US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is in Beijing on Monday for talks with her Chinese counterpart. The meeting comes as China continues to struggle with deflation and slowing growth. And, on Saturday, incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared the winner of Zimbabwe's presidential election. Electoral observers and opposition leaders say the election had serious issues. Also, the Syrian government thought it had crushed the popular uprisings that began in 2011. But in the past week, two major cities in government-held areas in the south have seen mass demonstrations against the government. Plus, Crimean singer Jamala heads to US for her first major stateside tour.

Greece's wildfires continue to burn. In some cases, asylum-seekers are living in the forests for fear of being deported to Turkey and reversing any potential asylum claims. And, in Russia, Vladimir Putin has consolidated power and taken control of the entire political system. Yet, even as Russia continues to plunge deeper into authoritarianism, the country still hosts elections. Also, a year ago, nearly a third of Pakistan experienced catastrophic flooding that caused massive infrastructural damage. More than 1,500 people lost their lives. We hear how the rehabilitation process has progressed a year later. Plus, this silly hip-hop group challenges politics in Ecuador.

One day after a jet dropped out of the sky north of Moscow, reportedly killing Wagner mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his top commanders, rival private militias are jockeying to fill the vacuum. And, researchers from the British Antarctic Survey say it's likely no emperor penguin chicks survived in 4 out of 5 colonies in one Antarctica region. Loss of sea ice is to blame. Also, the number of children living with only one parent — usually the mother — is growing worldwide, according to the UN. In Latin America, a combination of patriarchal culture and weak laws allow for many fathers to skip out on their financial obligations and get away with it. Plus, a race across Europe using public transit ends in a sprint.

Yevegeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary army, is reported dead in a plane crash near the city of Tver, just north of Moscow. Earlier this summer, Prigozhin led an armed mutiny in an attempt to oust the military leadership within Russia’s Ministry of Defense. And, makeshift chairlifts that bring kids to school in remote, mountainous regions of Pakistan are a local solution to a common problem: the scarcity of roads and buses. Also, belching and farting from cows is responsible for a worrying amount of greenhouse gas emissions every year. Ireland is facing up to the fact that having so many cows may be detrimental to the country's climate goals. Plus, a controversy over Adolf Hitler's house. 

The Panama Canal uses a series of locks to raise the water level and carry ships across from one ocean to the other. But that requires lots of freshwater — and it's running low in Panama. And, On Wednesday, Zimbabweans will take to the polls to vote for their next president. Observers are saying this election is marred by violence and intimidation against the opposition and its supporters. Also, right now, in South Africa, the BRICS summit is in full swing. BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India China, South Africa, an economic bloc of countries billed as five major emerging economies collectively representing 40% of the world’s population. Plus, remembering Isabel Crook, an anthropologist who joined Mao Zedong’s rural revolution.

Eradicating the swirling gyre of plastic trash in the Pacific Ocean has been the longtime goal of Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit group. On Monday, in Victoria, British Colombia, the group took a big step forward, hauling 120,000 pounds of plastic out of the ocean using retrofitted fishing trawlers and specialized nets. And, Bernardo Arévalo upset Guatemala’s political establishment by clenching his country’s presidency this past weekend. But he faces a tough task ahead. Also, in Ecuador, a peaceful snap presidential election took place over the weekend amid an unprecedented security crisis that has left three politicians assassinated in less than a month. Plus, an artist's fake green card project inspires conversations about US citizenship.

Ecuadorians will take part in a snap election this weekend in a tense political atmosphere. The country is grappling with a recent wave of unprecedented violence that has seen three politicians assassinated in less than a month. And, a former Afghan diplomat, Abduljamil Bais, is resettling with his family in Canada. This follows a harrowing journey for Bais, his wife and three kids through South and Central America. Also, in Myanmar, rappers are considered the artistic arm of a revolution to bring down the ruling military through armed rebellion. "Rap Against Junta" is a collective of lyricists who work under pseudonyms and change locations frequently to avoid getting caught. Plus, a Cuban pianist longs for home.

The entire population of Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, was ordered to evacuate due to wildfire danger this week. A climate engineer says he's astonished by the speed of the fires approaching the city. Also, fighting that began in April between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has created a humanitarian crisis, forcing 4 million people from their homes. And, Ukrainian officials have expressed frustration with the treatment of Ukrainians in Israel. Now, Kyiv is reportedly considering canceling visa-free travel for Israelis. Plus, a look at popular ice cream flavors from 18th century Britain, including “brown bread,” and how it's been resurrected for visitors to try at 13 historical sites across England.

Two years after the 2021 Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, independent journalism there has been all but completely snuffed out. Some news outlets continue to report on Afghanistan, but from outside the country. We hear from one Afghan newspaper editor, now working out of Washington, DC. Plus, the South Korean thriller "Parasite" was the first non-English language film to win best picture in 2020. But there's another film from South Korea that's been on the radar of international movie buffs for two decades. Now, "Oldboy" is getting a remake. And in Colombia's capital city Bogota, a guerrilla campaign of vigilantes armed with spray paint cans are calling attention to crumbling urban infrastructure.

Tuesday marks the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of the Afghan capital, Kabul. Since then, the group has transformed the country into a place where women have very few rights and many are struggling to make ends meet. And, in Ethiopia, an airstrike on a crowded town square in Amhara killed at least 26 people on Sunday. Amhara is a regional state where local militiamen and government forces have clashed recently over efforts to disband the militias. Also, a judge in Montana sided with young people who argued that the state had violated their right to a “healthful environment” by promoting fossil fuel use. We hear how climate change litigation is gaining momentum globally. Plus, this scholar examines Shakespeare through a racial equity lens.