World News

Pope's Resignation News Pauses Runup To Obama's Speech

11:41am February 11, 2013

The runup to President Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday was overshadowed Monday by news out of Rome: the announcement that Pope Benedict XVI is resigning. What does this mean for the Catholic Church in America?

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Papal Succession Process Differs For Resignation Vs. Death

11:41am February 11, 2013

Pope Benedict XVI made a surprise announcement Monday morning that he will resign at the end of February. For more on his legacy and what the succession of a new pope may bring, Renee Montagne talks with Father Thomas Reese, senior fellow at Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological Center.

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West's Allure Dulls Monkhood's Luster For Some Buddhists

4:58pm February 10, 2013

Since the Dalai Lama's exile from Tibet in 1958, reincarnated high lamas have been born in, or exposed to, the West at an increasing rate. Journalist Tim McGirk wrote about the effects of that exposure in this month's issue of The Believer.

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Bulgaria Links Hezbollah To Deadly Attack On Israelis

8:51am February 10, 2013

by Michele Kelemen

The attack at a Black Sea resort town last July killed five Israeli tourists and one Bulgarian citizen. In response, the White House called Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, a "real and growing threat not only to Europe, but to the rest of the world."

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Egyptian soldiers cross to the eastern side of the Suez Canal during the 1973 war. Egyptian forces initially broke through the Israeli forces on that side of the canal.

The CIA And The Hazards Of Middle East Forecasting

8:48am February 10, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

As Arab-Israeli tensions grew in the fall of 1973, the CIA offered its analysis to President Nixon's administration: War was highly unlikely. The agency kept making that case right up to the time the war began.

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Syrian Opposition Leader Holds Talks With Russia, Iran

8:47am February 10, 2013

Over the weekend, one of the main Syrian opposition leaders held informal talks with the regime's main backers — Russia and Iran. The talks were held on the sidelines of a security conference in Germany. It's unclear whether this creates an opening to a political settlement that could end the bloodshed in Syria.

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Afghan police and officials visit the site of a suicide attack in Kabul in September. A suicide bomber blew himself up alongside a minivan carrying foreigners on a major highway leading to the international airport in the Afghan capital, police said, kill

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Afghanistan, Pakistan Seek A Fatwa Against Suicide Attacks

10:21pm February 09, 2013

by Sean Carberry

The Afghan and Pakistani governments have agreed to convene a conference of Muslim religious leaders to issue an Islamic decree banning suicide bombings. But they have yet to agree on the details, such as which leaders should attend.

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Spain's Wind Farms Break Energy Record

12:28pm February 08, 2013

by Lauren Frayer

For the first time, electricity production from Spanish wind mills topped that of nuclear, coal and solar. Spain's location in the south of Europe means it's endowed with lots of sunshine and clear windy skies — which it's put to use becoming a leader in renewable energy.

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Chaos Follows Funeral For Slain Leader In Tunisia

12:28pm February 08, 2013

Tens of thousands of supporters of Chokhri Belaid, a Tunisian opposition politician who was gunned down this week, jammed a cemetery for his funeral Friday in the capital, Tunis. Youths set fire to cars, and police responded with tear gas.

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The surprise hit Lost in Thailand, a road comedy that cost less than $5 million to make, has become China's highest-grossing domestic film.

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Move Over James Bond, China Has An Unlikely Box-Office Champ

9:32am February 08, 2013

by Frank Langfitt

Hollywood blockbusters usually do well in China. But last year, Lost in Thailand, a scrappy, slapstick comedy that cost less than $5 million to make, raked in $200 million in just seven weeks. It's now the highest-grossing Chinese film ever. It begins a limited run in the U.S. on Friday.

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