Newt Gingrich muses about a Repulican Party revamp

Newt Gingrich, one of the most respected conservative voices in the Republican Party, is a man known for big ideas. He has a few for how conservatives can rebuild the party.

Venezuela Catholic Church fears running out of wine and bread

Venezuelan Roman Catholic Church officials say food shortages and foreign exchange restrictions are causing a lack of ingredients needed to celebrate mass: altar wine as well as wheat to produce communion wafers.

New Mexico residents evacuated amid fast-moving blaze

As firefighters gained ground Friday on a wildfire in the mountains north of Los Angeles, another blaze flared up in the West. A fast-moving fire in New Mexico’s Santa Fe National Forest prompted evacuations of residences and campgrounds, threatened cabins and vacation homes, and closed a highway.

Rio Goes High-Tech, With An Eye Toward Olympics, World Cup

New technology is changing the way cities are run, with cutting-edge urban innovations around the globe. Sprawling, chaotic Rio de Janeiro has built a state-of-the-art operations center as it gears up for two major events.

Top Khmer Rouge Leaders Apologize For Regime's Atrocities

Nuon Chea, the No. 2 leader in the genocidal Cambodian regime, and head of state Khieu Samphan are on trial for genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1970s.

Turkish Police, Anti-Government Protesters Clash

What started out as a peaceful sit-in against redevelopment plans for a park in Istanbul has erupted into wider political protests.

Canadian relief for Moore tornado victims denied at border

A Canadian shipment of relief goods bound for storm-ravaged Oklahoma has been stopped at the Canada-U.S. border in Windsor, Ont.

Starbucks bans smoking within 25 feet of stores

Starting Saturday, Starbucks will ban smokers from lighting up a cigarette outside any of their 7,000 coffee shops across the U.S. and Canada.

Rio Goes High-Tech, With An Eye Toward Olympics, World Cup

New technology is changing the way cities are run, with cutting-edge urban innovations around the globe. Sprawling, chaotic Rio de Janeiro has built a state-of-the-art operations center as it gears up for two major events.

Nordic Diet Could Be Local Alternative To Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest styles of eating in the world. But in many regions, including Denmark and Sweden, it’s not easy to follow when olive oil is hard to find. Now Nordic researchers are exploring the health benefits of a Nordic diet, based on local foods like herring and bilberries.

Australian court OKs 3rd sex choice on birth documents

An Australian court has cleared the way for people to identify as neither male nor female on government documents, after protests by a genderless activist went global.

Istanbul protesters draw tear gas, water cannon

Turkish police fire tear gas and water cannon at protesters occupying a park in central Istanbul, wounding scores of people, including tourists, in the harshest crackdown so far on days of anti-government unrest.

Kai, hitchhiker 'hero' in viral video, denies murder charge

A man who gained internet fame as Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker insisted he was not guilty of murder as he was led into a jail on Thursday following his extradition from Pennsylvania.

Falling tree kills man as tornadoes hit Oklahoma, Arkansas

Forecasters warn that large hail and more tornadoes could strafe parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri, a day after powerful storms killed one man and left at least two missing in the storm-weary region.

Justin Bieber monkey settling into German animal park

Canadian singer Justin Bieber’s monkey is settling into a new life at a German safari park after being seized by custom authorities earlier this month.

Is This Faint Line Below The Sea Amelia Earhart's Plane?

Researchers who are searching for the famed aviator’s remains and the wreckage of her plane say sonar images taken last year show an anomaly that just might be Earhart’s Lockheed Electra. Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared in the mid-Pacific in 1937.

Watching From The Rooftops As A Fierce Syrian Battle Unfolds

Syria’s government appears to be making gains this week against rebel forces in a hard-fought battle. This comes as Lebanon’s Hezbollah sends militia fighters across the border to bolster troops loyal to Syria’s president Bashar Assad.

Large asteroid to zip by today

An asteroid nine times longer than a 1,900-passenger cruise ship will zoom past Earth today at a safe distance.

Kyrgyzstan protesters storm Canadian mining office

Kyrgyzstan has imposed a state of emergency on a northern district after clashes between riot police and protesters over Centerra Gold’s Kumtor mine.

Hezbollah Sends Fighters To Qusayr From Lebanon

Syrian refugees, newly arrived in neighboring Lebanon, are painting a grim picture of the battle for Qusayr. It is under attack by Syrian government troops and Hezbollah militants from Lebanon. There is no water or electricity and little food in the town that still hosts some 15,000 civilians.

Mired In Recession, E.U. Eases Some Austerity Measures

This week, the European Union gave some of its member nations more time to meet deficit-reduction targets. In other words, to ease back on austerity. The programs have crushed growth and sent European unemployment to a record high 12 percent.

How Recalculating GDP Can Help App Designers In Nigeria

Pledge 51 creates applications for Nigeria’s low-tech cell phones. They think they could grow their business with help from foreign investors, but Nigeria’s low GDP has made that difficult. If the country changes the way it calculates this figure, that could help Pledge 51 bring in new investment.

Scripps spelling bee won with 'knaidel'

Arvind Mahankali, 13, conquers his nemesis German to become the champion speller at the 86th Scripps National Spelling Bee in Maryland.

Battling Deforestation In Indonesia, One Firm At A Time

Environmentalists are focusing on big corporations to prevent the destruction of rain forests cut down for paper products. With help from some unlikely characters, they’ve scored a success against one of the world’s largest paper companies.

Boston Strong benefit concert honours bombing victims

City residents rocked Thursday at a benefit concert for victims of the deadly Boston Marathon bombing, jamming to songs from the Dropkick Murphys, Boston and other musical acts and even laughing at a joke about the capture of a bombing suspect.

American Woman Killed In Syria Fighting, Family Says

Family members told the Detroit Free Press that the FBI had confirmed that Nicole Lynn Mansfield, 33, was killed while fighting in Syria. She reportedly was fighting for the rebels against the Assad regime. Syrian TV said she was killed along with two other Westerners.

Ukrainian Jews lived in caves to escape Holocaust

A new documentary called No Place on Earth describes the story of Ukrainian Jews who found refuge in caves after fleeing the Nazis during the Second World War.

Report Says Al-Qaida Diminished, But Affiliates Still A Threat

The State Department’s Country Terrorism report also says that Iran has boosted its support of global terrorism to a level not seen since the 1990s.

Public Servant Herman Boudreau, Heroic Under Enemy Fire

While serving in the Army in World War II, Herman Boudreau fought the Japanese resistance during more than two years in the South Pacific. He went on to serve in the Maine National Guard and the Maine State Police, as chief of police in Freeport and as an auxiliary police officer in Brunswick.

Tornadoes touch down on Oklahoma as storms pass

At least two tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma Thursday as a powerful storm system moved through the state, but there were no immediate reports of any injuries, weather officials said.

As The Clock Ticks, U.S. Forces Scale Back Afghan Goals

The 12-year U.S. military effort in Afghanistan has sought to drive out extremists and help Afghans rebuild their country. As the American forces prepare to withdraw, the focus is on practical security measures and those ambitious nation-building goals seem to be fading away.

Four Men In A Small Boat Face The Northwest Passage

The crew hopes to be the first to row through the fabled Northwest Passage in one season aboard a custom-built 23-foot boat.

Syria will respond to Israeli strike, Assad says

Syrian President Bashar Assad told Al-Manar, a TV station owned by the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, that his forces will respond to any future Israeli strike on his country.

Mars trip would expose travellers to hefty dose of radiation

Astronauts traveling to and from Mars would be bombarded with as much cosmic radiation as they’d get from a full-body CT scan about once a week for a year, researchers reported Thursday.

As The Clock Ticks, U.S. Forces Scale Back Afghan Goals

The 12-year U.S. military effort in Afghanistan has sought to drive out extremists and help Afghans rebuild their country. As the American forces prepare to withdraw, the focus is on practical security measures and those ambitious nation-building goals seem to be fading away.

Scaled-down search for missing Canadian bushwalker to resume Friday

Australian police say they will resume a scaled-down search Friday for a Canadian hiker who has been missing in Kosciuszko National Park for more than two weeks.

Saudi Arabia reports 3 more deaths from MERS

Saudi Arabia has reported that three more people have died from a new respiratory virus related to SARS, bringing the total number of deaths globally to 30.

Could this be Amelia Earhart's plane?

Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart and her navigator vanished more than 75 years ago, but a new sonar image is giving American researchers hope that the mystery could soon be solved.

Bahrain Blogger Comes Out Of Hiding

When the crackdown against pro-democracy protests started in Bahrain, blogger and online activist Ali Abdulemam went into hiding. He was later tried in absentia by a military court for plotting against the regime. Host Michel Martin speaks to Abdulemam about his escape from Bahrain, and how he now feels about his country.

Bestselling author, columnist Rev. Andrew Greeley dies

The Rev. Andrew Greeley, an outspoken Roman Catholic priest, bestselling author and longtime Chicago newspaper columnist who even criticized the hierarchy of his own church over the child sex abuse scandal, has died. He was 85.

Iraq bombs kill 26 in latest round of violence

A series of bomb explosions in Iraq, including one targeting a provincial governor, kills at least 26 people and wounds dozens in the latest eruption of violence to rattle the country.

Rampaging Brazilian goat video goes viral

A video of a goat charging at passersby in the southern Brazilian city of Londrina has garnered more than three million hits since it was posted on YouTube late last week.

Chinese auto industry establishing itself in Detroit

Approximately 100 Chinese auto parts companies now exist in metro Detroit, employing local expertise and helping rebuild and reshape the local auto industry.

Canadian CEOs among top bank earners in North America

A new survey says Canadian bankers ranked among some of the highest-paid banking executives in North America last year, with three in the top 10.

And The New Miss Universe Canada Is... Oops!

The happy yet doomed reign of Denise Garrido as Miss Universe Canada lasted just one day, after a scoring mix-up was found to have incorrectly awarded her the title Saturday. The crown was then given to another contestant, Riza Santos of Calgary.

Examining China's Investment Record In U.S. Companies

How many Chinese companies have already bought U.S. businesses? David Greene talks to Dexter Roberts, Beijing bureau chief for Bloomberg Businessweek, about Chinese investment in the U.S.

China's 'Pipe Baby' Out Of Hospital; With Mother's Family

The newborn boy’s rescue from a pipe below a public toilet captured headlines around the world. Officials now tell local news outlets that the mother is unlikely to face charges. It was an accident, officials believe, that the frightened woman initially lied about.

Syria reportedly receives Russian missile shipment

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is quoted by Lebanese TV as saying the first shipment of Russian air defence missiles has arrived in his country.

Years Of Combat Experience, And Just Turning 20

Colombia’s FARC rebels are engaged in a peace talks with the government, but the group is also stepping up recruitment of child soldiers. Thousands of children may have become rebels in recent years — and there are efforts under way to rehabilitate some of these former recruits.

China baby rescued from sewer pipe returned to mother

A newborn whose rescue from a sewer pipe in China captivated the world has been returned to his mother after authorities decided he became trapped because of an accident, a local official said Thursday.

Soldier Accused In Afghan Shooting Rampage To Plead Guilty

A lawyer for Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales says the veteran of four combat tours will plead guilty in the deaths of 16 civilians to avoid the death penalty.

Canada bans all imports, exports with latest Iran sanctions

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has announced new sanctions against Iran, including a total ban on imports and exports.

U.S. soldier charged in Afghan massacre set to plead guilty

The U.S. Army staff sergeant charged with killing 16 villagers in one of the worst atrocities of the Afghanistan war will plead guilty to avoid the death penalty in a deal that requires him to recount the horrific attack for the first time, his attorney told The Associated Press.

Letters containing ricin sent to NYC Mayor Bloomberg

Two threatening letters containing traces of the deadly poison ricin were sent to Mayor Michael Bloomberg in New York and his gun-control group in Washington, police said Wednesday.

Algerian Terrorist Leader Clashed With His Bosses

Former Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar didn’t return phone calls, file expense reports or attend all the right meetings, according to correspondence obtained by The Associated Press.

U.S. Drone Strike Said To Have Killed Taliban Leader

A U.S. drone strike in the tribal regions of Pakistan appears to have killed the number two man in the Pakistani Taliban. The strike is the first in Pakistan since President Obama announced last Thursday that he would put new restrictions on drone attacks.

Prosecutor: Radical Islam Motivated Attack On French Soldier

French authorities say a Muslim convert was prompted by his religious ideology to carry out the weekend stabbing attack at a shopping mall west of Paris.

In China, Customer Service And Efficiency Begin To Blossom

NPR’s Shanghai correspondent Frank Langfitt worked in China in the 1990s when the bureaucracy was crippling. Back then, Westerners hired people to sit in line for hours to pay their bills. Now, you can waltz into convenience stores and take care of such tasks in minutes.

Drone Said To Have Killed Key Pakistani Taliban Commander

Pakistani officials say Waliur Rehman was killed by a suspected U.S. drone strike. The U.S. has been offering a $5 million reward for information about him. Rehman is said to have been involved in a 2009 attack that killed seven Americans in Afghanistan — the worst loss of life in CIA history.

1st gay marriage takes place today in France

Two men will marry in the southern French city of Montpellier today, the first same-sex couple to wed in France under a reform that has stoked some of the fiercest street protests in the country in decades.

Bomber Attacks International Red Cross's Afghan Compound

A coordinated attack has struck the offices of the International Red Cross in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Gunmen reportedly assaulted the compound after a suicide bomber detonated a device at the entrance, where a guard was killed.

Chopra Brothers: Separate Paths But Common Bond

Deepak and Sanjiv Chopra both followed in their father’s footsteps and became physicians. But one chose Western medicine, and the other took a spiritual approach. Now they’ve teamed up for a memoir. Host Michel Martin talks with the Chopras about their new book Brotherhood: Dharma, Destiny, and the American Dream.

Personalized Coca-Colas, But Not If Your Name Is Mohammed Or Maria

As part of its new marketing campaign, the beverage giant is printing popular first names on labels of Coke, Diet Coke and Coke Zero. But already, there’s a backlash from those left feeling excluded.

Moon telescope to offer new views of Earth and space

A telescope that is set to launch to the moon in 2015 will allow the public to go on the internet and view the Earth from the lunar surface.

Attacking beavers a concern in Belarus after man killed

A 60-year-old man killed recently in a beaver attack in Belarus is the most serious of a string of incidents, as the rodents have become increasingly aggressive when confronted by humans after wandering near homes, shops and schools.

U.S. drone strike reportedly kills top Pakistan militant

A suspected U.S. drone strike has killed the No. 2 commander of the Pakistani Taliban, Pakistani intelligence officials said, although the militant group denied he was killed.

U.K. soldier died of multiple cut, stab wounds, autopsy says

British police say that an off-duty soldier killed in a suspected Islamic extremist attack in London died from multiple cuts and stab wounds.

Al-Qaeda letter indicates $1.1M paid to free diplomats Fowler, Guay

An al-Qaeda letter found in an abandoned building in Mali indicates the extremist group was paid $1.1 million to release Canadian diplomats Robert Fowler and Louis Guay in 2009.

U.S. conservative Michele Bachmann won't run again

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, a conservative firebrand and a favorite of tea party Republicans, said Wednesday she will not run for another term in the U.S. House.

Nepalese Climber Gives Up For Now On Regaining Everest Title

Five years ago when he was 76, a Nepalese climber became the oldest person to scale Mount Everest. Last week, an 80-year-old Japanese climber took the crown. The Nepalese climber has had to give up on his attempt to reclaim the title because of bad weather.

AP Reporter Gathers Al-Qaida Documents In Mali

Renee Montagne talks to Associated Press reporter Rukmini Callimachi in Dakar, Senegal, who spent several weeks covering the French military intervention in Mali. While there she gathered six trash bags full of abandoned al Qaida documents from buildings used by the organization.

Syrian rebels urge EU to send weapons after embargo expires

Syria’s main opposition bloc has urged the European Union to quickly supply rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad’s forces with sophisticated weapons to help them overthrow his regime.

French police arrest suspect in stabbing of soldier

A 22-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in the stabbing of a French soldier who was attacked while on patrol in a crowded commercial area outside Paris, and prosecutors have opened a terrorism investigation, a French official says.

Woman who reported China newborn in sewer is his mother

A 22-year-old woman who raised the initial alarm about a newborn trapped in a sewer pipe in China kept quiet about being his mother even as she watched the sensational two-hour rescue unfold, reports say.

Al-Qaeda papers document internal dissent in North Africa

After the leaders of al-Qaeda’s North African branch sent a letter to their most difficult employee, he quit. Moktar Belmoktar went on to form his own group, which later carried out a massive hostage-taking at a gas plant in Algeria in January.

U.S. Embassy Officials Wounded In Caracas Nightclub Shooting

Police in Caracas say the shooting occurred after a fight broke out at a local nightclub. The State Department says the wounds are not life-threatening.

Abducted Colorado boy, 3, reunited with mother

A three-year-old Colorado boy who was found with his father in a Manitoba hotel on Sunday is returning home with his mother tonight.

U.K. mosque greets EDL protesters with tea and custard creams

A small mosque in the U.K. is being praised for extending an olive branch to protesters from the English Defense League, a group that has helped fuel an anti-Muslim backlash following the daytime slaying of a British soldier.

What could have been a confrontation turned into a discussion and a game of football.

Family of suspect in U.K. soldier's slaying say they're ashamed

The family of a man suspected of hacking a British soldier to death on a London street condemned the attack as senseless on Tuesday, distancing itself from the slaying which has provoked an anti-Muslim backlash.

Baltimore derailment, explosion collapses buildings

A CSX cargo train derailed Tuesday in a Baltimore suburb and the explosion that followed rattled homes at least 800 metres away and collapsed nearby buildings, setting them on fire, officials and witnesses said.

Canadian once set for execution freed from Saudi prison

A Canadian who was once condemned to death by beheading has been quietly released from a Saudi prison, after almost six years behind bars.

Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Rise After Murder Of British Soldier

Robert Siegel speaks with John Fisher Burns, London bureau chief for the New York Times, about how London is reacting to the religious and political extremism expressed by a man who murdered a soldier on a London street.

After Long Wait For Combat, Tad Nagaki Became POW Liberator

A U.S. parachute team dropped into a POW camp in China to liberate the captives after Japan surrendered in 1945. Tad Nagaki was with that team. Prior to the assignment, Nagaki had spent two years requesting combat duty, only to be denied repeatedly because of his Japanese-American ethnicity.

2020 Olympics: 8 sports make their case to take part

Here is a look a the eight sports bidding for inclusion in the 2020 Olympics, including wrestling, which was surprisingly dropped from the program earlier this year.

Pussy Riot member hospitalized amid hunger strike

A jailed member of Russian punk group Pussy Riot barred from attending her parole hearing last week has been hospitalized amid an ongoing hunger strike.

Ex-McGill hospital boss Arthur Porter awaits extradition

Former colleagues and associates of Arthur Porter are watching closely as Canadian authorities work to extradite the businessman and former head of the McGill University Health Centre following his arrest in Panama on fraud charges.

Somali Militants Claim To Have Shot Down U.S. Drone

The unmanned aerial vehicle was reportedly shot down just south of the capital, Mogadishu, in a region controlled by al-Shabab militants.

London Attack Suspect Leaves Hospital; More Charges Filed

One of the suspects in the murder last week of British soldier Lee Rigby has been released from the hospital and is in police custody. Michael Adebowale, 22, received treatment after being shot by police following the brutal attack on Rigby in Woolwich, London. The other main suspect, Michael Adebolajo, 28, remains in the hospital.

Soyuz launches today with new crew for space station

Three astronauts are readying to launch aboard a Soyuz spacecraft this afternoon and to join three crewmates on the International Space Station six hours later.