The World: Latest Stories

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.

Sand mining is a multi-billion dollar industry; sand and gravel are the second-most extracted resource, second only to water. In Sierra Leone, coastal communities have adopted sand mining as a critical source of income. But the people doing the mining also live the environmental consequences, and can see the changes. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with researcher Arnaud Vander Velpen about...

In his new book, "Guns Are Not Enough: Foreign Aid in the National Interest," Andrew Natsios, a lifelong Republican and former USAID chief argues that helping vulnerable populations overseas helps make Americans safer and more prosperous. Natsios tells The World’s Host Marco Werman that a reimagined USAID should have a seat at the Cabinet table, bringing development and humanitarian perspectives t...

The UK's Health Security Agency has announced a study to establish a baseline data set on the average levels of PFAS, or so-called "forever chemicals," in the blood of UK residents. PFAS are generally known to be present in the bodies of many people worldwide, but the exact chemicals, their levels and their impact on human health outcomes remains unknown. The new study, with initial results publis...

The latest release from 25-year-old singer-songwriter Andrea Bejar is like listening to her musical diary. Instead of writing about broken relationships though, Bejar writes about the fear of growing old and anticipating grief. The Mexican-born, LA-based singer recently spoke to Host Marco Werman about the inspirations behind her album, "In Bloom."

After years of war and overlapping crises, Lebanon’s healthcare workers are struggling with trauma and burnout. Many are leaving the country, raising urgent questions about who will care for those left behind, and who will care for the caregivers. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports from Beirut.

Fast-growing breeds of "turbo chicken" account for much of the poultry produced worldwide. But after a recent documentary by Danish broadcaster TV2 shed light on illegal practices by local producers, the government's nature minister has called for both nationwide and European Union-wide bans. The World's Host Marco Werman learned more about the sustainability and tradeoffs of this cheap chicken fr...

Refugees and asylum-seekers have been going to Malaysia from Myanmar for decades. There are now hundreds of thousands in Malaysia. Most of them are ethnic minorities fleeing persecution, economic hardship and, most recently, a civil war. They were once welcomed in Malaysia, to do the jobs most Malaysians didn't want to do. Now, many refugees and asylum-seekers from Myanmar in Malaysia worry they h...

It was just one Saturday night — on Oct. 24 — but the group of around 500 mostly under-aged teenagers, calling themselves "Blocus" managed to loot several downtown stores in Barcelona, Spain. What worries police more is the group's online presence and its calls for more ransacking. On Halloween, hundreds of police kept another call to chaos from materializing, but at a high cost. The World's Gerry...