World

The Global Afterlife Of Your Donated Clothes

Jackie Northam — Tue, 21 May 2013 06:59:00 +0000

On a bright and warm Saturday morning, there's a steady flow of people dropping off donations at Martha's Table, a charity in downtown Washington, D.C. A mountain of plastic and paper bags stuffed with used dresses, scarves, skirts and footwear expands in one corner of the room. Volunteers sort and put clothes on hangers.

An Ancient Religious Pilgrimage That Now Draws The Secular

Eleanor Beardsley — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:28:00 +0000

A 1,200-year old European pilgrimage route is experiencing a revival. Last year alone, some 200,000 followed in the footsteps of their medieval forebears on the Way of St. James, making their way some 750 miles from Paris across France to the Spanish coastal city of Santiago de Compostela, and the relics of the eponymous apostle.

But now, what was once a strictly religious affair has become a cultural and social phenomenon that attracts the nonreligious as well.

Former U.S. Ambassador: 'Don't Go Into Blind' To Syria

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:28:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

The conflict in Syria will forever alter the lives of an entire generation of children.

White House Has Renewed Resolve To Close Guantanamo

Dina Temple-Raston — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:28:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Later this week, President Obama is scheduled to give a major address on terrorism and national security. One of the subjects expected to figure prominently in that speech is Guantanamo Bay prison. Obama - the president promised to close it when he first took office in 2009, but he has made little progress. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reports.

DINA TEMPLE-RASTON, BYLINE: President Obama listed all the reasons he thought the prison at Guantanamo needed to be closed during a press conference last month.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: It is expensive.

Iran's 'Zahra' Tells Alternate Tale Of Presidential Campaign

Peter Kenyon — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:49:00 +0000

Iranians choose a new president next month, and one thing Iran's leaders are intent on avoiding is a repeat of the massive street protests that followed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial re-election in 2009.

The sponsors of those protests, known as the Green Movement, have been effectively silenced inside Iran, but not online.

British Aircraft Carrier HMS Ark Royal Heads For Scrap Yard

Scott Neuman — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:46:00 +0000

The people of Portsmouth, England, on Monday turned out to bid farewell to the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, destined for a Turkish scrap yard after its decommissioning two years ago.

The Invincible class carrier was a victim of a 2010 defense review that recommended scrapping the vessel and selling its Harrier jump jets (they were subsequently sold to the U.S.).

Pope Francis Puts The Poor Front And Center

Sylvia Poggioli — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:24:00 +0000

Over the past week, Pope Francis has launched a crescendo of attacks on the global financial system and what he calls a "cult of money" that does not help the poor.

The 2-month-old papacy of Francis — the Argentina-born Jorge Bergoglio — is shaping up as a papacy focused on the world's downtrodden.

Beijing Angry Over North Korea's Seizure Of Chinese Fishermen

Scott Neuman — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:21:00 +0000

Beijing has long been about the closest thing to an ally that Pyongyang enjoys, but the seizure of a Chinese fishing boat by unidentified North Koreans has threatened to put an already tenuous relationship on even shakier ground.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was quoted by The New York Times as making it fairly clear that his government was not happy about the development.

China, he said, is "demanding that it properly deal with the matter as quickly as possib

Life In Argentina's 'Little School' Prison Camp

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:04:00 +0000

During Argentina's so-called Dirty War, thousands were abducted and taken to secret prisons like a place known as "the little school," where many were tortured and killed. Guest host Jennifer Ludden talks to a former prisoner, Alicia Partnoy, about her disappearance and her time there.

After Nearly 50 Years, Burmese Leader Comes To Washington

Steve Inskeep — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:09:00 +0000

It's been a while since the last visit by a head of state from Myanmar. The last time was 47 years ago, when the country was still known as Burma. As President Thein Sein arrives at the White House Monday, some will hail him as a reformer who set his country on the path to democracy. Others may protest his arrival, as excessive recognition for a head of state that has presided over continuing human rights abuses.