The World: Latest Stories

Not running while playing soccer is harder than it seems. But it's easier on the knees, making it a boon for the over-50's who still love the "beautiful game" but can no longer play the physically challenging sport. Last October, The World's Gerry Hadden in Barcelona, Spain, reported on a new, slower version of the game.This story originally aired on Oct. 13, 2023.

The Biden administration is flooding the zone in the Middle East with high-level diplomats ahead of a key meeting on Thursday. Getting a ceasefire for Gaza is the immediate goal. But this is also about bringing down the temperature in a region that's on edge after Israel assassinated two top leaders from Hezbollah and Hamas. Israel has been anxiously waiting to see what sort of retaliation Iran and its regional proxies might unleash against the Jewish state. The US wants to prevent a wider regional war as The World's Matthew Bell reports.

US quarters depicting Cuban American singer Celia Cruz have been released and are now in circulation. The image is of her face, microphone in hand singing. Cruz died in 2003. The World's Marco Werman brings us the story.

The British prime minister has vowed to come down hard on rioters involved in violent, far-right protests in the UK last week. Some offenders have already been sentenced to time in prison. But British prisons are already at 99% capacity, and many are dangerously overcrowded. The World's Europe correspondent Orla Barry explores if the government can get tough on violent protesters when its jails are overflowing.

In 2020, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani signed the Doha Agreement. It was an agreement that would hopefully bring peace to Afghanistan. Ali Latifi is a journalist born in Kabul and raised in California. He saw the signing ceremony on TV as President Ghani took the stage along with leaders of the Taliban and the US. He went back to Afghanistan, as a journalist, in 2001. Latifi tells Jenn Williams, host of "The Negotiators" podcast, how he remained skeptical of the agreement.

Last Friday, a young female doctor was raped and murdered at a hospital in Kolkata, India. The doctor was resting following her shift at the hospital. Now, there's outrage in India following the incident with tens of thousand expected to march on Wednesday. Host Marco Werman speaks with Dr. Rimy Day about the violence that women experience at public and private hospitals in India.

In Italy, even though the beaches are public property, the government rents out stretches of beach to beach club operators. And those licenses are handed down from father to son for generations, creating monopolies. The EU has decided to get involved. It says that this practice violates a competition clause. And now, it is forcing the beach club licenses to be reallocated through a fair bidding process. The operators are not happy, as The World's Sarah Birnbaum reports.

A powerful workers union behind a strike at Chile's Escondida mine, which produced nearly 5% of the world's copper in 2023, is looking to snarl production at the site as it pushes for a bigger share of the profits. Host Marco Werman speaks with Dusan Paredes, economics professor at Universidad Catolica del Norte in Antofagasta, Chile, about the miners' demands and the potential impact on the price of copper.

German authorities issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian national named Volodymyr Z. His last name is protected by Germany privacy law, but he's a suspect in the explosions that destroyed the natural gas pipeline running beneath the Baltic Sea. Olga Khakova explains stakes of this enduring mystery.

Guerilla artist Banksy has created new bold artworks on buildings in neighborhoods around London each day for more than a week. Host Marco Werman describes the menagerie of wild animal art, from pelicans eating fish atop a restaurant storefront to the latest eye-fooling image - a gorilla, painted upon a metal roll-up door, appearing to rip open an entrance to the London Zoo.

For more than 15 months now, the warring generals of Sudan's Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have brought chaos to a country once on the path toward democracy. New attempts at peace talks this week are already floundering. Meanwhile, parts of Darfur are now experiencing famine, according to independent experts. The World's Africa correspondent Halima Gikandi brings us an update.

Two left-leaning nations, Brazil and Nicaragua, have expelled each other's ambassadors. The root of their dispute is the recent contested election in Venezuela. Nicaragua has thrown its weight behind President Nicolas Maduro. That's a step Brazil hasn't taken, at least not yet. Council on Foreign Relations fellow Will Freeman talks with host Marco Werman about the challenges Venezuela's disputed vote poses to some of Venezuela's one-time allies.

It's the most basic number for any government's leaders to know: how many people do they govern? In the South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea, the answer is mysterious. And as the government attempts to count its people, it is learning that not every citizen is eager to be counted. The World's Patrick Winn reports.

Ukraine's president and military are acknowledging their forces have invaded Russia's Kursk region and seized approximately 1,000 square kilometers of territory. Now, Ukrainian military sources say Russia is pulling some units out of eastern Ukraine to defend against the invasion in southern Russia. Host Marco Werman speaks with Wall Street Journal reporter Yaroslav Trofimov about what's happening on the ground inside of Kursk and how Russian officials and citizens are reacting to the incursion.

The IOC and France gained ground in reducing the effects of the Olympics on the environment by building fewer new facilities, foregoing air conditioning and creating a greener Olympics Village. But there's more to be done. Globally, if climate change isn't controlled, the future of the Olympics themselves could be in jeopardy. The World's Gerry Hadden reports.

When the Taliban was dismantled after Sept. 11, 2001, the US outsourced negotiations about the future of Afghanistan to the UN, with clear instructions: get disparate Afghan political groups to agree on an interim government leader and a new constitution as soon as possible. The talks that ensued in Bonn, Germany, laid bare the contradictions, omissions and power dynamics that would ultimately undermine Western efforts to broker true peace in Afghanistan. Reporter Soraya Lennie tells the story on a special season of The Negotiators podcast, which marks the three-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul.

A growing number of migrants and asylum-seekers fleeing the authoritarian government in Venezuela, extortionists in Colombia, and drug cartels in Mexico are finding themselves in homeless encampments in San Diego. Immigration advocates warned this would happen when Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began releasing people into the streets last year, and when the county's temporary migrant transit center closed due to lack of funding. From KPBS in San Diego, Gustavo Solis reports.

Nashville has the largest Kurdish population of any city in the United States, and most are from the Iraqi region of Kurdistan. They arrived in waves starting in the 1970s, and later in the 1980s and 1990s after Saddam Hussein's genocidal campaigns. Since the coronavirus pandemic, there's been an uptick in Kurds coming to the United States from Turkey. And many end up in Nashville, where they know there's already a large community. WPLN's Rose Gilbert reports on how they are influencing the city's world-famous music scene.

Paris hosted the closing ceremony for the Paris Olympics over the weekend, but some of the biggest stories from the Games continue to develop. The World's Bianca Hillier shares the latest with host Marco Werman.

Access to Instagram was restored to people in Turkey over the weekend, about a week after the government blocked the app. Turkey's transportation and infrastructure minister claimed that Instagram promised to ban the accounts of Kurdish groups that Turkey considers to be terrorist organizations. Host Marco Werman has more.

The beachside community of Samanda was devastated by last year's earthquakes in southern Turkey, which killed roughly 60,000 people. Today, a small surf center introduces local teenagers to the sport - and a way to process trauma while facing fear. The World's Durrie Bouscaren reports from Hatay.

A revolutionary war is raging across Myanmar, forcing the country's military regime out of towns and cities at astonishing speed. Resistance forces say they're fighting to liberate Myanmar. They intend to rebuild it into a freer place with less oppression. But one of the country's ethnic minorities, the Rohingya - a Muslim group - is reportedly under fire from one of the country's resistance groups. The World's Patrick Winn reports.

Violent protests among far-right groups rocked the UK after three girls were fatally stabbed in the town of Southport two weeks ago. The killings were falsely blamed on a Muslim immigrant. The messaging platform, Telegram, had one 15,000 member group devoted to protesting and now authorities are wondering whether Telegram's moderation is too permissive. Darren Loucaides has reported on Telegram for Wired and is covering its role in the riots in the UK.

On Sunday, wildfires broke out in Greece, north of the capital Athens. Thousands of people have been evacuated from residential areas near the flames. In response, Greece's government has deployed hundreds of firefighters and more than two dozen water-dropping planes. Host Marco Werman speaks with Greek reporter Daphne Tolis about the situation on the ground.

A filmmaker from Ventura County has turned the real-life tale of a cargo ship which was attacked by a German battleship into a compelling audio movie starring Hollywood A-Listers. As KCLU's Caroline Feraday reports, it's now one of the most-popular podcasts in the country.

The International Olympic Committee said today that more than half of the world's population is expected to watch this year's Olympic Games before they end on Sunday. The World's Bianca Hillier shares the latest news from Team Botswana, and previews this weekend's historic marathon route.

Alarm is growing among health officials about the increasing cases of the Mpox virus across Africa. While Mpox has been endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo for decades, several nearby countries have recorded their first-ever cases in recent months. The World Health Organization is set to deliberate on whether the recent wave of outbreaks amounts to an international public health emergency. The World's Africa Correspondent Halima Gikandi reports from Kenya.

The UK has fined its water companies more than $200 million for releasing raw sewage into rivers and waterways. It marks a new effort to tackle a decades-long problem of water pollution. Leo Hornak reports on how the British are trying to address it.

Russian strikes in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region have killed 11 people and injured 37 others. It comes as Ukraine's incursion into Russian territory continues into its fourth day, with Russia declaring a state of emergency in its Khersk region. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with John Nagl, professor of warfighting studies at the US Army War College, about the logic behind Ukraine's incursion into Russian territory and how this can be understood by Ukraine's allies.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is ramping up a censorship campaign after a presidential election was widely condemned as fraudulent. But inside Venezuela, local journalists are finding creative ways to bypass censorship and deliver independent news to their communities. The World's Tibisay Zea reports from the capital of Caracas.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Perseid meteor shower will hit its peak on Sunday and Monday. It's caused by the Earth orbiting through the tail of a comet. The debris in the tail crashes through the Earth's atmosphere and makes the meteors you see - if you can see them at all. Dark skies are getting harder to find. But some places are now trying to protect their dark nighttime skies. Bjarne Sorenson helped create a dark sky preserve in Denmark. He joins The World's Host Carolyn Beeler for a conversation about light pollution, and growing efforts to fight it.

A museum in the southern French city of Marseille is encouraging visitors to enjoy art au naturel. That is to say, without clothes on. The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations' latest exhibition is devoted to living naked" and charts the history of nudism over the last century. The World's Sarah Birnbaum asks art professionals to make the case for nude museum-going.

The Olympics are coming to a close this weekend. But that's not the only big international sporting event. There's a World Cup soccer tournament too - though it may not be the one you're thinking of. GBH's Sam Turken explains.

This week, close calls have led to medals being awarded, then revoked when, on further review, athletes have lost spots they thought they'd secured on the podium. Host Marco Werman takes stock of change-ups in gymnastics and track.

Bagpipes blaring across a lush green rural landscape are typically associated with the Scottish Highlands. But it's in rural Bulgaria that thousands of bagpipe enthusiasts gather for the annual bagpipe festival in the village of Gera. Bagpipes date back hundreds of years in Bulgaria, particularly in the country's stunning Rhodope Mountains. Reporter Jamie Fullerton has the story.

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek tells host Marco Werman about his walk through India's northeastern region, where he traced the steps of Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the Buddha. He also regales us with tales of a brickyard, where laborers make building blocks for 21st-century India, and a village where people make everything out of bamboo.

Security forces in Venezuela are going door-to-door to round up opposition activists as part of a government crackdown called Operation knock-knock." Venezuela's opposition party insists it won last month's election, contradicting President Nicolas Maduro, who has declared victory. Alfredo Romero, head of the human rights organization Foro Penal in Caracas, discusses the situation with The World's Host Marco Werman.

In coming weeks, the World Health Organization says it will send more than a million polio vaccines to Gaza, with the goal of vaccinating 600,000 children under 8 years old. The World's Host Marco Werman has more.

Standing on a stage, flanked by flags and military officers, Muhummad Yunus was sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government today. Yunus is a Nobel laureate and he had popular support from student protesters and others who forced out former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier this week. Host Marco Werman has more.

Instagram has gone dark in Turkey - after the Turkish government unexpectedly blocked the app late last week. The move does not bode well for a community of small, Instagram-based businesses in Turkey. The World's Durrie Bouscaren reports.

Ex-Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has been in exile in Belgium for much of the last seven years after staging an illegal vote putting separation from Spain on the ballot. The independence leader came back this morning with a message: "I'm still relevant." Then he vanished again, sparking a nation-wide manhunt. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Catalonia, Spain.

Each year in Japan, commemoration ceremonies are held to mark the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This year, the US ambassador to Japan will not be attending. The US embassy says Ambassador Rahm Emmanuel will skip the ceremony on Friday because the event has been politicized" by a decision to exclude Israel. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have more.

Thailand's progressive political party is no more. Courts ordered Move Forward, one of the country's most popular parties, to disband. Its leaders are also barred from politics for 10 years, striking a heavy blow to Thailand's youthful reform movement. The World's Patrick Winn reports from Bangkok.

Olympic soccer has been filled with nail-biters and drama, in both the men's and women's competitions. As the finals draw near, the best remaining teams fight for a chance to reach the high podium. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Marseille, France, where some of the matches are taking place.

China is one of the biggest sources of precursor chemicals used by Mexican cartels to make fentanyl. Much of that synthetic opioid ends up in the US, and fentanyl overdoses are currently the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. Now, Beijing has agreed to step up control of the production of some of those chemicals. Host Marco Werman gets analysis from Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Russia has reported Ukrainian troop movements into the southern Russian territory of Khersk. It marks a significant shift in strategy for Ukraine following a failed counteroffensive earlier this spring and loss of territory recently to Russia. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Alina Polyakova, President and CEO of Center for European Policy Analysis, about what these military movements mean for Ukraine and what leverage both sides are trying to gain prior to any potential peace talks to end the war.

Violence against women has reached "epidemic levels" in England and Wales and needs to be treated as a national emergency, according to UK police chiefs. More than 1 million violent crimes against women and girls were recorded by British police between 2022 and 2023. But women's rights groups say those figures only tell half the story. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry has more. And a listener warning: This story contains descriptions of violence.

Young musicians from South America, Africa, Europe and the Middle East have convened at New York City's Carnegie Hall for World Orchestra Week. Jeff Lunden has the story.

DJ and producer Hilder Brando is KillaBeatMaker. He's been at it for the past 25 years, searching for musicians to join his collective. He says the current incarnation of the group is what he's been looking for all along. KillaBeatMaker's latest album is called "Inga.'"

Hamas has a new leader, Yahya Sinwar. The longtime Hamas official is said to be one of the main planners of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with Harel Chorev, a senior researcher at the Moshe Dayan Centre for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, about what Sinwar's leadership means for the prospect of a ceasefire agreement.