Skip Navigation Return to the home page for KJZZ 91.5 FM

News

World News

  • Obama Aims To 'Finish The Job' In Afghanistan
    President Obama said Tuesday he intends to finish the job in Afghanistan, adding he would soon announce his strategy for the country. The comments came in a joint news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is on a state visit to the U.S.
  • U.K. Begins Iraq War Inquiry
    A long-awaited public inquiry into Britain's role in the Iraq war opened Tuesday with former civil servants questioned by a panel of investigators. But critics say the panel lacks the powers to get to the heart of the issues surrounding Britain's involvement in the war.
  • Belgian Thought To Be In Coma Now Responsive
    Twenty-three years ago, a Belgian car-crash victim was diagnosed as being in a vegetative state. But doctors now say he appears to have been conscious the whole time. The man is now communicating using a special touchscreen. Neurologist Steven Laureys, who leads the Coma Science Group at the University of Liege in Belgium, says people in non-communicative states are misdiagnosed up to 40 percent of the time.
  • In China, Creating A Menagerie Through Mimicry
    Professional mimics in China used to imitate sounds as a form of entertainment. Not many practitioners are left, but one family is trying to preserve the art. Cheng Jiaqiang, who learned his skills from his grandfather, has a barnyard repertoire but specializes in bird songs.
  • At Gaza Zoo, The Wild Things Return
    Almost a year after Israel's offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, the coastal enclave is still struggling to recover. Most animals at the Gaza Zoo died during the fighting. Now, with the help of animal smugglers, the zoo is trying to rebuild.
  • Obama Pledges To 'Finish The Job' In Afghanistan
    President Obama said Tuesday that he will be making an announcement "shortly" on his new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, which is expected to involve deploying thousands of extra U.S. soldiers. Sources tell NPR's Tom Bowman that the White House is tentatively planning a Dec. 1 announcement.
  • Obama: U.S., India 'Natural Allies' In 21st Century
    The decision to host the Indian prime minister as President Obama's first state visitor was designed as a deliberate signal of India's prominence in Washington. Obama and Manmohan Singh announced a wide range of new agreements in energy and agriculture as they tried to cement a relationship between the two countries.
  • Man Says Emerging From 23-Year Coma Like Rebirth
    Car-crash victim Rom Houben says in Belgium that years of being unable to move or communicate left him feeling "alone, lonely, frustrated, but also blessed with my family." An expert using a specialized type of brain scan provided him with the equipment to communicate.
  • Missing-Somali Case Gives Recruitment Clues To FBI
    Documents unsealed Monday in a Minnesota investigation allege a broad and effective recruitment campaign to persuade Somali-Americans to join an Islamist insurgency in Somalia.
  • British Panel Begins Inquiry On Iraq War
    An inquiry investigating Britain's role in the Iraq war kicked off Tuesday with top government advisers testifying that some Bush administration officials were calling for Saddam Hussein's ouster as early as 2001 — long before sanctions were exhausted and two years before the U.S.-led invasion.
  • Prime Minister Singh Described As 'Concensus Man'
    Sanjaya Baru knows India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh well. He is the prime minister's former media adviser, and is now editor-in-chief of India's leading business newspaper the <em>Business Standard.</em> Baru tells Renee Montagne that he would describe Singh as a "consensus man" because the prime minister learned early that he was leading a very fractious coalition, so he spent a lot of time listening to people who disagreed with him.
  • Paying Ransom, Does It Exacerbate Pirate Issue?
    Spanish leaders are scheduled to appear in Parliament Wednesday to defend their handling of the hijacking of a Spanish fishing boat off the coast of Somalia. The hijacking ended last week after Somali pirates reportedly were paid $3.5 million in ransom. Some people are wondering if Spanish fishing boats are in even more danger now.
  • Obama's Afghan Strategy To Be Announced Soon
    President Obama and his top military and national security advisers gathered once again at the White House Monday night. The subject was troop levels and strategies for the war in Afghanistan, and there was also the question of how to deal with neighboring Pakistan. Sources say plans are underway for a possible announcement in a prime-time speech by the president next week.
  • Obama Honors India's Singh With State Visit
    The White House hosts India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the first formal state visit of Barack Obama's presidency. There are talks between the two leaders Tuesday, and later a state dinner. India is becoming a major player in global affairs &mdash; one that the U.S. needs on its side when it comes to issues like climate change, trade and countering extremism in South Asia.
  • China Executes 2 For Role In Tainted Milk Scandal
    China executed two people Tuesday for their roles in a tainted milk powder scandal in which at least six children died and more than 300,000 became sick. Zhang Yujun was executed for endangering public safety and Geng Jinping was executed for producing and selling toxic food, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.