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Thursday

Was the Former President of Georgia Poisoned?

Georgia's ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili in the defendant's box for one of his court hearings at the city court of Tbilisi on Nov. 29, 2021. Irakli Gedenidze/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Irakli Gedenidze/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

State of the World from NPR

Was the Former President of Georgia Poisoned?

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.

Was the Former President of Georgia Poisoned?

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Putin warns of nuclear war if NATO sends troops to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual state of the nation address in Moscow on Thursday. Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine invasion — explained

Putin warns of nuclear war if NATO sends troops to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued explicit nuclear threats to the West, even as he assured Russians their country could both win the war in Ukraine and thrive economically.

Education

This online learning program is teaching preschoolers in crisis situations

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with reporter Anya Kamenetz about an Arabic-language remote learning program called "Ahlan Simsim." It's a show by the Sesame Workshop, created for Syrian refugees.

This online learning program is teaching preschoolers in crisis situations

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Middle East

As conditions in Gaza worsen, more are asking what Biden will do for a ceasefire

The war in Gaza has become a growing issue in the US elections: what is President Biden doing to push for an end to the fighting?

As conditions in Gaza worsen, more are asking what Biden will do for a ceasefire

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Asia

Doctors in South Korea walk out in strike of work conditions

A walk-out by South Korean doctors has hobbled the country's medical system. Most of them have defied a government ultimatum to return to work by Thursday.

Doctors in South Korea walk out in strike of work conditions

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Middle East

Airdrops with aid are becoming a last resort as Palestinians starve

With hunger growing in Gaza and aid down to a trickle, donor countries are increasingly resorting to airdrops to help desperate Palestinians.

Airdrops with aid are becoming a last resort as Palestinians starve

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Scores killed trying to get food from an aid convoy during a chaotic scene in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings after an Israeli airstrike at the Nusseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza on Thursday. Adel Hana/AP hide caption

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Adel Hana/AP

Middle East crisis — explained

Scores killed trying to get food from an aid convoy during a chaotic scene in Gaza

Health officials in Gaza say over 100 are dead after Israeli troops fired on a crowd that was trying to pull food from the convoy. Israeli officials said the crowd had approached in a threatening way.

Relatives in Lebanon mourn victims of Israeli strikes, including a 5-year-old girl

Relatives of Amal Hassan al-Durr, a 5-year-old girl, lay her body to rest at the cemetery in Majdal Zoun, southern Lebanon, on Feb. 22. She lost her life during an Israeli attack. In recent weeks, Israel has intensified its airstrikes, penetrating deeper into Lebanon. Diego Ibarra Sánchez for NPR hide caption

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Diego Ibarra Sánchez for NPR

The Picture Show

Relatives in Lebanon mourn victims of Israeli strikes, including a 5-year-old girl

Photographer Diego Ibarra Sánchez accompanied mourners in southern Lebanon after Israel stepped up airstrikes that claimed the lives of civilians and Hezbollah fighters.

A story of Jewish Shanghai, told through music

A rehearsal of Émigré by the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall on Wednesday. Adam Crane/Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic hide caption

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Adam Crane/Courtesy of the New York Philharmonic

Culture

A story of Jewish Shanghai, told through music

A fictional tale of the real-life Jewish community in Shanghai during World War II — with a cross-cultural love story at its heart — is premiering at the New York Philharmonic on Thursday.

A story of Jewish Shanghai, told through music

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Gaza's death toll now exceeds 30,000. Here's why it's an incomplete count

Palestinians pray over bodies of people killed in an Israeli bombardment, brought from the Shifa hospital, before burying them in a mass grave in the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Nov. 22. Mohammed Dahman/AP hide caption

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Mohammed Dahman/AP

Middle East crisis — explained

Gaza's death toll now exceeds 30,000. Here's why it's an incomplete count

Gaza's health ministry announced Thursday that 30,035 Palestinians have been killed in the war. A close look at how the ministry counts those killed reveals a system buckling under the weight of war.

Gaza's death toll now exceeds 30,000. Here's why it's an incomplete count

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Field Notes: On Reporting, the Israel-Hamas War

Left: NPR producer Anas Baba reports in Rafah, southern Gaza, after an Israeli strike hit the area on Oct. 17, 2023. Right: NPR's Jerusalem correspondent Daniel Estrin reports in Sderot, Israel on Oct. 11, 2023. Anas Baba/NPR and Tanya Habjouqa for NPR hide caption

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Anas Baba/NPR and Tanya Habjouqa for NPR

Embedded

Field Notes: On Reporting, the Israel-Hamas War

The first in a two-part special series featuring conversations between Embedded host Kelly McEvers and NPR reporters who have been on the ground during the current conflict in Gaza. In the first episode, NPR's Daniel Estrin talks about the challenges of reporting on the Israel-Hamas war and the work of his colleague Anas Baba from inside Gaza.

Field Notes: On Reporting, the Israel-Hamas War

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Wednesday

Ghana's parliament passes anti-LGBTQ+ bill that could imprison people for years

Speaker of Ghana Parliament Alban Sumana Bagbin speaks at the Parliament House in Accra, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Ghana's parliament passed a highly controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill on Wednesday that could send some people to prison for more than a decade. Misper Apawu/AP hide caption

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Misper Apawu/AP

Africa

Ghana's parliament passes anti-LGBTQ+ bill that could imprison people for years

The bill criminalizes members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as its supporters, including promotion and funding of related activities and public displays of affection.