World

Nyad Finishes Swimming Goal 35 Years After She First Tried

10:54am September 03, 2013

Diana Nyad finally conquered the Straits of Florida by swimming without a shark cage from Cuba to Key West. It was a distance of more than 100 miles. It was her fifth attempt.

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Syria Resolution Could Be A Hard Sell On Capitol Hill

6:41pm September 02, 2013

by Ailsa Chang

A day after President Obama announced he'll wait for congressional authorization before launching strikes on Syria; members of Congress attended a classified briefing at the Capitol. Even though there's still one week left of summer recess, dozens of lawmakers flew to Washington, D.C. from their home districts just for the meeting.

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World News

Paris Has Been A Haven For African Americans Escaping Racism

4:53am September 02, 2013

by Eleanor Beardsley

The City Of Lights became known as a beacon of freedom and tolerance for African Americans. Paris is rich in black history — especially from black Americans who have flocked there since the 19th century.

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World News

Declassified Documents Reveal CIA Role In 1953 Iranian Coup

6:44pm September 01, 2013

by NPR Staff

The CIA's overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh was a first for the agency and served as the template for covert operations across the globe.

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World News

Iran Warns Against U.S. Military Strikes On Syria

8:34am September 01, 2013

The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard says an American military strike on Syria would lead to "a second Vietnam for the U.S." and the "imminent destruction of Israel." David Greene talks to analyst Karim Sadjadpour, of the Carnegie Endowment, about Iran's role in the Syria crisis.

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Mark Malkoff makes a Skype call to Belgium.

Call Me, Haiti? One Man's Quest To Skype Around The World

11:59am August 31, 2013

by NPR Staff

Mark Malkoff has lived inside of an IKEA store, consumed beverages at 171 Starbucks in Manhattan in less than 24 hours and proved that his kid's Big Wheel bike could beat a New York City bus. Now, the comedian has video chatted with people in 162 different countries — including North Korea.

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If 'Humanitarian,' Why Not Intervene In Syria Sooner?

11:59am August 31, 2013

Will a limited military strike prevent Syrian President Bashar Assad from launching future chemical attacks? Host Scott Simon speaks with former leader of Canada's Liberal Party Michael Ignatieff about so-called "humanitarian intervention" in Syria.

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The protesters who opposed Hosni Mubarak two years ago, like these demonstrators in Cario's Tahrir Square on Feb. 8, 2011, have been pushed to the sidelines in the current confrontation.

World News

In Egypt's Political Turmoil, Middle Ground Is The Loneliest

7:01pm August 30, 2013

by Leila Fadel

The young, secular revolutionaries who led the 2011 uprising against the Hosni Mubarak regime have been pushed to the margins of the current confrontation in Egypt. They also feel they are battling two sets of authoritarian forces — the military and the Muslim Brotherhood.

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Indonesian slang for someone who tells a joke so badly, that is so unfunny you cannot help but laugh out loud.

How Do You Say ...? For Some Words, There's No Easy Translation

7:01pm August 30, 2013

by NPR Staff

The feeling of solitude in the woods ... the sunlight that filters through trees ... someone who tells a joke so badly that you have to laugh. In English, these things require a whole string of words. Not so in German, Japanese and Indonesian, respectively.

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At the White House, President Obama and his advisers continue to work to build support in Congress and among allies for striking Syria.

Striking Syria Still Seems A Question Of When, Not Whether

1:54pm August 30, 2013

by Mark Memmott

The White House is expected to soon release more of the evidence it says it has to support the case that the Assad regime used chemical weapons against its own people. Despite the news that Britain won't be joining in any military action, the Obama administration seems determined to go ahead.

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