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U.S. Afghan Strategy Hinges On Reliable Ally In Kabul

September 30, 2009 • A critical factor in the success of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is a legitimate government in Kabul. Incumbent President Hamid Karzai is expected to be declared the winner of the fraud-marred August election. But the relationship between Karzai and the Obama administration is on shaky ground.

Did Tsunami Warning Reach Samoa On Time?

September 30, 2009 • An earthquake early Tuesday in the south Pacific sent tsunami waves crashing into Samoa and American Samoa. Charles McCreery, director of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, says he isn't sure if the warning reached people in time. But, he says, there would have been natural warning signs of a tsunami.

Middle East

Geneva Meeting To Focus On Iran Nuclear Program

September 30, 2009 • Iranian envoys meet Thursday in Geneva with representatives from Europe, Russia, China and the U.S. for talks that will focus on Tehran's suspect nuclear program. The meeting comes as Iran's foreign minister visited Washington on Wednesday on a rare visit.

General: U.S. Accelerating Iraq Withdrawal

September 30, 2009 • The top U.S. commander in Iraq called for "strategic patience" during the U.S. withdrawal and the transition of responsibilities to Iraq's security forces. Army Gen. Ray Odierno told lawmakers the U.S. is speeding up its withdrawal from Iraq.

Fired U.N. Diplomat Says He Warned Against Fraud

September 30, 2009 • U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fired the top U.S. official at the U.N. mission in Afghanistan on Wednesday over differences the official, Peter Galbraith, had with his boss over how to deal with charges of fraud in the Afghan presidential election. Galbraith tells NPR the dispute was over whether the U.N. should do anything about the fraud.

France Telecom Suicides Spark Concern

September 30, 2009 • The death of a French Telecom employee this week marks the 24th person in the company to commit suicide in the past 18 months. Some say huge layoffs brought on by the economic downturn could be a major factor in the large number of suicides. The company's chief executive, Didier Lombard, faces calls for his resignation.

Asia

Comparing Earthquake Power

September 30, 2009 • Many factors can determine whether a tsunami is generated — one being earthquake power. Below, a look at how three significant underwater temblors stack up against each other in power.

Despite Pakistani Concerns, Envoy Welcomes U.S. Aid

September 30, 2009 • A U.S. aid package would give Pakistan $7.5 billion over the next five years. Husain Haqqani, the Pakistani envoy to the U.S., says that while conditions placed on the package have upset Pakistanis, many of the concerns will go away once the two countries build trust.

Life Inside The Taliban In Their Own Words

September 30, 2009 • Nisid Hajari, foreign editor of Newsweek, edited the cover story that goes inside the Taliban through the stories of the Afghan insurgents themselves. One fighter confessed he weeps in his sleep, another describes being in the Taliban as like wearing a "jacket of fire."

Powerful Earthquake Rocks Western Indonesia

Earthquake survivors receive medical treatment Wednesday at a hospital in Padang Panjang in West Sumatra after a 7.6 magnitude temblor rocked western Indonesia. Tundra Laksamana/AP hide caption

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Tundra Laksamana/AP

Asia

Powerful Earthquake Rocks Western Indonesia

September 30, 2009 • The underwater temblor, which had a preliminary magnitude of 7.6, collapsed buildings in the coastal city of Padang, in Southern Sumatra province and briefly triggered a tsunami alert. Indonesian officials said at least 200 people were killed.

Can Obama Say No To His Generals On Afghanistan?

President Obama meets with Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the new U.S. Commander for Afghanistan, in the Oval Office May 19, 2009, in Washington, D.C. Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images hide caption

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Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images

Can Obama Say No To His Generals On Afghanistan?

September 30, 2009 • The president met Wednesday afternoon with his full team of national security advisers to discuss the next steps in Afghanistan. But scaling back now could appear to many as a hasty reversal, particularly for a president who came into office without much of a foreign policy or military background.

Relief Efforts Under Way In Tsunami-Ravaged Pacific

People walk among a scene of devastation following a powerful quake, in Pago Pago village, on American Samoa Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. Ausage Fausi/SamoaNews.com via AP hide caption

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Ausage Fausi/SamoaNews.com via AP

Relief Efforts Under Way In Tsunami-Ravaged Pacific

September 30, 2009 • Military transports ferried disaster relief supplies into the Samoas on Wednesday, a day after the islands bore the brunt of a devastating earthquake-fueled tsunami that killed at least 149 people and left a wake of destruction across the South Pacific. President Obama has declared American Samoa a major disaster area.

Samoa, American Samoa Struck By Massive Tsunami

September 30, 2009 • The Pacific islands of Samoa and American Samoa have been hit with a devastating tsunami. Giant waves flattened villages and swept people and property away. Scores of people have been killed. Maposua Norman Paul, who owns a resort in Samoa, talks with Renee Montagne about the hardest hit area of the island.

Europe

Britain: Nearly 8 Percent Of People Out Of Work

September 30, 2009 • Unemployment in Britain is at its highest level in 14 years. The downturn is affecting graduates, and non-graduates alike, sparking concerns of what some are calling a "lost generation" among Britain's young people.

Middle East

Iran To Sit Down With Six World Powers In Geneva

September 30, 2009 • When Iran talks about its nuclear program Thursday, it will face six other world powers at the table. Former Ambassador Nicholas Burns was the State Department's top negotiator on Iran during the final years of the Bush Administration. He talks with Steve Inskeep about what some of the key participants want out of the negotiations.

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