The World: Latest Stories

The horrors of Russia’s war in Ukraine are funded in large part by the fossil fuels it sells to the world. Climate activist and writer Bill McKibben says the US should rapidly manufacture electric heat pumps and send them to European homes as a way to permanently weaken Vladimir Putin’s oil-and gas-fueled war machine — and fight climate change, too.

The government is the sole owner of the Life Insurance Corporation of India, but that might change soon. The company is about to be listed on India’s stock exchange.

Hundreds of Russian dissidents and members of civil society who have challenged Vladimir Putin’s government have settled in nearby Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. The country’s relaxed visa rules and low cost of living have attracted artists, activists and journalists. Some who’ve settled there are now working to support their fellow Russians and protest the war from afar.

Alex Zaytsev has been driving dozens of his parishioners out of Avdiivka, a city that's been on the front line with Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine.

Over the past three decades, MC Armor has made various types of protective equipment, including bulletproof shirts and pants, for dozens of heads of state in the Americas. It has also supplied body armor to the military forces of many countries, including Peru, Guatemala, Chile, Qatar and Nigeria. Now, it's sending gear to protect people in Ukraine.

Locals call Guissona “Little Ukraine,” because 1 out of 7 residents in the Catalan farm town hails from there. And that was before Vladimir Putin launched his most recent invasion. The Ukrainians came to Guissona years ago to work in the local meat plant. Now hundreds more are arriving, drawn by family and the town’s fame.

In recent months, top federal courts in Mexico have canceled controversial mining concessions near Indigenous communities in two regions of Puebla state. About 100 Indigenous activists are now on a monthlong caravan to defend land and water rights across southern Mexico.

Oleksii Vostretsov was trapped in his hometown of Bucha for 22 days at the start of the war. Vostretsov tells his story to The World’s Marco Werman, through an interpreter.

Somalia is facing a devastating drought after two years without rain. It's the worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa in 40 years. And it's pushing many people to leave their hometowns in search of better sustenance.

A growing number of people from Venezuela have been making the risky crossing through the Darién Gap in recent weeks. Jose Loya decided to make the difficult trek, citing xenophobia and discrimination as some of the main reasons why he chose to leave Peru, where he was living with his wife and child.

An abortion-rights activist charged with breaking Poland’s strict abortion laws goes on trial in Warsaw next week. The case is the first of its kind in Europe.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has given various reasons to justify his decision to order an attack on Ukraine. But one thing he talked about early on was religion.

As part of our regular series of conversations with Harvard University’s T.H. Chan’s School of Public Health, The World’s reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Michael VanRooyen, director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, about the dire situation and the multiple health risks that refugees from Ukraine, and from around the world, face. VanRooyen is also the chairman of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (@HHI).

E-cigarettes have been prohibited in Brazil since 2009, when ANVISA, the federal health sanitary agency, issued a ruling against them. But that could soon change.

Interest in the Colombian indie-pop band Monsieur Periné skyrocketed after one of its songs from 2015 went viral on TikTok. A video on the platform inspired thousands of TikTok users to record themselves at home dancing to the chorus of “Nuestra Canción.”

Romania's local deaf community in Botoșani has welcomed at least 200 deaf people from Ukraine since the war began. They are focused on getting people to safety and ensuring that up-to-date information is available for sign language speakers.

The ambassador of Nicaragua to the OAS, Arturo McFields, said that he's afraid for his family's safety, but that he had to stand up to corruption and the inhumane treatment of dissidents. McFields spoke with The World's host Marco Werman from Washington.

Caste was outlawed decades ago across South Asia. But it still exists and has found its way to American campuses.

In contrast with the US, Chile has opted to provide COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 3 and up, expanding possibilities for vaccines available for very young children.

"The West, in order to help diplomacy, needs to help President [Volodomyr] Zelenskiy produce stalemate on the battlefield," former Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said. He joined The World's host Marco Werman to discuss the West's diplomatic push to the end the war in Ukraine.

If climate change continues on its current trajectory, over 200 million climate refugees could be displaced worldwide by the year 2050.

Human-made fertilizers boost crop production, making it easier to feed more people with the same land. But chemical fertilizers made from ammonia and other chemicals can cause pollution. Beetle poop is cleaner and helps farmers reduce their carbon footprint.

Canada plans to accept unlimited numbers of Ukrainians fleeing the ongoing Russian invasion. Meanwhile, progress remains slow in the resettlement of 40,000 Afghans.

Canada plans to accept unlimited numbers of Ukrainians fleeing the ongoing Russian invasion. Meanwhile, progress remains slow in the resettlement of 40,000 Afghans.

As French presidential elections approach, many voters are backing incumbent Emmanuel Macron for his handling of the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maia Mikhaluk's daughter Sasha was 38 weeks pregnant when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. Then last week, just as Kyiv entered lockdown and battles raged in the city’s suburbs, Sasha was rushed to the hospital with contractions. The baby, Briana, was born the next day without incident. The new grandmother said that the baby's arrival has brightened what have otherwise been grim days.

Many households in India use a clay stove fueled by firewood, coal, cow dung, or even dry leaves, paper or plastic — which all emit excessive, harmful smoke. Poor women and children bear the brunt of this insidious indoor pollution.

In efforts to justify his war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin will often raise the specter of NATO missile defense systems in eastern Europe. The Pentagon claims that the facilities can only fire missile interceptors. Landing at the center of this debate is the Romanian town of Deveselu, home to one of just two missile defense systems in Europe.

On Sunday, the US Embassy in Moldova announced a provision of over $30 million to help the tiny former Soviet state with its humanitarian fallout from the war in neighboring Ukraine. Moldova, whose border is only 30 miles from the Ukrainian port of Odessa, is not directly involved in the war next door, but Moldovans are already feeling the ripple effects of Russia's invasion.

Thousands of Haitians have been removed from the US since President Joe Biden took office, largely under Title 42, the pandemic-era protocol enacted by the Trump administration two years ago. In his off hours, Rodney Montreuil is devoted to helping those who get to stay.

Food nearing their expiration dates can sell at stores for around a third of the price, something that's helped Canadians make the most of their money as they see the prices for essentials go up.

Climate change is taking center stage on the campaign trail in the Philippines as candidates talk about renewable energy more than ever before.

Two years later, that policy is still in effect and thousands of people are stuck on the Mexico side of the US-Mexico border, living in crowded shelters, on the street, or in otherwise precarious situations.

An effort to evacuate and find Ukrainian professors safe havens on US campuses parallels the rescue of European scholars during World War II.

The number of Russians and Ukrainians attempting to enter the US from Mexico has increased in recent months. The pattern started months before Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

The tiny, Western-leaning, post-Soviet country of Moldova not only borders Ukraine but has seen part of its territory occupied by Russian troops since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many Moldovans worry they could be Russia’s next target.

The conflict in northern Ethiopia has been marked by what the United Nations calls “extreme brutality,” especially toward women. The UN and human rights organizations have been concerned about “widespread” sexual- and gender-based violence there.

Two years into the pandemic, stimulus money around the world has largely fallen short in transforming the energy economy.

The president of the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi, is in Washington this week. He's making the case for international recognition of Somaliland as an independent country. The World's Halima Gikandi spoke with President Bihi about his objectives on this diplomatic mission.

Last year, control over the holy city of Lalibela went back and forth between the warring parties until federal forces retook it in December. To date, the city still lacks electricity and running water as residents attempt to return to daily life.

More than 3 million people have fled Ukraine in the violence of the past three weeks. At the same time, a smaller, more privileged migration route is emerging in eastern cities like Istanbul.

When the pandemic hit his home city of Istanbul, Ahmet Faruk picked up an old passion: drawing. He wandered around the city, looking for forgotten, underappreciated buildings. Then, he brought them to life on the pages of his sketchbook. Lately, he has been focusing on Islamic architecture, specifically, mosque domes and minarets.

Former US Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor joined The World's host Marco Werman to discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's emotional speech to US Congress and the American response so far to Russia's invasion into Ukraine.

The library’s reopening on Feb. 19 represents a significant milestone in the return of arts and literature to a city whose culture became a target of the militants.

It's a situation that many Ukrainians with families watching Russian state media propaganda are finding themselves in — trying to share the painful reality of war in Ukraine with their loved ones in Russia, who may or may not believe them.

Zin Mar Aung is the minister of foreign affairs for Myanmar's revolutionary National Unity Government. She spoke to The World about her government’s quest for recognition, no-fly zones and parallels between Myanmar and Ukraine.

Many Russian expats are appalled by the war in Ukraine. Some are even speaking out. But many say they're also experiencing verbal abuse and hate speech as the war in Ukraine continues.

With nice warm weather and no predators, the hippos have flourished. But they're seen as a threat to people and the environment.

Climate change could be disastrous for human civilization, warns a new report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.