World News

An explosion caused by 24 tons of pyrotechnics.

World News

Explosion At Fireworks Warehouse In Colombia Makes For Amazing Video

4:54am January 07, 2015

by Eyder Peralta

The explosion of 24 tons of pyrotechnics was caught on video by a local news photographer who was there to check out a small fire. No one was seriously injured and video is stunning.

Obama And Mexican President Talk Cuba, Immigration

9:07pm January 06, 2015

by Mara Liasson

Two big issues between President Obama and his Mexican counterpart: Obama's recent controversial executive actions on immigration and Cuba.

Queue Listen Now

King Abdullah (right) and Crown Prince Salman (left) are shown in this 2012 poster. The king, who is at least 90, was hospitalized last week and Salman on Tuesday stepped in for the monarch and delivered an annual televised speech to the nation.

With The Saudi King Ailing, Succession Speculation Begins

8:47pm January 06, 2015

by Michele Kelemen

King Abdullah, who's at least 90, was hospitalized last week and Crown Prince Salman delivered an annual televised speech Tuesday. One analyst says the kingdom is stable, perhaps too much so.

Queue Listen Now

The question of what to call "the developing world" is a developing debate.

If You Shouldn't Call It The Third World, What Should You Call It?

7:50pm January 06, 2015

by Marc Silver

There are many ways to refer to the parts of our planet where people lack decent health care, education and services like electricity and clean water. And just about every label has its problems.

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.

Queue Listen Now

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.

Queue Listen Now

Michael Sharp visits with Elizabeth Namavu and children in Mubimbi Camp, home to displaced persons in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A coordinator for the Mennonite Central, he has an unusual approach to peacemaking.

World News

When A Rebel Is Homesick, He Might Be Willing To Surrender

5:29pm January 06, 2015

by Gregory Warner

To help end the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Michael Sharp sits among the banana trees and talks with the fighters about memories of the past and dreams for their children.

Queue Listen Now

Abebe, the owner of Abyssinia, a popular Ethiopian eatery in Nairobi, Kenya, shows some of the foods permitted during the pre-Christmas fast. Orthodox Ethiopians typically eat just one vegan meal per day for 40 days before the Christmas feast on Jan. 7.

A 40-Day Vegan Fast, Then, At Last, A January Christmas Feast

4:48pm January 06, 2015

by Gregory Warner

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church observes Christmas on Jan. 7, and the 40 days prior are observed as a vegan fast. That means no dairy and no meat until the traditional dish of doro wat on Christmas Day.

Queue Listen Now

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.