About 10,000 demonstrators filled part of downtown Jerusalem on Wednesday, listening to fiery speeches and pledging to defy a ban on new houses imposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The ban was intended to encourage resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians. Full Story »
Research scholar and Yale World Fellow Azeem Ibrahim argues that to win the war, the U.S. must engage with the Taliban. Neal Conan talks with Ibrahim about why working with the Taliban is not as counter-intuitive as it may seem. Full Story »
President Obama says the drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan could begin next summer, but America's top commander tells NPR that it is "probably realistic" that it would be five years before the Afghan government is ready to assume control over security. In the interview, McChrystal offers further insights into the new war strategy. Full Story »
Pablo Escobar was once the world's most wanted man, directing an empire of drugs and murder as leader of Colombia's Medellin cocaine cartel. Sixteen years after his death, his victims' families haven't forgotten about him. Nor has Escobar's only son, whose story is told in a new documentary. Full Story »
The State Department's new adviser on innovation is looking to apply tech-world solutions to global problems. Some of the initiatives: Encouraging Mexicans to use text messaging to report drug violence and finding better ways to protect cellular phone networks in Afghanistan. Full Story »
The Iraqi economy is mired in old patterns: Most paying jobs are with the government, which is dependent on oil for revenue. Iraqi entrepreneurs say red tape and corruption make it difficult to start a private business; one economist argues the economy is on the brink of collapse. Full Story »
Negotiators at Copenhagen know exactly what they need to figure out: who has to cut greenhouse gas emissions and by what amount — and how much rich countries should pay developing ones to not pollute the atmosphere. But the devil is in the details, so here's a look at what those details are. Full Story »
Honduras are hoping that the recently held presidential elections will put the nation's political crisis in the past. Like many Hondurans, one man in the northern coastal town of Tela says he just wants the situation settled. Full Story »
Gretchen Peters, author of Seeds of Terror: How Heroin is Bankrolling the Taliban and Al Qaeda,, argues that going after the poppy problem in Afghanistan has to be a fundamental part of the war effort. And that for a strategy to succeed, she says, it has to be broad in scope. Full Story »
The bill would mandate capital punishment for active homosexuals living with HIV or in cases of same-sex rape. "Serial offenders" also could face death, but the legislation does not define the term. The sponsor of the bill said strict measures were necessary to stop homosexuals from "recruiting" schoolchildren. Full Story »
