World News

The 12th National People's Congress holds the election for its new president at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday.

World News

From Police Chief To Political Office, Jobs Are For Sale In China

10:15pm March 15, 2013

by Louisa Lim

China's new president has vowed to crack down on corruption. One widespread practice involves paying bribes to get high-level positions in politics or the bureaucracy.

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Vladimir Putin Hobnobs With ... Steven Seagal

6:44am March 15, 2013

First, Russian President Vladimir Putin granted citizenship to French actor Gerard Depardieu. Now, Putin is hobnobbing with the actor Steven Seagal. The star of Under Siege toured a new sports facility with Putin, who used the occasion to call for reviving a Soviet-era fitness program in which kids threw javelins, learned to ski and fired guns.

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Diners eat at Fouquet's restaurant, a landmark on the Champs Elysees in Paris for more than a century. Traditional cafes and shops are steadily giving way to large global chains.

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As Global Chains Move In, The Champs Elysees Gets A New Look

6:49pm March 14, 2013

by Eleanor Beardsley

Some Parisians worry that an avenue once considered the most beautiful in the world is starting to take on the character of an American shopping strip.

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An Islamist rebel group in Aleppo called "the Authority for the Promotion of Virtue and Supporting the Oppressed" reviews applications for aid on Feb. 25. In addition to handing out aid, the Islamist group says it is carrying out civilian administration i

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Courts Become A Battleground For Secularists, Islamists In Syria

6:49pm March 14, 2013

by Deborah Amos

Islamist brigades are competing with pro-democracy civilians to shape Syria's future. In many areas in rebel-held northern Syria, Islamists have set up religious courts that deliver rulings under Shariah, or Islamic law.

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North Korea's Threats Grow More Ominous

2:38pm March 14, 2013

North Korea scrapped the 1953 armistice agreement that ended the Korean War, escalating fears of a preemptive nuclear attack on the U.S. Tuft University Korean studies professor Sung-Yoon Lee discusses this precarious moment for North Korea, its neighbors and the international community.

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Cardinals Elect Argentina's Jorge Mario Bergoglio As New Pope

2:27pm March 14, 2013

Cardinals at the Vatican chose Argentine cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new pope. He will take the papal name Francis and is the first pope from South America. NPR's Neal Conan talks with guests about the significance of the event around the world.

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Ahmad "Harvester" Heidar is a computer software engineer whose work for the Syrian rebels includes sweeping the hard drives of detained anti-government activists, and trying to develop a robot that will help extract sniper victims in Syria. Turkish offici

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Syrian Cyber-Rebel Wages War, One Hack At A Time

8:27pm March 13, 2013

by Deborah Amos

A 28-year-old computer wizard known as the Harvester, along with his online rebel friends, have hacked into a pro-regime TV station as part of their ongoing battle against the government's electronic army.

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The New York City Zara store on Fifth Avenue.

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The Reclusive Spanish Billionaire Behind Zara's Fast Fashion Empire

8:18pm March 12, 2013

by Lauren Frayer

Amancio Ortega has just bumped Warren Buffett off his No. 3 spot on Forbes' list of billionaires. The Spanish entrepreneur's clothing chain has become highly popular around the world, but do you know the man behind the label?

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In Upcoming Venezuelan Vote, Hugo Chavez Looms Large

5:17am March 12, 2013

by Juan Forero

With Chavez gone, his handpicked successor is in the spotlight. Nicolas Maduro has adopted Chavez's style and anti-imperialist rhetoric. That should help boost his appeal as he faces opposition leader Henrique Capriles in a special election April 14.

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The U.S. military is increasingly focused on helping the Afghan government and security forces become self-sufficient. Here, U.S. Army 1st Lt. Phillip Baki visits with an Afghan police officer, Abdul Karim, at a checkpoint overlooking the Dahla Dam in the

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With Withdrawal Looming, U.S. Troops Shift Their Aim

5:36pm March 11, 2013

by Sean Carberry

U.S. and other NATO troops are spending less time fighting the Taliban and more time making local Afghan governments self-sufficient. It's a slow process.

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