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The World
Monday-Thursday at 3pm on RADIO IQ

The World is public radio’s longest-running daily global news program. Our goal is to engage domestic US audiences with international affairs through human-centered journalism that consistently connects the global to the local and builds empathy for people around the world.

The World is a co-production of PRX and WGBH that broadcasts from the Nan and Bill Harris Studios at WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts. Launched in 1996 in response to a lack of international news in commercial media, The World has remained one of public radio’s most essential programs by providing its listeners with daily access to voices and stories not heard anywhere else. Our loyal broadcast listenership in the US measures 2.5 million each week, and our reach to global audiences — via broadcast, podcast and the web — is possible because of our strong editorial partnerships and digital distribution agreements.

Over the years, The World has carved out a niche by offering a unique perspective on daily news: covering American issues and events through the eyes of foreign observers, and contextualizing foreign affairs for American listeners. We maintain a steady focus on global events and issues, reminding listeners that the US is not isolated and that powers centered in Moscow, Kyiv, Beijing, Pyongyang, Riyadh, Istanbul, and elsewhere are reframing the global order every day. Our team does this by consistently working to get direct access to original sources: people on the ground who participate in the events we describe.

Our key areas of focus are global security, women & gender, the environment, migration and public health. From frontline diplomats to refugees in crisis, from environmental scientists in the field to protesters putting their lives on the line and individuals grappling with the impact of global cyberculture, The World starts with individuals at the core of a story and expands from there.

Latest episodes from The World
  • It’s been one year since Russian authorities detained Evan Gershkovich, a 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter. This week, a closed-door court in Moscow extended his detention by three months. He’s the first US journalist to be apprehended under suspicion of espionage in Russia since the Cold War ended. Also, in Turkey, Ramadan is a chance to enjoy evening concerts, and traditional musicians often book several gigs each week. But nonreligious concerts are few and far between during the holy month, and many secular musicians end up being out of work for a few weeks. Plus, 30 million Indonesian Christians pray to Jesus Christ or "Yesus Kristus," a name the Muslim-dominated government once refused to acknowledge. But after a recent legal decision, Yesus has the government's full official blessing. And the "I Am Not A Typo campaign" is calling on tech giants to correct auto-correct in the name of equality and to better reflect a modern, multicultural UK. Research behind the campaign found that almost 5,500 African, Asian, Scottish and other names were not recognized by computers.
  • Andrii Shadrin is a 28-year-old Ukrainian corporal who serves in a military unit that repairs and replaces equipment damaged in frontline fighting. Shadrin describes what it’s like to return to the battlefield after an injury, when military equipment and ammunition are in short supply. And, Nuha al-Junaid, a Yemeni woman in exile, has been speaking with people across war-torn Yemen and in the diaspora. Their voices show a diversity of experiences that reveal how life does not stop for war. Also, American officials have said that they had warned the Kremlin of an imminent terrorist threat in the days leading up to the March 22 attack that left more than 130 people dead. This is part of a US policy that requires intelligence-sharing in instances where civilian lives are in danger. Plus, remembering Algerian Jewish pianist Maurice el Medioni, who died at the age of 95.
  • The container ship The Dali that crashed into the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore had two local pilots navigating the large cargo carrier along the Patapsco River. We hear from a ship captain about the challenges of safely guiding a large container ship. And, the demand for language courses on US college campuses typically has reflected global shifts. But today, students are taking Korean — and it's all attributed to K-pop music and K-movies. Also, Senegal's president has led the country since 2012. But that's set to change now with the presumed victory of Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the opposition candidate in the elections held this week. Plus, what we know about ISIS-K.
  • After tense negotiations and four previous failures, the UN Security Council passed a resolution this morning calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. For the first time, the US abstained on a Gaza ceasefire vote, rather than using its veto. And, according to Russian officials, the death toll from the Crocus City Hall shooting in Moscow currently stands at 137, with another 180 people injured. While many key questions remain unanswered, the Kremlin is already forming a narrative that will likely have severe political and security implications. Also, a new study in the Aquatic Mammals Journal suggests that a pod of orcas could be one previously uncategorized by researchers. These killer whales have been spotted far out to sea, as opposed to the pods that inhabit Pacific Northwest waters. Plus, a record year for the Barkley Marathons.
  • The Kremlin says that more than 40 people have died and more than 100 were wounded in a Friday night attack. The motive for the shootings or who may be responsible is not known. And, for more than a decade, Hosam Bahgat has been under criminal investigation for his work with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, a human rights group. The court's investigation concluded this week and the charges against Bahgat were dropped. Also, Mongolia’s nomadic herders are facing a savage dzud winter, after more than 2 million livestock have frozen to death. Scientists say this lethal phenomenon — extreme cold and heavy snow following a summer drought — is occurring more frequently and is linked to climate change. Plus, on World Water Day, we hear how a farm in Iraq was hit by water shortages.
  • Across Europe, the NATO military alliance is conducting its largest exercises since the Cold War, with tens of thousands of troops from 32 countries. NATO officials and European leaders are adding to the sense of urgency, warning that a direct conflict with Russia is becoming an increasing threat. And, this week, the United Nations said Sudan's civil war is one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory. Fighting between the country's rival military and paramilitary forces has gone on for nearly a year and now humanitarians are warning of a looming hunger crisis. Also, more than three years after overthrowing an elected government, Myanmar’s military troops are under fire as armed revolutionaries fight to topple the unpopular regime. The military is now conscripting civilians — a tactic that Myanmar’s population has long dreaded. Plus, walking to the Holy Land.
  • The Dominican Republic has stationed 10,000 soldiers on their border with Haiti. Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez says his country’s national security is his top priority and does not support the establishment of a humanitarian corridor. And, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition, the US continues to push Israel to pursue a two-state solution with Palestinians — an independent Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state. What do former negotiators on both sides of the conflict have to say? Also, in Cambodia, the prime minister is hoping a ban on musical truck horns will stop young people from dancing near roadways. Plus, an exhibition on the Amazon of the imagination.
  • Japan's central bank has raised interest rates for the first time in 17 years. It's a milestone in a long economic recovery and sign of something afoot in the Japanese economy. And, from "Stories From The Stage," Eson Kim tells a tale about how she was held up at gunpoint with her dad in the family's hardware store when she was 12 years old. What happened next forever changed her. Also, all but one of the 100 cities with the world’s worst air pollution last year were in Asia, according to a new report from IQAir. Climate change is playing a pivotal role in bad air quality that is risking the health of billions of people worldwide. Plus, the earliest Japanese inventor of karaoke dies at age 100.
  • 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.
  • 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.