Europe

Spanish Musician Played Saxophone During Brain Surgery

6:59am December 21, 2015

When Carlos Aguilera had brain surgery to remove a tumor he was awake and playing his sax. Performing during brain surgery allowed doctors to make sure his ability to play stayed intact.

Queue Listen Now

Members of Berlin's recently formed Begegnungschor Choir (Getting To Know You Choir) rehearse. The 50-person choir is made up equally of Germans and asylum seekers, who are from Syria and Eritrea.

World News

Germans, Migrants Share A Choir Where The Singing Is Secondary

8:53am December 20, 2015

by Esme Nicholson

Berliners and migrants are getting to know each other through popular songs from Germany, Syria and Eritrea. Every German interested in joining must bring an asylum-seeker with them.

Queue Listen Now

"Away with the bourgeois tree," reads the illustration, which was originally published in the newspaper "Worker of the Urals," in December 1930.

World News

Don't Call It A Christmas Tree: How Russia's 'Yolka' Survived The Revolution

2:56pm December 19, 2015

by Deena Prichep

When the Soviet Union rejected religion, it ditched Christmas, too — but kept the tree. Nowadays, many Russian Jews continue the yolka (New Year tree) tradition, though they've taken it to America.

Queue Listen Now

Carlos Aguilera recently discussed how he played the saxophone during surgery to remove a brain tumor at Regional Hospital of Malaga, in Andalusia, Spain.

Brain Surgery Serenade: Man Plays Saxophone During Tumor Removal

8:57am December 19, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Partially sedated, Spanish musician Carlos Aguilera played "Misty" and read sheet music to help neurosurgeoons preserve his talents.

World News

New U.S.-Russia Resolution Outlines ISIS Strategy

8:04am December 19, 2015

The U.N. Security Council approved a U.S.-Russia resolution outlining a strategy to defeat ISIS and end the conflict in Syria. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with former national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski.

An Iraqi man disembarks from a dinghy on a beach after his trip with other refugees and migrants from the Turkish coast to the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos on Friday.

World News

U.N. Says 2015 Forcible Displacement Figures Likely To Break All Past Records

8:41pm December 18, 2015

by Merrit Kennedy

A new study from the U.N.'s refugee agency says the number of forcibly displaced people globally is likely to top 60 million in 2015.

Queue Listen Now

If you're heading to China, check out the list of recommended vaccines. And be careful on that ice!

If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Mumps: Medical Tips For Year-End Travelers

3:46pm December 18, 2015

by Fran Kritz

Winter travelers need to think about measles, mumps, polio and bug repellents.

Ricardo Robleño Llorente and his wife, Laura Silva Kirkpatrick, show their college degrees at home in Madrid. Even though they have two bachelor's degrees and a master's between them, they were unable to find permanent work through most of their 20s, dur

World News

Spain's Economy Is Expanding, But Most New Jobs Are Temporary

3:21pm December 18, 2015

by Lauren Frayer

For a generation of young Spaniards, temporary employment has become the new normal. As voters head to the polls on Sunday, many are wondering if that should really count as recovery.

Queue Listen Now

World News

EU Migrants Are The Latest To Feel London's Nativist Backlash

1:47pm December 18, 2015

by Peter Kenyon

Waves of newcomers have transformed London over the centuries. The East End of London has hosted migrants, and people in each wave were at first rejected before they were accepted and assimilated.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Greece Concerned With EU's Latest Proposal To Deal With Migrants

1:38pm December 18, 2015

by Joanna Kakissis

Greece and the EU are in a blame game over responsibility for handling the flood of migrants into the country. Even with more EU help, Greek authorities are relying on volunteers to help save lives.

Queue Listen Now