On Wednesday, Germany gets a new chancellor and a new coalition government. After 16 years, Angela Merkel will be replaced by Olaf Scholz as the country’s new leader. But just how different will things be for Germany under Chancellor Scholz? The World's Orla Barry reports.

Germany’s new chancellor takes office — the end of the Merkel era

The full theme music for public radio's PRI's The World, composed by Eric Goldberg.

PRI's The World: Theme Song

In the Nigerian town of Kaduna, two religious men were out to kill each other. And they almost did.

A pastor and an imam once tried to kill each other — now they work to heal Nigeria

Iraq's prime minister is putting aside his differences with Kurdish forces in the north of Iraq as both groups fight militants from ISIS. The United States is also finding an unusual ally in Iran as both countries try to shore up the government in Baghdad.

The battle against ISIS leads to odd alliances in Iraq

Next time on The World, Hamas makes a music video -  in Hebrew.
 
It shows rockets being launched and Hamas fighters on the attack.
 
It's meant to frighten Israelis.
 
But many Israelis are dancing to it.
 
Even recording their own ironic versions.
 
A pop music weapon backfires, next time on The World.

PREVIEW: Hamas 'terror pop' song backfires

When fighting broke out in Gaza, Hamas recorded a music video to encourage its fighters and scare Israelis. Instead, the song has become a huge hit in Israel.

A Hamas terror anthem is Israel's biggest summer hit

Germany's president Frank-Walter Steinmeier met descendants of a Tanzanian chief — Songea Mbano — who led a revolt against German rule in 1906. Steinmeier told some of his descendants today, "As German president, I would like to apologize for what Germans did to your forefathers." The World's Marco Werman has more.

German leader apologizes for colonial rule in Tanzania

Did the song "We Are The World" actually make the world better? A new making-of documentary, debuting at Sundance, is cause for reflection on what the original video did and didn't do for hungry people across Africa and in the US. The World's Gerry Hadden reports. 

Did the song 'We are the World' make the world better?

Migrants from African countries represent a very small fraction of the people crossing the US southern border, but their numbers have dramatically increased in the past year. The World’s Tibisay Zea reports on the multiple factors driving African migrants to America.

More Africans are choosing to migrate to the US

“Leopoldstadt” is a gripping play about the changing fortunes of a Jewish family in wartime Austria. In 2023, it won a number of Tony Awards, including for best play. Now, a new production of “Leopoldstadt” is being performed in Riga, Latvia. And the choice of director has helped it make headlines. The World's Daniel Ofman reports from Riga.

John Malkovich directs Latvian production of 'Leopoldstadt'

Some US border states have been sending newly arrived immigrants north. Many have come by bus through Colorado. That's where Aspen Public Radio reporters met Asdrubal Alvarado. He shared his story of why he left the violence and insecurity of Venezuela and headed to what he hoped would be a better life in the US.

Venezuela postcard: The journey of a man to a Colorado town

Nigeria's largest city, Lagos, announced a ban on the use and distribution of Styrofoam and other single-use plastics this week. Similar bans have been implemented in other sub-Saharan African nations like Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Pritish Behuria, a senior lecturer with the Global Development Institute, about the effectiveness of these plastics bans across the African continent. 

Nigeria's largest city, Lagos, is banning single-use plastics

Soon after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin established a group of allied countries to support the besieged nation. Now, for the first time, the Pentagon is out of money for Ukraine. Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler have more on how the US is looking to raise funds.

The Pentagon has no money for Ukraine

Violence continues to flare in the west Sudan region of Darfur. A new UN report estimates up to 15,000 people were killed last year in just one Darfur city. It’s all too familiar to Mutasim Ali, a former Darfur resident and a legal adviser for Montreal’s Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. Ali speaks with host Marco Werman about the roots of the crisis. 

Darfur's 2nd genocide

The Biden administration wants the Israelis and Palestinians to get serious about restarting a long-stalled plan for a two-state solution. The European Union is saying the same, and so are Arab leaders, along with others across the international community. But Israel is digging in its heels. The World's Matthew Bell reports on the disconnect between Israel and its most-important allies on long-term plans for ending the conflict. 

Israel says 'no' to a 2-state solution

Hosts Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler give a quick synopsis of global stories that might have slipped by you.

A few things you might have missed

Global cocaine production is at historic highs, and cartels are developing new trade routes to get it to market. There are also new patterns of consumption, and Latin America is one region where use of cocaine is on the rise. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, on why much of the rise in cocaine use in Latin America is in one country: Brazil. 

Brazil sees rise in cocaine use

Host Marco Werman tells us about the unprecedented career of Annie Nightingale, the first woman DJ on the BBC's pop music station BBC1, and the longest-serving presenter on the BBC. Her magic was all about keeping her ears young.

1st woman DJ on BBC Radio 1 dies

A modified verse of this classic song pays tribute to Frank Burke.

Lyrics:

Private Burke went marching into Flanders with his smile, his sunny smile
He was loved by the privates and commanders for his smile his sunny smile
When a trove of Germans came along with their mighty swing
Burke sailed out his little bunchy smile
Keep your head down boys and smile boys smile
Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile 
While you’ve Lucifer to light your back, just smile boys that’s the style
What’s the use of worrying — it never was worthwhile, so
Pack your troubles in your old kit bag and smile boys smile.

"Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag" performed by The Male Choir of Oudenaardeone

More than 3,000 mourners gathered this week at the funeral of Stationmaster Tama. She's a cat, and now a Shinto deity, that for more than a decade has been the symbol of one railroad company in Japan.

This calico cat stationmaster was loved all over Japan

In response to Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump's statements hammering Mexican immigrants, the popular band Los Tigres del Norte is getting into the fray. 

Giants of Mexican music take on Trump

This week the world's best big wave surfers took to their boards in Navere, Portugal. Professional big wave surfer, Sebastian Steudtner rode a wave more than 60 feet high.

Catch a wave and you're sitting on top of the world — literally

In the wake of the Paris Attack French President François Hollande was quick to denounce the alleged attackers, 'Daesh.' Many people call this same jihadist group ISIS. Alternatively they've been called ISIL and even the Islamic State.  But many in the Arab speaking world and increasingly Western leaders have taken to calling the group 'Daesh.'  In this mini-episode of the podcast we explore the meaning of the term 'Daesh.' How do you pronounce it? Who coined it? And why does the group previously referred to as ISIS or ISIL dislike it so much?

383: ISIS, ISIL or Daesh?

After the Taliban fell from power in Afghanistan in the winter of 2001, the hunt for Osama bin Laden began in earnest. One American in particular led the search. He was CIA commander, Gary Berntsen, who had been tracking the al-Qaeda leader for years. In December 2001 he ordered a small group of special forces soldiers and Afghan fighters into the White Mountains close to Pakistan in the hope of cornering bin Laden in the caves of Tora Bora.

Remembering the battle of Tora Bora in 2001

In Iraq, US assistance to Kurdish forces goes beyond advisors and trainers. The Obama administration says the US provides support in the fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq by sending advisors and trainers. It has made it clear that there won’t be "boots on the ground." But as Mike Giglio of BuzzFeed has reported, Americans are involved in operations on the frontline in Iraq.

The US against ISIS

President Donald Trump took to Twitter recently to call San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, “nasty.” Her response? “I don’t give a sh-t.”

Go on the road with Puerto Rico’s rising political star: San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz

Host Marco Werman gets this special edition of The World started with a brief explanation of why our newsroom decided to focus on global gun culture. In short, we want to hear how the rest of the globe thinks about guns, and how the experiences of other nations can help us when it comes to responding to gun violence.

Why we're focusing on gun violence

Pakistani authorities have ordered aid agency Save the Children's foreign staff out of the country. 

Pakistan Orders Save the Children's Foreign Workers Out of the Country

Ben Howard covers John Martyn's 'Couldn't Love You More"

After my story on Monday about how legendary Brooklyn pizzeria Totonno's is trying to rebuild and come back after super-storm Sandy, a lot of people said how charmed they were by the grand-daughter of the late Anthony "Totonno" Pero, Antoinette Balzano.  So here is an extended mix of the time I spent with Balzano, going around Coney Island, starting in front of Totonno's, going to the boardwalk, and returning back to the restaurant. We began by speaking about her grandfather.

Touring Coney Island with Antoinette Balzano of Totonno's Pizzeria

Ramon Cordero performs a new song of his, called "Flor Encantadora," in the dressing room after the October 24 show. 	

Ramon Cordero performs "Flor Encantadora" in dressing room

Finland has a new prime minister: 34-year-old Sanna Marin, who will lead a center-left coalition with four other parties also led by women. The World’s host Marco Werman speaks with Johanna Kantola, a professor of gender studies at Tampere University.

Women now run politics in Finland

This song "Maliko" is making its world premiere on PRI's The World's Soundcloud account. It was written, performed and recorded in the capital Bamako by some of Mali's best known musicians. "Maliko" is their plea for peace in Mali, and for the emancipation of women there. It features Fatoumata Diawara, Habib Koite, Djelimady Tounkara, Toumani Diabate, Oumou Sangare, and many others. If you like what you hear and the mission of these artists, feel free to share.

Fatoumata Diawara's Maliko

From Afghanistan to the Philippines, Scotland to Serbia, Colombia to Pakistan, Zimbabwe to Malawi, and more, environmentalists around the world are connecting online to celebrate Earth Day. 

All around the world, Earth Day celebrations go virtual

[<a href="https://soundcloud.com/theworld/sets/embedded-journalism-in-iraq">This is part of a panel discussion on embedded journalism in Iraq and Afghanistan</a>] 

This is part of a panel discussion on embedded journalism in Iraq and Afghanistan</a>] "(During the 2003 lead up to the Iraq invasion) we were going to bring all of the journalists that were going to go with us, and read them into the entire plan, weeks prior to the invasion.  And the reason this is done is, number one, they're going to be right beside us and deserve to know; and two, it was an extension of trust that says "We are going to let you in, and let you see everything that we're getting ready to do.  And we trust that you're not going to compromise the mission." - US Army Col. Richard "Ross" Coffman

Sebastian Junger, Bob Woodruff, Rita Leistner and Col. Ross Coffman talk with The World's Aaron Schachter on March 15, 2013

How reporters got to the war zone

A few public schools in Gaza are offering classes in Hebrew to ensure that younger Palestinians can learn "the language of our enemy." For more: http://www.theworld.org/language

Word in Words Podcast: Hamas Puts Hebrew in the Curriculum

Reporter Anders Kelto of PRI's The World talks about his radio and multimedia series, "School Year." Kelto is spending a year documenting the lives of students at a public high school in Cape Town, South Africa. The Centre of Science and Technology is a magnet school that serves families in the low-income township of Khayelitsha. &#13;
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Visit http://www.pri.org/school-year for more.

School Year

Reporter Phillip Martin has been investigating human trafficking in various parts of the world and in Vietnam he found a glimmer of hope, as a young woman who was kidnapped and sold to a brothel in China, returns to her family.

Duped, Sold into Prostitution, then Rescued: A Vietnamese Girl and the Man Who Saved Her

When the US economy took a nosedive five years ago, Brazil's economy hardly skipped a beat.  With this economic shift in fortunes, migration patterns between the two countries have shifted as well.  But as The World's Jason Margolis found out, not very cleanly. More at <a href="http://www.theworld.org/2013/05/the-revolving-door-of-ex-pat-brazilians/"> The World </a>.

The Revolving Door of Ex-Pat Brazilians

Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is. The World is heard on over 300 stations across North America.

Popular tracks by The World