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Bangladesh's student protestors are now helping to run the country

Students shout slogans during a protest demanding the trial of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. Rajib Dhar/AP hide caption

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Rajib Dhar/AP

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Bangladesh's student protestors are now helping to run the country

Earlier this month, student protestors filled the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh, in opposition to a controversial quota system for government jobs.

Bangladesh's student protestors are now helping to run the country

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What is the Strategy Behind Ukraine's Assault Into Russia?

A Ukraine's Humvee armoured military vehicle drives past a burning car on a road near the border with Russia, in the Sumy region of Ukraine, on August 14. Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images

State of the World from NPR

What is the Strategy Behind Ukraine's Assault Into Russia?

Ukraine's attack into Russian territory surprised many. Including, it would seem, the Russians themselves. But what are the strategic goals Ukraine is hoping to achieve with this move? We hear from a retired U.S. lieutenant general.

What is the Strategy Behind Ukraine's Assault Into Russia?

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Youth in Charge in Bangladesh

A volunteer holds up signs to help control the flow of traffic in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. Diaa Hadid/NPR hide caption

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Diaa Hadid/NPR

State of the World from NPR

Youth in Charge in Bangladesh

Earlier this month a youth-led movement helped topple the government of an autocratic prime minister in Bangladesh. Now students sweep broken glass, direct traffic, and join the government. But can they rebuild a country? We go to the streets of Dhaka.

Youth in Charge in Bangladesh

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The Opposition in Venezuela is Afraid

Opposition supporters gather at Plaza Alfredo Sadel in Las Mercedes neighborhood during 'Ganó Venezuela' opposition protest on August 3 in Caracas, Venezuela. Jesus Vargas/Getty Images hide caption

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Jesus Vargas/Getty Images

State of the World from NPR

The Opposition in Venezuela is Afraid

Following a disputed election in Venezuela, autocratic president Nicolàs Maduro is cracking down on the opposition. Thousands have been arrested and lawmakers are threatening social media sites and planning to close down civic groups. We hear from opponents of Maduro.

The Opposition in Venezuela is Afraid

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A new Israel-Hamas cease-fire talk starts this week. Is anything different this time?

A boy walks through the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on August 14. Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images

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A new Israel-Hamas cease-fire talk starts this week. Is anything different this time?

So often, telling the story of the Israel-Hamas war is reduced to a catalog of numbers.

A new Israel-Hamas cease-fire talk starts this week. Is anything different this time?

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How is the plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert related to ISIS-K?

A screen displays a photo of a man arrested in connection with an Islamist attack plot that caused the cancellation of the Vienna leg of a tour by American mega-star Taylor Swift. ROLAND SCHLAGER/APA/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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ROLAND SCHLAGER/APA/AFP via Getty Images

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How is the plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert related to ISIS-K?

Three Taylor Swift concerts were canceled in Austria this week, after authorities foiled planned attacks on the venue.

How is the plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert related to ISIS-K?

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The Root Cause of the Race Riots in the UK

People clean up debris outside a Holiday Inn Express whose walls bear graffiti reading "Get Out England" and a racial epithet on Monday in Tamworth, England. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images hide caption

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Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

State of the World from NPR

The Root Cause of the Race Riots in the UK

For over a week race riots have broken out in the United Kingdom, mostly in smaller, poorer, less diverse cities. The violence has been stoked by misinformation and disinformation online. Our reporter travels to one of the places that saw mob violence to understand why it's happening.

The Root Cause of the Race Riots in the UK

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The beauty and entitlement of traveling as a tourist

Author Shahnaz Habib next to the cover of her new book, Airplane Mode. Author photo by Eva Garmendia hide caption

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Author photo by Eva Garmendia

Code Switch

The beauty and entitlement of traveling as a tourist

Summer is a time when many Americans are taking off from work and setting their sights on far-off vacation destinations: tropical beaches, fairy-tale cities, sun-drenched countrysides. But in her book Airplane Mode, the reluctant travel writer Shahnaz Habib warns of recklessly embracing what she calls "passport privilege," — and how that can skew peoples' images of what the world is and who it belongs to.

The beauty and entitlement of traveling as a tourist

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Protests Force Bangladesh's Longest-Serving Prime Minister to Flee

Anti-government protestors celebrate in Dhaka on August 5. Abu Sufian Jewel/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Abu Sufian Jewel/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

State of the World from NPR

Protests Force Bangladesh's Longest-Serving Prime Minister to Flee

This week the prime minister of Bangladesh fled the country by helicopter, forced out by a protest movement that started peacefully but became violent. We hear from our correspondent about the events that lead to this dramatic change in government. And we hear reaction from a journalist who had been jailed 6 years ago for criticizing that government.

Protests Force Bangladesh's Longest-Serving Prime Minister to Flee

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They are Olympic athletes — and refugees

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Muna Dahouk of the Refugee Olympic Team pose for a photo at an event ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Maja Hitij/Getty Images hide caption

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Maja Hitij/Getty Images

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They are Olympic athletes — and refugees

There are some 43 million refugees in the world, according to the U.N.'s refugee agency.

They are Olympic athletes — and refugees

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Tested: Lumpers and Splitters
Dani Pendergast for NPR

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Tested: Lumpers and Splitters

Episode 6: Christine and Max are some of the most recent female athletes in this century-long history to face tests, stigma, and restrictions. But they are unlikely to be the last. In this episode, we find out whether Christine qualifies for the Paris Olympics, as well as the fate of Max's court case. And we explore the broader implications of the sex binary in sports. Is there a better way for sports to be categorized?

Tested: Lumpers and Splitters

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Two assassinations of major leaders could change the Middle East

Demonstrators wave flags and hold pictures of the leader of the Palestinian militant Hamas group, Ismail Haniyeh, (C) and senior leader Saleh al-Arouri during a protest on July 31, 2024 in Beirut's Burj al-Barajneh camp for Palestinian refugees, denouncing his killing. Fadel Itani/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Fadel Itani/AFP via Getty Images

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Two assassinations of major leaders could change the Middle East

In the Middle East, two assassinations in less than 24 hours could transform the region. Israel claimed responsibility for one. It has no comment on the other.

Two assassinations of major leaders could change the Middle East

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Venezuelans foresaw a new chapter. Then Maduro claimed victory

Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government hold a Venezuelan flag during a protest in Caracas on July 29. RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty Images

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Venezuelans foresaw a new chapter. Then Maduro claimed victory

For a brief moment, people in the Venezuelan diaspora felt a surge of hope as reports indicated the opposition party was polling way ahead of Nicolas Maduro's party. Then, Venezuela's electoral authority declared Maduro the winner.

Venezuelans foresaw a new chapter. Then Maduro claimed victory

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Tested: Unfair Advantage?
Dani Pendergast for NPR

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Tested: Unfair Advantage?

Episode 5: A battle over science and ethics unfolds. World Athletics releases and then tweaks multiple policies impacting DSD athletes, while critics cry foul. In this episode, World Athletics doubles down on its claims, Caster Semenya challenges the rules again, and we dig deep on a big question: what constitutes an "unfair" advantage on the track?

Tested: Unfair Advantage?

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These team USA marathon runners are rooting for each other on and off the track

Clayton Young (L) and Conner Mantz celebrate after placing second and first during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon on February 03, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images hide caption

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Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

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These team USA marathon runners are rooting for each other on and off the track

Clayton Young and Conner Mantz are longtime training partners and friends. They're also the two fastest men's marathoners representing the U.S. at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

These team USA marathon runners are rooting for each other on and off the track

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Tested: Running in Circles
Dani Pendergast for NPR

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Tested: Running in Circles

Episode 4: In 2009, South African sprinter Caster Semenya won gold at the World Championships. But instead of a celebration, she endured endless speculation about her body, her biology, and her gender. And soon, sports organizations would launch a new round of regulations, lead to multiple court cases, and require sporting organizations to justify their claim that DSD athletes have an unfair advantage.

Tested: Running in Circles

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Tested: Card-Carrying Females
Dani Pendergast for NPR

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Tested: Card-Carrying Females

Episode 3: We meet Kenyan sprinter Maximila Imali, who—like Christine Mboma—has been sidelined by DSD policies. She makes a different choice from Christine: to fight the regulations in court. And we learn about a previous fight, when scientists, athletes, and journalists spent thirty years trying to end an earlier version of sex testing.

Tested: Card-Carrying Females

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A Story About Witches in Ukraine
Julia Weber

State of the World from NPR

A Story About Witches in Ukraine

A play about witches is selling out in Ukraine's capital Kyiv. And even though the plot takes place centuries ago, the play's takeaways and parallels to today resonate with Ukrainians. We hear from actors and audience members.

A Story About Witches in Ukraine

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A U.S. Journalist is Sentenced in Russia

US journalist Evan Gershkovich, accused of espionage, stands inside a glass defendants' cage during the verdict announcement at the Sverdlovsk Regional Court in Yekaterinburg on July 19, 2024. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images) Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

State of the World from NPR

A U.S. Journalist is Sentenced in Russia

Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison on charges of espionage. His employer and the U.S. government have said he is innocent and the trial is a sham. We hear the latest from Moscow and reaction from the U.S.

A U.S. Journalist is Sentenced in Russia

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India's plan to reroute rivers could have unintended consequences on rainfall

Once completed, India's National River Linking Project will transfer an estimated 200 billion cubic meters of water around the country each year. STRDEL / Stringer/Getty Images hide caption

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STRDEL / Stringer/Getty Images

Short Wave

India's plan to reroute rivers could have unintended consequences on rainfall

More than a hundred years ago, a British engineer proposed linking two rivers in India to better irrigate the area and cheaply move goods. The link never happened, but the idea survived. Today, due to extreme flooding in some parts of the country mirrored by debilitating drought in others, India's National Water Development Agency plans to dig thirty links between rivers across the country. It's the largest project of its kind and will take decades to complete. But scientists are worried what moving that much water could do to the land, the people — and even the weather. Host Emily Kwong talks to journalist Sushmita Pathak about her recent story on the project.

India's plan to reroute rivers could have unintended consequences on rainfall

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