The Salt
5:44 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

Could African Crops Be Improved With Private Biotech Data?

"I'm shocked by the optimism here," Howard Yana-Shapiro, the chief agricultural officer for Mars Inc. said Tuesday to the audience of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs' Global Food Security Symposium in Washington, D.C.

Seated there before him were some of the leaders from the wealthiest international organizations and multinational companies of the fight to end hunger. And Shapiro told them they weren't even close.

Read more
World Cafe
5:25 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

Mount Moriah On World Cafe

Credit Andrew Synowiez / Courtesy of the artist
Mount Moriah.

Mount Moriah is a rock band formed around the duo of guitarist Jenks Miller and singer Heather McEntire. Its second full-length album, the recent Miracle Temple, combines the strum and twang of Southern rock with vocals that hit hard emotionally.

On this installment of World Cafe, host David Dye discusses with McEntire the complexity of Mount Moriah's sound, as well as her push to explore the nuances in her vocals.

Read more
The Two-Way
5:04 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

British Driver Says She's Sorry In 'Twit And Run' Case

Credit @FSUSteve
A screen capture shows a tweet sent by Emma Way after she was involved in a collision Sunday. She has apologized for the incident.

A British driver who struck a cyclist with her car — and who then bragged about the incident on Twitter — has issued an apology. The incident caused an uproar after the collision Sunday.

"Definitely knocked a cyclist off his bike earlier - I have right of way he doesn't even pay road tax! #bloodycyclist," tweeted Emma Way, in a message that has been widely circulated despite her apparent attempts to delete it, and seemingly her Twitter account, @EmmaWay20.

Read more
The Two-Way
4:14 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

Costa Concordia Captain To Face Manslaughter Charges

Credit AFP / AFP/Getty Images
Francesco Schettino (left), the captain of the Costa Concordia, leaves court with his lawyer, Francesco Pepe, last month. A judge has ordered Schettino to stand trial in the wreck of the cruise ship last year.

Originally published on Thu May 23, 2013 6:04 am

A judge in Italy on Wednesday ordered the captain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Tuscany last year, killing 32 people, to face charges of manslaughter.

Francesco Schettino, 52, is accused of negligence that led to the grounding of the ship and for abandoning the vessel while a rescue of the 4,200 passengers and crew was still underway.

Read more
Politics
4:14 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

Scandal Politics: The Downstream Effect

Credit Olivier Douliery / Pool/Getty Images
The scandals affecting the Obama administration could make some would-be candidates leery of running for political office.

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 4:26 pm

Add this to the list of Democratic worries surrounding the wave of Obama administration scandals: the downstream effect.

It's prime candidate-recruiting season right now — the period in the two-year election cycle when officials in both parties fan out across the map in hopes of persuading prospective candidates to run for Congress. Issues and money always get plenty of attention, but the ability of party leaders to attract strong, capable candidates is vital to success on Election Day.

Read more
The Two-Way
4:11 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

London Attack Deemed Likely Terrorist Incident

Credit Alastair Grant / Associated Press
Police and forensic officers near the scene of Wednesday's brutal attack.

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 7:20 pm

A man has been killed in what reports described as a machete attack in London, and police have shot two suspects in what British Prime Minister David Cameron says is likely a terrorist incident.

Read more
Parallels
3:48 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

Riots In Sweden. That's Right. Sweden

Credit Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP/Getty Images
Swedish firemen extinguish a burning car Tuesday after youths rioted for a third night in a row in the suburbs of Stockholm. The unrest began after police said they shot dead a 69-year-old man wielding a machete in an immigrant neighborhood.

Sweden is one of the wealthiest, most stable and smoothly running countries in the world.

Which would explain why the country's 9.5 million residents may be shocked by the events of the past few days.

For the past three nights, hundreds of youths have been rampaging through parts of the capital, Stockholm, torching cars, setting fires, and throwing rocks at police and fire trucks.

Read more
Shots - Health News
3:14 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

Polio Outbreak In Kenya: A Threat To Global Eradication

Kenya has recorded its first case of polio in two years, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

A 4-month-old girl came down with paralysis on April 30, and then two healthy kids nearby also tested positive for the virus.

But this handful of infections with poliovirus has the potential to set back global efforts to eradicate polio, WHO spokeswoman Sona Bari tells Shots.

Read more
The Two-Way
3:06 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

Oregon's Cash-Strapped Counties Reject Public Safety Levies

Credit Amelia Templeton / OPB
A yard sign opposes a local tax increase to fund public safety in Josephine County, Oregon. The ballot measure reportedly failed by a thin margin.

Two Oregon counties have reportedly rejected property tax increases that would have funded law enforcement and public safety services. The counties once received federal timber subsidies, but those days are over — and now they're scrambling to pay for essential services.

Read more
Planet Money
3:04 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

Go East, Young Marijuana Dealer

Credit David McNew / Getty Images

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 6:40 pm

Chuck used to sell marijuana in California. But the legalization of medical marijuana in the state meant he was suddenly competing against hundreds of marijuana dispensaries. So he moved to New York, where marijuana is still 100 percent illegal. Since making the move, he says, he's quadrupled his income. (For the record: His name isn't really Chuck.)

Read more

Pages