The World: Latest Stories

Tourism numbers are sky high in Japan. The country saw record numbers of travelers throughout 2024, and government officials are hoping to see the numbers double by 2030. But workers are in short supply. From robot hotel receptionists to contactless restaurants and overcrowded trains, The World's Jeremy Siegel looks at how tourism is pushing Japan's economy to adapt.

Tomiko Itooka, the oldest person in the world, died last week at the age of 116. That title is now held by a Brazilian elder. Host Carolyn Beeler has the story.

Russia claims to have taken another town on the frontline of its war with Ukraine. Ukrainian officials say they are still defending Kurakhove while claiming more Russian territory in the Kursk region to the north. Host Carolyn Beeler explains.

An effort is underway to try and save the elaborate stone carvings and structures at Persepolis in Iran. Climate change and industrialization have hastened the process of lichen taking over the structures. The World's Durrie Bouscaren reports.

The artist C. Tangana, whose real name is Anton Alvarez, has set aside his mic and taken up directing to critical acclaim. His first feature-length documentary, "The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortes," has been nominated for Spain's top film award and is winning praise at festivals. Alvarez's film goes beyond the music to explore family - and one family secret in particular. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

An hours-long stand-off between South Korean authorities and security services protecting the country's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol ended without the president's detention. Investigators gave up on the arrest warrant citing security concerns, while diehard supporters of Yoon rallied outside the presidential residence. The World's Host Carol Hills spoke to Seoul-based journalist Raphael Rashid, who was covering the event.

Tourism in Cuba has not recovered since the pandemic and new conditions on the island are deterring tourists from visiting to soak up its culture, beauty and political history. Michael Bustamante, an associate professor and Emilio Bacardi Moreau Chair in Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami, explains the roots of the problem.

In Japan, a hidden crisis is unfolding. Over a million people have retreated from society - some for months, others for years. They are known as hikikomori - a term that translates to being pulled inward or confined. Reporter Rebecca Rosman wanted to understand what drives this societal withdrawal. She met with a former hikikomori in Tokyo, who spent nearly a decade confined to his childhood bedroom.

A growing body of evidence has shown that there is a link between alcohol and cancer, but not everyone is aware of the link. Public health authorities around the world, including the US Surgeon General, are taking greater steps to educate the public about the connection. Eric Rimm, a professor and epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who has studied the connection, explains the scientific mechanisms at play, and how much alcohol increases the risks of cancer.

Non-alcoholic drinks are becoming increasingly popular in many parts of the world where people crave the society of a barroom without the hangover, or simply need help staying sober. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Rebecca Pink-Swann, senior bartender at Swift Borough in London, about the rise of the mocktail.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Carol Hills catch you up on a few stories that might have flown under the radar.

Karen Kirsten knew that a group of Catholic nuns hid her mother from the Nazis in Poland during the Holocaust, but that was all. So, she embarked on a quest to find them, while her mother was still alive. She shares her experience on GBH's Stories from the Stage.

A self-taught baker is bringing flavors from her childhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to a small farm stand in Southern Vermont. The World's Bianca Hillier paid a visit.

Kyiv has opted to not renew a contract with Moscow that brought Russian natural gas to Europe and $1 billion dollars in transit fees to Ukraine. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Arild Moe, a research professor at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute near Oslo, Norway. He explains the uneven impact among European countries and the potential cost to Russia's energy-based economy.

In Japan, some 68,000 people die alone at home every year. Around 80% of people facing these so-called lonely deaths" are over the age of 65. Thousands go undiscovered for weeks or even months. It's part of a growing epidemic as the country rapidly ages and more people drop out of society as they get older, which takes a toll on their health. Reporter Rebecca Rosman recently visited one housing complex just outside of Tokyo that has been trying to confront this phenomenon - thanks to the work of one elderly resident.

Internationally, cases of tuberculosis have decreased in recent years, but not in Latin America. The region has seen a 19% increase in cases over the same period. A recently published study in Lancet Public Health found that the rising incarceration rates in countries like El Salvador, Brazil and Argentina are a major factor. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler spoke to the report's lead author Yiran Liu, an epidemiologist and public health researcher based in New Haven, Connecticut.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC released a UN-supported declaration that there's a spreading famine in Sudan. On Sunday, the Sudanese government rejected this declaration, calling it speculative." Kholood Khair, the founder of the Confluence Advisory think tank from Sudan, explains what's really going on, and why the military is seeking to undermine the famine assessment.

Yesterday in New Orleans, a pickup truck plowed through a crowd celebrating New Year's Day. Over a dozen people were killed and about twice as many were injured. The FBI said the suspect posted several videos on social media shortly before the attack saying he was inspired by ISIS. Given all this, The World's Host Marco Werman spoke to Aaron Zelin, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute who has monitored the group's activities, and who joined the show from Washington.

If you're looking for a fix of traditional Guatemalan food, there's a growing industry of couriers who can get just about anything. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman explain.

There's going to be an election this year in Myanmar, according to the country's military generals. But these are the same generals who seized power from an elected government four years ago, sparking a revolution against their dictatorial rule that is still raging. As The World's Patrick Winn reports, many see the proposed election as a ruse and a sign of desperation.

Electric vehicles, or EVs, were a wildly popular purchase in Norway in 2024. EVs accounted for nearly 90% of all car sales in the country. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Felix Hamer, an EV charging consultant, about how Norway managed to accomplish this feat.

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

Rapper Ana Tijoux became an international star in 2010 with her album "1977." It was named for the year she was born, in France, to Chilean parents in exile during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. After a 10-year hiatus, she released a new album in 2024: "Vida." Reporter Gisele Regatao caught up with her during a summer tour in New York City.This story originally aired on June 26, 2024.

Innoss'B is on a quest to, not only play music, but also to combat malnutrition in Democratic Republic of Congo. In recent months, he's partnered with the United Nations World Food Program and released new music, too. This summer, Innoss'B spoke to Host Marco Werman about both.This story originally aired on July 8, 2024.

Barilla - the Italian pasta company - has released a six-song Al Bronzo Soundtrack." It says the soundtrack is scientifically designed to enhance the taste and texture of the pasta. A University of Oxford experimental psychologist, who worked on the project, says the science behind this is real. Last spring, The World's Bianca Hillier looked at what's known as "sonic seasoning."This story originally aired on April 12, 2024.

Over the course of his 60+ year career, Joe Boyd has worked with Pink Floyd, R.E.M., Fairport Convention, Toots & the Maytals and so many more bands. This fall, he released a new book called "And the Roots of Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music." Host Marco Werman speaks to Boyd about the book and plays a few tracks to illuminate the journey.This story originally aired on Oct. 1, 2024.

Singer-songwriter Susan O'Neill is an award-winning artist from Ireland. She's hoping to break through to a wider audience with her new album "Now in a Minute." This fall, Susan O'Neill described the inspiration behind it and plays a few tracks.This story originally aired on Sept. 19, 2024.

Math is often hard. Rap is fun. So, middle-school math teacher Antoine Carrier decided to combine the two. As Gerry Hadden reported last spring, Carrier has created a cool tool for helping tens of thousands of pre-teens with pre-algebra and geometry.This story originally aired on April 2, 2024.

The Kalush Orchestra has a unique sound that blends rap with traditional Ukrainian folk music. In 2022, the band, representing Ukraine, won Eurovision. The victory was a huge boost for a country at war, and propelled the band to massive success. Last spring, The World's Daniel Ofman was in Kyiv and profiled the group's flute player, who went from a folk music aficionado to an arena rockstar.This story originally aired on May 7, 2024.

Gabriela Ortiz is one of Mexico's best-known classical composers, and she's becoming better known in the United States, as the Los Angeles Philharmonic has premiered many of her rhythmic, colorful compositions. As Jeff Lunden reported, this fall she began a season-long residency at New York's Carnegie Hall that has offered many exciting new pieces.This story originally aired on Oct. 11, 2024.

An almost forgotten horror story by the writer who brought the world Dracula," was read at the Bram Stoker Festival in Dublin last Fall. The recently uncovered Gibbet Hill," is a short tale of horror. Host Carol Hills spoke with Stoker enthusiast Brian Cleary, who discovered the 130-year-old story.This story originally aired on Oct. 25, 2024.

Researchers have used laser-based remote sensing technology to document two urban centers high in the mountains of Uzbekistan. Located along an ancient trade route, these medieval cities were abandoned and forgotten and only recently rediscovered. Now, they have been mapped. This fall, Host Carolyn Beeler spoke with archaeologist Michael Frachetti of Washington University in Saint Louis, lead author of the study published in the journal Nature.This story originally aired on Oct. 24, 2024.

Hosts Marco Werman and Carol Hills mention a few things you might have missed in a year of discoveries - including a new space observatory that opened high up in Chile's Atacama desert.

The Restoration Ecology team at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, recently published new research that uses super sensitive microphones to listen to and analyze the health of soil. As The World's Bianca Hillier reported this fall, the researchers say this new method could replace traditional ones, which are expensive, disruptive and laborious.This story originally aired on Sept. 18, 2024.

The year 2024 marks 200 years since the first dinosaur was named. Naturalist William Buckland identified a Megalosaurus, or the "great lizard", in a lecture in London in 1824, marking the beginning of dinosaur science. Last winter, Host Carolyn Beeler spoke with archeologist Steve Brusatte about how far dinosaur science has come and what we're still learning about these creatures from the past.This story originally aired on Feb. 20, 2024.

A project in South Africa aims to reduce demand for rhinoceros horns by making them radioactive. Last summer, Host Marco Werman spoke with Professor James Larkin at the University of the Witwatersrand, who is inserting small quantities of radioisotopes into the horns of live rhinos, allowing for their detection and reducing their value as a commodity.This story originally aired on June 28, 2024.

Classic American folk tunes meet beloved ragas from India. As Falguni Falu" Shah, lead vocalist for the band American Patchwork Quartet, told Host Marco Werman last summer, there's a lot in common between these two music traditions.This story originally aired on June 17, 2024.

Mountains are in constant motion. That includes the world's tallest peak, Mount Everest, in the Himalayas. It's added an extra 160 feet in the past 89,000 years, according to a study released in 2024. Adam Smith, a geoscientist at University College London and one of the study's authors spoke with Host Carol Hills about how and why mountain ranges grow.This story originally aired on Oct. 1, 2024.

Crews continue sifting through debris after a plane crash-landed and burst into flames in South Korea on Sunday. It's not clear what caused the disaster, which left 179 people dead and only two survivors. The Boeing 737-800 was flown by an experienced pilot with more than 6,000 flight hours under his belt. Authorities say the jet received a bird strike warning just before the crash.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman look back to a year that brought us the hottest temperatures on record. Carolyn reported from inside the Pantanal region of Brazil where fires ripped through an Indigenous community for months. Also, The World's Patrick Winn went to Bangladesh to see how they've been able to significantly decrease the death toll caused by dangerous cyclones thanks to an effective early warning system they've put in place.

Every year on New Year's Eve, a longstanding German tradition has been to gather around the television and watch an 18-minute, black-and-white British comedy sketch from 1963. It's called "Dinner for One," and features a wealthy old woman and her butler. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman explain the tradition.

It's the holiday season, a time when many of us think about end-of-year giving. The needs are immense. Both close to home and around the world. Stacy Palmer, the editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, speaks with The World's Host Marco Werman about effective global giving strategies.

The 39th President of the United States died on Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia at the age of 100. The World's Sarah Birnbaum takes a look back at President Jimmy Carter's legacy in American foreign policy.

One of President Jimmy Carter's greatest legacies touches people's lives in highly remote parts of the world to this day. He targeted what are known as "neglected tropical diseases" - ones that upend people's lives, like river blindness and guinea worm. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Kelly Callahan, who worked with Carter in various parts of Africa.

In 2002, former US president Jimmy Carter went to Cuba. There, he called for an end to the decades-long US economic embargo against the island nation. In the same speech to the nation, in Spanish, Carter told host Fidel Castro it was time to allow for free elections and freedom of speech. More than two decades later, little has changed. The World's Gerry Hadden reports.

December is all about celebrations across much of the world, but in Ghana, it's on a whole different level. Welcome to Detty December, which consists of back-to-back parties, beach raves and unforgettable moments. To give us a feel of the action, Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman takes us to a buzzing beach in Ghana's capital Accra.

With all the stress and strife in the world, we all have different ways of coping. For the Afro-Caribbean band The Bongo Hop, they turn to songwriting. Their tune "La Pata Coja" tells us that no matter the scale of our loss, we have to keep moving forward. We can still love, walk and even dance.

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.