World News

Kenyan authorities are trying to guard against fraud and violence when they hold a presidential election on March 4. Here, voters register on biometric equipment last December in Nairobi.

World News

Fearing Election Turmoil, Kenyans Seek A Tech Solution

8:22pm February 25, 2013

by Gregory Warner

Text messages spreading false rumors helped spark postelection violence in 2007. This time, monitors will keep an eye on social media and will be in touch with government officials in a bid to prevent bloodshed.

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The Media Frenzy Surrounding Oscar Pistorius

2:52pm February 25, 2013

South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius is accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in their Pretoria home. The trial has set off a media frenzy and the coverage varies widely around the globe and in sports publications.

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An official with the Korea Meteorological Administration shows a seismic image of a tremor caused by North Korea's nuclear test, in Seoul on Tuesday.

Did North Korea Test A 'Miniature' Nuclear Bomb?

1:19pm February 25, 2013

by Richard Harris

North Korea's latest nuclear weapons test is much more powerful than the previous two, according to estimates made by instruments that measure seismic waves from the blast. But it's hard to verify North Korea's claim that the test was of a miniaturized nuclear weapon.

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The Kumbh Mela is one of the rare times that sadhu nagas make themselves known. Many of these ascetics live in forests and villages, and have little contact with ordinary Indians. Their population is dwindling, as young devotees prefer not to pursue a lif

Seeking A Glimpse Of Immortality In The Waters Of India's Holy Rivers

1:19pm February 25, 2013

by Julie McCarthy

Hindus in India are celebrating the 55-day-long Kumbh Mela, the world's biggest religious festival. An estimated 100 million pilgrims are expected to gather, pray and bathe in the waters at the confluence of three sacred rivers.

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World News

Irish Women Emerge From Shadows Of 'National Shame'

12:45pm February 25, 2013

by NPR Staff

Thousands of women were taken into Magdalene Laundries, run by the Catholic Church, and forced to work without pay. The practice went on for decades after Ireland's independence, with the last one closing in 1996. For the first time, the state has acknowledged and apologized for its role in facilitating the practice.

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The Nordic design exhibit includes a lava rock, which Jukka Savolainen, director of the Design Museum in Helsinki, says reminds him of a gnome. The collection showcases the region's design roots, which include references to Bauhaus and 20th century modern

'Nordic Cool' Illuminates D.C.'s Kennedy Center

1:18am February 25, 2013

by Amy Walters

From the Danish modern furniture of the 1950s to the omnipresence of Ikea, Americans have long been attracted to the austere design of Nordic countries. Now a massive festival in Washington, D.C., showcases artists and designers from the very top sliver of the globe.

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A Ford Focus electric concept car with a home charging unit on display at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich., in January.

Flipping The Switch: What It Takes To Prioritize Electric Cars

10:48am February 24, 2013

by Dana Farrington

Estonia now has the world's first nationwide electric car charger network. What would the U.S. have to do to make a similar leap?

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World News

A West Bank Story, Told Through Palestinian Eyes

8:49am February 24, 2013

by Larry Abramson

Palestinian Emad Burnat got a video camera to document his son's childhood. But he has spent the past several years filming the conflict between Palestinian residents of his village and Israelis who are building a separation barrier. His work is now up for an Oscar.

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People walk down a market street in Eastleigh, a predominantly Muslim Somali neighborhood in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2009. The neighborhood has come under scrutiny as the U.S. cracks down on terrorism financing.

Fighting Stream Of Terrorist Capital, Kenya Cracks Down On Somali Businesses

10:26pm February 23, 2013

by Gregory Warner

U.S. counterterrorism efforts include choking off the flow of cash to extremists and urging friendly countries to help. But in places like the Nairobi neighborhood of Eastleigh, where Somali refugees have flocked, it's hard to distinguish between tainted money and honest cash.

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Obama's Meeting With New Japanese Leader Focuses On China

6:47pm February 22, 2013

by Ari Shapiro

President Obama met with the new Japanese Prime Minister Shinzu Abe at the White House on Friday. The two nations have common concerns about what they regard as provocations by North Korea and China.

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