World news is the jargon used by journalists for foreign coverage. It may also refer to stories about international issues or global topics, such as summits of multilateral organizations. In the days before national newspapers existed in most European countries, when the notion of nation-states was still incipient, it made sense for local news to be supplemented by foreign news reports. This is why the first newspapers to be established in Europe were often called courants (English), Nieuwe Tijudinger (Dutch) or Avisa Relation oder Zeitung (French).

The world continues to suffer from a number of major natural and man-made crises. These include the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed millions, the ongoing conflict in Syria, and the deteriorating situation in many African nations including several civil wars and coups. In addition, a series of terrorist attacks have taken place around the world, while the Israeli government has been pummeled by Hamas airstrikes and other retaliation operations as it tries to destroy the militant group.

A large part of world news comes from a network of independent journalists who cover events worldwide and submit their stories to various media outlets for publication. These reporters are sometimes called stringers, and they usually don’t have permanent contracts with any one company. They are able to produce articles that can be sold to multiple newspapers at the same time by using services known as wires or news agencies, of which Reuters, AP and AFP are among the best-known examples.