World

Supporters of same-sex civil union gathered last Saturday in central Rome. Italy is the only major Western European country that has not legalized same-sex marriage or civil unions. The Senate plans to take up the question of civil unions on Thursday.

World News

A Holdout In Western Europe, Italy Prepares To Decide On Civil Unions

8:07pm January 27, 2016

by Sylvia Poggioli

Italy's Senate takes up a measure this week that would permit civil unions, but the bill would not legalize same-sex marriage. All of Western Europe already permits one or both.

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Nigerian Billionaire Banks On Young Entrepreneurs To Combat Poverty's Threat

7:29pm January 27, 2016

by Nick Schifrin

Nigerian billionaire banker Tony Elumelu is promoting what he calls "Africapitalism." To combat terrorism and social ills, he's funding young entrepreneurs, from car mechanics to caterers.

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Manyang Reath had never seen snow until he moved from Sudan to Richmond, Va., in 2005. Here he is in 2008, embracing it.

#SnowOuttaMyElement: Global South Emigres Recall Their First Flakes

6:55pm January 27, 2016

by Maanvi Singh

The blizzard of 2016 made us wonder: What happens when people who emigrated from unsnowy climes have their first encounter with the white stuff?

White House Nominates New Commander For Afghanistan

6:05pm January 27, 2016

by Laura Wagner

Amid concerns about setbacks in the fight against the Taliban, President Obama has tapped Lt. Gen. John "Mick" Nicholson to take charge of international forces.

In Brazil, Researchers Launch Massive Study Into Zika Virus

4:13pm January 27, 2016

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

A team of researchers working on a Zika vaccine has a massive study underway assessing pregnant women and newborns in the northeastern region of Bahia, Brazil. It is the largest study of its kind into a virus that is sweeping across Latin America and has been linked to microcephaly in infants.

Couples Who Use Contraception Have More Sex

4:12pm January 27, 2016

by Vicky Hallett

It's funny, family planning researchers aren't that comfortable talking about ... s-e-x. But two of them did in a study about the impact of contraception on "coital frequency."

Pregnant women infected by the Zika virus are concerned about the possible link to a birth defect. Above: Angelica Prato of Colombia has a checkup.

Is It Realistic To Recommend Delaying Pregnancy During Zika Outbreak?

4:07pm January 27, 2016

by NPR Staff

Some Latin American countries are calling on women to postpone getting pregnant. Women's rights activist Monica Roa thinks that's "naive and ineffective."

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During European Trip, Iran's President Stops In France

3:25pm January 27, 2016

by Eleanor Beardsley

Some European countries were big trading partners with Iran in the past, but while their companies are eager to rebuild that trade, they're also wary of Iran's hardliners and American prosecutors.

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Qiao Guohua patrols a 5-mile stretch of the Great Wall of China. Roughly a third of the wall's 12,000 miles have crumbled to dust, and saving what's left may be the world's greatest challenge in cultural preservation.

World News

China's Great Wall Is Crumbling In Many Places; Can It Be Saved?

3:22pm January 27, 2016

by Anthony Kuhn

A third of the 12,000-mile-long Great Wall of China lies in ruins. Its modern-day defenders confront what may be the world's greatest challenge in cultural preservation.

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World News

2 Reports Paint A Grim Picture Of Human Rights Worldwide

3:18pm January 27, 2016

by Peter Kenyon

Freedom House says a third of the world's population lives in areas plagued by repression. Human Rights Watch says fear of terrorism presents the greatest threat to human rights in a generation.

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