The World

Contagion is a medical term, but it applies to the banking world, too. Investors are worried that the problems at a handful of American banks could ripple across the world economy and that unexpected surprises may be lurking. And, Ecuador finds a novel way to convert seized cocaine into cement. Also, the outgoing head of the UN’s World Food Program, David Beasley, has long argued that growing global food insecurity should be addressed with structural solutions — not handouts. Beasley talks about how the world can adapt to the new, worrisome challenges hunger poses. Plus, the latest sounds from the innovator of the Hindustani slide guitar, Debashish Bhattacharya.

Monday marks 20 years since the start of “Operation Iraqi Freedom," the US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled the president, Saddam Hussein, and aimed to spread democracy in the country. We hear from those who lived through these turbulent and violent years. And, gay sex is already illegal in Uganda, punishable by life in prison. But a new bill making its way through the legislature would make it illegal to even identify as gay or transgender. Also, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest climate report shows that humanity is on "thin ice," with the window closing on the chance to meet ambitious global warming targets. Plus, two Icelandic artists quietly leave their mark on South by Southwest.

The International Criminal Court said Friday that it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. It was the first time the global court has issued a warrant against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. And, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said his government will approve the Finnish bid to join NATO. Also, we catch up with a woman who was 38-weeks pregnant when Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Plus, this Ethiopian artist's work is feature on bus shelters in the US and Ivory Coast.

Poland says it will send at least four Soviet-designed MiG fighter planes to Ukraine to aid in its war effort against Russian forces. Western nations previously avoided sending jets to avoid an escalation in the conflict. And, the International Atomic Energy Association is reporting missing nuclear material in Libya. There is major concern about who possesses 2.5 tons of natural uranium left over from the era of the former Libyan strongman, Muammar Gaddafi. Also, this week, officials in El Salvador sent 2,000 more suspected criminals to a massive new prison built to hold gang members. Many of the suspects have not been tried. Plus, the "City of Lights" is turning into a "City of Trash."

The crash landing of an American reconnaissance drone struck by a Russian warplane and downed over the Black Sea is further rattling US-Russia relations. It’s unclear whether the incident was an error or a deliberate action. And, US law enforcement is taking some new steps against espionage and intellectual property theft on university campuses. But these measures are putting some researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge on edge. Also, years of war interrupted and undermined Iraq’s music scene. Now, relative stability has created a space for its revival. Plus, saving the Maori language through music.

Cyclone Freddy is already the longest-lived tropical cyclone ever recorded. Now, it's returned to Mozambique for a second time in the past few weeks, bringing powerful winds and torrential rains. And, about half of the world’s population lives in areas at risk of dengue, a mosquito-borne tropical disease. Scientists have warned that climate change is likely hastening the spread of the mosquito species that carries the virus, to areas that, until recently, were free of the disease. Also, Ukrainians have found a way to keep living their lives during wartime — including the search for love. We hear from people who are dating, moving in together, or getting married in Kyiv. Plus, this new book is an ode to a war-shattered Baghdad, Iraq.

Israel is taking another look at its security strategy following the restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Israel had seen Saudi Arabia's anti-Iran stance as a bulwark in its security strategy. And, Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi was thrown into the global spotlight in 2008 after hurling his shoes at then-President George W. Bush. Two decades after the US-led invasion of Iraq, we ask Zaidi about his views on the country today. Also, for months now, the fighting in and around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has been relentless and deadly. On Sunday, Ukraine's president said the Ukrainian military managed to kill 1,100 enemy soldiers near Bakhmut. Plus, "Naatu Naatu," an award-winning Indian Telugu-language song.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Paris on Friday with the aim to reset relations. The UK's new controversial immigration bill dominated the meeting, as it would ban all migrants arriving in Britain on small boats from the shores of France. And, Xi Jinping has secured a third term as general-secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. The position wields unmatched power for deciding the direction that China will take in the future. Also, Saudi Arabia and Iran committed to restoring diplomatic relations on Friday in a deal brokered by China. It represents a huge breakthrough between the Middle East's biggest powers since they broke off relations in 2016. Plus, Czechs and Brits crash the baseball party.

Lawmakers in Georgia say they’re now scrapping plans to introduce a measure that would have required media organizations and NGOs getting more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence.” And, amid Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine, many of the country's top athletes returned back to their rigorous training routines. This fencer and wrestler are both focused on gold at next summer's Olympics in Paris. Also, the self-described global artist Yun-Fei Ji grew up during China's chaotic Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and '70s. He landed in New York City in the 1990s, where he expanded his art practice by living in two worlds. Plus, remembering Chaim Topol, who played Tevye in the acclaimed "Fiddler on the Roof."

Thousands of protesters in Tbilisi, Georgia, are speaking out against a bill that would require organizations receiving more than 20% of funding from international sources to register as "foreign agents." Many fear this legislation would push Georgia further from Western allies, and muck up aspirations to EU membership. And, last week, two Americans were killed in the Mexican city of Matamoros following their kidnapping. They were part of a group of four travelers who crossed the border seeking medical tourism. Also, the cause of the explosions that hit the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last September has been widely debated. Now, officials are reacting to media reports that a pro-Ukraine group was behind them. Plus, a new memoir uncovers Ukraine's troubled past.