Sri Lanka’s new president, 73-year-old Ranil Wickremesinghe, was sworn in today. He has decades of experience in government, but he doesn’t have a lot of support among protesters, who have vowed to oust him. And after 16 months of relative stability in Italian politics, Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi has resigned. Also, butterflies may seem abundant, but North American migratory monarchs have been officially added to the endangered list. Plus, Nigerians in the UK have some fun with heat wave humor.

Lawmakers in Sri Lanka have elected Ranil Wickremesinghe, a former prime minister and veteran politician, as their new president. The choice comes with the risk of restarting unrest in the South Asian nation as it faces economic collapse. And this week, Russia’s TV Rain relaunched operations from its new headquarters in Latvia. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and tightening restrictions on the country's press, the independent Russian-language TV station ended operations in Russia with an on-air walkout by its staff in Moscow. Also, France’s national condiment — Dijon mustard — is in short supply. The beloved mustard has nearly disappeared from French supermarkets, and experts say it has a lot to do with climate change. Plus, we hear about how evangelicals in Brazil and the US are working together on a political mission.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Tehran on Tuesday. The trio is set to discuss the war in Syria and the so-called Astana peace process. And extreme temperatures are stressing infrastructure all over the world, impacting the future of bridges, roads and electrical grids. Also, Peruvian musician Renata Flores first went viral with a YouTube hit when she was 13. Since then, she has become one of the few rap artists spitting rhymes in Quechua, and uses her music to fight discrimination against Indigenous people. Plus, we hear from professor Nina Khrushcheva, the great-granddaughter of Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev, about when and how propaganda works. 

Much of Europe is withering under a brutal, record-breaking heat wave. Wildfires across Spain, Greece and Portugal have forced thousands of people to flee their homes. Also, data shows that the number of public protests around the world has increased over the last decade, with the exception of the time period during the pandemic. And leaders in Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community have insisted that men and women must be separated from one another, even in some public spaces. But some say it's a slippery slope that will lead to increasingly harsh rules that ultimately amount to discrimination against women. Plus, a new study says baby talk is universal.

US President Joe Biden is in Saudi Arabia on Friday to meet with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Biden has said he’d make the kingdom “the pariah that it is.”  But as gas prices skyrocketed, he changed his tune. And the euro may be having its worst week in over 20 years, but that didn't stop the bloc from inviting Croatia to join the eurozone. The Balkan state is set to ditch the Croatian kuna beginning this January. Also, a zoo near Kyiv was under occupation for more than a month at the beginning of the war. Russian forces are now gone but the zoo has lost a dozen animals to stress and trauma. Plus, a Pakistani song called “Pasoori,” all about unrequited love and distance, has struck a chord around the world — but especially in India.

President Joe Biden is in the Middle East this week talking with US allies. Iran is watching the visit with Israel and Saudi Arabia — its regional adversaries — very closely. And Pacific Island regional leaders agreed at a recent forum to consult with each other before signing onto individual security deals. The agreement is seen as a rejection of China's forays into influencing the region, most notably through a secretive security pact with the Solomon Islands. Also, could Colombia soon legalize cocaine? The Legislature may resume conversations about a controversial bill that would make the addictive drug legal. Plus, we hear all about the career and life of Vietnamese superstar Son Tung MTP.

As US President Joe Bident heads to Israel, regional security is a top agenda item. Scheduled meetings with Israeli officials will focus on strengthening the regional relationships that Israel has forged with some of its Muslim neighbors. Biden will visit the occupied Palestinian territories in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. And a Russian hacking group’s attack on Costa Rican government databases this past spring has had a lasting impact. Also, a new climate change study says the US and China are each responsible for more than $1.8 trillion worth of economic loss from 1990 to 2014 due to climate-related disasters. Plus, we hear the story behind a Peruvian parody song that went viral.

Moscow plans to shut off the gas supply to Germany for pipeline repairs. But will it turn the gas back on? We hear about the planned shutdown and what it means for Germany. And four-time gold medalist Mo Farah’s revelation that he was trafficked as a child to London puts the issue of child trafficking back into the spotlight. How do child traffickers operate and what can be done to stop them? Plus, the next time you play the lotto, turn to your dreams for the winning number. People in Naples, Italy, have believed for centuries that dead loved ones send encrypted messages with the winning lottery tickets.

Protesters in Sri Lanka occupied the president's residence in the capital Colombo over the weekend. They also set fire to the prime minister's residence nearby. Both men have said they will now resign after months of protests over the lack of fuel, food, and electricity cuts. And after a chaotic week in British politics, the scramble is now on to fill the seat of prime minister after Boris Johnson was forced to resign. Members of his Conservative Party have laid out the rules for the election of a new leader. Plus, for US vacationers to Europe, the fact that the euro is now nearly the same value as the dollar could be bad news for the US economy, according to economists.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and killed during a campaign speech on Friday in Nara, Japan. We hear reactions from Japan and thoughts on Abe's legacy in the country. Also, tennis player Peng Shuai has made few public appearances since last year when she accused a former high-ranking member of China's Communist Party of sexual assault. Since then, many in the global tennis and human rights communities have feared for her safety. Plus, Danish Klezmer artists Mames Babegenush are back on the road again in North America, and their message is that COVID-19 stopped them in their tracks — but they’re back! And, listen to music from around the globe curated by The World's director April Peavey, host Marco Werman and the team of journalists that create the show every week day.