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Wonkfest Or Slugfest? Anticipation Mounts Ahead Of Biden Vs. Ryan

Credit Jose Luis Magana/Thanassis Stavrakis / AP

Tonight's faceoff between Vice President Joe Biden (right) and GOP Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin will likely be an important stage-setter for next week's second presidential debate.

By editor

Originally published on Thu October 11, 2012 12:51 pm

It may be the undercard to the main event, but partisans on both sides are talking some trash ahead of the vice presidential debate tonight in Danville, Ky.

The pressure is particularly intense on Vice President Joe Biden, following his boss' lackluster performance in last week's presidential debate, which moved GOP nominee Mitt Romney into a national polling lead.

10:42 am

Thu October 11, 2012

Mo Yan's 'Hallucinatory Realism' Wins Lit Nobel

Credit STR / AFP/Getty Images

Chinese writer Mo Yan is the winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in literature. Mo Yan is a pen name that means "don't speak" — a name he adopted because his parents, who raised him during the Cultural Revolution, warned him to hold his tongue.

By NPR Staff and Wires

Chinese writer Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday. The Swedish Academy, which selects the winners of the award, praised Mo's "hallucinatory realism," saying it "merges folk tales, history and the contemporary." The award is a cause of pride for a government that disowned the only previous Chinese winner of the award, an exiled critic.

Peter Englund, the academy's permanent secretary, said the academy contacted Mo, 57, before the announcement. "He said he was overjoyed and scared," Englund said.

10:10 am

Thu October 11, 2012

Beep If You Understand Veep Buzzwords

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Credit Charlie Riedel / AP

Wind turbines dwarf a church near Wilson, Kan. The White House wants to extend a federal wind energy credit, but the Romney campaign wants to let it expire.

Credit

By Marilyn Geewax

Originally published on Thu October 11, 2012 11:07 am

When Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Rep Paul Ryan face off during their only debate, tens of millions of Americans will tune in to hear them defend their running mates' records.

And that audience Thursday night also will hear lots of budget-related buzzwords, with meanings that may not be entirely clear. Those words are shorthand for policies that could have huge impacts on taxpayers and the annual $1 trillion budget deficit.

Brushing up on terms of the debate can help voters better understand what's really being said on the stage at Centre College in Kentucky.

9:56 am

Thu October 11, 2012

Malala, Pakistani Girl Shot By Taliban, Airlifted To Military Hospital

Credit T. Mughal / EPA /LANDOV

Malala Yousafzai in March 2012.

By Eyder Peralta

The news coming out of Pakistan today in the case of Malala is not good: The 15-year-old girl shot by the Taliban has been airlifted to the "country's top military hospital for specialist treatment," Pakistan's Dawn reports.

9:06 am

Thu October 11, 2012

Forced Landing Of Syrian Plane, Opens Rift Between Turkey And Russia

Credit Burhan Ozbilici / AP

People speak atop the aircraft steps of a Syrian passenger plane that was forced by Turkish jets to land at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey, early Thursday.

By Eyder Peralta

The rift between Syria and Turkey deepened, after Turkish warplanes forced a Moscow-to-Damascus bound passenger airplane to land on Wednesday.

Not only that but it also opened fresh conflict with Russia. The New York Times reports that today Moscow demanded answers for it called "air piracy" and Turkey said it had found illegal materials on board.

The Times reports:

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10:56 am

Thu October 11, 2012