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NPR Story
2:00 pm
Tue November 29, 2011

Stern Predicts Outcomes Of Climate Talks

Guy Raz speaks with Todd Stern, the U.S. special envoy for climate change. He talks about what will — and won't — be accomplished at the U.N. climate talks in Durban, South Africa. Stern predicts no binding agreement to reduce carbon emissions will come out of these talks. He says that's because developing countries such as China and India are not prepared to agree to reductions that would treat developing and developed nations equally. Stern points to the previous round of U.N.

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NPR Story
2:00 pm
Tue November 29, 2011

Questions Remain After NATO Border Raid

An investigation has been launched into how NATO forces killed two dozen Pakistani troops along the Afghan-Pakistani border. There are many theories about what happened — but few solid facts.

Politics
2:00 pm
Tue November 29, 2011

Obama Pushes Payroll Tax Cut

President Obama is ramping up his campaign for continuation of a payroll tax cut, which only affects the first $106,000 in individual income. Republicans object, in part because they don't even consider it a tax since the money goes to the Social Security Trust Fund. Democrats see it a progressive tax cut. "Spreading the wealth" is a theme Obama campaigned on four years ago.

Hard Times: A Journey Across America
1:59 pm
Tue November 29, 2011

Hard Times Inspire Ky. College Students To Action

Part of a monthlong series

NPR's Hard Times series features stories of economic hardship and also stories of hope. We asked for ideas from listeners, and Emily Nugent of Berea College in Kentucky responded, writing: "With a student body composed entirely of students from low socio-economic backgrounds, Berea students know about the challenges Americans are facing." Noah Adams went in search of Emily and the Berea College story.

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Environment
1:51 pm
Tue November 29, 2011

As Kyoto Protocol Ends, An Uncertain Climate Future

Credit AFP/Getty Images
Key provisions of the Kyoto Protocol expire in December of 2012, and experts say there's no real global framework in place to replace the treaty that was supposed to be the first step toward ambitious actions on climate change. Above, a coal-fired power plant in eastern China. China is now the leading carbon dioxide emitter in the world.

As diplomats from around the world gather in Durban, South Africa, for talks about climate change, a big question looms: What will become of the Kyoto climate treaty, which was negotiated with much fanfare in 1997. The treaty was supposed to be a first step toward much more ambitious actions on climate change, but it is now on the brink of fading into irrelevance. That could have major implications for the future of United Nations climate talks.

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The Two-Way
1:49 pm
Tue November 29, 2011

Accident Spill, Or How 'You Set Out With Marmite And End Up With A Jam'

Credit Michele Kayal / for NPR

Twitter already beat us to all the good puns, including the one in the headline. But, yes, it is true, you will either love or hate this news story from England: A tanker carrying 20 tons of yeast extract — the main ingredient in the loved-or-reviled Marmite — was involved in a late night accident, yesterday, spilling its contents and shutting down the M1, which connects London to the northern part of England.

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The Salt
12:34 pm
Tue November 29, 2011

Nestle To Investigate Child Labor On Its Cocoa Farms

Credit Ben Curtis / ASSOCIATED PRESS
A worker shovels cocoa beans drying in the sun for export, in Guiglo in western Ivory Coast.

Politicians and food executives have been talking about ending the problem of child labor in the West African cocoa industry for the last decade. After shocking revelations that hundreds of thousands of children were forced to harvest cacao beans under abusive conditions, companies pledged to address the practice as "fair trade" entered their lexicon.

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The Two-Way
12:29 pm
Tue November 29, 2011

Fired Florida A&M Band Director Says His Hazing Warnings Were Dismissed

Florida A&M's famed "Marching 100" band has been rocked by the death of its drum major on Nov. 19. Police still haven't released all the details of his death, but they said Robert Champion had been throwing up and hazing had something to do with it.

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Planet Money
12:00 pm
Tue November 29, 2011

Why Do Airlines Keep Going Bankrupt?

American Airlines is filing for bankruptcy protection. The airline is the last of the so-called legacy carriers, airlines that flew interstate routes before de-regulation of the industry, to reach this step. Delta, Northwest, United and US Airways all went through bankruptcy proceedings in the last 10 years.

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Law
12:00 pm
Tue November 29, 2011

Shifts In Police Tactics To Handle Crowds

Occupy Wall Street protests around the country have raised questions about the role of the police. Norm Stamper, Seattle's former police chief, Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey and Brooklyn College sociologist Alex Vitale talk about the evolution of crowd control tactics.

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