The World: Latest Stories

Beginning today, Russia and Belarus are holding military drills they call "Zapad," meaning "West." These drills are nothing new, but the last time they happened, in 2022, Moscow sent troops into Ukraine. Poland, Latvia and Lithuania all share a border with Belarus. As DW's Lisa Louis reports from the Lithuanian border, tensions are running high in all three countries once again.

It's been the worst forest fire season in Spain's history. But in the center of the country stands Europe's largest pine forest, unscathed. At first glance, it's hard to understand why the 100,000 hectares (about 247,000 acres) around Burgos haven't gone up in flames. It's hot and dry there too, with no rain. The answer: The Draw of Pines, an ancient system of local forest stewardship. Now, that tradition the risk of irrelevance, as society changes. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Soria, Spain.

We've been keeping an eye on British singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka since 2012, when he released his debut album, "Home Again." He's now out with his fourth record, "Small Changes." Host Carolyn Beeler brings us a listen, while sharing a little bit of Kiwanuka's background growing up as a child of Ugandan parents living in exile.

Tube operators are back to work today after a five-day strike over pay and hours for the city's subway system. The stoppage caused mayhem on London's streets, with thousands of people opting to rent e-bikes to get to work. But the dramatic influx of traffic overwhelmed bike lanes, and brought busy streets to a standstill.

Brazil's Supreme Court has sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup to overturn his 2022 election loss. It's the first time a Brazilian president has been criminally convicted for trying to subvert democracy. The ruling has divided the country and raised tensions with the United States. The World's Tibisay Zea reports on what the verdict means for Brazilians.

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama has just introduced a new member of his cabinet: Diella, an AI-powered chatbot. Rama has hailed it as the world's first AI-generated minister, claiming that getting humans out of the picture might help fix corruption. Amy Kokalari researches digitalization and AI in the Western Balkans. She spoke to The World's Host Carolyn Beeler from the Albanian capital Tirana.

Underwater recordings made more than 50 years ago captured the sounds produced by humpback whales, for communication. But the mechanism by which they vocalize has only recently been researched and understood. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Magnus Wahlberg, of the Southern University of Denmark. He is part of the research team that figured out how the whales make their songs.This story originally aired on Feb. 22, 2024.

Tokyo's trains are known for three things: They're punctual. They're packed. And they're quiet. But for the next month, the quiet of one of the city's subway lines will be shattered, and it will be known for something - or, rather, someone - entirely different: Ed Sheeran. The World's Transportation Correspondent Jeremy Siegel explains.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman bring us two stories of animals making mischief.

Researchers working in Canada have trialed technology to thicken Arctic sea ice. They pump seawater out from under the ice, then let that water freeze into a layer up top. That extra thickness slows down the melting process in the summer. As part of our Big Fix series, The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Andrea Ceccolini, CEO of Real Ice, about whether his company's climate solution is effective and scalable.

Last week, a government commission in Peru voted to nix plans for a vast 3 million acre conservation reserve in the Amazon that would have protected uncontacted peoples there. Peru is among the countries with the most uncontacted tribes. Activists warn that similar protection plans could be on the chopping block in the future. The World's Host Marco Werman spoke to John Reid, who has co-authored a series about uncontacted and isolated tribes, co-published by The Guardian and Brazilian newspaper O Globo. He's an environmental economist and joins the show from Occidental, California.

Negros Tou Moria, or Black Morris, as he's known in English, is from Athens, Greece. He mixes trap beats with traditional Greek folk-music. Black Morris is not a Greek citizen, though, even though he was born there. His parents are immigrants from Ghana, and Greece does not have birthright citizenship. The World's Gerry Hadden brings us the story.

The Women's International Motorcycle Association (WIMA) was founded in the US in 1950. It has since spread to nearly 40 countries and gained more than 6,000 members worldwide. This year, the group is holding its annual international rally in Maine. The World's Bianca Hillier stopped by to find out what motorcycling means to these bikers.

In jungles along the Thai-Myanmar border, people from all over the world are trying to make quick money running online scams. Some people know what they're getting into, but others are duped into thinking they're applying for real jobs. Once they're in one of these nefarious cities, it's very hard to get out. Which is why one man has tried to intercept scammers before their victims go into these places. Patrick Winn reports.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants the United States to take control of Greenland. It was a talking point that started early in his presidency, reigniting passions in Greenland on the topic of independence - not just from the US, but from Denmark. Then-Prime Minister Mute B. Egede said at a press conference earlier this year, We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic." After the dust settled, The World's Carolyn Beeler went to Greenland's capital Nuuk to see how the movement had evolved, and she found a major division, not in whether to become independent, but how fast, and if the island is ready.

In the months following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the US government established a special military prison for "illegal enemy combatants" at Guantanamo Bay, in Cuba. Since then, hundreds of terrorism suspects have been held in detention there. Former President Barack Obama - and, after him, President Joe Biden - pledged to close the facility. But that never happened. During his first term, President Donald Trump signed an order to keep the military prison open indefinitely. Host Marco Werman speaks with Carol Rosenberg of the New York Times from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, about where things stand now.

Last night, more than a dozen Russian drones flew into Poland's airspace and at least four of them were shot down by Polish and allied NATO aircraft. While the incident drew condemnation - including from Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who said the country was now "closer to conflict than at any time since World War II" - the Kremlin has not confirmed or denied that the drones were Russian. To learn more, The World's Host Marco Werman spoke to Philip Bednarczyk, head of The German Marshall Fund's Warsaw Office.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman bring us three other big stories happening around the world today.

Divers have successfully removed a single, abandoned fishing net from a marine-protected area off the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico. It's one of the largest pieces of so-called "ghost gear" ever recorded, stretching about 300 feet; it took 17 divers 3 days to remove it from the sea. The World's Host Marco Werman spoke with lead diver Edgardo Ochoa about the effort, the impact of "ghost gear" and what solutions exist to reduce the problem.

The late Francis Bebey was a musical innovator from Cameroon who used the sounds of the natural world in his music, long before other artists were similarly inspired. Bebey's seminal album was "Tresor Magnetique." Now, that album has been remixed by a new generation of artists. Host Marco Werman speaks to Patrick Bebey, one of the musical pioneer's sons.

On two sides of the border bridge linking Calais (Callous), Maine, and St. Stephen, New Brunswick, residents are seething. Free trade between the two towns has been going on for decades. But that's up in the air with the new tariffs levied by the Trump administration. Despite the frustrations, both towns have agreed to put aside their country's disagreements and to "hug it out." Ari Snider reports from Maine.

Havana was once an outpost for the American mafia - a playground where organized crime families bought off local officials, raked in cash from drugs and gambling, and generally did as they pleased. Today, Chinese crime syndicates have set up their pseudo-colonies in parts Myanmar and are as big as small cities, housing casinos, brothels and, most-notoriously, scam compounds. Patrick Winn reports.

Caring for a newborn can be overwhelming for many new parents. Babies don't come with a manual, and the lack of sleep doesn't help. Home-Start UK offers help by sending trained volunteers into the homes of new families for whatever support they need. The World's Bianca Hillier has the story.This story originally aired on Feb. 13, 2023.

Nepal's prime minister resigned after 22 people were killed over two days of protests. Anti-corruption demonstrations escalated in Nepal's capital Kathmandu today, as government buildings were set ablaze. The unrest was sparked by a social media ban, which has now been reversed by the government. The protests have grown into a wider anti-corruption movement that took to the streets on Monday. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler explain.

Loose Ends is an organization started by two friends, Masey Kaplan and Jen Simonic. They match up a growing roster of volunteer knitters with holders of unfinished projects. The World's Sarah Birnbaum shares the stories of kindness and generosity between strangers.This story originally aired in April 2023.

Warda Al-Jazairia was fondly known as "The Algerian Rose," with many fans simply calling her Warda. She was a a household name throughout the Arab world with a long, successful career. Now, a vinyl reissue of a concert she gave in 1975 is giving us the chance to look back at her success. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have more.

The United States is one of the biggest importers of shrimp from India. Now that the Trump administration's whopping 50% tariff on Indian goods coming into the US has gone into effect, shrimp farmers in India are among those bracing for a hit. As Namrata Kolachalam reports, India could now lose its place as the top exporter of shrimp to the US.

An international team of scientists is exploring a vast source of drinking water deep under the sea floor off the coast of Massachusetts. As water scarcity increases, the team believes undersea aquifers could be a helpful source. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler spoke to Brandon Dugan, a chief scientist on the expedition. He's a geophysicist at the Colorado School of Mines.

The "Irish spice bag" has become a staple of late-night Chinese takeout in Ireland - so much so that it was added to the Oxford Dictionary this year. But it's still hard to find in the United States. One Minnesota restaurant, however, is starting to change that. O'Shaughnessy Distilling Co. in Minneapolis has added the spice bag to its menu, and the response has been so positive that it added the special appetizer to the full-time menu. Jacob Aloi reports.

In the mountains of northern Mexico, hidden fentanyl and methamphetamine labs are leaving behind something just as dangerous as the drug itself - chemical waste dumped into rivers, forests and farmland. The World's Tibisay Zea reports from Sinaloa about the environmental cost of synthetic drug production.

The detention of more than 300 South Korean nationals at a car battery plant near Savannah, Georgia, last week came as a complete surprise to many in South Korea. The workers were rounded up at a factory owned by the Hyundai Motor Company, one of the biggest conglomerates in South Korea. President Lee Jae-myung said he hopes this sort of thing never happens again. The World's Matthew Bell reports.

The import of solar power technology from China to Africa has surged over the past year. Yet the continent still only produces about 1% of the world's total renewable output, despite being home to vast amounts of renewable resources. This is the backdrop of this week's Africa Climate Summit, ongoing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where national leaders are calling for more global investment. The World's Host Marco Werman spoke with Abay Yimere, a scholar of climate action in Africa and an advisor for the summit, about the state of renewable progress in African countries.

Israel today attacked an apartment in Doha, Qatar, where the top leaders of Hamas were meeting to discuss a US ceasefire proposal. Israel quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, and said it had notified the Trump administration ahead of the strikes, which the White House called an unfortunate incident" that did not advance peace in the region. The World's Shirin Jaafari spoke with Host Marco Werman.

In a conflict where choosing one side feels like the only option, Palestinian-Israeli actor Yousef Sweid dives into the chaos of identity, truth and family life in "Between the River and the Sea." Raised as a Christian-Arab kid in Haifa, now raising two Jewish-Arab kids in Berlin, he unpacks his "in-between-ness" in a new Berlin show that's playing to sold-out crowds. Rebecca Rosman has the story.

At least 17 people have died in Nepal's capital Kathmandu after clashes with police. Tens of thousands took to the streets across the country to protest a government ban on dozens of social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Host Marco Werman spoke to Rajneesh Bhandari, who was at the scene of the protests earlier today.

When man-made structures like highways and train tracks block animals' paths, they have a consequential decision to make: Do they try to cross and risk getting hit? Or are they forced to stay in their location, away from access to food and environments they need to survive? For decades, ecologists across the globe have argued that wildlife crossings are crucial in eliminating this dilemma. The World's Bianca Hillier looks into the history of these crossing structures and how they're increasingly necessary today.

It's called Akira Comics and, among it 60,000 volumes, you'll find everything from the Japanese manga style that inspired its name to fantasy literature to classic Marvel superheroes. But Akira is more than just shopping. Its decor is designed to transport clients to fantasy realms, from "The Lord of the Rings" to "Star Wars" to medieval Europe. The World's Gerry Hadden takes us on a tour of Akira, on Madrid's north side.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman give updates on global stories we've been following.

Hours before two Palestinian men killed at least six people in Jerusalem, US President Donald Trump had issued an ultimatum for Hamas, saying that the group must accept a deal put forward by the US and agreed to by Israel. There will not be another warning," Trump said on social media. The deal would require the release of all hostages by Hamas in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinians it holds. The World's Shirin Jaafari speaks with Host Carolyn Beeler about the latest.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will be inaugurated this Tuesday. Damming the Blue Nile, which flows from Ethiopia into Sudan and Egypt, creates the largest hydropower plant in Africa, and the eighth largest in the world. But the GERD has also caused mounting tensions with its downstream neighbors, Egypt and Sudan. The World's Host Marco Werman spoke with political scientist Hana Attia about the unresolved issues surrounding the GERD.

An Italian designer and an American gigolo: The genius of the recently late-Giorgio Armani would have been discovered without the silver screen, but his fashions appearing as they did on Richard Gere in the title role of the 1980 movie "American Gigolo" certainly helped. It accelerated the adoption of Armani's elegant but cool, relaxed style in Hollywood and beyond. Co-hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have an appreciation.

India is in the midst of a massive campaign to curb a growing population of feral dogs because the animals spread rabies. But while dogs play a role in the disease's spread, the problem actually goes back to the decline in the country's vulture population. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler spoke with Chris Bowden from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds about this link between vultures, dogs and human health.

Aid workers have finally reached the mountain village in Sudan that was devastated by a landslide last Sunday. Hundreds are said to have been killed, yet there's no official number. According to the BBC, aid workers used donkeys with supplies of food and medicine to reach Tarseen. Host Carolyn Beeler has more.

For centuries, a bronze statue of the "Lion of St. Mark" has stood watch atop a column in the heart of Venice. The distinctive winged lion has been a symbol of the Italian city, though there's been much debate about its origins. Researchers from the University of Padua have now determined that the lion is in fact from China. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler spoke to Massimo Vidale, who co-authored the study, to find out more details on their conclusion.

Jamaican voters handed Prime Minister Andrew Holness a third term in office on Thursday. While he has earned praise for dramatically lowering the country's homicide rate with a tough-on-crime approach, analyst Rosalea Hamilton told The World's Host Carolyn Beeler that critics are concerned about the populist politician's track record on civil liberties and the economy. Hamilton is the founding director of Jamaica's Institute of Law & Economics in Kingston, Jamaica.

The Trump administration has cut or delayed funding for programs that helped Iranians evade government censorship and internet blackouts. Now, the future of these programs are in limbo.

Amanda Anisimova has been on a revenge tour at this year's US Open after a disastrous end to Wimbledon earlier this summer. Now, she has the chance to clinch the trophy. She just has to beat the defending champion and World #1, Aryna Sabalenka, to do so. The World's Bianca Hillier reports.

Germany's new gender self-determination law is sparking political debate after a convicted neo-Nazi changed their legal gender and demanded to serve their prison sentence in a women's facility. The law, introduced late last year, was designed to make it easier for trans and non-binary people to change their legal gender and name. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry has more.

When Chinese Leader Xi Jinping strode into Tiananmen Square for this week's massive military parade in Beijing, he arrived with Russian President Vladimir Putin on his right and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un on his left. This was just one of many wins for Kim, who wants to be accepted on the international stage as the leader of a normal country, instead of a global pariah. The World's Matthew Bell reports.

In one of Sao Paulo's largest favelas, winding alleys and the absence of formal addresses long kept postal workers and online shopping out. During the pandemic, residents launched their own solution: Favela Brasil Xpress, a community-run delivery service that now handles more than 1,600 packages a day. The project has spurred new jobs, drawn in Brazil's postal service, and even inspired a Google mapping initiative to put the favela on the grid. The World's Tibisay Zea reports from the tangled streets of Paraisopolis.