Not too long after leaving Tbilisi, Georgia, National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek wound up the next leg of his journey: across western Kazakhstan. Salopek met horse wranglers, archeologists working with flint metal, Sufi mystics and musicians all along the ancient Silk Road, crossing into Central Asia. Host Marco Werman talks with Salopek about his experiences.

There are many addiction support groups out there — from alcohol and drugs to pornography. In France, there’s one called Capitalists Anonymous, for people who can’t stop buying stuff or worry that their daily actions, like commuting in gas-guzzling cars, are hurting the planet. 

A third of the world’s population cooks with fuels that produce harmful fumes when burned. Breathing in the fine particles produced by cooking with wood, charcoal, coal, animal dung and agricultural waste can penetrate the lungs and cause multiple respiratory and cardiovascular problems, including cancer and strokes. Women and children are most at risk. Fifty countries gathered in Paris on Tuesday to raise funds to replace dangerous cooking with clean ones. Marco Werman speaks with Dymphna van der Lans, CEO of the Clean Cooking Alliance.

When the Israeli military seized control of the border crossing at Rafah, the Egyptian government seemed to be taken by surprise. Egypt’s government has stopped cooperating with aid shipments into Rafah. It’s also joined South Africa’s effort at the International Court of Justice to bring charges of genocide against Israel. Experts say the 45-year-old Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty is being put at risk. 

In the South Caucasus, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds for decades over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, a majority-ethnic Armenian region inside Azerbaijan. In September, Azerbaijan’s military seized Nagorno-Karabakh, which resulted in the exodus of tens of thousands of Armenians. Now, the two countries are engaged in peace talks, hoping to normalize relations.