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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.

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State of the World from NPR

This year authorities in Mumbai, India banned feeding pigeons in public spaces over health concerns. That might seem like a minor civic act but the backlash has been huge. We go to Mumbai to understand the controversy that touches not just on public health but also caste dynamics and religious duty.

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The Culture War Over Pigeon Feeding in Mumbai

In 1985 the Nevado del Ruiz volcano triggered a mudslide that wiped out the town of Armero, Colombia in one of the 20th century’s worst natural disasters. All these years later the ghosts of Colombia’s deadliest tragedy still haunt its slopes, and families are still searching for lost children.

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Searching for Survivors 40 Years After One of Latin America’s Deadliest Disasters

It has been a month since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza was implemented and despite some violations the shaky truce is holding. Both sides say they’re committed to the deal. We look at how progress towards the next phase in the agreement is proceeding.

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A Month into the Ceasefire in Gaza, What’s Next?

An increasing number of women are joining the Ukrainian military, with thousands serving in frontline roles, as Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine nears its fourth year. NPR’s Joanna Kakissis talks to some of these Ukrainian women who are training and fighting to defend their country.

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The Women Fighting on Ukraine’s Front Lines

The war with Russia has touched all aspects of Ukrainian life, including efforts to preserve the nation’s history. We go to an island in the Dnipro River where archaeologists from around the world are racing to preserve an 18th century shipwreck - exposed by Russia’s destruction of a major dam - as the site is threatened by both rapid deterioration and the nearby front line.

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Racing to Save a Ukrainian Archaeological Site Exposed by the War

When the Dalai Lama fled Chinese-controlled Tibet over sixty years ago, he settled in Dharamshala, India, setting up a government-in-exile. Thousands of Tibetan refugees followed their spiritual leader there. But now their numbers are dwindling and their are concerns about their future. We go there to understand the pressures their population faces.

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In Dharamshala, Tibetans Worry About Preserving Their Identity

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

Taiwan has developed a large language model artificial intelligence chat bot to compete with a product from China because of fears regarding national security. And North Korea sends garbage-filled balloons over the border into South Korea, escalating a long-standing balloon battle between the Koreas. 

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Battle of Chinese and Taiwanese Chatbots and a Balloon Battle Between the Koreas

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