Mark Carney once lead the central bank of Canada and then was tapped to do the same job in England. So he knows a lot about government and finance but he has never held elected office. This weekend he was elected to be head of Canada's Liberal Party which means he'll soon be prime minister. We learn more about the man who takes the job at a time of strained relations with the U.S.

And the Palestinian city of Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is so renowned for it's soap that the process of making it has been listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. We go to one of the oldest soap factories there.

NPR Producer Anas Baba walks home to Northern Gaza, as Palestinians are allowed to return as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel and Hamas. And, a month after the fall of the Al-Assad regime, Syrians are euphoric, but face a shattered economy and fragile security.

The Druze community of the Golan Heights mourns after a weekend rocket strike on a soccer field kills 12 children. The attack raises questions about the Druze identity— an Arab minority group that can claim Israeli citizenship.

Israel has expanded its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. This comes after an Israeli airstrike on Sunday near a displaced persons camp started a fire killing at least 45 people and injuring hundreds more. We hear details from our correspondent in Tel Aviv.

For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Associated Press reporter Aniruddha Ghosal about the largest-ever fraud case in Vietnam. The real estate tycoon at the center of it has received a death sentence.

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with David Van Reybrouck about Revolusi, his new book about how Indonesia gained independence and paved the way for the global decolonization movement.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with White House National Security communications adviser John Kirby about US intelligence on the recent terror attack near Moscow.

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim, hosts of the Slate podcast ICYMI, about "Who the F Did I Marry," the TikTok saga that now has tens of millions of views.

Coal jobs have been declining for generations. Now in the town of Keyser, West Virginia, there's a different energy source on the horizon.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Norman Roule, a veteran of the CIA and former mission manager for Iran for the Director of National Intelligence, about the so-called "Axis of Resistance."

Last week, it was so cold in Beaumont, Texas — with lows of 18 degrees Fahrenheit — that alligators across the area were found frozen underwater, while still breathing.

A judge in Oklahoma has ordered the removal of a massive wind farm from tribal land because its owners failed to get proper permits more than a decade ago.

The U.S. is once again describing the Houthis in Yemen as a terrorist group, and is planning to impose sanctions within the next month unless the Houthis stop attacking ships in the Red Sea.

Taiwan has endured colonial forces over centuries. The island's indigenous people have borne the brunt of this violent history. Members of one tribe tells us what it means to them to be Taiwanese.

Elton John won an Emmy Monday night, securing him a spot in the small group of people who have an EGOT — Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

The National Weather Service winter weather alert map is a colorful mosaic of advisories and warnings across a swath of the U.S. Officials in many places are urging people to limit their time outside.

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with author E.J. Koh about her novel, The Liberators. In just over 200 pages, the story covers generations, wars and geopolitical upheaval.

Bethlehem, a town nearly synonymous with Christmas, is located in what is now the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Many Palestinians are too distressed by the war in Gaza to hold Christmas celebrations.

Hear the latest on the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

Israelis react to news that the military mistakenly killed three of the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.