Asia

President Biden speaks at the White House on Sept. 6. He's scheduled to leave this week on a trip to India and Vietnam.

Biden is off to India and Vietnam. It's part of his push to counter China's influence

5:30am September 07, 2023

by Asma Khalid

President Biden is using the G20 summit to push for a bigger, better World Bank as an alternative to China's massive lending programs, which have left some low-income countries with massive debt.

Queue Listen Now

G20 invitations raise question dating back centuries: India or Bharat?

5:11am September 07, 2023

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Suhasini Haidar of the Indian newspaper The Hindu, about Prime Minister Modi's government using a Sanskrit word to replace the name India on the G20 invitation.

An HII-A rocket blasts off from the launch pad at Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima, southern Japan Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023.

World News

Japan launches rocket carrying an X-ray telescope to explore the origins of universe

2:47am September 07, 2023

by The Associated Press

The telescope will measure the speed and makeup of what lies between galaxies, information to help study how celestial objects were formed.

NPR's new podcast 'Love Commandos' tells the story of a Bollywood kind of love

4:58pm September 06, 2023

by Lauren Frayer

The Hindi-language film industry is famous for romantic comedies filled with singing and dancing. Sometimes, Bollywood films are more than pure entertainment — they can offer a blueprint for love.

Leaders of North Korea and Russia may meet to discuss an arms deal

5:57am September 06, 2023

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un will reportedly travel to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin over a possible weapons agreement, after talks with the U.S. faltered.

Politics & Government

Much of Biden's upcoming trip to Asia will focus on countering China's influence

5:10am September 06, 2023

by Asma Khalid

At the G20 this week, President Biden wants to beef up the World Bank as a way to counter China's Belt and Road initiative. But it's tricky, because China is a key part of the World Bank.

Morning news brief

5:09am September 06, 2023

Secretary of State Blinken is in Kyiv. President Biden will head to Asia for the G20 summit in India and a stop in Vietnam. Ex-Proud Boys leader is sentenced to 22 years in prison for Jan. 6 riot.

How a man's sorrowful public piano song helped console many in China

5:55pm September 05, 2023

by John Ruwitch

In a country where open expressions of sorrow can be interpreted as political, Peng Haitao's piano performance in public strikes a chord with many in China.

India's lunar mission reaches a successful conclusion

4:31pm September 05, 2023

by Geoff Brumfiel

India's lunar mission went into sleep mode on Monday following two weeks of exploration on the Moon. The landing near the Lunar South Pole marks a major milestone for the nation's space program.

Queue Listen Now

Chinese authorities released this image of damage done to the Great Wall in Shanxi province.

World News

Chinese construction workers accused of plowing a hole through the Great Wall

11:00am September 05, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

The pair, who were working on a local construction project, drove an excavator through a portion of the wall. They have been charged with destroying a cultural relic, China Daily reported.