Hannah Bloch

In a year overshadowed by COVID-19, the world saw plenty of other significant developments. Here are some glimpses of the protests, conflicts — and efforts at peace — that helped define 2020.

A turbulent decade began with the Arab Spring and ended with a swell of anti-government demonstrations from Latin America to India, Sudan and Hong Kong. Here's a glimpse of protests outside the U.S.

Some of the most-read stories by NPR's international reporters looked at endangered rhinos, livid Canadians, Mexico's response to migrants and a show-stealing eye roll at a Chinese political event.

With the ban lifted on female drivers, Saudi women can sit legally in the driver's seat for the first time. But global concern is high over detention of activists who fought for the right to drive.

Tuesday's meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un marks the start of a long negotiation process over North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Here are highlights in photos from a momentous day.

After five years and nearly 3,500 stories — from Pakistan to Papua New Guinea and Paris — the Parallels blog is closing. You'll now find all of NPR's coverage from around the globe at npr.org/world.

The day was marked by violence and bloodshed, as tens of thousands of Palestinians protested the embassy opening and Israeli army forces killed dozens of protesters.

Shah Marai with Agence France-Presse was among those killed in twin suicide blasts in Kabul. "Life seems to be even more difficult than under the Taliban because of the insecurity," he wrote in 2016.

Sharif served as Pakistan's prime minister three times since 1990, and now has been removed from office three times. In the country's 70-year history, no prime minister has completed a five-year term.

For 25 years, the Earth Conservation Corps has been cleaning up the capital's polluted Anacostia River. Volunteers have turned their lives around and now work to help others do the same.

Talks between Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security chief John Kelly with their Mexican counterparts were intended to smooth out growing tensions between the two countries.

As Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president Friday, protests and demonstrations were underway around the world, from London to Manila. There were a few celebrations, too.

Reporters from Europe, Turkey and Lebanon share their experiences covering the 2016 U.S. election — everything from translation challenges to close encounters with a pregnant Ivanka Trump.

"You can't protect what you can't map," says Patrick Meier. He pioneered the field of crisis mapping during the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and now focuses on the use of robotics for humanitarian purposes.

Patrick Meier pioneered the field of crisis mapping during the 2010 Haiti earthquake, compiling information to create a real time map of damage. Now he's focusing on humanitarian uses of drones.

The attacks came at a time when Afghanistan was under harsh Taliban rule, isolated from the world and on the verge of famine. Reporter Hannah Bloch, who was in Kabul on Sept. 11, recalls the day.

Foreign policy is usually a campaign afterthought. But the next president will inherent a raft of global challenges, from ISIS to trade deals to a pivot to Asia.

The number of global killings has jumped by about 600 percent since 2010. But a former U.N. strategic planning director says it's crucial to put the numbers into proper context.

He was Pakistan's greatest humanitarian, creating a social service network providing 24-hour emergency services, adoptions, maternity wards and burials for the indigent.

How might a Brexit affect U.K. citizens in their everyday lives? Everything from mobile phone usage to Premier League football, pet travel and how much booze can be brought home duty-free may change.