Iranian presidential election stokes controversy
It's election day in Iran. And the presidential election is already mired by controversy. Critics say the stage has deliberately been set for one candidate to win — the man closest to Iran's supreme leader. Also, throughout the US, states are pulling out all the stops to encourage people to get vaccinated, including lotteries. In Thailand, get vaccinated, win a cow. Plus, celebrating Juneteenth...
49m Jun 18, 2021
49m
Will the Biden-Putin meeting improve US-Russia relations? 
US-Russia relations over the years have been defined by altercation and disagreement. After Wednesday's summit meeting in Geneva, both Biden and Putin expressed a desire to turn the page. Also, since 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs has led to thousands of killings. The International Criminal Court is now calling for an investigation of those deaths as war crimes. And, ...
48m Jun 17, 2021
48m
Biden meets Putin in Geneva
Despite tensions in the lead-up to the Biden-Putin summit, the two leaders were overly cordial in their remarks following their meeting in Geneva on Wednesday. And, dozens of Roma from Romania are reported to be among the thousands of undocumented migrants and asylum-seekers crossing the US-Mexico border in the last month. Also, Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza early Wednesday following Hamas...
47m Jun 16, 2021
47m
US President Joe Biden tackles domestic terrorism 
On Tuesday, the Biden administration released a 32-page plan for confronting domestic terrorism. It identifies white supremacist violent extremism as the greatest terrorist threat facing the United States. And, Turkey has vaccinated only about 17% of its population so far against COVID-19. But a team of health workers in eastern Turkey is working as fast as it can to vaccinate people in the rem...
48m Jun 15, 2021
48m
Biden and Erdoğan reset US-Turkey relations
US President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sat down on Monday for a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit. In the US, there’s a growing push to require public schools to cover the histories of groups left out of history textbooks. Also, G-7 leaders pledged 1 billion vaccine doses to developing countries and agreed to step up action on climate change, bu...
49m Jun 14, 2021
49m
Can Biden ease diplomatic tensions with Russia?
President Joe Biden meets world leaders at the G-7 summit. With post-Brexit tension between continental Europe and Britain, we look at the role Biden can play to help ease diplomatic tensions. Plus, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has launched a brutal crackdown on his political opponents. It appears to be an attempt to clear the field so he can run virtually unopposed in the November electi...
48m Jun 11, 2021
48m
G-7 leaders urged to boost climate finance to poorer nations
Wealthy nations pledged 10 years ago to provide $100 billion a year for developing nations to mitigate climate change. The United Nations estimates that countries are $20 billion behind that goal and urged G-7 leaders to step up. Also, the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project in Canada has been canceled, but the oil industry is hugely important for the Canadian economy. And, it’s a good w...
49m Jun 10, 2021
49m
Biden heads to Britain on first overseas trip as president
This week, Joe Biden takes his first overseas trip as US president, heading to the United Kingdom to meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. And, China's ultramarathon racing community was rocked a few weeks ago when 21 runners died of hypothermia during a competition in Gansu. Also, the White House has been under pressure to do more to address worldwide vaccine shortages that are especially ac...
47m Jun 09, 2021
47m
Transnational criminal gang bust via FBI app 
Officials in the US, Australia and Europe on Tuesday for the first time revealed details on a massive criminal gang bust operation that involved law enforcement in more than 16 countries. And, Gaza’s medical infrastructure was verging on collapse even before the recent conflict with Israel. Now, conditions are even more dire. Also, in celebration of the United Nations World Oceans Day, Cuban si...
49m Jun 08, 2021
49m
Vice President Kamala Harris in Guatemala on migration mission
Vice President Kamala Harris was in Guatemala on Monday, her first stop in a mission to work on reducing migration to the US by seeking to improve conditions in Central American countries. And, in Burkina Faso, two days ago, Islamist extremists killed more than 130 civilians, according to local officials. This was the worst terrorist atrocity in the history of the country. Also, cities around t...
49m Jun 07, 2021
49m
Peruvians head to the polls to pick their next president
Peruvians will choose a new president this Sunday, amid one of the biggest economic downturns of the pandemic across Latin America. And, the world marks the 40th anniversary of the HIV pandemic. On June 5, 1981, the US reported the first cases of HIV and AIDS that would turn the world upside down, killing at least 32 million people. The Biden administration is fast-tracking some asylum cases al...
49m Jun 04, 2021
49m
Israel on the verge of a political shake-up
A group of parties spanning Israel's political spectrum has announced an agreement to form a new ruling coalition. If it holds, longtime leader Benjamin Netanyahu is out. And, Peruvians will head to the polls on Sunday to choose their next president. The election underscores how repeated corruption scandals have politically fractured the country. Also, Sri Lanka faces its worst human-made disas...
48m Jun 03, 2021
48m
Are ransomware attacks the new normal? 
The cyberattack that shut down JBS, the world's largest meat supplier, came within weeks of the Colonial Pipeline hack. Are ransomware attacks the new normal? And, ever since Myanmar’s army seized power in a coup four months ago, the country has descended into terror. Many protesters are fed up with peace marches and are ready to fight back. Also, a herd of wild elephants has gone rogue in Chin...
49m Jun 02, 2021
49m
Osaka withdrawal from French Open sparks mental health debate
Top-ranking athlete Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the French Open after controversy following her refusal to speak to the media after matches. And, a new report by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention paints a grim picture of gun violence, which has gone from the lowest to highest rates in Europe. Also, it’s challenging to keep track of new variants of the coronavirus. After month...
48m Jun 01, 2021
48m
Anger over Bolsonaro's mishandling of COVID-19 sparks protests
Brazil continues to struggle with the coronavirus. Anger may have reached a tipping point there, with Brazilians taking to the streets in organized protests. Also, Western nations designated a Syrian rebel leader as a terrorist. Now, he's trying to soften his image by meeting with Western media. And, the offspring of a revered African freedom fighter, and a rapper delivering her vision of "Afro...
48m May 31, 2021
48m
Leaders of Russia and Belarus meet in Sochi
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus whose recent actions have drawn condemnation from other world leaders. Also, Germany has agreed to pay Namibia $1.3 billion to atone for its colonial-era genocide. And in Kenya, the first-ever national wildlife census, where every animal is counted, from elephants to anteaters.
48m May 28, 2021
48m
Scientists revive the COVID ‘lab leak’ debate
A group of prominent scientists in the field of virology are calling for an independent investigation to explore the origins of COVID-19. This week, protesters in Iraq took to the streets again to demand an end to a wave of assassinations and intimidation by Iran-supported militia groups. Also, the Biden administration has redesignated Temporary Protected Status — or TPS — to Haitians living in...
48m May 27, 2021
48m
Coronavirus Conversations: A deepening crisis in Latin America
Latin America and the Caribbean now register a million new COVID-19 infections about every six days. With the vaccine rollout lagging and lives and livelihoods hanging in the balance, what is next for the region? As part of The World's series of conversations on the pandemic with Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and as a special feature in our podcast feed, reporter Elana Gordon mod...
42m May 27, 2021
42m
Iran to hold key presidential election next month
Iran has approved a list of seven candidates for next month’s presidential election. Missing from the list are moderates and reformist candidates. In France, a debate on policing tactics and oversight have police calling for more protection, too. And, anti-Semitic attacks have reportedly soared in the UK and EU, in the wake of the conflict in Gaza. Also, Tasmanian devils have been born on the A...
47m May 26, 2021
47m
New Zealand considers expanding police powers
In New Zealand, activists managed to stop plans to increase police powers that harm Maori communities. A year later, the government wants to expand police powers again. And in France, a group of generals recently published an open letter in a far-right magazine warning that the country could be headed toward civil war. Also, for the first time in nearly four months, Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader...
48m May 25, 2021
48m
Belarus diverts commercial flight to arrest dissident
On Sunday, Belarusian authorities diverted a passenger flight carrying Roman Protasevich, a prominent dissident. He was then detained under the orders of Alexander Lukashenko, known as “Europe’s last dictator.” And, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in the Middle East tomorrow, following the start of Friday’s ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Also, 21 marathon runners have died...
49m May 24, 2021
49m
Hamas and Israel agree to Egyptian-brokered truce
After 11 days of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the sides agreed to an Egyptian-brokered truce. As Gaza rebuilds, what does the blockade imposed in 2007 mean for postconflict life? Also, as European countries open up to tourists, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, weighs in on the state of the pandemic and how to prepare for the next one. And, an i...
48m May 21, 2021
48m
Hope for a ceasefire in Israel-Gaza conflict
Hamas predicts that a ceasefire with Israel is imminent, but Israel has shown no signs of letting up its campaign against targets in Gaza. Both sides will likely continue to fight before a truce is called. And, over the years, the Arctic has become a source of tension between Russia and some NATO countries in the region. Also, bipartisan US lawmakers are calling on the Biden administration to d...
47m May 20, 2021
47m
India’s uneven health care systems strained under COVID crisis 
Even in India’s southernmost states with model health care systems, COVID-19 has taken a toll. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, second-wave virus outbreaks have strained their hospitals. And, in El Salvador, the popular 39-year-old president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, is taking measures to centralize power among his allies. Also, amid Israel’s full-blown military escalation against militant group H...
47m May 19, 2021
47m
Israel-Gaza ceasefire remains elusive
As fighting between Israel and Gaza continues, US President Joe Biden said he welcomes a ceasefire. But Israeli and Hamas leaders show few signs of letting up. The US continues to sell weapons to Israel, but these purchases are conducted with little transparency and are not held to any human rights standards. And, the Philippines currently has one of the worst COVID-19 infection rates in Southe...
47m May 18, 2021
47m
Israel-Gaza conflict tests Biden administration 
Pressure is mounting for President Joe Biden to do more to try to halt Israel’s assault on Gaza. Also, Chileans have decided that 155 citizens will rewrite the country's constitution, replacing the one drafted under the former Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. In Brazil, coastal fishing communities struggle to stay afloat during the pandemic. Are you exhausted? You’re not alone: The World Health O...
47m May 17, 2021
47m
Fighting intensifies between Israel and Hamas
Fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip intensified Thursday night, for the fifth day in a row. And, the CDC released new recommendations lifting indoor mask mandates for vaccinated people. In other parts of the world, including Greece, people are celebrating the lifting of other restrictions. Also, a taboo industry has gone mainstream in China: grave robbing.
47m May 14, 2021
47m
Gaza conflict intensifies as Arab and Jewish mobs attack each other
A "civil war" is erupting in the streets of Israel, as Arab and Jewish mobs attack each other. We get a view from inside Israel. Plus, Amsterdam has become the first city in the world to ban ads that promote fossil fuel-intensive products, like gas-guzzling cars and cheap flights. And, several months ago, the city of Krakow, Poland, realized it had a problem. It needed someone to play the trump...
48m May 13, 2021
48m
Coronavirus Conversations: The rise of racism against Asian Americans amid the COVID-19 crisis
A national spike in anti-Asian hate crimes — including a recent mass shooting in Atlanta — is prompting a national conversation. From physical assault to harassment to discrimination, Asian Americans have experienced a harrowing array of violence in the US, made more acute amid the coronavirus crisis. As part of The World's series of conversations with Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Healt...
1hr 4m May 13, 2021
1hr 4m
Deadly Israel-Gaza crisis deepens
Escalating violence in Israel and Gaza continues, with exchanges of rocket fire and airstrikes. Officials in the Gaza Strip say that at least 65 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes launched after the Palestinian militant group Hamas fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli towns, resulting in the death of six Israelis. And, the US is defying an international treaty that would classify us...
48m May 12, 2021
48m
Insecurity in Afghanistan rises as US troops pull out
Insecurity in Afghanistan has been on the rise, and as the US pulls its troops out, things could get worse. Over the weekend, Afghanistan witnessed a horrific attack, in which dozens of schoolgirls were killed. In Nepal, the number of recorded coronavirus infections is doubling every three days. The country shares a long border with India, where a devastating outbreak has been raging. Also, at ...
48m May 11, 2021
48m
Violence between Israel and Palestinians escalates
Hundreds of Palestinians were injured as Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. The latest clashes come as Palestinians protest court-ordered evictions in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. New Zealand is the latest nation to make a declaration about human rights abuses against Uyghur people in China. And trillions of cicadas that have been maturing underground f...
48m May 10, 2021
48m
China’s Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine gets WHO authorization
The World Health Organization gave emergency use authorization on Friday to a COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by China's Sinopharm, which could pave the way to helping vaccinate poorer countries. And, the ports of Belfast and Larne in Northern Ireland have become flashpoints, as Brexit has turned them into de facto borders. Also, a new album released Friday is aimed at raising awareness about mus...
48m May 07, 2021
48m
US to engage in talks on COVID-19 vaccine patent waiver
In a major policy shift, the US announced it would support the COVID-19 vaccine patent waiver efforts and engage in negotiations over the specifics. But many in the vaccine industry warn that a waiver does not address the underlying problem of vaccine shortages. And, the European Union and the United Nations are expressing concern over police violence against protesters in the Colombian city of...
49m May 06, 2021
49m
The global implications of Facebook upholding Trump ban
Facebook's independent Oversight Board on Monday announced that President Donald Trump's suspension from the platform would be upheld. What are the global implications for world leaders? European Union ambassadors met Wednesday to discuss plans to reopen Europe’s borders to tourists from around the world. And, the volcanic “ring of fire” that stretches across Latin America and the Caribbean has...
50m May 05, 2021
50m
Deadly Mexico City metro collapse raises infrastructure concerns
A section of the Mexico City metro collapsed late Monday, killing at least 23 people and injuring at least 79, according to officials. The accident happened on the city's newest line, just completed in 2012. And, Syria is set to hold presidential elections in May, with Bashar al-Assad widely expected to win. Many displaced Syrians in Turkey see the elections as a sham. Also, momentum is buildin...
48m May 04, 2021
48m
Two siblings at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, oceans apart
Two doctors, siblings, one in India and another one in the US — at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 — are finding ways to support each other, despite challenges. A landmark trial involving tech giant Apple gets underway in the US, just days after European regulators accused Apple of breaking EU competition rules. And a quieter revolution is playing out in Myanmar, one that is mostly ...
48m May 03, 2021
48m
Coronavirus Conversations: Understanding and tracking 'long COVID'
Doctors around the world are working to understand “long COVID” — a lingering range of symptoms that persists in some people after they have initially recovered from COVID-19 illness. As part of The World's regular series of conversations with Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health about the pandemic, and as a special in our podcast feed, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with D...
49m May 03, 2021
49m
Tragedy in Israel following a stampede at a religious gathering
Tens of thousands of religious Jews gathered in northern Israel to celebrate the annual holiday of Lag BaOmer. A stampede in a steep, tunnel-like passageway started when people slipped and fell, creating a deadly crush. And, elections in India continued this week despite the massive surge in COVID-19 cases. Also, the gun culture in both Brazil and the US is similar, but the current leaders in b...
49m Apr 30, 2021
49m
Indian residents crowdsource COVID-19 supplies on social media
As India faces a devastating coronavirus surge, most hospitals and pharmacies in New Delhi, the capital, have run out of stocks. Now, people are turning to social media with desperate pleas for ICU beds, medicine and oxygen tanks to keep their loved ones alive. And, millions of people around the world are involved in forced labor. US Customs and Border Patrol has started to seize goods made thr...
49m Apr 29, 2021
49m
India’s coronavirus crisis deepens
India is in a coronavirus state of emergency. The Indian government says that they are seeing more than 300,000 new COVID-19 infections each day — more than anywhere else in the world — and those are just the reported cases. And, Denmark  has become the first country in the European Union to revoke the residency status of Syrian refugees. Also, while travel restrictions remain in place for many...
50m Apr 28, 2021
50m
The impact of COVID-19 on aid for Syrian refugees
A center in Turkey near the border with Syria, which helped Syrian child laborers get therapy and education, has been shut down because of the pandemic. Now there are concerns about the fate of the children who benefited from it. And, Brazil's congress is starting an inquiry into President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic, while the number of COVID-19 deaths in the country continues to...
48m Apr 27, 2021
48m
US lifts ban on vaccine raw materials for India amid a second coronavirus wave
The Biden administration on Sunday lifted an export ban on raw materials for vaccines for India. The shift in policy comes amid an outbreak in India that is pushing that country’s health system to the brink. And, thousands of health care workers in Mexico have yet to get a coronavirus vaccine, even as government officials have moved on to giving shots to other priority groups. Also, three Germa...
48m Apr 26, 2021
48m
India health system pushed to the brink by COVID-19 surge
India continues to record dizzying levels of coronavirus cases, setting the record two days in a row for the most daily infections around the world. And, researchers have found in preliminary results that a new vaccine for malaria is more than 77% effective in a clinical trial in Burkina Faso. Also, British Indian composer and pop musician Nitin Sawhney — whose music ties in deeply with politic...
49m Apr 23, 2021
49m
Coronavirus Conversations: The latest on COVID-19 variants and rapid testing
With several vaccines approved, health authorities around the world are racing to inoculate populations before new, potentially more dangerous, variants of the coronavirus spread. What are the implications of the COVID-19 variants? As part of The World's regular series of conversations on the pandemic, and as a special in our podcast feed, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Harva...
47m Apr 23, 2021
47m
US works to regain international credibility on combating climate change
At a US-hosted climate summit launched on Earth Day, the Biden administration hopes to prove what it's been saying for months: The US is back as a leader on climate action. And, in the wake of the Derek Chauvin trial, activists argue that increasingly militarized police shows that the US cannot solve its police brutality problems on its own. Also, a toaster-sized instrument on NASA’s Perseveran...
48m Apr 22, 2021
48m
The Black Lives Matter movement around the world
Throughout 2020, Black Lives Matter protests swept the globe sending millions of people into the streets. Often, these protests prompted people to look inward and revive calls for justice where they live. And, a jury on Tuesday found ex-police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the murder of George Floyd. The case has raised questions about police brutality and justice in the US. Also, A plan by 1...
49m Apr 21, 2021
49m
An uncertain future for many Afghans as US troops prepare to withdraw
In recent years, thousands of Afghans have been forced out of their country because of direct threats from the Taliban. Now, with the US troop withdrawal looming, many Afghans face an uncertain future. And, US and Russia relations have reached a new low point after news that the US ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, will be returning to the United States this week. Also, Biden administration ...
49m Apr 20, 2021
49m
France passes bill to restrict videos of police
French lawmakers passed a bill that could punish anyone sharing images or videos of police officers with the intent to cause "psychological or physical" harm. And, Russian dissident Alexei Navalny has been taken to a prison hospital following a three-week hunger strike and deteriorating health. Can the US intervene? Also, the long-awaited travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand is now o...
48m Apr 19, 2021
48m
Russia retaliates with sanctions on US
The Biden administration on Thursday slapped new sanctions on the Kremlin. Now, Moscow has responded with a set of its own sanctions against the US. And, a significant change is set for the future of Cuba: Raúl Castro is expected to step down as Communist Party secretary-general this weekend. Also, the European Commission is expected to unveil its long-awaited proposal on artificial intelligenc...
49m Apr 16, 2021
49m