World News

World News

Congolese head to the polls to elect their next president

5:42am December 20, 2023

Millions of Congolese will vote for a new president Wednesday, with hopes for a peaceful election. The Democratic Republic of Congo has vast mineral wealth, but is impacted by poverty and conflict.

World News

Some leaving China as political controls tighten and job prospects wane

5:42am December 20, 2023

by Anthony Kuhn

"Run philosophy" became a popular internet buzzword in recent years as political controls tighten and job prospects in China wane. Hear from some people now in Tokyo who recently fled China.

A woman looks for her name at a voting station in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

World News

Voting for president in Congo begins as fears persist over safety, credible election

3:20am December 20, 2023

by The Associated Press

Some 44 million people — almost half the population — were expected to vote, but many, including several million displaced by conflict in the vast country's east, could struggle to cast their ballots.

Looking for an eco-friendly substitute for wrapping paper? Consider furoshiki

7:19pm December 19, 2023

by Megan Jamerson

Furoshiki, the Japanese tradition of wrapping objects in cloth to cover or transport them, is becoming more popular as a more eco-friendly way to wrap presents without wasting paper.

Queue Listen Now

The U.S. is joining a taskforce to protect ships from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea

5:58pm December 19, 2023

The U.S. will be part of a task force to protect ships in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks launched from Yemen. The threat has forced some shipping companies to avoid the area altogether.

Queue Listen Now

How Arab-Jewish communities are coping with the war in Gaza

5:58pm December 19, 2023

by Eleanor Beardsley

Mixed, Arab-Jewish communities are a rarity in Israel. And since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza, they've been under pressure.

Queue Listen Now

World News

The uncomfortable hidden truths about cheap cashmere

4:49pm December 19, 2023

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Ginger Allington, landscape ecologist and assistant professor at Cornell, about unsustainable practices used in producing cheap cashmere.

Queue Listen Now

Senate continues to work on immigration and foreign aid deal

4:49pm December 19, 2023

Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado discusses ongoing negations about immigration reform and border funding.

Queue Listen Now

A picture taken from from the southern Lebanese village of Tayr Harfa, near the border with Israel, shows smoke billowing near an Israeli outpost from rockets fired by Hezbollah on Dec. 15.

World News

Why Hezbollah and Israel haven't plunged into all-out war

12:58pm December 19, 2023

by Jane Arraf

The Iran-backed Lebanese militia and Israeli forces have been fighting across their border since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, but analysts say they want to avoid a war.

Queue Listen Now

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin makes a joint statement with Israel Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, after their meeting about Israel's military operation in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023.

Pentagon announces new international maritime protection force for the Red Sea

5:19am December 19, 2023

by The Associated Press

The U.S. and other nations are creating a force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced.