The World

The World

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

Wind generators near the Indigenous town of Juchitán de Zaragoza in Mexico.

Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor aims to rival the Panama Canal

​​​​​​​Mexico is hard at work on a huge development project that the country’s president hopes will rival the Panama Canal. It won’t be another waterway, but when it’s finished, the Interoceanic Corridor will connect ports on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Mexico in numerous ways. President Andres Manuel López Obrador is looking to the US for support on the project. But Indigenous communities are fighting the decision. 

Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor aims to rival the Panama Canal
A lab worker removes crane hoist from a load of rebar used to construct full-scale buildings and bridge spans that are then pushed to the limit in field tests.

This ‘earthquake lab’ is designing buildings to withstand natural disasters

This ‘earthquake lab’ is designing buildings to withstand natural disasters
Haitian Musician and Voudo priest Erol Josué has a new album titled Pèlerinaj, which includes songs like “Rén Sobo,” “Ati Sole” and “Palave Maria" that invoke Voudo goddesses and saints.

Erol Josué’s new album Pèlerinaj highlights Haiti’s Vodou tradition and the artist’s own pilgrimage

Erol Josué’s new album Pèlerinaj highlights Haiti’s Vodou tradition and the artist’s own pilgrimage
buildings

Redevelopment proposal for Mumbai's largest informal settlement stirs controversy

Redevelopment proposal for Mumbai's largest informal settlement stirs controversy
Fans are seen on the stands during the Russian Premier-League soccer match between Khimki and Rostov Rostov-on-Don, in Khimki, outside Moscow, Russia.

Russia’s new Fan ID law seen as new form of authoritarian surveillance

Russia’s new Fan ID law seen as new form of authoritarian surveillance
Colleagues gather at a cafeteria in the offices of Picsart, in Yerevan, Armenia.

Russia's war turns Armenia into a booming tech sector

Thousands of Russian tech workers have fled to Armenia, helping the country’s tech sector double in size and fueling dramatic economic growth over the last year.

Russia's war turns Armenia into a booming tech sector
Smoke rises from the Trade Ministry in Baghdad after it was hit by a missile during US-led attacks, March 20, 2003.

An Iraq vet grapples with lingering toll of war

Former US Army Sgt. Kayla Williams, who is currently a senior policy researcher at RAND Corporation, was among the 160,000 coalition troops who were deployed for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Now, 20 years later, she reflects on her experiences with The World's host Marco Werman.

An Iraq vet grapples with lingering toll of war
Aïda Muluneh's "To pursue the ceaseless way," is exhibited on a bus stop in the Boston area. The photograph is part of "This is where I am," presented by New York-based Public Art Fund.

Aïda Muluneh's public art photo exhibit is 'a love letter to Ethiopia'

Ethiopian photographer and educator Aïda Muluneh is showcasing the culture of her birth country in a series of 12 photographs displayed at more than 300 bus stops across Boston, New York, Chicago and Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Aïda Muluneh's public art photo exhibit is 'a love letter to Ethiopia'
people at building entrance

The risk of banking 'contagion' 

Investors worry that the problems at a handful of American banks could ripple across the world economy and unexpected surprises may be lurking. But this is not 2008. Regulations in the US and Europe are much stronger today than they were 15 years ago. 

The risk of banking 'contagion' 
Men place their hands over their heads as they are rounded up during a continuing "war on drugs" police campaign of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila, Philippines, Oct. 7, 2016. 

A rare murder conviction in the Philippines reveals a 'broken' justice system

Since former President Rordrigo Duterte launched his so-called “war on drugs” in 2016, convictions of law enforcement officers have been rare. But the recent murder conviction of former police officer Jeffrey Perez shows signs of justice and accountability in the overburdened courts.

A rare murder conviction in the Philippines reveals a 'broken' justice system
Artwork by Nelli Isupova, who lives in Kyiv, Ukraine.

A family of artists expresses how the war in Ukraine impacts their creative work

Sergei Isupov lives in western Massachusetts, but the rest of his family still lives in Ukraine. They're all artists, and they use their unique forms of art to express how the current war affects each of them.

A family of artists expresses how the war in Ukraine impacts their creative work
In this photo taken Wednesday Sept. 2015, a man buys kerosene at a road side stall in Harare, Zimbabwe. 

Zimbabwe struggles to keep the power on

Along the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia sits Lake Kariba, where low water levels have interrupted power supply to both countries — profoundly impacting the economy. 

Zimbabwe struggles to keep the power on
tram in Kolkata with dancers

India's tramway turned 150. But it’s on its last legs.

​​​​​​​Kolkata's 150-year-old tram system is limping along. It's down to just two lines and there is little political will, or room in the city's crowded streets, to bring the streetcars back to their former glory days. The tram does have a small but loyal band of supporters who want to keep it alive.

India's tramway turned 150. But it’s on its last legs.
Young men chat near Al-Mutanabbi street in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.

Young Iraqis reflect on the US-led invasion, its aftermath and their hopes for the future

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. Two decades later, Iraqis who've lived through these turbulent and violent years share their thoughts about the war's impact on their lives, about how they view the US now and about their hopes and concerns for the future of Iraq.

Young Iraqis reflect on the US-led invasion, its aftermath and their hopes for the future
Lake Palcacocha is located in Peru's Ancash region, at 15,000 feet above sea level.

'We are worried': Melting glaciers lead to dangerous overflow in this Peruvian lake

As ice sheets from glaciers melt, dozens of lakes around the world risk overflowing, causing potentially deadly avalanches and flooding in nearby towns and villages. In Huaraz, Peru, residents hope to find ways to prevent Lake Palcacocha from overflowing again — before it's too late.

'We are worried': Melting glaciers lead to dangerous overflow in this Peruvian lake