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An airstrike in Afghanistan's Kunar province that reportedly killed 10 civilians and four Taliban militants has reignited one of the most toxic political issues in Afghanistan: civilian casualties as a result of U.S. or ISAF strikes. But early investigations suggest that the reality on the ground in Kunar is more complex than initially reported.

North Korea confirmed on Tuesday that it had successfully conducted a third nuclear test. It's an important step toward North Korea's goal of building a bomb small enough to be fitted on a missile that could reach United States.

Analysts also say North Korea's claim that the device was smaller and lighter than ones it previously tested might be a sign it has moved closer to being able to fit a weapon on to a missile. Leaders around the world are condemning North Korea's actions.

We talk with the Monopoly iron about its career as a token.

Wisdom, a Laysan albatross who nests at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the North Pacific Ocean, is thought to be at least 62 years old. She's raised an estimated 30 to 35 chicks over the years and flown at least 2 million miles, scientists say.

Chicago's hockey team, the Blackhawks, are on quite the streak. It's an exciting turn for a season that began with a lockout. Chicago currently holds the record for most consecutive games to start the season without a regulation loss.

What do salt, ancient Jewish pickle carts, the sometimes brutal Indonesian spice trade and Vincent Van Gogh have in common? They brought life to Dutch cuisine, specifically, the Dutch pickle.

Venezuela is facing a political crisis. Longtime President Hugo Chavez is being treated in Cuba for a recurrence of cancer and resulting complications. He is supposed to be sworn in to a third term as president this week, but he might not be well enough to attend the inauguration. What then?

The experimental Swiss mime troupe took Broadway by storm in the 1970s. Now the masked performers are bringing their hard-to-describe characters back to the U.S. for a five-month national tour celebrating the troupe's 40th anniversary.

China has indicated that it will stop handing down sentences to its "re-education through labor" camps, which allow detention without trial for up to four years. Many questions remain about what will happen to those currently detained and what might become of these labor camps.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is the primary enforcer of the nation's gun laws, but advocates and former ATF officials say agents face legal restrictions that limit their effectiveness. In addition, the agency has been without a permanent director for years.

Intelligent, gregarious and at times disarmingly personal, Justice Sonia Sotomayor's memoir, My Beloved World, recounts her trailblazing journey from a Bronx housing project to a bench on the Supreme Court.

At the beginning of January, the cover story of The New York Times Magazine declared: "George Saunders Has Written The Best Book You'll Read This Year." The stories in the author's latest collection, The Tenth of December, prove that The Times may well be right.

Jim Hewes has been bartending at the historic Willard Hotel's Round Robin Bar for 27 years. The bar is just a stone's throw from the White House, and Hewes mixes up presidential history with his cocktails. For the inauguration, he has come up with a drink list inspired by the 44 presidents.

When Detroit milliner Luke Song made Aretha Franklin's now-iconic 2009 inaugural hat — you know, the one with the big bow? — he had no idea he'd be making thousands more.

Israelis go to the polls Tuesday in parliamentary elections that are expected to propel Benjamin Netanyahu back to the premiership. NPR's Larry Abramson talks with host Rachel Martin about the issues at play in the election, from relations with Iran, to the economy.

The widow of a slain Mississippi civil rights leader Medgar Evars will help open the inaugural ceremony Monday. President Obama has selected activist Myrlie Evers-Williams to deliver the invocation. She's the first woman and lay person to have the honor.

The Algerian government was criticized for its handling of the gas plant hostage crisis which left 37 foreigners dead, including three Americans. But Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal told a press conference he was proud of how the security forces handled the crisis.

Figuring out when an athlete with damaged knee ligaments can get back in action is an inexact art at best. Doctors have various ways to mend a busted knee, but the results, like car mileage, can vary.

There were more than 500 homicides in the city last year. Officials and residents are counting on President Obama's gun control package to bring that number down. "We didn't want other parents to be like us," says one Chicago mom, whose son was shot to death on a city bus.