The World: Latest Stories

​​​​​​​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.

This summer, China experienced its longest heat wave on record — more than 70 consecutive days of scorching temperatures. Residents have found some relief in caves, bomb shelters and air-conditioned supermarkets, but one expert says this summer should be a “wake-up call” to do more to mitigate climate change.

Lviv Mayor Andriy Ivanovych Sadovyi speaks to The World’s Daniel Ofman about how the city is preparing for a long winter ahead. Top concerns are housing for internally displaced people, sufficient fuel for heat and medical supplies.

“We have reason to suspect that a lot of the information about us, at least the information we know, is incorrect," said Peter Knudsen, who is one of 50 cosigners on an application filed to South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission last week to clarify their origins.

Despite six months of grueling war with Russia, several acts from Ukraine were represented at the world’s largest arts festival, held early in Scotland. For the performers, it was a bittersweet experience.

Extreme heat and drought have left water in short supply in Monterrey, Mexico, but not everyone is feeling the pinch. Some poor neighborhoods seem to be facing far more restrictions on water usage than wealthier ones.

After chief anchor Lisa LaFlamme was sacked, tons of speculation followed. Was it a budgetary decision? A personality clash with new management? Or maybe it had something to do with LaFlamme’s gray hair.

The Gulf country of Qatar is facing criticism from human rights advocates after it arrested and deported a group of migrant workers who had protested months of overdue pay. This comes roughly three months before the nation is set to host the World Cup.

For years, people have been questioning the concept of laicité — France's strict form of secularism — and how it plays into religious freedom. In this special hour of The World airing on Saturday, Paris-based reporter Rebecca Rosman takes a trip across France where she speaks to Catholics, Jews, Muslims and atheists about their right to believe, or not to believe.

Viktor Pylypenko and Yekaterina Pryimak have served as medics on the front lines in Ukraine against Russian aggression for the last six months. Both said that maintaining their mental health after six straight months of combat is difficult.

Even since 18-year-old Angella Okutoyi's Wimbledon win last month, she's been getting a lot of attention at home from aspiring tennis players. Her ascension in the sport comes after a long road of hard work, perseverance and determination against the odds.

Ned Price, the US State Department’s top spokesperson, told The World's host Carol Hills that the United States is prepared to support Ukraine for as long as necessary to defeat Russian aggression and to also defend themselves against any future aggression.

New cases of polio have emerged in the US and Israel, and the disease has been detected in wastewater in the UK. Oliver Rosenbauer, the spokesperson for polio eradication at the World Health Organization, explains how some of them could be linked to the oral vaccine that's long been used to prevent the disease.

New cases of polio have emerged in the US, UK and Israel. Oliver Rosenbauer, the spokesperson for polio eradication at the World Health Organization, explains how some of them could be linked to the oral vaccine that's long been used to prevent the disease.

An estimated 40,000 Jews fled fighting in the western part of the Soviet Union during World War II and sought refuge in Central Asia. Today, only about 1,500 Jews still live in Kyrgyzstan, but the small community continues to thrive.

Mandopop megastar Jay Chou has released his first album in six years, with his new song, “The Greatest Works of Art," becoming an instant hit. The music video follows an antique piano on a journey to inspire famous artists of the past.

The Brazilian town of Santa Bárbara d’Oeste is known for one thing above all — its annual Confederate festival. Descendants of thousands of people who emigrated to Brazil from the US South after they lost the Civil War celebrate their American heritage. Typically, the Confederate flag stands out. But recently, the City Council voted to ban the flag because of its racist symbolism.

The president-elect, who has served as deputy president for the past 10 years, has been elected at a time when Kenya's flailing, debt-laden economy has left a lot of people struggling to make ends meet.

Since Brittney Griner was arrested, detained, and later sentenced in Moscow, her supporters have been advocating for the Biden administration to do anything possible to secure her release. The US and Russian officials have been in talks about a potential prisoner swap. The person that has come up most frequently as the man who could be released in exchange for Griner is Viktor Bout.

Bison once roamed the United Kingdom freely, but like many native animals, agriculture and human development killed them all off. This month, for the first time in 6,000 years, three wild bison were released into a forest near Kent.

Every August, the neighborhood celebrates the Festa Major de Gràcia, or Gràcia Street Festival. The weeklong event running through Sunday, features a contest for the best-decorated street, with residents working hand in hand for months to produce the most impressive ornaments, often employing recycled materials.

​​​​​​​For much of the pandemic, West African countries have lacked the vaccines needed to protect their populations against COVID-19. Now, supply in the region has finally caught up with demand for the vaccine. Still, too few people are vaccinated.

The World’s Marco Werman spoke to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala about the shipments, the slowdown in global trade and how it's contributing to world hunger.

The World’s Marco Werman spoke to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala about the shipments, the slowdown in global trade and how it's contributing to world hunger.

The New York-based duo makes music about a wide variety of themes but often come back to songs about Peruvian shamanism.

Sri Lankan families who have never had to worry about putting food on the table are now struggling. Even those with a financial cushion are seeing their lives being upended.

While countries around the world have begun congratulating the president-elect, within Kenya, the results remain controversial and disputed.

An arms control policy expert says that a military video put out by North Korea in March may have been faked to cover up an unsuccessful ballistic missile launch. His team deconstructs the images to try to verify them.

A group of young female skateboarders in Bolivia are using their attire to break stereotypes across society. Spanish colonizers introduced polleras to the country centuries ago, and they became a symbol of the Quechua and Aymara ethnic groups of South America.

A million Brazilians have signed a letter in "defense of democracy" in anticipation of turmoil surrounding the upcoming presidential election in October. President Jair Bolsonaro has been questioning whether the upcoming election, in which he is running for a second term, will be fair. Critics say he is laying the groundwork to challenge the results.

This summer, Turkish inflation reached levels not seen since the 1990s, and nowhere is it more clear than the rental market. Tenants are seeing their rents double, or even triple, in just one year.

Since the war in Ukraine started, there’s been a wave of interest in Ukrainian history, culture and writing. That means publishers are scrambling and Ukrainian literary translators are working in overdrive.

A recent UNICEF assessment in Sri Lanka found that many people are skipping meals or eating less to get by. Rising food prices and cooking gas shortages have spurred a Sri Lankan nonprofit to provide hot meals to those in need.

Sri Lanka imports at least 80% of its drugs and medical supplies, and the economic crisis has left it with inadequate foreign reserves to pay for them.

A recent wave of attacks against police has put Colombia’s security forces on edge. The government has blamed most of the recent police killings on the Gulf Clan, a drug-trafficking group that runs extortion rackets and exports cocaine to the US.

Voters say they hope for a peaceful transition of power after previous elections were marred by violence — often along ethnic lines. This time, voter turnout is low, but those casting ballots are focused more on issues than ethnic affiliation.

As the US finds itself embroiled in another war, though not with troops, we are reairing our series, "How Wars End," which first ran in 2008.

​​​​​​​The French Alps region is getting hit hard by drought, most likely exacerbated by climate change. And that's putting the entire economy there in serious jeopardy, because where there's no water, there are no tourists.

US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman has just arrived in the capital Nairobi ahead of the country's heated presidential elections. She gave her first press conference over the weekend. While Whitman is more known for leading Fortune 500 companies than diplomacy, she says she will leverage her experience in this new role.

Ahead of Kenya's presidential election on Tuesday, Afropop stars Sauti Sol are using their music to encourage young Kenyans to vote. “A lot of the youth in Kenya feel like their voice doesn't really count,” said band member Bien-Aimè Alusa.

Temple-mosque disputes have been flooding Indian courts in recent years. The current Gyanvapi mosque dispute stokes fear that violence could once again erupt between Hindus and Muslims over claims to the contested site.

In Moscow on Thursday, WNBA star Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison on drug charges. Griner was detained at the airport in Moscow in February, after security found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage. Last month, Griner pleaded guilty to possessing the drugs, but said she packed them by mistake.

It is the first time a large carnivore is being moved from one continent to another and reintroduced into the wild.

Bike shops in Sri Lanka’s largest city have reported higher sales — with the largest domestic bike manufacturer seeing a 300% increase in demand.

Sightings of the native magnolia flower had not been recorded since 1925. Expedition leader Eladio Fernandez said the search was like "an act of faith."

President Joe Biden has announced that the US has killed al-Qaeda’s top leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan. Zawahiri was on the US' most-wanted list and had a $25 million bounty on his head.