State of Ukraine

Representatives from Russia and Ukraine gather for peace talks in Istanbul. The meeting comes after the two countries each launched large-scale drone attacks on one another over the weekend, including an audacious Ukrainian strike on Russia's bomber aircraft fleet. We hear the latest from the talks and about how Ukraine's drone capabilities have evolved.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Russians remember the longtime artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, who died recently. Yuri Grigorovich held the position for the last three decades of the Soviet Union and staged productions that were wildly popular at home and projected soft power overseas. And in Nepal, people have complained of monkey's stealing food from their property for years. Now, the government is holding its first-ever monkey census to understand exactly how bad the problem is.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Germany's biggest opposition political party, the nationalist and anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party, has been designated "extremist" by the country's domestic intelligence agency. That means the German government can tap party members' phones and hire informants to monitor them, in a measure meant to ensure that the party is not a threat to democracy. U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have both criticized this move. But it is something the German constitution allows and that constitution was shaped by the United States. Our correspondent in Germany looks into how and why this came about.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The civil war in Sudan has been ongoing for more than two years causing some fifteen million people to be displaced and the collapse of the country's healthcare system in many places. In the capital Khartoum, there were once nearly 100 public and private medical facilities, now none are operational. We go to Khartoum to see how residents are coping with the lack of medical care.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Colombians suffered through a decades-long guerilla war in which hundreds of thousands died. According to the country's truth commission, approximately 80% of those killed were civilians. Now some former army soldiers accused of atrocities during the war are trying to make amends. They are helping to locate and exhume the remains of innocent civilians executed by the Colombian military. We go to one of the sites.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Throughout the more than three years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, drones have been a key tool and weapon used by both sides in the conflict. Because of this, Ukraine is at the cutting edge of drone innovation, churning out some two million unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, last year. These flying drones come in all sizes and they're produced in factories large and high-tech, as well as small and shoestring. In today's episode, NPR's Eleanor Beardsley takes us inside a drone-making operation in Kyiv.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

By some estimates, some 90% of murders in Mexico go unpunished. But when a woman in Mexico kills an abusive partner, many of them do end up in jail convicted of "excessive use of legitimate force". Mexican singer-songwriter Vivir Quintana started looking into the issue and found compelling, tragic tales. We speak to Quintana about her new album which tells the stories of some of these women.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says he's "outraged" at at the leaders of the UK, France, and Canada for condemning Israel's new military offensive in Gaza. He sat down with NPR to express the U.S. view of the conflict as pressure on Israel from around the world is mounting, not just for the new offensive in Gaza but also for restricting food aid to the territory. For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

There's been a political backlash in India after the Trump administration deported dozens of Indian migrants who were in the U.S. without legal status. This comes after the U.S. had announced 26 percent tariffs on India, which are currently suspended. Those events have changed Indian's perceptions of what they had thought was a cozy relationship with the U.S. and have cause a headache for the Indian prime minister. We go to western India to hear what people think of the U.S. now.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Israel has begun a new ground operation in Gaza in which it says it plans to take territory and hold it. Palestinians are fleeing the intense bombardment. At the same time, Israel and Hamas are holding peace talks. And Israel says it will start allowing food and medicine into Gaza after a nearly three month blockade to pressure Hamas to release hostages. We hear the latest in the new offensive and an interview with a resident in northern Gaza to hear what life has been like.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Determination and New Life in a Besieged Ukrainian City - a visit to a maternity ward in Slovyansk, a city that's endured over a decade of Russian assault and oppression.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Trump Administration has a new plan for delivering aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has blocked all food, fuel and medicine for more than ten weeks, accusing Hamas of stealing aid meant for civilians. The U.S. says their plan will address those concerns, but experts worry the plan could set a bad precedent. We learn more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Syria is in a precarious place as it emerges from civil war and a long dictatorship. The recently announced removal of U.S. sanctions bring hopes that the economy might stabilize. Another challenge is Syria's population— it is one of the most diverse countries in the Middle East and with that comes competing demands and priorities from various groups. NPR's Jane Arraf takes us to southern Syria, near the border with Israel and introduces us to one of the biggest minority groups, the Druze.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Trump's first major overseas trip of his second term is to the same place as his first term, the Middle East. Trump is visiting the Gulf States of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. And he is scheduled to meet with Syria's new president for the first time. We'll hear about the significance of that meeting and the deals between the U.S. and Gulf countries being announced. We'll also hear about the personal relationships and family business deals Trump has with various Gulf Arab rulers.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and President Trump's efforts to change the U.S. relationship with Europe and NATO have caused some European countries to rethink their own defense. One example is Poland, which shares a 500-mile border with Russia and Russian ally Belarus. Poland is preparing to repel a Russian invasion, and this preparation includes a plan to train every adult male in the country to be ready for war. We go to Poland to see what the preparations look like.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Since Israel's military went to war against Hamas in Gaza more than a year and a half ago, it has conducted thousands of strikes in the territory. One attack last year stands out. Israel struck a five-story building housing an extend family of well over 100 people. The military says they were targeting an enemy spotter on the roof. NPR reporters and producers set out to chronicle this attack, to know how many people were killed and injured and to understand what it means to the family of survivors. Click here to see NPR's visual investigation of this attack. For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdatesLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The world's 1.4 billion Catholics now have a new pope. Robert Prevost, who was born in Chicago and spent two decades of service to the church in Peru will now be known as Pope Leo XIV. We go to the Vatican to hear what it was like in St. Peter's Square when the new pope blessed the faithful for the first time. And we hear from someone who knows the pope from his time in Chicago.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

India conducted airstrikes on targets across Pakistan in the early hours of Wednesday morning. It was the most extensive attack in decades and Pakistan's defense minister warned the escalation could lead to nuclear confrontation. We go to our correspondent in Mumbai to understand what is happening and what each country might do next.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week 133 cardinals will meet in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican to select a new pope who will lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. This will be the first papal conclave in which fewer than half the voting cardinals are European. During his time, Pope Frances selected many cardinals from the global south and our correspondent in Rome tells us how this could influence who the next pope will be.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Israel's cabinet has approved plans for Gaza that include expanding the war, taking territory with the intent to keep troops there, and major shifts in the way food and aid are distributed. Our correspondent in Tel Aviv tells us what are in the plans and what they could mean for Gaza.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

At the heart of a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is what, if any, Ukrainian territory Russia will be allowed to keep. Moscow asserts that four Ukrainian provinces are more culturally Russian than Ukrainian. We go to one of those areas to find out what the people there think.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Donald Trump has passed one hundred days in his second term as president of the United States. We look at how he is reshaping the US relationship with the rest of the world.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Every year Israeli's spend their Memorial Day commemorating Israelis killed in war and attacks. This year it comes as they are reckoning with an ongoing war that is already the longest war the country has ever waged. We go to Tel Aviv to see what this year's Memorial Day in Israel is like. Note: there is a mention of suicide in this episode.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Fifty years ago this week Communist forces seized the city of Saigon bringing an end to the Vietnam war. It was a war that defined a generation with effects that reverberate today. We go to Laos were one man's search for closure takes him to the top of the tallest mountain.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Pope Francis was laid to rest in a funeral ceremony over the weekend and next week the College of Cardinals will convene their conclave at the Vatican to choose his successor. In this episode we speak to one of those cardinals, who will attend his first papal conclave. And we go inside the room where it all happens, the Sistine Chapel famous for its ceiling of frescos by Michelangelo.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

During Syria's long civil war, the White Helmets were known for running into harms way, rescuing civilians from the aftermath of regime attacks. Now with the regime gone, the famed organization is finding a new mission with new challenges. We go to Damascus to see them in action.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The sometimes cold and often frozen relationship between Russia and the U.S. has gotten a lot warmer since President Trump took office. And even though the American drive to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine may be faltering, the desire to do big business deals with the Kremlin has not. We go to Moscow to look at how the relationship between the two countries has changed, from the Russian perspective.CORRECTION: A previous version of the audio in this story misidentified Pete Hegseth as the secretary of state. He is the secretary of defense.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

America's neighbor to the north 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 Scotia to see how tariffs are playing out.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Catholics around the world are in mourning following the death of Pope Francis. We go to one tiny church in Gaza, the Holy Family Church, which had a very personal relationship with the pontiff. Pope Francis made a practice of personally calling the church nearly every day since the war in Gaza began.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Pope Francis died of a stroke on Easter Monday, according to the Vatican. He was one of the most popular pontiffs in decades, taking stances on the inclusivity of the church as well as treatment of the poor and migrants. We look back on the life and the papacy of the first non-European pope in more than a millennium.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In Kenya, generations of mostly Somalians have lived in one of the world's largest refugee camps for over thirty years. Many hoped to resettle in places such as the U.S., which has paused a key admissions program. And a visit to China's oldest trade fair, where traders are plotting their next move after U.S. tariffs and a darkened economic forecast.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The discovery of a clandestine cartel crematorium on a disused ranch in Jalisco has once again raised questions about the crisis of forced disappearances and the connection to organized crime.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

After being hunted to near extinction, wolves have made a population comeback in recent decades with the help of conservation efforts. Now, the country with the most wolves in Europe is Italy. Our correspondent in Rome set's out for the Italian forest with an organization that takes small groups to try to see wolves in the wild.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In his fifteen years as prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban has steadily chipped away at his country's democratic freedoms. We go to Budapest to see what the erosion of democracy looks like and we find that many of Orban's strategies are being studied by politicians elsewhere.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Trump administration is undertaking shifts in U.S. foreign policy and that has meant big shifts at the State Department, which is in charge of that policy. The changes have veteran diplomats worried. And the gutted aid agency USAID has been absorbed into the State Department. We'll see what the loss of USAID funding has meant for the search for truth about Syria's civil war.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Many communities have thrived for years on the peninsula and islands in the lagoon around Nigeria's crowded commercial capital Lagos. But the last decade has seen a violent shift, as thousands of people have been evicted by the Nigerian Navy and the government in an apparent effort to make way for luxury developments. We go to the communities and meet the people affected.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The United States has long been a center for academic and scientific research. But two phenomena may be changing that and sending talent to Europe instead. The Trump administration has hit many colleges and universities with cuts to federal funding. And at the same time many academics feel like their freedom is under attack. Our correspondent in Rome tells us that European Universities are offering refuge to researchers in the U.S.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Since the rule of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad ended, Israel has attacked Syria hundreds of times. Israel says they don't trust the new government in Syria and so they are hitting areas in Syria adjacent to Israel in an effort disarm southern Syria. Our correspondent takes us to one of the Syrian villages on the border that was attacked.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Following Israel declaring an end to the ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza last month, the Israeli military has called in reservists to return to war. However, this time fewer reserve troops are answering that call to go back into Gaza. Our correspondent in Tel Aviv talked to three officers who commanded troops in Gaza and who have become frustrated with military strategy.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Until very recently Sudan's capital, Khartoum, had spent nearly two years at war. A paramilitary group went to war with the Sudanese army, occupying the city until it was retaken by government forces in the last few weeks. This has meant massive life shifts for residents of Khartoum who have stayed in the city. One resident has been sending our correspondent regular voice notes telling him about what life is like. We hear what it means to have a war break out in your city and what it is like to finally be liberated.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

We heard a lot about the planning by U.S. national security officials for a bombing campaign against Houthi fighters in Yemen, because a journalist was added to their Signal group chat. That bombing campaign is ongoing and we haven't heard much about how it is going or its goals. Our national security correspondent tells us about what the U.S. military is doing in Yemen and how we're getting more information about that from the Houthis than from the Pentagon.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The world is reacting to President Trump's announcement of new tariffs on nearly every country on the planet. The move is meant to re-shape the global trading order and some countries are being hit harder than others. NPR correspondents around the world are hearing anger, dismay, threats of retaliation and bewilderment.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy