Search results for

Italy's top court has upheld a conviction and prison term for Italy's most prominent politician, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, on charges of tax fraud. This the first time he has been definitively convicted, after 20 years in which he was accused of multiple transgressions. However, the supreme court will now reconsider the law that would bar him from holding high office because of the conviction. This could allow the shaky coalition that governs Italy to remain in place.

The revelations about U.S. intercepts of terrorist communications might have been intended to reassure the public about the government's vigilance. But they also might have been about providing political cover.

David Greene speaks with NPR's Don Gonyea, Scott Horsley and Brian Naylor about The Des Moines Register's Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. The three reporters are riding in the event, also known as RAGBRAI, to explore the Iowa they didn't see on the presidential campaign trail.

Russia is preparing for the 2014 Winter Games — turning a sleepy valley in the Northern Caucasus Mountains into an Olympic village, with brand-new facilities for every Alpine sport. Officials say it will be a world-class destination for winter-sports enthusiasts long after the Games are over. Environmentalists say it's an ecological disaster in the making.

At a mosque in eastern Cairo, many of the Muslim Brotherhood's former power brokers — the youth minister, supply minister and top figures in the political wing — have gone from ruler to protester. They line up for media interviews, order marches to the streets and hope through disruptive protests they can return to the halls of power from which they were ousted.

Two top food policy experts square off on the role the food industry should play in the global battle against obesity recently, and the answers are as complex, interconnected and political as ever.

Once referred to as the Muslim Brotherhood's "spare tire," Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has proven much more formidable than many Egyptians expected. But critics say his latest moves, including one to push through a hastily drafted constitution, could tear Egypt apart.

Tom Wolfe's new novel is a sprawling portrait of Miami and its many ethnic groups, centering around a Cuban-American police officer and an immigration conflict. NPR editor Luis Clemens says the book nails the physical descriptions of Miami, but falls down badly in the portrayal of actual humans.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to take action soon to approve an African military intervention force for Mali. Morocco is nervous about the al-Qaida affiliate based in Northern Mali, a group that is now training and supporting extremists across the continent. That's a fear the head of U.S. Africa Command is also raising. But both he and officials in Morocco say there needs to be a two-tracked approach — a military intervention to root out al-Qaida and a big diplomatic push to reunite Mali. A coup led to a power vacuum with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb now controlling the north.

From the versatility of the violin to the virtuosity of a mysterious opera composer, NPR's Tom Huizenga and host Guy Raz spin an eclectic set of the year's best classical recordings.