Europe

This did not really happen. Cows' heads did not emerge from the bodies of people newly inoculated against smallpox. But fear of the vaccine was so widespread that it prompted British satirist James Gillray to create this spoof in 1802.

A Cow Head Will Not Erupt From Your Body If You Get A Smallpox Vaccine

6:17pm January 07, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

The eradication of smallpox was arguably one of the greatest achievements of modern medicine. But people had crazy ideas about the vaccine when it was created in 1798. A new exhibit tells the story.

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French soldiers patrol in front of the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday, after heavily armed gunmen stormed the offices of Charlie Hebdo and killed at least 12 people — the deadliest attack in France in four decades.

World News

A Magazine Staff Is Slaughtered, A French Nightmare Is Realized

2:40pm January 07, 2015

by Greg Myre

The satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo kept taking jabs at Islamic radicals despite a 2011 firebombing that destroyed its office.

World News

Gunmen Storm Satirical Magazine's Office In Paris

1:00pm January 07, 2015

by Eleanor Beardsley

At least 12 people were killed in what French President Francois Hollande said was a "terrorist operation" against the publication Charlie Hebdo.

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Greek Opposition Party Seizes On Anger Over Austerity Measures

12:35pm January 07, 2015

We've been hearing a lot about economic anxiety in Europe lately. Much of that anxiety centers on Greece. Steve Inskeep talks to economist Platon Tinios about what's happening in Greece.

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Between Speech And Religion, Freedoms Often Spell Friction

12:35pm January 07, 2015

Renee Montagne speaks with Suzanne Nossel, executive director for PEN American Center, to discuss how issues of free speech and religious freedom can clash.

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World News

For 'Charlie Hebdo,' A History Defined By Humor, Controversy — And Cartoons

12:35pm January 07, 2015

by David Folkenflik

Renee Montagne talks to NPR's David Folkenflik about the provocative editorial stance adopted by the French satirical magazine, which was attacked by gunmen this morning in Paris.

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Marcello Mazzucchi, who's known as "The Tree Whisperer." "I've felled one million trees in my career," he says. "But in their place, 100 million more have grown up."

In The Italian Alps, Stradivari's Trees Live On

7:05pm January 06, 2015

by Christopher Livesay

The master luthier's violins and cellos include spruce from the Fiemme Valley. The forest still thrives, and its trees are still made into fine instruments.

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World News

Anti-Muslim Rallies Grow In Germany

6:36pm January 06, 2015

A movement tinged with anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment has been growing in the German city of Dresden since the fall. The city's weekly rally grew to some 18,000 people on Monday. Robert Siegel speaks with Melanie Amann, who covers German national politics for the newspaper Der Spiegel, about the so-called "PEGIDA" movement.

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Frank Van Den Bleeken, seen here at a court hearing last fall, will be sent to a psychiatric center instead of being allowed to die from euthanasia. He had been scheduled to die on Sunday.

World News

In Reversal, Belgium Denies Inmate's Request To Die

2:52pm January 06, 2015

by Bill Chappell

A court approved Frank Van Den Bleeken's request to die in September. The planned euthanasia was called after the doctor who was to oversee the procedure backed out.

How A Too-Strong Dollar Might Lead To A Too-Weak World

1:53pm January 06, 2015

by Marilyn Geewax

There are upsides to having global investors stash their savings in the United States. But their embrace of the dollar can start to feel like a death grip if it goes too far and chokes off exports.