The World: Latest Stories

This week Australia signed major security deals with India and Papua New Guinea and there's one country that's not especially happy: China. The partnerships come amid growing Chinese influence in the Pacific. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler learns more from Patricia O'Brien, an Australia and Pacific analyst at Georgetown University in Washington.

A NASA satellite dipped into Venus' upper atmosphere in the summer of 2020 and recorded radio waves. The agency translated those radio waves into sound waves, which revealed how Venus' atmosphere reacts to the sun. As Host Carolyn Beeler explains, this gives scientists more insight into why Venus is so different from Earth, despite their similar sizes. When the probe flew super close to the sun, through its corona, the translated sounds were haunting.

Only an estimated 100,000 speak the Judeo-Spanish language known as Ladino, once common among Sephardic Jews throughout the Mediterranean. One millennial songwriter is on a quest to save Ladino to honor her Moroccan grandmother. Nani Vazana tells us her story.This story originally aired on March 6, 2025.

The Israeli military pulled its forces back from parts of the central Gaza Strip. And earlier today, large crowds of Palestinians started walking back to their homes — or what's left of them — in Gaza City. Many Israelis and Palestinians are hoping this is the end of the war, not just another temporary truce. What comes next in the US-brokered peace plan? Early next week, all living hostages held in Gaza for the last two years are expected to be released, and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will go free from Israeli jails. After that, there are lots of unanswered questions and potential roadblocks on the road to lasting peace. The World's Matthew Bell has the latest.

Working as a foreigner in the US is getting harder, with the Trump administration cracking down on both legal and illegal immigration. In an announcement last month, the White House revamped the H-1B visa policy and announced that US companies that want to hire skilled foreign workers would have to pay $100,000 per visa application. The earlier fee ranged between $2,000 and $5,000. Priyanka Shankar reports from Bengaluru, India, where there's a mixture of resignation and defiance.

US President Donald Trump has announced a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after two years of a deadly conflict. Israeli hostages are expected to be released by early next week, and Israel's army is to pull partially out of Gaza as a first step. People on both sides are cautiously optimistic. We have two reports with reactions from inside Israel and Gaza. The World's Matthew Bell looks at Israelis' thoughts. But first The World's Shirin Jaafari has been in touch with Palestinians inside Gaza and reports on how they're feeling.

Hosts Carolyn Beeler and Marco Werman catch you up on some sports headlines that might have flown under your radar.

The house where the great Czech composer Antonin Dvorak was born in 1841 has just reopened after years of renovation. The end result is an interactive, immersive audio journey through the composer’s early life, letting you hear the sounds that he heard — the hustle and bustle of the village inn, the trains rushing by outside, the peal of the church bells. Rob Cameron from our partners at DW, Deutsche Welle, was given a tour, and has this report.

Insect populations around the world are plummeting, even in areas meant to be protected from environmental harm. Daniel Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs, research partners and spouses, have watched this unfold for years from the Guancaste Preserve in Costa Rica. They spoke with The World's Host Marco Werman about their observations.

Earlier this week, a South American trade bloc ruled that Peru has violated its commitments to cracking down on illegal gold mining. This comes as the price of gold is skyrocketing. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler talks with Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin America studies at the Council for Foreign Relations, for details of what's happening along the Peruvian Amazon.

The first phase of the Israel-Hamas peace deal has gained momentum, but major obstacles still might block the plan's implementation. Shashank Joshi, defense editor at The Economist, speaks with The World’s Host Carolyn Beeler about the incentives pushing Hamas and Israel to comply with this agreement — and what happens if they don’t.

A midwife with Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) in the North Darfur region of Sudan has described assisting a growing number of women experiencing sexual violence at the hands of militias. Speaking to The World's Host Carolyn Beeler from Chad's capital N'Djamena, Lucy Acibu's account comes a day after a Sudanese militia leader was convicted at the International Criminal Court on charges of mass murder and sexual violence going back to 2003. We hear first about this ruling from Kholood Khair. She’s the head of Confluence Advisory “a think and do tank” founded in Sudan, who joined from Nairobi, Kenya.

Gaza City is under relentless attack by the Israeli military, which appears intent on destroying its remaining residential buildings. That's according to Mohammed Aklouk, a father of three and longtime resident who has fled to the southern town of Deir al-Balah. Aklouk, a coordinator for the Norwegian Refugee Council, describes his family's escape to The World's Host Marco Werman.

Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler bring you a few developments in science you may have missed in the news.

FIFA, soccer's global governing body, has suspended seven members of Malaysia's men's national soccer team after an investigation found the country's soccer federation used fake birth certificates to claim the athletes' eligibility. The Malaysian soccer federation denies the allegations. The World's Bianca Hillier has the details.