The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is coming to an end. It is a holiday marked with fasting during the day and feasts with family in the evening. In Gaza, the month began with the hope of a continued peace but when the ceasefire with Israel collapsed, things changed. Our producer in Gaza brings us the sounds of this year's Ramadan in Gaza.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

China has long been the world's factory, but it's economy is starting to face serious headwinds. Demand for Chinese goods has slumped, China is saddled with too much industrial capacity and heavy debt. And now a tariff war with the United States further darkens China's economic outlook. We have two reports on reactions to China's economic state. We hear how the Chinese government is encouraging business investment, but it's a hard pitch to sell in a communist state that hasn't always been kind to entrepreneurs. And how Vietnam, another communist country, seeks to capitalize on China's uncertain future and is experiencing a manufacturing boom.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

The race is on for control over deposits of rare earth elements and critical minerals that are necessary in much of the technology we use today. The U.S. is lagging behind it's main rival in this global competition, China. We hear about why these resources are so sought after and the stakes in the race to control them.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

For three years El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has proudly shown the world the terrible treatment given to the country's prisoners. The president and his defenders say barbaric treatment is necessary to combat a pervasive gang problem in the country. And now the U.S. is endorsing this view, sending hundreds of people removed from the U.S. to those same prisons. We hear about the triumph of Bukele's style of rule in El Salvador.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

NPR has learned that Israel is considering a major ground invasion of Gaza to fully occupy the territory and establish a military rule over Palestinians there. We learn about this plan and hear about the influential minister who has repeatedly called for Israel to resettle the Gaza Strip. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has threated to collapse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government if the Gaza war ends. Our reporter talked to Smotrich and tells us about his rise to power.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

China scholars in the U.S. compare China's Cultural Revolution and current American dynamics, and see similarities between MAGA and what's called 'the China Dream.'

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Recently a few hundred people gathered at a Damascus hotel to discuss how to jump-start Syria's tech industry. That sector was basically non-existent during Syria's long civil war. Our correspondent attended the conference and met a young man who fled Syria during the civil war and now is a graduate student at Stanford. His journey illustrates both the possibilities and challenges that lie ahead for Syria.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

The two month ceasefire in Gaza has come to an end with Israel conducting airstrikes, killing five Hamas officials along with over 400 others, including many children. The Israeli military has also restarted ground operations in Gaza, sending troops back to areas they had withdrawn from. They say they want Hamas to agree to a new ceasefire deal and release more hostages. But many Israelis are opposed to this return to war. We hear what this resumption of fighting sounds like in Gaza from our producer there. Warning, this episode contains graphic descriptions of war.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

President Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia held a lengthy phone call on Tuesday to discuss a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. This is part of Trump's efforts to end the Russia's war in Ukraine and while he didn't get a ceasefire agreement, some progress was made. We hear the latest.

And in Ukraine, people are watching these and other developments with concern, skepticism, and with dark humor.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

In Germany's national elections a few weeks ago, one statistic stood out to our Berlin-based correspondent: almost half of young German voters cast their ballot for either the far-right or far-left parties. And the divide between extreme left and extreme right in young people seems to fall along gender lines. We try to find out why it seems the youth in Germany are moving to the extremes.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy