Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon talks with Brazil Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota about the mass protests taking place in that country over corruption and the rising cost of living.
China's "Tianhe-2" (Milky Way 2) supercomputer took first place in one recent speed test, clocking in at 30 quadrillion calculations per second--about twice as fast as the best American machines. The U.S. still has more supercomputers than any other nation, but some experts say computer speed is a measure of a country's scientific innovation, and worry the U.S. is lagging behind.
Many are wondering whether Iran's newly elected president Hassan Rowhani will be able to change his nation's posture on nuclear enrichment and convince the West to end crippling economic sanctions. To find out, Steve Inskeep talks to Gary Samore, a former White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction.
Since the beginning of April, more than 2,000 people have died in bombings and other attacks in Iraq. NPR foreign correspondent Kelly McEvers, just back from a trip to Baghdad, explains what's behind the recent rise in violence and what's changed since U.S. troops left the country in 2011.
The man elected to be Iran's new president has been consistently described as moderate. In the days since the election, many have come to question what that means — especially when it comes to the country's nuclear program and its relations with the U.S. Steve Inskeep talks to one of the president-elect's long-time deputies, Hossein Mousavian.
When Nicholas Rodriguez returned from Afghanistan in 2010, his mother and stepfather had never heard of post-traumatic stress disorder. It was only after Nick killed himself that they learned the warning signs and realized he needed help dealing with his combat experience.
This week's meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized countries concluded with a pledge to end the use of tax shelters by multinational corporations. But there are still big questions about how they will make a dent in the problem.
More than 1,000 people were killed in the factory collapse in Bangladesh in April. Spanish companies were among those whose clothes were made at the facility. But there's a clash between the allure of low-cost fast fashion and consumer awareness of working conditions. A Spanish artist is doing her bit: She's drawing attention to workers' plight.
Iran's newly elected president is signaling he might take a more pragmatic, moderate approach to nuclear negotiations with major world powers. But there's a lot of debate in Washington policy circles about what Hassan Rohani's election might mean for the U.S.