Following eight hours of negotiations in Saudi Arabia today, the US and Ukraine say that Kyiv will accept a 30-day ceasefire with Russia. Washington also pledged to lift a freeze on intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine. Also, former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was detained on an ICC arrest warrant and will likely stand trial for crimes against humanity. And, the Balochistan Liberation Army claims responsibility for a train highjacking involving more than 400 hostages in Pak...
Mar 11, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Approximately a thousand people are estimated to have been killed in Syria's coastal region after violence that followed an attack on government forces last week. Since then, members of Syria's Alawite community have been attacked and killed. Also, economist and politician Mark Carney is named Canada’s new prime minister. And, many immigrants now fear sharing their stories in the United States. Plus, Bolivia’s administrative capital, La Paz, has the longest — and highest — cable car system in th...
Mar 10, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Russian state television used to portray the US as the Kremlin's biggest adversary. But since President Donald Trump's return to the White House, state-controlled media outlets in Russia are changing their tune. Also, the race between China and Japan to build the fastest bullet train. And, a cross-cultural collaboration between two jazz greats, one from the United States, the other from Brazil. Esperanza Spalding and Milton Nascimento. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air . Learn about your ad c...
Mar 07, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Syria's new government is reportedly working with Russia as it rebuilds. It's a surprising turn of events because Russia formerly allied itself with the Assad regime, which the current government toppled. Also, Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the terms of a ceasefire deal reached in January. The future of the deal is now uncertain. Meanwhile, the flow of humanitarian aid that many Palestinians are depending on has been cut off. Also, large numbers of Venezuelan migrants wer...
Mar 06, 2025•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Cooperation, respect and strategic interdependence have long characterized the US-Canada relationship. Now, in a matter of weeks, that mutual friendliness has been jeopardized by a trade war and increasing threats from President Donald Trump about annexing Canada. Also, in Turkey, the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, has announced a ceasefire. What the ceasefire means for security in the region. Also, Bhutan is leaning on bitcoin mining to power a much-needed economic recovery. And, astronomers ...
Mar 05, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Donald Trump has imposed new tariffs on the United States' top three trading partners, Canada, Mexico and China. China's response came fast, during a week of meetings in Beijing, to set the country's policy agenda for the next year. Also, some European countries prepare for a possible breakup with the US after 80 years of trans-Atlantic cooperation. Plus, Iraq conducted its first census in nearly 40 years: what the data revealed. And families in Valencia, Spain, are getting help from s...
Mar 04, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ukrainians are showing support to their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following a deterioration of diplomacy at the White House on Friday. And Mexico argues that US gun companies are partially responsible for gun trafficking in Mexico. The case has gone all the way to the US Supreme Court. Plus, in the UK, the youngest-ever person to give a speech in the House of Commons makes a case for his community, the remote island of Tristan da Cunha, off the coast of Capetown, South Africa. Listen to to...
Mar 03, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Donald Trump met today with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, who was set sign a deal allowing the US access to rare earth metals in exchange for military support. But the cordial conversation soon devolved into a shouting match. Also, the Greek capital saw massive demonstrations hit fever pitch as protesters clashed with police outside of parliament on the second anniversary of a deadly train crash that killed dozens of people. And, Japan grapples with a law ...
Feb 28, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Although Israeli leaders say they’re sending a negotiating team to Cairo, Egypt, both Israel and Hamas are wary about the second phase of a ceasefire deal. The first phase of the fragile truce is set to expire on Saturday. Also, 11 years after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished over the Indian Ocean, Malaysian officials say the missing plane could be found before the next anniversary. And, the founder and leader of the PKK has called on the group to lay down its arms — potentially ending a ...
Feb 27, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast The US and Ukraine are planning to work together to develop Ukraine's mineral, oil and gas resources. Also, the Israeli military has conducted strikes in southern Syria as Syrians work through their political transition period. And, development and the elements are unearthing some of the first mummies in the world in Chile. Plus, Japanese youth turn to some unconventional dating methods. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air . Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...
Feb 26, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast With a new administration at the helm, the US voted yesterday against a UNGA resolution blaming Russia for the war in Ukraine. Also, hundreds of Syrians from diverse ethnic and minority communities gathered this week in Damascus for a national dialogue conference to chart the country’s political transition. And, mixed reactions in Russia over Oscar-nominated film “Anora.” Plus, “listening lounges” are music bars in Japan that aim to maximize the audio experience. Listen to today’s Music Heard on...
Feb 25, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Leaders from around the world are visiting Kyiv to mark three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Also, Israeli troops have sent tanks into West Bank cities and towns as Palestinians flee their homes in search of safety from shelling and violence. And, Turkey is exporting eggs to the US amid a shortage and skyrocketing prices caused by the spread of bird flu. Plus, Venezuelan comedians and satirists find humor while in exile. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air . Learn about yo...
Feb 24, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast The earthquake in Haiti in 2010 devastated the island and renewed Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants to the United States. Those protections have been extended in light of the extraordinary gang violence that has overtaken Haiti in recent years. The Trump administration has decided to TPS for Haitians early, at the end of summer 2025. We hear about what this means for Haitians in the US, and what it means for US foreign policy and security in the long run. Also, Germany's stagnant...
Feb 21, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hamas and Israel continued their prisoner-for-hostage exchanges as part of the ceasefire deal in Gaza, but on Thursday, the hostages released to Israel were already dead. Hamas claims they were killed by Israeli airstrikes while they were in captivity, which Israeli officials have not denied. The occasion was a somber shift in tone for the hostage releases, which are usually days of relief and celebration in Israel. Also, on Wednesday, in Paris, European leaders held another round of emergency t...
Feb 20, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been charged for alleged involvement in a coup plot following his 2022 election defeat. The allegations include plans to murder his opponent Lula da Silva, the current president. These are the first criminal charges faced by Bolsonaro, who is already banned from running in the country's upcoming presidential election. Also, authorities in the Philippines have come up with a creative way to combat the mosquito-borne illness dengue. They’ve put a boun...
Feb 19, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast The US and Russia met on Tuesday for the first time in Saudi Arabia to begin negotiations on the future of Ukraine. The two sides agreed to set up teams that will hammer out an agreement. Ukrainian and European leaders are not happy about being left out. Also, in the wake of yet another airline disaster, many are wondering whether air travel is more dangerous than in the past or if we're just hearing about crashes more often than we used to. A Delta flight flipped over on Monday after landing in...
Feb 18, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast European leaders and Trump administration officials are attending the Munich Security Summit over the weekend. We'll have the latest on what was discussed, and how it might effect the war in Ukraine." Also, as we continue a deep dive into Ukraine news, we reflect on the "Maidan Revolution," as it's been called, which was a protest against a Russia-installed leader of Ukraine. Many people, especially younger Ukrainians, wanted the country to lean toward the West, not Russia. And, in Ukraine, musi...
Feb 17, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rafik Hariri was a charismatic Lebanese prime minister who oversaw an era of relative economic and political stability until his assassination. Amal Mudallali was Rafik Hariri’s foreign policy adviser and more recently a permanent representative to the UN for Lebanon, who spoke about Hariri's legacy and the opportunity Lebanon is now confronted with. Also, Australia has passed tough anti-hate laws, with mandatory jail time for giving the Nazi salute in public. It's part of an effort to combat a ...
Feb 14, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have signaled a dramatic shift in the US approach to Russia, Ukraine, and the NATO alliance. Where does that leave Europe? Also, the latest craze in cryptocurrency is using memes to bring attention to specific coins. They're called meme coins, and they're risky, because they're backed by nothing but internet attention. Now, one of the world's poorest countries has become the first to launch a national meme coin. The Central African Rep...
Feb 13, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast The civil war in Sudan has been raging for nearly two years and has displaced an estimated 12 million people. Now, there are reports that the breakaway military faction, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has stormed the Zamzam Refugee Camp in North Darfur, Sudan's largest displacement camp. We hear from an expert who has been monitoring the situation on the ground. Denmark is dismantling immigrant neighborhoods where the government says residents — mostly people from the Middle East — don’t share ...
Feb 12, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast US President Donald Trump meets with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House as Trump's plan to forcibly remove Palestinians in Gaza to Jordan and Egypt is met with regional and global condemnation. Also, the “Vote-o-Mat” helps German voters navigate candidates ahead of parliamentary elections. And, the movie “Emilia Pérez”, which has received 13 Oscar nominations has been mired in controversy and has become unpopular in Mexico. Plus, scientists say the shape of the Earth’s core may be chan...
Feb 11, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast An AI summit in Paris brings together world leaders, scientists and tech executives to discuss the groundbreaking impact of artificial intelligence, with EU nations and India playing “catch-up” to the US and China. Also, Senegal renames its streets that were named after French colonial figures to those of prominent Senegalese. And, Israeli police arrest two Palestinian bookstore owners in occupied East Jerusalem, with Arab and Jewish supporters protesting their detention in front of a Jerusalem ...
Feb 10, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Voters in Ecuador will head to the polls for general elections this weekend. The next president will face the enormous task of dismantling well-funded and powerful organized crime groups in the country as well as restoring trust in government and fix an economy in crisis. Also, the Trump administration is using military planes to deport migrants to Latin America, and regional leaders are expressing concerns about how they're being treated. And, a close relative of one of the recently-released Is...
Feb 07, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Advancing the human rights of LGBTQ people around the world was part of the Biden administration's policy agenda. The point person for that effort was Jessica Stern, a US special envoy. She left the job with the changing of the guard at the White House, and President Donald Trump is not expected to fill the position. On Thursday, in her first interview since stepping down, Stern reflects on her time advancing LGBTQ rights on the global stage. Also, it's been the warmest winter that anyone can re...
Feb 06, 2025•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Negotiations for the phase two of the ceasefire deal for Gaza are underway. The vision for this phase has been for Hamas and Israel to work out details surrounding the release of the remaining hostages, and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. But controversy surrounding comments from US President Donald Trump during Tuesday's visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only increases the difficulty of this diplomatic challenge. Also, what justice for past crimes might look like ...
Feb 05, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Panama has become the first Latin American nation to pull out of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It’s also weighing whether to cancel its contract with the Hong Kong-based company that operates near the Panama Canal. An adviser to the US Institute for Peace says that it's all part of the long rivalry between the US and China in Latin America. Also, Syria's new interim president is traveling to Turkey to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. There's a lot at stake for both countries. Turkey...
Feb 04, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Claudia Sheinbaum was able to postpone tariffs from the US for a month. In the meantime, Canada's Justin Trudeau has promised to impose tariffs of his own, urging Canadians to buy local. We look at how leaders from the US' closest neighbors are handling the new administration's trade moves. Also, a showdown in Toronto over bike lanes. The city built new infrastructure for cyclists during the pandemic. But the Ontario government wants to force Toronto to remove them. And, we have Groundhog Day he...
Feb 03, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Syria’s de-facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa was declared the country’s transitional president on Wednesday. The former rebel leader addressed Syrians directly yesterday and called for justice and elections following a transitional period. Also, 10 days into President Donald Trump’s administration, the US southern border remains closed to asylum-seekers, and many are now considering ditching the American Dream to settle in Mexico instead. And, seven candidates are vying for a chance to be the next pr...
Jan 31, 2025•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Argentina’s president reverses a law that established femicide as a crime. Also, a new report shows that the majority of young people in the UK would prefer to live in a dictatorship, and many of them also want the army to be in charge. And, the Israeli government has banned the UN's Palestinian aid agency, UNRWA, from operating in Israel land in East Jerusalem. Plus, Spanish guitarist Antonio Rey’s latest flamenco album is up for a Grammy Award in the Best Global Music Album category. Listen to...
Jan 30, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast A deadly stampede interrupts celebrations at a Hindu festival in northern India, leaving dozens of people dead. Kumbh Mela is the world’s largest religious gathering, where upwards of 400 million pilgrims gather at the confluence of two rivers for sacred rituals. Also, US-funded assistance programs across the globe are reeling after the Trump administration freezes most foreign aid. And, scientists discover a wealth of deep sea animal life surrounding a volcano beneath an ocean in the Arctic. Pl...
Jan 29, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
