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Tuesday

Women Latest Target Of Bahrain Crackdown

Bahraini protesters hold up flowers toward riot police near the Pearl Roundabout in February. On March 18, the government demolished the monument, which had become a prominent gathering place for opposition protesters. Hasan Jamali/AP hide caption

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Hasan Jamali/AP

Middle East

Women Latest Target Of Bahrain Crackdown

In the wake of massive protests, the government has cracked down brutally on opposition figures. Authorities detained thousands of men — and then went after the women. "They took me from my work," one woman says. "And from the beginning they slapped me on my face, on my head, shoulder."

Women Latest Target Of Bahrain Crackdown

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Criticizing Pakistan's Military: Dangerous, As Is Life

Asma Jehangir, a human rights advocate and lawyer in Lahore, Pakistan, is an outspoken critic of the military. Jim Wildman/NPR hide caption

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Jim Wildman/NPR

Asia

Criticizing Pakistan's Military: Dangerous, As Is Life

Asma Jehangir, a human rights advocate and lawyer in Pakistan, has sharp words for the country's dominant institution. The military is under pressure from the U.S. following the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound.

Criticizing Pakistan's Military: Dangerous, As Is Life

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El Salvador Grapples With Upswing In Drug Traffic

Members of the Salvadoran police squad "The Hawks" search suspected gang members in San Salvador. Jason Beaubien/NPR hide caption

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Jason Beaubien/NPR

The Americas

El Salvador Grapples With Upswing In Drug Traffic

Mexican drug cartels are expanding into El Salvador, using local gang members as hit men, police say. The Salvadoran president calls the cartels a "very powerful enemy," but his government says the problem isn't out of hand. Others say if the cartels aren't stopped soon, it may be too late for El Salvador.

El Salvador Grapples With Upswing In Drug Traffic

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Al-Qaida's Paper Trail: A 'Treasure Trove' For U.S.

Al-Qaida is known to keep meticulous records. Experts say that's the influence of Osama bin Laden, shown in 1998, who was obsessed with documenting everything. Rahimullah Yousafzai/AP hide caption

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Rahimullah Yousafzai/AP

Osama Bin Laden Killed

Al-Qaida's Paper Trail: A 'Treasure Trove' For U.S.

From its earliest days, al-Qaida leaders insisted on receipts for everything from floppy disks to explosives. Experts say that was the influence of Osama bin Laden, who earned an undergraduate degree in economics and public administration. That obsession with record-keeping has come back to haunt the organization.

Al-Qaida's Paper Trail: A 'Treasure Trove' For U.S.

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Monday

Protesters, Police Clash Over Mladic Arrest

A protestor holds a picture of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic as she attends a demonstration in front of Serbian Parliament on May 29, 2011 in Belgrade. Andrej Isakovic/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrej Isakovic/Getty Images

Protesters, Police Clash Over Mladic Arrest

Ultranationalists gathered outside parliament in Belgrade Sunday waving posters of Ratko Mladic, who was captured last week after nearly 16 years as a fugitive. Mladic's lawyer says he is too sick to stand trial but Serbian authorities are determined to extradite him to the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague to be tried for the execution of thousands at Srebrenica during the Bosnian war.

Protesters, Police Clash Over Mladic Arrest

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National

Gates: Defense Cuts Will Shrink U.S. Role Worldwide

Defense secretary Robert Gates is expected to step down next month. In what may have been his final policy speech last week, he leveled a warning to Congress and the White House — deep cuts in the Pentagon's budget will mean both a smaller military, and a diminished U.S. role around the world. In a column at ForeignPolicy.com, Stephen Walt argued, that's not necessarily a bad thing: "We should be focusing a lot more attention on long-term capacity building than fighting costly wars in places that don't matter very much (like Afghanistan)."

Gates: Defense Cuts Will Shrink U.S. Role Worldwide

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When Iraq War Ends, How Many Troops Will Stay?

U.S. military leaders are debating how many troops will stay in Iraq when the war winds down by year's end. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says some troops will stay for years past the deadline, but Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr warns that if U.S. troops remain past 2011, his militias will return to violence.

When Iraq War Ends, How Many Troops Will Stay?

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German Toll Rises In Europe's E.coli Outbreak

German farmer Tim Voges destroyed produce in the town of Ronneburg because of suspicion that vegetables could be contaminated with Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli bacteria. Julian Stratenschulte/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Julian Stratenschulte/AFP/Getty Images

Europe

German Toll Rises In Europe's E.coli Outbreak

The death toll from the outbreak allegedly caused by contaminated Spanish produce rose to at least 11 in Germany. Meanwhile, Spain said there was no proof that the E. coli outbreak has been caused by Spanish vegetables.

Change Appears Inevitable In Syria, Analysts Say

Protesters demand that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down, in front of Arab League headquarters in Cairo. Amr Nabil/AP hide caption

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Amr Nabil/AP

Middle East

Change Appears Inevitable In Syria, Analysts Say

A U.N. resolution condemning Syria for its brutal crackdown on protesters faces diplomatic challenges, and the U.S. is considered unlikely to intervene militarily. Still, Syrian experts believe President Bashar Assad's loss of credibility will ultimately cause him to relinquish power.

Change Appears Inevitable In Syria, Analysts Say

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Mexican Cartels Spread Violence To Central America

Soldiers walk past part of a message written in blood at the site of a massacre at a ranch in northern Guatemala on May 16. The message is a warning to Otto Salguero — the owner of the ranch, according to local media. Guatemalan authorities blame the killings on the Mexican drug cartel Los Zetas. Moises Castillo/AP hide caption

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Moises Castillo/AP

The Americas

Mexican Cartels Spread Violence To Central America

While drug trafficking is not new to the region, the volume of drugs and levels of violence have increased in recent years. In Guatemala, experts warn that the volatile mix of a weak state, powerful drug traffickers, lots of weapons and intractable poverty could cause a collapse.

Mexican Cartels Spread Violence To Central America

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Sunday

Asia

Ex-Minister: 'Grave Damage' To Pakistan's Ethos

Former Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri tells NPR's Steve Inskeep that U.S. accusations against his country after the death of Osama bin Laden have changed its psyche. He says Pakistanis are the victims of homegrown terrorism, giving them ample room for introspection.

Ex-Minister: 'Grave Damage' To Pakistan's Ethos

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Saturday

Iraqi Leader Reconsiders U.S. Troop Withdrawal

Supporters of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr march in front of two large Iraqi flags with the Arabic words "God is great," in the Sadr City district of Baghdad on Thursday. Tens of thousands of Sadr's followers rallied to demand the U.S. military leave Iraq at the end of the year. Hadi Mizban/AP hide caption

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Hadi Mizban/AP

Iraqi Leader Reconsiders U.S. Troop Withdrawal

In recent weeks, Iraq's prime minister has done a turnaround, saying he'd support keeping some U.S. troops in the country beyond the withdrawal deadline. But in order to become prime minister in the first place, Nouri al-Maliki had to promise people like the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that American troops would leave.

Iraqi Leader Reconsiders U.S. Troop Withdrawal

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Possible Pyramids Discovered From Space

A satellite image shows a field of what may be buried pyramid sites in Egypt. Courtesy of DigitalGlobe Images hide caption

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Courtesy of DigitalGlobe Images

Science

Possible Pyramids Discovered From Space

When you think archeology, you think shovels, brushes, brooms and other time-honored tools used to uncover archeological treasures. Now a new way to peer beneath the Earth's surface may have made an exciting find: more pyramids, buried deep under an ancient Egyptian city.

Possible Pyramids Discovered From Space

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Egypt Reopens Gaza Border Crossing

A Palestinian family waits to cross from the Gaza Strip into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing on Saturday. Bernat Armangue/AP hide caption

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Bernat Armangue/AP

Middle East

Egypt Reopens Gaza Border Crossing

Egypt ended a four-year-old blockade of the Gaza Strip on Saturday, bringing badly needed relief to the Palestinian territory's 1.5 million people. Under the new system, there are few restrictions on who comes and goes, but Palestinian men between the ages of 18 and 40 must get visas before being allowed to enter Egypt.

Egypt Reopens Gaza Border Crossing

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