State of the World from NPR

The Biden administration has urged Israel to conduct credible, transparent investigations into the Americans' deaths, so far Israel has not prosecuted anyone. We hear from families of those killed, and a member of congress, who think the U.S. Justice Department should be doing more. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your...

Norway is the largest exporter of salmon in the world. And while some of those fish are wild-caught, many are raised in "fish farms"- large cylindrical pens made of nylon in the open water. Sometimes these farmed fish escape, mixing with the local population and causing ecological issues. We see farmed fish in a Norwegian fjord and hear about potential solutions to the problem. See pcm.adswizz.com...

Britain has closed it's last coal-fired power plant, making the country that pioneered coal power, the first to give it up in favor of cleaner options. We hear about the transition. And a small town in Wales has become the unlikely site of a world-renowned Elvis festival. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sp...

Raneem Hijazi was eight months pregnant when an Israeli airstrike on her apartment in Gaza buried her in rubble, killing eight family members including her young son. Hijazi survived and gave birth that day to a healthy baby girl. But then she was separated from her newborn for months. We hear the story of their difficult time apart. Listen to a special episode featuring more stories of lives chan...

Sudan's war has displaced more than 12 million people and half the country faces starvations. The country's medical services have collapsed leaving a patchwork of charities, local groups and the Sudanese diaspora to try to provide what health care they can. NPR's Africa correspondent takes us to one of the few remaining hospitals, near the Sudanese capital. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abou...

Just over a week ago, the Israeli military sent ground troops into Lebanon to push the militant group Hezbollah back from the border. Our correspondent got as close a look at this invasion as possible, from a town ten miles from the border. He tells us what he saw. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorsh...

A year ago, a Hamas-led attack on Israel caused a horrific loss of life, started a war and now the aftermath threatens to further destabilize the region. In that attack, five of Abby Onn's family members were taken hostage. Two were killed, two were released, one remains in captivity. We hear how she and her family are marking the occasion and keeping hope that their final family member will be re...

The October 7th Hamas-led attacks on Israel and the subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza has changed the course of geopolitics and will have far reaching consequences for the world. The events have also upended the lives of countless individuals. Our team of reporters in the region bring us stories of lives changed in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. Sign up for State of the World+ to listen sponsor...

Fighting between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group have displaced some 12 million people in one of Africa's biggest countries. Our correspondent travels to Sudan and gives us a glimpse of the devastation the war has caused. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Polic...

As China celebrates 75 years of Communist Party rule, there is a fight over who gets to tell the history of those years. The party would prefer to make sure the story is a positive one and is exerting power to control that narrative. One high profile example of that is playing out far away, in California. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsor...

Iran launched long-range missiles against Israel, just hours after Israeli forces launched a ground offensive into southern Lebanon against Iran's main proxy, Hezbollah. The dramatic escalation is raising fears of an all-out war in the Middle East. We hear from two NPR correspondents in the region. For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates See pcm.adswizz.com fo...

Israel began a series of attacks against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah with pagers and walkie talkies that exploded. They then launched airstrikes targeting the group's leadership. One strike killed Hezbollah's leader of over thirty years, Hassan Nasrallah. The attacks are an effort to prevent Hezbollah from continuing to fire rockets at northern Israel, which it has been doing since the w...

The Hackney area of East London is burgeoning with art galleries and cafes. But the neighborhood, like many places that are appealing to young professionals, is rapidly losing families with children. And some experts say it's a bad sign for the future. We go to Hackney to understand the problem. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and t...

The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza approaches the one year mark. Violence between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon continues to escalate. And there are fears that Iran will get deeply involved with these conflicts. In a volatile moment in the region, Jordan balances a unique set of relationships with all these countries. We hear from Ayman Safadi, who is Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and For...

As the war in Ukraine drags on, the U.S. military is keeping a close eye on how drones are changing the conflict. They are used by both Russia and Ukraine to watch troop movements, identify targets and drop bombs. We go to the woods of Louisiana to see what lessons the U.S. Army is incorporating into its training and understand what it might mean for future wars. See pcm.adswizz.com for informatio...

In Russia, polls consistently show support for the war in Ukraine somewhere around 70%. But a recent independent study of Russians' opinions indicates the picture is more complex. We hear more from our correspondent in Moscow. And in Ukraine, couples who are separated by the war can now propose and get married online over an app. The service is so popular there is a months-long wait for virtual ce...

Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon kill over 350 and injure more than 1,000. The attacks were mostly in southern Lebanon where Hezbollah militants have been trading fire across the border with Israel since the war in Gaza began. Our correspondent is there in the south of Lebanon where civilians are fleeing the attacks any way they can. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of...

A building in a residential neighborhood in Beirut was struck by Israel, killing a senior commander with the militant group Hezbollah and ten other fighters, according to the Israeli military. It was the deadliest attack in Beirut in nearly two decades and it comes in the same week Hezbollah militants were targeted by Israel with thousands of exploding pagers and radios. We go to the scene of the...

In China the government is raising the official retirement age to combat a rapidly shrinking workforce. We hear reaction from Chinese workers. And life in Mexico City presents many challenges for people there. But getting a driving license isn't one of them. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship pref...

Life is uncertain for children in war zones. There, school can be a source of stability or just another thing that war obliterates. We hear reports on what school is like in three of the world's most active war zones: Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine. Sign up for State of the World+ to listen sponsor-free and support the work of NPR journalists. Visit plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...

Authorities in Lebanon are blaming Israel for an apparent attack in which pagers, used by Hezbollah in Lebanon, exploded simultaneously. At least nine people were killed, more than 2,700 were injured. Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese paramilitary group backed by Iran, had already been high and there were fears their frequent attacks on each other could escalate into all-out war....

A rape case in France involving a woman whose ex-husband is on trial for drugging her and recruiting other men to sexually assault her. Now thousands have turned out to support her and many are asking hard questions about the culture that allowed this to happen for years. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sp...

The Security Council is the United Nations' most powerful body, with the ability to impose sanctions and authorize the use of force. There are five permanent members of the council: Russia, France, China, the U.S and Britain. And any one of those permanent members can veto council resolutions. The U.S. is proposing expanding the number of permanent members, including two permanent seats for Africa...

Cocoa beans, which are used to make chocolate, are mostly grown in a few places making them susceptible to the effects of extreme weather events, driven by climate change. We hear about a team in Germany that is developing a chocolate made without cocoa. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferen...

It's been two years since the death of a woman in the custody of Iran's morality police led to protests across the country. The brutal government crackdown that followed continues today- with artists, journalists and activists targeted. NPR's Jackie Northam brings us the voices of some of those affected. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsors...