World News

Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen celebrates her victory in Taipei on January 15. Voters in Taiwan elected a Beijing-skeptic president in a dramatic democratic journey, carving their own political path against China's wishes

World News

Taiwan Elects First Female President, From Pro-Independence Party

9:15am January 16, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Tsai Ing-Wen claimed victory in Taiwan's elections Saturday. Mainland China has threatened war if Taiwan declares independence, and Tsai has pledged not to provoke the island's powerful neighbor.

World News

Aid Groups Confronted With Syria's Starvation Tactics

8:27am January 16, 2016

by Michele Kelemen

The UN secretary general has describing the use of starvation by the warring sides in Syria as a "war crime." The UN met on the matter today.

Anti-Establishment MPs Shake Up Spain's New Parliament

8:27am January 16, 2016

by Lauren Frayer

The new Spanish parliament looks very different than its predecessor. The assembly now has its first black MP, a physicist who uses a wheelchair and a record number of female lawmakers.

A vendor shows a t-shirt with the face of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán for sale in Mexico City on July 20, 2015.

World News

'People Are Still Dying On The Streets' In Mexico's Drug War

8:13am January 16, 2016

Despite the well-publicized capture of drug kingpin "El Chapo," ordinary Mexicans don't think much has changed in the ongoing violence.

A giant inflatable toilet in front of U.N. headquarters marked World Toilet Day on November 19, 2014.

Check Out Every Single One Of The U.N.'s Special Days

7:00am January 16, 2016

by Vicky Hallett

March 21 is especially popular — it's got five "international days," from World Poetry Day to International Day of Forests.

You Won't Believe How Many Special Days Are On The U.N. Calendar

7:00am January 16, 2016

by Vicky Hallett

The answer: 129 (give or take). They range from serious (victims of slavery day) to seemingly silly (toilet day). Do the days really make a difference?

Emmanuel Kwame, who lost his sight to river blindness, in his cashew grove.

The Story Behind The River Blindness Story: Itching, Weeding, Snipping

7:00am January 16, 2016

by Marc Silver

NPR reporter Jason Beaubien talks about his trip to Ghana to report on river blindness — and how a farmer who lost his vision is still able to weed his garden.

A soldier stands near a hotel that was attacked by militants on Friday in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou.

World News

Suspected Al-Qaida Militants Strike Hotel In Burkina Faso

10:52pm January 15, 2016

by Laura Wagner

The gunmen attacked a hotel and a cafe in Ouagadougou, the capital of the West African nation. The foreign minister says people have died. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed responsibility.

U.S. health officials are telling pregnant women to avoid travel to Latin America and Caribbean countries with outbreaks of Zika, a tropical illness linked to birth defects.

CDC Issues Travel Warning After Explosion Of Dangerous Zika Virus

8:56pm January 15, 2016

by Laura Wagner

U.S. health officials have warned pregnant women against traveling to Latin American and Caribbean countries with outbreaks of the tropical illness which may be causing microcephaly in newborns.

Iraqi security forces and allied Sunni tribal fighters evacuate an injured woman after she was shot by the Islamic State in Ramadi on Jan. 4. Iraqi forces have pushed ISIS out of much of Ramadi, but daily fighting is still taking place in the southeast pa

World News

In Shattered Ramadi, A Weakened ISIS Fights On Behind Human Shields

8:00pm January 15, 2016

by Alice Fordham

Iraq recently celebrated a victory against the Islamic State in Ramadi, a city just 70 miles west of Baghdad. But NPR's Alice Fordham went there and found there's still heavy fighting.

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