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This week, foreign diplomats met with Taliban officials in Doha, Qatar. The meeting is part of the “Doha Process,” which aims to address challenges in Afghanistan. Markedly absent: Afghan women, who were not invited to participate. Women's rights activists wonder what a meeting, under these conditions, can really achieve. The World's Shirin Jaafari reports.

Oud player Sheikh Imam and poet Ahmed Negm were the most-famous musical duo in Egypt in the 1960s and 1970s. Then in 2011, their music became a rallying cry for protesters trying to topple Egypt’s autocratic leaders. The story comes to us from the Kerning Cultures Network.

Amid widespread voter apathy, Iranians go to the polls on Friday to select the successor to the late president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a May helicopter crash. The World's Durrie Bouscaren reports. 

Beginning Sunday, all new cars sold in the EU and in Northern Ireland must have a range of technical safety features fitted as standard. This includes "intelligent speed assistance," or colloquially, a speed limiter. Host Carol Hills explains.

Biniam Girmay says his win in the Tour de France's sprint run — the mostly flat third leg of the race — is “for all Africans.” Host Carol Hills discusses what this exceptional performance means for Girmay, as well as for cycling on the African continent. 

At the annual European gull screeching championships in Belgium, 9-year-old Cooper Wallace stole the show and won the juniors competition. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler explain how the costumed kid stole the show. (Originally aired April 24, 2024)

Gazoz is an old-school, hyperlocal style soda that's been ubiquitous in Turkish beach towns since the drink was invented more than a century ago. The World's Durrie Bouscaren reports from southern Turkey on a beloved drink that is having a moment. (Originally aired April 19, 2024.)

One of the biggest music festivals in Europe, Primavera Sound, is part of a trend of music festivals expanding to more dates and more venues. Alan Ruiz Terol reports from Barcelona on how changes in the music industry are driving the expansion of these megaconcerts. (Original aired June 9, 2023.)

In Medillin, Colombia, visitors who use wheelchairs have a new option — electric hand bikes that pull wheelchairs and can reach speeds of about 30 miles per hour. They're offered by a tour company as part of a broader effort to make the city more accessible. Manuel Rueda reports from Medellin. (Originally aired Feb. 5, 2023.)

The oldest-surviving blueprint from medieval times details the layout and construction of a village and monastery called the Plan of St. Gall. Archaeologists and craftspeople are building that community, first described in 800 A.D., using only the tools and methods available back then. Author Kristen Ghodsee describes what we can learn from a medieval idea of utopia in this conversation with The W...

A Sudanese American woman in Sacramento is digitizing cassettes recorded with classic Sudanese songs going all the way back to the 1960s. In the process, she's created a music archive called Sudan Tapes Archive that more and more people are accessing. Reporter Hana Baba, of station KALW explains the work has taken on new urgency as war rages in Sudan. (Originally aired April 2, 2024.)

What is often referred to as "lab-grown meat" has been slow to catch on. But in Singapore, they're embracing the technology, especially for seafood. The World's Patrick Winn reports that Singaporean companies are devising ways to grow shrimp and crab for a hungry continent. (Originally aired Oct. 24, 2023.)

Iraq’s date palms have taken a huge toll after years of war, drought and climate change. The World reports on one group's efforts to save them. (Originally aired June 1, 2023.)

Whale researchers have turned to computer scientists to analyze the clicks made by sperm whales in the Caribbean. As a result, they believe that sperm whales may have a more sophisticated form of communication than previously understood. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Canadian marine biologist Shane Gero. (Originally aired May 7, 2024.)

Following an alleged an assault on a minor in the Turkish city of Kayseri, anti-Syrian protests and riots erupted in a number of other cities. Syrian shops and businesses were destroyed in the anti-refugee violence. That also sparked a reaction in northern Syria against Turkish soldiers stationed there. Host Marco Werman speaks with Nigar Goksel, with the International Crisis Group, about the fact...

Leading up to the Paris summer Olympic games, and International Olympic Committee review panel will decide which Russian and Belarusian athletes are eligible to compete. Russian and Belarusian athletes have been sanctioned due to Russian's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Some countries have called for compete ban of the two countries from the Olympics. The World's Daniel Ofman reports on how one R...

Hurricane season has started early and strong in the Caribbean. Jamaica’s three international airports shut down Wednesday as residents braced for the arrival of Hurricane Beryl. Meteorologists fear torrential rainfall could trigger flash flooding and landslides across the island. The World’s Marco Werman speaks with Evan Thompson, director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica in Kingston. 

Germans are known for being precise, and always on time. But for many years now, their trains have been chronically late. Germans are incensed, and major upgrades to the national railway system are planned. But in the meantime, their even more obsessive time-keeping neighbor, Switzerland, is thinking of excluding German trains from their network because of their tardiness. Marco Werman speaks with...

Georgia's beloved Borjomi mineral water, a ubiquitous drink available throughout the post-Soviet world that you could once find at most restaurants anywhere from Kyiv to Kyrgyzstan, has run into trouble. Borjomi’s problems began during the war because a majority share of the company was owned by a Russian billionaire who was sanctioned. The sanctions made it difficult for Borjomi to do business in...

The tensions between the US and China are at an all-time high over the South China Sea. Meanwhile, both countries are examining their nuclear posture toward each other. Host Marco Werman is joined by veteran journalist Jane Perlez to examine China's nuclear weapons program and evolving policy on using those weapons. It's part of our summerlong series with Perlez's podcast, "Face Off: the US versus...

In the Central African Republic, Russian paramilitaries under the banner of the Wagner Mercenary Group, and now in many cases under the umbrella of the Russian Ministry of Defense's Africa Corps, are accused of sexual violence against civilians. The World's Marco Werman speaks with Philip Obaji Jr., a correspondent for the Daily Beast, about his investigation in CAR which exposes systematic rapes...

The Spanish resort town of Marbella has instituted a new ordinance that bans peeing on the beach or in the sea. And if you're caught peeing, it'll cost you. The fine tops $800. There’s no word yet on how lifeguards will identify holidaymakers having a stealthy wee beneath the waves. The World's Marco Werman has the details.

Israel’s top generals seem to want a ceasefire in Gaza, even if it keeps Hamas in power. That’s a deal-breaker for some in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. They say they’ll quit the alliance if the war ends with Hamas undefeated. Journalist Noga Tarnopolsky in Jerusalem speaks with The World’s Marco Werman about who’s in charge of Israel’s military campaign. 

A new law that provides refugees with a path to Indian citizenship went into effect in March. But it's controversial because it excludes refugees who are Muslims. There were widespread protests in 2019 when it was first passed and now India's supreme court is hearing a bunch of petitions against it. Reporter Sushmita Pathak has the story.

At least 87 people were feared dead in a stampede at a Hindu religious gathering in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. A large crowd had gathered on an area of open ground in response to a call from a religious leader. A local official says the incident happened due to overcrowding at the time when people were trying to leave the venue.