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Beijing Marathoners Powered Through Thick Smog

7:21am October 20, 2014

Before Sunday's Beijing Marathon, smog levels were 12 times above what is considered safe for humans. But organizers refused to cancel. Instead, they handed out sponges to clean exposed skin.

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An artist's rendering of the flyby with Mars orbiters taking cover. Note that the image says "spacecraft not to scale."

Mars Probes Give Scientists Box Seats For Rare Comet Flyby

12:41am October 20, 2014

by Scott Neuman

A "mountain-sized" comet known as Siding Spring will pass very close to the red planet, where orbiters from the U.S., Europe and India, hope to get close — but not too close — to the action.

Chinese Find Number URLs Easier Than Letters

3:46pm October 18, 2014

Chinese characters don't readily work with the English-centric internet. The New Republic's Chris Beam tells NPR's Scott Simon that the Chinese use numbers that when pronounced, sound like words.

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Pritzker Travels Europe And Asia On Commercial Diplomacy Tour

3:46pm October 18, 2014

Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker recently returned from Ukraine and Turkey, and she heads next to Japan and South Korea. NPR's Scott Simon talks to her about practicing commercial diplomacy.

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Pro-democracy protesters set up new barricades after riot police retreated from a main road at Mong Kok shopping district in Hong Kong early Saturday.

World News

Hong Kong Activists Clash With Police, Retake Protest Site

1:26pm October 18, 2014

by Scott Neuman

Pro-democracy protesters have replaced barricades in the congested Mong Kong district of the city hours after authorities dismantled the obstacles.

Police officers stand guard at a main street in Mong Kok district in Hong Kong on Friday, where they raided a student protest site.

World News

Hong Kong Police Launch Dawn Raid To Dismantle Protest Site

9:18am October 17, 2014

by Scott Neuman

Officers moved into the camp in the city's congested Mong Kok district, rousing sleeping protesters and clearing the road of metal and bamboo barricades set up by pro-democracy demonstrators.

Soldiers prepare to airlift an avalanche victim Wednesday in the area of Thorong La pass in Nepal. Authorities now say the death toll from a freak blizzard and avalanches in the Himalayas has reached 27.

World News

Death Toll In Himalayan Avalanches Reaches 29

1:56am October 17, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The highest number of dead, many of them foreigners, are on the trail of Mount Annapurna, the world's 10th-highest peak.

World News

Blizzard, Avalanches Kill More Than 27 Trekkers In Nepal

6:35pm October 16, 2014

Melissa Block talks to BBC correspondent Andrew North about the blizzard and avalanches in Nepal that have killed at least 27 trekkers. The dead include hikers as well as Nepali herders and guides.

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Tourists take pictures inside Wat Pho temple in Bangkok in August. Tourism, a key part of Thailand's economy, is down 20 percent this year following political violence and a military coup.

World News

Thailand Official: Martial Law Is Good For Tourists

5:58pm October 16, 2014

by Michael Sullivan

With tourism down 20 percent, Thailand is looking for novel ways to lure visitors. According to the head of the tourist authority, military rule means it's extremely safe to visit.

An umbrellas is placed near tents set up by pro-democracy protesters in an occupied area near government headquarters in Hong Kong on Thursday. Hong Kong officials have revived an offer for talks with the activists, but also emphasized that Beijing will n

World News

Hong Kong's Renewed Offer Of Talks With Protesters Meets Skepticism

8:33am October 16, 2014

by Scott Neuman

The government says it's willing to talk with student pro-democracy activists, but that their demand for open elections will never meet with approval from Beijing.