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Tianjin, a large city near Beijing with 14 million people, reported 41 COVID-19 cases over the weekend. With the Winter Olympics less than a month away, the city is carrying out round-the-clock, mandatory COVID-19 tests. And students and teachers in Uganda reunited today, after nearly two years of COVID-19 shutdowns. We hear why many Ugandan students still won’t be returning to their classrooms. P...

In Kazakhstan, protests, turmoil and violence continue after liquified gas prices recently doubled. The country’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said today that he gave orders to security forces to open fire without warning at people he’s calling "terrorists." And airlines are required to fly up to 80% of their schedule to retain their assigned slots, but reduced demand for air travel has led som...

Imagery from the Jan. 6 insurrection on the US Capitol has made for powerful propaganda in the hands of extremists abroad. We hear from an expert about how US insurrectionists have inspired neo-fascist groups around the world. And with just one month until the Winter Olympics begin in Beijing, China’s zero-COVID-19 policy will impact how the games run. Plus, the King Cake culinary tradition unites...

Canada's government has pledged to award a $31.5 billion settlement to families in order to begin to repair the damages by a discriminatory system that has removed tens of thousands of children from their parents over the decades. And, scientists in South Africa have made major discoveries about the behavior of the omicron variant, but most of the continent continues to lack vaccine access. We hea...

In recent months, our lives have been dominated by the delta and omicron variants, but now there might be another one lurking — temporarily named IHU.  How do variants get classified as a “variant of concern”? And 24-year-old singer Silvana Estrada is one of Mexico’s most promising young talents. We hear about her upcoming debut album, “Marchita,” and her first headlining US tour. Plus, Canadian f...

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has stepped down just weeks after he was reinstated by Sudan’s military. The move comes amid street protests responding to the military-led coup in October. And the Daoist goddess Mazu is revered on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. The devout make pilgrimages to Fujian province to pray for the return of Taiwan, which they consider a "renegade province," not a...

Happy New Year from The World! For this holiday show, we’ve pulled together a sampling of some of our favorite music features and interviews over the past year. Steeve Valcourt of the band Lakou Mizik talks about how they use music to shine a light on their country's culture and history, while Pakistani composer and musician Arooj Aftab discusses writing songs about transition and loss from her ho...

Earlier this year, the Biden administration discussed offering migrant families that had been separated under the Trump administration $450,000 in compensation per person. But those negotiations ended this week. Families will not be getting anything — at least for now. Plus, the Chinese city of Xi’an remains under COVID-19 lockdown protocols, restricting movement for some 13 million people. And th...

Hong Kong authorities have shut down pro-democracy news organization Stand News on Wednesday in another blow to press freedoms. At least 50 media organizations have ceased operations since the passing of the National Security law. And a decade of war has decimated Syria's health care system. Bombings continue in Idlib province, the last remaining opposition-held area, posing major challenges for d...

Israel is administering a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to a test group of health workers in the country’s largest hospital. They say it’s the first major study into whether it will help contend with the fast-spreading omicron variant. And across the globe, extreme poverty rates continue to decline. This phenomenon is powered by continued economic growth in places like India and China, but how sust...

We remember Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South Africa's Nobel Peace Prize-winning Anglican cleric. The longtime activist for racial justice and LGBTQ rights died over the weekend at the age of 90. And omicron seems to be retreating in South Africa. Health care workers stretched thin during the surge are now able to catch a break. Also, 30 years ago, the red Soviet flag came down from atop the Kremlin,...

The pandemic — and social isolation — has been especially hard on people in long-term care. We hear from a toddler and his mom in Canada who wanted to bring a little joy to residents at a retirement home. Also, Zandile Ndhlovu, South Africa's first Black free-diving instructor, is trying to change the story of who belongs in the water. Plus, how many times over the past 20 months have you answered...

As many Americans travel to see loved ones for the holidays, COVID-19 rapid tests are in short supply and often expensive. We hear from a disease expert about how affordable testing options can result in better community health. And the long-awaited election in Libya was set for Dec. 24, but it has been called off, even though the current government’s term is set to expire. What does this signal f...

As millions around the globe prepare to gather for the holiday season, omicron is taking hold in more and more countries. It’s now the dominant COVID-19 strain in the United States, Denmark, Portugal and the United Kingdom.  And as snow falls in Kabul, Afghanistan, humanitarian workers are bracing for a difficult winter. We hear about a domestic abuse shelter for girls and women that is struggling...

Shab-e Yalda is the Iranian celebration of the winter solstice when families gather to eat, dance, sing and recite poetry. It's all about honoring the slow return of daylight as the shortest day of the year comes to an end. Like any good celebration, food plays a vital role. And one of the ways Russia exerts its power across continents is through mercenaries known as the Wagner Group, which has st...

Omicron is driving the surge in new infections of the coronavirus around the world. Public health colleagues across the globe have been calling for a robust "vaccine-plus" strategy to meet the current moment. And Sudan’s pro-democracy revolution has taken a heavy toll on civil society. Activists say more than 200 people have been killed by security forces in recent years and that this is the reaso...

Hong Kong will hold its first election under a new system imposed by Beijing — one in which every candidate must be a so-called “patriot,” meaning they must show pride in mainland China. Hong Kong politicians who question Beijing can’t run, and some have been locked up. And US President Joe Biden recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, hoping to deescalate tensions between the two coun...

Haitian police say kidnappers have released all the remaining missionaries they held from an Ohio-based missionary group Christian Aid Ministries. The notorious Haitian gang 400 Mawozo had seized 17 members of the group exactly two months ago. And Amazon has officially launched its smart speaker, Alexa, in Arabic. The service is now available in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. But creat...

Police in Germany foiled an assassination plot against the state of Saxony's political leader. The group behind the plot was reportedly angry about the country's COVID-19 response and vaccine rollout. And in Sudan, anti-military demonstrations continue nationwide after the military coup in October. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was reinstated but now he must create a new government after a wave of...

Rates of transmission of omicron continue to rise a day after the United Kingdom announced its first death from this latest variant of COVID-19. We hear from a leading epidemiologist about what we've learned since omicron was first announced. Also, leaders in Iran want people to have more children. To reach this goal, they have passed new legislation that limits access to contraceptives and aborti...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK's first reported death from the omicron variant of the coronavirus and said restrictions were in place to help mitigate an upcoming tidal wave of cases. Now, Brits are lining up for booster shots and bracing for new restrictions during the holiday season. Also, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has taken a hard line against his political o...

New Zealand's new smoking ban — for those who are 14 and under — is a step toward eventually ending all cigarette sales in the country. It impacts the nation's Maori and Pacific Island communities, in particular. Also, the tragic death of more than 50 migrants in a trailer-truck crash in southern Mexico highlights the dangers faced by migrants globally. And, we remember the Japanese video game pio...

To understand the new omicron variant, travel restrictions and how people can better prepare for the upcoming festive season, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Stephen Kissler — who is a research fellow in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the  Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health  — as part of The World's regular series of conversations about the pandemi...

The Biden administration received bipartisan criticism in the Senate this week over the fate of the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The camp has been open for nearly two decades and several US presidents have vowed to close it. But it remains open with some 39 prisoners still behind bars. And a Hong Kong court charged three prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy figures, including media mogul Jimmy La...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson denied that a Christmas party was held at 10 Downing street last December during a pandemic ban on indoor parties, despite new video evidence. It could undercut the impact of an announcement of new omicron-related restrictions in England. And US President Joe Biden is holding a virtual "Summit for Democracy" this week as part of a White House effort to advocate...