World News

Tunisia's Salafis: 'A Danger' Or Preachers Of God's Law?

8:36am January 29, 2013

by Leila Fadel

Critics call the country's Salafis a threat to the ideals of economic prosperity, civil liberties and gender equality. The Salafis insist that only their rigid interpretation of Islamic law can govern Muslims. Their stand puts Tunisia's moderate Islamist leaders in a difficult position.

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Timbuktu Freed From Islamist Fighters

8:36am January 29, 2013

by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

In the West African nation of Mali, residents of Timbuktu were cheering in the streets Monday, after the city was liberated by French and Malian forces after months under the harsh rule of Islamist fighters. In a final act of cultural warfare before fleeing Timbuktu, the rebels are reported to have set fire to libraries housing priceless manuscripts.

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U.S. troops in Afghanistan appear to have mixed feelings about the decision lifting the ban on women in combat positions. Some women already operate in combat zones. Hospital Corpsman Shannon Crowley is shown here with her Marine Corps team in Musa Qala,

Women In Combat: What Do Troops In Afghanistan Think?

8:17pm January 28, 2013

by Sean Carberry

Opinions are mixed. Women are already in dangerous places handling difficult assignments. But some troops, both men and women, say they think few women will want to take combat positions, and they question whether women will be able to meet the current physical standards.

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Visitors take in a re-created scene at the massacre museum at Vietnam's My Lai village. Researcher Nick Turse says atrocities of all kinds were more common in the Vietnam War than most Americans believe.

'Anything That Moves': Civilians And The Vietnam War

4:06pm January 28, 2013

In a new book, Nick Turse says the pressure on U.S. forces to produce a body count during the Vietnam War led to mass civilian deaths. "The idea," he says, "was that the Vietnamese, they weren't really people."

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Egypt's Morsi Declares State Of Emergency

10:11am January 28, 2013

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has declared a state of emergency after a deadly bout of violence over the weekend left at least 50 dead in three cities the Suez Canal.

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Syrian Opposition Fears Waning Western Support

10:11am January 28, 2013

by Deborah Amos

After prodding the Syrian opposition to reorganize into a more inclusive organization, the Obama administration has failed to support the group. France, Britain and other allies of the opposition are channeling their humanitarian aid for Syria through the new coalition. There is a legal impediment holding up U.S. action.

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Egyptian President Declares State Of Emergency

6:34pm January 27, 2013

Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi on Sunday declared a state of emergency in the three cities most disrupted by clashes with protesters. Weekends on All Things Considered host Robert Smith speaks with NPR's Leila Fadel about the situation.

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Netanyahu Must Turn Fractured Results Into A Government

9:17am January 27, 2013

by Larry Abramson

Voters appear to have re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to another term. But his right-wing alliance suffered serious losses. Center and left parties defied the polls and won half the seats in parliament.

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Yair Lapid and his new political party, There Is a Future, got the second-most votes in Israel's election on Tuesday.

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An Israeli Political Newcomer, Who May Soon Be An Insider

9:17am January 27, 2013

by Larry Abramson

Journalist-turned-politician Yair Lapid saw his new party — There Is a Future — become the second-largest party in parliament in Tuesday's election. Now the question is whether he will join the government or be in the opposition.

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Predictions, Warnings Round Out World Economic Forum

6:34pm January 26, 2013

The World Economic Forum ended Saturday in Davos, Switzerland, and Andrew Ross Sorkin of the New York Times gives weekends on All Things Considered host Robert Smith a debrief on the week's events and why predictions made there are so often wrong.

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