World News

Baruj Cano, 4, watches as his father and other men from Bello's Jewish community read from the Torah.

World News

'Lost Jews' Of Colombia Say They've Found Their Roots

12:38pm December 23, 2012

by Juan Forero

Raised as Christians, they say their ancestors were Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain more than 500 years ago; they now practice Orthodox Judaism. Similar cases have turned up in other countries in recent years.

Queue Listen Now

Japan's economy has been struggling for two decades and faces some of the same problems the U.S. has. Here, a man in Tokyo passes an electronic board displaying falling global markets.

World News

Japan's Economic Woes Offer Lessons To U.S.

9:21pm December 21, 2012

by Frank Langfitt

Japan's economy was a world beater in the 1980s. But the country has now gone through two tough decades and there's no end in sight. What lessons might it hold for the U.S. as it confronts the "fiscal cliff"?

Queue Listen Now

World News

More Israeli Settlements Could Scuttle Peace Plan

3:19pm December 20, 2012

by Philip Reeves

After the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to recognize the Palestinians as a non-member state, Israel announced it would expand settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. If completed, the project would effectively divide the West Bank in two, according to the Palestinians.

Queue Listen Now

An employee tidies boxes of medicines displayed in a pharmacy in the city of Caen in western France last month. Beginning in 2013, girls between the ages of 15 and 18 will be able to get birth control free of charge, and without parental notification.

In France, Free Birth Control For Girls At Age 15

3:16pm December 20, 2012

by Eleanor Beardsley

Starting in January, the French government will provide contraceptives for girls ages 15 to 18 — without charge and without parental notification. The measure, which passed parliament without debate, aims to reduce teen pregnancies by increasing access to birth control and education.

Queue Listen Now

Dr. Aun Pyae Phyo examines a baby at the Whampa malaria clinic on the Thailand-Myanmar border.

A View From The Ground: Thailand Confronts Drug-Resistant Malaria

3:16pm December 20, 2012

Global deaths from malaria have dropped sharply in the past decade, thanks in part to powerful drugs called artemisinins. But on the border between Thailand and Myanmar, doctors are starting to see cracks in artemisinin's armor. The medicine is working more slowly, and sometimes not at all.

Queue Listen Now

Toby Ord, founder of Giving What We Can.

World News

How Much Good Can You Do? There's A Calculator For That

3:16pm December 20, 2012

by Mark Memmott

The "Giving What We Can" campaign urges members to donate 10 percent of their incomes to effective charities. Over many years, the group's calculators suggest, such giving could improve far more lives than you might imagine.

Queue Listen Now

Indian women and children in New Delhi stage a protest Tuesday to condemn the gang rape of a 23-year-old student on a city bus.

World News

Rape Case In India Provokes Widespread Outrage

3:16pm December 20, 2012

by Julie McCarthy

Rape is a problem throughout India, and a particularly brutal attack on a Delhi bus has sparked street protests and condemnation by members of Parliament. The victim, a 23-year-old woman, is battling for her life.

Queue Listen Now

Preparing For The World Of 2030

2:10pm December 20, 2012

A report by the National Intelligence Council projects that in 2030 the U.S. influence in global affairs will decrease, China will continue to rise as a global power, and a global middle class will grow significantly.

Queue Listen Now

French journalists film the Pic of Bugarach, a mountain in the village that is said to have magical powers.

World News

In A French Village, Protection From The Apocalypse

11:37am December 20, 2012

by Eleanor Beardsley

Friday marks the end of the Mayan calendar — and the end of the world if you believe doomsayers. But a rumor circulating online says the village of Bugarach, population 200, will be spared. That has the village bracing for an influx of believers.

Queue Listen Now

World News

South Korea's New Leader Promises Moderate Path

11:37am December 20, 2012

by Anthony Kuhn

South Korea will have its first female president, following Wednesday's close presidential election. Park Geun-hye says she will be open to better relations with North Korea, but she leads a conservative party known for its hardline with Pyongyang.

Queue Listen Now