State of the World from NPR

Politician, activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado has returned to Venezuela. She led the opposition to authoritarian leader Nicholas Maduro and fled Venezuela in 2025 after more than a year in hiding. This is Machado’s first time back in her country following the U.S. arrest of Maduro in January.  We hear how her presence is putting pressure on the U.S.-backed Venezuelan regim...

Israel has held an important election– its first since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on that country. The vote is a referendum on the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu who was in power when the attacks occurred and presided over the military responses that followed.  And so far, there is no clear winner. With more than half the votes counted neither Netanyahu nor his center-ri...

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a very limited ceasefire to help a Ukrainian city that’s been under Russian occupation for nearly five years.  We hear about the horrific conditions residents have been living under in the city of Oleshky. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org...

We look at unexpected election results in different parts of the globe, in which the youth vote played a major role. In Brazil, the leftist incumbent in his 80’s cinched a stunning come-from-behind win.  And in Serbia a student movement that emerged from years of anti-corruption protests toppled the long-time leader. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one...

The Russia-Ukraine war is sometimes compared to the static, deadlocked, trench warfare of World War I.   Yet it’s also been the defining conflict of the 21st century, dominated by drones that have created a so-called “kill zone” along the front line.  We hear about what the kill zone is like and what it means for the future of warfare. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 pod...

Chinese manufacturers have not had it easy these past few years, with U.S. tariffs as well as the wars in Ukraine and Iran pushing up their costs and shrinking profits.   But there is one sector that is thriving despite all of this, the manufacturers of this Chinese tile-game, called mahjong. It’s been trending in the U.S. and that has given a boost to one mahjong manufacturing hub. We go to easte...

In the Israeli occupied West Bank, dozens of Americans have been detained, including a politician running for Congress.   Settler violence and detentions by the Israeli military have been on the rise for years in the Palestinian territory, which is occupied by Israel.  But according to two Israeli lawyers, this is the largest mass detention of activists there in a decade.  A team from NPR witnesse...

Sometimes it feels like when we aren’t worried about AI destroying humanity — we worry about it replacing white collar jobs like lawyers, accountants, coders. But tech companies have plans for AI-powered robots to replace blue collar jobs as well.   We go to southern India, where our correspondent found domestic and factory workers being enlisted to train AI, sometimes without their knowledge. Sup...

Israel holds an election on October 27th, electing members of the Knesset, their parliament.  And this election will decide the future of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is the first vote since Hamas-led attacks of October 7th, 2023 and the Gaza war. And a major question shaping the elections is whether the prime minister should be held responsible for the Hamas attacks. We go to Israel, to...

Ukraine finds itself in a difficult situation.  It has endured increased airstrikes from Russia, especially in the capital Kyiv. One way the country fights back is by hitting Russian energy infrastructure, a way to deny Russia the money it needs to conduct the war.  But President Trump has blamed those strikes on the high cost of diesel in the United States.  He has pressured Ukraine to stop its a...

In the new documentary “NAZA”, two dozen anonymous Israeli military and intelligence officers describe how they used an AI-powered system to kill Palestinians in Gaza. The film’s premiere received a 25-minute standing ovation at Venice International Film Festival. But in Israel, it has caused a major backlash.   We hear from the filmmakers and reaction from Israelis. Support public media with NPR+...

The arrest last week of Germany’s former intelligence head, August Hanning, has left the country in shock. He’s suspected of sharing state secrets with other governments. That’s also worrying Western agencies like the CIA, which share intel with Germany. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more a...

With a battered economy made worse by war, many Iranians are looking for ways to provide for their families.  Some decide to travel days over land to make their way to Turkey where they can work under the table.  But the jobs they’re looking for don’t always materialize.  We meet a bus of Iranians arriving in Istanbul in search of employment. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over...

In this encore episode, we learn about our evolving understanding of an ancient find. When a 9,000 year-old grave of a shaman was discovered in 1930s Germany, the discovery was quickly politicized to support Nazi propaganda. But new analysis shows those assumptions were all wrong.  Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-...

We go to Mexico’s gulf coast to learn about fandango. It is a joyous musical tradition born in the Mexican state of Veracruz that’s been going on for more than 300 years and whose popularity has spread around the world. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.co...

It has been three years since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that led to Israel’s invasion of Gaza.  It’s a war that has yet to end, despite a ceasefire. On yesterday’s episode we heard about the rebuilding happening on the Israel side of the border with Gaza .  Today, a look at what Gaza is like today. Our reporter in Gaza speaks to one man about what his life is like now.  And we hear from some...

Three years after the October 7th attacks, Israel’s southern border with Gaza is undergoing a dramatic rebound. That region was nearly abandoned after thousands of Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities. That attack killed nearly 12-hundred people, and 250 more were taken hostage. Now, residents are back.  Some are driven by solidarity with the victims of October 7th.   Others say they f...

This week marks twenty five years since the United States invaded Afghanistan, on October 7th, 2001.  It was less than a month after the September 11th attacks and President George W. Bush vowed swift revenge.  And the U.S. did quickly oust the Taliban– the Islamist group controlling the country– over its support for and harboring of Osama bin Laden and his militant group al Qaeda, blamed for the...

Russia's jet-powered drones are targeting bridges in the Ukrainian capital, an escalation after more than a month of day-and-night strikes that have left Kyiv feeling almost like a frontline city. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...

Crime is at the top of voters’ concerns in Brazil heading into Sunday’s national elections. Many are calling for tougher measures — part of a broader rightward shift across Latin America, where security has become a defining political issue. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.or...

In mother-of-pearl suits, the Pearly Kings used to canvass East London for charity. The tradition of the Pearly Kings stretches back to the 1800s, when this area of the city was gritty and poor, and dressing up gave working-class people dignity. The most famous of the Pearly Kings, George Major, died in August at age 88. Major’s portrait still greets arrivals at Heathrow Airport, and he’s said to...

American forces made a formal exit from Iraq with a low-key ceremony. It marks the end of an era that began over 23 years ago with President George Bush’s “shock and awe” invasion. The U.S. military has actually been in Iraq for much of the last 35 years, and the country is still facing an uncertain future. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This sho...

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega made a bombshell announcement this summer that he’s ending national elections. Now, the U.S is pushing leaders in the Americas to confront Nicaragua, and is calling for a rare meeting of the Organization of American States. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn mo...

Turkey’s burgeoning defense industry, soft cultural power and role as conflict mediator are growing its influence in the Middle East. As dynamics with Iran, Gaza and the U.S. shift, Turkey is positioning itself as a new regional power. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . Se...

Born a year before Israel's creation, Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour spent his life painting the faces and landscapes of Israeli occupation. He died in August at age 79, and was buried in the occupied West Bank. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for...