World News

Spanish leaders say they're in the same situation as Ukraine. Spain's northeast region of Catalonia wants to break away from Madrid and plans to hold a referendum in November. The Spanish government says it is unconstitutional and refuses to recognize the result.

Border Patrol agents seem to be everywhere along the U.S. side of the Mexican border, and residents are also on guard. Yet amid distrust and heavy surveillance, there is compassion.

Under international agreement, the chemicals were to be destroyed aboard a U.S. ship escorted by Russian naval vessels. As the two nations square off over Crimea, that collaboration is over for now.

A Turkish court is trying to ban Twitter, setting off condemnation of the government's increasingly heavy hand and prompting Turks to find a workaround for the social media site.

It's been an excruciating wait for families of passengers on the missing Malaysian airliner. They wait for word in a Beijing hotel and have little confidence in Malaysian authorities.

There are concerns that the objects sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Officials remain optimistic and say the hunt will continue off the coast of Australia for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

The air in China's capital has been classified as hazardous to human health for a fifth consecutive day. Environmentalists say it's the worst pollution since monitoring began last year.

When it comes to North Korea's latest belligerence, U.S. officials can sound more like an exasperated parent responding to a child's tantrum. That's just their first warning, though.

Crimea is a poor region, heavily subsidized by Kiev, and gets all its gas, water and food from Ukraine. Russia doesn't even have a land link with the Crimean peninsula and absorbing it will affect banks, schools, tourism and pensions for residents.

Host David Greene gets the latest from NPR's Frank Langfitt about the potential debris from Malaysia Flight 370 spotted by satellite imagery in the southern Indian Ocean.