Delve into the rich tapestry of arts, entertainment, and societal trends. From film reviews to cultural commentary, this category celebrates the diverse expressions of human creativity.
Gas and diesel prices are displayed at a Pilot Travel Center on March 17, 2026 in Pyote, Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America hide caption toggle caption Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America The near-total halt of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and … Read more
Street vendors chat on the Malecón during a blackout in Havana, Monday, March 16, 2026. Ramon Espinosa/AP hide caption toggle caption Ramon Espinosa/AP HAVANA — Cuba is preparing to receive its first shipment of Russian oil this year, just days after the government announced it was operating on natural gas, solar power and thermoelectric plants … Read more
A Palestinian militant wearing the uniform of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, Oct. 15, 2025. Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images SHEFFIELD, U.K., and JERUSALEM — Mediators have given Hamas a formal proposal to lay down its weapons, a senior U.S. official told NPR. … Read more
Two leading democracy watchdog organizations are releasing studies this week that evaluate the state of American democracy after President Trump’s first year. Source link
As Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi prepares for her first White House visit, President Donald Trump calls for Japan and other allies to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is meeting with President Trump at the White House today. The meeting was intended to discuss China … Read more
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (R) listens as U.S. President Donald Trump (L) speaks to troops aboard USS George Washington on October 28, 2025 in Yokosuka, Japan. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images/AsiaPac hide caption toggle caption Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images/AsiaPac SEOUL — Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will be the first U.S. ally to visit the White House … Read more
NPR’s Steve Inskeep speaks with Nate Swanson, former director for Iran at the National Security Council, about what President Trump understood about Iran before going to war. Source link
Iranians clear the debris from damaged homes following a military strike in Tehran on March 15. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images A total telecommunications blackout in Iran means most internet and phone lines remain cut, ever since mass anti-government demonstrations broke out last December. Yet NPR … Read more
Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top stories A wave of attacks from Iran today has hit the world’s largest liquefied natural gas complex in Qatar. Iran also targeted a … Read more
A crowd gathers outside Kabul’s Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, where UN says an airstrike killed more than a hundred people on 16 March. Fazelminallah Qazizai/NPR hide caption toggle caption Fazelminallah Qazizai/NPR KABUL – On Monday night, residents living near the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in the Afghan capital heard a sharp sound tearing through the … Read more