Advertise on podcast: State of the World from NPR

Eight years after the death of Anthony Bourdain, people around the world still mourn the beloved chef, author and TV star. At a movie theater in Moscow, hundreds of Russian fans gathered recently for the premiere of ‘Tony,’ the new Hollywood film based on Bourdain’s early life. Among them was a man Bourdain loved to call “international man of mystery,” someone who became essential to Bourdain’s success in Russia and beyond. Our Moscow correspondent introduces us to him.  Please note: this story contains mentions of suicide.  If you or someone you know is in crisis, in the U.S. call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Iran is bracing for the possibility of another round of U.S. and Israeli attacks now that the midterm elections are over.  The war has driven inflation to almost 90 percent in Iran and has also damaged natural gas infrastructure, forcing people to conserve energy as winter sets in or face higher prices.  But despite all these hardships many Iranians still support the Islamic Republic.  We hear from some of them. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Russia’s war in Ukraine has raised tensions not only in Europe, but also in Asia. Ties between Russia and neighboring Japan are at their worst in decades. Tokyo would like more support from Washington, but as we hear, some Japanese are concerned they may not get it. And ancient Egyptian mummies were once used as medicine. But why? Chemists are trying to find out what it was in the mummification process that had medicinal properties. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Kherson is a city in southern Ukraine whose population numbered in the hundreds of thousands before Russia’s invasion of the country.  Just a fraction of those people live there today. Russia occupied Kherson for a few months in the early days of the war and ever since Russian forces withdrew across the Dnipro River, the city has largely been under siege with frequent shelling and drone attacks.  But a limited ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine this past weekend gave residents of Kherson a break from fighting.  Allowing them to walk the streets and see friends again. We go to a temporarily peaceful Kherson to hear how residents are living under the constant threat of bombing and drone attacks. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Many places in the Persian Gulf like Dubai, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, have spent decades modernizing and inviting investment from around the world. But that effort has been stymied by wars that have landed on their doorstep– including conflicts in Yemen and Iran. We go to Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, to hear how these wars are threatening the kingdom’s plans for the future.  And we hear how other Gulf states are worried about the possibility of renewed attacks on Iran and the retaliation that could follow. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

With his crooked cowboy hat, thick black beard and oversized belt buckles, Carín León looks every bit the macho Mexican superstar singer that he is. But beneath the swagger is a romantic with a talent for heartbreak. Proving that even the toughest hombres have a soft spot and a song for every wound. We go to Leon’s hometown of Hermosillo, Sonora to meet the singer.  Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Politician, activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado has returned to Venezuela. She led the opposition to authoritarian leader Nicholas Maduro and fled Venezuela in 2025 after more than a year in hiding. This is Machado’s first time back in her country following the U.S. arrest of Maduro in January.  We hear how her presence is putting pressure on the U.S.-backed Venezuelan regime to hold elections. And with this year’s ‘super El Nino’ expected to bring flash floods and landslides to Kenya, thousands of workers in Nairobi have been preparing. A youth employment group called the Green Army is clearing drainage systems and waterways to try and prevent flooding this winter. But there are tradeoffs to this large-scale cleanup effort. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Israel has held an important election– its first since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on that country. The vote is a referendum on the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu who was in power when the attacks occurred and presided over the military responses that followed.  And so far, there is no clear winner. With more than half the votes counted neither Netanyahu nor his center-right challenger Gadi Eisenkot have the majority needed to form a government.  We hear what happens now and an analysis of what it means. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a very limited ceasefire to help a Ukrainian city that’s been under Russian occupation for nearly five years.  We hear about the horrific conditions residents have been living under in the city of Oleshky. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

We look at unexpected election results in different parts of the globe, in which the youth vote played a major role. In Brazil, the leftist incumbent in his 80’s cinched a stunning come-from-behind win.  And in Serbia a student movement that emerged from years of anti-corruption protests toppled the long-time leader. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

The Russia-Ukraine war is sometimes compared to the static, deadlocked, trench warfare of World War I.   Yet it’s also been the defining conflict of the 21st century, dominated by drones that have created a so-called “kill zone” along the front line.  We hear about what the kill zone is like and what it means for the future of warfare. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Chinese manufacturers have not had it easy these past few years, with U.S. tariffs as well as the wars in Ukraine and Iran pushing up their costs and shrinking profits.   But there is one sector that is thriving despite all of this, the manufacturers of this Chinese tile-game, called mahjong. It’s been trending in the U.S. and that has given a boost to one mahjong manufacturing hub. We go to eastern China to understand the global implications of this trend. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

In the Israeli occupied West Bank, dozens of Americans have been detained, including a politician running for Congress.   Settler violence and detentions by the Israeli military have been on the rise for years in the Palestinian territory, which is occupied by Israel. But according to two Israeli lawyers, this is the largest mass detention of activists there in a decade.  A team from NPR witnessed the detention of a group made up primarily of American and Israeli rabbis, activists and U.S. Democratic congressional nominee Brad Lander. They had been helping Palestinian families harvest their olives to try to prevent attacks by Israeli settlers. We hear from our reporter who witnessed the event and one of the American rabbis who was detained. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Sometimes it feels like when we aren’t worried about AI destroying humanity — we worry about it replacing white collar jobs like lawyers, accountants, coders. But tech companies have plans for AI-powered robots to replace blue collar jobs as well.   We go to southern India, where our correspondent found domestic and factory workers being enlisted to train AI, sometimes without their knowledge. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Israel holds an election on October 27th, electing members of the Knesset, their parliament.  And this election will decide the future of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is the first vote since Hamas-led attacks of October 7th, 2023 and the Gaza war. And a major question shaping the elections is whether the prime minister should be held responsible for the Hamas attacks. We go to Israel, to hear how Israelis are thinking about this election. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy