Search results for

As 2013 wraps up, NPR is looking at the numbers that tell this year's story. When it comes to the economy, $85 billion is a good candidate. That's the amount the Federal Reserve has been pumping into the financial system each month trying to stimulate growth and bring down unemployment. On Tuesday, Fed policymakers begin a two-day meeting at which they'll decide whether to dial back that stimulus.

When billionaire John Paulson first bought Steinway & Sons, it struck fear in the hearts of musicians. Would Steinway's famously handcrafted pianos be changed, for the sake of efficiency?

Before the end of the year, the federal government will select six states where drone makers can test how to safely integrate the technology into commercial airspace. Nevada is vying for one of the spots. The FAA stamp of approval could lure big industry to high-end test sites. But smaller drone developers, who're focused on non-military applications, also see enormous opportunities.

The head of British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline told The New York Times on Monday that the company will stop paying doctors to promote its drugs. Pharmaceutical firms commonly pay physicians to speak at medical conferences — a practice criticized as a conflict of interest.

Tuesday's vote was not as close as some expected. Some Republicans joined with Democrats to move the plan forward. The two-year deal avoids any more government shutdowns until at least 2015.

For the 29th straight year, Michael Gray, 34, and his younger brother Martin, 29, posed together with Santa. They say it makes their mom happy. She keeps a book of the photos at home.

The former NSA contractor lives in Russia where he has temporary asylum until mid-2014. In an open letter to the people of Brazil, he says permanent political asylum would give him the ability to talk more freely. The Brazilian newspaper that published the letter says Snowden wants asylum in Brazil.

It isn't yet known what caused the aircraft, said to be a helicopter, to come down. But Reuters reports that initial reports do not indicate that it came under attack. Regardless, it is the deadliest incident involving foreign troops in months.

At issue is the arrest last week of India's deputy consul general in New York. She is accused of using false documents to get a work visa for her Manhattan housekeeper. India is calling her arrest "despicable and barbaric," and announced retaliatory steps against U.S. diplomats in the country.

Susan Desmond-Hellmann, currently the chancellor at University of California, San Francisco, will take the helm of one the largest charitable organizations in the world in May.