The majority of deaths from the 2004 earthquake and tsunami were in Indonesia. But one island had just a handful of deaths, and researchers say that was partly due to folklore passed down through generations. Also, an update on the situation in Syria as Syrians look to the future with a mixture of fear and hope. And, Albania's former president was arrested on suspicion of corruption and money laundering, but the problem may be more widespread. Plus, a soup to celebrate, not only the new year, bu...
Dec 27, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami that took the lives of more than 220,000 people, we look at why there are so many abandoned houses that were built for survivors in Indonesia. Also, investigations are underway to determine what caused a passenger plane to crash in Kazakhstan. And, the theft of succulents has become a massive illegal trade across the globe. Plus, reconnecting with a family whose neighbor left a pile of gifts for their son before passing away. Listen to today’s ...
Dec 26, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast The World travels the globe to share various religious traditions in this holiday special. We look at Armenian Christians in the Old City of Jerusalem who say their community is facing an unprecedented threat. Also, a shuttered synagogue reopens in India for the funeral services of a community elder. And, millions of people journey to Iraq for the annual Arbaeen walk. Plus, colorful flower “carpets” made of sawdust adorn the streets of Guatemala for Holy Week. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Ai...
Dec 25, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast The World takes a look at what people consider sacred spaces around the globe in this holiday special. On the tropical island of Bougainville, locals discover an icon of Saint Mary believed to have supernatural powers. Also, some Mapuche communities in Chile use an ancestral sport to help protect and revive their culture, customs and language. And, a Buddhist nun and surfer hits the waves, discovering a higher sense of purpose that can come from being in the natural world. Plus, Argentine Jewish...
Dec 24, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Japan’s second- and third-largest automakers are pursuing a $50 billion deal that could dramatically shake up the global auto industry. Also, Palestinians discuss death as the war in Gaza drags on. And, The Guardian publishes the first known photos of an uncontacted community living in the Amazon. Plus, a rice porridge keeping people in Denmark warm and cozy through the winter season. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air . Time is running out to support The World before our fundraising drive end...
Dec 23, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast The US State Department's top Middle East envoy, Barbara Leaf, arrived in Damascus today for meetings with Syria's new interim government. Also, a Belgian train conductor is under investigation for violating the country's language laws after greeting passengers bilingually. And, why the conditions for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are improving, and what incentives are pushing the talks forward between Israel and Hamas. Plus, why Hong Kong's claw machines may need to be regulated by the governme...
Dec 20, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast US officials say Russia has deployed some 8,000 North Koreans in the Kursk region, the border area where Ukrainian forces seized Russian territory in a surprise attack over the summer. But there may be far fewer troops returning home than Pyongyang expected. Also, journalists use fake Tinder profiles to identify and follow the movements of hundreds of soldiers in Europe, including many Americans. And, a look into the growing phenomenon of countries repressing dissidents beyond their own borders,...
Dec 19, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast As Syria goes through historic changes, minority groups remain on edge. The commander of the US-backed Kurdish SDF discusses the situation in an exclusive interview with The World. Also, the tiny island nation of Vanuatu struggles to recover from a powerful earthquake. And, a controversial anti-LGBTQ bill in Ghana is one step closer to becoming law. Also, Thailand is offering a path to citizenship for nearly half a million stateless people in its borders in what its government is calling a “New ...
Dec 18, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast A bomb went off early this morning in Moscow, killing a Russian General Igor Kirillov. He was the head of the Russian military’s nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces. Also, a mass grave has been found in Al-Qutayfah, Syria, bringing clarity to the fate of many political prisoners under the Assad regime. And, this year brought significant changes to Canada’s education sector, creating upheaval for international students. Plus, a new high-speed bullet train between Paris and Berlin i...
Dec 17, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Israel's prime minister says his government plans to double the Israeli population in the Golan Heights, an area considered a "strategic plateau" since Israel captured it from Syria in 1967. Also, South Korea's constitutional court is deciding whether or not to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. And, legendary tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain dies at the age of 73. Plus, a spicy Thai soup with a twist. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air . Donate today to help The World unlock a $67,000 challenge mat...
Dec 16, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Sednaya Prison complex in Damascus was synonymous with the Syrian government's reputation for brutality. Once inside, prisoners had little chance of coming out alive. Over the past week, thousands of families rushed to the prison in the hopes of finding their missing loved ones. Also, Ukraine needs more troops to fend off Russian invaders. The draft age in Ukraine was already lowered from 27 to 25. Now, they're talking about drafting men who are 18 to 25. And, why the changing climate in pla...
Dec 13, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast South Korea's president says he'll "fight to the end." But he's facing calls from all sides to resign. And the opposition says it plans to move on a second impeachment measure. We have the latest from the South Korean capital, Seoul. Also, why Syria's new leaders are working to get punishing economic sanctions lifted as soon as possible. And, we meet a man who was trafficked by an organized crime operation in Southeast Asia and forced to work as an internet scammer. Listen to today’s Music Heard...
Dec 12, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Many Syrians who have lived in Turkey for years are eager to return home to Syria. But others say an evolving security situation and financial concerns are giving them pause. Meanwhile, governments across Europe have paused asylum applications submitted by Syrians. Also, a new report by the OECD finds that reading and math scores for adults in most of the world’s high-income countries have declined during the past decade. And, the Arctic tundra is now releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmos...
Dec 11, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast As many Syrians rejoice at the downfall of the former dictatorship in their country, Israel has been conducting numerous strikes on targets across Syria, reportedly destroying chemical weapons stores belonging to the former Assad regime. Also, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes the stand in his long-running corruption trial, facing charges of fraud, breach of trust and taking bribes. And, the Dominican Republic has deported more than 71,000 Haitians back to Haiti since October, and ...
Dec 10, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast For the first time in two decades, Syrians say they are experiencing a taste of freedom after President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster. Also, a motion to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol failed over the weekend but many are still calling on him to resign. And, Ghana’s former President John Dramani Mahama has clinched a comeback election victory and will return to power seven years after stepping down. Plus, singer-guitarist Olguita Acuña carries on her activism after fleeing to Costa Rica ...
Dec 09, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast A top Romanian court has annulled results from the first round of the country's vote for president. The unprecedented ruling comes after the declassification of intelligence alleging that a Russian campaign had promoted the far-right winner. Our Europe correspondent has the latest. Also, a new directive from the Taliban bans women in Afghanistan from studying dentistry, nursing, and midwifery. And, a standup comic from Zimbabwe on how jokes land differently in the US. Listen to today’s Music Hea...
Dec 06, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast As a successful no-confidence vote topples the French government, a look at the political career of President Emmanuel Macron, whose presidency once signaled hope for change. Also, this week marks 40 years since the world's deadliest industrial disaster. The Bhopal gas leak originating at a pesticide plant in 1984 exposed 500,000 people in India to toxic vapors, killing thousands that night and leaving many more with serious health issues that persist to this day. How the Bhopal disaster changed...
Dec 05, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast In South Korea on Wednesday, the streets were relatively calm after a night that many saw as the beginning of a coup d'état. That followed the president's controversial declaration of martial law. With the president now facing an impeachment effort by parliament, many Koreans are calm but concerned. Also, new research out of Canada shows that the company Amazon restricts access to books in Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. And, a new law in Belgium makes...
Dec 04, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a surprise televised announcement overnight imposing martial law, saying "North Korean forces" needed to be eradicated. Lawmakers quickly acted to cancel the emergency declaration, but the bitter political divide in the country remains unresolved. Also, a coalition of rebel forces in Syria is continuing its advance after capturing Aleppo, making its way through towns and villages toward the central city of Hama. And, a court in Vietnam upholds the deat...
Dec 03, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Syria's anti-government rebels launched a massive offensive last week, taking most observers by surprise and gaining control over the largest city, Aleppo. The regime of President Bashar al-Assad has responded by conducting aerial attacks on Aleppo city and Idlib province. Also, the president of the International Criminal Court lashed out at the US and Russia for interfering with its investigations as the institution’s annual meeting opened on today. And, a gathering of more than 200 nations con...
Dec 02, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek began an epic walk in early 2013, tracing the first steps of human migration out of Africa some 60,000 years ago. The World brings you some of his stories and experiences in this Out of Eden Walk special — starting in Ethiopia and walking through the Holy Lands, Uzbekistan and India, to mention a few. He even shares some of the foods he's eaten along the way to power his walk. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air . We are able to bring you human-centered...
Nov 29, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast As families and friends gather for meals together on US Thanksgiving Day, The World brings you a show packed with a variety of food stories. From brewing banana beer to a cookbook filled with African dishes; from the battle over döner kebabs to a lawsuit over butter chicken and from a mushroom restaurant in Mexico to savory ice cream flavors in 18th century England, this special show will pique your culinary interests. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air . We are able to bring you human-centere...
Nov 28, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the first day of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, we'll hear how people in Lebanon are feeling, as well as what analysts are seeing from military and diplomatic standpoints. Also, what's at stake for the Philippines in the wake of the vice president's public threat to assassinate the country's president? And, how mariachi singer Deyra Barrera ended up on the Kendrick Lamar album that just dropped. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air . We are able to bring you human-centered j...
Nov 27, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mexico’s president has warned US President-elect Donald Trump against plans to slap large tariffs on the United States' three largest trading partners: Mexico, Canada and China. Also, Interpol's affiliate, Afripol, which is a union of African law enforcement agencies, has arrested more than a thousand suspected cybercriminals of various stripes in a continent-wide dragnet. And, thousands of supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan have flooded Pakistan’s capital Islamabad demanding his rel...
Nov 26, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Officials at the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, penned a new climate finance deal this weekend, with richer countries agreeing to pay $300 billion per year to help countries in the Global South cope with climate change. Also, Israel's ambassador to the US says that a ceasefire with Hezbollah could be implemented "within days." And, Nicaragua’s legislature appears set to approve a constitutional amendment that would elevate the wife of the country’s leader to a new role as “co-presiden...
Nov 25, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Police in Brazil say they've indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro — along with three dozen others — for allegedly planning a coup to keep Bolsonaro in power in 2022. Also, Albania will transform an Islamic Sufi order into a sovereign state. If all goes to plan, the Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order will become the world's smallest state, just a quarter of the size of Vatican City, with its own administration, passports and borders. And, the Cambridge Dictionary's English word of the year...
Nov 22, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Netanyahu's office said these were "absurd and false accusations." Also, Iraq is getting underway with its first national census in decades — the results could have a big impact on the political direction of the country. And, a Scottish whiskey maker is taking California wine country by storm. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air . Listener s...
Nov 21, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Public and private sector workers in Greece walked off the job to protest the rising cost of living. Public sector unions are demanding a 10% wage hike and the return of salaries cut during Greece's nearly decade-long financial crisis that began in 2010. Also the Biden Administration has agreed to supply Ukraine with anti-personnel landmines in an effort to slow the steady advance of Russia’s troops, especially in the eastern Donbas region. And, an entire fleet of diesel trains that were taken o...
Nov 20, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast A proposed New Zealand bill redefining the country’s founding agreement with the Indigenous Māori has erupted into political turmoil, with protests all week culminating in a thousands-strong march on the capital of Wellington. Also, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is at the center of a multi-faceted investigation involving documents gathered using secret intelligence methods. And, global carbon emissions are on track to hit a new record high this year — as they continue to heat the pla...
Nov 19, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Revolutionary groups in Myanmar have been successful in battling the military junta that controls the central government. But China is not giving up on the regime. That's making it difficult for the rebels to topple the military rulers who seized power in a coup. Also, Ukraine now has a green light from the US to strike deep into Russian-held territory with long-range American weapons. And, we hear from a city in India that's become a model for protecting its citizens from a heat wave. Listen to...
Nov 18, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
