NPR World News

Colleen LaRose, a petite, 46-year-old blonde from the Philadelphia suburbs, had dropped out of high school and was married several times. She had been arrested for writing bad checks and for drunken driving. She did not fit the terrorist profile — but more and more, that profile seems to be falling by the wayside.

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The emerging consensus in Afghanistan is that military action alone will not win the war against the Taliban and a political solution will be necessary. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has reached out to some Taliban leaders. But analysts say the Taliban and the U.S. are not ready for full-scale negotiations — yet.

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The league's peace initiative committee said if Israel pursues new settlement building in east Jerusalem, the proposed indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians would be irrelevant. A final decision on whether to support the process must be made by the foreign ministers of the Arab nations.

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Masses of people are without shelter as the rainy season begins in the earthquake-devastated country. After a meeting at the White House with Haitian President Rene Preval, Obama said the situation remains dire and renewed America's commitment to the country's recovery and reconstruction.

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Israel's announcement of plans to build new homes for Israelis in east Jerusalem caught visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden by surprise. Analysts say the incident is a stark reminder of the many obstacles to forging enduring peace between Palestinians and Israelis.

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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad paid a visit to Kabul Wednesday and denounced the U.S. for "playing a double game" in Afghanistan. He was responding to remarks by Defense Secretary Robert Gates who left the city earlier in the day.

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The U.S.-led offensive in Marjah, Afghanistan, is taking place in a major opium-production center. Seth Jones, a political scientist with the Rand Corp. who was recently in Afghanistan, discusses what's going on with poppy producers and traffickers.

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Vice President Joe Biden met with Palestinian leaders in Ramallah as the U.S. prepares to mediate talks between the Palestinians and Israel. Biden and the Palestinians condemned a newly announced Israeli plan to build more housing in East Jerusalem.

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Of the 16 countries that use the euro, some have stable economies, while others are in bad shape. But in recent weeks, there has been speculation that Greece might default on its debt, putting other European countries at risk. Just over a decade after the euro was introduced, the unified currency is having something of an existential crisis.

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Church authorities have launched two major investigations of sexual or physical abuse. One investigation centers on a renowned choir once led by Pope Benedict XVI's brother, while the other involves a more general look into what everyone — including the pope — knew about the sexual and physical abuse of students.

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Every time Marines patrol Marjah in southern Afghanistan, they risk hitting homemade bombs planted by the Taliban. But the mine-resistant armored trucks that are replacing Humvees are reducing casualties from the blasts. One crew recently survived a run-in with at least 70 pounds of explosives.

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The 12 unusually well-preserved wrecks were found in a 30-mile-long corridor by a gas company building an underwater pipeline between Russia and Germany. Experts say the oldest wreck probably dates back to medieval times and could be up to 800 years old.

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Chile is on the verge of a political transition. Outgoing President Michelle Bachelet is trying to preserve her reputation after the earthquake, while the president-elect, Sebastian Pinera, is trying to establish his reputation as a man who can rebuild the damaged country.

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The Venezuelan band has found huge success in its native country. But the group has also built a following in the U.S. with its unique blend of disco, jazz, funk and Latin rhythms. Here, host Michel Martin talks with the Latin Grammy-winning band, which recently stopped by NPR for a performance and conversation.

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Since the U.S. invasion, 4 million Iraqis have had to leave their homes. An additional 2 million have left the country entirely, and many are still outside its borders. NPR's Deborah Amos tells the story of these displaced Iraqi citizens in her new book, Eclipse of the Sunnis.

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Haiti's small business elite sees January's earthquake as an opportunity, but not just to make money. They say it's a chance to refashion the corrupt, inefficient way things are done in Haiti, while marshaling international support to boost the country's industries.

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The lifestyle and business relationships of Julius Malema, an official of the ruling African National Congress, are coming under intense scrutiny. His dealings, among others, are prompting calls for "lifestyle audits" to help root out corruption.

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At University of the People, students from across the globe have access to free online classes in business administration and computer science. The school has attracted about 380 students from 81 countries. But in order to survive, the university needs more to enroll, its founder says.

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Taliban rule was a dark period for women in Afghanistan, and they want to make sure their fears are not forgotten as the new government in Kabul tries to find ways to make peace with the fighters.

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Colleen R. LaRose is accused of using the Internet to recruit jihadist fighters and help terrorists overseas, even agreeing to move to Europe to try to kill a Swedish artist, prosecutors said Tuesday. She called herself JihadJane in a YouTube video in which she said she was "desperate" to ease the suffering of Muslims, the indictment said.

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