In the summer of 1944, as American and Allied soldiers celebrated the liberation of France from the Nazis, one French family experienced a trauma that would be felt for generations. A murder and sexual assault so traumatic they are only now coming to terms with it, 80 years later. And this wasn't an isolated incident. We hear their story.

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As the war drags on, families of hostages who have been held in Gaza for nearly eleven months are becoming increasingly frustrated and angry. Some of them release some of their pain by yelling their loved ones names into Gaza, in hopes of being heard.

And the U.S. pressures Israel to change the way it evacuates civilians from parts of Gaza, amid fears of their safety.

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Some 12 million people are displaced in Sudan as the military government battles a powerful paramilitary group. There is acute hunger and risk of famine for many. Peace talks hoping to resolve the crisis are being held in Geneva this week. We hear about the chances that those talks will succeed and details about conditions on the ground in Sudan.

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It has been three decades since the East African country of Rwanda experienced a genocide that changed the country and shocked the world. We look at the state of their society today.

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Ownership of the Spratly Islands are in dispute. This has been the case for decades, but tensions have been raised recently as China has tried to expand its claims in the remote area. We get a rare glimpse of one of the islands that has a Filipino community living on it.

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While the ideological gender gap among young people is widening across the developed world, it is particularly alarming in South Korea. Experts are concerned about what it means for the country's future. Our reporter in Seoul examines the phenomenon.

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Understandably, a movie about the man who steered the development of atomic bombs is seen differently in a country where some 200,000 people were killed by those bombs. "Oppenheimer" opened in Japan 8 months after premiering in the U.S. Our reporter talks to movie goers in Nagasaki, Japan.

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Aviva Siegel was among the more than 200 Israelis taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th. She was held 51 days before being released. Her husband, Keith, who is a U.S. citizen, is still being held in Gaza. We hear about Aviva Siegel's time in captivity and her advocacy for the release of Keith and the remaining hostages.

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Chinese-funded marijuana farms are popping up across the United States. Many of them exploit workers from China. We go to New Mexico, which has seen the rise of such farms and explore the reasons why this is happening.

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NATO, the alliance formed to protect Europe from the Soviet Union is marking 75 years. It the focus is still on Russia.

And a controversy in France over a singer selected to perform at the opening ceremony of the Olympics, raises questions about French identity.

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Israel's military laid siege to Gaza's largest medical complex for two weeks because, they said, Hamas fighters had regrouped inside. Following the Israeli withdrawal from the hospital, Palestinians were able to get a glimpse of the results of the raid.

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Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo is increasing and has caused over a million people to flee their homes. It is threatening to become a regional war. Many of the displaced end up next door in Rwanda and we hear about the conflict from some Congolese in a refugee camp.

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Sderot, Israel, near the border with Gaza, was the biggest city attack by Hamas on October 7th. At the beginning of the war, Israel evacuated nearly everyone. Our correspondent visits Sderot and finds that people are returning.

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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.

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"Blossoms Shanghai" is A 30-part TV series directed by acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, set in the 1990's that has become a huge hit in China. Our China correspondent tells us the nostalgia unleashed by the show tells us a lot about how people in China are feeling these days.

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We hear the story of an Israeli man taken captive by Hamas on October 7th. He was freed by Israeli special forces 129 days later and talks about his ordeal.

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Haiti is the middle of a crisis and is without a government as gangs in Port-au-Prince prevent one. But some parts of Haiti have lived without a functioning government for so long they cannot remember what it's like to have one. Our reporter in Haiti takes us to one such village.

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We hear from a U.N. spokesperson about the conditions for civilians he saw in Gaza. We also speak to an Israeli government minister about the level of humanitarian aid entering Gaza and about why a delegation to the U.S. was cancelled over a vote at the U.N.

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Islamic insurgents and other heavily armed groups have increasingly turned to kidnapping to get money. They abduct individuals, families and even large groups and then demand to be paid to let them go. We hear the story of one family, whose life has been turned upside down by a kidnapping.

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We hear what life is like for three families in northern Gaza where finding food and water is a struggle and hundreds of thousands of people are facing starvation.

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In Cuba, protests over the weekend revealed frustrations over shortages of food and electricity as the country confronts a serious economic crisis. And the World Happiness Report tells of interesting differences in happiness between generations.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin was reelected with a reported 87% of the vote. The US government said the election was neither free nor fair. Our correspondent in Moscow tells us about why the Kremlin wanted to be sure of a high turnout and lopsided result.

And the legacy in the Middle East of a young American activist who died in Gaza 21 years ago.

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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.

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The island of Ireland is divided into the Northern part, which is part of the UK and the independent Republic of Ireland to the south. But a political party is poised to take power in both places and it has pledged to make the border disappear.

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Israel says more than 1,200 Israelis were killed during the Hamas led assault on October 7th. Israel also says there were numerous instances of sexual violence perpetrated that day. This is a charge Hamas denies. To understand the difficulties in investigating the allegation, we hear about the experience of a first responder on October 7th.

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Even in the face of food shortages a bakery in Gaza is making cakes for people living in tents. NPR's producer in Gaza takes us to the bakery and introduces the baker.

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When Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, the U.S. and western allies froze $300 billion dollars worth of Russian assets. Now the U.S. wants to send that money to Ukraine, but many European countries don't agree with that plan.
And we take a trip to the wild, remote High Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

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It has been five months since the October 7th Hamas attack that was the single deadliest day for Israelis in history, prompting the deadly Israeli assault on Gaza. Our reporter in Israel brings us five ways Israelis have been changed through five months of war.

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Our reporters from around the world give perspectives on what the U.S presidential election means for the countries they cover.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, European cities experienced a dramatic drop in tourism. Now that visitors have returned in force, locals have mixed feelings. Many cities rely on tourism money, but throngs of people and the demand for short-term rentals can change the very places people are clamoring to visit. We hear about how Seville, Spain is experiencing that tension.

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There are an estimated six million Palestinian refugees. Most of them are descendants of families forced to leave their homeland in 1948, during the war surrounding the establishment of Israel. They're scattered around the world and in some of the countries where they've settled, they've been stateless for generations. We go to a Palestinian community in Baghdad, Iraq.

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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.

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Butter Chicken is a much-loved Indian dish, both within the country and around the world. But who can claim they invented it? That question is the subject of a lawsuit. Our reporter tries to get to the bottom of butter chicken's origin and finds out that it is a journey through India's history.

You can find celebrated Indian chef Madhur Jaffrey's recipe for butter chicken here.

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The former Soviet republic of Georgia is seeking membership in the European Union. But that effort may be complicated by treatment of the western-leaning former president who is in jail and in poor health. His supporters say he was poisoned.

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A young Instagram influencer in Gaza built a big following posting feel-good videos during years of hardship. He tried to keep the positivity in his feed after the war between Israel and Hamas started, but was then confronted with tragedy in his life.

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Abnormally low rain fall and aging infrastructure cause a severe water shortage in Mexico City. Tens of thousands rally for Brazil's ex-president Jair Bolsonaro in Sao Paolo.

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During its eight years in power, the far-right Law and Justice Party dismantled democratic institutions in Poland. Now the new government is working to restore those institutions and they're starting with the judiciary.

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The Russian invasion of Ukraine is marking a grim second anniversary. We hear from Ukrainians who are determined to remain in their homes, and what some Russians say about their country as it enters a third year of waging war on Ukraine.

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Ukraine is running out of arms. As Russian troops advance and the war grinds on, foreign aid to buy more weapons is stalled. So Ukraine is making its own. NPR's Joanna Kakissis visits the Ukrainians ramping up the manufacture of mortars, howitzers and high-tech defense weapons.

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Alexei Navalny is the latest in a string of critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin to die. So what is the future of Russian opposition? We hear about the challenges Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, will face in taking a leadership role in the opposition. And an interview with Russian politician Boris Nadezhdin, who tried to run against Putin in the upcoming election, but was barred from being on the ballot.

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Israel has stepped up security in the occupied West Bank. And with the military focused on Gaza, they're using newly formed security forces made up of Jewish settlers to provide that security. Israeli activists and Palestinians warn that members of those forces want to drive Palestinians off their land. We go to the West Bank city of Hebron to see these new security forces in action.

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We hear two stories of how Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza is being felt in places very far away. In India, thousands of workers are hoping to head to Israel because of a shortage caused by security concerns. And in the UK, people are worried that global supply chains disrupted because of the war, will mean there will be a shortage of tea.

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In a rare interview with a Hamas leader our correspondent asks about the attacks of October 7th and the aftermath. He says the group has no regrets about launching the operation, but that mistakes were made.

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Alexei Navalny, frequent critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, has died in prison according to Russian authorities. Our Moscow correspondent looks at the legacy of a man who fought to free his country from corruption and authoritarianism.

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We'll hear from an U.N. administrator in Gaza about what conditions are like for civilians and what funding cuts, a result of Israel's accusations of UN employees' working with Hamas, will mean for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

And an unlikely connection between a graffiti artist in Dublin and a grieving mother in Gaza.

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When Ukrainian soldiers get a day or two off from the frontlines, loved ones will often take the train to nearby cities to see them. Our reporter shows us what love looks like in a time of war.

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While opioid deaths in the U.S. have soared, Portugal has been able to cut overdose deaths by 80%. We travel there and find that the different outcomes are the result of a different approach.

And while you might be able to picture what Rio de Janeiro's world-famous Carnival looks like in the Samabadrome, on the outskirts of the city a very different celebration takes place.

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Some Palestinians in Gaza express rising anger at Hamas, four months after the militant group attacked Israel, prompting a punishing bombardment.

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If all goes as planned, the work by the late composer John Cage will take over 600 years to perform. A specially rigged organ in Germany has been performing the piece since 2001, and it recently struck a new chord in the first time in two years.

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We hear from three Palestinians about their hopes and fears of a rebuilt Gaza after the fighting ends. We get perspectives from an architect, a humanitarian and a musician.

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