State of the World from NPR

About two weeks ago, the United States military captured Venezuela’s president, Nicholas Maduro. Since then President Trump has spoken to Venezuela’s interim president, who was a key figure in Maduro’s government, and has welcomed Venezuela’s opposition leader to the White House. We look at what lies in the future for Venezuela and its relationship with the U.S. And the challenges for prosecutors...

President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, says the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is beginning. He said “phase two” will establish a new Palestinian administration in Gaza, and begin the full demilitarization and rebuilding of the territory. Our reporter tells us what all of this could mean for Gaza in practice. And we hear reaction to the plan from people liv...

Protests are sweeping Iran and the government is cracking down hard, fearing the uprisings pose a threat to the theocratic regime. There is an internet blackout in the country making it hard to get information. We hear a rare first-person account of the protests from a Johns Hopkins professor who visits the Iran frequently and who recently attended a protest there. See pcm.adswizz.com for informat...

It has been three months since the ceasefire in Gaza began and food that is desperately needed after being largely blocked for two years has begun returning by the truckload. We go to Gaza City to see what kind of food is arriving and where it is going. And we visit a haven in Tel Aviv for Jews and Palestinians to interact amid heightened tensions. In a nail salon. See pcm.adswizz.com for informat...

In Iran, popular protests continue to sweep the country. Rights groups say hundreds of Iranians have been killed in the government crackdown on the protests, which are seen as a challenge to the theocratic regime. President Trump has warned he may hit Iran “very hard” for the violence against protesters. He also said the U.S. was set to meet with Iranian officials. Iran has said channels of commun...

A new NPR/Ipsos poll found Americans across the political spectrum want the U.S. to be the moral leader of the world, but far fewer believe it actually is. 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

Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is now is the U.S. But back in Venezuela, the country’s new leadership looks a lot like the old. We look at who’s now leading the government in Caracas.  Also, President Trump ran on a campaign of no US involvement in foreign wars. But since he took office, the US military has struck Iran, Yemen, Nigeria, Syria and Venezuela, and made threats against oth...

After a two-week chase, U.S. forces have seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the north Atlantic between Iceland and Britain. The tanker was originally bound for Venezuela, but changed course to avoid the U.S. ships, setting off an extended drama at sea. And Danes and Greenlanders respond to President Donald Trump’s remarks that Greenland should be annexed by the U.S. See pcm.adswizz.com for inf...

NPR’s Eyder Peralta is in Colombia on the border with Venezuela, and speaks with residents days after American forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and brought him to the U.S. And President Trump’s comments about Greenland dominate a meeting of world leaders gathering to discuss Ukraine. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship...

The U.S. seized Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro during a weekend attack on the country. Maduro and his wife are now in the U.S. and pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in federal court in Manhattan. We hear the latest and look back at Maduro’s political career.  See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podc...

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit the story of an NPR journalist in Gaza seeking food from a distribution site run by private American contractors in June of 2025. In a harrowing experience he found himself facing Israeli military fire, crowds fighting for rations, and masked thieves. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our co...

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year we revisit the story of the olive ridley turtle in India.  Their population has rebounded after years of efforts to stem their decline.  We go to a turtle festival on India's coast and hear tourists cheer on turtle hatchlings as they head to the ocean. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection an...

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit a story about families from Ireland learning their full history. There, the Catholic Church once ran homes for unwed mothers. Until recently the church dominated life in Ireland and pregnancy outside marriage was considered shameful. Behind one of these homes a ghastly discovery has recently been ma...

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit the story of an important typewriter.  It was  recently discovered in a basement in upstate New York and it holds important clues about the origins of Chinese computing. The discovery also raises questions about language and culture. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use o...

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year we revisit a story about a Ukrainian youth orchestra.  Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, the country has been hit with more than 50,000 drone strikes. The constant threats of war have changed many things about life in Ukraine, including the way the night time sounds. We meet members o...

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year we revisit a story about how Europe is experiencing a changing climate.  It is the world’s fastest warming continent with temperatures there increasing at twice the average global rate. That is melting Europe's glaciers, which may disappear by the end of the century, forever altering the continent's rivers with...

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit a report from America’s neighbor to the north last April.  Canada has seen wide ranging impacts from the tariffs on goods sent to the U.S.— from Canadian identity to the country’s politics and of course the economy. Even small businesses are feeling the change. We go to the Atlantic province of Nova...

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit a report from a remote corner of southeastern Syria near the border with Jordan.  There some 7,000 people were trapped in a refugee camp for years. They had fled Syrian regime forces and ISIS attacks and had nowhere else they could go. Our reporter was the first person to visit the camp, after the S...

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year we get a glimpse inside the shattered city of Khartoum, Sudan, in April of 2025.  The capital city was destroyed by the two-year civil war and is in the process of trying to recover. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast spon...

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit the story of the defiant Austrian nuns.  The three sisters, all in their 80’s, recently ran away from a nursing home. With the help of supporters, and a locksmith, they broke into their former convent in defiance of church orders. They’re determined to fulfill their vows and grow old on their own te...

Cuba today feels more isolated than ever after years of sanctions from the United States have severely damaged the economy. Now Cubans are watching the U.S. ramp up pressure on the government of Venezuela, Cuba’s most loyal ally and an important trading partner. Our reporter in Havana talks to some Cubans about the current moment. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of...

President Trump has ordered a ban on all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, escalating pressure on the country's president. Venezuelans tell us that in a country long battered by shortages, it’s just another crisis to endure. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR...

Myanmar, also known as Burma, will hold a phased general election starting later this month. It comes amidst a years long civil war that has killed thousands and displaced millions. And it is being called by a military government that seized power in a coup four years ago. We learn about the lengths the leadership is going to in order to convince the world to accept the election’s results. See pcm...

One method of combating extreme poverty is providing cash grants to allow people to start businesses. We go to Uganda to take a look at one such program that has changed their model in an effort to increase the impact of their support. And the changes caused intended consequences. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your p...

Jews in Israel had been looking forward to the Hanukkah holiday this year, since recent public celebrations had been curtailed first by COVID and then the wars that followed the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023. But this year’s celebration is happening in the aftermath of a horrific attack on a Hanukkah event in Australia that killed at least 15. We go to Tel Aviv to hear how people are feeling ab...