World Story of the Day

China's President Xi Jinping, shown speaking in Bruges, Belgium, back in April, has made fighting corruption one of his top priorities. Many Chinese bureaucrats are angry, saying a loss of bribes has greatly reduced their incomes.

World News

China's Fierce Anti-Corruption Crackdown: An Insider's View

1:51pm December 30, 2014

by Frank Langfitt

China's president has pushed hard to combat corruption. But he's meeting resistance from some bureaucrats who say their incomes have fallen because bribes are less common.

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Children gather outside the El Transito synagogue and Sephardic Museum in Toledo, Spain. Founded in 1357, the synagogue was converted into a church following the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492. Spain is now preparing to pass a law that would allow d

World News

After 522 Years, Spain Seeks To Make Amends For Expulsion Of Jews

9:21am December 30, 2014

by Emily Harris

Spain's monarchy decimated the Jewish population by expelling, killing or forcibly converting Jews in 1492. Now the country may offer their descendants Spanish citizenship.

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Thalidomide Victims In Spain Still Waiting For Compensation

11:07am December 28, 2014

by Lauren Frayer

Five decades on, the battle for justice over birth defects caused by the drug thalidomide continues in only one European country. Victims in Spain are the only ones still left without compensation.

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Klaus Iohannis was an underdog who was the surprise winner of Romania's presidential runoff election last month. He was sworn into office on Dec. 21 with a promise to crackdown on corruption, a chronic problem in Romania.

World News

Long Plagued By Corruption, Romania Seeks To Make A Fresh Start

11:10am December 27, 2014

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

The country has suffered from graft and poverty since the fall of communism 25 years ago. Can a new president and an anti-corruption crusader make a difference?

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Sarah Bajc's partner, Philip Wood, disappeared along with Flight MH370. "The issuance of the death certificate is an emotional thing," she says, "because we're not convinced that they're dead."

A Vanished Jetliner Still Haunts Families Of The Missing

12:35pm December 24, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

Months after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared from radar screens, families of the lost passengers and crew struggle to cope. Many are unwilling to declare their loved ones dead.

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Los Aldeanos' Aldo Rodriguez (left) and El B.

What A Failed Hip-Hop Experiment Can Teach Us About The Future Of U.S.-Cuba Relations

11:55am December 23, 2014

A report suggests that USAID infiltrated Cuba's nascent hip-hop scene several years ago. Now that Cuba-U.S. relations have officially begun to thaw, what is the future of programs like these?

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Wolf celebrated Hanukkah in the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the West Bank last year. As the holiday approached, she felt lonely, until her Palestinian host mother and a few neighbors came to watch her light candles on her portable tin menorah and hear

World News

Celebrating Hanukkah In A Palestinian City

8:56am December 23, 2014

by Emily Harris

American Jewish college student Amelia Wolf spent Hanukkah last year in Ramallah. As the holiday approached, she was lonely — until her Palestinian hosts got wind of how she was feeling.

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In 1959, Fidel Castro imposed a law forbidding the import of foreign cars, so many Cubans drive and maintain older models.

World News

Despite Its Beauty, Cuba Isn't Quite Ready For Tourists

11:39am December 20, 2014

by Scott Simon

When NPR's Scott Simon has visited Cuba, he saw two economies — one for tourists and one for residents. He reflects on whether the thaw between the U.S. and Cuba can really transform that country.

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The two candidates in Sunday's runoff presidential election are incumbent Moncef Marzouki (left), who has been serving on an interim basis, and Beji Caid Essebsi, 88, who held posts in the old regime that was ousted in 2011.

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With A Presidential Vote, Tunisia Seeks A Peaceful Transition

8:32pm December 19, 2014

by Leila Fadel

Tunisia launched the Arab uprisings four years ago when it ousted a dictator. Sunday's presidential election heralds the country's steady, but not-yet-guaranteed progress.

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The Islamist group Hamas, shown here in a rally in the Gaza Strip on Dec. 12, is the strongest faction in the Gaza Strip. The Islamic State, or ISIS, is not believed to be in the territory, though fliers purporting to be from the group have circulated in

World News

In Gaza, The Specter Of ISIS Proves Useful To Both Sides

9:15pm December 17, 2014

by Emily Harris

The Islamic State is not believed to be in the Gaza Strip. But a flier in its name was recently sent around the territory. Both Israel and Hamas are trying to use it to their advantage.

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