The World

Are we approaching a pandemic?

The World Health Organization (WHO) says no, but some people are already making the connection. The coronavirus has now spread to South Korea, Iran, and Italy — and it's raising international concern. The World's Elana Gordon joins Marco Werman to explain.

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The coronavirus in South Korea

One week ago, South Korea had 30 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Today, the number is approaching 1,000. South Korea's government is on high alert. But as reporter Kelly Kasulis reports from Seoul, people are anxious.

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Lessons from Ebola 

Ebola outbreaks struck widespread fear in parts of Africa in the past decade. Dr. Malam Wanta Issa of the Alliance for International Medical Action in the Democratic Republic of Congo is hopeful that Ebola is nearing its end.

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What Harvey Weinstein unleashed

Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of rape and sexual assault today. The revelations about his predatory behavior more than two years ago started a viral #MeToo movement that took hold in countries around the world. Host Marco Werman reminds us how of #MeToo's global impact.

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Sudan at the US Supreme Court

More than 20 years ago, bombs went off at two US embassies in Africa. This week, nearly 600 victims—including Americans and foreign nationals—are being represented in the US Supreme Court. The case will determine if Sudan must pay billions of dollars in punitive damages. The Trump administration is arguing on behalf of the victims in a legal case that continues to cast a shadow over US-Sudan relations today. The World's Halima Gikandi has the story.

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Work and travel to bridge divides in Botswana

In the southern African country of Botswana, many civil servants are shuttled to different parts of the country each year. Doctors, nurses, teachers and engineers are sent to work in areas where there's a shortage of those professionals. Besides getting skilled people out to remote areas, The BBC's Shingai Nyoka reports the program is also bridging cultural divides within Botswana.

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Trump praises Modi and doesn’t mention human rights

Despite a growing chorus of troubling reports of human rights abuses in the disputed region of Kashmir, President Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi today during a visit to India.

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Conditions worsen in Syria’s Idlib

In northern Syria, the crisis is deepening. Millions of people are trapped between advancing Syrian forces, and the Turkish border that is closed to them. The main city in the region, Idlib, swelled to 3 million people as civilians fled the fighting in other parts of Syria and took shelter there. Now, the UN says there is no safe shelter in the city. The BBC's Quentin Sommerville reports from Idlib Province on the dire circumstances there.

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The ‘flavor of Rio’ according to Sergio Mendes

Sergio Mendes is not a resident of Rio anymore, but he still feels it big time. For years now, the Brazilian musician and composer has lived in Los Angeles, still breathing the rhythms of home. The first single on the new Sergio Mendes release is "Sabor Do Rio" — or, flavor of Rio — and he's got rapper Common giving us his take on the city. Marco Werman plays us the track.

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Marco Werman: Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is rocking this weekend and continues through Wednesday. And though he is not a resident of Rio anymore, Sergio Mendes still feels the event big time.His big hit in the 1960s, "Marche de Nada," became Mendes' calling card, a song about the contagious rhythm of samba.For years now, the Brazilian musician and composer has lived in Los Angeles, but he's still breathing the rhythms of home. The first single on the new Sergio Mendes release is "Sabor Do Rio," or "The Flavor of Rio," and he's got rapper Common giving us his take on the Brazilian city.I guess if you can't physically be in Rio at Carnival this week, the tune does a pretty good job of setting the mood.

Assange extradition trial begins

Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, appeared in court in London on Monday. It’s the first day of an extradition hearing to the United States. Assange was indicted last year by a US grand jury on charges of computer hacking and that he violated the Espionage Act. From London The World’s Orla Barry reports.

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Put me in, coach

In the middle of a NHL hockey game Saturday, a Zamboni driver got called up to save the day. Turns out, he wasn’t not too shabby. Marco Werman has the Cinderella-on-ice story.

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The coronavirus continues to spread globally

The coronavirus continues to spread, eroding a sense of safety that comes with distance from China. Europe is confronting its first major eruption of cases in Italy. And, despite a growing chorus of troubling reports of human rights abuses in the disputed region of Kashmir, US President Donald Trump praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday during a visit to India.  Also, in the middle of an NHL hockey game, a Zamboni driver was called to save the day in what became a Cinderella-on-ice story.

Marco Werman

A man wearing a face mask stands outside the San Siro stadium after the Inter Milan vs Sampdoria Serie A match was canceled due to an outbreak of the coronavirus in Lombardy and Veneto, in Milan, Italy, Feb. 23, 2020.

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US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet smiles ahead of a meeting in Serbia, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. 

Ukraine

America’s top priority is to help Ukraine ‘defend itself’ as a sovereign nation, Blinken adviser says

Disease

A spike in ringworm cases in Spain leads to a surprising culprit: the barbershop

The Inca temple of Sacsayhuamán gets only a handful of visitors per day now, as tourists cancel their trips to Cusco amid protests taking place in Peru.

Protest

Protests across Peru are keeping tourists away from the country’s top travel destinations

The new reception center at a cruise terminal on the Brooklyn waterfront will house 1,000 migrant men until May 1, when cruise ships will be back.

Migration

New York City struggles to accommodate new migrants

People and rescue teams try to reach trapped residents inside collapsed buildings in Adana, Turkey, Feb. 6, 2023.

Natural disasters

Powerful quake rocks Turkey and Syria, kills more than 2,300

Kiribati Minister of Justice, Hon Takarabu Tofinga, speaks at a panel discussion on climate security in the Pacific, in the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion of the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022.

Global Politics

Kiribati rejoins collective of Pacific Island states after ‘crisis’ withdrawal period

Irish singer-songwriter Dani Larkin navigates a troubled border with song 

Men remove debris as they search for people in a destroyed building in Adana, Turkey, Feb. 6, 2023.

After deadly quake in Turkey, rescue teams struggle to help amid frigid temps

‘There were screams everywhere’: Residents of northwest Syria grapple with quake aftermath

The Sagrada Familia, with its incomplete Glory facade, faces an apartment complex that could get demolished if construction plans go through. 

Development

Barcelona residents in limbo over Sagrada Familía construction plans

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Every morning, the editorial team at public radio’s international news show The World meets to plan what they'll cover that day.  Want to see what's on deck? 

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