News

Deputy provincial governors and district governors selected under a new merit-based program are sworn in Tuesday in Kabul. The development is part of an effort to address rampant corruption in Afghanistan.

World News

Small Strike Against Corruption: Afghan Governors Chosen On Merit

6:26pm January 10, 2013

by Sean Carberry

In Afghanistan, governors are not elected, they are selected — and more often than not due to family or political connections. But in an attempt to curb graft, the country has just sworn in a batch of governors — including the first female district governor — selected through a new merit-based program.

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Florida Gov. Rick Scott speaks in Fort Lauderdale in May.

Estimated Costs Drive Debate As Florida Weighs Medicaid Expansion

6:26pm January 10, 2013

by Greg Allen

Gov. Rick Scott says he's concerned about how much expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act would cost. But after he was charged with exaggerating, his administration released a new study with much lower estimates.

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez remained in Cuba, where he's receiving treatment for cancer, and was not present for his planned inauguration in Caracas on Thursday. However, thousands of supporters gathered outside the presidential palace to show their

World News

Hugo Chavez Misses Inauguration Day, But Supporters Fill The Streets

6:26pm January 10, 2013

by Juan Forero

The Venezuelan president remains in Cuba, receiving treatment for cancer. His supporters — with the backing of the Supreme Court — say that he can be sworn in at a later date.

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Journalist Paul Salopek, shown here with his supplies in Ethiopia, is setting out on a seven-year walk that will take him to the tip of South America.

World News

What Do You Pack For A Seven-Year Trip?

3:04pm January 10, 2013

by NPR Staff

Journalist Paul Salopek is setting out from Ethiopia on a 21,000-mile walking tour that will follow the migration path of the earliest humans. But the story, he says, is about where the world is headed, not where it's been.

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Arts

Oscar Nominees Announced: 'Lincoln' Leads With 12

3:04pm January 10, 2013

Nominations for the 85th Academy Awards were announced in Los Angeles on Thursday. The movie Lincoln scored big with 12 nominations, including best picture.

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Peanut plants grow on a Halifax, N.C., farm that received federal subsidies in 2011.

Farm Bill Critics Claim Partial Victory Despite Stalemate

10:20am January 10, 2013

by Dan Charles

Payments to farmers survived in the latest extension of the farm bill. But not all of the groups that argued for the end of the subsidies see this as a loss. They've just been given nine more months to make their case to Congress.

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Protesters gather at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Steubenville, Ohio, on Saturday, to demand justice for a girl allegedly raped by Steubenville High School football players last August.

National

Ohio Town Reels As Rape Case Accusations Fly

8:17pm January 09, 2013

by Tim Rudell

Steubenville, Ohio, is divided over the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl. Two high school football players have been charged, but images spread via social media have sharply divided the town. Some argue that other players were also involved and have accused local authorities of a cover-up.

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U.S. Ranks Below 16 Other Rich Countries In Health Report

6:46pm January 09, 2013

by Richard Knox

Americans are sicker and die sooner than their counterparts in comparable nations. No single cause can account for the difference, but improving medical care will only help so much, as disparities can be traced to dietary choices, drugs and alcohol, guns, and even cars.

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National

Colorado Shooting Hearing Ends With Chilling Photos, No Defense Witnesses

6:31pm January 09, 2013

by Mark Memmott

In the weeks before the attack, James Holmes took photos of the Colorado movie theater where 12 people were killed and dozens more wounded in last summer's mass shooting, prosecutors revealed Wednesday at a court hearing in Colorado.

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Unsolicited donations of used clothing, bottled water, canned food and personal grooming products piled up following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The piles had to be moved aside to make room to stage and deliver critical relief supplies.

Thanks, But No Thanks: When Post-Disaster Donations Overwhelm

6:31pm January 09, 2013

by Pam Fessler

It happens after every disaster. People want to help, but their donations often turn out to be a burden. Newtown, Conn., for example, was so inundated with gifts, it asked people to stop sending them. Instead, disaster aid groups are trying to figure out a better way to channel good intentions.

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