the repercussions with Cassie Barker of the Canadian environmental advocacy group Environmental Defence.

In the country of Georgia, protesters take to the streets night after night, in a new grassroots uproar over the ruling party's decision to suspend talks to join the EU. Giorgi Lomsadze, a freelance reporter in the capital, Tbilisi, explains what's happening.

So far, some two dozen kids in South Africa have died after eating tainted food from some of the country's small convenience stores, known as "spazas." The government has declared the crisis a national disaster. But the deaths are also bringing up a deep-seated distrust of foreigners, who some South Africans blame for a host of ills. Elna Schutz reports from Johannesburg.

Today, Hong Kong launched its "PANDA GO! FEST HK" festival. There are 2,500 panda statues made of recycled rubber barrels that will be displayed at several sites throughout the city over the course of this month. Host Marco Werman has the details.

The president of the International Criminal Court lashed out at the United States and Russia for interfering with its investigations, calling attacks on the court appalling." Host Marco Werman has more on comments made as the institution's annual meeting opened on Monday.

Russia's presidential election last spring gave President Vladimir Putin a fifth term in office and mostly overshadowed many other Russian political stories. But this fall, Russia held another set of national elections where voters elected nearly 4,000 candidates to regional positions. Among them were some opposition candidates who vocally oppose the Kremlin and the war in Ukraine. Levi Bridges has the story.

Orcas have been spotted off the west coast of North America, balancing salmon on their heads. The phenomenon, first observed in 1987, is a bit of a mystery. But after a long absence, they're bringing it back. Host Marco Werman has the details.

National Geographic explorer Paul Salopek has been recreating the journey, on foot, of the first humans. He tells Host Marco Werman about his walk, in 2013, through Jordan into the Israeli occupied West Bank, lands that are both ancient and now part of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.This story originally aired on March 21, 2024.

In early 2013, National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek began an epic walk, following the path of the first human migration out of Africa about 60,000 years ago. Host Marco Werman speaks with Salopek, who's now two-thirds of the way along his global journey. Today he talks about his first steps at the beginning of the walk, in the Great Rift Valley in Ethiopia.This story originally aired on Feb. 8, 2024.

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek is on a 24,000-mile, transcontinental journey, and he's traveling the slow way: on foot. In this installment: the local foods he's eaten along the way. He tells Host Marco Werman about some of the dishes he's tasted, from a meat dumpling stew in the Palestinian West Bank, to fresh fruits and vegetables gathered on a Turkish farm, to pizza in rural India.This story originally aired on July 11, 2024.

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek tells Host Marco Werman about his walk through India's northeastern region, where he traced the steps of Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the Buddha. He also regales us with tales of a brickyard, where laborers make building blocks for 21st century India, and a village where people make everything out of bamboo.This story originally aired on Aug. 8, 2024.

In early 2013, National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek began his epic walk, following the path of the first human migration out of Africa 60,000 years ago. The World's Host Carol Hills speaks with Salopek - now two-thirds through his global journey - about his experience walking through Djibouti and sailing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the entrance to the Red Sea.This story originally aired on Feb. 23, 2024.

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek talks about his walk through northern India, where modern farming with high-yield seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, tractors and motorized well pumps have made India self-sufficient in terms of food - but as he tells Host Carolyn Beeler, it has come at a cost to the environment, to the country's water supplies and to some traditional ways of life.This story originally aired on July 25, 2024.

Afghanistan's wild and mountainous Wakhan Corridor is home to a culture that has gone unchanged for centuries. Host Marco Werman speaks with National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek, about his trek through this isolated alpine wilderness.This story originally aired on June 13, 2024.

The Silk Road in Uzbekistan was a caravan route, it was a path for explorers and it was traversed by Soviet-era train tracks. National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek tells Host Carolyn Beeler about this Central Asian country that has been a thoroughfare for explorers, traders and conquerors across the centuries. Salopek crossed the Silk Road on foot, as part of his 24,000 mile Out of Eden Walk.This story originally aired on May 31, 2024.

Chefs from countries across Africa share some of their favorite recipes in a new cookbook, "The Contemporary African Kitchen." From grilled meats to aromatic curries, award-winning chef and cookbook author Alexander Smalls tells us what makes African cuisine so special.This story originally aired on Sept. 27, 2024.

A restaurant in Mexico City is rediscovering recipes and methods to cultivate, eat and preserve wild mushrooms. The World's Mexico Correspondent Tibisay Zea paid a visit to this all-fungi restaurant in June.This story originally aired on June 10, 2024.

Brown bread ice cream was a popular flavor among some people in 18th century England. So too was Parmesan. Food historian Annie Gray had the chance to taste some forgotten flavors when they were recreated at historical sites across England last year. Gray spoke to The World's Carol Hills at the time.This story originally aired on Aug. 18, 2023.

One of the most popular dishes in Indian cuisine is butter chicken, with its creamy tomato gravy and succulent chicken marinated in subtle spices. But who exactly cooked it up first is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit in India. Earlier this year, Sushmita Pathak told us about a lawsuit filed by two restaurants who claim they're behind this beloved dish.This story originally aired on Feb. 15, 2024.

The home-brewed "banana beer" known as tonto has legendary status in Uganda, but it's lost out in recent years to legally sold and increasingly accessible bottled beer. Those who grow bananas used specifically for tonto are also shifting to more commercially viable varieties. But as Ugandan journalist Christopher Bendana tells The World's Host Carolyn Beeler, the drink is too beloved to lose.This story originally aired on Jan. 3, 2024.

Ferhad Feyssal remembers when villagers gathered around the campfire every winter in the Kurdish region in Syria while a danuk, or big pot, cooked bulgur wheat. The memories are so vivid to Feyssal that he decided to name his band Danuk. The World's April Peavey first brought us their story in June.This story originally aired on June 10, 2024.

A Turkish organization representing the doner industry has applied to the European Union to certify doner kebab as a traditional specialty, similar to serrano ham and feta cheese. German doner makers have vetoed the move, saying the proposed standards could increase the price. The World's Durrie Bouscaren worked on some sandwich diplomacy" alongside producer Joshua Coe.This story originally aired on Aug. 21, 2024.

Earlier this year, Singapore's Food Agency approved 16 species of insects as safe for human consumption, including crickets, grubs, moth larvae and one species of honeybee. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Matthew Britt, associate professor and chef at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, about cooking with bugs.This story originally aired on July 31, 2024.

After President Joe Biden's announcement of a ceasefire at 4 a.m. in Lebanon, the ceasefire began. Alia Ibrahim, a reporter and the co-founder of the Lebanese online news outlet, Daraj paints a picture of what the day was like for Lebanese people and what the country's troubled political institutions may need to contend with next.

A little over a year ago, the leader of Sinn Fein, Mary Lou McDonald, looked like a shoe-in to become Ireland's next prime minister (taoiseach). As the country heads to the polls on Friday, her chances look increasingly remote. Sinn Fein is now neck-and-neck with the two governing parties in the polls. And in her own constituency, McDonald is competing for a seat against one of the country's most-unexpected candidates - a notorious crime boss. The World's Europe correspondent Orla Barry reports.

Across Europe, a lot of the plastic people drop in the emblematic "yellow containers" doesn't end up recycled. Some plastics slip through the cracks, others are contaminated. How to deal with plastic waste is on the agenda at the UN-led negotiations for a global plastics treaty underway in South Korea. Limiting plastic production is another idea, but oil-producing countries are against it. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona. TKTK

After performing a Fernando Valenzuela tribute at the Dodgers World Series Game 1, Mariachi singer Deyra Barrera caught the eye of Kendrick Lamar who happened to be in the stands as a spectator. Next thing you know, she's featured on his latest album which has just dropped. No mariachi rap. Just Deyra's exquisite voice was what Lamar wanted, and he got it plenty.

US President Joe Biden is expected to visit Angola next week. It will be the first presidential visit to sub-Saharan Africa since 2015. The World's Sarah Birnbaum reports the visit was meant to underscore American interest in a vital infrastructure project there.

US negotiators have brokered the release from Chinese prisons of three Americans: Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung. Swidan faced a death sentence on drug charges. Li and Leung had been charged with espionage. The World's Marco Werman talks with Sophie Richardson, a visiting scholar at Stanford University about the swap.

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

Every year since 1970, groups of Native Americans have been gathering in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Thanksgiving Day to mark a National Day of Mourning. They honor their ancestors and march to remember the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands and the erasure of Native cultures." Over the years, the event has also stood in solidarity with other Indigenous struggles around the world. The World's Sara Hassan observed the gathering last year and recently spoke with some of the organizers.

Oil from Azerbaijan accounts for less than 1% of global reserves today, but the Central Asian country once played a major role in fueling the Soviet Union. The symbol of this production might was the world's first, and likely only, floating oil city: Neft Dalar - a network of 2,000 oil rigs connected by almost 200 miles of drivable causeways - rising out of the Caspian Sea. Host Marco Werman spoke to documentary filmmaker Marc Wolfensberger about the oil city which is being reclaimed by the sea around it.

Breyten Breytenbach was a towering South African intellectual, poet, painter and anti-apartheid activist who died in Paris on Monday at the age of 85. Breytenbach spent seven years in a South African prison for his activism against apartheid. He was also one of the foremost poets in his native tongue, the Afrikaans language, but managed to delineate between his love of the language and its association with apartheid. Marco Werman speaks with Max du Preez, a South African author and journalist who knew Breytenbach for more than 50 years.

Pakistan's capital Islamabad is witnessing major protests today as thousands of supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan flood the city demanding his release. The capital also witnessed major road closures and communications cuts as police clashed with the supporters. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Pakistani journalist Aamir Saeed Abbasi about the latest from Islamabad and what could potentially come next.

Interpol's affiliate, Afripol - which is a union of African law enforcement agencies - has arrested more than a thousand suspected cybercriminals of various stripes in a continent-wide dragnet. Nate Allen, an associate professor at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies and former foreign service officer for the State Department, explains what happened and what this means for online security.

US President-elect Donald Trump's pledge on Monday night to slap big tariffs on the United States' three largest trading partners - Mexico, Canada and China - was a jolt to the global economy. Mexico's president has warned the tariffs could backfire for Washington, sparking inflation and job losses. Former Mexican Ambassador to the US Arturo Sarukhan talks with The World's Host Carolyn Beeler about the potential repercussions.

Swimming superstar Emma McKeon has retired from the sport at age 30. Host Carolyn Beeler tells the story of this remarkable athlete who owns Australian records of 14 Olympic medals and six Olympic gold medals.

In Ukraine, nearly three years after Russia's full-scale invasion, there are signs of a significant societal mood shift. According to a recent poll, support for continuing to fight has declined across every region in the country. And more than half the population wants to negotiate an end to the conflict. The World's Daniel Ofman reports.

A new track named "+57," Colombia's country telephone code, has provoked huge controversy among fans, music critics, politicians and government agencies. It was supposed to be an ode to the country, but instead critics say it's promoting the sexualization of minors and feeding into negative stereotypes about Colombia. The World's Tibisay Zea reports.

After more than a year of fighting, Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon appear to be on the cusp of a ceasefire. The US and France helped shape the ceasefire plan that's expected to go into effect on Wednesday morning local time. Meanwhile, Israel carried out intense air strikes throughout the day today in and around Beirut.

Climate change poses an existential threat to Tuvalu, a small island nation in the Pacific. By the end of the century, scientists say it could sink under the rising seas. That's why Tuvalu's leaders are trying to figure out how to save the country, even if its physical territory disappears. The World's Sarah Birnbaum first reported this story from Sydney.

Israel's ambassador to the US says that a ceasefire with Hezbollah could be implemented "within days." The US has been pushing for a pause in the fighting. And much of Lebanon never wanted this war in the first place. The World's Matthew Bell reports on where the ceasefire negotiations stand now.

Nicaragua's legislature appears set to approve a constitutional amendment that would elevate the wife of the country's leader to a new role as co-president." Opposition leader Felix Maradiaga, now in exile in Miami, speaks with The World's Host Marco Werman about the deterioration of democracy in Nicaragua.