The World

Russia's security services arrested American reporter Evan Gershkovich, of The Wall Street Journal, in Moscow on Thursday. Gershkovich was hit with espionage charges by Russia's government — a first for a US correspondent since the Cold War. And, Rafael Grossi, head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, said the situation in war-torn Zaporizhzhia is "very dangerous," as continued shelling in the area is jeopardizing safe operations at the nuclear plant there. Also, the 15th-century...

The relationship between the US and Israel has always been strong. But as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition tried to overhaul Israel's judicial system, fissures between the two leaders have begun to show. And, Mar. 29 marks 50 years since President Richard Nixon announced that all US combat troops had left Vietnam. Also, more than 1,000 AI researchers and tech leaders have called for a moratorium on AI training. The letter warns that no person can truly...

Dozens of migrants are dead after a fire swept through a holding facility in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Juárez. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says the fire was started by migrants who were protesting news of their deportation. And, during the Khmer Rouge's reign, many of Cambodia's ancient relics were spirited out of the country. Now, looted antiquities are starting to be returned. Also, protests in France continued on Tuesday as workers railed against raising the...

After weeks of mass protests in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced he will hit pause on a controversial plan to overhaul the judicial system. The growing demonstrations have shuttered shops and universities, and grounded flights. And, Paul Rusesabagina, the man portrayed in the Hollywood film "Hotel Rwanda," has been freed from prison in Kigali. Two years ago, Rusesabagina was sentenced to 25 years behind bars on terrorism charges. Many at the time said the trial was a...

The US and Canada have agreed to change a decades-old asylum agreement, putting more restrictions on migrants seeking protections in Canada. And, since the 9th century, monks, aristocrats and emperors have all tracked the date of "full flower" for cherry blossoms, providing an unusually complete record of spring coming earlier in Japan. Also, congressional leaders sparred with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in Washington on Thursday, when Chew was on Capitol Hill to discuss TikTok's data security....

US President Joe Biden is visiting Canada today to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and address Canada's Parliament in Ottawa. US-Canada border relations are at the top of the agenda. And, mice are plaguing tiny, uninhabited Marion Island located southeast of South Africa in the Indian Ocean. The invasive mouse population is threatening the birds, and conservationists say they need to go. Also, Israel's Knesset has passed a law limiting the ways a sitting prime minister can be...

Kayla Williams was deployed to Iraq in 2003 as an Arabic linguist two days after the US-led invasion began. She talks about the long-term physical and psychological impact of the war on veterans. And, the International Monetary Fund and Ukraine have agreed to terms that pave the way for a $15.6 billion relief package, designed to prop up the government's intense military spending and the blows Russian forces have dealt to the economy. Also, New Zealand's government has launched a campaign to...

Contagion is a medical term, but it applies to the banking world, too. Investors are worried that the problems at a handful of American banks could ripple across the world economy and that unexpected surprises may be lurking. And, Ecuador finds a novel way to convert seized cocaine into cement. Also, the outgoing head of the UN’s World Food Program, David Beasley, has long argued that growing global food insecurity should be addressed with structural solutions — not handouts. Beasley talks...

Monday marks 20 years since the start of “Operation Iraqi Freedom," the US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled the president, Saddam Hussein, and aimed to spread democracy in the country. We hear from those who lived through these turbulent and violent years. And, gay sex is already illegal in Uganda, punishable by life in prison. But a new bill making its way through the legislature would make it illegal to even identify as gay or transgender. Also, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate...

The International Criminal Court said Friday that it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. It was the first time the global court has issued a warrant against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. And, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said his government will approve the Finnish bid to join NATO. Also, we catch up with...

Poland says it will send at least four Soviet-designed MiG fighter planes to Ukraine to aid in its war effort against Russian forces. Western nations previously avoided sending jets to avoid an escalation in the conflict. And, the International Atomic Energy Association is reporting missing nuclear material in Libya. There is major concern about who possesses 2.5 tons of natural uranium left over from the era of the former Libyan strongman, Muammar Gaddafi. Also, this week, officials in El...

The crash landing of an American reconnaissance drone struck by a Russian warplane and downed over the Black Sea is further rattling US-Russia relations. It’s unclear whether the incident was an error or a deliberate action. And, US law enforcement is taking some new steps against espionage and intellectual property theft on university campuses. But these measures are putting some researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge on edge. Also, years of war interrupted...

Cyclone Freddy is already the longest-lived tropical cyclone ever recorded. Now, it's returned to Mozambique for a second time in the past few weeks, bringing powerful winds and torrential rains. And, about half of the world’s population lives in areas at risk of dengue, a mosquito-borne tropical disease. Scientists have warned that climate change is likely hastening the spread of the mosquito species that carries the virus, to areas that, until recently, were free of the disease. Also,...

Israel is taking another look at its security strategy following the restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Israel had seen Saudi Arabia's anti-Iran stance as a bulwark in its security strategy. And, Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi was thrown into the global spotlight in 2008 after hurling his shoes at then-President George W. Bush. Two decades after the US-led invasion of Iraq, we ask Zaidi about his views on the country today. Also, for months now, the fighting in and...

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Paris on Friday with the aim to reset relations. The UK's new controversial immigration bill dominated the meeting, as it would ban all migrants arriving in Britain on small boats from the shores of France. And, Xi Jinping has secured a third term as general-secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. The position wields unmatched power for deciding the direction that China will take in the future. Also, Saudi...

Lawmakers in Georgia say they’re now scrapping plans to introduce a measure that would have required media organizations and NGOs getting more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence.” And, amid Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, many of the country's top athletes returned back to their rigorous training routines. This fencer and wrestler are both focused on gold at next summer's Olympics in Paris. Also, the self-described global artist Yun-Fei...

Thousands of protesters in Tbilisi, Georgia, are speaking out against a bill that would require organizations receiving more than 20% of funding from international sources to register as "foreign agents." Many fear this legislation would push Georgia further from Western allies, and muck up aspirations to EU membership. And, last week, two Americans were killed in the Mexican city of Matamoros following their kidnapping. They were part of a group of four travelers who crossed the border...

The French president is determined to raise the pension age to 64. But plenty of French workers are pushing back. For the sixth time this year, people across the country are walking off their jobs. And, the US and European police shut down a notorious cybercrime gang linked to Russia. After breaking into computer networks, the so-called DopplePaymer group demanded payment to unscramble sensitive material and to not release it online. Also, a Cuban filmmaker returns to see his family during...

The Turkish government has begun investigating journalists, media commentators and social media users accused of spreading misinformation about earthquake recovery efforts. If convicted, they could face up to three years in prison. And, former Prime Minister Imran Khan's speeches were banned by Pakistan's media regulator on Monday. The regulator said Khan was "spreading hate speech" in his recent rhetoric against the country's institutions. Also, almost three years after the COVID-19...

A group of Israeli activists traveled to a village in the West Bank on Friday, intending to bring a message of coexistence with Palestinians. But they were halted by Israeli soldiers. These rising tensions come amid a crisis of democracy in Israel. And, thousands of passengers were stranded in airports in Colombia and several other Latin American countries this week following the collapse of the budget airline Viva Air. It's the latest airline company to fold amid decreasing passenger demand...