Search results for

Shirin Ebadi, author of Iran Awakening and winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, discusses the standoff over Iran's nuclear program and the rhetoric of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. She also explains why she decided not to leave her homeland.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Sweden's Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist after his meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, about his country's decision on joining NATO.

Nawar Sahili is a member of Hezbollah who also sits on the Lebanese Parliament. He shares his views on the U.N. resolution that calls for disarmament of his organization in the south of the country, the potential source of funds for rebuilding after the war, and Israel's right to exist.

On her current tour, Madonna sings "Live to Tell" while hanging from a mirrored cross and wearing a crown of thorns. Prosecutors in Germany, where she performs this weekend, say the pose might break laws that prevent insulting religious beliefs. Donna Freitas, a professor of religion at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vt., wonders if she is the only Christian on the planet who admires Madonna's pose.

In the crowded field of indie rock, a band's first few albums are crucial. They establish the band's sound and expand its fanbase. But Cincinnati's Heartless Bastards breaks those rules with its second CD, All This Time. Instead of sticking to its workmanlike gritty blues rock, the band has developed a more open, expansive and personal sound.

The human brain definitely differs from the brains of our primate relatives. But how did we get such big brains? A paper in the journal Nature says part of the answer may lie in a snippet of DNA buried deep in the human genome.

Hezbollah operates as a state within a state, according to many observers of Lebanon. The Shiite group's influence is a vestige of Lebanon's long civil war, when the country had no central government.

The Justice Department will compare U.S. and British anti-terror laws to see if any British tactics should be adopted. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has expressed interest in the powers held by his U.K. counterparts, including the ability to hold terrorism suspects without charge for up to 28 days. But the U.S. Constitution could doom tougher detention laws. And U.S. officials may already have enough power to effectively pursue terrorists.

Musician Ralph Towner performs in NPR's Studio 4A. His career spans more than 30 years, from the Paul Winter Consort to the group Oregon. Today he remains a prolific solo artist on the acoustic guitar, with a new CD: Time Line.

Among the topics: Matt Holzmann's story of the day he finally got a new kidney; Neil Young's protest music; and the old-fashioned -- and highly successful -- Anniston Star newspaper of Anniston, Ala.