State of the World from NPR

Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank say springs are taken over by Israeli settlers and taps in towns barely run. And in Britain, Princess Catherine Announces She's Completed Chemotherapy. 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 Policy

The ruling Taliban in Afghanistan issued a sweeping morality law in August. Among other things, it bans women's voices outside the home: no laughing, speaking loudly or singing. Afghan women outside the country are protesting the restriction by posting videos of themselves singing. We hear from some of them. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for spon...

There has been nearly a week of protests in Israel following the death of six hostages held by Hamas. They're calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire deal with Hamas, bringing the remining hostages held in Gaza home. But so far, no deal has been reached. We talk about how Israelis view their prime minister with Anshel Pfeffer, correspondent for The Economist an...

Last month in Bangladesh, street protests grew into a movement that eventually ended the rule of the autocratic prime minister. Now the country is picking up the pieces and charting a new way forward. We board a double-decker bus in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, to talk to Bangladeshis about the future. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorshi...

There is a contentious fight in Mexico right now over constitutional reforms that would remake the judiciary. Opponents say the changes would weaken the judiciary's independence, but Mexicans elected a government with a super-majority, making these changes possible. Our correspondent in Mexico asks: in a democracy, what if the majority is wrong? See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collec...

Israel mourns six hostages, who were captured during the October 7th attacks by Hamas, and found by the Israeli military in Gaza, recently killed. We go to the funeral of one of the hostages, in Jerusalem. And in Gaza, nearly all residents have been displaced multiple times by evacuation orders from the Israeli military, into so-called humanitarian safe zones. We get a glimpse of what life is like...

In the summer of 1944, as American and Allied soldiers celebrated the liberation of France from the Nazis, one French family experienced a trauma that would be felt for generations. A murder and sexual assault so traumatic they are only now coming to terms with it, 80 years later. And this wasn't an isolated incident. We hear their story. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection an...

As the war drags on, families of hostages who have been held in Gaza for nearly eleven months are becoming increasingly frustrated and angry. Some of them release some of their pain by yelling their loved ones names into Gaza, in hopes of being heard. And the U.S. pressures Israel to change the way it evacuates civilians from parts of Gaza, amid fears of their safety. For more coverage of all side...

Just like in the U.S., Amazon is a big e-commerce presence in India. And also like the U.S., Amazon's fulfillment centers in India have been the subject of complaints of unsafe conditions for workers. To understand what those conditions are like, we hear from some Amazon warehouse workers. Disclosure: Amazon is among NPR's financial supports and pays to distribute some NPR content. NPR covers the...

On Wednesday Israel launched raids into the Occupied West Bank, they say to root out Hamas militants and prevent another attack like the one that occurred on October 7th. We hear the latest on those raids. And Israelis who believe the West Bank should be Israeli territory have significantly increased settlement activity since the war in Gaza started. Our correspondent visits some of the outposts....

The island nation of Palau is at the center of tensions between the U.S., China, and Taiwan. We go there to see what the competition between superpowers looks like on the ground. 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 Policy

At one time, in the 1970's, Watford Football Club in England was at the bottom of the rankings. Then rock superstar Elton John purchased the team and turned their fortunes around. Our London correspondent tells us the tale of the failing soccer club and the rock star. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponso...

Work continues towards finding a path to a ceasefire in Gaza. U.S. mediators continue to communicate optimism, while the two sides, Israel and Hamas, seem to downplay the idea that progress is being made on their remaining differences. We hear about one major sticking point. Control of a strip of land in southern Gaza called the Philadelphi Corridor. And the bodies of six Israeli hostages taken ca...

In an unprecedented step, the U.S. has imposed sanctions in recent months on about a dozen Israelis who it says have taken violent action against Palestinians and posed obstacles to peace. We hear from one Israeli who the U.S. has taken action against. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preference...

Some Ukrainians are fleeing an unpopular conscription drive for troops. Ukrainian guards are on their trail. NPR's Joanna Kakissis takes us to one escape route along a river in Western Ukraine. 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 Policy

The world needs lithium to transition to a lower carbon future. The mineral is used in batteries, such as those found in electric vehicles. But extracting lithium can create huge environmental damage. We go to Serbia, where a proposed lithium mine is fueling social unrest. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast s...

Some 12 million people are displaced in Sudan as the military government battles a powerful paramilitary group. There is acute hunger and risk of famine for many. Peace talks hoping to resolve the crisis are being held in Geneva this week. We hear about the chances that those talks will succeed and details about conditions on the ground in Sudan. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our colle...

Ukraine's attack into Russian territory surprised many. Including, it would seem, the Russians themselves. But what are the strategic goals Ukraine is hoping to achieve with this move? We hear from a retired U.S. lieutenant general. 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...

Earlier this month a youth-led movement helped topple the government of an autocratic prime minister in Bangladesh. Now students sweep broken glass, direct traffic, and join the government. But can they rebuild a country? We go to the streets of Dhaka. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preference...

Following a disputed election in Venezuela, autocratic president Nicolàs Maduro is cracking down on the opposition. Thousands have been arrested and lawmakers are threatening social media sites and planning to close down civic groups. We hear from opponents of Maduro. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponso...

In a rare interview with a Hamas leader our correspondent asks about the attacks of October 7th and the aftermath. He says the group has no regrets about launching the operation, but that mistakes were made. 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 Policy

Last week, in surprise move, Ukraine sent it's military into Russian territory. And so far the Russians have been struggling to mount a defense and kick them out. We hear what is known about the operation from our correspondent in Kyiv. 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 P...

Ukraine has competing needs from its military aged population. It needs many of them to join the military to fight the Russian invasion. But it also needs them in the workforce, to keep the economy going so it can afford to pay for the war effort. As our reporter in Kyiv tells us, the most recent conscription law has exacerbated the problem. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...

For over a week race riots have broken out in the United Kingdom, mostly in smaller, poorer, less diverse cities. The violence has been stoked by misinformation and disinformation online. Our reporter travels to one of the places that saw mob violence to understand why it's happening. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage yo...

A popular book and TV series in Europe imagines the straight-laced former German chancellor Angela Merkel solving crimes in her retirement. We unpack the premise's popularity. And an American has been jailed in Nigeria over a dispute the country has with the crypto-currency exchange Binance. Some say the man is effectively being held hostage. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collectio...