Africa

The Harmattan haze can become so dense in Dakar, Senegal, it dims the sun and grounds flights.

While New England Gets Snow, West Africa Gets Sand

2:11pm February 28, 2015

by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

A hot wind blows from the Sahara Desert across West Africa each winter. This year, the clouds of sand are so thick that flights are grounded, cocoa trees are suffering and everyone has a cough.

Members of Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas patrol on the border between Egypt and southern Gaza Strip earlier this month.

World News

Egypt Declares Hamas 'Terrorist' Group

2:00pm February 28, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The organization, an offshoot of Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood, controls the Gaza Strip.

Twins Watta and Fatta Balyon pose for a picture outside their guardian Mamuedeh Kanneh's house.

World News

Go Behind The Scenes With The Producer Who Made 'Life After Death'

8:54pm February 27, 2015

by NPR Staff

An NPR team visited the Liberian village of Barkedu to capture the sights and sounds of life after Ebola. They found sorrow, hunger ... and a sense of hope.

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A health worker in Liberia washes up after leaving a clinic's Ebola isolation area.

It Kills Germs For Up To 6 Hours. Can It Wipe Out Ebola?

7:59pm February 27, 2015

by Emily Sohn

Zylast is a hand sanitizer that offers protection far longer than alcohol-based products or chlorine solution. That's why USAID has named it one of its "Fighting Ebola Grand Challenge" winners.

Physicians Nowiba Mugambi and Erica Palys discuss a patient's X-ray at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya. The hospital plans to open a new cancer treatment center in April.

How Tents And Fried Chicken Help Stop Cancer

12:09pm February 27, 2015

by Joanne Silberner

There's little money for cancer care in the developing world. And many children with curable cancers die. Two doctors believe it's time to stop accepting cancer as a death sentence in poor countries.

Vice President Joe Biden was criticized for coming up from behind and getting too close to Stephanie Carter at her husband's swearing-in ceremony as secretary of defense.

Global Rules Of Greeting Vary, But Biden And Travolta Get No Support

11:25am February 26, 2015

by Marc Silver

The vice president and the actor are getting panned for the way they greeted women in the past week. That made us wonder: What's the greeting etiquette in parts of the world we cover in our blog?

World News

Jailed Egyptian Journalist Out On Bail Fears For Freedom Of Expression

8:46pm February 25, 2015

Kelly McEvers talks with Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian journalist for Al Jazeera English. Mohamed was imprisoned for alleged assistance to the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

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Customers wait to collect money at the Juba Express money transfer company in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Feb. 12.

Terrorism Fears Complicate Money Transfers For Somali-Americans

8:46pm February 25, 2015

by Pam Fessler

Regulations intended to block money from getting to terrorist groups has led the last bank that handles most money transfers from the United States to Somalia to pull out of the business.

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A carb ball shares the bowl with a chunk of meat.

World News

House Of Carbs: A Big Ball O' Carbohydrates Is Good Eating In Ghana

4:36pm February 25, 2015

by Kiley Shields

Our Peace Corps correspondent meets the giant ball of carbs that floats in many a Ghanaian stew. She takes a pinch (using her right hand only). And she learns to almost love it.

World News

Egyptian Blogger Sentenced Amid Opposition Crackdown

7:13pm February 24, 2015

by Leila Fadel

An Egyptian blogger who was an emblem of the democracy movement was sentenced Monday to five years in prison as the government cracks down on opposition.

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