The World

American voters are about to choose their next president, but whoever takes office will influence matters far beyond US borders. On the eve of the presidential election, we'll get to the heart of what's at stake in the Middle East, Latin America, Asia and Africa. Also, the world lost one of the biggest names in music on Sunday. Quincy Jones passed away at the age of 91. He leaves behind a legacy that spans decades and genres. And, New York City just made jaywalking legal, after data showed that people of color were overwhelmingly the ones being stopped for the crime. But why was it a crime in the first place? Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. We aim to raise $67,000 by Dec. 31 to power our newsroom. Will you help us reach this goal? Donate today to keep The World going strong! And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

The number of aid trucks entering Gaza has hit an all-time low since the current war began there. The shortages are prompting new dire warnings from aid organizations. Also, a referendum in Moldova intended to put an end to decades of swerving between East and West yields a microscopic win for the pro-Western crowd. And, Italy considers reversing its ban on nuclear power plants. Plus, National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek takes us through the Gangnam entertainment district in South Korea. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. We aim to raise $67,000 by Dec. 31 to power our newsroom. Will you help us reach this goal? Donate today to keep The World going strong! And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

As the death toll rises and the damage to homes and infrastructure becomes clear, authorities are saying that the record floods in Spain could be the worst flooding disaster in Spain’s modern history. Also, two former cops in Brazil went to trial yesterday for the 2018 assassination of Marielle Franco, a politician-turned-civil rights icon. And, for the first time in 15 years, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost its absolute majority in Japan's lower house of parliament following last weekend’s snap elections. Plus, a talk with author and Russia scholar Mark Galeotti, whose new book chronicles Russia's vivid military history. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. We aim to raise $67,000 by Dec. 31 to power our newsroom. Will you help us reach this goal? Donate today to keep The World going strong! And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

Flash floods in eastern Spain have claimed the lives of at least 95 people. Also, the island of Bougainville is seeking independence from Papua New Guinea — and an alliance with the United States. And, IKEA's German branch announced Tuesday that it will contribute $6.5 million to support victims of the former communist East German regime that the company forced to do labor. Plus, a look at how Japan is supporting its hometown hero, star LA Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. We aim to raise $67,000 by Dec. 31 to power our newsroom. Will you help us reach this goal? Donate today to keep The World going strong! And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

European auto giant Volkswagen has plans that may include closing some of its manufacturing plants in Germany, which could lead to tens of thousands of layoffs. Also, opposing political parties in Taiwan wrangle over constitutional issues at a time when the island faces a threat like never before from neighboring China. And, Hezbollah has appointed Naim Qassem as its new leader, with Israel already announcing its intent to assassinate him. Plus, an archaeology PhD student accidentally discovers what may be one of the most important cities from the Classic period of Mayan civilization. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. We aim to raise $67,000 by Dec. 31 to power our newsroom. Will you help us reach this goal? Donate today to keep The World going strong! And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

Georgians went to the polls over the weekend to cast their ballots in parliamentary elections, which resulted in a contested vote. Also, satellite images document the damage caused by Israeli airstrikes on Iran over the weekend. And, Pakistan launches a massive campaign to vaccinate 45 million children following a resurgence of polio cases in recent weeks there. Plus, a look at Jamaican apple pickers in a town in New York State that is part of the Champlain Valley. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. We aim to raise $67,000 by Dec. 31 to power our newsroom. Will you help us reach this goal? Donate today to keep The World going strong! And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

An Israeli military strike on a media residence in Lebanon killed three journalists as they slept, and wounded several others. The Lebanese Information Minister called the strike “an assassination." Also, Major League Baseball draws star athletes from across the globe, with a whopping 28% of the players in the league this season born outside the country. As the Dodgers and the Yankees head to the World Series, there are a few international players — including a current superstar — who will be stepping up to bat. And, as Halloween approaches, we hear about the discovery of a previously unknown short story by the author of "Dracula." An amateur historian stumbled on the spooky tale, which had disappeared from public record for more than a century, in the archives of a Dublin library. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

People in the former Soviet republic of Georgia overwhelmingly seek membership in the European Union. But the EU has put those hopes on ice, accusing the government in Georgia of rolling back democratic freedoms. This weekend, Georgian voters head to the polls in a crucial election for the country, caught between pressures from Russia and Europe. Also, younger workers in Portugal are leaving the country in droves, with rising rents and falling wages pushing them out. The government introduced new tax breaks to try to reverse the trend. But it might be too little, too late, to halt brain drain in Portugal. And, a deadly attack took place on Wednesday in Turkey's capital at the headquarters of a Turkish aerospace and defense company. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

More than a year after the attack of Oct. 7, the Israeli military is still operating in the Gaza Strip. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel again this week, urging the Israeli government to find a way to end the war and bring the remaining hostages home. But it's not clear at this point what Israel's leaders are hoping to achieve. Also, Mexico's new president wants to address the problem of childhood obesity. She's going after junk food. And, the birth rate in Japan has fallen dramatically. The government is deeply concerned about what that means for the country's future, and its economy. But the government's incentives to Japanese families, aimed at encouraging them to have kids, don't seem to be working. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

Russian President Vladimir Putin's government is being squeezed by international sanctions, and he himself faces an arrest warrant for war crimes. But that isn't stopping Putin from hosting a summit this week. Among those invited to the BRICS gathering in Russia are the leaders of China, India and Turkey. Also, the United Nations is calling for an investigation into reports about the killing of dozens of Afghan migrants near Afghanistan's border with Iran. The Iranian ambassador to Afghanistan denied that the killings took place. And, years of war in Ukraine are weighing heavily on the minds of the country's youngest people. Children's books are helping some of them process what they're going through, or just offer a temporary escape. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

Whoever wins the November election will be inheriting an enormous foreign policy challenge in the Middle East. The most important US ally in the region — Israel — is fighting a multifront war with no end in sight. So, how would Kamala Harris and Donald Trump differ in the ways that they approach the region? Today, we speak with two foreign policy advisers on the Middle East, including one who's worked with Trump and the other with Harris. Also, Cuba just suffered its second blackout in less than 24 hours. There are numerous reasons for the crisis, but an aging power grid has been a problem for years. And, Jonquel Jones won the MVP for helping the New York Liberty capture its first-ever WNBA finals Sunday night in overtime. People in the Bahamas are celebrating, too. Jones left her home country as a teenager to pursue her basketball dreams in the US. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

Bangladesh has issued an arrest warrant for the country's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Also, a bespoke press is now focusing solely on Asian American literature to counter discrimination among that demographic. And, the FBI has announced charges against Ryan James Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder for Team Canada, for allegedly running a drug trafficking ring and being involved in the murders of four people. Plus, a walk along the demilitarized zone that divides the Korean Peninsula. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

The Israeli military says it has killed Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. Also, the governor of La Rioja province in Argentina has put an alternate currency called "chachos" into circulation. And, Italy passes the most restrictive law against international surrogacy in the West. Plus, the US now has a new Arctic ambassador. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has outlined a five-point "victory plan" to his nation’s parliament. Also, Turkish authorities have revoked the license of independent radio station Açık Radyo — or Open Radio — taking it off the air today. And, the Dominican Republic has deported more than 10,000 Haitians in the last week, the first of many planned weekly deportations. Plus, a UK-based group is rewilding a herd of long-horned animals resembling cattle into the Scottish Highlands to fill the ecological role once played by an extinct wild ancestor of today's grazing livestock. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

Israel’s attack on a hospital complex in central Gaza, which led to a massive fire that killed at least four people and injured many more, has renewed calls for Israel to uphold international humanitarian law. Also, Canada has expelled India’s top diplomat in the country along with five others, with India responding in kind and expelling six Canadian diplomats. And, the first people to be intercepted at sea by the Italian navy under a controversial migration deal are on their way to Albania to have their asylum claims processed. Plus, 11 months after the National Zoo in Washington sent three pandas back to China, a new pair of bears has arrived. They’ll make their public debut in January. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. And, we’re looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

The United States has the highest number of international students in the world. Last year, the number of students who came to America were almost back to prepandemic levels at over 1 million. Many come in the hope of staying and living the American dream. But that's not so easy. On the flip side, some American students seek to expand their horizons by studying abroad. We hear about how going to school overseas can support working abroad. And, one US student shares his love for Japan and his desire to stay there in the long term. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air.

This year's Nobel Peace Prize has been announced: the honor goes to Nihon Hidankyo, a group of survivors of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They united in 1956 to speak out about the suffering caused by nuclear warfare. We'll hear some of their stories. Also, a Ukrainian missile strike in Russian controlled territory last week killed several North Korean military officers, according to officials in Ukraine and South Korea. The Kremlin calls those reports "fake news." But we'll hear why experts who have been closely following Ukraine since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion think it's plausible. And, Friday is the International Day of the Girl, so designated by the UN to address the particular challenges many girls face worldwide. We hear the story of a South Asian film called "Maya: Birth of a Superhero," bringing viewers into a virtual reality designed to alleviate the shame and isolation that accompany menstruation in some cultures. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air. And, we're looking for feedback on our website. Take our quick survey!

Iranians have been on edge, waiting for retaliation ever since Tehran attacked Israel with waves of ballistic missiles. Officials in Israel have hinted they might target Iran's gas or oil infrastructure. Or they might go even further. We'll hear how Iranians are viewing the standoff. Also, Argentina's president, Javier Milei, garnered votes by promising to fix his country's economy. But since he took office in December, the poverty rate has increased. He says it's just a rough patch; critics aren't so sure. And, hear about the musical collaboration behind a new Afrobeat album called "Lagos Paris London." Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air.

As Hurricane Milton nears Florida's west coast, the State Assistance Information Line has opened 24/7 phone lines in English, Spanish, and Haitian-Creole. Today on The World, how language and storm preparedness intersect for immigrant communities. Also, Turkey has blocked the instant messaging platform Discord. This comes amid public outrage over Discord users responding to the recent murder of two women in Istanbul by cheering on the violence. We'll get a better understanding of how Discord works, how people use it, and what's motivating Turkey's objections to it. And, have you ever wondered how an elephant's trunk works, and what that wrinkly pachyderm skin might have to do with it? Wonder no more. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air.

Israel is expanding its ground incursion into southern Lebanon and Israeli air strikes continue to target Beirut's southern suburbs. About a million Lebanese have been displaced in recent weeks and many in Lebanon are feeling abandoned by the international community. Also, British Canadian scientist Geoffrey Hinton has been called "the godfather of artificial intelligence" because his research laid the groundwork for advancements in AI. But that doesn't mean he's a proponent. In fact, he's known for speaking out about the dangers of the technologies he helped invent. We'll hear his reaction to Tuesday's announcement that he's won the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics. And, Tunisian President Kais Saied has claimed a second term in a landslide election that critics say was rigged, with his closest challenger getting only 7% of the vote. We'll get analysis on the state of Tunisian democracy, given that this largely predicted scenario has come to fruition. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air.