World
Weekend Edition Sunday

Afghans With Disabilities Fight For The Right To Rights

Their country isn't an easy place for anyone to make a living, but it's a downright hostile environment for those with disabilities. Support has mostly come from nonprofits, but activists are pressing the government to take action.

Russian Lawmakers: Don't Criticize Soviet Actions In WWII

Don't mess with Soviet history, especially when it comes to World War II. That's the message coming from some hard-line Russian legislators who are angry with an opposition lawmaker who criticized Josef Stalin's World War II counterintelligence agency, SMERSH, and likened it to Adolf Hitler's Gestapo.

Spaniard's Song Brings YouTube Fame ... And Maybe A Job

Enzo Vizcaíno looks like a busker, strumming away on his ukulele as he roams a Barcelona metro car. But he sings of his bachelor's degree and postgrad diploma. "I'm the King of Microsoft," he croons. He's not looking for a handout. He just wants a job. And his creative approach may be paying off.

Weekend Edition Saturday

Afghan Mineral Treasures Stay Buried, Hostages To Uncertainty

Afghanistan is believed to be home to world-class mineral deposits, valued at up to $3 trillion and offering hope for the country's economic future. But in the current environment of uncertainty, investors are nervous and it could be many years before Afghanistan strikes pay dirt.

Toronto Mayor Blames Newspaper For Cocaine Video

The Toronto Star says its reporters have seen a video that purportedly shows Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine.

Need A Tattoo Translated? Forget The British Foreign Office

British consular officials say they've gotten odd requests over the past year, ranging from help in getting Olympic tickets to checking the credentials of an online date.

Former Argentine Dictator Who Oversaw Death Squads Dies At 87

Jorge Rafael Videla ruled Argentina from 1976-1983 and orchestrated a "Dirty War" against opponents that killed as many as 30,000 people.

Young Gazan Men Get Unwanted Haircuts, Courtesy Of Police

The Islamic group Hamas runs the Gaza Strip and controls the police force. A number of young men say police plucked them from the street and shaved their heads recently, apparently because the officers didn't approve of their hairstyles.

Venezuelans Stock Up On Toilet Paper Amid Shortage

The government of President Nicolas Maduro announced this week that it would import 50 million rolls of toilet paper to meet the growing demand. The oil-rich country already suffers from a shortage of medicine, milk and sugar.

Morning Edition

Are Buddhist Monks Involved In Myanmar's Violence?

When tightly controlled societies open up, long-suppressed sectarian tensions can flare. That's been happening in Myanmar. And the twist is that Buddhist monks, widely viewed as pacifists, are part of this rising Buddhist nationalism.

Beckham’s Contributions Impossible To Ignore

May 18, 2013
David Beckham is retiring from soccer after the season, ending a career in which he become a global superstar since starting his career at Manchester United in 1992. (David Vincent/AP)

As soon as David Beckham announced his retirement, some soccer commentators started saying he was never much of a player. Bill Littlefield disagrees.

Biologists Find Source Of Deadly Plague

May 17, 2013
Yersinia pestis, bacterium responsible for the Black Plague. (Northern Arizona University's Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics)

The discovery, by biologists at Northern Arizona University, not only solves some ancient mysteries about the first pandemic, but could also provide answers in the event of a bio-terrorism threat.

Factories In Bangladesh Reopen After Protests

May 16, 2013
A Bangladeshi woman cries holding the portrait of a missing relative as they gather to offer prayers for the souls of the 1,127 people who died in the garment building structure collapse last month, in Savar, near Bangladesh, Tuesday, May 14, 2013. (A.M. Ahad/AP)

Garment manufacturers say they will reopen hundreds of factories outside Dhaka, after they were shuttered due to protests sparked by the building collapse that killed more than 1,000 people.

British Activists Fight For Release Of Gitmo Detainee

May 14, 2013
Human rights activists hold a banner with a picture of Saudi national Guantanamo detainee Shaker Aamer, during a rally near the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

Human rights activists in Britain are campaigning to close the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, and release the last British resident being held there. His name is Shaker Aamer.

Rationing In Our Future?

May 13, 2013
Police direct cars to pumps while people stand in line with containers for gas in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, on Friday, Nov. 9, 2012 in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Police were at gas stations to enforce a new gasoline rationing plan that lets motorists fill up every other day. (AP)

A new book says rationing—of food, energy and more—is in our future. We hear the case, and the pushback.

Election In Pakistan

May 13, 2013
Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or Moment for Justice party attend an election campaign rally in Islamabad, Pakistan, Thursday, May 9, 2013 (AP)

Hope and fear in Pakistan. An historic election day and high stakes all over. We go there.

Sports News Of The Week With Charlie Pierce

May 11, 2013
The Ottawa Senators made quick work of the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the NHL playoffs. (Graham Hughes/AP)

Bill Littlefield and Only A Game analyst Charlie Pierce discuss the Stanley Cup playoffs, Major League Baseball’s line-drive problem, and Kobe Bryant’s latest tiff with his mom.

Pakistan Gets Ready For Vote

May 10, 2013

The BBC’s Owen Bennett Jones joins us from Lahore, Pakistan to discuss Saturday’s election. He reports on the role of money in the campaign.

Benghazi, Immigration Dominate Week In Congress

May 10, 2013
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Ca., center, confers with committee general counsel Stephen Castor, right, as Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., makes his opening statement of the hearing on Benghazi on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday. (AP)

Republicans this week claimed that the Department of State under potential 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton covered up what really happened in last year’s deadly attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Meanwhile, immigration reform has survived a series of test votes in committee.

Week In The News: Cleveland Escape, Military Sexual Assault, Mark Sanford

May 10, 2013
Welcome home signs are shown near Seymour Street where three women were found in Cleveland, Ohio, Thursday, May 9, 2013, after being missing for ten years. (David Duprey/AP)

The Cleveland horrors. Dow 15,000. More sexual assault in the U.S. military. Mark Sanford. Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

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