World News

World News

Pakistani Forces Gain Control Of University After Gunmen Attack

6:03pm January 20, 2016

Gunmen attacked a university in Charsadda, Pakistan, killing at least 20 people. Steve Inskeep talks to Jonathan Boone, a reporter with The Guardian. Charsadda has been the scene of previous attacks.

Queue Listen Now

This combination of two satellite images provided by DigitalGlobe, taken on March 31, 2011 (top), and Sept. 28, 2014, shows the site of the Christian monastery known as St. Elijah's, or Dair Mar Elia.

Aerial Images Show Destruction Of Ancient Christian Monastery In Iraq

4:26pm January 20, 2016

by Laura Wagner

The new images obtained by The Associated Press show the site of St. Elijah's Monastery in the ISIS-held city of Mosul. ISIS likely destroyed the monastery in the fall of 2014.

A child gold miner in Watsa, northeastern Congo. 2004

Today's Slaves Often Work For Enterprises That Destroy The Environment

3:22pm January 20, 2016

Kevin Bales' book, Blood and Earth, explains why slavery in the world's lawless zones is essential to operate mines that pose a grave threat to the environment.

Queue Listen Now

Russian Orthodox believers swim in frigid water at a pond outside St. Petersburg in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. Warmly dressed emergency medical technicians stand by in case anyone is overcome by the cold.

In Russia, Epiphany Comes With A Shockingly Cold Swim

2:35pm January 20, 2016

by Corey Flintoff

To celebrate the feast of Epiphany marking the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, thousands of Russian Orthodox faithful take a dip in icy waters. How does it feel? "Absolutely good," one man says.

Queue Listen Now

Despite Slower Growth, China's Economy Is Undergoing Major Changes

2:29pm January 20, 2016

NPR's Robert Siegel interviews Yukon Huang, senior associate in the Asia program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about how China's economy is changing.

Queue Listen Now

World News

European Pirate Radio Network Broadcasts Alternative To Syria's State Media

2:23pm January 20, 2016

by Esme Nicholson

A non-profit organization in Berlin has invented a small portable transmitter that can download satellite signals and rebroadcast them on FM for Syrians to listen to on their car or household radios.

Queue Listen Now

World News

In France, Pamela Anderson Takes On Foie Gras Debate

2:21pm January 20, 2016

by Eleanor Beardsley

French rules about the welfare of most farm animals are usually much stricter than in the U.S. But they seem to have a blind spot about geese, and the process used to create their beloved foie gras.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Amnesty Report: Child Labor Used To Gather Minerals For Gadget Batteries

2:16pm January 20, 2016

by Gregory Warner

Amnesty International says that Apple, Samsun and Sony are failing to do basic checks to make sure that minerals in their products are not mined by children in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Queue Listen Now

Flames that engulfed Dubai's Address Downtown hotel on New Year's Eve were caused by an electrical short, forensics experts said Wednesday.

World News

Fire At Dubai High-Rise Is Blamed On Electrical Issue In Spotlight

12:20pm January 20, 2016

by Bill Chappell

No deaths were caused by the New Year's Eve fire. The short-circuit occurred in a bright light that's used to illuminate the hotel's exterior, police say.

U.S. troops from the 82nd Airborne receive rifles in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in 1982. For decades, U.S. troops have been part of the multinational peacekeeping force in the Sinai Peninsula designed to ensure the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. Whil

A Place Where U.S. Troops Are Very Close To ISIS

11:51am January 20, 2016

by Tom Bowman

U.S. peacekeeping troops have been based for decades in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, where the greatest danger was often sunburn. But with extremists now nearby, the mission has become far riskier.