The World: Latest Stories

Royalty, heads of state and dignitaries from more than 50 countries gathered in southern Poland today to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, where roughly a million Jews were killed. Speakers are exhorting the world to remember against a backdrop of rising antisemitism and far-right extremism.

Comiket is the world's largest comic festival. Twice a year, more than 200,000 comic enthusiasts from around the world travel to Tokyo to support their favorite artists. While the vast majority of artists are Japanese, there are some foreigners who manage to grab a table to show their wares. From Tokyo, Kai Dambach has the story.

According to one study, 1 out of 10 Spaniards between the ages 18 to 35 have ditched their smartphones for the antithesis: push-button models without internet connectivity. From Barcelona, The World's Gerry Hadden sets out to find some of these converts, but it turns out going from smart to dumb is harder than it sounds.

A Chinese artificial intelligence assistant called DeepSeek has become the most downloaded free app in the US. Its arrival has sent shares in firms like chipmaker Nvidia, as well as Microsoft and Meta, tumbling. Stanford professor Erik Brynjolfsson, co-founder of the firm Workhelix, tells host Marco Werman that DeepSeek represents a dramatic decline in the price of intelligence."

It was once a thriving coal mining town with a population of over 100,000 people. But today, Yubari, located in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, is a ghost of its former self - with fewer than 8,000 residents, most of whom are over the age of 65. Rebecca Rosman takes us to Yubari to explore how the city has become a microcosm for the challenges facing Japan.

Passengers on city buses in Tbilisi, Georgia, got a surprise Friday morning when fare collection boxes began blasting pro-Western political messages. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Carol Hills have the story of a suspected cyberattack and the montage of speeches and music that riders heard.

Osama Najim, also known as Almasri, is a Libyan prison boss wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. He was apprehended in Italy by police, then released shortly after. The episode underscores the challenges for the ICC when countries who signed the statute that gave birth to the court don't fulfill their treaty obligations. Beth Van Schaack, the former United States ambassador at large for Global Criminal Justice, talks with The World's Carol Hills about the the ICC's latest setback and mission.

The Nobel Academy guards its deliberations over prize winners for 50 years, and events in 1974 help explain why. That year, the two winners of the Nobel for literature were members of the Literature Committee itself. The committee was accused of nepotism, its reputation tarnished. The controversy also led to tragedy. The World's Gerry Hadden reports.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has offered displaced people in Gaza an opportunity to return to their neighborhoods. This week, The World's Shirin Jaafari followed three families as they made the journey back. What they found was a scene of total devastation.

This year's Australian Open has had highs and lows, from Wii-like animations to veteran players forfeiting matches. The World's Bianca Hillier has the details before this weekend's finals.

Canada is getting ready to be hit with new tariffs by the US following the start of President Donald Trump's administration this week. It comes as Trump has repeatedly made calls for Canada to join the US. Host Carol Hills speaks with Mark Rendell, an economics reporter with the Canadian Globe and Mail newspaper, about the potential impacts of tariffs on Canada and what it could mean for global trade.

There are now more than 40,000 foreign nationals serving in the US military. Those who don't become American citizens are just one mistake away from being deported. It happens more often than most people realize. Gustavo Solis reports from KPBS in San Diego.

Syria's economy under the previous government was tightly managed by former President Bashar al-Assad, his family, and close associates. But now, Syria's new government is looking to introduce economic reform to further liberalize Syria's economy, which remains heavily sanctioned by the US and Europe. Host Marco Werman speaks with Karam Shaar, a Syrian economist, to understand how that can be achieved successfully.

This week, bereaved families in Turkey buried the victims of a fire at a ski resort in the mountainous Bolu province. Survivors spoke out about a lack of basic fire safety at the Grand Kartal Hotel as anger spilled over on social media. The World's Durrie Bouscaren reports from Istanbul.

When thinking about World War I, Americans tend to think of the Western Front where the allies fought Germans between 1914 and 1918. But this neglects other stories, like the stories of the Black, South African battalions who were barred by a racist government from using weapons - and instead served in the British army behind the lines. A new memorial in Cape Town, South Africa, is dedicated to their memory. The World's Sarah Birnbaum reports.

There are some media commentators who are concerned that US democracy, and the media that monitors it, are going the way of Hungary. There, democracy was not overthrown by tanks in the streets, mass arrests or paramilitary violence. The country's leader, Viktor Orban, stacked the courts with loyalists, aggressively opposed migrants and LGBTQ+ rights and redrew electoral boundaries. Media outlets were censored, and wealthy people close to Orban bought up media organizations. The World's Europe correspondent Orla Barry takes a look at the comparisons.

Transit in most global cities is government-run. But in Japan, that's not the case. There, private companies run a sprawling network of trains, subways and buses, often considered the best in the world. The World's transportation correspondent Jeremy Siegel reports on what other countries can learn from Japan's unique system.

The Oscar nominations were announced on Thursday morning. The big news is the 13 nominations for "Emilia Perez," a French musical that explores trans identity, in Spanish, set mostly in Mexico. There were global nods in other categories and Carolyn Beeler explores them with Lisa Nesselson, a film critic in Paris.

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek began his continent-spanning walk in Ethiopia in January 2013. Since then, his Out of Eden Walk, tracing humankind's journey out of Africa, has crossed 21 countries, some 14,200 miles on foot from the Middle Eastern shores of the Red Sea to the Pacific rim of Japan. Host Marco Werman speaks with Salopek as he begins the 13th year of his global trek.

For a long time, Venezuela was one of the most-dangerous countries in the world. In recent years, safety has slightly improved, in part because the population is too poor to steal from. But crime still exists, and that's leading some to cult worship. Instead of seeing themselves as created in the image of a good and just God, a growing group of Venezuelans and other Latin Americans are worshipping criminal gods. The World's Tibisay Zea brings us this story from Mexico City and Caracas, Venezuela.

The glue was used during an earlier, botched restoration attempt and had left the ceiling of Valencia's Saints Johns Church pitted with dark spots. A mother and daughter team - the mom is an art restorer, and the daughter is a microbiologist - are getting the glue off and restoring an iconic ceiling nearly lost to fire some 90 years ago. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from Valencia, Spain.

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that started the yearlong process to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement. Climate change is a key issue at the Davos World Economic Forum. From Davos, Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research tells The World's Carolyn Beeler that although the Paris pact is unlikely to collapse this remains a very delicate moment."

The West Bank continues to see increasing violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinians. The West Bank village of Al-Funduq is one of the sites of this uptick in violence. Host Marco Werman speaks with Hugh Lovatt, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, about the status of the West Bank and what's behind the recent violence across the West Bank.

The worst violence in recent years in Colombia is forcing thousands to flee to a small city on the border with Venezuela. The fighting is between two rebel groups, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC and has taken more than 80 lives. Carolyn Beeler finds out what's behind the violence and how the government of President Gustavo Petro is responding in a conversation with reporter Manuel Rueda in Bogota.

North Korea is waging its own culture war, stepping up a crack down on bourgeois fashion: sunglasses, frilly wedding dresses, even unauthorized haircuts. But more vexing, to the regime, is speech: controlling not only what people say. But how they say it. The World's Patrick Winn reports on North Korea's fresh attacks on what it calls the language of puppets."

The first Chinese settlers only showed up in Taiwan 400 years ago, just a few years after the Mayflower landed in Plymouth Rock. Before that, Taiwan was home to the Austronesian peoples. Some of these peoples would sail far away - settling places like Madagascar, Southeast Asia, and Hawaii. Others stayed until today - making up 16 officially recognized Indigenous groups in Taiwan. Some of them, such as the Saisiyat community, have stories of ancient peoples who shared the island with their ancestors, or maybe even got there before they did. From a village high up in the mountains of northern Taiwan, Ashish Valentine reports that researchers may be closing in on who the earliest people to settle the island may have been.

Donald Trump has said, on more than one occasion, that he could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. More than a day into his presidency, the war in Ukraine rages on. But ending wars" does still appear to be a top priority for the new administration. The World's Daniel Ofman reports on what Trump's Cabinet members have said about the war in Ukraine, and what their statements suggest, about their Russia-Ukraine policy to come.

The Rwanda-backed M23 fighters have taken control of a key town in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Residents in the provincial capital, Goma, fear their food and supplies will be cut off. The World's Sarah Birnbaum reports the rebels' proximity to Goma threatens the army's control over the city.

Newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been in the US Senate for 14 years, serving on the Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees. Yet his long-established foreign policy worldview is subject to change in his new position, New Yorker staffer Susan Glasser tells The World's Carolyn Beeler.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order for the US to leave the World Health Organization, or WHO. It needs to be approved by Congress, but if it goes into effect, the WHO will lose its largest donor and access to all the data the UN organization collects and disseminates to member countries. Devi Sridhar is co-author of the book, "Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why?"

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman catch you up on headlines in the news you may have missed.

Several hours from the city of Mumbai is the headquarters of the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) - one of the most-sensitive telescopes in the world - which listens for low-frequency emissions from the farthest reaches of the universe. However, there is now a proposal to build a semi-high-speed rail line within range of the GMRT, seriously threatening its abilities to detect these faint signals. Namrata Kolachalam reports from the western state of Maharastra.

During World War II, as Nazi forces besieged the Russian city of Leningrad, scientists at the city's famed seed bank made a pact to protect the collection and consume nothing, even if it could have extended their lives. The siege lasted nearly three years, killing an estimated 1.5 million people. A new book by British author Simon Parkin details this foundational story of modern plant gene banking, and what it means when hunger is used as a weapon of war.

The NFL's International Player Pathway Program started in 2017 as a way for the league to bring talented athletes from other sports into the world of American football. More than 40 athletes have signed with NFL teams so far, proving that the pathway works. The World's Bianca Hillier reports on this year's class of 14 athletes from 13 nations.

In Tromso, Norway, it's traditional to eat solboller or "sun buns'"when the sun returns after the long polar night. January 21 is the traditional day of celebration known as Sun Day. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with baker Jorn Olson of Kaffebonna cafes in Tromso about the special pastry his crew baked and served on Tuesday.

About 270,000 migrants waiting in Mexico suddenly lost their ability to enter the US. That's after the Trump administration suspended an app called CBP One just minutes after being sworn in. The app allowed nearly 1 million people to enter the US legally and seek asylum. The World's Tibisay Zea reports from Mexico City on what's next for migrants.

Israel's military is conducting raids in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. The army is seeking to flush out armed Palestinian factions in the area. This comes as some 90 Palestinians prisoners were released from Israeli prisons following a ceasefire deal in Gaza with Hamas. Host Marco Werman speaks with Fatima Abdul Karim, a Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah.

Officials have begun an investigation in Bolu Province, Turkey, where a hotel fire killed at least 66 people at ski resort. The Grand Kartal hotel was at full capacity for school break when the fire started overnight. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have more.

After being deported from the United States, Maria Butina has become a member of parliament in Russia's Duma. She's become a public persona, often appearing on Russian state TV. She's also been active on social media, advertising multiple initiatives that she's working on, including encouraging foreigners to move to Russia. The World's Daniel Ofman reports.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered in the US for his leadership on civil rights, but that legacy extends to other countries, as well. Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman have more on King's universal message.

The chief minister of India's Tamil Nadu state has announced a $1 million reward for the person who can decode an ancient Indus Valley script. The civilization thrived in what is today Pakistan and northwestern India over 5,000 years ago. But when it ended, so too did the understanding of what scholars believe to be its written language. The World's Host Marco Werman spoke to Marta Ameri, associate professor of art history at Colby College in Maine, to learn more.

In a half-hour speech today, President Donald Trump laid out some foreign policy promises, goals and predictions. They included a name change for the Gulf of Mexico and the return of the Panama Canal to American hands. Meanwhile, for many communities, Trump's announcement today that he will begin deportations is nothing new. Arizona has experienced roundups of undocumented immigrants before, as a result of the state's the infamous SB1070 act. So now, families and community groups are doing things like making plans for guardianship of their kids in case they get deported and creating 24-hour hotlines that people can call for legal aid. KJZZ's Alisa Reznick reports from Tuscon.

The UN says 630 aid trucks have entered Gaza since the start of the ceasefire deal over the weekend. This comes as thousands of Palestinians return to their homes across the Gaza Strip. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Amande Bazerolle, a coordinater with Doctors Without Borders in Gaza, about the needs on the ground and what's happened since the ceasefire went into effect.

A cafe in downtown Tokyo has robotic waiters controlled remotely by people with disabilities as a way to allow people who have significant mobility issues to work. The World's Carolyn Beeler visited the spot in Japan.

With their outrageously long horns and sleek auburn coats, Ankole cattle are a symbol of western Uganda. But they're now considered an endangered breed, as farmers switch to imports such as Holsteins. And this is a problem because Ankole cattle are equipped to withstand harsh conditions such as high temperatures and droughts - both of which are occurring more often. Anita Elash reports from western Uganda.

An important US ally like South Korea would normally send officials to meet with members of the new US administration. But South Korea's government is currently in crisis, with the country's president sitting in a prison cell. Yoon Suk Yeol is being investigated on charges of insurrection. Over the weekend, hundreds of his supporters smashed their way into a court building in Seoul. Police restored order early Sunday morning, but not before making dozens of arrests. The World's Matthew Bell has the latest from South Korea's capital.

The Battle of Okinawa in 1945 was one of the bloodiest of World War II. More than 200,000 people were killed during the three months of fighting, more than half of them civilians. Okinawans were victims not only to American artillery bombing, but also from the very people meant to be protecting them - Japanese forces. But that history, of the role the Japanese military played in Okinawan suffering, is getting left out of textbooks. Rebecca Rosman reports from Okinawa on some people who are trying to preserve the memory of what actually happened.

"Remigration" has become a buzzword among far-right lawmakers in Germany and Austria recently. The term is widely understood to mean the mass deportation of people from a migrant background. Just a year ago, the word was considered taboo in Germany even among far-right politicians there. But a lot has changed since then, as The World's Europe correspondent Orla Barry reports.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Carol Hills catch you up on headlines in the news you may have missed.

With much of Syria now under the control of rebel group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, a new battlefield is emerging in the country's northeast, as Turkish airstrikes target Kurdish-led militias. Turkey says the militias are an extension of the Kurdistan Worker's Party, which has waged an insurgency in Turkey for the past 40 years. But some within the Turkish government suggest that now may be the time to end the conflict for good. The World's Durrie Bouscaren reports.