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Immerse yourself in the most compelling and consequential stories from around the globe. The world is changing in big ways every day. State of the World from NPR takes you where the news is happening — and explains why it matters. With bureaus spanning the globe, NPR reporters bring you facts and context from the ground so you can cut through the noise of disinformation. NPR's State of the World, a human perspective on global stories in just a few minutes, every weekday. State of the World was previously State of Ukraine. You'll continue to hear Ukraine coverage here, along with other international stories.

Support NPR's reporting by subscribing to State of the World+ and unlock sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/stateoftheworld

State of the World from NPR

After constant requests during two years of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli military finally brings our correspondent into the territory to see the devastation in post-war northern Gaza firsthand. And even though he’s been covering this conflict since it began, seeing the destruction up close was shocking.

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Our Correspondent is Finally Allowed into Gaza

In Austria, three nuns, all in their 80’s, recently ran away from a nursing home. With the help of supporters, and a locksmith, they broke into their former convent in defiance of church orders. They’re determined to fulfill their vows and grow old on their own terms. These sisters are now taking Instagram by storm where they’re being supported by a growing community. We go to Salzburg to meet them.

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The Story of Three Defiant Nuns in Austria

Dates and olives are important crops in the Middle East and growing them is essential to the livelihood of many Palestinians in the West Bank. But increasingly Israeli settlers have been attacking and intimidating Palestinian olive farmers there. We go to the West Bank to see how this year’s harvest is going.

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An Annual Ritual in the West Bank Now Under Threat

After two years of war, Gaza is littered with unexploded bombs often hiding in the rubble of destroyed buildings. And they can be deadly even decades later. We go to Gaza to hear about one family’s encounter with an unexploded bomb and learn how long it might take make the territory safe.

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The Deadly Long-term Problem Hiding Throughout Gaza

President Trump met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea amid a tense tariff war between the two countries. Trump was upbeat after the meeting in which both sides agreed to trade concessions. We take a look at the state of U.S.-China relations with a former U.S. ambassador to China.

And ahead of that meeting, President Trump signed several rare earth agreements with Asian countries to reduce America's reliance on China. We hear why the U.S. is anxious to find other sources for these minerals and ask if it’s too little too late.

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Trump, Xi and the U.S.-China Relationship

The Darfur region of Sudan because known to the world as the site of a genocide twenty years ago. The U.S. and U.N. say there is a genocide happening in Darfur again and now the violence there has reached a new level of horror. A paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces took control of the city of El Fasher, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents trapped under RSF control and there is evidence of atrocities being committed. We hear about what is happening in the city and a Sudanese-American poet who grew up in El Fasher and is watching from afar.

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The Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan Deepens

Isolated indigenous tribes deep in the Amazon rainforests of Peru are seeing the crop used to make cocaine spread into their lands from drug traffickers seeking more territory for cultivation. With the incursion comes deforestation and violence. We go to the rainforest and meet the self-defense force patrolling the jungle to stop the destruction. 

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Fighting Drug Traffickers Deep in the Peruvian Amazon

The small island country of Trinidad and Tobago is in the middle of an American military buildup. The U.S. has deployed warships and attacked alleged drug boats nearby, leaving residents on edge. We hear from fishermen who see drones in the sky and go to the funeral of someone presumed to have been killed by a U.S. strike.

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The Impact of U.S. Strikes in the Caribbean

China’s fast fashion mega-seller Shein is opening its first permanent Paris boutique in the iconic Bazar de l’Hotel de Ville department store. Parisian purists say the move betrays the artistry and craftsmanship of France’s tradition of couture. Some are boycotting the store and others have even started a petition in opposition of Shein’s Paris arrival.

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Furor over Fast Fashion in France

The automotive industry in Germany, once the backbone of Europe’s biggest economy, is in a rapid decline. In the past year, the German car industry shed more than 51,000 jobs – about 7% of its total workforce. We go to some companies that are now turning to manufacturing weapons as part of the country’s boost in military spending to keep their factories running.

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Struggling German Industry Turns to Defense Manufacturing

Notre Dame's longest serving organist Olivier Latry tells of the cathedral's transformed acoustics. After a horrific fire in 2019, craftspeople resurrected the cathedral in just five years. The organist says the thorough cleaning of the instrument and the structure's stone makes the cathedral even more reverberant. Sign up for State of the World+ to listen sponsor-free and support the work of NPR journalists. Visit plus.npr.org.

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A Sound Mirror: Notre Dame Cathedral's Restoration Can Be Heard in Its Resonance

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