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World News

Russia is trying to buy weapons from North Korea, the U.S. says

7:23am August 31, 2023

NPR's Michel Martin talks to White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby about accusations Russia aims to do an arms deals with North Korea to support Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

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Italian rapper Ghali aims to save migrants from drowning in the Mediterranean

5:12am August 31, 2023

In his home country of Italy, Ghali is a major star. His parents are Tunisian, and he's working with Tunisian refugees trying to enter Italy. NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Ghali about his mission.

In side-by-side photos: Russian President Vladimir Putin listens during a meeting in Moscow, Aug. 23, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party at its headquarters in Pyongyang, North Korea, in early 2023.

U.S. says Russia has made 'shameful' moves toward new North Korea arms deals

2:39pm August 30, 2023

by Michele Kelemen

According to new U.S. intelligence, the potential agreement would allow North Korea to ship "significant quantities and multiple types" of weapons to Russia for deployment in Ukraine.

Sports

In Spain, there's a reckoning over sexism and women's sports

6:56am August 30, 2023

Spain's World Cup victory was supposed to be a moment of triumph, but it was overshadowed when the head of the country's soccer federation planted an unwanted kiss on one of the team's star players.

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Paul Whelan is seen in new video released by the Russian state-controlled outlet Russia Today.

Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia, appears in a new video

3:57pm August 29, 2023

by James Doubek

The video was released by the state-controlled outlet Russia Today. Whelan is shown in a prison uniform standing among other prisoners, operating a sewing machine and eating with others.

Relatives and soldiers mourn the death of fighter pilot Andrii "Juice" Pilshchykov, 30, during his funeral on Tuesday in Kyiv, Ukraine.

As war losses mount, Ukraine honors a veteran jet fighter pilot who died in collision

1:56pm August 29, 2023

by Brian Mann

Andrii Pilshchykov, known as "Juice," died in a training flight Friday. He was a veteran of early combat missions during Russia's invasion and later advocated for Western countries to donate F-16s.

It's time again for the contest to pick the U.K.'s tree of the year

5:12am August 29, 2023

An introduction to some of the favorites to win Tree of the Year in the U.K. The finalists have been chosen and voting runs through October.

A portrait of the late owner of private military company Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin sits at an informal memorial next to the former the group's headquarters in St. Petersburg, Russia, Aug. 24.

Latest on Ukraine: Wagner chief Prigozhin died as Russia's war turned 18 months

4:16pm August 28, 2023

by NPR Staff

Catch up on key developments and the latest in-depth coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A portrait of the owner of private military company Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin lays at an informal street memorial near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023.

World News

Russia confirms that Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in last week's plane crash

2:27pm August 27, 2023

by The Associated Press

Russia's Investigative Committee said genetic tests confirmed that the head of the mercenary force Wagner, who led a short-lived armed rebellion, and two of the group's leaders were on the plane.

Alina documented Andrii's injuries and steps in his recovery on Facebook. In the post here, she describes hearing of her husband's injuries as "the worst news of my life."

Love, war and loss: How one soldier in Ukraine hopes to be made whole again

11:17am August 27, 2023

by Dustin Jones

An artillery shell should have killed Andrii Smolenskyi in May. Instead, the blast tore off both of his arms above the elbow and destroyed his eyes. Now he's fighting to put his life back together.