World News

World News

From Space, Lights Dims In Syria As People Flee War

12:41pm December 21, 2014

A new study uses satellite images to assess the humanitarian impact of Syria's civil war. Researchers found a correlation between loss of light and loss of people — those displaced by the conflict.

Queue Listen Now

While U.S. Focuses On Sony Hack, Some Of The World Is In The Dark

6:40pm December 20, 2014

The controversy around The Interview is a top story in the U.S., but those in North Korea have no knowledge of the film. NPR's Arun Rath talks with Washington Post Tokyo bureau chief Anna Fifield.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Latest Attack In Pakistan Could Change How The Country Deals With Militants

6:40pm December 20, 2014

The brutal killing of more than 130 children by the Taliban in Pakistan shocked the world this week. The Guardian newspaper's Jon Boone tells NPR's Arun Rath that this could be a watershed.

Queue Listen Now

World News

What Do Cubans Think Of Renewed U.S. Relations?

6:40pm December 20, 2014

After President Obama's announcement of dramatic changes to U.S. relations with Cuba, NPR's Arun Rath speaks with correspondent Carrie Kahn in Havana about how that country has reacted to the news.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Renewed U.S.-Cuba Ties Could Mean Big Things For Cigar Market

6:40pm December 20, 2014

As the U.S. opens up to Cuban exports, David Savona of Cigar Aficionado magazine tells NPR's Arun Rath how it will affect the market for Cuban cigars.

Queue Listen Now

A banner for The Interview is posted outside Arclight Cinemas, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on Wednesday. The theatrical release of the film has been cancelled following cyber attacks and threats believed to originate in North Korea.

North Korea Has An Interesting Offer. And Another Threat

4:34pm December 20, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The secretive regime denies any involvement with the Sony Pictures hack and says the U.S. must allow it to help find the real culprit. Or else.

Cuban President Raul Castro (left) talks to his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro at a summit in Havana on Oct. 20. The two countries are close allies that have been highly critical of the U.S. But with the U.S. and Cuba now planning closer ties, Cuba

In Latin America, Not Everyone Is Thrilled With The U.S.-Cuba Thaw

4:11pm December 20, 2014

by John Otis

Cuba and Venezuela are close allies that often seemed to speak with a single voice when it came to bashing the U.S. But now they may be out of sync.

Queue Listen Now

Tourism Industry Gears Up For Lifting Of Cuban Travel Ban

4:11pm December 20, 2014

by Yuki Noguchi

Obama says normalizing ties with Cuba will eventually mean relaxing rules on travel to Cuba. It may take some time for the new rules to take effect but travel agents are already getting phone calls.

Queue Listen Now

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks in front of the map of the Russian Federation, with Crimea on the left of the map, during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday. The Kremlin has responded angrily to the latest round of U.S.-EU s

Russia Says It Won't 'Cave In' To New Western Sanctions

3:30pm December 20, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The reaction comes after President Obama signed an executive order on Friday slapping economic sanctions on Crimea, a day after the EU approved similar measures.

The entrance to Camp 5 and Camp 6 at the U.S. military's Guantanamo Bay detention center at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, in a photograph taken earlier this year.

4 Gitmo Prisoners Released For Return To Afghanistan

2:02pm December 20, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The inmates were sent home on a request from the new Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani. It is the latest in a series of moves to draw down the prison population by sending prisoners abroad.