US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s five-day Middle East mission is raising questions about the limits of US leverage in the region and how Washington’s agenda is diverging from Israel’s goals. And, since Dec. 20, Nicaraguan police and paramilitary units have detained more than a dozen priests and bishops, as the left-wing authoritarian regime of Daniel Ortega escalates a campaign against the Catholic Church. Also, Hezbollah emerged during Lebanon's civil war with the intention of ending Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon. With Iran's backing, it has become the strongest military force in Lebanon, and one of the strongest militias in the region. Four decades after its founding, some say that it is a state within a state. Plus, Inuit in Denmark embrace their heritage with tattoos.

As US and European officials press Israeli and Palestinian leaders for what's next, many in the West Bank aren't looking to the future at all. Even while they've long derided the current old guard, young Palestinians say there's no future to be had as long as the killing in Gaza goes on. And, in a series of raids in eight Turkish provinces, police detained more than 30 people that Turkey has accused of working for Mossad, Israeli intelligence. Officials claim the suspects were planning to kidnap Palestinians living in Turkey. Also, it's been a turbulent few weeks for Poland's TV and radio channels. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been following through on his promise to overhaul public media in Poland, and the shake-up is under scrutiny from the right and the left. Plus, this punk musician turns to ranchera. Our hearts are full. Thank you to everyone who stepped up to support The World during our fall fundraising drive. We heard from 688 donors and raised more than $67,000. From all of us at The World — thank you! https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

Many suspected that Israel was behind the attack that killed at least 84 people in southern Iran on Wednesday. But today, ISIS said two of its members detonated the powerful bombs that came on the death anniversary of Iranian commander Qassem Suleimani, who fiercely opposed ISIS. And, pandemic closures made visa processing delays much longer than usual. Now consulates are staffed up again, but substantial delays remain because of large numbers of visa applicants. Also, North Korea has shuttered its diplomatic missions in Hong Kong, Spain, Bangladesh and six other places in recent months, with experts watching for more closures in 2024. Pyongyang vaguely explains this as a reaction to “changing global environments," but signs indicate a dialing back of old-school revenue sources. Plus, this Libyan pop star wants to go global. ____Our hearts are full. Thank you to everyone who stepped up to support The World during our fall fundraising drive. We heard from 688 donors and raised more than $67,000. From all of us at The World — thank you! https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

A massive explosion occurred at a commemoration ceremony for slain Iranian military leader, Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Kerman, Iran. The blast killed more than 100 people and injured over 140 others. Soleimani, a highly regarded and feared Iranian commander, was killed in an attack by the US in 2020. And, Lebanon is reacting to the killing of a top Hamas official, Saleh al-Arouri, in its capital on Tuesday. The strike targeted Hamas offices in Beirut as senior members gathered for a meeting. Also, drivers usually didn't have to wait long to cross the border from San Diego to Tijuana. But growth in border towns now means rush hours in both directions. Plus, a teenaged darts phenom reaches the finals.Our hearts are full. Thank you to everyone who stepped up to support The World during our fall fundraising drive. We heard from 688 donors and raised more than $67,000. From all of us at The World — thank you! https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

In an 8 to 7 vote, Israel's highest court on Monday ruled against a law that would limit its powers. Prime Minister Netanyahu's right-wing government had passed the reforms in parliament in an effort to overhaul the country's judicial system. The move was met with months of regular streets protests. And, we remember Peter Magubane, who shot photos in Soweto and across South Africa during apartheid and its unraveling. He eventually became Nelson Mandela's official photographer. Also, Kyiv was again targeted Tuesday morning by Russian missiles. We hear about the civilian toll and Ukraine's response. Plus, a Palestinian American uses music to connect to family.Our hearts are full. Thank you to everyone who stepped up to support The World during our fall fundraising drive. We heard from 688 donors and raised more than $67,000. From all of us at The World — thank you! https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

Hip-hop turned 50 this summer. Its influence has been felt in all corners of the globe. The World traveled the landscape and kicked off its Planet Hip Hop series with H. Samy Alim, professor of anthropology and director of the Hip Hop Initiative at UCLA. We also looked at how young Egyptians have used music to push back against the authorities trying to suppress it. And in India, we examined artists using hip-hop to stand up to one of the world's oldest forms of discrimination: caste. Plus in Myanmar, rappers have been considered the artistic arm of a revolution to bring down the ruling military junta through armed rebellion.Show us you’re with The World and make a gift today! Your support ensures we can continue bringing you the empathetic and human-centered journalism you expect. Hurry to make your gift before our fundraiser ends Dec 31. https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

An official count by Ukraine shows that Russia fired 122 missiles targeting civilian areas and cities across the country in the largest attack since the beginning of the war. Also, Patrice Lumumba was a major figure of post-colonial Africa, becoming the first prime minister of Democratic Republic of Congo when it gained independence from Belgium in 1960 — but he died less than a year later. A new book examines CIA involvement in Lumumba's execution. And, in a normal year, tourists and pilgrims would pack hotels in Jerusalem. But this year, many of the hotels are full of Israelis who have escaped violence in communities near the Gaza Strip and Lebanon borders. Plus, entomologist Samuel Ramsey, one of the leading experts on bees and the parasites that threaten their colonies worldwide, talks about developments in bee research over the past year.Show us you’re with The World and make a gift today! Your support ensures we can continue bringing you the empathetic and human-centered journalism you expect. Hurry to make your gift before our fundraiser ends Dec 31. https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

The Biden administration has announced that it’s sending another military aid package to Ukraine worth $250 million. In Kyiv, Ukrainian officials are looking ahead to the new year and making plans for what the war effort may look like in 2024. Also, as the death toll reaches 21,000, many people in Gaza have left all kinds of final messages – both publicly, and to loved ones — to tell them what they would want to be known for in the event of their death. And, Spain's recent amnesty deal for Catalan separatists has led to political upheaval, with conservatives taking to the streets by the tens of thousands. But the protests ignore the country's long history of amnesty measures and pardons. Plus, Mexico says it wants to see progress in US relations with Cuba and Venezuela.Show us you’re with The World and make a gift today! Your support ensures we can continue bringing you the empathetic and human-centered journalism you expect. Hurry to make your gift before our fundraiser ends Dec 31. https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

Christians make up about 1,000 of the roughly 2 million people in Gaza, but they have deep connections to the land. So far, 2% of the Christian population has been killed during the current Israel-Hamas war, and members of the community worry this could be the end of the Christian presence in Gaza. Also, an English Premier League game was officiated by a Black referee this week for the first time in 15 years and only the second time in the league's history. Plus, during the 20-year US-led war in Afghanistan, there were a number of Afghan female soldiers who fought alongside American troops, with many of them being able to flee after US troops left the country in 2021. And, if you missed it the first time, a conversation with New York Times food writer Yewande Komolafe about her book, "My Everyday Lagos: Nigerian Cooking at Home and in the Diaspora."Show us you’re with The World and make a gift today! Your support ensures we can continue bringing you the empathetic and human-centered journalism you expect. Hurry to make your gift before our fundraiser ends Dec 31. https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O

Israel is suspected of being behind the assassination of an Iranian revolutionary guard general in Syria over the weekend. The US also attacked pro-Iran groups in Iraq following an attack on US positions by these same groups. We take a look at Israel's hints at its willingness to regionalize the war between itself and Hamas. Also, after missing for three weeks, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has resurfaced in an Arctic penal colony in Siberia. And, the same wall preventing people from migrating across the US-Mexico border is also impacting wildlife. Plus, musician Zach Condon leads the band, Beirut, but his latest album is a solo project, recorded at an isolated cabin in Hadsel, Norway, near the Arctic Circle.Show us you’re with The World and make a gift today! Your support ensures we can continue bringing you the empathetic and human-centered journalism you expect. Hurry to make your gift before our fundraiser ends Dec 31. https://on.prx.org/3S9gY0O