Accessibility links
World News and International Headlines NPR world news, international art and culture, world business and financial markets, world economy, and global trends in health, science and technology. Subscribe to the World Story of the Day podcast and RSS feed.

NPRWorld

Many Stories, One World

Tuesday

Drug-Resistant Malaria Turns Up In The U.K.

Malaria parasites, spread by a mosquito's bite, have started to adapt so the go-to drugs won't knock them out. Daniel Heuclin/Nature Picture Li/Getty Images/Nature Picture Libr hide caption

toggle caption
Daniel Heuclin/Nature Picture Li/Getty Images/Nature Picture Libr

Goats and Soda

Drug-Resistant Malaria Turns Up In The U.K.

Artemisinin-based medications have long been the treatment of choice for malaria. But late in 2015, health officials in Britain came across a cluster of cases that refused to succumb to the drugs.

Commentary: Trump Travel Ban On Syrians Should Exempt Kids Under 10

A child drags a crate at a refugee camp for Syrians and Kurds north of Athens. Children under age 14 make up nearly half of the Syrian refugees resettled in the U.S. Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images

Opinion

Commentary: Trump Travel Ban On Syrians Should Exempt Kids Under 10

Amitai Etzioni, who escaped Nazi Germany as a child, proposes a way for the U.S. to bring in young Syrian refugee children. A similar past program brought in thousands of unaccompanied Cuban minors.

With Meals Made Of Gold, Chefs Certainly Know How To Feed The Ego

New York City restaurant Serendipity 3 makes the "Quintessential Grilled Cheese Sandwich," made with gold leaf, accompanied by the gold-adorned South African Lobster & San Marzano Tomato Bisque, for sandwich-dipping, of course. Courtesy of Liz Steger hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of Liz Steger

The Salt

With Meals Made Of Gold, Chefs Certainly Know How To Feed The Ego

Gold is tasteless, odorless and has zero nutritional value, but it's appearing in everything from hamburgers to $1,000 sundaes. Much of it amounts to publicity stunts, though sometimes it's pure art.

Reported Missile Launch Is Early Test For Trump Administration's Approach To Iran

Missiles on display in northern Tehran in 2014. A reported missile test by Iran on Sunday has led some American officials to accuse the country of violating a U.N. resolution that accompanied the 2015 nuclear deal. Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Reported Missile Launch Is Early Test For Trump Administration's Approach To Iran

Since the 2015 international agreement to curb Iran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for lifting some sanctions, the U.S. and Iran have argued over what exactly it says about ballistic missiles.

Fact Or Fiction? Even When It Comes To Food, It's Hard To Tell With Rasputin

Worshipful female followers fought for the Mad Monk's leftover bread crusts. His infamous sweet tooth led to his death. Or did it? A century later, rumors about Grigori Rasputin, Russia's czarina whisperer, still swirl. RGALI/Courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux hide caption

toggle caption
RGALI/Courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux

The Salt

Fact Or Fiction? Even When It Comes To Food, It's Hard To Tell With Rasputin

Worshipful female followers fought for the Mad Monk's leftover bread crusts. His infamous sweet tooth led to his death. Or did it? A century later, rumors about Russia's czarina whisperer still swirl.

All-Female Orchestra From Afghanistan Is A Force For Change

Marjan practices at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul. Rachel Corner/De Beeldunie hide caption

toggle caption
Rachel Corner/De Beeldunie

Goats and Soda

All-Female Orchestra From Afghanistan Is A Force For Change

An orchestra composed of 30 Afghan women, ages 14 to 20, is defying stereotypes and reviving the country's musical tradition.

All-Female Orchestra From Afghanistan Is A Force For Change

Listen · 3:52
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/512592727/512592728" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

At State Department, 'Dissent Channel' In High Gear With Refugee Ban Protests

At the State Department, employees are expressing concern via an official dissent channel about the Trump administration's temporary visa and refugee ban. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Parallels

At State Department, 'Dissent Channel' In High Gear With Refugee Ban Protests

State Department employees are using the channel to register objection to the executive action temporarily blocking refugees and visas for citizens of seven mainly Muslim countries.

At State Department, 'Dissent Channel' In High Gear With Refugee Ban Protests

Listen · 2:37
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/512494230/512501571" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Attention Must Be Paid To What 'The Salesman' Is Selling

Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti) and Emad's (Shahab Hosseini) marriage is shattered in The Salesman. Courtesy of Cohen Media Group hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of Cohen Media Group

Review

Movie Reviews

Attention Must Be Paid To What 'The Salesman' Is Selling

A review of The Salesman, an Iranian film about a couple whose home life becomes unsettled while they're starring together in a production of Death of a Salesman.

Attention Must Be Paid To What 'The Salesman' Is Selling

Listen · 3:04
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/512012668/512501589" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Scientists Describe Ancient Bag-Like Sea Creatures From China

An artist's impression of Saccorhytus coronarius, a sea creature that lived 540 million years ago. Jian Han, Northwest University, China hide caption

toggle caption
Jian Han, Northwest University, China

The Two-Way

Scientists Describe Ancient Bag-Like Sea Creatures From China

They were ugly. And, unfortunately, they were not equipped with an anus. But the sand dwellers could be an important part of filling in our own early evolutionary tree.

Scientists Describe Ancient Bag-Like Sea Creatures From China

Listen · 1:53
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/512040289/512501597" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
How The U.S. War In Laos Was Key To The 'Birth Of A Military CIA'

Laotian Gen. Vang Pao, seen here calling in air strikes against suspected Communist positions from the Long Cheng Command Post in January 1972, led an army of Hmong tribesmen to fight against Communist insurgents backed by the North Vietnamese. A CIA-led effort that started in 1961 tried to help him in that fight. Bettmann/Bettmann Archive hide caption

toggle caption
Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

Parallels

How The U.S. War In Laos Was Key To The 'Birth Of A Military CIA'

A new book by Joshua Kurlantzick examines how the U.S. involvement in Laos in the 1960s and 1970s transformed the CIA from an intelligence-gathering organization into a war-fighting one.

Philippines Temporarily Halts Anti-Drug Raids, Citing Crimes By Police

Elizabeth Manosca tends to her baby during a wake for her slain husband and 7-year-old son, who were killed when unidentified gunmen shot through the door of their home in Manila, Philippines, in December. Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Philippines Temporarily Halts Anti-Drug Raids, Citing Crimes By Police

A brutal law enforcement crackdown has led to the extrajudicial killings of thousands of suspected drug users and dealers. President Rodrigo Duterte was elected after vowing a "bloody war" on drugs.