Social Issues

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek tells Host Carolyn Beeler about walking the modern Silk Roads through Asia and into South Korea, where village markets, souks and caravanserais are reincarnated as convenience stores that perfectly serve the needs of a traveler on foot.

The first mummies in the world were created by the Chinchorro people along the coast of what is today northern Chile. In 2021, UNESCO listed the mummies and the Chinchorro settlement as a World Heritage site. Many of these remains are still out there and are increasingly becoming uncovered by development and the elements. Michael Fox reports from the Chilean province of Arica.

Chile’s biggest carnival is kicking off at full speed today. As many as 150,000 people have traveled to the northern Chilean town of Arica to participate. But this is not your typical carnival. Most of the dances and music come from Bolivia. It is a celebration of Indigenous Aymara, Quechua and Afro-Chilean identities.

WhatsApp, used by millions of people around the world, says its users were hacked by the Paragon Solutions spyware company. The World’s Host Marco Werman speaks with John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, about the continuing threat of sophisticated spyware.

In Russia, the Kremlin has been steadily cracking down on the internet. Surveillance and censorship have increased, especially since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin has cut off access to many of the most popular websites and apps. The latest target is YouTube.