The World: Latest Stories

Creating a new breed of apple and bringing it successfully to market is much more complicated than you might think. The Cosmic Crisp is now in stores and growers hope it will live up to the hype.

The number of far-right extremists in Germany is up by a third in 2019. “Everyday there are police reports about swastikas and Hitler salutes; it has become a part of everyday life," said Max Aschenbach, who proposed the "Nazi emergency" motion in Dresden.

Russian and Syrian forces have intensified aerial attacks on villages in southern Idlib, a province in northwest Syria. One local English teacher shares his experience of the attacks with The World.

Pancho Claus is a treasured holiday tradition in cities like Houston, Lubbock and San Antonio. Known for his low-rider and zoot suit, Houston’s iteration of Pancho Claus brings a Chicano flair to the role of St. Nick.

A short story turned radio drama by Kurt Andersen.

The railway portion of Europe's longest bridge opened Monday, Dec. 23, 2019. The infrastructure project cost around $3.5 billion and spans nearly 12 miles. But as far as many European leaders are concerned, it's nothing to celebrate.

One year later, Sudanese citizens celebrate the revolution. But the nation still faces a major economic crisis and must navigate the negative impact of years of sanctions imposed by the United States.

A lot of great music was released this year, but we narrowed it down for you. Here's a selection of The World's favorite albums chosen by host Marco Werman and show director April Peavey.

Seven presidential contenders faced off in California for the final Democratic debate before heading into the new year. One topic came up that really hadn't before: China. Bonnie Glaser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies spoke with The World about implications.

Leaked documents say the Environmental Protection Agency is seeking to require any study used for its health and safety rulemaking to disclose all of its raw data, including confidential medical records.

Who was trying to turn decorated coffee mugs into the latest teenage craze via a 1961 pop song?

Tensions between Bolivia's white ruling elite and Indigenous populations underlie current allegations of human rights abuses by an ex-president — one that are being heard in a US courtroom in what lawyers say is the first such case involving a living former head of state facing his accusers.

Protests against a new Indian Citizenship Amendment Act based on religion are spreading and becoming more violent. Even the Bollywood film industry, not known for taking political stances, is out in the streets.

A dispute over the cost to base American soldiers in South Korea is straining the decades-old alliance as North Korea threatens to resume military provocations.

Apple recently made a switch to display Crimea as a Russian territory for users in Russia and the Crimea peninsula. The World's Marco Werman speaks with cartographer Mick Ashworth about how map makers deal with disputed borders.

The rainforests on the island of Borneo are gems of biodiversity, with thousands of species of plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth. Soon, approximately 1,243 miles of pavement will connect the remote regions of three nations that make up the island: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

Journalist Zekria Farzad, a refugee from Afghanistan, established a school for children after his shock at the lack of learning opportunities at Moria Camp, the largest refugee camp in Europe.

The year 2020 marks a century since American women gained the right to vote. But they were part of a much broader movement that began 25 years earlier in Australia.

On Dec. 15, after two marathon overnight negotiating sessions took the COP25 climate talks nearly 48 hours past their original Friday deadline, the conference adjourned without much to show for it.

Protesters in Chile have forced the government of President Sebastián Piñera to agree to a referendum on possible changes to the nation's constitution next April.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party won a decisive victory in general elections Dec. 12. But will election results in Scotland and Ireland pose problems for a "united" kingdom?

Many of the demonstrators appeared to be close to retirement. But the crowd was also sprinkled with many young faces, including 25-year-old Nathan Rulens.

Following the shooting attack by a Saudi military officer in Florida, Saudi officials in the US are taking this moment to remind Americans why the US trains Saudi pilots.

America's breakneck consumption of clothes is only possible because of fast fashion, a system in which clothing is made quickly, sold cheaply, and seen as pretty disposable. Dana Thomas, author of “Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes,” walks us through the origins and effects of fast fashion.

More than 200 activists with noisemakers and banners took over the climate conference this week in Madrid outside the main hall to vent their frustration with the negotiations.

Algeria hosted an election Dec. 12, but many were in opposition to the vote. That's because protesters see the election as a civilian facade for a military junta, says Zine Labidine Ghebouli, a scholar at the American University of Beirut.

The lawsuit, which was filed last week, is bringing new scrutiny to the content moderation ecosystem that Facebook and other platforms rely on to police the posts on their platforms.

Philip Glass went from taxi driver to star composer overnight.

From Versailles to selfies: how the mirror created our culture of narcissism.

The impeachment inquiry has put American support for Ukraine into question. But the US is still very active in supporting training missions for Ukraine's military as it fights a hot war against Russian aggression in Eastern Ukraine.

Measles cases worldwide are surging at a record rate. “It’s tragic. Every single measles case is entirely preventable,” said Katrina Kretsinger, a measles specialist with the World Health Organization.

For decades, there’s been a steady drip of racist incidents in soccer stadiums across Europe. Now, the pace seems to be increasing — particularly with abuse hurled against black players.

Applicants are experiencing more vetting, a proposed spike in the application fee and prolonged processing times — waits that could keep thousands of would-be US citizens from voting in the 2020 general election.

Decades before such problematic protagonists as Don Draper and Walter White reinvented themselves, there was Tom Ripley.

What would a fragrance based on Toni Morrison’s book “Beloved” smell like?

Sadie Stein cannot understand why you would want a cake described as anything but “moist.”

This week, a delegation of Indigenous youth have delivered a collective message to United Nations leadership: Take meaningful action on climate change.

Public anxiety is growing over the United Kingdom's National Health Service — a national institution that guarantees tax-funded medical care to anyone in the UK. But parts of the NHS have begun to erode in the last decade — and there are concerns about US involvement in the system.

US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron underlined sharp discord among NATO members ahead of the alliance's 70th anniversary celebrations. But despite the clashes, UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations Karen Pierce says NATO is here to stay.

In the aftermath of protests in Iran, authorities acknowledged that protesters were shot dead. Marco Werman speaks with the deputy director at the Center for Human Rights in Iran, Omid Memarian, about the situation in the country.

America faces a shortage of early childhood teachers. One program in Portland, Oregon, is trying to address it while helping immigrants overcome challenges in moving up the workforce.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which dates back to 1949, is celebrating its 70th anniversary as leaders gather in London this week. But French President Emmanuel Macron recently warned that NATO was "experiencing brain death." The World speaks with ambassadors Gerard Araud and Ivo Daalder about Macron's comments and the future of the alliance.

Recent research estimates that as much as a credit card’s worth of plastic makes its way into our bodies each week. A new bill aims to drastically reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the nation’s waste stream.

TikTok blamed the removal of the video on a “human moderation error.” But the ordeal has reignited concerns that the Chinese-owned, short video app is censoring US-generated content to appease Beijing.

The Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, isn’t just keen to see members of the Trump administration squirm. The impeachment drama presents a golden opportunity to portray the United States as a nation tearing itself apart — while China, so the narrative goes, is a bastion of harmony and stability. But what might the Chinese politburo say about Trump’s impeachment inquiry behind closed doors?

How “Penelope Ashe” pulled off the biggest literary caper of the century.

Cheesy? Or best Christmas movie ever?

The director talks about the influences on her trippy new film, “Knives and Skin.”

Opponents of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline say it threatens waterways and wildlife habitats along its route. Last month's spill from the original Keystone pipeline just helped them make their case.

Many Republicans say a "black ledger" acquired by Sergii Leshchenko is a forgery and that it was publicly released to link President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, to corruption in Ukraine.