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Thursday

Law

Judge Throws Out Case Against Blackwater Guards

A federal judge dismissed all charges against five Blackwater Worldwide security guards charged in the deadly shooting of civilians in Baghdad in 2007. The judge said the Justice Department's explanations have been contradictory, unbelievable and not credible. Del Quentin Wilber, federal courts reporter for The Washington Post, offers his insight.

Judge Throws Out Case Against Blackwater Guards

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Europe

Ahead Of New Year, Russian Shoppers Hit Malls

For a growing number of Russians, shopping is an identical experience to that of millions of Americans. People in big cities like Moscow flock to vast indoor malls where Western chain outlets like Adidas, The Body Shop and IKEA sit alongside domestic stores.

Ahead Of New Year, Russian Shoppers Hit Malls

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Military Deaths In Afghanistan Spike

Twice as many U.S. troops were killed this year than last in Afghanistan. Improvised-explosive devices were by far the biggest culprit, up to 7,300 attacks in the past year. Senior U.S. military officials expect things will be far worse next year, because the Taliban is getting stronger.

Military Deaths In Afghanistan Spike

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CIA Suffers Worst Attack In Afghan War

The suicide bomb attack Wednesday on the CIA forward base killed at least eight Americans, including the base's chief. It was the worst the agency has suffered in the Afghanistan war.

CIA Suffers Worst Attack In Afghan War

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Middle East

Saudi Detainee-Rehab Program Mostly Successful

Saudi Arabia's rehabilitation program for former detainees at Guantanamo Bay includes religious dialogue and relies heavily on families of the former detainees. Christopher Boucek, an associate in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, says that to date, the program has had a success rate of about 80 percent.

Saudi Detainee-Rehab Program Mostly Successful

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Ex-Guantanamo Inmates Among Detroit Plot Planners

Four members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the group that claimed responsibility for the attempted Christmas Day airliner attack, were previously detainees at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Although most Guantanamo detainees have returned to their old lives, several have rejoined the battlefield.

Ex-Guantanamo Inmates Among Detroit Plot Planners

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Tale Of Two Cities Illustrates Battle For Israel's Soul

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men demonstrate behind a line of Israeli police outside Intel's plant in Jerusalem on Nov. 21. The men were protesting the U.S. company's operating on the Jewish Sabbath. As Jerusalem becomes an increasingly religious city, secular Jews are fleeing for Tel Aviv. Tara Todras-Whitehill/AP hide caption

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Tara Todras-Whitehill/AP

Middle East

Tale Of Two Cities Illustrates Battle For Israel's Soul

As the world focuses on the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, a divide is growing within Israel. Religious and secular Jews are increasingly at odds, and nowhere is the split more obvious than in Israel's two main cities, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Tale Of Two Cities Illustrates Battle For Israel's Soul

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Music

A Jazz Legend's Unforgettable Visit To 'Tell Me More'

Omar Sosa To kick off the new year, Tell Me More revisits memorable conversations with musicians heard on the program in 2009. Legendary jazz musician and composer Omar Sosa has earned his ranking within a unique class of world musicians. Since his childhood years spent in Cuba, Sosa has been able to call many other places home, such as Ecuador, Spain and San Francisco. Along the way, he's soaked up various sounds and rhythms of the cultures he encountered. Back In April, Sosa dropped by NPR's Studio 4a for a performance chat in which he described his efforts to connect the sounds of the African diaspora with that of the Americas.

A Jazz Legend's Unforgettable Visit To 'Tell Me More'

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A Look At What Is Really Dividing Iran

Government forces continue to clash with the opposition over the controversial election this past June, and protests earlier this week ended in bloodshed. But as the chant of the crowds becomes louder, it is still unclear exactly what is dividing the country. NPR's foreign correspondent Mike Shuster gives us an update on what is really going on in Iran.

A Look At What Is Really Dividing Iran

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8 Americans Dead In Taliban Suicide Bombing

Eight Americans were killed and a half dozen others were wounded in southeastern Afghanistan when a Taliban suicide bomber infiltrated their heavily fortified base Wednesday. It was the worst attack on Americans in Afghanistan since October. The U.S. government is not saying who the victims are, although it appears some, if not all of them, worked for the CIA.

8 Americans Dead In Taliban Suicide Bombing

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Afghan War Could Spill Over Into Central Asia

Analysts are warning that Afghanistan's Central Asian neighbors are in danger of being pulled into the Afghan conflict as Islamist groups join forces with the Taliban. That complicates U.S. efforts in the region and raises the issue of whether the war can be contained to Afghanistan.

Afghan War Could Spill Over Into Central Asia

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Wednesday

National Security

Yemeni Diplomat: Funds Needed For Al-Qaida Fight

Yemen's permanent representative to the United Nations says his country needs more money to get rid of al-Qaida. But Abdullah al-Saidi says he does not want the U.S. to go in and do the job itself. The comments follow attention on Yemen after the failed Christmas Day plot to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner.

Yemeni Diplomat: Funds Needed For Al-Qaida Fight

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National Security

In Bomb Plot Probe, Spotlight Falls On Yemeni Cleric

Anwar al-Awlaki is believed to be targeting young men seeking guidance. He has been linked to the alleged Fort Hood shooter, among others.

In Bomb Plot Probe, Spotlight Falls On Yemeni Cleric

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'Tell Me More' Update: Prominent Kidnapping Underscores Mexico Drug War

More than 15,000 people have been killed in Mexico's drug war during the last three years. But along with the killings have come many kidnappings. Burton delivers an update on the case of Felix Batista, an American man kidnapped in Mexico earlier this year. Burton also offers his analysis of the recent failed terrorist attack on a Detroit-bound flight and what the incident says about the current state of the U.S. counter-terrorism apparatus.

'Tell Me More' Update: Prominent Kidnapping Underscores Mexico Drug War

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