Africa
5:10 am
Sun May 20, 2012

After A Free Fall, Zimbabwe Finds A Bit Of Stability

Originally published on Sun May 20, 2012 7:39 am

When hyperinflation spiraled out of control in Zimbabwe in 2008, huge numbers of citizens flocked across the border to find jobs, and escape food and water shortages.

That economic nightmare came on top of years of decline. While the country still hasn't fully recovered, Zimbabwe is much more stable and economic life is picking up, at least for some.

On Robert Mugabe Road in the capital Harare, taxi drivers shout out their destinations. Street vendors sell leather belts and cellphone accessories to passersby.

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Europe
5:09 am
Sun May 20, 2012

Euros Not Austerity: Can Greece Have It Both Ways?

Originally published on Sun May 20, 2012 8:38 am

At the G-8 summit Saturday, French President Francois Hollande said he wanted Greece to stay in the eurozone and expected the country to meet its commitments. In saying so, Hollande identified the difficult debate which has gripped Greece for months now.

Most Greeks want to keep the euro as their currency. Most also want to cancel the eurozone-imposed austerity measures that come with the billions in international bailout loans keeping the country solvent.

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Monkey See
5:03 am
Sun May 20, 2012

TV Networks Hope Familiar Faces Bring Viewers To New Fall Shows

Credit Jordin Althaus / NBC
Matthew Perry stars on NBC's fall comedy Go On.

Originally published on Sun May 20, 2012 10:31 am

Asia
2:39 am
Sun May 20, 2012

After Chinese Activist's Arrival, Rest And Relief

Credit Mladen Antonov / AFP/Getty Images
Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng and his wife Yuan Weijing arrive at the New York University Village apartment complex in New York Saturday.

Originally published on Sun May 20, 2012 7:39 am

U.S. diplomats are breathing a sigh of relief Sunday after a human rights activist sheltered briefly by the U.S. embassy in Beijing was allowed to leave China and come to the United States. Chen Guangcheng arrived Saturday night with his wife and two children. He has a fellowship to study at New York University.

Chen appeared briefly before the cameras Saturday night in New York's Greenwich Village, where he will be living with his family and studying law.

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Sunday Puzzle
11:03 pm
Sat May 19, 2012

Initially Famous 2: Electric Boogaloo

Credit NPR Graphic

Originally published on Sat May 26, 2012 8:21 pm

On-Air Challenge: This week's challenge is a twist on "Characteristic Initials." We will gives clues for some famous people, past and present. The initial letters of the clues are also the initials of the answers. For example "Wrote Sonnets" would be "William Shakespeare."

Last Week's Challenge: Name a state capital. Change one of the vowels to another vowel and say the result phonetically. You will name a revered profession. What is it?

Answer: Madison and medicine

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Economy
5:13 pm
Sat May 19, 2012

Could Glass-Steagall Have Stopped JPMorgan Loss?

Credit Mark Lennihan / AP
JPMorgan, the largest bank in the United States, is seeking to minimize the damage caused by a $2 billion trading loss, disclosed earlier this month.

Originally published on Mon May 21, 2012 12:15 pm

Following JP Morgan's disclosure of a $2 billion loss, a small but increasingly vocal group of lawmakers and economists are arguing that a 60-year-old piece if financial legislation should never have been repealed in 1999.

They say the law, known as the Glass-Steagall Act, was so consequential that there's a direct link between its repeal and both the 2008 financial meltdown and JPMorgan's huge loss.

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The Two-Way
4:48 pm
Sat May 19, 2012

Chinese Activist Takes A Sudden Journey To The West

Credit Henny Ray Abrams / AP
Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng, center, arrives at Washington Square Village on the campus of New York University on Saturday in New York. Chen escaped from his village in April and was given sanctuary inside the U.S.

Originally published on Mon May 21, 2012 5:52 am

Update At 7:47 P.M. ET. Chen Guangcheng Addresses A Crowd Outside New York University:

Addressing a crowd outside New York University, Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng said he was grateful to the U.S. Embassy staff in Beijing for providing him a "safe haven." Through an interpreter, he said he was gratified that the Chinese government was handling his situation with "restraint and calm" and thankful for the opportunity to leave China to study at NYU.

Chen said he hoped Beijing would keep its promise to protect the family he had left behind.

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Around the Nation
3:52 pm
Sat May 19, 2012

Obama Hosts World Leaders At G8 Summit

Originally published on Sat May 19, 2012 5:18 pm

NPR's Scott Horsley talks about what some are terming the "diplopaloozaa" this weekend, when President Obama hosts the G8 conference at Camp David on Saturday and the next day plays host to two dozen NATO heads of state in Chicago.

Asia
3:52 pm
Sat May 19, 2012

Dissident Leaves China For U.S.

Originally published on Sat May 19, 2012 5:18 pm

Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng and his family are due to arrive in Newark this evening after a surprise early-morning flight from Beijing. Host Guy Raz gets the latest from NPR's Michele Kelemen, who's been following the story.

Author Interviews
3:52 pm
Sat May 19, 2012

China's New Plan: A Great Leap Into The Air

Originally published on Sat May 19, 2012 5:55 pm

Right at this moment, more than two-thirds of all airport construction in the world is happening in China.

The country is in the first full year of a five-year plan to eventually make China the center of global aviation, and the Chinese government is pumping a quarter-trillion dollars into the project.

"From the American perspective, the whole idea of five-year plans is preposterous," says James Fallows, author of a new book about China's aviation boom, called China Airborne. "If you think five-year plan, you think Soviet Union, you think economic failure."

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