The World: Latest Stories

Brazil is still the largest Catholic country in the world, but Protestant evangelicals are a fast-growing segment of the population. And they’re making their presence felt politically.

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen speaks to The World's host Marco Werman about a renewed call by himself and other Senate Democrats for a full inquiry into the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh earlier this year.

Two presidents are battling for power in Sunday’s elections. Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is hoping to unseat current far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

Brazilians will vote in presidential elections on Sunday. They will also vote for a host of other government officials. This year, more Indigenous people, women and Black candidates are running for office than ever before.

The mapping app Gershad, launched in 2016, allows people in Iran — primarily women — to mark the location of the country's morality police so that others can avoid them. Human rights activist and app co-founder Firuzeh Mahmoudi joined The World's host Marco Werman to talk about the app amid current protests.

China started investing in new electric vehicles years ago. This year, about 25% of new cars sold there are electric. They're gaining in popularity, especially among the younger generation.

Robert Malley, the US special envoy for Iran, joined The World's host Marco Werman from Washington to discuss how the Biden administration views the current protests and what this could all mean for efforts to secure a nuclear deal with Iran.

The five-day Durga Puja festival brings the city of Kolkata, India, to a standstill as throngs of people visit elaborate temples to the Goddess Durga that spring up everywhere.

Banks in Lebanon have partially reopened this week after the government had ordered them to be shut down. The closures were prompted by a spate of bank heists conducted by people whose savings have been stuck in banking system.

"Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands," a graphic novel by Kate Beaton, from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, tells the story of leaving home and joining thousands of others to work in the oil sands of Alberta, Canada. Beaton joined The World's host Marco Werman to talk about her experience.

In Spain, some 20,000 unclaimed suitcases now sit in airport warehouses. Envera, a nonprofit group, has found a way to give the contents of this lost luggage a new home.

Dina Temple-Raston of the "Click Here" podcast spoke with Niko Vorobyov, the Russian author of Dopeworld and Kim Grauer, director of research at Chainalysis and an expert in cryptocurrency economics and crime, about Hydra, its closure in April and who or what is likely to replace it.

Kenyan sprinter Ferdinand Omanyala won the gold medal for the 100-meter sprint at the Commonwealth Games in August — the first time for his country in 60 years. Now, he's hoping to inspire more youth to pursue the sport.

​​​​​​​Spain’s socialist government recently passed a new law greatly expanding the rights and recognition of victims during the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco and the years that followed.

Demand for royal memorabilia has skyrocketed since the queen’s death in the United Kingdom.

The Roma are Hungary’s largest ethnic minority, making up close to 10% of the population. Radio Dikh, a new radio station, aims to change perceptions of the Roma community in Hungary, where they have faced decades of stigma and discrimination.

In late 2019, nearly half a million foreign students in China — mostly from Africa and other parts of Asia — were studying at Chinese universities. Then the pandemic struck, disrupting in-person studies. Nearly 2 1/2 years later, many are still prevented from returning to China.

Bogotá's Care School for Men aims to battle centuries of living in a culture that teaches men to focus on breadwinning instead of caregiving.

Experts say the port will be a new milestone for shipping trade between China and Latin America. But many people in the town of Chancay, where the port will be located, are not happy about it and say their lives will be changed forever.

Taras Topolia is the lead singer of the Antytila band in Ukraine. When the war started, Topolia immediately joined Ukraine's military and served on the front lines, as did some of the other band members. At the same time, Topolia continues to advocate for Ukraine through his music.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist, joined The World's host Marco Werman to assess the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic and reflect briefly on five decades of service in public health.

When Russia first invaded Ukraine, the capital, Kyiv, was under threat. One of Russia’s goals was to force regime change in the heart of the country. That didn’t happen. But the residents of Kyiv are still processing the early days of the war, trying to begin to get back to something like normal daily life.

The queen’s funeral plans were decades in the making as part of what was codenamed “Operation London Bridge.”

This week's General Debate at UN headquarters in New York will draw a room filled with big personalities, protagonists and politics.

This past week, girls in the province of Paktia in eastern Afghanistan went to the streets to protest. The Taliban had reopened their schools but ordered them shut again. Girls’ education in Afghanistan has become a sensitive topic since the Taliban came to power last year. They have closed down nearly all secondary schools for girls in the country.

Somalis find themselves caught between twin crises: the worst drought to hit the region in more than 40 years, and ongoing insecurity caused by terrorism.

The "Click Here" podcast spoke to The World about their extended interview with a high-ranking member of the pickup cyberforce called the IT Army of Ukraine.

For five nights, over two weekends, Garth Brooks is playing in Ireland’s largest stadium, and for the first time in 25 years. And the 400,000 or so fans who snagged tickets seem determined to make the most of it.

The United Nations has said more than 700 children have died in malnourishment centers in Somalia this year. Several parts of the country could experience famine from October to December due to extreme drought.

La Vie, a plant-based food startup in France, is on a mission to start a vegan bacon revolution and has tested products that taste almost like the real thing. Pork lobbyists are not too happy about it.

This 12th-century invention was a reliable form of air-conditioning in Iran for centuries. And as temperatures continue to rise around the world, this ancient way of staying cool has gained renewed attention for its emissions-free and cost-effective design.

​​​​​​​US schools suffer from a critical shortage of bilingual teachers. But the public schools in Hartford, Connecticut, had a novel idea: recruit bilingual teachers from Puerto Rico with diverse teaching experience.

Ukraine’s military has retaken hundreds of square miles of territory from Russian forces in recent days. That means Ukrainian civilians might start thinking about returning home. But rebuilding the country is going to be a massive and costly effort.

Ukraine has fully regained its territory in the Kharkiv region. Chris Dougherty, a military analyst at the Center for a New American Security, joined The World's Marco Werman to explain this surprising turn of events and the impact this could have on the war.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Khadija Mohamed al-Makhzoumi says the world often associates Somalia with security issues. But the biggest problem facing Somalia now is climate change, she said.

Richard Drayton is a professor of imperial and global history at King's College, London. He spoke to The World's host Marco Werman about what King Charles III's reign may be like.

Congress members in Colombia are earning 35 times as much as regular workers. Sen. Jonathan Pulido Hernandez says it's time for lawmakers to take pay cuts in order to show restraint with public funds and connect more with the people they represent. But not everyone's on board.

Certain species of vultures are critically endangered in southern Africa. Recently, some mass killings of vultures in Botswana and South Africa have led to concern over the vulture population. But conservationists are working to increase their numbers.

Jonathan Spangler, who teaches European history at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, spoke to The World's host, Marco Werman, about what to expect from the impending transition.

With Peru's current political upheaval as a backdrop, award-winning filmmaker Melina León is developing new projects. Her latest feature film will tell the difficult story of a young Indigenous woman living with epilepsy.

Two days after a national referendum on a new draft constitution, Chilean President Gabriel Boric shook up his Cabinet in an attempt to reboot the government.

The western Ukrainian city of Lviv has become a center for internally displaced people who come to the city from all around Ukraine seeking medical care. Hospitals there are working in overdrive, providing care for kids injured as a result of Russian attacks.

Afrobeats has soared in popularity, from Lagos to New York, and even Seoul, South Korea.

Himalayan glaciers are melting at a much faster pace than anyone had really appreciated to date, according to Huma Yusuf, host of "Climate Mahaul," a podcast focused on climate change. Yusuf joined The World's host Carol Hills to discuss Pakistan's catastrophic flooding.

Darren Byler, a Uyghur scholar, joined The World's host Carol Hills from Vancouver to discuss the book, "The Backstreets: A Novel from Xinjiang."

​​​​​​​Inclusive dance is an emerging art form that’s moving people all over the world. Dancers in wheelchairs, on crutches, or have no obvious challenges at all while professionals mix with amateurs.

This week, the announcement of the resignation of a powerful cleric in Iraq sparked deadly clashes in the capital, Baghdad. On Monday, Moqtada al-Sadr said he is stepping away from politics. In response, his supporters stormed the Green Zone.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that a lot of students are also going to class far from home, or online because of the war.

Azadeh Moaveni, with the International Crisis Group, speaks with The World’s host Carol Hills about Shamima Begum, a British woman who was a teenager when she traveled to Syria in 2015. Moaveni says new information about Begum being trafficked by a Canadian intelligence agent could have serious implications for Canada.