The World

Syria’s de-facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa was declared the country’s transitional president on Wednesday. The former rebel leader addressed Syrians directly yesterday and called for justice and elections following a transitional period. Also, 10 days into President Donald Trump’s administration, the US southern border remains closed to asylum-seekers, and many are now considering ditching the American Dream to settle in Mexico instead. And, seven candidates are vying for a chance to be the next president of the International Olympic Committee. Plus, a three-tiered popcorn tax in India.

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Argentina’s president reverses a law that established femicide as a crime. Also, a new report shows that the majority of young people in the UK would prefer to live in a dictatorship, and many of them also want the army to be in charge. And, the Israeli government has banned the UN's Palestinian aid agency, UNRWA, from operating in Israel land in East Jerusalem. Plus, Spanish guitarist Antonio Rey’s latest flamenco album is up for a Grammy Award in the Best Global Music Album category.

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A deadly stampede interrupts celebrations at a Hindu festival in northern India, leaving dozens of people dead. Kumbh Mela is the world’s largest religious gathering, where upwards of 400 million pilgrims gather at the confluence of two rivers for sacred rituals. Also, US-funded assistance programs across the globe are reeling after the Trump administration freezes most foreign aid. And, scientists discover a wealth of deep sea animal life surrounding a volcano beneath an ocean in the Arctic. Plus, Vietnam rings in its Lunar New Year celebrations with a song by ABBA.

Mexico has started constructing giant tent shelters in border towns where people deported by the US can get food, temporary housing, medical care and free bus rides back to their hometowns. The program is called  "Mexico embraces you" — and although it's intended for Mexican deportees, the country's President Claudia Sheinbaum says her government will consider sheltering migrants from other nations, too. Also, Serbia's prime minister says he'll step down following weeks of protests against government corruption. And, a decade after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission stopped investigating crimes against humanity committed under apartheid, some South African families are suing the government for not taking up their cases as promised.

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Royalty, heads of state and dignitaries from more than 50 countries gathered in southern Poland today to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Also, a solid gold helmet on loan from Romania was stolen in a dramatic museum heist in the Netherlands. And, the US has frozen nearly all foreign aid while the Trump administration reviews where the aid should go. Plus, Rema's is hoping to take home his first Grammy after his second studio album "Heis" topped the charts in his home country of Nigeria.

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In the days since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, people in Gaza have begun returning to the neighborhoods they'd fled — only to find total devastation. Also, how Canada is preparing for US tariffs, from the highest levels of government to the individual Canadian household. And, the latest on an oil spill in Russia, that's been called the worst environmental catastrophe of the 21st century.

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Syria's economy under the previous government was tightly managed by former President Bashar al-Assad, his family and close associates. But now, Syria's new government is looking to introduce economic reform to further liberalize Syria's economy, which remains heavily sanctioned by the US and Europe. Also, in most cities, transit systems are government-run. But in Japan, that’s not the case. The network of trains, subways and buses considered among the best on earth is run by private companies. We take a peek at how it works. And, around the globe, thousands of refugees are stranded since President Donald Trump paused the US resettlement program in a series of executive orders; a look at how that pipeline works, and how it's been disrupted.

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On the campaign trail, US President Donald Trump promised to end wars, worldwide, starting in Ukraine. As his administration's Cabinet takes shape, we'll look at his appointees' records to get a deeper understanding of the Trump administration's approach to that conflict. Also, three new laws passed by Iraq’s parliament could effectively legalize child marriage, according to critics. And, what the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change will mean for the globe going forward.

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Israel's military is conducting raids in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. Israel is seeking to flush out armed Palestinian factions in the area. This comes as some 90 Palestinians prisoners were released from Israeli prisons following a ceasefire deal in Gaza with Hamas. Also, Denmark has announced plans to rethink a parenting competency test that has earned heavy criticism for using Danish cultural norms to measure fitness in Greenland's Inuit communities. Human rights groups have long expressed concerns that bias baked into the test can lead to children being unjustly removed from Indigenous families. Also, what it would mean globally, for the US to withdraw from the World Health Organization — and what that process would actually look like. And, the US Customs and Border Protection announced Monday that the CBP One app would no longer be used to admit migrants. We hear from people who'd been relying on the app to get into the US legally.

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President Donald Trump laid out foreign policy promises, goals and predictions during his swearing-in ceremony as he assumes another term in office. Also, the UN says 630 aid trucks have entered Gaza since the start of the ceasefire deal over the weekend between Israel and Hamas. And, the Ankole cattle of western Uganda are now considered an endangered breed as farmers switch to other imports such as Holsteins. Plus, remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s universal message against oppression.

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