World News

Nicaragua's government clamps down on this year's Miss Universe pageant winner

9:59pm December 18, 2023

by Eyder Peralta

Nicaragua's authoritarian government has a new target for possible exile — the winner of the Miss Universe pageant — after learning she had participated in protests as a college student in 2018.

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Students evacuate from their dormitory at the Lanzhou University Yuzhong campus in Lanzhou in northwestern China's Gansu province on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, after an earthquake hit the area. At least 100 were killed in a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in northwestern China, the country's state media reported on Tuesday.

World News

Earthquake rattles western China, killing at least 111 people

9:48pm December 18, 2023

by John Ruwitch

The state news agency Xinhua said the quake had a magnitude of 6.2. It reportedly damaged water, electricity, transport, communications and other infrastructure in the mountainous region.

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National security trial for activist and publisher Jimmy Lai begins in Hong Kong

6:12pm December 18, 2023

by John Ruwitch

Hong Kong's highest-profile national security trial got under way amid tight security on Monday. It's against Jimmy Lai, a media mogul and democracy campaigner. He is all but certain to be convicted.

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COVID hurt Beijing's economy — but for some, this has been an opportunity

5:43pm December 18, 2023

by Emily Feng

China's economy still hasn't fully recovered since Beijing lifted COVID-19 restrictions a year ago. But not everyone is hurting; an effort to spur high-tech industry is yielding some winners.

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The fallout after Israeli soldiers killed three Israeli hostages

5:43pm December 18, 2023

by Carrie Kahn

Israelis are calling for accountability after soldiers shot dead three hostages being held in Gaza - with some saying it highlights tactics that are leading to unnecessary Palestinian deaths.

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Pope Francis approved: Catholic priests may now bless same-sex couples

5:43pm December 18, 2023

by Jason DeRose

Catholic priests may now bless same-sex couples, according to a declaration used by the Vatican and approved by Pope Francis. The document says these blessings are not to be considered marriage.

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Imelda Staunton on the joys and challenges of playing Queen Elizabeth II

5:43pm December 18, 2023

NPR's Scott Detrow talks with actress Imelda Staunton, who plays Queen Elizabeth II on Netflix's sweeping historical drama The Crown, which is ending its six-season run with a final batch of episodes.

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A look back at Putin's year

4:43pm December 18, 2023

by Charles Maynes

2023 began on a tough note for Russian President Putin, with his war in Ukraine stagnating and criticism from the head of the Wagner group. Now, that man is dead and Ukraine may be running out of aid.

People mourn as they collect the bodies of Palestinians killed in an airstrike on Monday in Khan Yunis, Gaza. The United Kingdom, France and Germany are the latest countries to call on Israel to reach a "sustainable truce" after more than two months of war in Gaza.

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U.S. defense secretary presses Israeli officials on protecting civilian lives in Gaza

1:30pm December 18, 2023

Lloyd Austin arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday and told officials that although U.S. support for Israel was "unshakeable," protecting civilians in Gaza was "both a moral duty and a strategic imperative."

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NPR's John Ruwitch reflects on the changing mood in China

9:32am December 18, 2023

In the first of a series of stories about China, NPR's John Ruwitch examines shifts in public perceptions about the country's economic future.

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