No deaths were caused by the New Year's Eve fire. The short-circuit occurred in a bright light that's used to illuminate the hotel's exterior, police say.
U.S. peacekeeping troops have been based for decades in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, where the greatest danger was often sunburn. But with extremists now nearby, the mission has become far riskier.
Gunmen stormed a university campus, killing more than a dozen people. The attack triggered a gunbattle with police and army troops. The four attackers reportedly died in the attack.
China's annual growth dipped to 6.9 percent. Not since China faced international sanctions over the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has its economy grown at such a slow pace.
Thousands of Syrians have been trapped by fighting for months. Steve Inskeep talks to Elizabeth Hoff, a World Health Organization representative, about the ongoing health crisis in besieged cities.
With sanctions lifting, Iran is open for trade again. You might not realize we've been consuming the fruits of trade with Persians for centuries — in the names used for many common foods.
The government of India's capital New Delhi tried an odd-even scheme for cars to curb growing air pollution. But now it says it is placing the scheme on hold for a number of months.
Starvation has been a weapon of war for multiple parties in the conflict. Even in areas not under siege, it's harder for civilians to afford basic food items, with prices dramatically inflated.
The United Nations says about 20,000 people have been killed in Iraq since the Islamic State began pushing into that country in 2014. NPR takes a look at the report and the devastation it describes.