Search results for

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert plans a Washington visit to seek support for an Israeli plan to withdraw from parts of the West Bank. The move would consolidate Israel's control over major settlement blocs in the occupied territory.

For as long as anyone can remember, the crowded and squalid old city of Calcutta has danced to the rhythm of labor strikes, political agitations and Marxist theorizing. One of the icons of the city was Jyoti Basu, India's longest-serving and best-known Communist. He died Sunday at age 95.

Many cultures incorporate the guitar into their musical heritages, but the instrument is unheard of in traditional Indian music. Guitarist Sanjay Mishra demonstrates how he coaxes Eastern sounds from a Western instrument.

A judge this week sentenced more than 500 men to death for the killing of a policeman. He's now presiding over a case with 700 defendants as the country's courts come under increasing criticism.

Excerpt: 'Jesus Wars'

A major nuclear summit in the Netherlands is convening more than 50 world leaders, including President Obama. The meeting allows European and U.S. leaders to discuss a concerted response to Russia.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden in Gaza reports on the Israeli army's thrust into Palestinian-ruled territory. Israeli forces withdrew Tuesday from small areas of the Gaza Strip they seized Monday after an attempt to end Palestinian mortar attacks on Israeli towns and settlements.

The Labor Department says the U.S. economy lost more than a half-million jobs in November. It was the steepest drop in nearly a quarter-century. Figures show that 533,000 jobs were lost last month, pushing the unemployment rate to 6.7 percent. That's a 15-year high. It's proof that the recession, already a year old, is getting deeper.

Thousands of pilgrims defy an icy rain to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem, the West Bank town where tradition holds Jesus was born. City officials expect the turnout will be the largest since the Palestinian uprising began in 2000.

A new cookbook pays tribute to a master chef, the late Martin Ginsburg, husband of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Frozen lime souffle, anyone?

Anthony Shadid, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The Washington Post, talks about his book Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War.