Europe

William Taylor, former United States ambassador to Ukraine, speaks in front of the Lincoln Memorial on February 20, 2022 in Washington, D.C.

World News

Ex-U.S. ambassador says Poland's gesture toward Ukraine might encourage other allies

4:40pm March 17, 2023

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks to William Taylor, ex-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, about Poland's decision to provide MiG-29s to Ukraine. It may signal new urgency by allies to try to end Russia's invasion.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto shake hands during a welcome ceremony at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, on Friday.

World News

Turkey says it will ratify Finland's bid to join NATO

1:54pm March 17, 2023

"NATO will become stronger with Finland's membership and thus, I believe, will play an active role in maintaining global security and stability," Turkey's president said Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a photograph during their meeting in Beijing, on Feb. 4, 2022

World News

China's leader Xi Jinping will meet with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week

8:34am March 17, 2023

by Charles Maynes

Moscow said the long-anticipated visit is coming at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin. The talks are expected to focus on the war in Ukraine, though it wasn't mentioned explicitly.

In a screen grab of a video clip released by the U.S. Defense Department's European Command, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet flies near a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone, spraying it with what appears to be jet fuel, on Mar. 14 over the Black Sea.

World News

Russia awards pilots involved in confrontation with a U.S. drone over Black Sea

8:21am March 17, 2023

by Charles Maynes

The United States accused Russia of an "unsafe" and "unprofessional" intercept of its MQ-9 Reaper surveillance drone that forced it to be brought down over the Black Sea this week

France's government faces a no-confidence vote after Macron raises retirement age

7:21am March 17, 2023

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to reporter Lisa Bryant in Paris about French president Macron pushing through his pension plan overhaul without a full vote in parliament. Could outrage cost him his job?

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Economy

Morning news brief

6:29am March 17, 2023

Big banks contribute $30 billion to rescue First Republic Bank. France's president bypasses parliament to institute pension reform. Seven Virginia sheriff's deputies face murder charges.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sept. 15, 2022.

World News

China leader Xi Jinping to visit Moscow in show of support for Vladimir Putin

4:50am March 17, 2023

by The Associated Press

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba that Beijing is concerned about the year-old conflict spinning out of control and urged talks on a political solution.

A Russian Su-27 fighter jet releases fuel as it approaches the rear of a U.S. Air Force MQ-9, in what the Pentagon says was "an unsafe and unprofessional intercept" over the Black Sea.

The U.S. military releases footage of Black Sea drone crash with Russian jet

5:02pm March 16, 2023

by Emily Olson

The 42-second video comes two days after the Pentagon accused a Russian aircraft of colliding with an uncrewed MQ-9 Reaper drone. The Kremlin has denied that it intentionally downed the vehicle.

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Students shout slogans during a demonstration against the government's plan to raise the retirement age to 64 in Paris on Thursday. French President Emmanuel Macron has shunned parliament and opted to push through a highly unpopular bill that would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 by triggering a special constitutional power.

World News

Macron puts his government at risk with decision to raise the retirement age in France

2:13pm March 16, 2023

by The Associated Press

France's president pushed through the controversial bill via a special constitutional power. The move, which will raise the retirement age to 64 from 62, is expected to trigger a no-confidence motion.

MIG-29 fighter jets of the Polish Air Force take part in a NATO shielding exercise at the Lask Air Base on Oct. 12, 2022, in Lask, Poland.

World News

Poland will send fighter jets to Ukraine, the first NATO country to do so

1:36pm March 16, 2023

Ukraine has long sought fighter jets, though these are old Soviet-made MiG-29s and not the more advanced Western warplanes that Kyiv covets.