The World: Latest Stories

Every five years, the United Nations looks for a new secretary-general. Job interviews began today in the assembly chamber to start the search for the next one. There are four candidates, less than half the number when there was an opening 10 years ago. As The World's Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler explain, the UN's first secretary-general called it "the most impossible job on earth."

The European Union’s top court has ruled that Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ law breaks the bloc’s core values. The decision targets a 2021 law that bans content about LGBTQ+ people from schools and primetime TV. Supporters in Hungary said the law was about protecting children. But judges at the European Court of Justice say it goes much further than that.

"Fika" is the very Swedish ritual of meeting people for coffee, sweets and some reflection on life. The World's Joshua Coe learned the fine line between a regular brunch date and "pure fika" at a coffee shop in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Brazilian cinema has received strong global attention recently, with films like "I’m Still Here" and "The Secret Agent" earning a slew of Oscar nods. But many filmmakers say these films reflect a limited group of voices. Reporter Julia Franca explores issues of funding, gender and access in the Brazilian film industry.

Host Marco Werman spins sounds from the innovator of the Hindustani slide guitar, Debashish Bhattacharya, a track titled, "The Sound of the Soul." This story originally aired on March 21, 2023.

Japan rolled back restrictions today on its sale of weapons abroad, reinterpreting its pacifist post-World War II constitution. Yuki Tatsumi, senior director at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security tells The World’s Host Carolyn Beeler that the timing of the announcement reaches back to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and is motivated in part by the security threats Japan faces from China.

A new wave of investors is eyeing Venezuela, drawn by the promise of massive natural resources, cheap assets and a potential economic rebound after years of crisis. The government is opening key sectors and restoring ties with the US — but major risks remain. While some early movers are taking a chance, many companies are still holding back, waiting to see how new rules play out in a country where politics, instability and uncertainty still remain. The World's Tibisay Zea reports.

The war in Lebanon displaced roughly 1 million people from their homes in the south of the country. The Israeli military ordered them to leave, and it has since occupied some parts of the country. But last Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Five days into that ceasefire, some have moved back to the south — to what is left of their homes. Others say they have no choice but to stay in Beirut. The World’s Shirin Jaafari reports.

For almost two months, the survival of "Timmy," a whale stranded in shallows off Germany's Baltic coast, has captured the country's attention and gone viral globally. With official efforts to rescue Timmy called off, privately funded campaigns to save him have polarized Germany and raised ethical concerns about prolonging the whale's suffering. The World's Host Marco Werman learned more from Fabian Ritter, a marine biologist and member of MEER, a Berlin-based marine mammal conservation group.

Six months after a ceasefire was announced in Gaza, conditions remain dire. And serious reconstruction has yet to begin. The cost of rebuilding the enclave’s infrastructure alone is estimated at more than $71 billion. That’s according to a new report released today by the United Nations and the European Union. The World's Host Marco Werman discusses the implications with Sean Carroll, president of American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), a relief organization with deep roots in Gaza.

When a music festival becomes a history lesson: New York City stalwart rockers The Strokes made headlines with their second set of the final weekend at Coachella. They ended with a song they rarely play, "Oblivius," and its chorus "What side you standing on?" as a video montage of US and CIA involvement in overseas assassinations and regime change efforts played on screens behind them with captions. Reaction has been mixed, says Host Marco Werman.

Hatshepsut is likely a name many people have never heard. Even though she was pharaoh of Egypt for 22 years and one of the most powerful women in antiquity. That's because two decades after her reign she was purposely, and methodically, erased from history. Reporter Sarah Birnbaum has the story.

Hidden for centuries, music by women composers of the Renaissance has largely remained outside the public canon. Musica Secreta is a British ensemble dedicated to researching and performing this repertoire, combining historical scholarship with an all-female sound world. Deutsche Welle, DW, arts journalist Breandáin O'Shea guides us through the pure loveliness.

On Sunday, a robot called Lightning, made by Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, won a half marathon in Beijing in just 50 min, 26 sec. That's several minutes faster than the human world record-holder, Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in 57 min, 20 sec, earlier this year in Lisbon. Several other robots in the race outran humans for the first time. Host Marco Werman has the details.

Copenhagen once had a Human Library, where you could go on a weekend and borrow a person — for a conversation. The nonprofit's mission to "unjudge" people has caught on globally in over 85 countries. The library in Copenhagen is now only online, but The World's Joshua Coe went in October last year, just before the physical library shut down. This story originally aired on Oct. 24, 2025.

How long is the English coast? Or, for that matter, the coast of Portugal, Brazil or Kenya? Turns out, experts are not in agreement, thanks to a phenomenon of measurement called the coastal paradox. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with independent geographer Katherine Sammler about what these disagreements mean for geopolitical relationships.

It's rare in Turkey to have US-style school shootings, but just this week, there have been two of them. At least nine people have been killed. While the attacks happened in two cities in southeastern Turkey, parents around the country are afraid to send their children to school. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with reporter Fariba Nawa in Istanbul.

New England, and much of the country, is experiencing a sharp drop in the number of traditional college-age students. But one population is still growing: Latino students, especially kids who would be the first in their families to attend college. As GBH’s Kirk Carapezza reports, the question for colleges across the nation is whether they’re truly ready to recruit, retain and graduate those students.

There is an unexpected Muslim community in Cape Town, South Africa. It is the oldest neighborhood of Muslims in the country. They are known as the Cape Malay. And while they are staunch followers of Islam, their traditions are not what most Muslims would recognize. Aina Khan from the "More Muslim" podcast explains.

India’s historic trains are perhaps the most famous in the world among travelers. Huge, clunking night trains crossing massive distances, while in the carriages, cross-sections of Indian society come together over chai. But the train narrative in the country is changing. India has rolled out gleaming new "semi-high speed" express trains across the country. Reporter Jamie Fullerton takes a journey on this new generation of night trains.