NPR News

Pages

The Two-Way
7:26 am
Wed May 2, 2012

Will China Follow Through On Assurances About Activist's Safety?

Credit Jordan Pouille / AFP/Getty Images
Chinese activist activist Chen Guangcheng earlier today at the a hospital in Beijing. He reportedly injured himself during his escape from house arrest last month.

Originally published on Wed May 2, 2012 4:26 pm

  • From 'Morning Edition'

Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng has said to The Associated Press that "he was told Chinese officials would have killed his wife had he not left [the U.S.] embassy," the wire service reports.

It also writes that "Guangcheng says a U.S. official told him that Chinese authorities threatened to beat his wife to death had be not left the American Embassy."

Read more
Asia
7:19 am
Wed May 2, 2012

Chinese Dissident Leaves U.S. Embassy In Beijing

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm Steve Inskeep.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene.

We are following developing news, this morning, in China. The Chinese dissident who sought protection with American diplomats in Beijing is now free and apparently heading to a new life.

INSKEEP: Chen Guangcheng is a human rights lawyer, a blind man who became involved in issues like forced abortion in China. Last week, he escaped house arrest by Chinese security forces.

Read more
Middle East
7:03 am
Wed May 2, 2012

Presidential Election Protest In Egypt Turns Deadly

Originally published on Wed May 2, 2012 7:49 am

Islamist protesters, unhappy their candidate was among several people disqualified from the election, held a demonstration outside the Defense Ministry. Five people were killed and more than 100 people were wounded in fighting that involved sticks, stones, batons and bullets.

NPR Story
6:37 am
Wed May 2, 2012

Business news

Originally published on Wed May 2, 2012 7:59 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with falling profits for UBS.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GREENE: Suisse Bank UBS announced today that their profits fell 54 percent in the first quarter of this year. The drop is blamed on a decrease in investment banking income, and also because of an accounting charge on its debt.

Read more
NPR Story
6:37 am
Wed May 2, 2012

Pfizer Settles Suit Involving Celebrex

Originally published on Wed May 2, 2012 7:03 am

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Pfizer, one of the worlds largest drug companies, will pay Brigham Young University nearly half a billion dollars to settle a patent related lawsuit involving the company's blockbuster painkiller Celebrex.

NPR's Wendy Kaufman reports, the settlement comes as the case was about to go to trial.

Read more
NPR Story
6:37 am
Wed May 2, 2012

Osama Bin Laden's Legacy Inspires Pakistani Extremists

Originally published on Wed May 2, 2012 1:07 pm

The killing of Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad one year ago Wednesday rocked the country's political and military establishment, and provoked widespread rage at what Pakistanis saw as a blatant violation of national sovereignty.

A year on, there are widely differing opinions among Pakistanis about the significance of the al-Qaida leader in a country where militant groups draw inspiration from him.

His legacy is in plain view at rallies across the country that evoke virulent anti-Americanism.

Read more
NPR Story
6:37 am
Wed May 2, 2012

The Last Word In Business

Originally published on Wed May 2, 2012 8:08 am

A home for the Academy Awards ceremony has been secured. The Kodak Theatre will now be called the Dolby Theatre. The audio technology company has signed a naming-rights deal with the real estate group that owns the property where the Oscar ceremony is held. Kodak, which filed for bankruptcy protection in January, gave up its naming rights.

NPR Story
6:37 am
Wed May 2, 2012

GOP Charges Obama UsesBin Laden For Political Gain

Originally published on Wed May 2, 2012 7:44 am

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Republicans have repeatedly criticized President Obama for what they contend is a weak foreign policy. Their criticism now extends to how the president talks about his signature foreign policy success.

Here's NPR national political correspondent, Mara Liasson.

MARA LIASSON, BYLINE: President Obama's visit to Afghanistan and his address to the nation were reminders of the responsibilities of the commander-in-chief and the attention he can muster at a moment's notice.

Read more
Music
3:28 am
Wed May 2, 2012

Marcel Khalife: The Bob Dylan Of The Arab World

Credit Driss Ben Malek / Courtesy of the artist
Marcel Khalife is a Middle Eastern musical and political icon.

Originally published on Wed May 2, 2012 8:03 am

The Lebanese classical musician and composer Marcel Khalife is often compared to Bob Dylan — not for his music, but for his politics. The Middle Eastern musical and political icon sings about freedom and nationalism.

Khalife is famous for translating poetry into music. For years, he collaborated with the nationalist Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.

"It began when I graduated from the music conservatory in Beirut. The civil war started in Lebanon — I wanted to change the world with music," says Khalife.

Read more
Arts & Life
3:24 am
Wed May 2, 2012

'Scream' Still Echoes After More Than A Century

Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 7:59 am

It's perhaps the most reproduced piece of art ever created. It has adorned key chains and coffee mugs, and the cover of Time magazine. Andy Warhol used it, and now one of the four versions of The Scream, Edvard Munch's iconic work — the only one outside Norway — is coming up for auction at Sotheby's in New York. Sale estimates are as high as $80 million.

Read more

Pages