The World

A program that crosses borders and time zones to bring home the stories that matter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on the screens as he attends a concert marking his victory in a presidential election and the 10-year anniversary of Crimea's annexation by Russia on Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Monday, March 18, 2024.

Putin claims landslide election win

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.
Putin claims landslide election win
Aviva Markowitz, left, and Rivka Alter enjoy a drink in a protective bubble at the Lazy Bean Cafe in Teaneck, New Jersey, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020.

Pandemic trauma and recovery 4 years on

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.
Pandemic trauma and recovery 4 years on
The Jordanian Air Force conducts air drops to deliver aid to Gaza.

Jordanian aid to Gaza

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.
Jordanian aid to Gaza
A pond of oil at an oil field controlled by a US-backed Kurdish group, in Rmeilan, Hassakeh province, Syria. 

Oil refineries in northeastern Syria are making people sick

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 Haitians 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 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 remembrane of Egyptian musician Zakaria Ibrahim.
Oil refineries in northeastern Syria are making people sick
Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry attends a public lecture at the United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya, March 1, 2024.

Haiti's leader steps down as gang violence surges

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. 
Haiti's leader steps down as gang violence surges