China And Beyond: NPR’s Frank Langfitt Answers Redditors’ Questions
From his home base in Shanghai, Frank Langfitt keeps track of a wide swath of North and East Asia. He's recently back from Myanmar, where he went for (mostly) fun.
After Bitter Split, Palestinian Factions Pledge To Reconcile
Seven years after a violent split, the two main Palestinian factions said Wednesday that they are attempting to reconcile and form a national unity government within five weeks.
The Palestine Liberation Organization and Hamas have tried several times to resolve their feud, but those efforts quickly unraveled.
So will this attempt fare any better?
The plan, announced after talks in Gaza City, calls for a unified government by the end of May, en
Weekly Innovation: An Inflatable Car Seat That Comes In A Backpack
Forget wearables, let's talk about inflatables.
Volvo's new child safety seat concept is a fully inflatable device designed to make what's normally a clunky and heavy seat both lighter and more portable.
So compact is this prototype that it goes from a stylish-looking backpack into a rear-facing car seat in less than a minute.
Music That Burns, Literally
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2awbKQ2DLRE
A Path Out Of Prison For Low-Level, Nonviolent Drug Offenders
Thousands of nonviolent drug offenders serving time in federal prison could be eligible to apply for early release under new clemency guidelines announced Wednesday by the Justice Department.
Details of the initiative, which would give President Obama more options under which he could grant clemency to drug offenders serving long prison sentences, were announced by Deputy Attorney General James Cole.
Cole listed six factors the Justice Department will use to "prioritize clemency applications" as part of the administration's effort to address long mandatory minimum sentences meted out after
Obama Assures Japan Of U.S. Security Commitment
President Obama, at the start of a four-stop trip to Asia, sought to reassure Japan that the U.S.
Bake Bread Like A Pioneer In Appalachia … With No Yeast
Growing up in West Virginia in the 1960s and '70s, Susan Brown would have a slice of salt rising bread, toasted, for Saturday morning breakfast. Her grandmother baked the bread with the mysterious and misleading name.
There's little or no salt in the recipe. No yeast, either. The bread rises because of bacteria in the potatoes or cornmeal and the flour that goes into the starter.
The taste is as distinctive as the recipe.
American Journalist Kidnapped By Ukraine’s Pro-Russia Insurgents
An American journalist operating in eastern Ukraine has been kidnapped by pro-Russian gunmen, the separatists said Wednesday.
Simon Ostrovsky, working for Vice News, was seized at gunpoint early Tuesday by masked men in the restive eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk.
Stella Khorosheva, a spokeswoman for the insurgents confirmed Wednesday that Ostrovsky was being held at the local branch of the Ukrainian security service, seized more than a week ago, according to The Associat
The Joys Of Spoiling
In the age of the Internet, the act of spoiling is easier than ever before. Through live tweeting and message boards and comment sections, the information is out there and spreads quickly.
But why do some people enjoy revealing certain information about stories – surprises and finales and more – before others have had the opportunity to experience?
We could tell you what we think now. But that would spoil the rest of this story.
Spoliation Nation
7 Weeks Before World Cup, Rio Is Rocked By Riot
"A Rio de Janeiro slum erupted in violence late Tuesday following the killing of a popular local figure, with angry residents setting fires and showering homemade explosives and glass bottles onto a busy avenue in the city's main tourist zone," The Associated Press writes.
CNN says that "residents from the Pavao-Pavaozinho favela took to the streets of Copaca