The World: Latest Stories

Somalia has been in a state of civil war for decades and that's left it financially weak and in debt. This week, the US moved to cancel $1.1 billion in Somalia's outstanding debt, representing just over a quarter of the country's overall foreign debt. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Harry Verhoeven, an expert on the political economy of the Horn of Africa, about what this debt forgiveness will mean for Somalia.

Israel has carried out thousands of strikes in Gaza and Lebanon since the start of the war last October. Footage shot by eyewitnesses, as well as survivors' testimonies, raise serious ethical and legal questions about some of those attacks. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports.

Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler spotlight recent climate-related stories that may have escaped the headlines.

Remember back to the Paris Olympics, when the gold medal winners of the track and field competitions euphorically rang an enormous bell right after winning their events? That bell was delivered on Thursday to Paris' Notre Dame cathedral, where it will be installed above the altar. Host Marco Werman has more.

Ninety percent of the world's diamonds are processed in Surat. But these days, the mood in India's diamond city is lackluster, because business has never been worse, and a lot of people are out of work. It's all a distant ripple effect caused by war in Ukraine. Reporter Sushmita Pathak has the story.

It's hard to wrap your head around, but a joint venture between British and Icelandic companies is developing a space-based solar power plant that they hope can deliver enough electricity to power up to 3,000 homes back on Earth. The project will use satellites to collect sunlight in space through solar panels and then transmit it as radio waves to a ground station, where it will be converted into electricity for the grid. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Cal Tech's Ali Hajimiri, Bren Professor of Electrical Engineering and Medical Engineering and co-Director of CalTech's Space-Based Solar Power Project.

In the same week Kamel Daoud was awarded the prestigious Prix Goncourt in France, he was excluded from the Arab world's largest book fair held in Algeria. Host Carolyn Beeler looks at why he's both beloved and condemned.

Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, on Tuesday evening, citing a lack of trust. The prime minister's decision comes as Netanyahu's coalition grapples with the issue of ultra-Orthodox men serving in Israel's military. Gallant had just signed off on a plan to draft thousands of ultra-Orthodox recruits into the army. But two religious parties in Netanyahu's coalition are against the draft bill. The World's Matthew Bell reports.

The price of lithium, which helps power electric vehicles, has plummeted. A large supply coupled with weak demand is believed to be behind the drop in prices. Host Carolyn Beeler explores the factors affecting the price drop and what it means for EVs with journalist Patricia Garip.

This week, Sweden announced it was nixing plans for 13 offshore wind farms. Defense Minister Pal Jonson said Monday that the wind farms presented a security risk. In fact, he said, they could drop Sweden's reaction time to potential Russian missile strikes. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Magnus Christiansson, a senior lecturer at the Swedish Defence University.

This week, authorities in Paris began the first phase of a program to reduce traffic congestion in the center of the city. Host Carolyn Beeler explains how the new Zone a Trafic Limite, or ZTL, will change how Parisians get around.

Migrant children who enter the US illegally are placed in facilities overseen by the US Office of Refugee Resettlement. These are meant to be temporary stays - just long enough for the federal government to connect each child with a relative, sponsor, or foster home. But as Gustavo Solis reports from KPBS in San Diego, children from African and Middle Eastern countries are staying much longer than expected - and longer than kids from everywhere else.

It's no exaggeration to say the entire globe has been watching the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. And now that Trump is the president-elect, reactions are coming in from across the globe. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with three of The World's reporters to hear more about impressions from Mexico, Europe and the Middle East.

Only two places in the world do not allow divorce. One is the Vatican. The other is the Philippines. Much of the island nation's population is staunchly Catholic. Filipino priests and bishops preach that divorce is anti-family" and must remain forbidden. But a movement to legalize divorce in the Philippines is gaining traction. The World's Patrick Winn reports.

Armenian Christians in the Old City of Jerusalem say their community is facing an unprecedented threat. It stems from an ongoing legal dispute over a real estate deal signed three years ago. But this isn't just a real estate squabble, they say. Members of the small minority community of Armenians, who have lived in Jerusalem for centuries, are fearful about their future in the holy city. From Jerusalem, The World's Matthew Bell reports.

Andy Davis from New Hampshire is an identical twin. He and his brother are very different in almost every way. But they do share one common view - that is their hope for the planet. Davis remembers a visit with his twin in Burkina Faso that stands out to remind him of their bond. He shares his experience with GBH's Stories From The Stage on World TV.

Russian troops in eastern Ukraine are capturing more territory, after launching what one Ukrainian commander calls one of the war's most powerful" offensives yet. Host Carolyn Beeler checks in with Andrii Shadrin, a 28-year-old sergeant in Ukraine's military, serving in the Donetsk region.

The Central Asian grain, kernza, was brought to the US in the 1930s as feed for livestock. It's recently been found that its deep root system makes it a sustainable crop that's good for the environment. Problem is, there's no market for it. Enter craft beer. Eric Schmid of St. Louis Public Radio has the story.

DHL's logistics hub in Leipzig, Germany, is sophisticated and enormous. So, when parcels in the facility started catching fire, at first, it was confounding and concerning. But it wasn't long before European spies and law enforcement figured out what was happening. They say Russia was sending incendiary devices through the mail. Host Marco Werman speaks with Wall Street Journal reporter Bojan Pancevski who got the inside story.

Morocco recognized the Israeli state in 2020. In exchange, Israel recognized Moroccan authority over the disputed Western Sahara. It was a win-win, until Oct. 7, 2023. Since the Hamas attacks and the ensuing war, domestic pressure on Morocco to cut ties with Israel has grown. But King Mohamed Vl is resisting. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Rabat.

Running a marathon is a big deal no matter where you do it. But running the Abbott World Marathon Majors - Berlin, London, Tokyo, Boston, New York and, as of this week, Sydney - comes with additional benefits. There is more crowd support, more professionals in the field - and more money all around. The World's Bianca Hillier reports on how Sydney made the list and what the annual race will mean for the land down under.

Scottish stand-up comic Janey Godley died over the weekend after fighting cancer for several years. She had been a regular commentator on The World on all things Scottish. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler recall some of her moments on the show.

New York City just made jaywalking legal after data showed that people of color were overwhelmingly the ones being stopped for the crime. But why was it a crime in the first place? The World's transportation reporter Jeremy Siegel brings us a brief history of jaywalking and takes a look at whether it's safer to cross at the green, or in between.

Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler hit the highlights of sports news from around the globe.

A new production at New York's Metropolitan Opera sounds and looks different from anything presented at the venerable opera house before, featuring flamenco rhythms and dance. "Ainadamar" is an opera about famous Spanish playwright and poet Federico Garcia Lorca and the actress who was his muse. Jeff Lunden reports from New York.

Maine resettled close to 700 people in the past year through the federal refugee admissions program. That's the highest number on record going back over a decade. The increasing numbers reflect a more robust resettlement infrastructure, including new refugee agencies and more host cities beyond Portland. But that could all change, depending upon the outcome of Tuesday's election. From Maine Public Radio, Ari Snider reports.

For decades, the US has been a relatively predictable, stabilizing actor on the global stage. Now, with uncertainty hanging over Tuesday's vote and the possibility of contested results, that era could be drawing to a close. Host Marco Werman speaks with Foreign Policy's editor-in-chief Ravi Agrawal about how the US presidential election and its aftermath may reverberate around the globe.

Botswana's ruling party ended its 58 years in power when it lost this weekend's elections. The economy played a huge role in the fate of the outgoing party's loss. Botswana depends on diamond exports, but the global trade in diamonds has gotten rocky. Alvin Ntibinyane, a Botswanan investigative reporter and scholar at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Canada, explains how Botswana's reliance on diamonds shaped the election.

If you went to school in the US or the UK, you probably learned that there are seven continents. But that number really depends on where you grew up. Elsewhere, you probably learned that there are only six continents. To get to the bottom of this, host Carolyn Beeler spoke to Jordan Phethean, an Earth scientist at the University of Derby in the UK.

The tiny Pacific island of Bougainville is hell-bent on nationhood, especially after a UN-backed referendum that saw 98% of voters seeking independence. But is it ready to stand on its on? The World's Patrick Winn concludes our three-part series on Bougainville, which is vying for US support, and promising access to its precious copper resources and key vantage point.

The devastation from flash flooding in eastern Spain has not let up. And the death toll continues to climb. Residents of the hardest-hit towns are furious with the government. Mobile phone alerts that might possibly have saved lives arrived late. And desperately needed supplies and provisions haven't arrived at all. The World's Gerry Hadden, who's been reporting from the region, takes us on a walk through the storm-torn city of Chiva - four days later.

A referendum in Moldova intended to put an end to decades of swerving between East and West yielded a microscopic win for the pro-Western crowd. The vote will amend the country's constitution to lock in alignment with Europe rather than Russia. This Sunday, Moldovans will vote for their president in a run-off between firmly pro-Western President Maia Sandu and challenger Alexandr Stoianoglo. Katie Toth reports from the Moldovan capital Chiinu.

Mexicans are celebrating "Dia de Muertos", or the Day of the Dead, this weekend, a holiday where deceased ancestors are the guests of honor. Around this time of the year, there's a popular character that always shows up: La Catrina, a skeleton lady who wears an elegant dress and a flowered hat. The World's Tibisay Zea takes us to a big parade in Mexico City, to tell the story of La Catrina.

The number of aid trucks entering Gaza has hit an all-time low since the current war began. The shortages are prompting new dire warnings from aid organizations. Karin Huster, the Doctors Without Borders medical team leader in Gaza, talks to The World's Host Carolyn Beeler about what it's like to operate in a time of acute scarcity.

Italy shut down all of its nuclear power plants following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, and the public voted to keep them shuttered in a referendum in 2011. But with growing concern about global warming, the mood is changing, particularly among the country's youth. The Italian government says it's planning to reverse the ban, but energy specialists question those intentions. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry reports.

Sweden's conservative government today eliminated a 25-cent tax on plastic shopping bags. The tax was introduced in 2020 to meet the European Union's consumption target for plastic bags, and by 2023 it had reduced plastic bag use by nearly 80%. Host Carol Hills speaks with Agnes Willen, coordinator for waste statistics at Sweden's Environmental Protection Agency, about Sweden's success in reducing waste and concerns that, without the tax, more bags will be used by shoppers.

An affluent neighborhood of Seoul is the latest stretch of National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek's worldwide walking journey. He tells Host Carolyn Beeler about the Gangnam entertainment district, its important links to K-Pop and the hyper-competitive career paths young people have pursued to stardom.

Mark Galeotti, a scholar of Russian security affairs, is out with a new book called "Forged in War: A military history of Russia from its beginnings to today." Galeotti tells Host Marco Werman that through the centuries, Russia has seen threats from every direction and that its national identity is the product of insecurity.

A future run on clean energy is impossible without lots of copper, a key component in solar panels and electric cars. That has some looking to a small island in the South Pacific called Bougainville, part of Papua New Guinea. It holds one of the largest copper deposits on earth. This island's people once waged war to keep mining corporations off their sacred land. But now they're open to selling it - if that'll help them achieve a long-held dream. Patrick Winn brings us the second of a three-part series on Bougainville, potentially the world's next country.

After facing a major political setback, what's next for Japan's longtime ruling party? For the first time in 15 years, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost its absolute majority in the lower house of parliament, following last weekend's snap elections. Rebecca Rosman is in Tokyo, where she talked to voters about waning support for the LDP.

Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodriguez started out studying medicine in his hometown of Pinar del Rio in Cuba. But he dropped out and headed to Havana to pursue a career in music, eventually adopting the name Cimafunk. His change in career has certainly paid off in dividends. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler tell us more as we hear one of this recent tracks, "I Don't Care."

Hello Kitty is turning 50 this week. Fans of the cartoon continue to learn more about Hello Kitty, including the revelation by the original cartoonist that she is not a cat, but a girl named Kitty White, and lives in London, not Japan. Host Carolyn Beeler unpacks Hello Kitty's origins, her marketability and the meaning of "Kawaii" style with Leslie Bow, a professor of English and Asian American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

As the death toll rises and the damage to homes and infrastructure becomes clear, authorities are saying this could be the worst flooding disaster in Spain's modern history. Gerry Hadden reports from the devastated village of Paiporta on how residents are starting to clean up while trying to make sense of what happened.

Yesterday in Brazil, two police officers were brought before a judge. They're charged with the 2018 assassination of a city council member named Marielle Franco and her driver in Rio de Janeiro. The assassination made Franco a major social justice icon in Brazil. It also surfaced allegations of deep-seated corruption and ties between the local politicians, the police and powerful gangs. Host Marco Werman speaks to New York-based Brazilian journalist Leticia Duarte, who's been following the trial.

Today, seven people in Israel were killed in attacks launched from Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Israeli military told people to evacuate more areas in southern Lebanon. That's after Israeli airstrikes killed at least eight people last night. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have updates from the region.

Flash floods in eastern Spain have taken the lives of at least 95 people. Spanish authorities said on Wednesday that in some areas, more than a month's worth of rain fell in less than 24 hours, causing the worst flooding in decades. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Hannah Cloke, a hydrologist at the University of Reading, about what caused this natural disaster and why it seemed to come out of nowhere.

Out in the Pacific Ocean lies Bougainville, a part of Papua New Guinea. It's been called a treasure island for holding one of the world's biggest mother lodes of copper and gold. But the last Western corporation to extract that treasure didn't share the wealth - and got run off by locals, at first armed with bows and arrows, and later, machine guns. This anti-corporate rebellion has ended. Bougainville now seeks independence - and an alliance with the United States. The World's Patrick Winn brings us the first of a three-part series on Bougainville, potentially the world's next country.

With elections less than a week away, many people in the US are glued to the news. So are many in Ukraine, as both candidates hold very different views on the war there. For Ukrainians, the next US president could be a matter of life and death. Emily Johnson reports from Kyiv.

Wikipedia's caught in a big legal battle in India's court system. It involves an Indian media giant ANI, which says it's been defamed on the online encyclopedia. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Nikhil Pahwa, founder and editor of digitial policy publication MediaNama, about the case and the implications it could have on Wikipedia's operations in India.

The claymation animator Adam Elliot doesn't want his films to look too perfect. He celebrates the bumps and cracks in the clay, just as he celebrates the flaws in his characters. The World's Sarah Birnbaum talks to Elliot about his newest film, "Memoir of a Snail," which touches on themes of bullying, hoarding, alcoholism, loneliness and grief... with a big dose of gallows humor.