• US oil blockade roils life in Cuba. Venezuelans test new freedoms
    Feb 11 2026

    Cuba hasn’t received an oil shipment since December. The shortage has grounded air travel, and disrupted food production, hospitals and schools. Venezuelans stage open demonstrations in the streets that only weeks ago could have meant jail time.

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    8 mins
  • The special phrase helping Cubans to get by
    Feb 9 2026
    Cuba is in economic crisis. Its ally, Venezuela, is no longer sending oil, and the Trump administration is applying pressure. Life for Cubans is hard, but if they express their opinions they can get in a lot of trouble. So they’ve found other ways to tell you what they think, and a single phrase is doing a lot of the work. Our correspondent in Havana tells us what it is.

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    5 mins
  • What is the environmental impact of the Winter Olympics?
    Feb 6 2026
    As the Winter Olympics get underway in Milan and across the Italian Alps, our correspondent looks back at a bold pledge made by the organizers: that these games would be sustainable. They said they would slash the event’s carbon footprint and protect sensitive mountain ecosystems. Environmental groups say that’s not what is happening.

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    7 mins
  • Russia’s Hybrid War on Europe
    Feb 5 2026

    Ever since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, experts say Russia has stepped up its hybrid war on Western Europe. Attacks on critical infrastructure or using drones to shutdown airports are meant to undermine support for Ukraine. We go to Poland to see one such attack.

    And in Kyiv, Ukrainians are getting through Russian attacks that have shut down the power grid in the coldest months by holding dance parties on ice.

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    10 mins
  • Will the U.S. withdraw military forces from Syria?
    Feb 4 2026

    The United States has been conducting military operations in Syria for more than a decade. Their mission has been to attack ISIS militants and to protect Syrian oil fields. With ISIS weakened and a new government in Syria, the U.S. may pull out the troops it has stationed in Syria. But doing so might hurt some U.S. allies. We hear from NPR reporters who cover the Pentagon and the Middle East about what the move could mean.

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    6 mins
  • Fallout in the U.K. over the Epstein files
    Feb 3 2026

    While there has been political turmoil in the U.S. over the latest release of photos and emails in the “Epstein files”, the consequences in the U.K. have been more concrete. There, a prince had already been stripped of his title over his connections to the late accused sex trafficker. Now a member of the House of Lords has been forced to step down. We get the latest from London.

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    5 mins
  • Voices from inside Iran
    Feb 2 2026

    Protests in Iran have been ongoing for over a month and according to one human rights group, over 6000 people have died. As the internet blackout begins to lift, we’re learning more about what has happened. Our correspondent brings us the experiences of three Iranian women.

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    5 mins
  • China embraces A.I. in the classroom
    Jan 30 2026

    While debate rages in the U.S. about the merits and risks of Artificial Intelligence in schools, in China, it’s a state-mandated part of the school curriculum. Authorities there want to create a pool of AI-savvy professionals. But like in the U.S., some parents have mixed emotions about how and when their kids use A.I.

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    5 mins