Search results for

The Krampus is a character from European Alpine folklore. It stands on two hooves, has horns growing out of its skull and carries a basket to haul away naughty children. For those who get sick of the saccharine season, a good Krampuslauf is just the thing.

European Union leaders completed a marathon of treaty negotiations overnight to address the continent's debt crisis. Host Scott Simon checks in with NPR's Philip Reeves about how this new plan will impact Europe.

Astronomers at the University of California, Berkeley, recently discovered two massive black holes more than 300 million light-years away and 10 billion times the size of the sun. Host Scott Simon talks with Professor Chung-Pei Ma, who led the team that published the study.

This week, the Senate blocked the confirmation of Richard Cordray, the former Ohio attorney general chosen by President Obama to lead the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It boils down to yet another partisan fight: Republicans say the agency has too much power, and the White House says they won't weaken an agency that is supposed to protect consumers. Host Scott Simon talks with Joe Nocera, an op-ed columnist for The New York Times.

Most of the names announced for induction to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame this week are familiar. The name Laura Nyro, however, may need some explaining. Her songs outlasted their times, and today, a range of artists call her an inspiration.

For the first time, an Arab woman has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. At a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, Saturday, Tawakkul Karman known as the "mother of Yemen's democratic revolution"-- shared the 2011 prize with two Liberian women, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee, who helped lead the protests that ousted former Liberian President Charles Taylor.

The debate may be remembered for Mitt Romney's $10,000 gaffe and Newt Gingrich's failure to implode. Gingrich, the front-runner in national and many state polls, didn't make any obvious errors. He also weathered the criticisms that came his way because of his current role as pace-setter in the polls.

Are you size 4? A 6? An 8? Often women don't know — and can actually be all those sizes without gaining or losing an ounce. A clothing size and fit consulting firm works with brands to expand the number of people it can dress by focusing on not only size numbers but also body shapes.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki comes to Washington Monday to meet with President Obama. They'll discuss the two countries' strategic relationship as U.S. troops move into the final stages of their withdrawal from Iraq. NPR's Kelly McEvers reports from Baghdad.

Last week, a 16-year-old British schoolgirl became the youngest person to ski to the South Pole. Amelia Hempleman-Adams was part of a nine-person party that slogged 97 miles to the bottom of the world. Host Audie Cornish takes note of Hempleman-Adams' feat.