World News

Buddhists pour fish into the river in Shanghai. Environmentalists say the ritual, while well-intentioned, can introduce invasive species. Many of the fish are quickly swooped up in nets by fishermen who position themselves nearby.

World News

Along Shanghai's River, Buddhist Tradition Meets Greedy Fishermen

6:49pm February 12, 2015

by Frank Langfitt

It's a scene that reflects China's competing trends: Buddhist monks release fish into Shanghai's Huangpu River to "free" them. A few yards downstream, fishermen quickly scoop them up.

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It's Up To Putin To Make Ukraine Ceasefire Stick

6:47pm February 12, 2015

Leaders from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany worked through the night to hammer out a ceasefire. Robert Siegel talks to Anne Applebaum, foreign affairs columnist for the Washington Post and Slate

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Ukraine Dominates Meeting Of E.U. Leaders In Brussels

6:26pm February 12, 2015

by Eleanor Beardsley

Thursday's summit of EU leaders in Brussels was dominated by news of a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, but other crises like Greek debt and the threat of terrorism were also on the agenda.

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German youths wave flags as they celebrate the country's reunification at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in 1990. One Russian lawmaker recently referred to West Germany's "annexation" of East Germany and said it was less legitimate than Russia's "reunific

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With New Moves, Russia's Parliament Looks To Rewrite History

4:25pm February 12, 2015

by Corey Flintoff

Russia's seizure of Crimea has been widely criticized. But what if Crimea was given away illegally to Ukraine back in 1954? Russian lawmakers are hard at work on their own version of history.

World News

European Leaders Forge Cease-Fire In Ukraine

2:10pm February 12, 2015

by Eleanor Beardsley

Leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine were in marathon talks in the capital of Belarus trying to agree to a cease-fire that would end fighting in eastern Ukraine. It goes into effect Sunday.

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Pope Francis kisses a baby as he arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, on Wednesday.

Couples Who Choose Not To Have Children Are 'Selfish,' Pope Says

2:05pm February 12, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Francis spoke of a "greedy generation" that is opting not to procreate. His remarks come less than two weeks after he said Catholics do not need to breed "like rabbits."

Residents shout slogans during a protest march against the construction of the planned interoceanic canal, in San Jorge, Nicaragua, in October.

World News

Nicaragua's New Canal Could Be Environmental Disaster, Report Says

2:05pm February 12, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Scientists believe the project, which is reportedly underway already, could destroy a million acres of rainforest and contaminate Central America's largest source of drinking water.

Migrants who survived a shipwreck are escorted as they arrive at the Lampedusa harbor on Wednesday. Some 300 others drowned in the latest such disaster triggered by people fleeing conflicts in North Africa.

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U.N. Calls On EU To Expand Rescue Of Migrants In Mediterranean

12:19pm February 12, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The High Commissioner for Refugees wants the European Union to expand its Operation Triton to intercept and rescue would-be migrants, most of them trying to reach Italy.

Secretary of State John Kerry arrives at the airport in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 5. On the way back to the U.S., Kerry's plane stopped in Boston during a snowstorm so he could see his new grandchild. Such personal stops are permitted, though they sometime

John Kerry Takes A Side Trip Into A Snowstorm

11:12am February 12, 2015

by Michele Kelemen

Secretaries of state and other top officials sometimes make personal stops while traveling on official business. It's permitted, though it sometimes raises eyebrows and questions of cost.

World News

After More Than 400 Days In Egyptian Jail, Journalists Released — For Now

10:45am February 12, 2015

by Leila Fadel

An Egyptian court released Al-Jazeera journalists Baher Mohamed and Mohamed Fahmy on bail, but their case hasn't been dismissed. For more details, David Greene speaks with NPR's Leila Fadel in Cairo.

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