State of the World from NPR

State of the World from NPR

Immerse yourself in the most compelling and consequential stories from around the globe. The world is changing in big ways every day. State of the World from NPR takes you where the news is happening — and explains why it matters. With bureaus spanning the globe, NPR reporters bring you facts and context from the ground so you can cut through the noise of disinformation. NPR's State of the World, a human perspective on global stories in just a few minutes, every weekday. State of the World was previously State of Ukraine. You'll continue to hear Ukraine coverage here, along with other international stories. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for State of the World.

Episodes

Count Binface runs against Reform Party’s Farage in UK election

August 11, 2026 • 5 mins
A trash-can wearing comedian is far-right Nigel Farage’s main rival in this week’s Parliamentary election in the British town of Clacton-on-Sea. Farage is the incumbent, and his campaign finances are under investigation. Polls show Farage is still likely to win, but that Count Binface — a spoof candidate who wears a garbage pail on his head — may get around 20-percent of the vote. Some say Binface’s re...
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Syria’s archaeological riches face threat of looting

August 10, 2026 • 7 mins
Curators and archaeologists risked their lives to hide and protect Syria’s cultural treasures during its civil war. Some archaeological sites still face plunder by looters.  Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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Why does Switzerland have so many nuclear bunkers?

August 7, 2026 • 7 mins
Switzerland might be thought of as the land of snow-capped alps and incredibly good chocolate. But it is also a world leader in underground nuclear bunkers with more than 370,000 of them. There are enough for each of Switzerland’s nine million citizens to be guaranteed a space in one. But why? We go to the alpine country to find out.

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The Iran war hangs over a major Shiite pilgrimage

August 6, 2026 • 5 mins
It is one of the largest gatherings of people in the world. More than 20 million Shia Muslim pilgrims gathered in the Iraqi city of Karbala this week for the annual commemoration of the 7th Century killing of a central figure of their faith. Iran is mostly Shia and this year greater numbers of Iranians participated in the pilgrimage, many say because of the killing of their modern-day religious leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wa...
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Israeli settler activity increases in the West Bank

August 5, 2026 • 8 mins
The West Bank is a Palestinian territory between Israel and Jordan that been under Israeli military occupation since 1967. For decades Israeli Jewish settlers have been creating settlements there, taking more and more of the West Bank away from Palestinians. This has the support of Israel’s far right government, which faces a possible loss of power in an October election, and that’s led to a frenzy of settlement activ...
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Why Russia’s strikes on Ukraine are more intense; Germany’s song of the summer

August 4, 2026 • 8 mins
Ukraine’s defense forces have beaten back many types of Russian attacks during more than four years of war. But recently there has been a glaring weakness in their defenses: from Russian ballistic missiles. Those kinds of attacks are repelled by U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles. Ukraine is desperately short of them and even the U.S. supplies of Patriot missiles are dwindling. We go to Kyiv to hear what the shortage me...
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Looking back at the deadly protests in Iran

August 3, 2026 • 8 mins
Seven months ago, Iran unleashed a deadly crackdown on protesters who were demanding an end to the 47-year-old theocratic regime. At least 7,000 people were confirmed killed over the course of two days, according human rights groups say, although they warn the death toll is likely closer to 20,000.  Those events were cited as one of the U.S. government’s justifications for going to war with Iran— a war that is sti...
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Abandoned island in Venice lagoon saved as green nature retreat

July 31, 2026 • 5 mins
When residents of Venice, Italy, learned that a beloved, uninhabited island was being eyed for development, they organized to save it. A year on, this citizen brigade is transforming the island of Poveglia into a rare public green space. Locals are now able to wander its newly created paths. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listen...
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Wildfires threaten France. Cubans look to Brazil for new home

July 30, 2026 • 8 mins
Firefighters have been working day and night to extinguish fires that have devoured more than 100,000 acres around Bordeaux. Cubans have historically looked to the U.S. to escape their country’s economic woes. But with legal immigration pathways to the U.S. narrowing, some Cubans are increasingly looking south — to Brazil.  Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. Th...
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United Nations’ new Ebola coordinator, and choosing a new U.N. secretary-general

July 29, 2026 • 7 mins
Veteran humanitarian official Julien Harneis will coordinate the U.N.’s response to the Ebola outbreak in central Africa. The United Nations also begins to choose its next secretary-general.

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A Zulu-language Netflix drama is a surprise global binge-watch

July 28, 2026 • 5 mins
Netflix’s The Polygamist, a Zulu-language drama from South Africa, has become a worldwide hit. The series about a wealthy family torn apart by a husband’s secret second life has drawn millions of viewers and sparked conversations far beyond the country’s borders.

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Pakistani researchers find link between the microbiome and premature birth

July 27, 2026 • 6 mins
A single bacteria in a pregnant person’s microbiome can signal whether their baby is at risk for premature birth. Lower levels of a bacteria called Prevotella copri indicated a greater chance a woman would not carry her pregnancy to full term. Researchers in Pakistan called the discovery a “Eureka moment” for them.

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Retracing the route of ancient Pacific voyagers

July 24, 2026 • 4 mins
Thousands of years ago, people left what is now Taiwan on boats to roam and settle on islands throughout the Pacific. This summer a group of Indigenous Taiwanese modern-day voyagersdecided to recreate the journey in a large rowboat from one of Taiwan’s islands all the way to the Philippines in an effort to reconnect with their ancient seafaring heritage. We go to the island where they prepare for their journey.

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In Israel, a strong challenger for political change

July 23, 2026 • 5 mins
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is facing a major political test this fall. After three years of war and growing public frustration, a former military chief is emerging as an unlikely challenger, offering voters a different vision for the country’s leadership. We look at how an outsider with deep security credentials is tapping into a desire for change — and what his rise could mean fo...
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Migrating swifts swirl in the skies of Jerusalem

July 22, 2026 • 6 mins
Swifts have nested in Jerusalem’s Western Wall since it was built over 2,000 years ago. But that ancient site is now surrounded by a modern city. And the birds are finding help adapting from an unexpected source: an Israeli paraglider.

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Pakistan’s role in brokering Iran deal; will Iranian hardliners let it happen?

July 21, 2026 • 9 mins
The U.S. and Iran have resumed striking each other for more that a week, ever since the collapse of a ceasefire deal over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan, the country that helped mediate the first ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is being asked to play the same role again. We look at how this peace role represents a remarkable turn of fortune for Pakistan.

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Great Britain gets yet another new prime minister

July 20, 2026 • 5 mins
The UK gets its seventh prime minister in the last decade. In a familiar ceremony, Keir Starmer, who was ousted by his own Labour Party tendered his resignation to King Charles at Buckingham Palace. The party’s new leader, Andy Burnham, was then given an audience with the King who invited Burnham to form a new government. We learn about Burnham, whose political career has been shaped by England’s North-South divide.
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Does control of the Strait of Hormuz set a worldwide precedent?

July 17, 2026 • 5 mins
The reasons given for the U.S. launching a war with Iran have shifted over time. But regardless of why the war started, the fighting between the U.S. and Iran is now largely over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Before the war, about a fifth of the world’s oil passed freely through the narrow international waterway. Now Iran controls the strait. We look at this threat to the freedom of navigation and whether it sets a a da...
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The U.S. track record for wars in the Middle East

July 16, 2026 • 6 mins
The United States has been at war for more than 20 of the last 25 years. Afghanistan, Iraq and now Iran. Three major conflicts, all in the same region, and none of those conflicts have gone nearly as well as U.S Presidents said they would. We look at why the U.S. is so often at war and why it is finding them so hard to win.

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Why China’s rust belt region has an outsized influence on Chinese culture

July 15, 2026 • 6 mins
China’s northeast region borders Russian Siberia and North Korea. It’s a cold, vast area known for its gritty industrial history. But now the northeast is also the source of some of the country’s most popular music, literature, comedy and culture. And it’s come to represent both nostalgia for China’s past and apprehension for the country’s economic future. 

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