The World: Latest Stories

In recent months, reports have emerged that at least two men, one from Zambia and another from Tanzania, were killed while fighting for the Wagner group in Ukraine. Wagner reportedly recruited the men from Russian prisons, promising them amnesty.

Jon DiMaggio, chief security analyst at Analyst1, spent more than a year inside LockBit private channels interacting with LockBitSupp and other members. He recently released a report called "Ransomware Diaries: Volume 1," that revealed how he infiltrated the group and what he learned while he was on the inside.

Beijing signs onto a deal with the Taliban to extract oil from the north of Afghanistan. ​Graeme Smith, a senior consultant for the International Crisis Group, discusses the implications of the agreement with The World's host Carol Hills.

In Brazil, eating pork used to have negative connotations. But A Casa do Porco, or The Pork’s House, in downtown São Paulo, has transformed pork into a gourmet food, kicking off a culinary trend throughout the country.

When Russia started drafting men to fight in Ukraine last fall, thousands fled to neighboring countries in Central Asia. The draft has been paused and some are returning home. But less so for members of the LGBTQ community, who say the government's increasing hostility has made Russia unsafe.

A new BBC documentary looking at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role in the 2002 Gujarat riots has sparked controversy in India. The government is trying to ban it while students and activists are finding ways to watch it in defiance. Rana Ayyub, author of the book "Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up," discussed the situation with The World's host Marco Werman.

They’re tiny, they’re toxic, they’re everywhere. Cigarette butts are a huge source of pollution in Spain and lawmakers have said, enough. They're ordering cigarette makers to pay for the cleanup, but smokers worry they’ll end up footing the bill.

More than 50 people have been killed in southern Peru in protests that broke out in December, and have resulted in street battles between police forces and largely Indigenous groups of protesters who have fought back with rocks, slingshots and homemade rockets.

A court in Canada has ordered the government to repatriate 23 of its citizens who have been detained in camps for suspected ISIS members and their families in northeastern Syria. If not challenged, this would be the largest repatriation of Canadians from Syria so far.

Many Syrian families in Turkey face school enrollment challenges due to a Turkish law that says no more than 30% of schoolchildren in a single class can be foreigners. Families in border cities like Gaziantep say their children are being turned away with few alternatives.

Taiwan has reopened to international travel, and has lifted some other restrictions, as people celebrate Lunar New Year with family and friends.

In Taiwan, cases of the coronavirus have been relatively low for a while, with many people feeling safe celebrating the holiday there this year.

Yuxin Wu, a second-generation gehu player at the Berklee College of Music, is on a mission to revive the Chinese string instrument with its unique vibrational sound.

“Tár,” about a virtuoso female conductor, has shone a spotlight on the continuing dearth of women leading major orchestras worldwide.

The 1995 Bollywood film “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge,” or "DDLJ," is the longest-running film in India’s history, screening daily for 27 years. Now, the irresistible love story is heading to Broadway.

Shakira's release this week shot up to the top of the charts. It's a scathing breakup song with her ex: Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué.

Developmental brain disorders are rarely discussed in Ghana. A lack of adequate awareness and facilities for early diagnosis makes it tough to manage. And children with special needs often face discrimination in terms of inadequate health care, education and social engagement.

Growing up in Brazil as a Black man, Dalton Paula said he missed seeing people who looked like him on movies and TV. At 40, he now creates paintings, photos and installations about Black communities. In 2021, he and his partner also turned their home into an art school called Sertão Negro, or Black Hinterland.

The “City of Faith” museum exhibit looks at the New York City's religious roots and immigrant experience, with a special focus on the South Asian community after 9/11. Curator Azra Dawood tells The World what inspired her and why such a discussion is important.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has made good on a series of campaign promises to defend the Amazon and empower Indigenous peoples. He already signed an executive order to relaunch a billion-dollar Amazon fund, where foreign governments can contribute to forest protection, among six other orders.

It’s the largest single wave of Cuban migrants since Fidel Castro’s revolution in the 1950s.

Motherly Love Orphanage was founded by Rev. John Azumah 14 years ago. The pastor, who also has HIV, founded the home to provide hope and fight against the stigma faced by HIV-positive orphans.

Mursal Nabizada, who decided to remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over in 2021, was killed by gunmen on Jan. 15, along with her bodyguard. A friend and former colleague of hers, Fawzia Koofi, speaks with The World’s host Marco Werman about her memories of Nabizada and the ongoing plight of women in the country.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made a promise to roll back illegal mining in the Amazon. But he has a more complicated relationship with legal mining. Indigenous activists continue to battle over a new gold mine project managed by a Canadian firm.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has stressed the importance of the grain deal, saying that it needs long-term protection in order to avoid a global food crisis.

Brazil’s new President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has promised to promote sustainable development for the Amazon — stopping deforestation while keeping agribusiness thriving. This is not an easy task.

The attack on Brazil's capital on Sunday rattled the entire country. But as the dust settles, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has consolidated even more support as political leaders denounce the attack in a rare moment of unity.

Limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is the most-repeated goal in the fight against climate change. But as each new year is among recorded history’s hottest, is it still a viable one?

Russian activist Anastasia Shevchenko spoke out against many injustices in her home country. In 2019, she was put under house arrest and was not even allowed to be with her sick daughter as she was dying. A new documentary, "Anastasia," follows Shevchenko as she sets out on a journey to scatter her daughter's ashes in the Black Sea.

In the Iranian diaspora community of Los Angeles, members of the heavy metal group TarantisT have added their artistic voices to the protests in Iran. Arash Rahbary is the band's singer and bassist. He speaks to host Marco Werman.

Chinese farmers plant the largest amount of potatoes in the world, and the country produces about 20% of the global potato output. But while fresh potatoes are a traditional part of the Chinese national diet, they’re viewed as a vegetable rather than as a staple, and China’s per capita consumption of potato is below the global average. In 2015, the Chinese government decided to try and change that.

Bullfighting has become less popular as views about animal rights change in Colombia. But in some parts of the country, it is still a highly esteemed tradition.

It may sound counterintuitive, but the town has its reasons.

At the North American Leaders Summit in Mexico City on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden made it clear that migration at the southern border is one of the most pressing issues.

The North American leaders will be discussing immigration and the recapture of the son of drug cartel kingpin “El Chapo.” But also high on the agenda: a dispute over energy.

Zimbabwe has had to import maize, a staple food, for the past several years. Experts blame droughts and erratic rainfall resulting from climate change. The government is now urging farmers to grow more small grains like sorghum and millet, which are more drought-resistant.

Ana Montes, who worked for the US defense department, was simultaneously spying for Cuban authorities. She's now been released after her 25-year prison sentence. Jim Popkin, who's written about her, shares her story with The World's host Marco Werman.

Over the weekend, Orthodox Christians around the globe celebrated Christmas. In Russia and Ukraine, the holiday took place during a time of war between the two countries.

​​​​​​​Countries across Europe are experiencing unseasonably warm weather this January, causing a headache for ski resorts and broader concern for what it might mean for the year ahead.

Karim Younis spent a total of 40 years in Israeli prisons. The World's Carol Hills spoke with Khaled Elgindy, a Palestinian and Israeli affairs expert at the Middle East Institute, about the implications of his release.

Due to soaring electricity costs, bakers in France can’t afford to turn on their ovens to bake bread. They’re demanding help from the government and threatening the unthinkable — to turn off their ovens.

Funeral services were held for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Thursday. Massimo Faggioli, a professor of historical theology at Villanova University, discusses the late pontiff's legacy with The World's host Carol Hills.

If a cat contracts feline infectious peritonitis, a chronic wasting disease, it is almost always fatal. A pharmaceutical company, however, developed a recipe for a cure. Global drug manufacturers are now marketing off-label versions of the medication — and cat owners say it works.

Russia is the world’s largest fertilizer producer, but fewer Russian agricultural products are entering the global market due to the war in Ukraine. It’s changing how farmers and fertilizer suppliers are thinking about agriculture.

Women who work for nongovernmental organizations in Afghanistan are in shock after the group announced a ban on female employees.

CRRIFS, a wildlife rescue in San Carlos Nuevo Guaymas, Mexico, helps protect sea turtles and other animals facing threats from human activity. Many volunteers make their work possible.

Taiwan's president announced last week that mandatory military service for young people will increase from four months to a full year. There is substantial popular support for the move because of a rising threat from China, though among young people themselves, it’s more complicated.

The Ukrainian community in Philadelphia is the second-largest in the United States. As members of the diaspora celebrated the holidays with a special Ukrainian version of “The Nutcracker,” they reflected on a year of worry and solidarity.

With Donald Trump's 2020 loss, Brazil became more isolated than ever. But the president-elect, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, says he wants to change that.