China’s fast fashion mega-seller Shein is opening its first permanent Paris boutique in the iconic Bazar de l’Hotel de Ville department store. Parisian purists say the move betrays the artistry and craftsmanship of France’s tradition of couture. Some are boycotting the store and others have even started a petition in opposition of Shein’s Paris arrival.

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The automotive industry in Germany, once the backbone of Europe’s biggest economy, is in a rapid decline. In the past year, the German car industry shed more than 51,000 jobs – about 7% of its total workforce. We go to some companies that are now turning to manufacturing weapons as part of the country’s boost in military spending to keep their factories running.

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Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, the country has been hit with more than 50,000 drone strikes. The constant threats of war have changed many things about life in Ukraine, including the way the night time sounds. We meet members of a youth orchestra outside Kyiv who are marking the new sounds of their country with a sonic poem.

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In just seven minutes, in broad daylight, millions of dollars worth of jewels that once belonged to French royalty were stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. We hear about what was stolen, how the French people are reacting and what it might take to catch the thieves who did it.

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As a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hamas seems to hold and Gaza starts to emerge from war, the immense challenges facing the territory in its eventual recovery are becoming clear. Around ninety percent of buildings damaged or destroyed, there are no funds for reconstruction and unexploded bombs are buried beneath debris. We hear from the U.N. program that has a team on the ground working to clear rubble and rebuild infrastructure about the challenges that lie ahead.

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When Oscar Wilde was jailed for, "gross indecency," a 19th century euphemism for gay sex, his library card was revoked. 130 years later, the British Library has re-issued it to his grandson.

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Migrants travel by boat for hundreds of miles from Africa to reach Spain’s Canary Islands. After surviving the dangerous crossing, many are stranded for months and unable to work. 

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In a deeply personal postcard from NPR’s Emmanuel Akinwotu, we go the funeral of his venerated grandfather in Nigeria. It was a huge celebration of life, with music and dance. However, the family was confronted with extortion and exploitation at the gravesite. It’s an all too common occurrence, one that amplifies the grief of many Nigerians.  

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Nearly 2000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in Israeli prisons were released into Gaza and the occupied West Bank as part of phase one of the ceasefire deal. All 20 surviving Israeli hostages were freed by Hamas after spending more than two years in captivity in Gaza. We hear reaction from Gaza and Tel Aviv.

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The kiwi, an adorable flightless bird from New Zealand, is disappearing, largely because of invasive species brought to the country’s islands by humans. So New Zealand has set a goal of exterminating rats, possums and other invasive animals that threaten the country’s biodiversity.  

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