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Russian President Vladimir Putin has invested tens of billions in hosting the Winter Olympics at Sochi, his favorite resort town. We look at why Putin has stacked so much on this event — and what he hopes to gain.

Many Alaskans are watching the lower 48 suffer through the cold and snowy winter with one reaction: envy. That's because Alaska is enduring the opposite, facing record high temperatures and extremely low snow totals. Alaska Public Radio Network's Annie Feidt reports that the unusual weather has made it difficult for residents to enjoy the winter sports, like skiing, that are popular in the state.

The World Cup soccer extravaganza being held in Brazil opens in June. And the U.S. team faces a number of challenges. It will face some of the world's best teams and will be doing this in the middle of the Amazon.

Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White are favored to win gold in ice dancing. The pair took silver in the last Olympic Games in Vancouver, and expectations are high that they'll do even better in Sochi.

President Nicolas Maduro was elected less than a year ago, but he's already facing protests from restive students and others angry over high inflation and shortages of many goods.

A growing number of social apps provide anonymity to users. One of the most popular is Whisper. It allows people to share secrets without disclosing their identities.

The truce was reached between government forces and protesters a day after more than two dozen protesters were killed in violent clashes with riot police.

With Kiev now almost empty of its political leaders, NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Geoffrey Pyatt, the U.S. ambassador to the Ukraine.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to appoint a senior officer to oversee military ethics, in response to recent high-profile ethics problems. Whoever takes the job will face a stiff challenge.

Fantômas — even his name is mysterious! The French criminal mastermind starred in a series of 19 deliciously pulpy novels beginning in 1911. Author Rachel Cantor says the series is "part police procedural, part gothic horror story, part courtroom drama, part Sherlockian mystery, part existential potboiler."