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The World

PRI

Host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories that remind us just how small our planet really is.

Location:

Boston, MA

Networks:

PRI

Description:

Host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories that remind us just how small our planet really is.

Twitter:

@pritheworld

Language:

English

Contact:

617-300-5750


Episodes

Ukrainians return to battlefield after injury

3/27/2024
Andrii Shadrin is a 28-year-old Ukrainian corporal who serves in a military unit that repairs and replaces equipment damaged in frontline fighting. Shadrin describes what it’s like to return to the battlefield after an injury, when military equipment and ammunition are in short supply. And, Nuha al-Junaid, a Yemeni woman in exile, has been speaking with people across war-torn Yemen and in the diaspora. Their voices show a diversity of experiences that reveal how life does not stop for war. Also, American officials have said that they had warned the Kremlin of an imminent terrorist threat in the days leading up to the March 22 attack that left more than 130 people dead. This is part of a US policy that requires intelligence-sharing in instances where civilian lives are in danger. Plus, remembering Algerian Jewish pianist Maurice el Medioni, who died at the age of 95.

Duration:00:47:57

The challenges of navigating a large ship

3/26/2024
The container ship The Dali that crashed into the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore had two local pilots navigating the large cargo carrier along the Patapsco River. We hear from a ship captain about the challenges of safely guiding a large container ship. And, the demand for language courses on US college campuses typically has reflected global shifts. But today, students are taking Korean — and it's all attributed to K-pop music and K-movies. Also, Senegal's president has led the country since 2012. But that's set to change now with the presumed victory of Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the opposition candidate in the elections held this week. Plus, what we know about ISIS-K.

Duration:00:48:25

US abstains as UN Security Council demands Gaza ceasefire

3/25/2024
After tense negotiations and four previous failures, the UN Security Council passed a resolution this morning calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. For the first time, the US abstained on a Gaza ceasefire vote, rather than using its veto. And, according to Russian officials, the death toll from the Crocus City Hall shooting in Moscow currently stands at 137, with another 180 people injured. While many key questions remain unanswered, the Kremlin is already forming a narrative that will likely have severe political and security implications. Also, a new study in the Aquatic Mammals Journal suggests that a pod of orcas could be one previously uncategorized by researchers. These killer whales have been spotted far out to sea, as opposed to the pods that inhabit Pacific Northwest waters. Plus, a record year for the Barkley Marathons.

Duration:00:47:51

Gunmen open fire at Moscow concert hall, killing dozens

3/22/2024
The Kremlin says that more than 40 people have died and more than 100 were wounded in a Friday night attack. The motive for the shootings or who may be responsible is not known. And, for more than a decade, Hosam Bahgat has been under criminal investigation for his work with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, a human rights group. The court's investigation concluded this week and the charges against Bahgat were dropped. Also, Mongolia’s nomadic herders are facing a savage dzud winter, after more than 2 million livestock have frozen to death. Scientists say this lethal phenomenon — extreme cold and heavy snow following a summer drought — is occurring more frequently and is linked to climate change. Plus, on World Water Day, we hear how a farm in Iraq was hit by water shortages.

Duration:00:52:30

NATO conducts biggest military exercises since Cold War

3/21/2024
Across Europe, the NATO military alliance is conducting its largest exercises since the Cold War, with tens of thousands of troops from 32 countries. NATO officials and European leaders are adding to the sense of urgency, warning that a direct conflict with Russia is becoming an increasing threat. And, this week, the United Nations said Sudan's civil war is one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory. Fighting between the country's rival military and paramilitary forces has gone on for nearly a year and now humanitarians are warning of a looming hunger crisis. Also, more than three years after overthrowing an elected government, Myanmar’s military troops are under fire as armed revolutionaries fight to topple the unpopular regime. The military is now conscripting civilians — a tactic that Myanmar’s population has long dreaded. Plus, walking to the Holy Land.

Duration:00:47:50

Haiti-Dominican Republic border tensions

3/20/2024
The Dominican Republic has stationed 10,000 soldiers on their border with Haiti. Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez says his country’s national security is his top priority and does not support the establishment of a humanitarian corridor. And, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition, the US continues to push Israel to pursue a two-state solution with Palestinians — an independent Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state. What do former negotiators on both sides of the conflict have to say? Also, in Cambodia, the prime minister is hoping a ban on musical truck horns will stop young people from dancing near roadways. Plus, an exhibition on the Amazon of the imagination.

Duration:00:47:55

Japan opts for first interest rate hike in 17 years

3/19/2024
Japan's central bank has raised interest rates for the first time in 17 years. It's a milestone in a long economic recovery and sign of something afoot in the Japanese economy. And, from "Stories From The Stage," Eson Kim tells a tale about how she was held up at gunpoint with her dad in the family's hardware store when she was 12 years old. What happened next forever changed her. Also, all but one of the 100 cities with the world’s worst air pollution last year were in Asia, according to a new report from IQAir. Climate change is playing a pivotal role in bad air quality that is risking the health of billions of people worldwide. Plus, the earliest Japanese inventor of karaoke dies at age 100.

Duration:00:46:57

Putin claims landslide election win

3/18/2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed a landslide victory in the country's elections held over the weekend, which means another 6 years in the Kremlin. According to the Russian election commission, Putin won 87% of the vote, but most Western countries have said that the elections were neither free nor fair. And, US troops are being asked to leave Niger after the government there revoked a security accord with the United States. There are about 1,000 American troops in Niger working to stabilize the West African nation and fight militants operating in the region. Also, the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan was a student-led grassroots movement that, 10 years ago, stopped the rushed passage of a bill that would have tied the island closer to China. It is credited with changing Taiwan's political direction. Plus, 90-year-old jazz legend Abdullah Ibrahim heads out on a world tour.

Duration:00:48:39

Pandemic trauma and recovery 4 years on

3/15/2024
The pandemic has been a global trauma with a silver lining of immense scientific and medical development. Michael Mina, a physician-scientist who spent the pandemic focused on immunology and epidemiology at Harvard University, tells us where the world is now and how prepared we are for the future. And, Russian American director Michael Lockshin began his film adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s classic novel, "Master and Margarita," before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Moscow. Now that it’s finally been released, Russians are crowding theaters to watch the cinematic send-up of state tyranny and it's hitting even closer to home. Also, Since Oct. 7, there has been an increase in violent settler activity across the West Bank, with more 260 Palestinians killed. There are also accusations of an increasingly blurred line between settlers and military forces. Plus, Berlin's techno scene is now on UNESCO's cultural heritage list.

Duration:00:48:50

Jordanian aid to Gaza

3/14/2024
As part of the effort to get more food and water into Gaza, the Jordanian Air Force is conducting air drops into the beleaguered territory. The World's Shirin Jaafari travels along on one of the flights to see what the logistics are like and what the air force thinks about delivering aid. And, French far-right groups say superstar Aya Nakamura is not the right performer for the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics this summer. Also, Russian President Vladimir Putin is looking to secure his fifth term in office; he's been in power as president or prime minister since 1999. Yet, some Russians are still trying to monitor the elections to point out irregularities and falsifications. Plus, Britain expands its definition of extremism.

Duration:00:47:16

Oil refineries in northeastern Syria are making people sick

3/13/2024
Across northeastern Syria, makeshift refineries are a major source of income for local residents who have endured more than a decade of conflict. But this critical resource is also making people sick and destroying the environment. And, US and Caribbean officials have reportedly told Haitian leaders they have 24 hours to name a transitional council that will appoint a new Haitian prime minister. US State Department deputy spokesperson, Vedant Patel, talks about US policy options in Haiti and Gaza. Also, in Germany on Wednesday, a court is weighing whether to remove the far-right party Alternative for Germany's designation as a suspected far-right extremist organization by the country's spy agency, the BfV, or the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Plus, a remembrance of Egyptian musician Zakaria Ibrahim.

Duration:00:48:37

Haiti's leader steps down as gang violence surges

3/12/2024
Ariel Henry, Haiti’s besieged prime minister, has agreed to resign once a transitional presidential council is installed. We hear how gang violence in the capital has made Port-au-Prince increasingly unsafe. And, the US House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill that would force Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a US ban. Also, Since Oct. 7, 2023, Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank have been barred from working in Israel. Tens of thousands in the West Bank who were doing building or agricultural jobs are out of work, and it's drastically impacting their daily lives and the lives of many shopkeepers as people tighten their belts. Plus, can endangered languages be saved? A new book has the answer.

Duration:00:47:30

Gaza paracycling team pivots to aid distribution amid war

3/11/2024
Cyclists on the Gaza Sunbirds team have always dreamed of competing on the global stage at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. But amid the Israel-Hamas war, the athletes have pivoted to delivering food to community members in need. And, a new study says salmon populations produced in countries such as Norway, the UK and Canada are dying in large numbers. Warming waters and disease are seen as the main culprits for the depletion of farmed salmon. Also, in northwest Nigeria's Kaduna state, gunmen recently stormed into a rural town, rounded up 287 children and kidnapped them to a nearby forest. The circumstances differ from four day ago when Islamist militants kidnapped about 200 women and children elsewhere in Nigeria's rural north. We hear what's behind the most recent kidnapping and what it means for state security. Plus, the sound of "The Society of Snow."

Duration:00:48:29

Malaysia: The search for MH370 will go on

3/8/2024
Ten years ago Friday, flight MH370 took off from Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, carrying 239 people headed to Beijing. During the flight, the plane changed course, turning south toward the Indian Ocean. Its transponder was turned off midflight and was never heard from again. But their families never stopped searching. And, celebrated Japanese manga creator, Akira Toriyama, has died at the age of 68 in Japan. He's best known as the creator of the "Dragon Ball Z" series, which was adapted for TV in the 1990s. Also, the International Criminal Court has been using an old resolution from the UN Security Council on the Darfur region in Sudan in 2005, to investigate ongoing atrocities in the current conflict there. US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack confirms that the United States is supporting the ICC investigation. Plus, Saudi Arabia on foot.

Duration:00:48:34

Ireland votes to ditch 'sexist' wording from constitution

3/7/2024
On March 8, International Women's Day, voters in Ireland will decide if they want to replace a clause in the constitution that deems a "woman's place is in the home." The Irish government has proposed new wording that recognizes the value of the provision of care in the home "by members of a family." And, military regimes in the West African nations of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso recently severed ties from the regional alliance known as the Economic Community of West African States or ECOWAS. Now, their militaries are uniting in an effort to jointly fight Islamist militants. Also, in part four of a yearlong investigative report on children's homes in Uganda by The World's Halima Gikandi, we hear about the tale of two different homes. Foodstep Uganda operates without approval using funds from many American donors; Ekisa Ministries has a different approach. Plus, would you relocate to a Scottish island for the princely sum of $190,000 a year?

Duration:00:48:26

Civilians flee front-line villages as Russia pushes deeper into Ukraine

3/6/2024
Ukrainian American pastor Alex Zaytsev helped his parishioners evacuate from the strategic town of Avdiivka before it fell to Russian forces last month. They sought safety 40 miles east in Pokrovsk, but he says their new home is no longer safe. And, a United Nations team this week said it found convincing evidence that some hostages taken into Gaza on Oct. 7 were subjected to sexual violence, as well as hostages in captivity. Israelis are preparing for the worst, including the possibility that some of the female hostages may be pregnant. Also, Noah's Ark Children's Ministry Uganda was founded by a Dutch missionary couple 20 years ago. Reporter Halima Gikandi's yearlong investigation into children's homes in Uganda found several allegations of abuse and misconduct going back a decade. Plus, Colin Firth's shirt is sold at auction.

Duration:00:47:18

Haiti gangs wreak havoc in Port-au-Prince

3/5/2024
Gangs are taking over Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. Police and the military have been ineffective in stopping the gangs from attacking the country's main airport last night and breaking out of thousands of inmates from prison over the weekend. And, a UN report finds credible the allegations of sexual assault by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, and against hostages held in Gaza. UN Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten went to Israel and the West Bank with a team to examine and gather information about allegations of sexual violence. Also, AidChild is an organization founded by American missionary Nathaniel Dunigan in 2000 to support children with HIV. The World's Halima Gikandi conducted a yearlong investigation on children's orphanages in Uganda and found several allegations of abuse and neglect at the organization, going back a decade. Plus, a satellite to help fight climate change by detecting methane.

Duration:00:48:52

War in Gaza puts US forces in Syria at risk

3/4/2024
According to the Pentagon, since the start of Israel's war in Gaza, there have been about 200 attacks on US forces stationed in Iraq and Syria. These attacks have been carried out by militia groups supported by Iran. And, on Monday, the European Union sent a message to Apple and other tech giants: "We will ensure compliance with our regulations." It followed a massive $2 billion antitrust fine for Apple. Also, research has shown that the vast majority of children in orphanages actually have families. Still, many Americans are giving their money to these institutions. In Uganda, those well-intentioned funds have created a whole industry around orphans. Plus, Mexico's lawsuit against US gunmakers could be a game-changer.

Duration:00:48:35

Alexei Navalny's funeral in Moscow

3/1/2024
People around the world are mourning the death of Alexei Navalny, Russia’s leading opposition politician. Thousands of people came to his funeral in Moscow on Friday. Navalny died last month while being held in a remote Russian prison in the Arctic Circle. And, a team of scientists sought to find out how violence between rebel groups in Central African Republic has affected the country's mortality rate. They found that it's shaken the foundations of the country. Also, Iran is holding parliamentary elections this week but voter turnout is a major concern to its political leaders. Discontent is rampant in the country following years of protests and a struggling economy. Plus, the godfather of Tuareg desert blues.

Duration:00:48:23

Dueling border visits spotlight clashing immigration narratives

2/29/2024
US President Joe Biden touched down at one key Texas crossing point on the US-Mexico border today. His rival for the oval office, former President Donald Trump, visited another, showcasing a very different border environment. And, a new survey from the Pew Research Center says that representative democracy remains popular globally, but its appeal is also waning. Also, for the first time, the Cuban government has asked the UN's World Food Program for help providing powdered milk to children under 7 years old amid a crushing economic crisis in Cuba. Plus, the Disney merger with an Indian media giant is all about cricket.

Duration:00:48:08