Gas prices in the US are at an all-time high, according to the American Automobile Association. But on the other side of the Atlantic in Europe, they're paying much more. And, earlier this month, the State Department dropped a massive report that looked at the state of religious freedom in some 200 countries. Also, this month in Rome, Pope Francis canonized 10 new saints. He's named a record number of saints since becoming pope. Plus, no letup in the grueling battles raging in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. We hear the story of one Ukrainian soldier shaken by the relentless fighting.

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Allison Fluke-Ekren, from Kansas, has pleaded guilty to organizing and leading an all-female military battalion on behalf of ISIS. According to court documents, Fluke-Ekren trained women on to how to use assault rifles, grenades and suicide belts. And in Brazil, journalist Dom Phillips and anthropologist Bruno Pereira have gone missing from one of the largest Indigenous territories in the Amazon rainforest. It’s an area that, in recent years, has become increasingly dangerous because of illegal logging, mining and narcotrafficking. Plus, as “Nanook of the North” turns 100, we hear from an American filmmaker who returned to Inukjuak to examine what has happened to the community over the past century.

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A diplomatic firestorm has engulfed India’s ruling party, the BJP, following the sanctioning of two party spokespersons over insulting remarks the pair are reported to have made toward Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. Several Gulf countries described the comments as “insulting.” And in April, the UN refugee agency said it was on "high alert" for cases of human trafficking among Ukrainian refugees, 90% of whom are women and children. In Romania, which had relatively high rates of trafficking and exploitation even before the war, nonprofit groups are working to keep refugees safe. Plus, Colombia’s first all-female orchestra has developed a strategy to encourage women to succeed and rise to leadership positions in classical music.

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Several Latin American and Caribbean heads of state, including the president of Mexico, aren’t showing up to the ninth annual Summit of the Americas. A former ambassador discusses Latin America's growing dissatisfaction with Washington’s approach to the region. Plus, gunmen stormed a church in Nigeria over the weekend, leaving 50 people dead and many more injured. Experts say this is an example of intercommunal violence between Muslim and Christian groups. Also, we hear about how Czech writer Karel Capek’s 1930s science fiction novel, adapted into an audio drama, still resonates today.

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Friday marks 100 days of war in Ukraine. During that time, death, destruction and displacement has occurred on a massive scale, and it’s difficult to accurately count the human toll. We hear about how Ukraine's seed bank is under threat amid the mass destruction of other critical infrastructure. Also, at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, the chairmen of the African Union, Senegal's President Macky Sall, headed to Russia on Friday for talks about the impact of the war in Ukraine on African countries. Russia and Ukraine are both major exporters of grain to the continent. Plus, on Sunday, thousands of spectators in the English village of Brockworth will watch contestants run and tumble down a hill in pursuit of a 9-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese.

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Hundreds of flights have been grounded across Europe this week with British airports particularly badly affected. Airport and airline operators blame the end of COVID-19-related restrictions and a lack of trained employees for the delays. And in Kenya, conflicting legislation on abortion has stirred confusion about what is and is not illegal. Also, Japan's government has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. But the resource-poor island nation has struggled to wean itself off coal. Plus, from the twilight of the British empire to Brexit, a lot has changed since Queen Elizabeth II's coronation ceremony 70 years ago. We look at the evolution of the monarchy as the UK hosts her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

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In a first for Canada, British Columbia has joined a handful of regions around the world in decriminalizing small amounts of illicit drugs. The decision, granted by the federal government, comes amid a massive overdose crisis that has only worsened during the pandemic. Also, Italian officials have been circulating a four-point peace plan for Ukraine, calling on Kyiv to give up territory to Russia. The Ukrainian president has criticized the plan as appeasement, while the US has announced it will send Kyiv midrange rockets. How might US support prolong the war? Plus, across the world, men make up the majority of taxi drivers. But the pandemic has led some women in Turkey to take up the work. We hear from one woman who happily traded her desk job for a life behind the wheel.

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European Union leaders agreed to punish Russia for its Ukraine invasion with sanctions banning the purchase of crude oil delivered to EU states by sea. Moscow has vowed to find other importers for their crude oil. And in response to the string of mass shootings this year in the US, neighboring Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that his government will put forth legislation freezing all handgun sales. Still, some guns arrive in Canada illegally, often from the US. Plus, in the Seychelles, a collaboration between the government and three companies in the tuna fishing industry have found a way to recycle old fishing nets.

The World's Memorial Day special is focusing on energy. Much of the world is working to wean itself off of Russian energy in the short-term, which in some cases means building up new fossil fuel infrastructure to secure supplies from different countries. At the same time, countries are struggling to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but falling behind on climate targets. Which raises a question: Will the move away from Russian energy speed up the development of renewable energy sources, or lock-in dependency on fossil fuels for longer? Also, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year, many European countries are refocusing their energy independence efforts to nuclear power. And, here’s what we largely know how to decarbonize, and what we don't — yet.

Since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, Moscow’s navy has blockaded Ukrainian Black Sea ports. Its impact is having ripple effects all around the world. Also, pandemic restrictions have prevented most asylum-seekers hoping to enter the US from Mexico from entering. The Biden administration tried to end the practice on Monday, but a judge in Louisiana blocked it, at least for now. And in Israel, the Palestinian flag is seen as a threat. Plus, extreme weather in Iraq is deepening inequality. Flooding and dust storms are disproportionately impacting poor neighborhoods that lack adequate infrastructure to cope. And finally, a Zulu musician from South Africa hopes to transport listeners to Mars.