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When Shanghai went into lockdown in April, millions of residents were forced to stay inside. People who tested positive for COVID-19 were had to stay at quarantine facilities, with no government plan for who would take care of their pets while they were away. As The World's Rebecca Kanthor reported from China, communities banded together to deal with the problem.

Maia Mikhaluk's daughter Sasha was 38 weeks pregnant when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. Her daughter was rushed to the hospital with contractions just as Kyiv was entering a lockdown and battles were raging in the city’s suburbs. In this audio postcard, Mikhaluk describes the anguish and hope her family, and hundreds of pregnant women in the Ukrainian capital, were experiencing.

People around the world speak thousands of languages. They're not just how humans communicate; they're key parts of different cultures, too. Planet Word, an interactive museum in Washington, DC, allows visitors to explore this intersection and learn how words shape our lives. The World's Bianca Hillier reports.

In 2015, British journalist Rebecca Lowe decided to bike from her home in London all the way to Tehran, Iran. When she announced the decision to her family and friends, most of them thought she’d gone mad. But she set out anyway and survived to write a book about her adventure. The World’s Shirin Jaafari spoke with Lowe about her book, “Slow Road to Tehran.”

In the South Caucasus, an area that straddles Europe and Asia, tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan is on the rise again. For the past three weeks, Azerbaijan has imposed a de-facto blockade on Nagorno Karabakh, the disputed territory that Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought over for decades. Armenia is worried about a potential humanitarian crisis, but Azerbaijan says it's not responsible. The W...

Anti-government protests in Iran have now lasted more than 100 days. Human rights groups say about 18,000 people have been arrested. Of those, as many as 100 could face the death penalty. In support of these jailed protesters, European politicians are volunteering to sponsor political prisoners jailed by Iranian government. One of those prisoners is Toomaj Salehi, an Iranian hip-hop artist who pos...

Dozens of international leaders are expected at this weekend's inauguration for Brazil's new president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. Brazil's previous government, led by President Jair Bolsonaro, had frosty relations with many of them. But Michael Fox reports that Lula, in contrast, is expected to get a warm reception from the international community.

Ten men were convicted in Dominican court for a plot to kill baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz in a bar in Santo Domingo. Ortiz's own private investigators reached a different conclusion about who masterminded the murder attempt. The World's Marco Werman tells the story of what we know.

More and more migrants trying to reach Europe without permission are heading for Spain's Canary Islands. The Canaries begin just 60 miles off the coast of Western Sahara, in the Atlantic Ocean. That relatively short distance makes them attractive to a lot of Africans fleeing hardship at home. But the crossing is treacherous and help for new arrivals can barely keep up with the need. Gerry Hadden r...

Brazil is preparing for the inauguration of President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva this weekend. One focus of Lula's campaign was a promise to stop deforestation of the Amazon. On Thursday, Lula announced his environment minister will be a woman well-known in Brazil as a defender of the Amazon, Marina Silva. Host Marco Werman has more.

Cayetana Vidal was a promising filmmaker in Argentina when her father, a famous food critic, began to suffer from dementia. As his needs continued to grow she had to decide whose were most important. We hear Vidal's first-person story, produced by Ari Daniel Shapiro and Ian Coss.

Three young artists, who often perform on the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa,playing simple but enchanting music, have caught the attention of musicians such as Annie Lennox and Timbaland. Host Marco Werman speaks with Biko Star and Manna Hero from the trio Biko, Manna and Mfundo 

Two historians at the University of Aberdeen used historical records to create a video game about a village in Scotland that battled the plague in the 15th century. Using council registers, "Strange Sickness" explores issues based on fear and disease. Host Marco Werman speaks with William Hepburn, one of the historians who created the video game. 

We began 2022 alarmed over a shortage of microchips, but we end the year with a glut. In response, semiconductor manufacturers are cutting back on production. Sujai Shivakumar, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, discusses the market dynamics with host Marco Werman.

As China opens up to the world after years of tight COVID-19 restrictions, the US and others are introducing entry restrictions for travelers coming from China. In the three years since the pandemic's start, China has been subjected to scrutiny and stigma, and many argue that these policies will exacerbate the problem. Isaac Stone Fish, CEO of Strategy Risks, joins The World's host Marco Werman to...

The three-time World Cup Brazilian soccer star Pelé has died at age 82. One of the games most-prolific scorers, who showed grace on and off the field, had been hospitalized for the treatment of colon cancer since November. Michael Fox has this appreciation from Brazil. 

in the spirit of health and recognizing the people who have to continue working when things are bad, we play the track “Santé,” or “Health,” by Belgian crooner Stromae. The song is just one of many that made on our 2022 Spotify playlist.

Reports of sexual assault and rape are coming out of Iran amid the protests for women's rights and freedom. Women are accusing the prison authorities and law enforcement of rape and assault while in custody. The World's Marco Werman spoke with Firuzeh Mahmoudi, president of United for Iran, about the documented cases of rape. Note: This interview is not suitable for all listeners.

In the 1980s, Margaret Iaquinto was an amateur ham radio operator who communicated with Russian cosmonauts in space. She talked to them for over a year. Iaquinto died in 2014. But her son Ben Iaquinto remembers the friendships she developed with the cosmonauts. Marco Werman speaks to Ben Iaquinto about his mom's hobby and the conversations she had with these Russian cosmonauts. 

The Ukrainian community in Philadelphia is the second-largest in the United States. As members of the diaspora celebrated the holidays with a special Ukrainian version of the “Nutcracker,” Ashley Westerman reports that Ukrainian Americans are reflecting on a year of worry and solidarity.

On Wednesday, Kosovo closed its largest border crossing with Serbia in response to more blockades, this time on the Serbian side of the border. Ethnic Serbs on the Kosovo side have been building barriers, too, in protest against the Kosovo government. The tensions are centered on the city of Mitrovica, where the population is majority Serb. Host Marco Werman speaks to journalist Tim Judah, who wri...

Some Mexican drug cartels are going back to an old technique to curry favor with residents — giving out holiday gifts. As host Marco Werman explains, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has he appealed to people not to take holiday handouts from drug gangs.

Brazil has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Gangs control entire neighborhoods. It's common for people and companies to hire private security guard firms. Despite their large numbers, they are not highly regulated. Erika Robb Larkins, director of Brazilian Studies at San Diego State University, visits a training school for private security guards. She spoke to Gemma Ware, the host of...

When a prisoner swap was made with Russia for basketball star Britney Griner, the White House hoped it would also include Paul Whelan. The former Marine convicted on spying charges remains in prison. Host Marco Werman says that today marks four years since his sentence was handed down. 

The importance of grinding trench warfare in Ukraine has been overshadowed by Russia's blitz, Ukraine's spectacular counteroffensive, and the novel technology like long-range artillery and anti-tank weapons. But the reality is the war still hinges on dug-in front lines. The World's Marco Werman interviews Luke Mogelson of the New Yorker about the time he spent in the trenches with volunteers who c...