The World: Latest Stories

Pads and tampons are prohibitively expensive in Pakistan, where the taxes and duties on the products can be up to 40% of the cost. They are even excluded from the list of essential goods that are exempt from taxes, such as milk and cheese. Mahnoor Omer is a lawyer taking the government to court over the taxes. She speaks with The World's Host Carolyn Beeler from Islamabad.

In Yemen, the forces of The Transitional Council said they were moving to take yet another southern province this week. In a civil war that has dragged on for over a decade, the separatist faction backed by the United Arab Emirates has seized much of Yemen's south, and has defied Saudi Arabia-led efforts to deescalate. Host Marco Werman learns more from Abdulghani Al-Iryani. He's a senior researcher with the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies.

Skate Canada, the national governing body for figure skating in the country, says it will no longer hold major events in Alberta, after the province passed legislation banning transgender athletes in women's sports. "Skate Canada has determined that we are unable to host events in the province while maintaining our national standards for safe and inclusive sport," it said in a statement. Alberta officials criticized the decision, saying they support the province's "Fairness and Safety in Sport Act," also known as Bill 29, which came into effect on Sept. 1. The legislation permits only athletes assigned female at birth to compete in women's sports.

Some people go to thrift stores primarily to find a good deal. Other people go to find older, vintage items they wouldn't find anywhere else. But there's no way anyone expected to find something quite this old at Thrifty Boutique in Chilliwack, British Columbia, about 60 miles outside of Vancouver in Canada. The World's Bianca Hillier reports on the possibly ancient artifacts.

EU-US relations remain tense after Washington's new national security strategy slammed the European Union's migration policies, warning that the bloc risks civilizational erasure." Most European leaders dismissed the critique. One warning, though, did strike a chord with some in the EU: that excessive regulation is holding back the bloc's economy. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry has more.

Most of the population in Gaza is living in tents, because most buildings in the Palestinian enclave were damaged or destroyed during two years of war with Israel. In recent days, powerful winds and heavy rains have damaged tent encampments and brought some severe flooding. Several buildings have collapsed. One baby froze to death. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have the details.

The 1994 sinking of the ferry Estonia is up there with the Titanic as one of the worst maritime disasters in history. This week, a Swedish-Estonian-Finnish investigative team said the shipwreck, which led to the deaths of more than 800 people, was caused by a structural failure. Their report is a bid to put to rest 30 years of controversy surrounding the cause of the sinking, as Kristjan Tabri tells Host Marco Werman. He's a professor of marine technology at the Tallinn University of Technology.

Lighthouse Reports stumbled on a new, secret software being used to track people all over the world. It is easy to understand why some of them were being surveilled - journalists, politicians, the rich and famous. But sometimes, the software has been used by individuals to track and harass random people. REVEAL's Michael Montgomery has the second story in our three-part series.

Prosecutors in Serbia have charged a government minister there with abuse of office and falsifying of documents, in an apparent attempt to pave the way for a real estate project. That high-rise development is meant to be financed by a company linked to Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler explain the charges, and the connections.

The European Union's ambitious plans to pivot to electric vehicles may be unraveling. Brussels has announced it will backtrack on its 2035 combustion engine ban, and allow carmakers to continue producing a small number of petrol and diesel vehicles. Ilaria Mazzocco, a senior fellow focusing on energy and sustainability at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), talks with Host Carolyn Beeler about the decision and the future of the global EV market.

Two US service members were killed in an attack in Syria over the weekend. This is the first time American forces have been killed in the country since the new government took control a year ago. President Donald Trump said the attacker was an ISIS member. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports that the news has raised questions about the future of American forces in Syria.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman review global headlines flying just under the radar.

Baker and writer Laurel Kratochvila says that when it comes to Polish baking, it's best when the food is "good, good, not too sweet." That phrase inspired the title of her new cookbook, "Dobre Dobre: Baking from Poland and Beyond." Kratochvila spoke to host Carolyn Beeler earlier in the fall.This story originally aired on Oct. 23, 2025.

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai has been found guilty on charges of conspiracy after a lengthy trial widely viewed as a sham. Lai has been in detention for over five years already, during which time his health has drastically declined. He now awaits sentencing. Host Carolyn Beeler has more.

Since the 16th century, people have interpreted fortunes in the dregs of Turkish coffee. But a new generation is making the practice their own. The World's Durrie Bouscaren brought us the story from Istanbul.This story originally aired on Oct. 11, 2024.

A company called First WAP makes sophisticated phone-tracking software capable of pinpointing any person in the world. The company behind the technology has tried to remain unknown. But an investigation by the radio program REVEAL along with Lighthouse Reports, found that First WAP is quietly selling this surveillance capability to companies, individuals - even the Vatican. REVEAL's Michael Montgomery has the story.

Chileans have elected their most right-wing leader since the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet ended in 1990. Jose Antonio Kast won a runoff election with more than 58% of the vote. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Rossana Castiglioni, political scientist at Diego Portales University.

Australia's Jewish community is reeling from a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach. Reporter Daniel Lo Surdo of the Sydney Morning Herald has been covering the story from the scene of the massacre. He speaks with The World's Host Carolyn Beeler about calls for updates to gun laws, as well as rising extremism in Australia.

Rokia Kone recorded the song N'yanyan in one take, on a night when the world around her was in upheaval. It was August of 2020, and there was a coup d'etat in Mali. She found solace in the words, "Things may be bad now, but it's only a moment in time." Host Carolyn Beeler has more.This story originally aired on Nov. 29, 2021.

Abandoned parts of rural Spain now have a musical champion: an up-tempo trio called The Leeches of Guadiana. The young musicians sing the praises of small-town life, and call for its revival. As The World's Gerry Hadden reports, the band has packed village festivals and big plazas this year.

Host Carolyn Beeler wraps up the with the music of Icelandic wunderkind Gabriel Olafs and a composition that reflects the deeply calming side of his music.This story originally aired on Aug. 5, 2022

This week marked one year since the fall of the Assad regime and the end of the Syrian Civil War. To understand how things are going - and where things are headed - we turn to Amr Al-Azm. He's a Syrian historian at Shawnee University. When we spoke to him last year, there was an overwhelming sense that, finally, the war was over. Today, he joined the show from Doha, Qatar.

Across the UK and Europe, thousands of aging landfills are at risk of leaking toxic waste. That's in part due to climatedriven flooding and erosion. A joint investigation by a UK-based environmental journalism nonprofit, Watershed Investigations, and Investigate Europe mapped more than 60,000 sites and found that 30% lie within flood zones. Watershed's Leana Hosea has the story.

FIFPRO, the union representing professional soccer players around the world, released a report today emphasizing the need for better investment in women's soccer, plus more mandatory rest periods in the annual schedule. The report says that "a two-speed industry is continuing to emerge in women's professional [soccer] with widely contrasting levels of workload for players across the industry." The World's Bianca Hillier has the details.

This week, the Trump Administration announced sanctions against Colombians involved in hiring out mercenaries to the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group fueling Sudan's civil war that the US says is involved in genocide. But this isn't the first time Colombian soldiers for hire have cropped up in a conflict zone. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler learned more from Elizabeth Dickinson, deputy director for Latin America with the Crisis Group, who's based in Bogota.

From September to October this year, law enforcement agencies around the world seized a record number of illegally traded live animals and bushmeat. That's according to Interpol, which led the sting known as Operation Thunder 2025. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Christian Plowman, program manager at the the International Fund for Animal Welfare's department of wildlife cybercrime.

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya was the head of the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza. Despite repeated orders from the Israeli army, he refused to leave his patients and evacuate. Last December, Israeli tanks surrounded the hospital and forced him and his staff to come out. They did, and the doctor was arrested and taken away. A year on, Abu Safiya remains in Israeli detention without being formally charged. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports about the fate of the last doctor in northern Gaza.

Paul Salopek is a National Geographic explorer retracing the path of human migration. More specifically, the scientific community's best guess for the likely path of early human migration. While walking through China, he visited the Academy of Sciences and met with paleo-anthropologists there, who shared their discoveries that cast some doubt on some popular theories of human evolution. He joins Host Carolyn Beeler to share what he learned.

Artist Kirstie Macleod is the mastermind behind a massive piece of art that took 14 years and 380 people to create. It's called, simply: The Red Dress project. While the dress is made of burgundy silk, artists around the world have embroidered their own unique, colorful designs onto it to show off their cultures and countries. The World's Bianca Hillier reports on what the dress means to the people involved.

For generations, wool was a trusty European staple. But with the rise - and rise - of cheap synthetic materials, wool's being pushed out. The knock-on effect has been that wool's gone from being a valuable resource to a waste by-product for cheese and meat-producing sheep farmers. Reporter Dany Mitzman from our partners at Deutsche Welle, DW, has the story.

Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves, but production has collapsed in recent years due to corruption, under-investment and mismanagement. Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin America Energy Program at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, discusses the future of the troubled industry in Venezuela with The World's Host Carolyn Beeler.

Spanish police arrested three men in November, after months of surveillance alongside Europol counterterrorism agents. The suspects are accused of plotting an imminent terrorist attack, and of belonging to a terrorist organization known as The Base, which started in the US in 2018. The group seeks societal collapse through violence, then to establish white-dominated ethnostates. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

At the end of last month, Quebec's provincial government introduced a bill that aims to expand it's authority to restrict religious expression in public. It would ban group prayer in public spaces like parks, stop public institutions from serving only halal or kosher foods and prevent universities from providing prayer rooms and interfaith spaces for religious students. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks to Haseeb Hassaan from the National Council of Canadian Muslims to hear more about this law and why it was introduced.

Construction plans for plants intended to create "green hydrogen" - hydrogen fuel made from renewable electricity - are being canceled in countries around the world. The technology has been hyped as a method of decarbonizing industries with persistent emissions, but it also comes at a high price point. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Morgan Rote, senior director at the Environmental Defense Fund, to learn more.

Last month, gunmen stormed a school in Papiri, Nigeria, kidnapping more than 300 students and staff. About 100 of the children were released over the weekend and some are now being welcomed home by their parents. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have the details.

A federally-funded program has long made free legal counsel available to unaccompanied immigrant children seeking asylum in the US. But the Trump administration slashed funding for the program earlier this year. The money has since been restored. As Alisa Reznick of KJZZ's Fronteras Desk explains, the system is still hurting from the lapse.

In India, mangoes are known as the "king of fruits." But as wars disrupt trade routes, and flooding in fields leads to mushy mangoes, the country's farmers are trying to innovate, and fast. Reporter Namrata Kolachalam went to fields and factories in and around the city of Chitoor to see for herself.

The Chinese ultra-fast-fashion retailer Shein has recently taken up residence on the sixth floor of Paris' historic BHV department store. Despite the fanfare, the first brick-and-mortar location of the global fast-fashion giant has gotten a lot of criticism, ranging from outrage over the company's recent scandals to the idea that fast fashion doesn't belong in the iconic Parisian store. John Laurenson brings us the story from Paris.

China is adding new restrictions on 13 chemicals that are used to make the synthetic opioid behind most overdose deaths in the United States. The move stems from a recent Trump-Xi agreement and is meant to curb the flow of precursors from China to Mexico, where cartels produce most of the illegal fentanyl entering the US. But experts say the impact may be limited: Traffickers adapt quickly, many ingredients remain unregulated and new suppliers - like India - could easily step in. The World's Tibisay Zea reports from Mexico City.

A sperm donor whose genetic material was used to conceive nearly 200 children in at least 14 European countries didn't know he carried a mutation that increases the risk of cancer. Deutsche Welle, DW, investigative journalist Naomi Conrad joined Host Carolyn Beeler to discuss the obligations sperm banks have when genetic abnormalities are discovered.

For more than a year, student-led protests over government corruption and negligence have shaken Serbia. Protesters often gather in central Belgrade, at the bombed-out former headquarters of the Yugoslav Army. The building, which was struck by NATO in 1999, is regarded by many Serbs as a memorial to the dead. Now, the site is slated for a dramatic transformation under a deal struck between the government and a company owned by Jared Kushner, son-in-law to US President Donald Trump. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry reports.

Maria Corina Machado came out of hiding in Venezuela to accept the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. But the secret operation to sneak her out of the country safely by boat didn't get her there in time, and her daughter accepted the award in her place. The World's Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have more.

In Iraq, 2025 has been the driest year on record since 1933. Water storage levels have dropped dramatically. Politicians blame climate change, but there are other factors at play, as well. Durrie Bouscaren reports from the Al-Diwaniyah region of Iraq.

Even as the US slaps hefty tariffs on Chinese goods, the country's trade surplus is on the rise. Eswar Prasad, an economist who specializes in trade policy at Cornell University joined Host Marco Werman to shed light on what's driving the trend, and what it means for the global economy.

In the US, President Donald Trump shut the door to asylum seekers on his first day in office. Since then, many previously hoping for protection in the US have started looking to Mexico as a possible safe haven. But Mexico's asylum system has challenges of its own. Nina Kravinsky of KJZZ's Fronteras Desk brings us this installment of our Chasing Asylum series, from the Mexico-Arizona border.

Zahili Zamora was born and raised in the Cuban port city of Manzanillo, but her music has taken her to Canada, Southeast Asia and now the United States, where she's recently become a citizen. Her Cuban heritage and status as an immigrant inspired her new album: "Overcoming." Zamora recently joined Host Carolyn Beeler to share her music and her story.

Lenacapavir is one of the latest HIV-prevention drugs that health experts are looking to, in the effort to end the HIV epidemic. Reporter Leah Kahunde Ndung'u examines what Lenacapavir's rollout could mean for Uganda - one of two trial countries in Africa.

Last week, US President Donald Trump unexpectedly pardoned Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was serving a 45-year sentence for cocaine trafficking. Hernandez walked out of federal prison in the US. But the attorney general in Honduras has now ordered authorities there to arrest him. Back home, Hernandez is facing allegations of fraud and money laundering. His lawyer says the charges are "completely baseless." For now, though, Juan Orlando Hernandez is not taking any chances. He's in hiding, and his whereabouts are unknown.

In the Netherlands, a character known as Zwarte Piet has traditionally appeared alongside Sinterklaus - Dutch Santa Claus - as a "helper." He shows up at parades and Christmas parties - in Blackface. Activists like Jerry Afriyie say the character normalizes and promotes racism in the country. His anti-racism organization is now ending its 15-year campaign to "Kick Out Zwarte Piet." Joining the show from Amsterdam, Afriyie explains the decision.

Move over Vancouver - Buenos Aires may have snagged this honor from you: the largest-ever gathering of golden retrievers. Volunteers recorded 2,397 golden retrievers in attendance at a park in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Monday. If confirmed, that demolishes Vancouver's effort last year, with just under 1,700 floofy pups. Host Marco Werman breaks out a lint roller to share the details.