Asia

Goi Chee Kong shows a picture of his son Goi Zhen Feng, who died after falling prey to human trafficking, during a press conference in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, on Sept. 21, 2022. Goi said he believed his 23-year-old son was forced to work for groups involved in online scams.

World News

Online scamming industry includes more human trafficking victims, Interpol says

7:47am December 10, 2023

by Juliana Kim

Cyberfraud is considered human trafficking's newest form of exploitation, according to the global crime-fighting organization. Victims are largely found in Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Zone G in a quarantine center turned housing units. The complex is divided into nine zones, named after letters from A to L, a design that was meant to make quarantine management convenient. Inside each window of the building is a 190-square-foot studio, equipped with a bed, a sofa and a bathroom.

A year after lifting COVID rules, China is turning quarantine centers into apartments

7:25am December 09, 2023

by Emily Feng

Dozens of makeshift centers were built and now stand empty. Now authorities want to revive a stagnating economy and attract young workers to cities by turning the structures into affordable housing.

Queue Listen Now

Beijing tightens its political grip on Hong Kong

5:09am December 08, 2023

by Emily Feng

An escaped activist, a jailed protestor and a missing journalist: Here is what has been happening in Hong Kong this week — as Beijing furthers its control in the region.

Chinese cities are turning quarantine centers into affordable housing for workers

6:27pm December 07, 2023

by Emily Feng

Chinese cities are turning quarantine centers built during the pandemic into affordable housing units for young workers — an attempt to help those who struggle in the current economic slowdown.

Queue Listen Now

Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who portrayed U.S. theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, poses on the red carpet upon arrival for the U.K. premiere of Oppenheimer in central London on July 13.

World News

'Oppenheimer' will screen in Japan in 2024, distributors say

8:07am December 07, 2023

by Anthony Kuhn

The decision to release the movie profiling the American scientist follows criticism that the film largely ignored the impact of the bombings that killed more than 200,000 people in Japan.

China turns quarantine centers into apartments — a year after lifting COVID rules

6:58am December 07, 2023

by Emily Feng

Dozens of makeshift centers were built but stand empty. Officials want to revive a stagnating economy and attract young workers to cities by turning the structures into affordable housing.

Queue Listen Now

A man watches a television screen showing a news broadcast with a picture of North Korea's latest satellite-carrying rocket launch, at a railway station in Seoul on Nov. 22.

World News

What North Korea's shift toward Russia means for its global strategy

5:00am December 07, 2023

by Anthony Kuhn

Since the collapse of nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington in 2019, analysts see a major shift in North Korea's foreign relations. It has turned increasingly to Moscow.

Queue Listen Now

A pedestrian walks along the roadside amid heavy smoggy conditions in New Delhi. Delhi is considered the world's most polluted megacity, with a melange of factory and vehicle emissions exacerbated by seasonal agricultural fires.

Can anything stop the toxic smog of New Delhi?

4:03pm December 05, 2023

It's, considered the world's most polluted megacity. The air is so bad that a new report estimates that on average each resident loses 12 years of life. Here's what they're doing about it.

Queue Listen Now

President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together after meeting in November.

The U.S. supports China's growth if it 'plays by the rules,' commerce secretary says

9:10am December 05, 2023

China's president says success for the U.S. and China can be mutually beneficial. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says that the reality is a bit more complicated than that.

Queue Listen Now

A salvo of rockets is fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza toward Israel on Oct. 10. Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel started Oct. 7. A senior Hamas official told NPR that its planning was kept a close secret.

World News

These were NPR.org's biggest international stories in 2023

5:08am December 05, 2023

by John Helton

Hamas' attack in Israel and the war that followed and the stalemate in Ukraine were our biggest international stories in 2023, but we also found some wonder around the world.