World

World News

When A Language Dies, What Happens To Culture?

1:49pm June 18, 2013

Nearly half of the 7,000 languages spoken in the world are expected to vanish in the next 100 years. One of them is Athabaskan, a language of the Siletz tribe in the Pacific Northwest. Bud Lane, vice chairman of Siletz tribal council, explains the importance of language diversity.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Is Big Change Ahead In Iran? A Biography Of The President-Elect

8:56am June 18, 2013

Iranians elected Hasan Rowhani, a reformist-backed cleric, as president — a surprise to many who expected an ultraconservative candidate to win. Former NPR foreign correspondent Mike Shuster provides analysis, and responds to opinion pieces about what has changed after the election.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Pakistan's New Government Faces Country Awash With Conflict

5:42am June 18, 2013

by Philip Reeves

A new government started work in Pakistan this month. It faces a country awash with conflict. To get a sense of how serious this is, NPR's Philip Reeves focused on a 48-hour period. He chose this past weekend.

Queue Listen Now

The Deserters is Charles Glass' second book relating to World War II. His last book, Americans in Paris, told the story of the U.S. citizens who remained in the French capital after the 1940 German invasion.

WWII 'Deserters': Stories Of Men Who Left The Front Lines

5:11pm June 17, 2013

In his new book, journalist Charles Glass explores the little-known history of thousands of American and British soldiers who deserted during World War II. Glass describes how the strain of war can push a soldier to the breaking point — and how the line between courage and cowardice is never simple.

Queue Listen Now

Oxfam charity volunteers wear masks depicting G-8 leaders President Obama and German Chancellor Merkel around a large caldron to draw attention to the issue of world hunger in Northern Ireland on Sunday. G-8 leaders are gathering there for an annual summi

Obama Begins European Trip With G-8 Summit In Ireland

1:23pm June 17, 2013

by Scott Horsley

Syria's civil war is expected to be a central issue as the U.S. president meets with the world's other major powers. Obama's decision last week to send weapons to the Syrian rebels is supported by Britain and France, but not by Russia.

Queue Listen Now

Poor Economy Encourages Scientists To Leave Spain

1:13pm June 17, 2013

by Lauren Frayer

More than 40,000 scientists in Spain have signed a petition calling on their government to freeze budget cuts blamed for an exodus of the country's best and brightest researchers. As the Spanish government struggles to avoid a bailout, it has cut the number of university jobs and research grants.

Queue Listen Now

World News

U.S. War Planes Participate In Exercises In Jordan

1:13pm June 17, 2013

by Deborah Amos

Jordan is hosting major military exercises known as Eager Lion 2013. More than 15,000 soldiers from 18 countries, including the U.S., will be participating. The war games kicked off as Syria's civil war rages next door.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Turkish Security Forces Arrest Hundreds Of Protesters

1:13pm June 17, 2013

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan drew hundreds of thousands supporters to Taksim Square, where he celebrated the successful eviction of protestors by riot police using teargas and water cannons. Unions have called for a national strike to protest Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian rule.

Queue Listen Now

American-Israeli solar entrepreneur Yosef Abramowitz, aka Captain Sunshine, speaks during a rally of electric car owners in Israel.

Can Captain Sunshine Save The Israeli Electric Car Dream?

8:19am June 16, 2013

by Emily Harris

The electric car company Better Place failed to build the dream it had designed. Its bankruptcy left tech-watchers worried about the stain on the country, which is proud of its image as a startup hotbed. But there may be a savior in the wings.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Syrian Government Limits Humanitarian Aid To Qusair

8:18am June 16, 2013

The last remaining areas of the embattled Syrian town of Qusair fell to government forces and fighters from the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah over the weekend. The main concern now is what's happening to the civilians.

Queue Listen Now