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Wednesday

Africa

Opposition Claims Zimbabwe Elections Were Manipulated

Zimbabweans voted Wednesday for their next president. Longtime President Robert Mugabe is facing opposition leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. Mugabe, who has ruled since independence in 1980, says he'll step down if defeated. However in the 2008 election, his near loss resulted in widespread violence.

Opposition Claims Zimbabwe Elections Were Manipulated

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Pope's Visit: A Bumpy Test Run For Rio's World Cup, Olympics

Hundreds of thousands of people crowd Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday as Pope Francis celebrates the final Mass of his visit to Brazil. Security lapses, traffic chaos and other logistical snafus marred the visit. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

Pope's Visit: A Bumpy Test Run For Rio's World Cup, Olympics

The visit by Pope Francis was marred by security lapses, traffic chaos and other logistical snafus. The event, World Youth Day, was seen as a test for Rio, which hosts the World Cup next year and the summer Olympics in 2016.

Pope's Visit: A Bumpy Test Run For Rio's World Cup, Olympics

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Lady In Black: 'Burka Avenger' Fights For Pakistan's Girls

Mild-mannered teacher by day, masked superhero by night, the Burka Avenger fights corruption and oppression, and aims to empower the girls of Pakistan. Unicorn Black Studios hide caption

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Unicorn Black Studios

Television

Lady In Black: 'Burka Avenger' Fights For Pakistan's Girls

Burka Avenger is a new Pakistani kids' show about a mild-mannered teacher who moonlights as a burqa-clad superhero. The show aims to empower and educate children, especially young girls — but has drawn criticism from feminists for its use of the burqa.

Lady In Black: 'Burka Avenger' Fights For Pakistan's Girls

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Potential Treatment For Snakebites Leads To A Paralyzing Test

The bite of a cobra can paralyze its victims and, if enough venom is released, fatally stop their breathing. It's estimated that more than 75 percent of patients in India who die from a snake's bite never make it to the hospital. STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Potential Treatment For Snakebites Leads To A Paralyzing Test

Many people who die of venomous snakebites never make it to a hospital. A San Francisco doctor came up with what he thinks may be a workaround to save those lives. But he had to test it first.

For Saudi Women, New Subway Will Mean More Than A Cool Ride

Saudi women get into a taxi outside a shopping mall in Riyadh in 2012. Plans for a subway system in the Saudi capital are likely to provide the biggest benefits to women and the poor. Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

For Saudi Women, New Subway Will Mean More Than A Cool Ride

Work will begin next year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on what's touted as the world's biggest investment in public transportation. The biggest impact is likely to be social, providing greater independence and affordable transportation options for women — who are forbidden from driving — and the poor.

Last Person To Get Smallpox Dedicated His Life To Ending Polio

Ali Maow Maalin said he avoided getting the smallpox vaccine as a young man because he was afraid of needles. He didn't want others to make the same mistake with polio. Courtesy of the World Health Organization hide caption

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Courtesy of the World Health Organization

Shots - Health News

Last Person To Get Smallpox Dedicated His Life To Ending Polio

In the 1970s, Ali Maow Maalin, a Somali hospital worker, was the last member of the general public to catch smallpox — worldwide. Once recovered, he worked for years to wipe out polio in Somalia. Maalin, called "an inspiration" by world health leaders, died unexpectedly last week.

Pentagon: Afghan Army Has Come A Long Way

A new Pentagon report concludes that Afghanistan's military has improved and is more and more capable of taking the lead on missions. But the report warns that Afghanistan remains politically fragile, less than two years before most U.S. troops depart. And there's still a real risk that political instability in Afghanistan could fracture the nation's army.

Pentagon: Afghan Army Has Come A Long Way

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Report: Civilian Casualties Rising In Afghanistan

The United Nations has just issued its semi-annual report on civilian casualties in Afghanistan. While the war might be winding down for U.S. and international forces, Taliban violence continues, and the death toll among Afghan civilians is on the rise.

Report: Civilian Casualties Rising In Afghanistan

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Tuesday

Anti-Gay Riot In Tblisi Tests Balance Between Church, State

Anti-gay protesters try to attack a bus with gay activists who are being taken away from a pro-gay-rights rally by police for their own protection in Tblisi, Georgia, on May 17. Thousands of anti-gay protesters, including Orthodox priests, occupied a central street in Georgia's capital. Shakh Aivazov/AP hide caption

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Shakh Aivazov/AP

Parallels

Anti-Gay Riot In Tblisi Tests Balance Between Church, State

Priests of the powerful Georgian Orthodox Church led a recent attack on a group of people protesting against homophobia in Tblisi, Georgia. The incident in May raises questions about human rights and the balance of power between church and state in the religiously conservative former Soviet republic.

Anti-Gay Riot In Tblisi Tests Balance Between Church, State

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Africa

Does Egypt's Crisis Signal The End Of Political Islam?

We take a look at what the Muslim Brotherhood's fall from grace means for the future of religion and politics in Egypt. Was it tested, failed and now dead?

Does Egypt's Crisis Signal The End Of Political Islam?

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E.U. Meeting In Egypt Does Little To Quell Political Crisis

European Union envoy Catherine Ashton completed a round of talks in Cairo with Egyptian officials and opposition leaders including ousted president Mohammed Morsi. Ashton says she will continue her mediation efforts to resolve Egypt's worsening political crisis.

E.U. Meeting In Egypt Does Little To Quell Political Crisis

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Pentagon Report: Taliban Still Strong In Afghanistan

The latest Pentagon report to Congress on Afghanistan says the insurgency is still "resilient" and violence in some areas is at the same level as last year. But the Afghan forces are taking the brunt of the casualties now that the U.S. troop presence has decreased and the remaining forces have turned to training the Afghans.

Pentagon Report: Taliban Still Strong In Afghanistan

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Creating American Symphonies To Tell 'Distinctly American' Stories

New York-based composer Mohammed Fairouz. Samantha West/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Samantha West/Courtesy of the artist

Deceptive Cadence

Creating American Symphonies To Tell 'Distinctly American' Stories

"A composer like me could not have existed in Europe 150 years ago," says 27-year-old Arab-American Mohammed Fairouz. Learn more about his work — including a wind symphony inspired by artist Art Spiegelman's comics — and hear excerpts from an upcoming recording.

Hear An Excerpt From Fairouz' 'Poems And Prayers'

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Investigators: Train Conductor Was On Phone During Spain Crash

Flowers pay tribute to the victims of the train that crashed in northwestern Spain last week. The driver of the train was on the phone and traveling at nearly twice the speed limit, according to court papers. Rafa Rivas/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Rafa Rivas/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Investigators: Train Conductor Was On Phone During Spain Crash

Train conductor Francisco Jose Garzon Amo faces dozens of charges of homicide and causing injury by professional neglect. Court papers say he was on the phone at the time of the crash.