The World

As millions around the globe prepare to gather for the holiday season, omicron is taking hold in more and more countries. It’s now the dominant COVID-19 strain in the United States, Denmark, Portugal and the United Kingdom.  And as snow falls in Kabul, Afghanistan, humanitarian workers are bracing for a difficult winter. We hear about a domestic abuse shelter for girls and women that is struggling to remain open. And omicron has interfered with Christmas plans in the Holy Land. Israeli authorities have banned most foreigners from visiting the country. 

There is still time to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. Your gift ensures that all our coverage on the air, on the web, and via the podcast remains free and accessible to everyone. With a donation of $130 (or $11/month), host Marco Werman will personally thank you on the podcast! Learn more and make your gift today.

Shab-e Yalda is the Iranian celebration of the winter solstice when families gather to eat, dance, sing and recite poetry. It's all about honoring the slow return of daylight as the shortest day of the year comes to an end. Like any good celebration, food plays a vital role. And one of the ways Russia exerts its power across continents is through mercenaries known as the Wagner Group, which has strong ties with the Russian military. Last week, the European Union sanctioned the organization, accusing it of “serious human rights abuses.” Plus, in a forest outside of Norway, 1,000 spruce trees planted in 2014 are quietly growing — for a “future library.”

There is still time to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. Your gift ensures that all our coverage on the air, on the web, and via the podcast remains free and accessible to everyone. With a donation of $130 (or $11/month), host Marco Werman will personally thank you on the podcast! Learn more and make your gift today.

Omicron is driving the surge in new infections of the coronavirus around the world. Public health colleagues across the globe have been calling for a robust "vaccine-plus" strategy to meet the current moment. And Sudan’s pro-democracy revolution has taken a heavy toll on civil society. Activists say more than 200 people have been killed by security forces in recent years and that this is the reason why anti-military protests will continue. Plus, a security camera has captured the moment when a real deer attacked a fake Rudolph featured in a holiday scene on a couple’s lawn in Fort Nelson, in northern British Columbia. 

There is still time to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. Your gift ensures that all our coverage on the air, on the web, and via the podcast remains free and accessible to everyone. With a donation of $130 (or $11/month), host Marco Werman will personally thank you on the podcast! Learn more and make your gift today.

Hong Kong will hold its first election under a new system imposed by Beijing — one in which every candidate must be a so-called “patriot,” meaning they must show pride in mainland China. Hong Kong politicians who question Beijing can’t run, and some have been locked up. And US President Joe Biden recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, hoping to deescalate tensions between the two countries, but Russian troops have not retreated from the border with Ukraine. In fact, the military buildup continues. Plus, “Sounds of Disappearance,” a soundtrack of Australia’s threatened birds, aims to raise awareness about biodiversity loss. This week, the soundtrack leaped to third in the country’s music charts — outcompeting ABBA, Justin Bieber, and Christmas music.

There is still time to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. Your gift ensures that all our coverage on the air, on the web, and via the podcast remains free and accessible to everyone. With a donation of $130 (or $11/month), host Marco Werman will personally thank you on the podcast! Learn more and make your gift today.

Haitian police say kidnappers have released all the remaining missionaries they held from an Ohio-based missionary group Christian Aid Ministries. The notorious Haitian gang 400 Mawozo had seized 17 members of the group exactly two months ago. And Amazon has officially launched its smart speaker, Alexa, in Arabic. The service is now available in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. But creating smart speakers that can understand Arabic has its own set of challenges. Plus, how are international students dealing with COVID-19 shutdowns at US universities? New York University, which has the largest population of international students in the country, just canceled almost all in-person gatherings and events and have mandated booster shots for all students.

There is still time to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. Your gift ensures that all our coverage on the air, on the web, and via the podcast remains free and accessible to everyone. With a donation of $130 (or $11/month), host Marco Werman will personally thank you on the podcast! Learn more and make your gift today.

Police in Germany foiled an assassination plot against the state of Saxony's political leader. The group behind the plot was reportedly angry about the country's COVID-19 response and vaccine rollout. And in Sudan, anti-military demonstrations continue nationwide after the military coup in October. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was reinstated but now he must create a new government after a wave of official government resignations. Plus, the Swedish city of Gävle has put up its annual Christmas goat, a 100-foot-tall straw structure that’s regularly burned down despite the town’s attempts to secure it with webcams and guards.

There is still time to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. Your gift ensures that all our coverage on the air, on the web, and via the podcast remains free and accessible to everyone. With a donation of $130 (or $11/month), host Marco Werman will personally thank you on the podcast! Learn more andmake your gift today.

Rates of transmission of omicron continue to rise a day after the United Kingdom announced its first death from this latest variant of COVID-19. We hear from a leading epidemiologist about what we've learned since omicron was first announced. Also, leaders in Iran want people to have more children. To reach this goal, they have passed new legislation that limits access to contraceptives and abortions. Plus, Yemen's junior national soccer team scored a victory in the West Asia Cup over Saudi Arabia. Although Yemenis remain divided over the Saudi role in their country's ongoing war, they were united in celebration over their team's win.

There is still time to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. Your gift ensures that all our coverage on the air, on the web, and via the podcast remains free and accessible to everyone. With a donation of $130 (or $11/month), host Marco Werman will personally thank you on the podcast! Learn more and make your gift today.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK's first reported death from the omicron variant of the coronavirus and said restrictions were in place to help mitigate an upcoming tidal wave of cases. Now, Brits are lining up for booster shots and bracing for new restrictions during the holiday season. Also, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has taken a hard line against his political opponents. That's led members of the Belarus Free Theater to conclude that they need to leave the country. Plus, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken dropped a playlist on Spotify for his Southeast Asia trip to Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar. It includes a rock ballad called “Terlalu Manis,” or “Too Sweet,” by Slank, one of the most popular Indonesian rock bands ever.

There is still time to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. Your gift ensures that all our coverage on the air, on the web, and via the podcast remains free and accessible to everyone. With a donation of $130 (or $11/month), host Marco Werman will personally thank you on the podcast! Learn more and make your gift today.

New Zealand's new smoking ban — for those who are 14 and under — is a step toward eventually ending all cigarette sales in the country. It impacts the nation's Maori and Pacific Island communities, in particular. Also, the tragic death of more than 50 migrants in a trailer-truck crash in southern Mexico highlights the dangers faced by migrants globally. And, we remember the Japanese video game pioneer who created Nintendo.

There is still time to support The World before our fundraising drive ends on Dec. 31. Your gift ensures that all our coverage on the air, on the web, and via the podcast remains free and accessible to everyone. With a donation of $130 (or $11/month), host Marco Werman will personally thank you on the podcast! Learn more and make your gift today.

To understand the new omicron variant, travel restrictions and how people can better prepare for the upcoming festive season, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Stephen Kissler — who is a research fellow in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health — as part of The World's regular series of conversations about the pandemic.