In Hong Kong, A Tussle Over Academic Freedom
Students at the University of Hong Kong protested last month, saying university governance is subject to political interference from Beijing.
View ArticleWill Cuba Meeting Of Pope And Patriarch Help Heal A 1,000-Year Rift?
The split dates from when Christianity first spread through the Roman Empire. Friday's meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill is the culmination of longstanding efforts to promote dialogue.
View ArticleIn Iran, A Poet's 700-Year-Old Verses Still Set Hearts Aflame
The 14th century Persian poet Hafez remains venerated in Iran, even though he wrote of wine, romance and other topics not necessarily welcome in today's Islamic Republic.
View ArticleAs A Japanese Mountain Village Shrinks, So Do Its Prospects For Kabuki
For more than 300 years, children have performed kabuki, Japan's classical theater, in the village of Damine. But as residents age or leave for cities, Damine is running out of young performers.
View ArticleMissing: The Search For A Sister In China
Last summer, a Chinese-American woman contacted NPR's Frank Langfitt with an unusual request: to help find her troubled sister, who'd vanished in southwest China. A difficult journey followed.
View ArticleU.S. Returns Historical Documents, Stolen From Russia In Chaotic '90s
Cooperation is rare these days between Washington and Moscow. But the U.S. Embassy handed over 28 historical documents that had disappeared in the tumultuous years following the Soviet breakup.
View ArticleAt Arctic Winter Games, Biathlons, Stick Pulls And Sledge Jumps
At the Olympics of Inuit sports, athletes from Greenland, Alaska, Canada and Russia face off in games like the finger pull and Alaskan high kick. But collaboration is more important than competition.
View ArticleWhen 500 Palestinians Lose Their Jobs At SodaStream, Who's To Blame?
When the Israeli company left the West Bank amid international pressure, it left behind hundreds of Palestinian employees, too. SodaStream's CEO lays blame for the lost jobs with Israel's government.
View ArticleIn Divided Belgium, Some Find That Trauma Unites Them
Belgium is divided linguistically, culturally and politically. Yet the Brussels bombings have also brought citizens together in ways they hadn't expected.
View Article'Shanghai Nightscapes': Dancing, Drinking And All That Jazz
A nocturnal journey with a pair of Americans who wrote Shanghai Nightscapes, a book covering the raucous past, the abrupt disappearance and the eventual rebirth of nightlife in the city.
View ArticleAfter Decades, A Shanghai Preservationist Heads Home To America
Retired American diplomat Tess Johnston, 84, made a second career working to preserve the rich colonial architecture of Shanghai.
View ArticleHow S. Korea's Plastic Surgeons Are Helping Scarred N. Korean Defectors
Assimilating into South Korean society is rarely easy for North Korean defectors. Top plastic surgeons are volunteering their services to help minimize the scars they bear from painful, abusive pasts.
View ArticleBrazil's Latest Headache: Ticket Sales Lag For Rio Olympics
The Summer Games open Aug. 5 in Rio de Janeiro, but the country's many problems seem to be turning off ticket buyers in Brazil and abroad.
View ArticleTo The List Of High-Stakes Tests In Korea, Add The Samsung SAT
Samsung's rigorous aptitude test underscores the company's near-mythical status in Korean society. "I think this is only the way to be successful," says a test-taker before braving the entrance exam.
View Article'Islamic Fashion' Causes A Stir In France
Some fashion houses have begun catering to Muslim consumers in Europe with loose-fitting, body-covering clothing lines that include head-covering scarves. But in France, the trend is controversial.
View ArticleHollywood Rediscovers Cuba: Is It Too Soon To Call It Havanawood?
Fast & Furious 8 is the second U.S. movie, and the first big-budget Hollywood film, to be shot in Cuba since the recent improvement of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
View ArticleIn Israeli Kindergartens, An Early Lesson In The Holocaust
Israeli schools on Thursday carried out a standardized lesson plan for the first time to teach kindergartners the meaning of the country's annual Holocaust Remembrance Day.
View ArticleExamining The Lure Of ISIS In 'Another World'
A documentary play in London features actors performing the exact words, gathered from interviews, of Muslim mothers who lost children to ISIS, a U.S. general and a former Guantanamo detainee.
View ArticleIn India, Eco-Friendly Cremation Is Easy — But It's A Tough Sell
Is it possible to shrink the carbon footprint of the dead? An organization wants to persuade Indians to adopt "green" cremations and make an important Hindu death rite more environmentally friendly.
View ArticleUndaunted By China's Rule Book, Lesbian Couple Welcomes Their Newborn Twins
There is increasing openness toward nontraditional families in China, though only married, heterosexual couples are allowed access to assisted reproduction. Here's one couple that found a workaround.
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