Veteran US diplomat and hostage negotiator Bill Richardson traveled to Myanmar this week, raising hopes for the release of American journalist Danny Fenster, who's been detained by the military junta for five months. And thousands of Afghans are still trying to flee Afghanistan or are somewhere en route to a new home. The US and Canada have historically been the world's two leading countries for refugee resettlement, but they've struggled to meet the needs of this group. Also, in Russia, the number of daily COVID-19 cases and deaths have increased across the country, with new record highs in both categories. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a nationwide nonworking period to curb the spread of the virus.

Help The World unlock a matching gift of $67,000 by donating to our fall drive before Nov. 30! It takes a village to run The World, and that includes listeners like you who provide critical financial support to our nonprofit newsroom. With your support, we can continue to bring you powerful human stories from diverse perspectives you won’t hear anywhere else. Give today.