World News

World News

Deadly Johannesburg building fire brings attention to housing operations run by gangs

5:28pm August 31, 2023

by Kate Bartlett

A deadly fire in an apartment block in Johannesburg, South Africa, has raised questions about the grip of gangs who illegally occupy and sell off space in empty buildings with squalid conditions.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Millions of bees fell off a truck in Ontario. Local beekeepers jumped in to help

5:28pm August 31, 2023

Millions of bees spilled onto an Ontario highway Wednesday. Beekeepers sprung into action. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with one of the beekeepers, Mike Barber of Tri-City Bee Rescue, about the effort.

Queue Listen Now

World News

What we know about the arson attacks in Russia

5:12pm August 31, 2023

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Mika Golubovsky, the English language editor for Mediazona, about the arson attacks in which Russians have been trying to set recruitment offices on fire.

Queue Listen Now

A view of the images portraying victims of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship projected onto the La Moneda Presidential Palace to mark the commemoration of the International Day of the Disappeared in Santiago, Chile, on Wednesday.

World News

Chile will search for 1,000+ victims of forced disappearance by Pinochet dictatorship

3:03pm August 31, 2023

by Carrie Kahn

It is the first time the Chilean government will lead the search for victims, something which victims' relatives and advocates have long carried out themselves and have sought help from the army.

Firefighters work on the scene of a deadly blaze in downtown Johannesburg on Thursday.

World News

A building fire in Johannesburg kills at least 74, many homeless, authorities say

1:41pm August 31, 2023

by The Associated Press

At least 12 of those killed were children. Some people threw babies out of third-story windows to others waiting below in the desperate scramble to evacuate, witnesses said.

World News

Saudi man sentenced to death for tweets in harshest verdict yet for online critics

12:07pm August 31, 2023

by Aya Batrawy

A retired teacher in Saudi Arabia a death sentence for his tweets criticizing the country's leadership to just a handful of followers, according to rights advocates and his family.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Russia is trying to buy weapons from North Korea, the U.S. says

7:23am August 31, 2023

NPR's Michel Martin talks to White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby about accusations Russia aims to do an arms deals with North Korea to support Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Queue Listen Now

Italian rapper Ghali aims to save migrants from drowning in the Mediterranean

5:12am August 31, 2023

In his home country of Italy, Ghali is a major star. His parents are Tunisian, and he's working with Tunisian refugees trying to enter Italy. NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Ghali about his mission.

People swim and sunbathe on a reopened beach at the Black Sea on Aug. 22 in Odesa. When missiles and drone attacks first hit the city — and Russian naval vessels started laying explosive sea mines around the port — the beaches were closed. Warning signs urged people to keep their distance.

World News

Odesa beaches reopen, offering Ukrainians a respite from war

5:01am August 31, 2023

by Brian Mann

Beaches on the Black Sea that closed after Russia's invasion have reopened. People say swimming and sunbathing are ways to find a taste of normal life, even while under threat from Moscow.

Queue Listen Now

Beekeeper Mike Osborne uses his hand to look for the queen bee as he removes bees from a car after a truck carrying bee hives swerved, causing the hives to fall and release bees in Burlington, Ontario, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.

World News

5 million bees fall off a truck near Toronto and drivers are asked to close windows

2:00am August 31, 2023

by The Associated Press

Police west of Toronto on Wednesday warned drivers to keep their car windows closed after a truck spilled crates carrying five million bees onto a road.