The World

Russian American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was arrested by Russian authorities about a month ago. We'll hear about the conditions she's dealing with in detention. Also, the new right-wing government in New Zealand wants to pull back on the use of the Maori language. A lot of New Zealanders are not happy about this, and they've been taking to the streets in protest. And, the painkiller drug Nolotil is banned in the US, UK and Ireland, but still being prescribed in Spain. The drug has been linked with the deaths of several dozen British and Irish people.

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As global leaders meet at the UN climate conference this week in Dubai, El Hierro, a tiny island in the Canaries, is halfway to the UN goal of ditching fossil fuels. But finding just the right renewable energy mix is proving tough. And, inside Hamas, the Shura Council is the main consultative body that chooses a leader in their politburo. We learn about Hamas leadership and how their command structure operates. Also, a recent hack of the genetic testing company 23andMe has left millions of people around the world with their personal data available online. Plus, a missionary's ill-fated mission. 

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This week, the US announced it was imposing visa travel restrictions on Israeli settlers involved in violence in the occupied West Bank. It's considered a rare punishment of Israelis by the US but comes as settler violence is on the rise. And, most of the Thai farm workers abducted by Hamas have returned home, with nine remaining in captivity. The 23 freed workers are now filtering back to their towns and villages in Thailand's rural upcountry. Also, in Washington, Congress is at a standstill over funding for Ukraine. The Biden administration has been pushing to pass a supplemental funding bill that would include roughly $60 billion in aid for Ukraine. But Republicans have signaled that they will block the funding. Plus, a Spanish theater is fined for barring snacks from outside.

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A former career American diplomat has been charged with serving as a secret agent for communist Cuba. Manuel Rocha is accused of being a Cuban mole inside the US government for decades. And, negotiators at the UN climate summit in Dubai are grappling with whether to call for a phase-out of fossil fuels. Australia, a major fossil fuel producer, is under a lot of pressure from Pacific countries and Western allies to join this pledge. Also, Israel and Hamas continue to battle in the Gaza Strip as the death toll from fighting climbs higher. The focus is now centered around the town of Khan Younis, where civilians have been told to evacuate by the Israel Defense Forces. Plus, the sound of Danish dystopian punk.

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With fighting resuming between Israel and Hamas, disease is spreading among the Gaza civilian population. Potable water is harder to find and southern Gaza is more cramped as people flee airstrikes by Israel's military. And, three commercial ships were hit by missiles launched by the Houthis in Yemen on Sunday. A US Navy destroyer, the USS Carney, came to their defense and shot down three Houthi-operated drones. Also, Russian customs data show that parts that could be used in military hardware are coming into the country through Turkey. The country did not impose sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, but it pledged to not help Russia circumvent them. Plus, a new Bjork song pays homage to her native Iceland's wild fish.

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After a seven-day pause in fighting, during which Hamas and Israel exchanged hostages and prisoners, any chance of extending it has collapsed. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been leaning on Israel to reduce the civilian carnage in their bombing campaign. And, climate change poses an existential threat to Tuvalu, a small island nation in the Pacific. By the end of the century, scientists say it could sink under the rising seas. Also, the US National Park Service announced this week that they plan to remove roughly 200 cats from the Paseo del Morro National Recreational Trail at the San Juan National Historic Site in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Park Service says the cats are an invasive species and could transmit disease. Plus, penguins take thousands of naps every day.

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A US federal indictment alleges that a Sikh activist named Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was the target of a murder-for-hire. The US government says that Nikhil Gupta was the facilitator working with an Indian official who remains unnamed. And, day by day, more Israeli hostages are being released by Hamas. We hear about Israeli public opinion as Israeli hostages are being released from Hamas captivity in Gaza. Also, Henry Kissinger oversaw some of the most consequential foreign policy decisions of the 20th century. Both revered and vilified, he leaves behind a complicated legacy. Plus, a planetary dance around a nearby star. 

Israel's military and political leaders say they still plan to eliminate Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the current pause in fighting ends. Hamas — a militant group and political party— has been able to defend its presence in Gaza despite the nearly two-monthslong war with Israel. And, for more than four decades, UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have tried to keep the peace between Israel and Lebanon. Tensions are flaring yet again on the Blue Line that divides the two countries. Also, despite a recent election in Poland, it is unclear exactly which party will rule the country's next government. But humanitarians are concerned that Poland's rough, and possibly illegal, treatment of refugees will stay the same, with little change to the border wall built to prevent more people from coming in through Belarus. Plus, Ed Sheeran has fans around the world.

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We can’t thank you enough for listening to and supporting The World! If you donate $100 during our fall drive, you will receive a special playlist curated for you by our team at The World. Learn more and give today.

Israel and Hamas say the temporary truce in Gaza will continue for another two days in order to facilitate the release of more hostages and prisoners. Also, ahead of COP28, confidence in the global process for addressing climate change is flagging. This year, the president of the climate summit hosted by Dubai is also the head of a national oil company. And a new documentary called "Beyond Utopia" follows a secret operation to move North Korean defectors along a treacherous route, through China and into South Korea.

The ceasefire brokered between Israel and Hamas — that has been extended for another two days — has given Gaza a brief respite from the war. But the flow of aid into the enclave, including water, food and medical supplies, still remains tenuous. Also, South Africa has been one of the few countries to cut diplomatic ties with Israel. President Cyril Ramaphosa said the deaths and destruction in Gaza are tantamount to war crimes and many South African leaders believe Israel's control over the Palestinian territories resembles apartheid. And in the Netherlands, controversial far-right politician Geert Wilders and his party won the Dutch parliamentary election last week in a surprise victory. Plus, a conversation with the feminist activist collective Pussy Riot that's on tour in North America.

We can’t thank you enough for listening to and supporting The World! If you donate $100 during our fall drive, you will receive a special playlist curated for you by our team at The World. Learn more and give today.