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World
4:01 am
Sat January 21, 2012

China Hedges Mideast Oil Bets Amid Iran Tensions

Credit Liu Weibing / Xinhua /Landov
China appears to be rethinking its reliance on oil from Iran. Here, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (right) visits with the members of the Saudi Arabia-China Friendship Association on the outskirt of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, earlier this month.
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China's premier, Wen Jiabao, was in the Persian Gulf this week talking about oil.

China has become increasingly concerned about all the threats of conflict with Iran in the Persian Gulf, which supplies China with a great deal of its oil.

In fact, China is Iran's biggest customer. But Iran was not a stop on the Chinese itinerary — Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were.

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Author Interviews
4:01 am
Sat January 21, 2012

Lesson Learned: Don't Fly To North Pole In A Balloon

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Credit Hulton Archive / Getty Images
An illustration from Joseph Lecornu's 1903 book La Navigation Aerienne depicts Swedish explorer S.A. Andree taking off in a hydrogen balloon on an ill-fated expedition to the North Pole in July 1897.
Credit Sara Barrett / Knopf
Alec Wilkinson is a staff writer at The New Yorker and recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award.
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By NPR Staff

In the late 19th century, scores of celebrated, valorous explorers attempted to reach the North Pole. Groups of explorers from the U.S., Europe and Scandinavia invented clever new equipment, raised money, stirred national pride and enthralled the world by attempting to march, sail or sled to the most cold, remote and unseen place on Earth.

But it was a perilous business: Of the 1,000 people who tried to reach the North Pole in the late 1800s, 751 died during their attempt, author Alec Wilkinson tells NPR's Scott Simon.

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Election 2012
4:00 am
Sat January 21, 2012

Carolina Blues: N.C. GOP Looks South With Envy

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Credit John W. Adkisson / Getty Images
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum shakes hands with supporters prior to speaking during a campaign stop at Captain Steve's Restaurant on Jan. 20 in Fort Mill, S.C. Fort Mill is just over the line from North Carolina, and some voters wish they could cross over for the GOP primary on Saturday.
Credit Mark Wilson / Getty Images
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich speaks during an event on Jan. 11 in Rock Hill, S.C., just over the border from North Carolina.
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By Julie Rose

South Carolina voters have a pivotal role Saturday in narrowing the field of Republican presidential candidates.

But after that, South Carolina will get very little political attention. It's solidly Republican and simply not worth the time or money of Democratic presidential hopefuls.

North Carolina, on the other hand, could go either way, and the Obama campaign is already digging in. The Charlotte region straddles both states and leads a sort of "double life" in politics.

Too Far North

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Europe
3:00 am
Sat January 21, 2012

New U.S. Ambassador Already Facing Critics In Russia

Credit Astrid Riecken / Getty images
Michael McFaul, the architect of the reset of relations with Russia, is now the U.S. ambassador to Moscow as the countries work through a series of difficult issues. Here, McFaul is shown at his Jan. 10 swearing-in at the Sate Department, a ceremony presided over by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
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Originally published on Sat January 21, 2012 8:31 am

In the early days of the Obama administration, Michael McFaul made his mark as the architect of the so-called reset of relations with Russia.

Now, as the new U.S. ambassador to Moscow, McFaul may need to reset relations once again as the two countries go through another rough patch.

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Law
3:00 am
Sat January 21, 2012

Privacy Lawyers Process Megaupload Copyright Case

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The Justice Department's massive copyright case against the file-sharing website Megaupload.com had the Internet world hopping this week. But it also got lawyers talking, about the scope of a criminal investigation that spanned eight countries and the hard-nosed tactics that the government deployed.

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