News

Farmers ride in their tractor in the drought-hit region of Hasaka in northeastern Syria on June 17, 2010.

World News

How Could A Drought Spark A Civil War?

6:32pm September 08, 2013

by NPR Staff

There are many ways to look at civil war: ethnic factions, economic divides and religions differences. But increasingly, some say we should also look at climate change as a factor as well, as it is often what forces internal migrations in nations already simmering with ethnic and sectarian tensions.

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Mated pairs of red-crowned cranes perform a "unison call," a complex and extended series of calls between the male and female that reinforces the pair bond.

Science

Answering The Cranes' Call: 40 Years Of Preserving Grace

6:26pm September 08, 2013

by NPR Staff

Cranes are elegant and endangered. For four decades, the International Crane Foundation has focused on their conservation. NPR's Jacki Lyden talks to one of the organization's co-founders, George Archibald, about a life spent researching his feathered friends all around the world.

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Feral hogs were once just a rural problem in Texas, but now they threaten to turn city parks into sties.

National

Hired Hog Trapper Has Three Years To Clean Out Dallas

6:26pm September 08, 2013

by NPR Staff

Feral hogs have been a growing problem in Texas for years now. The 300-pound animals contaminate the water and ruin the parks, so Dallas is bringing in Osvaldo Rojas to keep the city pig-free.

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In early August, Israel launched a mass campaign to vaccinate children against polio, including this little girl at a clinic in Rahat.

To Keep Polio At Bay, Israel Revaccinates A Million Kids

10:10am September 08, 2013

by Jason Beaubien

After being free of polio for decades, Israel has detected the virus in sewers across the country. No children have become ill. But health officials are worried that polio has regained a foothold in Israel.

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President Obama holds a press conference in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday on the sideline of the G-20 summit.

Syria Puts Obama's Multilateralist Philosophy To The Test

1:11am September 08, 2013

by Ari Shapiro

Multilateralism has been the foundation of the president's foreign policy, and not just on issues of war and peace. At the G-20 summit in Russia this week, he used familiar words when urging military action in Syria. So far, few allies are onboard.

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New School Year Brings Sequestration Pain For Many Districts

8:39pm September 07, 2013

by Claudio Sanchez

As the nation's public schools reopen this fall, many are facing budget deficits and scarce money due to sequestration. Experts say districts with large numbers of poor students are hit the hardest.

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Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak took to a Chicago rooftop on Thursday to attract the city's gay and lesbian community to spend their wedding dollars in Minnesota.

National

Minneapolis Courts Chicago's Same-Sex Couples

6:34pm September 07, 2013

by Cheryl Corley

Same-sex marriage is legal in Minnesota, but not in Illinois. That has Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak on a mission to attract gays and lesbians to spend their wedding dollars in his city.

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EcoATM kiosks dispense cash in exchange for used cellphones, MP3 players and tablets.

National

Baltimore Officials Want To Unplug Phones-For-Cash Kiosks

5:10pm September 07, 2013

by Kenneth Burns

The machines allow people to turn their old cellphones and other electronic devices into instant cash. But these ecoATMs could be banned in Baltimore, where at least one lawmaker believes the machines are a magnet for electronics thieves.

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Olympic Committee To Announce 2020 Summer Games Host

2:22pm September 06, 2013

Saturday in Argentina, the International Olympic Committee will announce the host of the 2020 Summer Games. The committee is choosing from among Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo. The contenders all have strong selling points, but each also has serious issues clouding its bid.

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Connie Labetti, 52, was able to escape one of the World Trade Center buildings on Sept. 11, 2001, thanks to her boss, Ron Fazio.

National

Remembering A Boss Who Led A Team To Safety On Sept. 11

1:46pm September 06, 2013

by NPR Staff

Connie Labetti worked on the 99th floor of the south tower — the second tower to be hit that day. Her boss, Ron Fazio, helped her and others make it out alive.

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