Syria’s Minorities Fear Sectarian Split Amid Protests

In Syria, a four-month protest movement and a government crackdown have strained the country’s ethnic and sectarian mix. The government and military command are dominated by Alawites, a minority sect that is an offshoot of Shia Islam. The protesters are mostly Sunnis and ethnic Kurds. Syrian officials have warned of sectarian war if the protests [...]

Fighting Shifts To Afghanistan’s Mountainous East

The American-led fight in Afghanistan is changing. The toughest fighting is shifting from the south — Helmand and Kandahar provinces — to the east. There, high, craggy mountains offer shelter to Taliban fighters. And it’s one group of fighters in particular that American and Afghan forces are battling: a branch of the Taliban known as [...]

Analysts: New Strategy Focuses On Insurgent Leaders

Wednesday, the White House has unveiled a new counterterrorism strategy that would focus more on drone strikes and special operations and less on large-scale ground conflicts. NPR spoke with two experts in national security — Sean Burke, a vice president and senior fellow for the Center for National Policy and Ken Gude, managing director of [...]

Toyota Steers Ads To Bring In More Minority Buyers

The Japanese automaker Toyota has taken its fair share of hits in the past year and a half: The earthquake and tsunami in Japan as well as last year’s recall fiasco have helped erode the company’s share of the U.S. car market. But one place Toyota remains No. 1 is with minority car buyers — [...]

Clinton: U.S. Has Had ‘Limited’ Engagement With Muslim Brotherhood

In a press conference this morning, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said the United Sates has had contact with the Muslim Brotherhood. The New York Daily News reports: She revealed Thursday that America will renew its “limited contacts” with the organization, a move that is likely to anger Israel and its supporters who are uncomfortable [...]

Children of Fallen Servicemen Receive Free Tuition

House Bill 1343 gives children of fallen soldiers free tuition at Oklahoma colleges and universities.

Support For Medicare Cuts Depends On Where Savings Would Go

Medicare faces trouble as its costs for health care keep rising faster than money coming in to pay the bills. And then there’s the overall debt of the federal government, which is also getting worse. Federal belt-tightening seems to be pretty much inevitable. But Americans’ views on how to to save some money in Medicare [...]

Thousands Strike In Britain As EU Debt Crisis Festers

Thousands of British teachers and civil servants walked off the job for a day Thursday in the latest in a series of protests sweeping Europe over the imposition of tough austerity measures aimed at controlling debt and spending. The U.K. demonstrations unfolded as Greece passed a second and final austerity bill and debt-saddled Italy and [...]

Women’s World Cup 2011: A Quick Guide

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is in full swing in Germany, where the tournament’s 16 teams are vying for a spot in the title game, slated for July 17. First held in 1991, the event is a relatively new international tournament. Like the men’s version, it’s held every four years. Here are a few more [...]

For A Family Under Stress, Another Difficult Diagnosis

Editor’s Note: Loriani wrote this post last week. Over the weekend, she delivered a baby girl, several weeks earlier than expected. She is waiting to be discharged from the hospital and will send an update soon. I’m 34 weeks along, and I feel like an ax is slowly picking at me. Dramatic, I know, but [...]