Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, and South Sudan, which followed three years later, are both sending athletes to the Olympics for the first time.
NPR's Kelly McEvers talks to Federico Soda, director of the International Organization for Migration's Mediterranean Coordination Office, about how the number of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea has increased in the last year.
Kosovo is making its first appearance in the Olympics, sending eight athletes to the games. They are admittedly a small team but optimism and pride are strong. They have a good shot at a medal in women's judo, too.
Brexit has encouraged pro-exit movements across Europe. In Austria, only 51 percent of the people tell pollsters they want to stay in the European Union, and a new party has formed with a single goal: get out.
NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Pavel Felgenhauer, a columnist for Novaya Gazeta, about how the U.S. presidential election is being covered in Russia and how the Russian public views Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
For many French Islamist terrorists, radicalization started while serving time in French prisons. Sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar says some young Muslims see radicalism as a way to strike back at a secular society.
Confusion surrounds many Russian athletes in Rio, whose status to compete in the Olympics remains unclear. Individual sports federations are trying to determine who's eligible to compete with only days left before the games begin. Some athletes have appealed their suspensions.
After the recent attack in Nice, two Muslim sisters wanted to help the French army. What happened when they tried to volunteer says a lot about France and young French Muslims.
The Vatican says Pope Francis has asked a group of seven men and six women to study whether women should be allowed to serve as deacons within the Roman Catholic Church.