State of Ukraine

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

The new government in Syria, formed after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, is working to disband local militias to form one national army. But some groups are refusing to join. We meet one very well armed religious minority called the Druse. They say they're afraid of sectarian attacks from the new government and will not be giving up their weapons.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Sales of electric vehicles worldwide have been growing and the largest manufacturer of EVs is China's BYD. Their global revenue was over $100 billion in 2024, beating Tesla. To keep up that growth and to try to stave off the pain of U.S. tariffs, BYD is expanding in emerging markets. One of the markets where their cars are selling big is Brazil, where BYD is investing nearly a billion dollars in a factory. But as our Brazil correspondent tells us there have been some difficulties along the way.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

During his campaign, President Trump promised to stem migration to the United States. And since taking office his administration has deported plane loads of people, some of whom were in the U.S. legally. Hundreds of deportees have been sent to prison in El Salvador. And President Trump has essentially closed the door to immigrants seeking to enter the country through the border with Mexico. These policies have provoked so-called reverse migration, where people go back to the places they once fled. And that has knock-on effects for other countries. We go to a tiny island in Panama to see the effects of U.S. immigration policy.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is coming to an end. It is a holiday marked with fasting during the day and feasts with family in the evening. In Gaza, the month began with the hope of a continued peace but when the ceasefire with Israel collapsed, things changed. Our producer in Gaza brings us the sounds of this year's Ramadan in Gaza.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

China has long been the world's factory, but it's economy is starting to face serious headwinds. Demand for Chinese goods has slumped, China is saddled with too much industrial capacity and heavy debt. And now a tariff war with the United States further darkens China's economic outlook. We have two reports on reactions to China's economic state. We hear how the Chinese government is encouraging business investment, but it's a hard pitch to sell in a communist state that hasn't always been kind to entrepreneurs. And how Vietnam, another communist country, seeks to capitalize on China's uncertain future and is experiencing a manufacturing boom.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The race is on for control over deposits of rare earth elements and critical minerals that are necessary in much of the technology we use today. The U.S. is lagging behind it's main rival in this global competition, China. We hear about why these resources are so sought after and the stakes in the race to control them.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For three years El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has proudly shown the world the terrible treatment given to the country's prisoners. The president and his defenders say barbaric treatment is necessary to combat a pervasive gang problem in the country. And now the U.S. is endorsing this view, sending hundreds of people removed from the U.S. to those same prisons. We hear about the triumph of Bukele's style of rule in El Salvador.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

NPR has learned that Israel is considering a major ground invasion of Gaza to fully occupy the territory and establish a military rule over Palestinians there. We learn about this plan and hear about the influential minister who has repeatedly called for Israel to resettle the Gaza Strip. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has threated to collapse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government if the Gaza war ends. Our reporter talked to Smotrich and tells us about his rise to power.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

China scholars in the U.S. compare China's Cultural Revolution and current American dynamics, and see similarities between MAGA and what's called 'the China Dream.'Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Recently a few hundred people gathered at a Damascus hotel to discuss how to jump-start Syria's tech industry. That sector was basically non-existent during Syria's long civil war. Our correspondent attended the conference and met a young man who fled Syria during the civil war and now is a graduate student at Stanford. His journey illustrates both the possibilities and challenges that lie ahead for Syria.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The two month ceasefire in Gaza has come to an end with Israel conducting airstrikes, killing five Hamas officials along with over 400 others, including many children. The Israeli military has also restarted ground operations in Gaza, sending troops back to areas they had withdrawn from. They say they want Hamas to agree to a new ceasefire deal and release more hostages. But many Israelis are opposed to this return to war. We hear what this resumption of fighting sounds like in Gaza from our producer there. Warning, this episode contains graphic descriptions of war.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia held a lengthy phone call on Tuesday to discuss a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. This is part of Trump's efforts to end the Russia's war in Ukraine and while he didn't get a ceasefire agreement, some progress was made. We hear the latest. And in Ukraine, people are watching these and other developments with concern, skepticism, and with dark humor.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In Germany's national elections a few weeks ago, one statistic stood out to our Berlin-based correspondent: almost half of young German voters cast their ballot for either the far-right or far-left parties. And the divide between extreme left and extreme right in young people seems to fall along gender lines. We try to find out why it seems the youth in Germany are moving to the extremes.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In Syria about a decade ago, while the Assad regime was focused on crushing an uprising that challenged its rule, it faced a problem. It had too many children in detention, who had been swept up when their mothers were arrested. An NPR investigation has found that hundreds of children were separated from family and placed in orphanages around Damascus by government intelligence agents. They ordered the orphanages to keep this a secret. Now that the Assad regime has fallen, families are searching the Syrian capital for their missing children. We go to Damascus to learn more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Trump has derided aid the U.S. provides overseas as rife with fraud. His administration has moved aggressively to eliminate such funding including cancelling contracts already in progress. This is all being challenged in court but the effects are being felt acutely by those providing the aid on the ground in foreign countries. We hear from three providers in Africa.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy