World News

Trash, much of it believed to be debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami, litters the beach on Montague Island, Alaska, on Jan. 26.

Tsunami Debris On Alaska's Shores Like 'Standing In Landfill'

10:51am February 06, 2013

by Annie Feidt

Wreckage believed to be from the 2011 Japanese tsunami is washing up thousands of miles away in Alaska. The debris isn't just unsightly — it poses environmental worries for the landscape and animals. One conservationist says the problem may be worse than the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

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Tunisian Opposition Leader's Slaying Prompts Protests

10:51am February 06, 2013

Thousands of Tunisians are protesting in the streets after the assassination of opposition leader Chokri Belaid, a critic of the moderate Islamist group that dominates the country's government. Steve Inskeep talks with Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Institution's Doha Center.

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Syrian women walk through a market area in the northern city of Aleppo last November. A new website is documenting the use of rape in the Syrian conflict.

Tracking Rape In Syria Through Social Media

8:17pm February 05, 2013

by Deborah Amos

Researchers are using data from Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media sites. There are, however, questions about the accuracy of the reports coming from Syria.

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For The First Time In Decades, Iran's President Visits Egypt

6:36pm February 05, 2013

by Leila Fadel

The hostility between Iran and Egypt dates to the 1970s, and the Muslim nations remain wary of one another. However, tensions have thawed in recent months.

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Sergei Filin, artistic director of the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre's Bolshoi Ballet, was nearly blinded by an attacker on Jan. 17.

In Moscow, Scandals Shake A Storied Ballet

1:47pm February 05, 2013

by Elizabeth Blair

The Bolshoi Ballet is deeply beloved in Russia. But a series of recent scandals — capped by a nasty acid attack on the company's artistic director in mid-January — has sent shock waves through artistic circles.

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Syrians look for survivors amid the rubble of a building targeted by a missile in the al-Mashhad neighborhood of Aleppo on Jan. 7.

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In Syrian Conflict, Real-Time Evidence Of Violations

1:47pm February 05, 2013

by Peter Kenyon

There are growing calls for Syria's leaders to face war crimes charges for the assaults against rebel targets and civilian areas. If that happens, veterans of past war crimes prosecutions say, Syrians will have one big advantage: the widespread gathering of evidence across the country.

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Lessons Learned Two Years After The Arab Spring

1:28pm February 05, 2013

From Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Cairo, to the ongoing violence in Syria, Rami Khouri, columnist for Beirut's Daily Star recaps developments in the Middle East and reflects on lessons learned two years after the Arab Spring.

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Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, shown here in 2009, recently set up a Facebook page, though the Iranian government bans ordinary Iranians from access to Facebook and other social media sites.

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Iran's Leader Embraces Facebook; Fellow Iranians Are Blocked

10:29am February 05, 2013

by Peter Kenyon

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei turned to social media recently. Meanwhile, Iran's government has stepped up efforts to identify and target online pro-democracy activists. Analysts say the government is using increasingly sophisticated methods to shrink the online space for free expression.

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A protester holds a petrol bomb during clashes with riot police after a demonstration against new austerity measures outside the parliament in Athens, Greece, on Nov. 7.

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Violence At Both Ends Of Political Spectrum Threatens Greece

8:33pm February 04, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

Debt-burdened Greece's fragile political stability is under attack. On the left, anti-government groups have bombed a series of Greek government offices, banks and other symbols of the establishment. Meanwhile, violent attacks by supporters of a neo-Nazi and anti-immigrant party are also on the rise.

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The Sans-Souci Palace, or "Palace Without Worry," in Milot is one of the sites Haitian tourism officials hope will attract visitors. Former slaves built Sans-Souci in the early 1800s, soon after they overthrew the island's French colonial rulers.

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For Your Next Caribbean Vacation, Haiti ... Maybe?

2:29pm February 04, 2013

by Jason Beaubien

Haiti is trying to sell itself as an international vacation hub in a bid to revive its once-vibrant tourism industry. Officials say tourism could be a major driver of economic growth and help lift Haitians out of poverty.

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