Israel and the UAE announce diplomatic deal
Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced Thursday that they will normalize diplomatic ties. Under the agreement, Israel has agreed to suspend its planned annexation of areas of the West Bank. And, as the coronavirus ravages the US, there are very few countries allowing Americans to cross their borders. But if you’re in the military, the US has bases in more than 70 countries — and...
49m Aug 13, 2020
49m
Ongoing protests in Belarus after controversial election
People in the Belarusian capital Minsk and across the country are protesting the election of Alexander Lukashenko. Protesters say the election was rigged and leaders across the EU and the US are raising some of the same concerns. And, Kamala Harris’ father is an immigrant from Jamaica. Jamaicans have been following her career closely and many are now rejoicing her appearance on US pres...
49m Aug 12, 2020
49m
Russia approves coronavirus vaccine before completing testing
Russia has granted regulatory approval to a vaccine for the coronavirus without thoroughly testing it. And, two days after Belarusians went to the polls in a highly contested election, the main opposition candidate was forced to flee to Lithuania and protesters have taken to the streets. Also, an estimated 32 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in this year's elections. But many m...
50m Aug 11, 2020
50m
Protesters demand change in Lebanon
Thousands of angry protesters have taken to the streets of Beirut demanding the ousting of Lebanon’s political elite, leading to the resignations of several ministers on Monday. And, America’s focus on preparation for future wars comes with a cost and has left the US ill-prepared for the global coronavirus crisis. Also, the pandemic is hitting Brazil's poor and unemployed population pa...
48m Aug 10, 2020
48m
Concerns over food security after Lebanon explosion
Beirut is still coming to terms with the blast that killed scores of people and wiped out Lebanon's main seaport Tuesday. One of the main concerns now is food. And, earlier this week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that the world faces a “generational catastrophe” because of school closures amid the coronavirus pandemic. Also, after a week filled with tragedy, anger and fr...
48m Aug 07, 2020
48m
Lebanese turn to grassroots efforts in blast recovery 
Civilians in Lebanon’s capital have little trust in their government, so they’re launching grassroots efforts to recover after this week’s massive explosion. And, if you're an LGBTQ couple in Western Europe, North America or much of Latin America, you can get married. Not in most of Asia. But Thailand is now preparing to challenge the status quo. Also, the tiny island of Cyprus vetoed ...
49m Aug 06, 2020
49m
Lebanon declares a state of emergency after explosion
After Tuesday’s explosion in Beirut, Lebanon's government has declared a two-week state of emergency. Emergency crews are still on the scene after nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate produced the blast that killed more than 100 people with several thousand more wounded. And, what would President Trump’s foreign policy look like in a second term? Trump’s former National Security Advis...
48m Aug 05, 2020
48m
Explosion rocks Beirut’s port
A massive explosion rocked downtown Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the port, damaging buildings and blowing out windows and doors as a giant mushroom cloud rose above the capital. And UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned Tuesday that school closures as a result of COVID-19 “could waste untold human potential, undermine decades of progress, and exacerbate entrenched inequ...
48m Aug 04, 2020
48m
El Paso's tragic shooting one year on
Monday marks the one-year anniversary of a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, resulting in the deaths of 23 people, with dozens more wounded. The World looks at how the local community is remembering those who died. And, ISIS carried out a brazen attack on a prison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Sunday night. The attack, which went on for about 20 hours, raises questions a...
49m Aug 03, 2020
49m
Hong Kong delays highly anticipated election
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced Friday that the legislative election planned for early September will be delayed for one year because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the opposition isn’t convinced that’s the real reason for the delay. Also, the pandemic has upended long-established strategies for protecting people and property from the dangers of hurricanes, raising widespread c...
49m Jul 31, 2020
49m
Number in The News: 90 — Depression-era recipes go viral for coronavirus-era home cooks
From The World and PRX, this is The Number in the News (https://www.pri.org/programs/number-news) . Today’s number: 90. Since early 2019, Glen Powell has been sharing recipes from vintage cookbooks, including many from the Depression era, on his YouTube channel, "Glen & Friends Cooking (https://www.youtube.com/user/legourmettv) ." But as the coronavirus crisis has forced home cooks to get crea...
3m Jul 31, 2020
3m
Coronavirus cases in Vietnam sound lockdown alarms
Vietnam has not recorded a single death from the coronavirus thanks to an aggressive lockdown. But, a small spike of infections recently has people there looking at the possibility of more emergency lockdown measures. And, retired US Marine Trevor Reed was convicted on Thursday in a Russian court on charges of endangering police and sentenced to nine years in prison. Plus, a video game...
49m Jul 30, 2020
49m
S3 Ep6: (Special) The wrong apocalypse — inner decay
Disinformation and misinformation have been blurring the line between fantasy and reality since the start of communication itself. But over the last decade, they’ve posed an increasing threat to democracy in the United States, with the 2016 presidential election becoming a major flashpoint in Americans’ understanding of the consequences of fake news. In episode six of the third season ...
29m Jul 30, 2020
29m
The novel coronavirus, bats and other similar viruses
COVID-19 is considered a novel coronavirus because it is a new, undefined coronavirus identified in humans. However, a new study suggests that other similar viruses capable of infecting humans have been circulating in bats for decades. And, only a few years ago, Chinese leader Xi Jinping came to visit Great Britain for a lavish official state visit. Now, UK-British relations are decide...
49m Jul 29, 2020
49m
Cuba’s complicated coronavirus success story
Cuban officials haven’t reported any new COVID-19 deaths for two weeks. At the same time — and not unlike in the US — Cuba is also seeing a grassroots movement to combat police brutality, which is more complicated amid the coronavirus. And, earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said social media companies are immoral and unfit for the Turkish nation. Now, Turkey’s ...
47m Jul 28, 2020
47m
Why coronavirus tests differ around the world
In the US, it's largely been up to individuals to figure out how to get tested for the coronavirus. The situation is very different in other countries. Meanwhile, South Africa had in place some of the world's strictest coronavirus lockdown measures. But now, COVID-19 cases are accelerating, and the country poses a threat to the entire African continent. Also, 30 years ago this week, US...
49m Jul 27, 2020
49m
Coronavirus Conversations: How the coronavirus crisis has exposed entrenched health inequities
The coronavirus pandemic has exposed entrenched health inequities for communities of color in the US and around the globe. As part of our regular series discussing the pandemic and as a special podcast in The World's feed, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a conversation with Nancy Krieger from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Krieger recently <a href="https://www.hsph.harvar...
32m Jul 27, 2020
32m
More US cities prepare for arrival of federal agents
The Trump administration announced the expansion of a program this week to quell violent crime that involves sending in federal agents to several cities that have seen recent racial justice protests. The World speaks to Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, where some 200 agents were deployed this month. Also, in the latest tit-for-tat between Beijing and Washington, autho...
47m Jul 24, 2020
47m
US-China relations have grown tense with regular clashes over trade, security, human rights and China's Hong Kong policies.
US-China relations have grown tense with regular clashes over trade, security, human rights and China's Hong Kong policies. Now, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is warning of Chinese meddling in Hong Kong's upcoming Legislative Council elections. And, since 2002, a treaty allows Canada to turn back asylum-seekers who come to its border checkpoints and hand them to US officials, where th...
49m Jul 23, 2020
49m
Alarms sounded about foreign interference in 2020 election
US Democratic lawmakers are demanding a prompt FBI briefing on an alleged foreign interference campaign targeting the 2020 election. And, the Trump administration told China to close its consulate in Houston, Texas, giving staff there 72-hours notice. Plus, a recent social media campaign launched by the Yorkshire Museum in England, called #BestMuseumBum, went viral and museum curators ...
48m Jul 22, 2020
48m
Britain ‘actively avoided’ investigation into Russia election meddling
Britain's government failed to determine and "actively avoided" looking into whether Russia meddled in the country’s recent elections, according to a much-anticipated intelligence report. And, after a long legal battle, the Thai Supreme Court has acquitted British human rights activist Andy Hall of defamation charges. And life under lockdown is stressful — perhaps a good, long scream w...
47m Jul 21, 2020
47m
Number in The News: 2 — Australia and New Zealand to co-host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
From The World and PRX, this is The Number in the News. Today’s number: 2. The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup has big shoes to fill. The 2019 competition drew a record-setting 1.1 billion viewers around the world, and the players made major waves calling for pay equity in the sport. With the recent announcement that two countries — Australia and New Zealand — will co-host the 2023 tourna...
3m Jul 21, 2020
3m
Oxford’s coronavirus vaccine study shows glimmer of hope
Scientists at Oxford University published the results Monday of an early-phase coronavirus vaccine experiment showing strong immune response and no early safety concerns. And, for four days now, leaders from the European Union's 27 member states have been locking horns over the EU’s coronavirus recovery package. Plus Italian police found cocaine inside hollowed-out coffee beans. Invest...
47m Jul 20, 2020
47m
Coronavirus Conversations: Can advances in testing counter surging COVID-19 cases?
The surge in coronavirus cases around the world, led by US states like Florida and Texas, serves as a reminder of the urgent need for more testing. But those who can get a test must sometimes wait days for the results. As part of our regular series discussing the pandemic and as a special podcast in The World's feed, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with epidemiologist Dr. ...
39m Jul 20, 2020
39m
July 17, 2020
48m Jul 17, 2020
48m
Hackers target coronavirus vaccine researchers
According to US, British and Canadian intelligence agencies, Russian hackers have allegedly been targeting researchers to steal COVID-19 vaccine research. And, in Iran, a rare online protest went viral this past week, calling for the end of the death penalty there. Also, climate scientists say record-breaking summer temperatures around the world may become the new normal. But, one solu...
48m Jul 16, 2020
48m
S3 Ep5: (Special) The wrong apocalypse — democracy! Yawn.
As the US reckons with systemic racism and a less-than-democratic past, China is doubling down on its authoritarian ways. Meanwhile, research on the health of democracy from across the globe indicates the patient is not well. In episode five of the third season of "Things That Go Boom," our partner podcast from PRX, host Laicie Heeley traces China’s rise from the 1990s, when American ...
28m Jul 16, 2020
28m
Trump administration reverses visa rule for international students
In a reversal, the Trump administration has abandoned a plan to strip international students of their visas if their coursework is entirely online. And, former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the US presidential race, outlined a climate plan on Tuesday that would spend $2 trillion over four years investing in clean-energy infrastructure. Plus, at the In...
48m Jul 15, 2020
48m
Questions about immunity and the coronavirus
Contracting the coronavirus doesn't mean you're immune to catching it again, according to a new study from King's College London. And, the British government has banned Huawei from the county’s future 5G network. Also, the anonymous street artist, Banksy, has entered the mask debate with his latest work — a series of stencils on London's Underground that features his trademark rats str...
47m Jul 14, 2020
47m
First ISIS, then COVID-19: Iraqi students struggle with online learning
Students in the city of Mosul, Iraq, saw their education come to a stop when ISIS took over their city three years ago. US and Iraqi troops liberated the city, but reconstruction has been painfully slow. Meanwhile, online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has proven difficult. And, an economic and military deal is reportedly in the works between Iran and China. What could this tell...
47m Jul 13, 2020
47m
Coronavirus Conversations: Are countries prepared for a coronavirus surge?
After months of social distancing and lockdown measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, some countries are reopening. But fears of a second wave of COVID-19 infections are concerning. As part of our regular series discussing the pandemic and as a special podcast in The World's feed, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a conversation with William Hanage, associate professor of epi...
43m Jul 13, 2020
43m
Melbourne under lockdown again following coronavirus spike
While the US struggles to contain its first surge of COVID-19, Melbourne, home to nearly 5 million Australians, is on its second lockdown. And, Canada’s ethics commissioner is looking into allegations that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau violated the country’s conflict of interest law over his ties to a children’s charity. Also, over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, hundreds of an...
49m Jul 10, 2020
49m
US Supreme Court rules Trump can’t block release of financial records
The US Supreme Court weighed in Thursday on the question of presidential power. The justices decided 7-2 that President Donald Trump cannot block the release of his financial records to prosecutors in New York. And, Taiwanese company Formosa Plastics is under fire for polluting waters near its factory in Louisiana. Also, the Fuji-Q Highland amusement park in Japan has released a video ...
49m Jul 09, 2020
49m
S3 Ep4: (Special) The wrong apocalypse — this is not a drill
Are we in the middle of a new Cold War — or have we rewritten the game? With old nuclear arms treaties expiring and no new ones being signed, are we adapting to the times — or playing with fire? In episode four of the third season of "Things That Go Boom," our partner podcast from PRX, host Laicie Heeley looks at the past and present of civil defense and nuclear arms control and asks what we c...
32m Jul 09, 2020
32m
US colleges to lose foreign students after ICE announcement
US colleges are bracing to lose many foreign students this fall after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued new guidelines that require international students in online-only courses to transfer schools or leave the country altogether. And the UN’s cultural agency UNESCO has warned that its name and logo are being illegally emblazoned on false documents to facilitate a scam sell...
49m Jul 08, 2020
49m
Brazil’s president tests positive for coronavirus
After months of flouting the threat of the pandemic, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced on live television that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is planning his first international diplomatic mission to Washington to celebrate the new US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement. But his visit is generating tough questions back hom...
49m Jul 07, 2020
49m
Coronavirus Conversations: How the pandemic is exacerbating food insecurity and global inequities
The coronavirus crisis has exacerbated existing crises of food insecurity and health disparities. And mass protests around the world continue to spotlight deep-seated inequities faced by communities of color. As part of our weekly discussion series on the global pandemic and as a special podcast in The World's feed, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a conversation exploring the global fo...
1hr Jul 07, 2020
1hr
Facebook suspends Hong Kong user data requests
Facebook and other tech giants will temporarily stop processing requests for user data from Hong Kong authorities after China imposed a security law on the city that calls for greater supervision and regulation of Hong Kong’s internet. And, many sex workers continued to work throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, putting them at risk from abusive clients as well as the coronavirus. Now, bro...
49m Jul 06, 2020
49m
Scientists study the coronavirus immunity puzzle
If one thing is clear about this teeny tiny new coronavirus, it’s that it has changed the world. Scientists around the world are trying to understand how immunity to the coronavirus works — but, as The World's Elana Gordon reports, it's a maddening puzzle. English pubs are reopening this weekend. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is encouraging the British public to enjoy, but also to use g...
47m Jul 03, 2020
47m
Fauci: 'We've got to do something' about the coronavirus numbers
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, sees COVID-19 as a formidable, global foe. But he tells The World's host Marco Werman he's cautiously optimistic there will be more than one safe and effective vaccine available. Also, could pulling CO2 directly out of the air be an effective way to fight climate change? Plus, in Brazil, wildfires...
48m Jul 02, 2020
48m
New security law in Beijing targets protesters
In Hong Kong, a restrictive new security law enacted by Beijing is being used to arrest protestors on its first day in effect. we hear from pro-democracy activist Isaac Cheng. Plus, in Russia, it’s the last day for citizens to vote on a large bundle of constitutional amendments that include a measure that would allow President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036. And, we look ...
49m Jul 01, 2020
49m
What's at stake in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement
Chinese artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei talks about what's at stake in Hong Kong for the pro-democracy movement. Plus, vaccine testing in South Africa, which this week became the first African country with a vaccine trial. And, a change to a refugee program in Europe could leave thousands of the most vulnerable asylum-seekers who pass through Greek refugee camps homeless. ...
49m Jun 30, 2020
49m
Russian bounties on US troops in Afghanistan
In the past few days, The New York Times published bombshell revelations that Russia reportedly offered cash bounties to Taliban-linked fighters for killing US soldiers in Afghanistan. The World's host Marco Werman speaks with David Petraeus, the retired former head of US forces in Afghanistan and an ex-CIA chief, about how the US should respond if the reports are verified. And, one of...
48m Jun 29, 2020
48m
Developing ‘instant’ tests for the coronavirus
A number of so-called "instant" tests for the coronavirus are being developed that could offer results within minutes. That could expand testing dramatically and help hospitals in the most vulnerable of places. And, last week's Supreme Court ruling blocking the Trump administration from immediately ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was a relief for hundre...
45m Jun 26, 2020
45m
Coronavirus Conversations: What's next in the fight against the coronavirus?
The coronavirus has infected more than 9 million people and caused 440,000 deaths worldwide. With countries starting to reopen while we await vaccines and treatments, what can we expect next? How can we prepare and respond? As part of our series of conversations addressing the coronavirus crisis, and as a special podcast in The World's feed, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion...
33m Jun 26, 2020
33m
European Union set to reopen, but likely not to Americans
The European Union is getting ready to reopen to international travelers after months of restrictions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. But draft plans are expected to maintain limitations on travel from countries that have failed to bring the virus under a certain degree of control — including the United States. And, Russians began casting ballots on Thursday at the start of a ...
45m Jun 25, 2020
45m
Trump’s visa ban has technology companies worried
US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order targeting several visa programs for foreign workers, including programs US tech companies rely on to hire highly skilled foreign workers. Experts say changes to the H-1B and other programs will push those workers, and potential innovation, to other parts of the world. And, the Lebanese economy is tanking, which has put tens ...
46m Jun 24, 2020
46m
Trump celebrates the border wall
President Donald Trump visits Arizona on Tuesday where he will make a stop in Yuma to celebrate the 200th mile of construction of the US-Mexico border wall. Most of the construction has been replacement segments. And, a monument to Winston Churchill in central London has become a flashpoint between Black Lives Matter demonstrators and far-right protesters. Also, after three months of d...
46m Jun 23, 2020
46m
Face masks and the coronavirus crisis
The more we learn about the coronavirus, the more the evidence points to the importance of face coverings in limiting the virus’s spread. Still, if you’re confused about the what and the how of masks, you are not alone. And, Beijing had some strong words for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this morning: "Stop making irresponsible remarks." Trudeau reiterated his belief that Chin...
46m Jun 22, 2020
46m
Celebrating Juneteenth amid global outrage over systemic racism
Today is the Juneteenth holiday celebrating the emancipation of African Americans from slavery. The World hears from an African American woman who moved to Ghana decades ago to escape racism in the US. Also, Former US ambassador Nick Burns, who knows former National Security Adviser John Bolton from his time in government, weighs in on the veracity of some of the claims in Bolton's for...
45m Jun 19, 2020
45m