The World: Latest Stories

Paraguay is facing a deepening political crisis after authorities intervened following the collapse of one of the country's largest digital banks, leaving millions of customers unable to access their money. The collapse of Ueno Bank, which has ties to President Santiago Peña's former business partners, has triggered protests, criminal investigations and an impeachment effort against Peña and his v...

Not very long ago, in the galaxy we live in, someone invented a sport that combines fencing with our fantasy pals from “Star Wars.” All you need is one of those glow-in-the-dark swords every kid — and adult — secretly wanted as a birthday present from Obi-Wan Kenobi, and you’re ready to rock. The World’s Gerry Hadden reported from Barcelona a year ago on the fun of this rising trend. This story or...

A new investigation by our partners at Bellingcat demonstrates how satellite mapping services like Google Maps very publicly identify specific facilities on US military installations across the Middle East. A major vulnerability during the Iran War, this satellite mapping has left many US service members feeling exposed. The World's Host Aaron Schachter learned more from Bellingcat researcher Seba...

A former US government contractor has admitted to passing classified information to Ethiopian government officials. The actions were to support the government in its war against rebel forces in the northern Tigray region. A peace deal that was meant to end that war has unraveled over the past couple of years, and conflict surged again a few months ago. The World's Host Aaron Schachter speaks with...

There have been plenty of memes and videos floating around since the US midterm elections on Tuesday. One, in particular, caught the public's attention. It involves Abdul El-Sayed, the senator-elect from Michigan who will be the first Muslim to hold that position. The World's Host Aaron Schachter has more.

Last week, Ukraine launched a record number of drone strikes inside Russia. Ukrainians have developed drones capable of hitting oil refineries inside Russia as far away as Siberia. The damage to Russia’s oil industry has put pressure on a key revenue source for the Kremlin. From our partners at Deutsche Welle, DW, Levi Bridges has this report on how more than four years of full-scale war is reshap...

A new collection of music from the remote African islands of Sao Tome and Principe is a revelation. This nation in the Atlantic Ocean doesn't get a lot of attention, but as we hear in songs by bands from the 1960s and '70s, like Sangazuza, it's worth listening up. This story originally aired on Jan. 15, 2026.

Nigeria has a long literary tradition that has introduced readers around the world to West African history and culture. Books like the 1958 novel by Chinua Achebe, "Things Fall Apart," remains to this day among the most widely read, studied and translated works of literature from anywhere on the continent. Now, some poets in Nigeria — Africa's most populous nation — are hoping to pass the literary...

Hungary has begun publishing the names of tens of thousands of people who spied for the communist-era secret police. The files are shedding light on a system that recruited ordinary citizens to inform on friends, neighbors and colleagues during more than four decades of communist rule, which ended in 1989. Among those named are a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, a senior bishop and a former governor...

Yesterday's US midterm elections made one thing clear: Democrats will have control of Congress for the next two years. What that means for US foreign policy is still an open question, especially when it comes to the ongoing war with Iran. Host Marco Werman speaks with Sina Azodi from George Washington University, to better understand how that conflict could evolve.

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been sentenced to 10 additional years after a second conviction under a controversial national security law. Havoc across European airspace as several bomb threats divert planes. A soccer match in Brazil sets a new record for the most red cards in a single game. Host Marco Werman has more details.

In Morocco, there's a traditional form of music known as Gnawa that some experts believe is a precursor to the American blues. It emerged centuries ago from sub-Saharan Africans who were enslaved by an Arab sultanate in North Africa and taken to Morocco. For several years now, Gnawa music has been getting attention outside of Morocco. And now, there's an added draw, thanks to two sisters shaking u...

In 1963, the Brazilian government launched a literacy campaign spearheaded by the revolutionary educator, Paulo Freire. The campaign focused on rural communities in the country's north, and used experimental techniques to teach hundreds of students to read through a 40-hour course. A new documentary, "Reading the World," looks back at the history of that campaign through interviews with students w...

It's been more than two months since a flash flood in Nepal killed thousands of people. This happened when a large part of a glacier collapsed into a mountain lake, displacing tons of water, rock and mud. Scientists say glaciers are melting at a rapid pace due to rising global temperatures, and it’s not just happening in the Himalayas. In the high Pyrenees in Spain, Europe's southern-most glaciers...

Before he succeeded him in Rome, Pope Leo XIV had already shared an altar in Buenos Aires with Pope Francis — back when he wasn't Francis yet. On Aug. 28, 2004, Jorge Bergoglio and Robert Prevost concelebrated mass at the San Agustín parish in Buenos Aires. Bergoglio was archbishop of the city; Prevost was head of the Augustinian order worldwide. Neither man had any idea both would become pope. Re...

If the fictitious band The Commitments (from the 1991 Alan Parker film of the same name) were not so dysfunctional, and if they lived in Norway, they'd probably sound a lot like Sūn Byrd. Host Marco Werman offers up a taste.

Following sweeping Democratic victories in Tuesday's midterm elections, there are questions about what the results might mean beyond the United States' borders and in the realm of foreign policy. Ishaan Tharoor, who writes about global affairs for The New Yorker, joined The World's Host Marco Werman to discuss the global implications.

Leaders around the world have been reacting to President Donald Trump's resounding defeat in the US midterm elections. The World's Europe Correspondent Orla Barry and Latin America Correspondent Tibisay Zea join Host Marco Werman to discuss the global implications of the US Congress changing hands.

Tomás de Perrate was born into a family of Flamenco musicians. But he chose the life of a hairdresser — until his late 40s. Flamenco has long been mixed with other genres, but Perrate takes Flamenco fusion to a new level. The World’s Gerry Hadden reports from Barcelona.

Argentine President Javier Milei has been courting tech leaders worldwide to build data centers in his country's southern Patagonia region. He has been pushing to lower the corporate tax rate to incentivize foreign investment, and pledged that his government would not regulate AI. But for all the potential upsides, many of Milei's critics say that inviting foreign-owned data centers wouldn't actua...

Authorities in Europe are investigating a wave of suspected bomb threats to airplanes traveling across the continent that affected at least seven flights carrying passengers. Several were forced to make emergency landings, some under military escort. It's unclear whether the threats — which European officials are dismissing as hoaxes — were coordinated. The World's Transportation Correspondent Jer...

When Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica last year, a handful of health centers in the storms path stayed standing — and operational — while nearly everything around them was destroyed. The World's Hannah Chanatry looks at what made those buildings so different.

Pope Leo XIV has had quite the travel itinerary. Less than a year and a half into his papacy, he's already traveled across Africa, Europe and the Middle East. But unlike other heads of state, who have dedicated government aircraft, popes travel aboard specially chartered commercial airliners. Host Marco Werman speaks with Motoko Rich, The New York Times' Rome bureau chief, who's been racking up fr...

Artist Kirstie Macleod is the mastermind behind a massive piece of art that took 14 years and 380 people to create. It's called, simply: The Red Dress project. While the dress is made of burgundy silk, artists around the world have embroidered their own unique, colorful designs onto it to show off their culture and country. The World reached into its archives for this report from Bianca Hillier on...

Host Marco Werman offers us a taste from Mexican singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas' latest album, "Norteña." It's a song titled "La Linea," a reminder of the imaginary lines we all create between one another.