State of the World from NPR
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State of the World from NPR
Immerse yourself in the most compelling and consequential stories from around the globe. The world is changing in big ways every day. State of the World from NPR takes you where the news is happening — and explains why it matters. With bureaus spanning the globe, NPR reporters bring you facts and co...
Recent Episodes
1286 episodes
The humble Scottish breakfast with rich cultural significance
We go to the Scottish Highlands to learn about breakfast dish that has just three ingredients but countless variations: porridge, better known in the...
The souring relationship between Trump and Netanyahu
Just like in the U.S., Israel’s politicians are focused on an upcoming national election that could be consequential— Israelis vote at the end of Octo...
Russia’s increased attacks on Kyiv and its partnership with Iran
Life has changed recently in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Residents there had gotten used to periodic Russian airstrikes happening maybe once...
Rescuing those still trapped by flash floods in Nepal and Tibet
It was almost a week ago that a wall of water and mud and rock devastated riverside Himalayan communities in Tibet and Nepal and rescuers are still tr...
Will the U.S. really control Venezuelan oil?
The U.S. and Venezuela say they have entered into a partnership that would give the U.S. majority control of more that 65 billion barrels worth of oil...
Life in Iran after six months of war
It has been six months since the U.S. and Israel launched a war in Iran. And the effects of the conflict can be felt in the United States in higher f...
How Israeli and American attitudes towards each other have changed
Since the October 7th, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, much has happened with the U.S.’s key ally in the Middle East. Israel launched an invasion o...
Congolese designers push fashion in a different direction
When the Democratic Republic of Congo is in the news, it’s usually related to poverty, or conflict— most recently it was the Ebola outbreak. But the...
Chinese workers fight back against AI; the meaning of milk in Rwanda
Just like in the United States and elsewhere, workers in China are worried about artificial intelligence taking away their jobs. So they are fighting...
Will the Trump Administration’s latest economic pressure on Iran work?
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced new pressure on Iran Monday, that the administration is calling an “economic D-Day”. Almost six month...
Are U.S. embassies in the Middle East weakened?
After the U.S. and Israel launched the war in Iran, and Iran responded by attacking U.S. targets in the region, hundreds of U.S. diplomats were evacua...
Surprising political effects of Europe’s heat waves
It’s summer, so warm weather is to be expected. But in Europe this summer has been really, really hot. Five heat waves so far have broken records on...
Iraq is caught between Washington and Tehran
In July, Iraq’s new prime minister visited Washington. There he promised President Trump that Iraq would disarm Iran-backed militias by the end of Sep...
Charm and charges for India’s youth
India’s ruling party, the BJP, realizes it has a problem reaching young voters. Last month, youth-led protests, sparked by education policy and high...
Israeli settlers besiege a West Bank house owned by a U.S. citizen
The family of a Palestinian American man have been under siege in their home in the occupied West Bank. Extremist Israeli settlers attacked the home...
Heavy environmental toll of war in southern Lebanon
Beneath the shattered villages and scorched fields of southern Lebanon lies a quieter aftermath of war - contaminated land. Israel's war against Hezb...
China's courts side with AI-displaced workers but job anxiety persists
In China, top leaders are pushing the adoption of Artificial Intelligence. Companies there are using AI at a scale that far outpaces that of the US....
Pacific marine monuments lose environmental protections
The Trump administration is opening federally-protected marine areas in the Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing. In rarely granted access, NPR visite...
Count Binface runs against Reform Party’s Farage in UK election
A trash-can wearing comedian is far-right Nigel Farage’s main rival in this week’s Parliamentary election in the British town of Clacton-on-Sea. Farag...
Syria’s archaeological riches face threat of looting
Curators and archaeologists risked their lives to hide and protect Syria’s cultural treasures during its civil war. Some archaeological sites still fa...
Why does Switzerland have so many nuclear bunkers?
Switzerland might be thought of as the land of snow-capped alps and incredibly good chocolate. But it is also a world leader in underground nuclear b...
The Iran war hangs over a major Shiite pilgrimage
It is one of the largest gatherings of people in the world. More than 20 million Shia Muslim pilgrims gathered in the Iraqi city of Karbala this wee...
Israeli settler activity increases in the West Bank
The West Bank is a Palestinian territory between Israel and Jordan that been under Israeli military occupation since 1967. For decades Israeli Jewish...
Why Russia’s strikes on Ukraine are more intense; Germany’s song of the summer
Ukraine’s defense forces have beaten back many types of Russian attacks during more than four years of war. But recently there has been a glaring weak...
Looking back at the deadly protests in Iran
Seven months ago, Iran unleashed a deadly crackdown on protesters who were demanding an end to the 47-year-old theocratic regime. At least 7,000 peop...
Abandoned island in Venice lagoon saved as green nature retreat
When residents of Venice, Italy, learned that a beloved, uninhabited island was being eyed for development, they organized to save it. A year on, th...
Wildfires threaten France. Cubans look to Brazil for new home
Firefighters have been working day and night to extinguish fires that have devoured more than 100,000 acres around Bordeaux. Cubans have historicall...
United Nations’ new Ebola coordinator, and choosing a new U.N. secretary-general
Veteran humanitarian official Julien Harneis will coordinate the U.N.’s response to the Ebola outbreak in central Africa. The United Nations also begi...
A Zulu-language Netflix drama is a surprise global binge-watch
Netflix’s The Polygamist, a Zulu-language drama from South Africa, has become a worldwide hit. The series about a wealthy family torn apart by a husba...
Pakistani researchers find link between the microbiome and premature birth
A single bacteria in a pregnant person’s microbiome can signal whether their baby is at risk for premature birth. Lower levels of a bacteria called Pr...
Retracing the route of ancient Pacific voyagers
Thousands of years ago, people left what is now Taiwan on boats to roam and settle on islands throughout the Pacific. This summer a group of Indigeno...
In Israel, a strong challenger for political change
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is facing a major political test this fall. After three years of war and growing public f...
Migrating swifts swirl in the skies of Jerusalem
Swifts have nested in Jerusalem’s Western Wall since it was built over 2,000 years ago. But that ancient site is now surrounded by a modern city. And...
Pakistan’s role in brokering Iran deal; will Iranian hardliners let it happen?
The U.S. and Iran have resumed striking each other for more that a week, ever since the collapse of a ceasefire deal over control of the Strait of Hor...
Great Britain gets yet another new prime minister
The UK gets its seventh prime minister in the last decade. In a familiar ceremony, Keir Starmer, who was ousted by his own Labour Party tendered his...
Does control of the Strait of Hormuz set a worldwide precedent?
The reasons given for the U.S. launching a war with Iran have shifted over time. But regardless of why the war started, the fighting between the U.S....
The U.S. track record for wars in the Middle East
The United States has been at war for more than 20 of the last 25 years. Afghanistan, Iraq and now Iran. Three major conflicts, all in the same regi...
Why China’s rust belt region has an outsized influence on Chinese culture
China’s northeast region borders Russian Siberia and North Korea. It’s a cold, vast area known for its gritty industrial history. But now the northeas...
The U.S. Congressman detained by Israeli settlers in the West Bank
Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California made a trip to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank last week. There he says he...
The U.S. will allow Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles, will it change the war?
One of the most sought after weapons in the world is the Patriot air-defense system, developed by the US. It is considered to be among the most effect...