The World: Latest Stories

As many Syrians rejoice at the downfall of the former dictatorship in their country, they also face immediate challenges. Israel has been conducting numerous strikes on targets across Syria, many of which have reportedly destroyed chemical weapons stores belonging to the former Assad regime. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Natasha Hall, a senior fellow at the Center for International and Strategic Studies, about what Israel is seeking to accomplish with its strikes on Syria.

The number of foreign-born older people in the US is increasing fast: It's expected to reach 23% of the total older population by 2060. But the US health care system is not well prepared to cater to aging immigrants. In an increasingly immigrant community in the Hamptons, in New York, Ashley Milne-Tyte reports on a hospital offering fall prevention classes in Spanish.

Ghana's former President John Dramani Mahama has clinched a comeback election victory and will return to power seven years after stepping down. High youth unemployment and a crumbling economy were top of mind for many voters, as reporter Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman tells The World's Host Carol Hills.

In South Korea, a motion to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol failed over the weekend. The motion was called after Yoon unexpectedly declared martial law last week, sending waves of panic across the country. While the impeachment vote failed, Yoon now faces an investigation and a travel ban. But the country is now facing political uncertainty, with many calling for the president to resign.

This year marked the end of the latest El Nino, a climate event that warmed the Pacific Ocean and played a role in 2024 becoming the hottest year on record. This winter, a La Nina could begin. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks to Chris Callahan, a climate scientist at Stanford University. He joined the show from Palo Alto, California.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country and, for the first time in two decades, Syrians say they are experiencing a taste of freedom. Assad brutally repressed a popular uprising, which started in 2011. His forces killed, tortured and imprisoned those who spoke out against the government. During the 13-year war, Assad used chemical weapons on his own people and besieged and starved people living in areas under opposition control. The World's Shirin Jaafari has been speaking with Syrians about what his departure means to them.

The Hindu festival of Maha Kumbh Mela only takes place once every 12 years. But when it does, it's big. The previous festival in the cycle was the largest peaceful gathering of humans ever recorded. Next month's festival is promising to dwarf that record.

In 2018, singer-guitarist Olguita Acuna left Nicaragua in the dead of night, following death threats and police harassment. Acuna made it to neighboring Costa Rica, sofa surfed, and, like many others forced to flee Nicaragua, applied for refugee status. Now, she's carrying on her activism. Jamie Fullerton reports.

When you're more than 7,000 miles away from where you spent most of your childhood, there's nothing like playing a familiar game from home. In Denver, 18 boys from Afghanistan are getting to play cricket with other boys as part of an effort to bring the sport to more Colorado youth. Colorado Public Radio's Jenny Brundin reports.

Russian state news agencies reported yesterday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family fled to Russia where they will be granted asylum. For years, the Kremlin's political backing and military support has enabled Assad to cling onto power. Today, Russia's military still has boots on the ground in Syria - but with the fall of the Assad regime, that military foothold has become uncertain. The World's Daniel Ofman reports.

A new directive from Taliban leaders bans women from studying dentistry, nursing and midwifery. The group, which took over the country by force in 2021 after the US withdrawal, also reportedly prevents women from getting treatment from male doctors unless a male guardian is present. Human rights activists say they are alarmed about what these restrictions mean for the future of Afghan women's access to healthcare. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports.

If you - like us - are concerned about the overindulgences of the holiday season, you might want to take a cue from the Italians. In Italy, it's a common practice to take a brisk walk after a big meal. The stroll is often a chance to see and be seen, an opportunity to appreciate the neighborhood where you live, and yes, a way to work off a few calories. The World's Durrie Bouscaren takes us along for a stroll.

As Ghana prepares for a presidential election this weekend, cocoa farmers are listening to hear what the candidates propose to help the troubled sector. Ghana is one of the world's top producer of cocoa beans, but extreme weather and pests are taking a toll on yields. Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman visits some cocoa farms and production facilities in eastern Ghana to hear what people there think could help the industry.

Romanian politics was thrown into turmoil on Friday after its constitutional court announced the nullification of the country's presidential election. A runoff election was due to be held on Sunday after a far-right candidate who'd expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin won the first round. His opponent was a law-maker on the center-right. The World's Europe correspondent Orla Barry explains.

A rebel coalition in Syria took the central city of Hama on Thursday. The city's capture is a strategic and symbolic victory for opposition forces. The rebel coalition that took the city is called Hay'at Tahrir Al Sham, and it's led by Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with journalist and filmmaker Martin Smith about his 2021 film "The Jihadist," which features Jolani and follows his efforts to rule over a rebel enclave in the northwestern part of Syria.

On Saturday, Notre-Dames de Paris - the iconic Paris landmark - will open its doors with an official ceremony after five years of restoration work. In 2019, the cathedral's bells fell silent after a devastating fire. The World's Carolyn Beeler spoke to Mathieu Lours to hear about what it took to rebuild Notre-Dame. Lours is an architectural historian and the author of the official history of the renovation. The book is called "Rebuilding Notre-Dame de Paris."

Learnmore Jonasi, from a small village in Zimbabwe, is making a name for himself in the US comedy scene. And yes, his first name really is Learnmore. Carol Hills speaks with the comedian.

After US prosecutors indicted senior Bahamian police officials for trafficking cocaine, opposition lawmakers in the Bahamas have been asking the ruling government questions. When an opposition leader wasn't given time to pose questions to the government, he took the long mace that sits on the house speaker's desk and threw it out the window. Zhivargo Laing explains how the US indictments have ruffled Bahamian politics.

Taylor Swift's worldwide "Eras" tour has grossed more than a billion dollars since it began in March 2023, boosting hotel stays, restaurant visits and Swifty tourism on five continents. As the tour comes to an end this Sunday in Vancouver, British Columbia, hosts Carol Hills and Carolyn Beeler look at the economic impact of Swift's appearances on the local economies where she performed.

Forty years ago, nearly 30 tons of methyl isocyanate gas leaked from Union Carbide Corporation's pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. The incident exposed more than 570,000 people to toxic chemicals and claimed more than 10,000 lives within three days. Since then, there have been over 22,000 additional deaths related to the disaster. Its effects continue in chronic illnesses, adverse reproductive outcomes and genetic damage among survivors in the community. And four decades on, victims and their relatives are still seeking justice. Host Marco Werman speaks with Mark Dummett of Amnesty International about the deadly legacy of the chemical disaster in Bhopal.

A new and powerful weather forecasting model GenCast from Google is said to be more accurate than one of the most-reliable models in the world run by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. That's according to research published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. The study found that GenCast could also better predict extreme weather, a growing concern due to climate change. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks to Matthew Chantry, machine learning coordinator at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, to understand what makes this tool reportedly so effective.

As protests against the ruling party in Georgia continue, the number of demonstrators arrested continues to grow. More than 400 arrests have been made in the past week in Tbilisi, the country's capital, and many of those arrested have had their faces published showing quite gruesome injuries. This week, Georgia's public ombudsman accused the police of using severe violence against protesters as a form of punishment that constitutes torture. Andrew Connelly reports from Tbilisi.

France is facing political instability following the collapse of the country's coalition government led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Pierre Bentata, a French professor at Aix Marseille University, on what this means for Emanuel Macron and the arc of his presidency.

Peter Gabriel's RealWorld record label apparently had these recordings from 1990, but only tracked them down in their archives three years ago. The new album is one of 2024's big surprising music releases and is titled "Chain of Light." Even in death, Ali Khan continues to draw international attention to his style of Sufi chanting known as "qawwali."

Voters in the West African nation of Ghana are heading to the polls this weekend for a pivotal presidential election. They are focused on the economy. Specifically: the lack of work, especially for young people. Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman brings us the story from the capital, Accra.

The illegal flow of guns from the US to Mexico is made possible by the combination of Mexico's strict gun control laws and the easy access Americans have to firearms. Every year, more than 10,000 firearms found in Mexican crime scenes are traced back to the United States. Gun control activists call it the "iron river," and jt has had a devastating impact south of the border. From KPBS in San Diego, Gustavo Solis reports.

Pope Francis will greet pilgrims in St. Peter's Square from his new open-top popemobile. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman review this all-electric Mercedes-Benz. One standout feature: an elevated seat for Francis - so crowds have a better chance of seeing him. It's the newest version of the pope's ride, which began with the first papal automobile in 1929.

The 2024 list of most-mispronounced words is out. Each year, the language-learning company Babbel and closed-captioning company The Captioning Group track the pronunciation gaffes of politicians, news anchors and the like, and compiles a US and UK list. Host Marco Werman speaks to Esteban Touma, a Palestinian and Ecuadorean linguistic and cultural expert at Babbel.

Idlib has long been a stronghold of rebel resistance to the Syrian government during the long civil war. Since the rebel offensive recently retook Aleppo, airstrikes have restarted inside the city. These bombings have defined life in rebel-held territory, turning it into a brutal grind that Leila Molana-Allen, a correspondent for "PBS News Hour," documented. She speaks with host Carolyn Beeler.

On Wednesday, France's prime minister, Michel Barnier, was ousted after far-right and left-wing ministers joined forces to topple his leadership. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have the latest.

Sex workers in Belgium will soon be entitled to maternity leave, a pension and some guaranteed safety measures in their place of work. The law, the first of its kind in the world, comes into effect this week. Sex workers unions in Belgium welcomed the move but women's rights groups have called it a backward step. The World's Europe correspondent Orla Barry reports.

In South Korea on Wednesday, the streets were relatively calm after a night that many saw as the beginning of a coup d'etat. That followed President Yoon Suk Yeol's controversial declaration of martial law. With the president now facing an impeachment effort by parliament, many Koreans are calm but concerned. Host Marco Werman speaks with Peter Moller about how everyday people experienced the events. He's a resident of South Korea and director of KoRoot, a human rights organization there.

Protests have rocked the country of Georgia after the ruling Georgian Dream Party announced that it will suspend its European Union membership process until 2028. This declaration seems to be in retaliation for the EU parliament deeming the recent elections in Georgia as neither free nor fair, and calling for a rerun under international supervision as well as sanctions on high level government officials. Andrew Connelly reports from the capital city, Tblisi.

Tulsi Gabbard campaigned for Donald Trump in the run-up to November's election. She's an Army vet. And she spent eight years in Congress. Gabbard has no high-level experience with intelligence, but Trump has nominated her as Director of National Intelligence. People with experience in the intelligence field are expressing concerns about Gabbard's lack of qualifications for the DNI position. Some are also concerned about her past statements on national security matters that appear to parrot Kremlin talking points. The World's Matthew Bell reports.

In Japan, a growing number of elderly workers are staying on the job well past the typical retirement age. It's part of a larger trend driven by an aging population that remains active in the workforce. One of the most-common roles for seniors? Taxi driving. Reporter Rebecca Rosman takes a ride across Tokyo with one such cabbie.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman give quick updates on news you may have missed.

Europe's longest left-breaking wave suddenly disappeared some 20 years ago. The culprit: dredging by a nearby shipyard and by local government. The deeper water doomed the Wave of Mundaka, leaving surfers and townsfolk nostalgic to this day. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Spain's Basque Country in the north.

A coalition of rebel forces in Syria is continuing its advance following its capture of Aleppo. The rebels continue to take towns and villages as they move south toward the central city of Hama. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Aron Lund, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, to find out more about the rebels and how they've been able to conduct this rapid advance through Syria.

In an escalation over global supply chains for technology, China is blocking the export of rare earth minerals to the United States a day after the Biden Administration announced export controls on certain advanced technology to China. Gracelin Baskaran, the director of the Critical Mineral and Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, speaks with host Marco Werman about what the ripple effects of these salvos over trade mean for the United States and other global suppliers.

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.