Afghanistan
3:58 am
Fri March 16, 2012

Peace Deal Process With Taliban Stalls

The Taliban has announced it is suspending peace talks with the U.S. At the same time, Afghan President Hamid Karzai demanded the U.S. pull troops out of rural areas by next year following a deadly shooting spree by an American soldier. These signals have come at an already difficult time for the U.S. in Afghanistan and further complicate the U.S. exit strategy.

Latin America
2:47 am
Fri March 16, 2012

'Dirty War' Children Returned To Argentine Relatives

Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep talks to Francisco Goldman, of The New Yorker, about his article "Children of the Dirty War.'" More than 30 years ago in Argentina, children were stolen from their birth parents. it was a terror campaign waged by the military junta against members of the opposition.

Middle East
2:02 am
Fri March 16, 2012

A Death In Syria

Credit Courtesy of Abu Lebdeh family
Abdulrahman Abu Lebdeh was a Syrian protester who was killed last fall in his hometown of Tal Kalakh.

Originally published on Fri March 16, 2012 9:14 am

The United Nations estimates some 8,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began one year ago. One of them was Abdulrahman Abu Lebdeh, 24, who was killed in the town of Tal Kalakh last fall. His parents, his brother and one of his friends, who was also an activist, told the story of his life and death to NPR's Kelly McEvers and Lava Selo.

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NPR Story
2:00 am
Fri March 16, 2012

Business News

The Federal Trade Commission is looking at complaints raised last month when it was discovered Google was bypassing the privacy settings on Apple's Safari browsers to track user activity on the web. The agency wants to know whether the company "misrepresented" its privacy policy.

NPR Story
2:00 am
Fri March 16, 2012

'Footnote' Takes On Ambition, Father-Son Rivalry

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The Israeli film "Footnote" has racked up a pile of awards - Best Screenplay at Cannes, nine awards at Israel's Oscars, and a nomination for Best Foreign Language film at the Academy Awards.

Film critic Kenneth Turan says it's all deserved.

KENNETH TURAN: "Footnotes"'s subject matter sounds dry, unlikely, even obscure. The film is set in Jerusalem's Hebrew University and deals with the implacable rivalry between two scholars of the Talmud, the complex and sacred text of the Jewish religious tradition.

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StoryCorps
10:01 pm
Thu March 15, 2012

After Tragedy, An Aunt Plays A New Role: Parent

One night in 1995 completely reshaped the lives of Phil and Laura Donney. Their parents were arguing, and their father stabbed their mother, killing her. Phil was 7; his sister was 4.

Ken Donney was sent to prison, and the children went to live with their mother's sisters.

Phil, 23, recently sat down with his aunt, Abby Leibman, the twin sister of his mother, Nina Leibman.

"What was it like becoming a parent to my sister and I overnight?" Phil asks.

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National Security
10:01 pm
Thu March 15, 2012

Defense Contractors See Hope In Homeland Security

The Defense Department is bracing for billions of dollars in budget cuts — and that has defense contractors looking for new markets. Homeland Security is one of the most promising, particularly border security, which hasn't suffered any big cuts. So companies are lining up in hopes of landing a contract.

At a border security trade show in Phoenix, Ariz., there's enough surveillance equipment on the floor of the convention center to spot a federal appropriation from 5 miles away.

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Digital Life
10:01 pm
Thu March 15, 2012

Petitions Are Going Viral, Sometimes To Great Success

Petitions have been a common form of protest throughout modern history, at times bringing attention to causes through little more than handwritten letters and word of mouth.

But like a lot of other things, petitions are going viral. And one website in particular has contributed to the phenomenon.

Change.org offers tools to let individuals start their own online campaigns, a way to bring instant awareness to issues that range from the environment to human rights.

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The Record
10:01 pm
Thu March 15, 2012

Ann Powers From The Streets Of Austin

Credit Michael Buckner / Getty Images for SXSW
Bruce Springsteen and the retooled E Street Band ripped through a nearly three-hour "secret" concert at the Moody Theater, the new home of Austin City Limits, during SXSW. Ever the showman, Springsteen crowd-surfed.

Originally published on Thu November 8, 2012 2:37 pm

The SXSW music convention takes over Austin, Texas, for five days each March. This year, NPR Music's Ann Powers is in Austin trying to catch as much of the action as she can. At South By Southwest's midpoint, Powers spoke to Morning Edition's Renee Montagne about the highlights so far (including that awesome Springsteen keynote, which you can listen to in its entirety), and what she's looking forward to seeing over the festival's second half.

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Middle East
10:01 pm
Thu March 15, 2012

Revisiting The Spark That Kindled The Syrian Uprising

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 8:57 am

Last February, a group of young people were arrested for spray-painting graffiti on the walls of their school in the southern Syrian city of Daraa. They were beaten and interrogated. A year ago this Sunday, people went out to protest those arrests. And so began the Syrian uprising — an uprising that in some parts of Syria has turned into an armed insurgency and seen government troops respond with untold brutality. In all, thousands of people have died, with no clear end in sight.

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