The Security Council is the United Nations' most powerful body, with the ability to impose sanctions and authorize the use of force. There are five permanent members of the council: Russia, France, China, the U.S and Britain. And any one of those permanent members can veto council resolutions. The U.S. is proposing expanding the number of permanent members, including two permanent seats for African countries. We talk to the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. about the proposal.

And Seoul, South Korea is such a massive city, residents looking to experience nature can face a long journey to reach the countryside. As a result, the city's parks are catering to urban campers who want to sleep outdoors closer to home. We meet some of them.

New White House rules would close a tax loophole that lets Shein and Temu cheaply ship from China to American shoppers. The Biden administration says it undercuts U.S. workers, retailers and manufacturers.

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Congolese athletes Mireille Nganga and sprinter Emmanuel Grace Mouambako, as well as a guide accompanying Mouambako, were reported missing shortly after competing in the 2024 Paralympic Games.

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In an effort to address its shrinking population and aging work force, over 15 years, China will raise the retirement age for men to 63, and for women to 55 or 58 years depending on their jobs.

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The United States supports creating two new permanent U.N. Security Council seats for African states, and one seat to be rotated among small island developing states

Russia's war on Ukraine will top Biden-Starmer meeting agenda. With the debate behind them, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump hit the campaign trail. Gas stoves may get a health warning in California.

Cocoa beans, which are used to make chocolate, are mostly grown in a few places making them susceptible to the effects of extreme weather events, driven by climate change. We hear about a team in Germany that is developing a chocolate made without cocoa.

The Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, is now the single biggest opposition bloc in Jordan's 138-member parliament, winning one-fifth of the seats this week.

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The U.N. relief agency for Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip said its employees were among 18 people killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school. Israel said the school was being used by Hamas.

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NPR gets a rare look inside war-torn Sudan, where millions are displaced and struggling for survival. And, we examine new data on why grocery prices remain high.

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The war in Sudan has been devastating. Trial of three ex-Memphis police officers in the beating death of Tyre Nichols continues. Examining if greedy companies are to blame for higher grocery prices.

Alberto Fujimori, whose decade-long presidency began with righting Peru’s economy and defeating a brutal insurgency only to end in a disgrace, has died. He was 86.

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It's been two years since the death of a woman in the custody of Iran's morality police led to protests across the country. The brutal government crackdown that followed continues today- with artists, journalists and activists targeted. NPR's Jackie Northam brings us the voices of some of those affected.

Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who wants the White House to lift restrictions on long-range missiles, and announced more aid.

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Another 128 people were reported missing and 800 injured as landslides and flash floods from Typhoon Yagi continued to take their toll.

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Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump faced off last night on several hot topic issues. NPR fact-checked the claims made. And, how food delivery could be environmentally friendly.

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An Israeli court this week rejected a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to block a documentary about his legal troubles from screening at a Canadian film festival.

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In Vladimir Putin’s Russia, writing about the war in Ukraine, the church or LGBTQ+ life could land you in jail. A new organization helps authors publish books in Russian they couldn't back home.

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Kamala Harris and Donald Trump faced off at a presidential debate. Congress barrels toward a government shutdown deadline. Secretary of State Blinken is in Ukraine with Britain’s foreign secretary.

Climate change is contributing to erratic weather where cocoa beans are grown and threatening the global chocolate supply. Record rainfall last year led to fungal infections among cacao trees and dwindled supply of cocoa beans. Heat is also making it more difficult for cocoa beans to thrive. So, for day three of Climate Solutions Week, we look at one innovation in the food industry: chocolate substitutes.

As big chocolate manufacturers rush to stockpile cocoa beans, some companies like Planet A Foods are looking for a more sustainable solution: an alternative that looks like chocolate, tastes like chocolate and feels like chocolate... without chocolate.

You can read more of international correspondent Rob Schmitz's reporting here.

Interested in hearing more climate solutions? Email us at shortwave@npr.org – we'd love to hear your ideas!