The World

Jan 31 2025 30 ep. 49 mins 6.2k

The World Podcast artwork

Host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories that remind us just how small our planet really is.

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Ahmad al-Sharaa takes over as Syria’s transitional president

Jan 31 2025 49 mins

Syria’s de-facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa was declared the country’s transitional president on Wednesday. The former rebel leader addressed Syrians directly yesterday and called for justice and elections following a transitional period. Also, 10 days into President Donald Trump’s administration, the US southern border remains closed to asylum-seekers, and many are now consideri

Argentina reverses law criminalizing femicide

Jan 30 2025 48 mins

Argentina’s president reverses a law that established femicide as a crime. Also, a new report shows that the majority of young people in the UK would prefer to live in a dictatorship, and many of them also want the army to be in charge. And, the Israeli government has banned the UN's Palestinian aid agency, UNRWA, from operating in Israel land in East Jerusalem. Plus, Spanish gui

Stampede kills dozens in India at world's largest religious gathering

Jan 29 2025 49 mins

A deadly stampede interrupts celebrations at a Hindu festival in northern India, leaving dozens of people dead. Kumbh Mela is the world’s largest religious gathering, where upwards of 400 million pilgrims gather at the confluence of two rivers for sacred rituals. Also, US-funded assistance programs across the globe are reeling after the Trump administration freezes most foreign a

Mexico's ambitious plan to receive deportees from the US

Jan 28 2025 54 mins

Mexico has started constructing giant tent shelters in border towns where people deported by the US can get food, temporary housing, medical care and free bus rides back to their hometowns. The program is called "Mexico embraces you" — and although it's intended for Mexican deportees, the country's President Claudia Sheinbaum says her government will consider sheltering migrants

80 years since Auschwitz liberation

Jan 27 2025 49 mins

Royalty, heads of state and dignitaries from more than 50 countries gathered in southern Poland today to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Also, a solid gold helmet on loan from Romania was stolen in a dramatic museum heist in the Netherlands. And, the US has frozen nearly all foreign aid while the Trump administration reviews where the aid should go. Plus,

People in Gaza return to what is left of their homes

Jan 24 2025 47 mins

In the days since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, people in Gaza have begun returning to the neighborhoods they'd fled — only to find total devastation. Also, how Canada is preparing for US tariffs, from the highest levels of government to the individual Canadian household. And, the latest on an oil spill in Russia, that's been called the worst environmen

Syria looks to reform economically in post-Assad era

Jan 23 2025 48 mins

Syria's economy under the previous government was tightly managed by former President Bashar al-Assad, his family and close associates. But now, Syria's new government is looking to introduce economic reform to further liberalize Syria's economy, which remains heavily sanctioned by the US and Europe. Also, in most cities, transit systems are government-run. But in Japan, that’s n

What Trump's foreign policy picks say about the war in Ukraine

Jan 22 2025 49 mins

On the campaign trail, US President Donald Trump promised to end wars, worldwide, starting in Ukraine. As his administration's Cabinet takes shape, we'll look at his appointees' records to get a deeper understanding of the Trump administration's approach to that conflict. Also, three new laws passed by Iraq’s parliament could effectively legalize child marriage, according to crit

Israel conducts raid in the West Bank city of Jenin

Jan 21 2025 48 mins

Israel's military is conducting raids in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. Israel is seeking to flush out armed Palestinian factions in the area. This comes as some 90 Palestinians prisoners were released from Israeli prisons following a ceasefire deal in Gaza with Hamas. Also, Denmark has announced plans to rethink a parenting competency test that has earned heavy criticism fo

Donald Trump inaugurated as 47th US president

Jan 20 2025 49 mins

President Donald Trump laid out foreign policy promises, goals and predictions during his swearing-in ceremony as he assumes another term in office. Also, the UN says 630 aid trucks have entered Gaza since the start of the ceasefire deal over the weekend between Israel and Hamas. And, the Ankole cattle of western Uganda are now considered an endangered breed as farmers switch to ot