The World: Latest Stories

Five environmental activists who helped secure a historic mining ban in El Salvador faced life imprisonment over an alleged civil-war-era crime - until today. The five were just acquitted. Host Carol Hills speaks with Jorge Cuellar, Assistant Professor of Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies at Dartmouth College, about the case itself, as well as this new development.

In Cornwall, in the UK, where overfishing poses a threat to the lobster population, a 25-year-old hatchery seems to have proven itself a success. The National Lobster Hatchery breeds the crustaceans and releases them into the wild, supporting not just the industry, but the economy and local culture built around them. Jamie Fullerton reports.

In response to Asian-American writers coming up against misunderstanding and pigeonholing when pitching and editing stories with the "Big Five" publishing houses in the US, a bespoke press now focuses solely on Asian American literature. It's still what the CEO calls a "scrappy little startup," but the authors working with the press say it's a relief to have found a comfortable home for their stories. The World's Marco Werman has more.

A ban on nighttime pub crawls in Prague, a wild cat native to Asia and Africa on the loose in suburban Chicago and sexist comments about a boat captain in New Zealand: Hosts Carol Hills and Carolyn Beeler catch us up on all of it.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's destruction of roads and rail links to South Korea this week illustrated the ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. But as National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek discovered while walking there, the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that has divided North from South for 71 years can be a quiet, peaceful stretch of land - and water. He shares his observations with Host Carolyn Beeler.

Bangladesh has issued an arrest warrant for the country's former leader, Sheikh Hasina. The warrant was issued based on charges of crimes against humanity during a student-led uprising that began in July and lasted into August, prompting Hasina to flee the country. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Naomi Hossain, a professor at the School of African and Oriental Studies in the UK, about the arrest warrant, and for an update on how people in Bangladesh have been faring since Sheikh Hasina's ouster earlier this year.

Australia was widely declared the favorite heading into this year's Women's T20 Cricket World Cup in the UAE. England and India were expected to do well, too. But with the final match coming up this weekend, none of those three teams remain in the running for the trophy. The World's Bianca Hillier reports.

Yesterday in California, the FBI announced charges against a Canadian drug trafficker. The twist: 43-year-old Ryan James Wedding is a former Olympic snowboarder for Team Canada. The FBI says Wedding allegedly ran a drug trafficking ring and was involved in the murders of four people. Host Carol Hills spoke to Frederik-Xavier Plante, a Montreal-based reporter for The Globe and Mail.

In Hong Kong, a new law is aimed at improving living conditions for people in cramped homes, known as subdivided units. The regulations would require these apartments to be a minimum of 86 square feet in size, and include windows and a toilet. Host Marco Werman speaks with Brian Wong, a researcher with the Liber Research Community, a think tank based in Hong Kong.

The economy, immigration and health care are the three most pressing issues for most US voters ahead of the Nov. 5 election. In Europe, though, what many care about is how each candidate plans to tackle the war in Ukraine. Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have very different perspectives on the issue. The World's Europe correspondent Orla Barry reports.

The ancient remains of 12 humans were discovered recently in a tomb at Petra's famous Treasury or Khazneh" site. The site is most famous for scenes filmed there for the original "Indiana Jones" movie. Host Marco Werman speaks with Megan Perry, a professor in the Department of Anthropology at East Carolina University, about the significance of the discovery.

There are eight countries that have territory in the Arctic, and up until a couple of weeks ago, the US was the only one that did not have diplomatic representation in the region. Now, a geographer from Alaska will fill the role of Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs. Emily Schwing reports from Anchorage, Alaska.

A criminal network in Italy was faking French red wine. That's according to the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation. The price tag for a bottle: more than $16,000. Host Marco Werman spoke to wine fraud consultant Mads Duus Pedersen.

The governor of La Rioja province in Argentina has put an alternate currency called "chachos" into circulation. Printing and distributing the new local currency is meant to offset the sky-rocketing inflation of the national currency. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler explain that it's also a rebuke to President Javier Milei's economic policies.

The Israeli military says it has killed Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. Some now see an opportunity for Israel to declare victory and negotiate an end to the war. But as The World's Shirin Jaafari reports, it's not clear whether that's the direction things will actually go.

On Wednesday, Italy passed the most restrictive law against international surrogacy in the West. It threatens jail time for would-be parents who use birth mothers abroad. Critics say its target is same-sex couples and that it's Prime Minister Georgia Meloni's latest step to appease hardline conservatives. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Cecilia Emma Sottilotta, a political science professor at the University for Foreigners of Perugia in Italy, about the political and cultural backdrop to this ban.

A referendum on French place names in Nigeria. Bankers on trial in Portugal. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman fill us in on some of the latest news we might have missed.

Entering a seventh straight year of drought, Moroccans are hardly giving up. The country is, instead, pouring resources into adapting to the drier new reality of the future. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Morocco.

This past Sunday at the Chicago Marathon, Ruth Chepng'etich made history. The Kenyan runner won the race and broke the women's world record. The win was so extraordinary that some are questioning whether it's valid, pointing to Kenya's troubled history with doping. The World's Bianca Hillier reports.

The Dominican Republic has deported more than 10,000 Haitians in the last week. It's the first of many planned weekly deportations, with a stated goal of removing all of the half million undocumented Haitians who live in the country. The World's Tibisay Zea explains.

Electricity demand is rising across the globe, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). Meeting that demand could lead to an increase in global emissions, at a time when countries work to fight climate change. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Tim Gould, the chief energy economist at IEA, about the possible outcomes of this scenario.

Independent Turkish radio station Ack Radyo - or Open Radio - went off the air today, when Turkish authorities revoked its license. The World's Durrie Bouscaren has the story.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy outlined, for his country's parliament, a five-point "victory plan", which he argues could end Russia's war in Ukraine by late next year. What remains unclear is whether he can get the support he needs to carry it out. Host Carolyn Beeler looks at the plan with longtime diplomat Kurt Volker. The former US Ambassador to NATO and former US special representative for Ukraine negotiations is currently a distinguished fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis.

Meteorites from Argentina are sold at rock and mineral shops across the world. But they are all, most likely, illegally obtained, as the buying and selling of meteorites is prohibited in Argentina. Reporter Michael Fox traces a meteorite necklace bought at a shop in Virginia to its source at the Campo del Cielo meteorite field in Argentina, and learns more about the thefts of meteorites and efforts to prevent them.

The initial findings of the Tanager-1 satellite are in. They've detected methane plumes in Pakistan, Texas and South Africa. Host Marco Werman speaks with Riley Duren, a former NASA engineer and now the CEO of Carbon Mapper, about what this means.

A lot has happened in the Middle East in recent days: US military personnel and equipment have been sent to Israel, where Iranian strikes are presumed imminent. Israel's attack on a hospital complex in central Gaza on Monday led to a massive fire that killed at least four people and injured many more. Videos from the scene show people trapped in fire. The attack has renewed calls on Israel to uphold international humanitarian law. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports.

It hasn't rained significantly in much of North Africa since 2018. Yields of wheat, on which Moroccans depend for bread, have fallen by 50%. Reservoirs that supply cities with drinking water are perilously low. And, scientists say, changes in ocean currents suggest that climate change is pushing moisture even further away, into Europe. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from the Settat region of Morocco.

There's a lot of worry about AI taking people's jobs. But around the world, workers are also employed to gather and organize the data needed to make those AI systems work. Many of the workers are located in the global south where wages can be low. But Finland, a high-wage economy, is an outlier. There, one company hires inmates from the local prisons. The World's Europe correspondent Orla Barry has the story.

Eleven months after the National Zoo in Washington sent three pandas back to China, a new pair of bears - Bao Li and Qing Bao - arrived to fill the panda-shaped hole in zoo visitors' hearts. But they won't make their public debut until January.

Canada announced on Monday that it was expelling India's top diplomat in the country along with five others. India responded in kind, expelling six Canadian diplomats. Host Marco Werman spoke to researcher Xavier Delgado with the Wilson Center's Canada Institute. Delgado said relations between the two countries have hit rock bottom.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman give us a lightning round of news updates that might have flown under listeners' radar: blobs on the beach in Canada, a food festival in Mexico and a soccer boycott in Nigeria.

North Korea took drastic measures over the weekend, destroying rail lines and roads connecting it to South Korea. The move was seen as symolic, at a moment when tensions between the two countries are high. Host Marco Werman speaks with Rachel Minyoung Lee, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, about what's driving these actions.

As Japan struggles with a shrinking population, the number of abandoned homes in the country has surged to 9 million. These homes are largely seen as a nuisance and eyesore, but in recent years, start-ups, realtors and home renovators have attempted to create a market for older homes. The World's Carolyn Beeler reports.

The first people to be intercepted at sea by the Italian navy under a controversial migration deal are on their way to Albania to have their asylum claims processed. Host Marco Werman speaks with Camille Le Coz, associate director at the Migration Policy Institute Europe, about the program.

Dave Fromm, an author in Massachusetts, decided he wanted to play basketball in the Czech Republic after graduating. But he wasn't very good at basketball. Fromm shared his dream - and how he achieved it - on GBH's World Channel Stories From The Stage.

Another valuable reason for Americans to study abroad is to improve global diplomacy. The numbers of US students studying in China is way down compared to previous years. The pandemic is one reason. But there are other pressures, some of them related to the tense diplomatic relationship between the U-S and China. The World's Matthew Bell report first aired earlier this year.

Jay Nikolewski knew from an early age where he wanted to live. Nikolewski never felt comfortable growing up in America and felt like he didn't fit it. In high school he decided Japan was the country for him. In 2023, he fulfilled that dream by moving to Japan and working toward a degree in Asian Studies at Temple University. The World's Carolyn Beeler met with Jay Nikolewski in Tokyo and asked him why Japan.

There are many paths for American student to take if they want to live and work abroad after graduating. Various courses, learning the language, getting internships are just a few. The World's Sara Hassan spoke with some Americans to find out what countries they'd like to go to and how that shapes their plans leading up to graduation.

The United States has the highest number of international students in the world. Last year, the number of students who came to America were almost back to prepandemic levels at over 1 million. Many come in the hope of staying and living the American dream. But that's not so easy. Reporter Lindsey Seavert brings us the stories of two of those students, who both say that one of the most-challenging parts of being an international student here comes after graduation.

In the US, immigration is a heated topic. A part of that conversation is the thousands of degree-seeking international students who move to the US every year, many with hopes to stay after completion. But what about those US students who decide to study abroad and then want to stay abroad? The World's Carolyn Beeler asks Amine Mechaal, director of global engagement at Columbia University's Teachers College in New York, to break down the hurdles students face to stay in their host countries.

In the two decades since Texas A&M opened a campus in Doha, there have been plenty of challenges. The school faced criticisms because it operated under the autocratic Qatari government; women are not treated equally; and censorship is common. But the partnership brought in millions and the campus flourished. So, Qataris were stunned when the Texas A&M board in February voted to close the school, in part because of "instability" in the region. Ari Daniel's report first aired in February.

A Ukrainian missile strike in Russian-controlled territory last week killed several North Korean military officers, according to officials in Ukraine and South Korea. The Kremlin says this is "fake news." But it sounds credible to those who've been following events in Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. The World's Matthew Bell reports.

Haitian and Kenyan police forces that were deployed over the summer are struggling to control the gangs that have taken over most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and attacked new regions in the country. The gangs are said to have committed large-scale killings of civilians and are recruiting children. Harold Isaac, a journalist in Haiti, explains where the the fight stands.

Since the 16th century, people have interpreted fortunes in the dregs of Turkish coffee. But a new generation is making the practice their own. From Istanbul, The World's Durrie Bouscaren investigates.

The Poetry Pharmacy opened this summer on London's famed Oxford Street. It's a small space packed with poems for every occasion. Founder Deborah Alma says her goal is to introduce poetry to people who don't normally encounter it. The World's Bianca Hillier reports.

Gustavo Alarcon, a doctor, is the new mayor of Chilpancingo, Mexico, where last week his predecessor was murdered just days after taking office. Hosts Carol Hills and Carolyn Beeler have the details.

Friday is the UN-designated International Day of Girl, intended to address the unique challenges many face. A new report from UNICEF says that over 370 million girls and women alive today have experienced some form of sexual violence by the age of 18. The World's Lex Weaver reports on the story of "Maya: Birth of a Superhero," a coming-of-age virtual reality film designed to empower young women who face isolation upon the arrival of menstruation.

A decades-old Japanese anti-nuclear activist group, Nihon Hidonkyo, has won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. The announcement was made in Oslo and was praised in Japan. Nihon Hidonkyo was established in 1956 by survivors of the nuclear attacks on Japan during World War II. They advocate for greater support of victims as well as for stopping nuclear proliferation across the globe. Host Carol Hill speaks with journalist Patrick Cox, who has interviewed many survivors, about the significance of this win and what it means to the survivors.

Despite a global outcry and growing unpopularity, Japan's whaling industry continues to thrive. Although whale meat sales have declined sharply over the years, most Japanese people continue to believe in their right to the delicacy. Rebecca Rosman reports from Tokyo.

When geologists from De Beers discovered diamonds in Botswana, it transformed the country for the better. De Beers says it has the strictest standards in the industry, and diamonds from Botswana are among the most ethically sourced in the world. Louise Donovan, a reporter for the Fuller Project, talks about her story for New Lines Magazine, where she discovered that women in the industry in Botswana suffer from exploitation and abuse.