The World

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.

In this special episode focused on the “The Big Fix,” we hear about climate solutions from around the world. Akureyri, Iceland is on the verge of becoming the world’s first town to go carbon neutral. The town of 18,000 residents has some natural advantages, including abundant hydro and geo-thermal energy. And, the Russian invasion of Ukraine sent energy costs surging, European leaders scrambling for alternative suppliers of gas, and redirected flows of Russian oil toward Asia.  At the time, more than half of Germany’s gas came from Russia. The war pushed a German government that was behind on renewable energy goals to enact some ambitious new policies. Also, the average size of a small farm in India is less than three acres. That makes small farmers there highly susceptible to the changing weather patterns brought by climate change. Tune in for these stories and more from “The Big Fix."

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On the podcast “Movement," Meklit Hadero interviews musicians with roots around the world about how their histories and personal lives get translated into song. For this special Thanksgiving Day broadcast of The World, we share stories from “Movement," related to family and "found family.”  

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Our reporting is independent, inclusive and in-depth. Best of all, it’s listener supported. Will you give today to support theThe World? 

After weeks of negotiations, Israel and Hamas have finally agreed on a temporary ceasefire in Gaza that would start on Thursday morning. What will follow is the release of dozens of people taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7. In exchange, Israel will set free a large number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. And, 41 construction workers building a 3-mile highway tunnel under the Himalayas have been trapped for more than a week. We hear about the tunnel collapse and the environmental concerns the construction accident has raised. Also, ahead of the upcoming COP28 climate summit in Dubai, the UN has issued its 2023 Emissions Gap Report — and it's pretty grim. Plus, a crisis at the Latvia-Belarus border. 

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As Israel and Hamas inch closer to a ceasefire deal, two peace activists with Standing Together have just returned to the Middle East after a weeklong tour of the US. We hear how the current crisis has upended efforts at Arab-Israeli grassroots collaboration. And, on Tuesday, Ukrainians are marking 10 years since the start of the Maidan revolution. As a result of the uprising, Ukraine’s pro-Russian president fled the country, but at the same time, Russia took advantage of the situation and invaded Ukraine. Also, Germany was once lauded as the European Union's most welcoming country when it came to receiving asylum-seekers and refugees. But that reputation is fast fading as politicians from parties on both the left and the right propose measures to cut back on new arrivals. Plus, the cultural history of eyeliner.

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Over the weekend, officials from Qatar said progress had been made on a potential deal to release some of the nearly 240 hostages Hamas took captive from Israel on Oct. 7. The agreement would reportedly mean that Hamas would set free around 50 women and children and in return, Israel would agree to a temporary ceasefire of several days. And, since the start of the war in Gaza, communication blackouts have become common. Without phones, people can't call for an ambulance or let their families know they are alive. Also, Kenya’s Parliament approved the deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti, to lead a multinational force to help deal with the rise in gang violence. But the same day, the country’s High Court temporarily blocked the deployment amid a legal challenge from opposition politicians. Plus, remembering Rosalynn Carter. 

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Our reporting is independent, inclusive and in-depth. Best of all, it’s listener supported. Will you give today to support theThe World?