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Israeli security forces, including military and police, declared a closed military zone around a olive grove and escorted activists and rabbis away from the area before detaining them near the Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit in the occupied West Bank. Ruth Sherlock/NPR hide caption
October 21, 2026 • In the Israeli occupied West Bank, dozens of Americans have been detained, including a politician running for Congress.
October 20, 2026 • Sometimes it feels like when we aren’t worried about AI destroying humanity — we worry about it replacing white collar jobs like lawyers, accountants, coders. But tech companies have plans for AI-powered robots to replace blue collar jobs as well.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, speaks with supporters while he campaigns ahead of the country's general election at a shopping mall in Ramla, Israel, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Ariel Schalit/AP hide caption
October 19, 2026 • Israel holds an election on October 27th, electing members of the Knesset, their parliament. And this election will decide the future of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with NPR in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Svet Jacqueline for NPR hide caption
October 16, 2026 • Ukraine finds itself in a difficult situation. It has endured increased airstrikes from Russia, especially in the capital Kyiv.
A mural depicting Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, directors of the documentary NAZA about Israeli military killing of Palestinians in the war in Gaza, has layers of graffiti on it, in Ashdod, Israel. Initially painted by an artist accusing the filmmakers of being "traitors," someone later scrawled the Hebrew word for "heroes" over it. Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images hide caption
October 15, 2026 • In the new documentary “NAZA”, two dozen anonymous Israeli military and intelligence officers describe how they used an AI-powered system to kill Palestinians in Gaza. The film’s premiere received a 25-minute standing ovation at Venice International Film Festival. But in Israel, it has caused a major backlash.
August Hanning, former president of the German Federal Intelligence Service, arrives at the parliament building to testify in front of a committee investigating a U.S. spying scandal in Berlin, Oct. 2, 2015. German authorities arrested Hanning last week, accused of treasonous espionage. Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images hide caption
October 14, 2026 • The arrest last week of Germany’s former intelligence head, August Hanning, has left the country in shock. He’s suspected of sharing state secrets with other governments. That’s also worrying Western agencies like the CIA, which share intel with Germany.
October 13, 2026 • With a battered economy made worse by war, many Iranians are looking for ways to provide for their families. Some decide to travel days over land to make their way to Turkey where they can work under the table. But the jobs they’re looking for don’t always materialize. We meet a bus of Iranians arriving in Istanbul in search of employment.
The skull and bones of a female shaman buried in Bad Dürrenberg 9000 years ago lie on a table in the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Archaeology. The find was recovered in the 1930s and has already been scientifically processed once. Now scientists have re-examined the site. Sebastian Willnow/picture alliance via Getty Images hide caption
October 12, 2026 • In this encore episode, we learn about our evolving understanding of an ancient find. When a 9,000 year-old grave of a shaman was discovered in 1930s Germany, the discovery was quickly politicized to support Nazi propaganda. But new analysis shows those assumptions were all wrong.
Jarana players join a mass jam session at a Veracruz fandango while the dancers pound out rhythms with their heels on the wooden tarima. John Burnett for NPR hide caption
October 9, 2026 • We go to Mexico’s gulf coast to learn about fandango. It is a joyous musical tradition born in the Mexican state of Veracruz that’s been going on for more than 300 years and whose popularity has spread around the world.
Tents sheltering displaced Palestinians stand amid damaged buildings in Gaza City, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. Jehad Alshrafi/AP hide caption
October 8, 2026 • It has been three years since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that led to Israel’s invasion of Gaza. It’s a war that has yet to end, despite a ceasefire.
