France announces return to coronavirus lockdowns
France will impose a nightly curfew starting on Saturday on almost 20 million of the country's 67 million people, in an attempt to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus. And, Norway's foreign minister said that Russia hacked into their country's parliamentary email system in August. Also, as Nov. 3 approaches, calls by President Donald Trump to declare a winner on election night have raised fear...
48m Oct 15, 2020
48m
Coronavirus Conversations: Where do we stand with testing and a vaccine?
Health authorities in Europe and around the world are facing new surges of the coronavirus. As fall temperatures drop and more of us stay inside longer, where do we stand on testing, diagnostics and a vaccine amid a growing sense of pandemic fatigue? As part of our regular series of conversations, The World's Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Harvard University epidemiologist William Han...
40m Oct 15, 2020
40m
Taliban unleashes deadly offensive amid peace talks
Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes after the Taliban began an intense battle to take over the city of Lashkargah in southern Afghanistan. The fighting comes at a time when the Trump administration is negotiating a peace agreement with the militant group to withdraw US troops. And, China, Russia and Cuba all won seats on the UN Human Rights Council, provoking alarm with rig...
48m Oct 14, 2020
48m
New surges in global coronavirus cases worrisome to health officials
America’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says the globe isn’t doing as well as he’d hoped in fighting the pandemic, and he worries about the politicization of public health. And, in Qingdao, a small outbreak of the coronavirus has prompted a plan to test all 9 million residents of the Chinese port city. Also, US intelligence officials have historically been nonpartisan, at le...
49m Oct 13, 2020
49m
Mexico City removes a prominent Columbus statue
Mexico City’s government removed a statue of Christopher Columbus from the city’s Paseo de la Reforma in the early hours of Saturday ahead of a planned annual protest. And, the United Kingdom is just one of a series of countries in Europe to impose new localized restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Plus, tennis star Rafael Nadal again made history on Sunday winning his 13th Fr...
49m Oct 12, 2020
49m
World Food Program awarded Nobel Peace Prize
The World Food Program, the United Nations' food-assistance branch, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its work addressing hunger, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, and for creating a foundation for peace in nations ravaged by war. We take a look at past winners of the prize, too. And, hundreds of coronavirus vaccines are in the works worldwide. But if and when an effec...
50m Oct 09, 2020
50m
A country’s actions can determine whether a coronavirus surge takes hold
Around the globe, communities are bracing for new surges in COVID-19, from Spain to Israel. But a country's actions can make all the difference in what happens next, and whether a surge takes hold. And, in Wednesday’s debate, Vice President Mike Pence argued the Trump administration can claim credit for vanquishing ISIS. But many analysts say Trump carried forward President Barack Obama’s plan ...
49m Oct 08, 2020
49m
US charges British ISIS militants
In the first case of its kind, two ISIS militants, formally British citizens, have been charged in a US court for their involvement in the beheading of American and British journalists and aid workers in Syria. And, a court in Greece has ruled that the far-right Golden Dawn party was operating as a criminal organization, delivering landmark guilty verdicts. Also, the EU Parliament has ...
48m Oct 07, 2020
48m
Top US military leaders forced into coronavirus quarantine
President Donald Trump’s top military advisers, including the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, have gone into quarantine. And, the wives and widows of ISIS fighters have turned to crowdfunding to raise money to buy their escape from detention camps in northern Syria. Also, the frontman of the Colombian trio Bomba Estéreo has been at work on a new solo project — “Mon...
49m Oct 06, 2020
49m
Trump’s illness poses US national security risks
China, Russia and other actors that don’t have America’s best interest in mind may seek to take advantage of the US in this precarious moment, as President Donald Trump has been sidelined by the coronavirus. And, nothing about the president’s coronavirus infection is normal — from the combination of experimental treatments he is receiving all at once to the way the outbreak is unfoldin...
48m Oct 05, 2020
48m
President Trump tests positive for COVID-19
Since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, doctors have learned a lot more about the disease. That might be good news for President Donald Trump. And, the British fashion label Fred Perry announced last week that it stopped selling their black and yellow polo shirt in Canada and the US. The shirt has become part of the de facto uniform of the Proud Boys, a white supremacist grou...
49m Oct 02, 2020
49m
Coronavirus falsehoods spread with alarming speed
Falsehoods involving the pandemic are ricocheting around the globe with alarming speed. A new study from Cornell University finds President Donald Trump is the biggest offender of spreading misinformation. And, in the last decade, Danish energy company Ørsted did what few other energy utilities in the world have been able to do: They went from being almost entirely reliant on oil, gas ...
49m Oct 01, 2020
49m
Global reaction to a chaotic presidential debate
Viewers across the globe tuned into the 2020 presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden Tuesday night and witnessed an often chaotic and unruly spectacle. And, members of the US House Intelligence Committee are increasingly worried that China is shaping geopolitics and global technology, while the US intelligence community lacks the resources...
50m Sep 30, 2020
50m
Coronavirus passes grim milestone with 1 million deaths worldwide
It’s been hard to keep up with the devastating human toll of the coronavirus pandemic. This week, we passed yet another grim milestone — 1 million deaths worldwide. And, how who wins the White House in November could impact people and policies across the world. China will almost certainly come up in tonight's first presidential debate and many Chinese are paying close attention. Also, ...
48m Sep 29, 2020
48m
The national security risks of Trump’s foreign financial entanglements
US President Donald Trump owes hundreds of millions of dollars to a foreign bank, The New York Times reports, and he regularly pays taxes to several foreign governments — while paying little to no tax to the US government. His foreign financial entanglements might pose issues for US national security. And, Southeast Asian nations seeing large investments from China. But opening the doo...
49m Sep 28, 2020
49m
A challenge to the peaceful transition of power
This past week, President Donald Trump declined to commit to a peaceful transfer of power — the foundation of democracy in the US — in the aftermath of the November election. And, Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, will be different in Israel this year. As COVID-19 cases continue to spike, the Israeli government imposed further restrictions on its people already in a nationwide l...
49m Sep 25, 2020
49m
Coronavirus Conversations: Reopening schools and workplaces amid the coronavirus
With fall underway, millions of students and teachers in the US are adjusting to the new normal of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. For college students, living on campus has also brought new challenges. School communities are divided by questions of how safe is “safe enough,” and administrators are struggling to balance the benefits of in-person instruction with the risk...
34m Sep 25, 2020
34m
Protests erupt over Breonna Taylor case
Thursday's announcement that the police officers involved in the March killing of Breonna Taylor would not face homicide charges is yet another low for activists and supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement around the world. And, protesters in Belarus have been in the streets since early August calling for the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko. The World's host Marco W...
49m Sep 24, 2020
49m
Afghan women take a seat with the Taliban at the negotiating table
After nearly 20 years of violence and war, representatives from the Afghan government are meeting with Taliban officials, including two women who are sitting across the table from the Taliban. And, it's getting colder in Boston and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere. That means more time indoors. What are the additional steps people can take to prevent the transmission of the coron...
49m Sep 23, 2020
49m
A virtual UN General Assembly
The UN General Assembly is holding its 75th meeting this week in New York — mostly virtually. US President Donald Trump used his address on Wednesday to blame China for the spread of the coronavirus while defending his own response to the pandemic. And the 2020 presidential election will dictate whether the US remains out of the Paris climate agreement for another four years, or reente...
49m Sep 22, 2020
49m
How Sweden influenced Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's worldview
In the early 1960s, long before she was a Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg traveled to Sweden to research a book project with legal scholar Anders Bruzelius. Her time there shaped her views on equality and the law. Also, surgeon and author Dr. Atul Gawande says nations such as South Korea have implemented successful COVID-19 testing and safety procedures that the US could eas...
50m Sep 21, 2020
50m
Greece relocates thousands of migrants and refugees to new camp after fire
An effort is underway to relocate the approximately 12,000 migrants and refugees who have been camping in the streets of Lesbos into a new camp. And, 29 German police officers have been suspended for sharing pictures of Adolf Hitler and depictions of refugees in gas chambers on their phones. Also, an appreciation of the blues connection between Malian guitarist Ali Farka Touré and Jimi...
47m Sep 18, 2020
47m
Number in The News: 3 — ‘Scents of Normality’ captures the essence of life before lockdown
From The World and PRX, this is The Number in the News. Today’s number: 3. Watching a movie at home these days doesn't come with quite the same potpourri of aromas you'd get from going out to a movie theater, such as popcorn butter, recirculated air and the wrinkly hot dogs at the concession stand. A London candle shop called <a href="https://www.earlofeast.com/" target="_blank">Earl ...
3m Sep 18, 2020
3m
Why Spain is experiencing a second coronavirus wave 
Spain’s capital, Madrid, is experiencing one of Europe’s worst, second-wave outbreaks of the coronavirus. And, officials across the world are anxiously awaiting the outcome of the US presidential race — and that may be especially true for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Also, Wednesday marked 400 years since the Mayflower ship originally set sail for what would later become the United...
49m Sep 17, 2020
49m
Japan's Parliament elects new prime minister
Japan's Parliament elected Yoshihide Suga as prime minister Wednesday, replacing long-serving leader Shinzō Abe with his right-hand man. And, 14 people were killed in Colombia last week amid clashes between protesters and the police. The deaths were consistent with a tradition of police abuse in the country. Also, the government of Barbados has announced that it will remove Queen Eliza...
47m Sep 16, 2020
47m
Israel, Bahrain and the UAE signed historic agreement 
Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signed a historic agreement to normalize ties on Tuesday, breaking a long-standing regional taboo and indicating a larger realignment of Middle East nations. Also, a new survey shows that America’s reputation has declined further over the past year among many key allies and partners. And, during the pandemic, socializing outside with friends...
47m Sep 15, 2020
47m
Greece struggles to resettle asylum-seekers after blaze
The Greek government is working to resettle thousands of asylum-seekers displaced after a fire destroyed the Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesbos. The fire was allegedly set by camp residents angry at coronavirus quarantine orders. And, China's Belt and Road initiative promises economic development to countries across the globe. But those deals aren't necessarily win-win — as is ...
49m Sep 14, 2020
49m
Marking 19 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks
A whistleblower this week said Department of Homeland Security officials have purposely downplayed certain threats in their briefs to President Donald Trump. Nineteen years ago today, dysfunction at US intelligence agencies stymied efforts to prevent the deadliest attack on American soil in history. Host Marco Werman speaks with a national security expert. And, thousands of migrants on...
47m Sep 11, 2020
47m
Thwaites Glacier is more vulnerable than once thought
The underwater trenches funneling warm water to Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica are deeper than once thought, according to recently published research. And, violent protests have erupted in Colombia after two police officers in Bogotá were recorded brutally assaulting and tasing a man who later died. Also, Confucius Institutes have long been criticized for allowing the Chinese governmen...
48m Sep 10, 2020
48m
Fire destroys Europe's largest refugee camp on Lesbos
An overnight fire has destroyed the largest refugee camp in Greece — and Europe — displacing more than 12,000 people. And, South African track star Caster Semenya has lost her appeal over a 2018 ruling that would require female athletes with high testosterone levels to medically lower them before competing. Also, a study found that a robot capable of holding basic conversations reduced...
48m Sep 09, 2020
48m
Controversial hair advertisement sparks protests in South Africa
A hair advertisement depicting Black women's hair as "dully" and "damaged" has caused an uproar in South Africa. And, a new study finds that people in France who refuse to wear masks are more likely to be older, educated women. Also, summer is almost over, kids are heading back to school, and in Europe, politicians are back at the Brexit negotiating table.
48m Sep 08, 2020
48m
US extradition hearing for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange starts in London
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was back in court in London today as his fight against an extradition request to the US continues. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's pick to lead a Latin American development bank has proven controversial. And Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevicius has been outspoken against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko — while supporti...
48m Sep 07, 2020
48m
How close are we to a vaccine for COVID-19?
How close are we to a vaccine for COVID-19, and what might a vaccine rollout look like in various countries? The task of distributing it to populations around the world could be daunting. Also, in Sofia, Bulgaria demonstrations have been taking place every night for nearly two months now. Protesters want their prime minister and his government to resign. And, it's been a summer of wild...
48m Sep 04, 2020
48m
The effort to ensure global access to a COVID-19 vaccine
Clinical trials in the global sprint to find a coronavirus vaccine have ramped up in the US, the United Kingdom, China, Australia and beyond. But once there is a vaccine, who gets it? That’s a critical question on the world stage amid a pandemic that knows no borders. Also, the US is hitting top officials at the International Criminal Court in the Hague with sanctions, as prosecutors t...
48m Sep 03, 2020
48m
Alexei Navalny poisoned with Soviet-era Novichock, German officials confirm.
The German government says that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by Novichock — a Soviet-era nerve agent. Plus, a textile company in Ghana produces vibrant patterns with pandemic motifs. And, it's the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II today. We hear a story about service dogs who worked with Allied forces during the war.
47m Sep 02, 2020
47m
A global coronavirus check-in, six months into the pandemic
Six months into living through a declared pandemic, where does the world stand? Also, hear from some of The World’s international correspondents about what it’s like to travel abroad during a pandemic. The 2020 census gives Latino communities a pathway to political power. And, a man codes an online bilingual baby name finder.
48m Sep 01, 2020
48m
Historic flight between Israel and the UAE lands in Abu Dhabi
Direct Israel-UAE flight makes historic first. Plus, the US and four English-speaking allies have shared intelligence for decades through an alliance called the "Five Eyes." Now Japan is lobbying to join in. And, a new report from international crime fighters Interpol has found that illegal plastic dumping has sharply increased in the last two years.
49m Aug 31, 2020
49m
How white supremacy impacts US national security
How white supremacy impacts US national security. Plus, Mexico takes an unusual approach to education this fall: school by television. And, a new generation of museum curators have turned into activists.
48m Aug 28, 2020
48m
Arrest made over deaths of protesters in Wisconsin
Authorities have arrested a 17-year-old self-proclaimed militia member and charged him with homicide after two people were killed and another seriously wounded by gunfire amid demonstrations in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. And, the typhoon in North Korea, wildfires in the US and once-in-a-generation flooding in China all have a thread: climate change. Al...
49m Aug 27, 2020
49m
Why the traditional Belarusian flag has become a protest symbol
For more than two weeks now, Belarusian citizens have been in the streets calling for President Alexander Lukashenko to step down. Different symbols have popped up as the protests have turned into a movement but the most important symbol has been the traditional red and white Belarusian flag. And, a new paper shows that some 60% of Antarctica's ice shelves are vulnerable to hydrofractu...
48m Aug 26, 2020
48m
Pompeo in Sudan pushes normalizing ties with Israel
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo continued his tour of the Middle East and North Africa, arriving in Sudan on Tuesday to discuss "deepening the Sudan-Israel relationship” and the potential removal of Sudan from the US State Department’s State Sponsors of Terrorism list. And, 20 years ago, the US resettled thousands of the persecuted Somali Bantu minority group. Now, many are being dep...
49m Aug 25, 2020
49m
Experimental plasma therapy approved for the coronavirus
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of blood plasma in treating COVID-19 patients. The plasma therapy joins just a handful of experimental treatments that have gotten such approval. And, Brazil has one of the highest rates of the coronavirus in the world with the Indigenous population hit especially hard. Also, a cat named Mittens has become a celebrity in New Zeal...
48m Aug 24, 2020
48m
Russian opposition leader to be treated in Germany for suspected poisoning
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been in a coma since Thursday, the result of a suspected poisoning. After previously blocking his transfer, Russian doctors are now allowing Navalny to be transported to a medical facility in Germany at the request of his family. And, ever since the controversial election in Belarus which incumbent Alexander Lukashenko claims he won, thousan...
49m Aug 21, 2020
49m
A heavy hand targeting protesters in Belarus
It's been almost two weeks since the controversial presidential election in Belarus that led to the reelection of the incumbent, Alexander Lukashenko. Since then thousands of protesters have come out to the streets and Belarusian authorities have responded with a heavy hand. And, Russia's most prominent opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was hospitalized on Thursday after a suspected p...
49m Aug 20, 2020
49m
S3 Ep7: (Special) The wrong apocalypse — Future wars
Why did the US Navy reinstate celestial navigation as part of its curriculum a few years ago? Well, you can’t hack a sextant. In the seventh episode of the third season of "Things That Go Boom," our partner podcast from PRX, host Laicie Heeley looks at some of the vulnerabilities that come with an overreliance on high-tech defense systems. Guests Peter Singer and August Cole are nation...
28m Aug 20, 2020
28m
Should heat waves have names?
The risks of extreme heat are often overlooked. The newly formed Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance wants to develop a system for naming heat waves, like we name hurricanes, to bring more attention to the "silent killer." And, the US Senate Intelligence Committee’s final report on Russian interference in the 2016 election offers important lessons for what to watch out for in 2020 balloti...
48m Aug 19, 2020
48m
Tribunal announces ruling on Hariri assassination
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon delivered its verdict in the trial over the 2005 bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Also, Germany has been the poster child in Western Europe in terms of how it handled the coronavirus pandemic. Protesters have been taking to the streets in German cities each weekend in opposition to government restrictions to prevent the s...
48m Aug 18, 2020
48m
Number in the News: 20,000 — Have the past few months made you want to scream?
From The World and PRX, this is The Number in the News. Today’s number: 20,000. Life under lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus can be stressful. The destruction and uncertainty from the pandemic seen across the globe this year has left many people feeling scared and frustrated. Perhaps <a href="https://www.pri.org/stories/2020-07-21/need-release-stress-scream-iceland-s-a...
5m Aug 18, 2020
5m
What we know and don't know about coronavirus immunity
Some of the first studies on COVID-19 immunity are coming out. Immunologist Marion Pepper explains what is known about immunity and what scientists still don't understand. And, getting school exam results this year during the coronavirus pandemic was never going to be straightforward. Teenagers in Britain and across Europe are discovering it's complicated, and they're not happy. And, p...
49m Aug 17, 2020
49m
Hope and fear in Belarus following controversial election
This week's federal election in Belarus reinstated the country's incumbent leader Alexander Lukashenko in a landslide, but it's widely believed the election was rigged, and mass protests and violent government crackdowns have followed. And, as many Indian Americans express excitement at the first major party ticket with an Indian background, some are saying Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ...
49m Aug 14, 2020
49m