PRI’s The World: Latest Edition

June 19, now recognized as the federal holiday Juneteenth, commemorates the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States learned of their freedom. In The World’s Juneteenth special, we examine racial inequalities in higher education in India and South Africa, and consider who benefits from a college education. We also visit Louisiana to explore how the history and legacy of slave...

The US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding aims to end regional fighting, but Israel and Lebanon remain key wild cards. Any renewed violence along their shared border could quickly put the agreement at risk. Also, the EU is rolling out the biggest overhaul of its asylum system in years, with reforms designed to speed up asylum decisions and tighten controls at the bloc's external borders. And, nitaze...

Leaders from the US and Iran will meet in Geneva Friday to sign an agreement ending months of fighting. Also, a major hang-up to the Iran deal is Israel's military campaign in Lebanon. And, anti-immigration groups in South Africa are stepping up vigilante-style actions aimed at pressuring migrants to leave their country. Plus, Colombia’s national soccer jersey turns political. Our reporting is ind...

Earlier this year, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged countries caught between the world's superpowers to work together and forge a "third path." Now, as leaders gather for the G7 summit in France, questions remain about whether Carney can translate that vision into real influence. Also, a US airstrike on a compound in Venezuela that killed the leader of the Tren de Aragua gang last week co...

During the initial phase of the current US-Israeli war with Iran, some Iranians hoped that the attacks would lead to regime change in their country. Now, with a potential deal between Tehran and Washington, Iranians reflect on what the war actually achieved. Also, for the first time, scientists have mapped the vast networks of fungi that run beneath the Earth's surface. And, a discussion about how...

Switzerland could become the first country in the world to put a legal cap on its population. In a referendum this weekend, voters will decide whether to limit the country's population to 10 million people — which currently stands at 9.1 million. Also, today marks one year since an Air India flight bound for London crashed, killing all but one of the 260 people onboard, but a much-anticipated repo...

A new report out this week shows conflicts between nations have now surged to their highest level since World War II. Meanwhile, protracted conflict in the Middle East suggests the world may be entering into an era in which states increasingly remain in perpetual confrontation without crossing into all-out war.  Also, FIFA World Cup host Mexico will play in its first match, going toe-to-toe with S...

Violent anti-immigrant riots erupted in Belfast in Northern Ireland last night, in response to a viral video showing a stabbing attack perpetrated by a Sudanese national. Masked protesters burned down houses and torched cars, sending some families fleeing, and others into hiding. Also, local officials in southern Iran say the US has struck a water reservoir there, leaving thousands of people witho...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un played host to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week. It's the Chinese premier’s first visit to North Korea in seven years and follows two high-profile meetings in Beijing between Xi and the leaders of the US and Russia. Also, Taliban forces in Afghanistan have fired on protesters as women face increasing arrests and detention for leaving their homes without...

Armenia’s pro-Western prime minister secured an election victory today, despite a pressure campaign from Russia. Also, Mexico’s World Cup has become a platform for many protests, including teachers, mothers searching for their disappeared children, anti-gentrification groups and others. And, shipping groups are issuing new safety guidance to their vessels as the Strait of Hormuz remains tightly co...

Voters in Peru head to the polls this weekend for a runoff presidential election, with one key issue stemming from a wave of extortion that has surged in recent years. Also, a look at why Iran has conditioned a ceasefire with the US with an end to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. And, some criminal groups in Mexico are eyeing profits from the World Cup games. Plus, a German tr...

Today marks 37 years since Chinese troops opened fire on peaceful protestors in Tiananmen Square. But in Hong Kong, even symbolic acts are leading to arrests. Also, a look at the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. And, Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian author famous for her graphic novel “Persepolis,” has died at the age of 56. Plus, Kenya is a powerhouse when it comes to geothe...

Kenyan protesters are demonstrating against plans to build a quarantine center in Kenya for Americans who may have been exposed to Ebola. Critics say it exposes Kenyans to risk, without offering them the same protections provided to US citizens. Also, a new study has found multiple types of microbes preserved in the body of Otzi, the iceman mummified in a glacier from the Copper Age, which could p...

Despite mass Russian assaults on Ukrainian cities, Moscow’s progress on the battlefield stalls. Also, police in Paris suspend dozens of school assistants in more than 100 schools, preschools and nurseries for abusing youngsters. And, Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado says she is planning to return to Venezuela “very soon” and expresses confidence that the country will emerge from...

Alex Saab, one of ousted President Nicolás Maduro’s most important fixers, is back in US custody for the second time. His case helps explain how corruption in Venezuela moved from state contracts into daily life. Also, Alberta's premier has announced that a referendum will be held in October, asking voters in the province whether they wish to remain part of Canada, or begin the legal process of pu...

AI-generated LEGO videos have become one of the most unexpected propaganda tools in the current Iran war. The clips use humor, memes and video-game-style animation to mock global leaders, while pushing pro-Iran narratives online. Also, residents flee north as Israel strikes Lebanon, including the historic city of Tyre. And, Brazil’s government plans to invest $75 million to pave and improve a high...

Lack of healthcare infrastructure and distrust of authorities are challenging efforts to confront the latest Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo. Also, more trials begin for former Syrian officials involved in torturing their own citizens. And, rising geopolitical tensions complicate an already fragile dynamic in Cyprus. Plus, NASA announces plans to create a permanent presence on the m...

After a months-long blackout, Iran has begun restoring internet access in the country. Iranians are appearing back online, posting about how the cut-off has impacted their lives. Also, it’s being described as Ireland’s “George Floyd moment” after 35-year-old Yves Sakila, originally from Democratic Republic of Congo, died in Dublin earlier this month after being restrained by several security guard...

Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical Monday, outlining his priorities in leading the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. While the focus of "Magnificent Humanity" was heavily on his concerns about AI, the pontiff also apologized for one of the Church's historic wrongs: supporting the slave trade. Also, Colombia has faced a dramatic increase in violence in the weeks leading up to its presidential...

This Memorial Day special highlights peacemakers and people helping others around the world, including those who bridge divides, feed strangers and hold space for grief. We look at volunteers in France helping college students with groceries. Also, the “Designing Peace” exhibit at a museum in New York. And, a group of monks from a Vietnamese Buddhist temple walking for peace. Plus, a look at globa...

Meteorologists expect not only that an El Niño warming pattern will emerge this year, but also that it will be one of the strongest on record. And, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Spain's prime minister from 2004 to 2011, has been charged with influence peddling in the controversial rescue of an airline partly owned by government officials in Venezuela. Also, during a legislative session in Jamaica...

The Ebola outbreak centered in the eastern regions of Democratic Republic of Congo is expanding at an alarming rate. Also, the US-Israeli war with Iran almost derailed the 20-year-old Art Dubai festival until organizers scrambled to keep the show going. And, the skyrocketing costs of attending this summer’s World Cup is a sign for many that FIFA has lost touch with its global fanbase. Plus, Canada...

As the Trump administration expands sanctions on Cuba to pressure regime change, one of its targets is GAESA, the military-run business empire behind hotels, dollar stores, banks and other key sources of hard currency in the country. Also, rights groups are concerned over  European Commission plans to hold talks with the Taliban in Brussels about deporting some Afghans back home. And, New Zealand...

US President Donald Trump says he has halted a “very major attack” on Iran for now because he wants to allow more time for diplomacy. Also, a tent city has sprung up along Beirut's renowned waterfront promenade where people displaced from their homes in southern Lebanon by Israeli airstrikes are living out the war. And, a general strike by transport workers over the rising cost of fuel brings Keny...

Norway stands to make $78 billion this year from its oil and gas sales as the costs of the commodities continue to rise globally. Also, Philippines Senator Ronald dela Rosa is in hiding as government agents try to serve him with an ICC arrest warrant on charges of crimes against humanity for his role in the country’s bloody drug war. And, a look at why zoonotic diseases, spilling over from animals...