World News

Sacramento Kings Look To India To Attract New NBA Fans

5:24am November 05, 2013

by Scott Detrow

Last year, Sacramento Kings fans were saying goodbye, expecting the NBA team to move to Seattle. But new ownership came together just in time, and the Kings stayed put. The new management plans to build the Kings into a contender, and a big part of that blueprint involves building up a fan base in — believe it or not — India.

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A Syrian fighter from the Islamist rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra inspects a resident's identification papers at a checkpoint in Aleppo on Oct. 26. Syria's Islamist fighters are generally better funded than their more moderate counterparts.

World News

Syria's Moderate Rebels Fight A Battle On Two Fronts

5:28pm November 04, 2013

by Michele Kelemen

On one side, they are battling forces loyal to the Assad regime; on the other, Islamist rebels from among their own ranks. But while the Islamists and the regime are both well-funded, the moderate rebels are looking to the U.S. for aid — and getting little in return.

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Iranian demonstrators march in Tehran in 2011, during a protest asking the government to intensify its enforcement of the Islamic dress code.

From Sulking To Sanctions, A Street-Level View Of Life In Iran

3:15pm November 04, 2013

Journalist Hooman Majd's new book, The Ministry of Guidance Invites You to Not Stay, was inspired by the year he and his young American family spent in Tehran, where Majd was born. He tells Fresh Air about the country's long-standing tradition of sulking, and what sets Tehran apart from most other Islamic metropolises.

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Little oil lamps mark Diwali celebrations in Allahabad, India, far away from American homes.

Far From Diwali's Lights, The Warm Glow Of Home

9:42am November 04, 2013

by Lakshmi Singh

South Asian communities around the world are celebrating good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, light over darkness. Sunday is Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. The holiday isn't well-known in the U.S., though, so families rely on themselves to keep the tradition alive.

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People gather in the central square of Rjukan, Norway, on Wednesday to bask in the sun reflected by mirrors on a nearby mountainside.

As Mirrors Beam Light To Town, Norwegians Share Patch Of Sun

5:07pm November 03, 2013

by NPR Staff

Rjukan lies in the shadow of surrounding mountains for nearly six months every year. But the town recently installed a system of mirrors to bring sunlight to its central square. Not everyone can bask in the glow at the same time, but the project is bringing residents together.

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World News

Will Hard-Line Critics Scuttle Iranian Talks?

8:55am November 03, 2013

by Peter Kenyon

The resurgence of diplomacy in the Iranian nuclear standoff has generated hope in the West for a peaceful solution to the long-running crisis, and hope in Iran for the lifting of painful economic sanctions. But the new opening has also invigorated hard-line opponents in Israel, Washington and Tehran. Analysts say pressure from these conservative critics could derail the talks as they enter a particularly difficult phase.

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Is that Subway? Middle East analyst Holly Dagres is on a hunt for fast-food lookalikes in Tehran.

World News

Mash Donalds? Iranians Copy American Fast-Food Brands

2:37pm November 02, 2013

by NPR Staff

If you wander through the streets of Tehran, you might find that faux McDonald's, or maybe a Pizza Hat. The rise of the "fake franchise" caught the attention of Iranian-American Holly Dagres, a Middle East analyst and commentator, who says some of these eateries "look like the real deal."

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A young man gives a Catholic skullcap to Pope Francis as he greets the crowd before his general audience at St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Oct. 16.

In A Church Built On Tradition, The Pope Likes Spontaneity

8:36pm November 01, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

Seven months into his papacy, Pope Francis is shaking up the Catholic world, with outspoken interviews and cold calls to ordinary people. But some Catholic conservatives are deeply uncomfortable and worried that the Vatican has lost control of the papal message.

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Runners train in Ngong, Kenya, in 2012. The country has produced the world's best distance runners for decades, and most belong to the Kalenjin people.

How One Kenyan Tribe Produces The World's Best Runners

8:35pm November 01, 2013

by Gregory Warner

The Kalenjin people dominate the world of long-distance running, and it seems there's no one secret. Their body structure, their training regimen and traditions that teach them to stoically withstand pain all appear to contribute to their incredible success.

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Hundreds take to the streets in Nairobi on Thursday, calling for justice for a 16-year-old girl dubbed "Liz," who was gang raped in rural Kenya. The men were caught by the police and let go after their punishment — cutting the grass at the police statio

World News

Protesters Call For Justice In Brutal Gang Rape In Kenya

10:50am November 01, 2013

by Gregory Warner

The gang rape of a 16-year-old schoolgirl has sparked outrage in the country and beyond. The attack was so violent it left the girl in a wheelchair. She identified several of her attackers, whom police captured but then released after their punishment: mowing the police station lawn.

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