The World

Iran used hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in an unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend. It’s a turning point in the hostility between the two countries, and in the regional conflict in the Middle East. We have the latest on Israel, Iran and the US role in a deepening crisis as […]

Ten years ago on Friday, the militant group Boko Haram kidnapped over 200 young women from a secondary school in Nigeria. A decade later, we hear how things have turned out for those women and their families. Also, The World’s team in Israel has spoken with the parents of an American-Israeli hostage about efforts to […]

The World continues its weeklong series from Israel. According to a new survey, more than 70% of Israelis think Netanyahu should resign now, or as soon as the war in Gaza comes to an end. But there are stark divisions over what should happen next. Also, this year, the US will accept 125,000 refugees, the […]

With polls opening this month in India, farmers are angry with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In 2021, Modi made a rare concession by repealing farm laws after they were met with massive monthslong protests in Delhi. Now, farmers are returning  to the streets. Also, the Israeli war against Hamas in Gaza is also being felt […]

We continue our focus on Israel and the Palestinian territories, with a trip to the West Bank. When the war in Gaza finally ends, the Biden White House is looking for “revitalized” leadership from the Palestinian Authority, which has sworn in a new technocratic government. But it’s not generating a lot of excitement from Palestinians, […]

Hamas’ deadly attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7 left an estimated 1,200 people dead and 250 taken as hostages. Most of the world first saw the terrifying videos and images from the Nova music festival. We hear from witnesses who bore the brunt of these attacks and how they feel today. And, Israel is still planning to attack the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which borders Egypt. Nearly half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been pushed there to take shelter as Israel continues to strike hard against Hamas. Also, a total solar eclipse makes its way across Mexico, the US and Canada on Monday. The city of Mazatlan, on the Pacific coast of Mexico, was the first place in continental North America on the path of totality, and more than half a million people traveled there to see it. Plus, Brazil’s Kamilla Cardoso is named “most outstanding player” of NCAA tournament.

The killing of seven international World Central Kitchen staff members in an Israeli strike has brought a firestorm of criticism upon Israel. US President Joe Biden called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to get humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel responded by opening up a border crossing with the Gaza Strip. And, engineered quartz is the most popular choice for kitchen counters in many parts of the globe, including the US and Australia, but the tradespeople who cut and polish them are suffering from deadly silicosis. As of July 1, Australia will implement a complete ban on engineered stone. Also, since 2016, more than 500 women in Kenya have died in gender-related killings. While gender-based violence received national attention earlier this year, activists say interest in the issue has died down. Plus, Brazil’s Tropicália superstar Caetano Veloso is on tour. 

In Israel, the ultra-Orthodox community has been exempt from military service. But Israel’s Supreme Court just ruled that yeshivas — Jewish religious seminaries — are being cut off from government funding because they don’t send students into the military. And, National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek talks about his time in Cyprus, where he found the vestigial border line that divides the island’s Greek and Turkish communities. He walked through an abandoned tourist city, a relic of a border war that has never been fully resolved. Also, Spain is where quartz countertops first took off and where hundreds of cases of silicosis from dust inhalation soon developed. Today, modern machines and clearer safety rules are meant to keep workers healthy. But some worry that silica dust still reaches workers’ lungs. Plus, 30 years after Rwanda’s genocide, questions remain. 

Quartz is popular because it looks like marble but is cheaper and needs no maintenance. But the silica dust produced during mining and manufacturing can make it deadly. We hear from Turkish miners about their experiences. And, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked Taiwan Wednesday morning, with the worst damage located in the east coast city of Hualien. Early reports say that nine people have died, with nearly 1,000 injured and many others still trapped. Also, residents of the city of Raqqa in northern Syria, endured three years of hell between 2014 and 2017, when ISIS captured their city and declared it as the capital of its caliphate. Years after liberation, Raqqa’s efforts to rebuild have been slow. Plus, the role of clerics in modern Saudia Arabia.

World Central Kitchen (WCK), one of the few aid groups distributing food in Gaza, has suspended its work there, along with others. The move comes on the heels of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) strike that killed seven WCK workers after they left a warehouse in two armored cars. And, Israel’s airstrikes on WCK workers and the Iranian Embassy annex in Syria are drawing criticism from the international community over a potential violation of the rules of war. We hear how the IDF selects its targets and whether its standards over civilian protections may have changed. Also, the three most commonly spoken languages in the world after English are Mandarin, Spanish and Hindi. But a new study shows that two popular chatbots are not always giving correct medical information when they provide answers to questions asked in those languages. Plus, sounds from the Sudan Tapes Archive.