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Russian officials opened a terror investigation Saturday as a second blast followed the derailment of a high-speed train on the Moscow-to-St. Petersburg route. At least 26 people were killed and dozens more injured when a homemade bomb planted on the tracks exploded, officials say.

The International Criminal Court has been actively pursuing cases involving some horrifying human atrocities in East Africa. But many of the victims can only find justice in a song.

This week, the president prepared to announce his decision about the U.S. presence in Afghanistan; the IAEA rebuked Iran and the Senate got ready to debate the health care bill. Host Scott Simon reviews the week in the news with NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr.

On Tuesday, President Obama is scheduled to tell the American people and the world what the U.S. will do in Afghanistan. Reports and speculations abound about what he will say, but the president will probably not be accused of making the decision in haste, as the announcement follows months of meetings and reports. Host Scott Simon speaks with Tom Ricks, senior fellow at the Center for the New American Security.

An express train carrying hundreds of passengers from Moscow to St. Petersburg derailed late Friday, killing at least 22 people and injuring dozens of others, emergency officials said. Officials say the derailment could be the result of sabotage, fueling fears of terrorism.

The International Atomic Energy Agency voted Friday to censure Iran over its suspect nuclear program. With the country still refusing to suspend its uranium enrichment, Friday's rebuke puts Iran and the international community on a course of possible confrontation early next year.

World markets have been shaken by fears that Dubai's main finance company may be unable to meet scheduled payments on a debt of more than $60 billion. Governments and financial analysts worry that the emirate could default and have an impact on the recovery of the world economy.

Market confidence has been hit hard by news that Dubai World, a government investment company, has asked creditors if it can postpone its forthcoming payments until May. The Dow lost 1.5 percent during Friday's abbreviated trading session.

This weekend, Honduras is holding a presidential election, which many hope will end months of political turmoil. A coup in June removed the country's president, Manuel Zelaya. Honduras is one of the poorest in the hemisphere; the political infighting has only made life more difficult.

Vast crowds of pilgrims cast stones at walls representing the devil on the third day of the annual hajj on Friday as Muslims around the world began celebrating Eid al-Adha, the most important holiday of the Islamic calendar.

U.N. nuclear watchdog governors voted overwhelmingly on Friday to censure Iran for building a uranium enrichment plant in secret. Twenty-five nations backed the resolution that demands Tehran immediately stop uranium enrichment. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

Officials in Norway say authorities in Iran have confiscated the medal of 2003 Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi. That's a first in the history of the prize. Borzou Daragahi of the Los Angeles Times talks with Steve Inskeep about the missing medal which was kept in a safe deposit box.

Israeli wineries are getting noticed on the international scene. While the country hasn't been known in the past for its wines, many labels are gaining acclaim. There is, however, some controversy because many of the more successful Israeli wineries are in occupied areas like the West Bank or the Golan Heights.

Switzerland holds a referendum on Sunday to decide whether to amend the country's constitution to ban the construction of minarets. Those are the slender towers attached to most mosques that are traditionally used to make or broadcast the Muslim call to prayer. The far right Swiss People's Party claims the minarets symbolize a politicized Islam. Opponents say the measure is a thinly veiled attack against the country's law-abiding Muslim citizens.

The Chinese government has announced plans to slow its greenhouse gas emissions, but the formula allows emissions to rise as China's economy expands. China already leads the world in greenhouse gases. The announcement raises questions of how effective the plan will be on cleaning up earth's atmosphere.

The wineries of Israel are gaining global acclaim for their quality product, giving kosher wines a vintage reputation. But many of the finest wines come from vineyards in territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war.

The German military's inspector general — the equivalent of chief of staff — and a deputy defense minister have stepped down over the Sept. 4 attack. A classified NATO report cited "procedural errors" in the strike, which killed 30 civilians.

Palestinians hope East Jerusalem will be the capital of their future state, but successive Israeli governments have stated that the city is the undivided capital of Israel. Now, Palestinians in East Jerusalem allege that there is a campaign being waged against them to divest them of their property through expulsions and demolitions to make the Israeli goal a reality.

A new report in Ireland — the second such report this year — says the Roman Catholic Church in the Dublin Archdiocese covered up decades of child abuse committed by priests. The inquiry accuses Catholic bishops of protecting the Church's reputation at the expense of the children in its care.

The head of Germany's armed forces and a senior official from the defense ministry resigned Thursday following allegations the ministry withheld information about civilian casualties sustained during an airstrike in Afghanistan in September. Christian Thiels, senior defense correspondent for the German television network ARD, says the two officials who resigned knew of the civilian casualties.

Norway's government says Shirin Ebadi's medal was seized "within the last week or so" from a safe-deposit box in Iran. The human rights lawyer won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her efforts in promoting democracy.

The commitment from the world's largest polluter builds momentum ahead of a widely anticipated climate conference in Copenhagen next month. China pledges to reduce emissions by up to 45 percent as measured against its economic output.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, says his investigation of allegations that Iran tried to make nuclear arms has hit a wall because Tehran is not cooperating.

The Roman Catholic Church in Dublin covered up decades of child abuse committed by priests because bishops wanted to protect the church's reputation at the expense of victims, an expert commission reported Thursday after a three-year probe into previously secret church records.

A year after the assault that paralyzed India's commercial heart, the anniversary was commemorated across the city with candlelight vigils, prayer meetings, political speeches, concerts and soul-searching newspaper articles. Activists worry that security upgrades in the city are not enough to prevent a repeat of the attack.

Russia's population has been falling for 16 straight years. The population decline is most dramatic in rural Russia, where villages have withered away from poverty and neglect. But a region in Western Siberia is trying to reverse the trend.

India's biggest movie stars often come from its Muslim minority community. Though religious fault lines can sometimes rupture into violence and discord in India, the success of Muslim actors in its massive film industry stands in contrast to those divisions. NPR's Bilal Qureshi recently met one of the country's most respected Muslim stars, Naseeruddin Shah.

India's financial capital, Mumbai, on Friday commemorates the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks that left 166 people dead.

When Ayon committed suicide in 1999, she was just 32 years old — and already a star in the Cuban art world. A major exhibit of her work now under way in Havana has revived an enduring mystery in Cuba — about art, African myths and the shadowy, all-male secret society known as Abakua.

Fear turns out be a very good thing for certain businesses. When North Korea or Iran mentions the word "nuclear," orders pour in to NukePills.com — a Web site that sells potassium iodide. The government also stockpiles this FDA-approved drug.

Pakistan is anxiously awaiting President Obama's decision on U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. It's a widely held view in Pakistan that only a political settlement will resolve the Afghan morass.

New details are emerging as President Obama's announcement of his Afghanistan troop decision nears. In a primetime address to the nation, Obama is expected to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan and to boost the training of Afghan forces.

Pakistan on Wednesday formally indicted seven people accused of planning last year's attacks in Mumbai on terrorism charges. The indictments come on the eve of the anniversary of the attacks. Praveen Swami, associate editor of The Hindu newspaper, discusses the current state of the investigations and how Mumbai has changed in the year since the attacks.

Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum has released a definitive six-volume collection of the painter's letters. The new translations of 902 original letters written by and to Van Gogh cast a different light on the brilliant, troubled artist.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says halt on new construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank is designed to restart peace talks, but Palestinians have rejected the freeze as insufficient because it does not include east Jerusalem.

Director Timothy Douglas looked to his Caribbean roots for inspiration for his staging of Much Ado About Nothing. The familiar characters in Douglas's latest production exchange barbs, rumors and lies with island accents in a vibrant alley in modern-day Washington D.C.

Former fighter pilot Yves Rossy ditched safely into the chilly waters between Morocco and Spain on Wednesday after a technical malfunction ended the first attempted intercontinental crossing on jet-powered wings.

President Obama will commit the U.S. to a goal of cuts in greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade at a climate conference in Copenhagen next month. His goal is to cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.

A Swiss court granted Roman Polanski bail on Wednesday, accepting $4.5 million to allow him to remain under house arrest at his chalet. The film director, who faces extradition to the U.S., will stay in prison for up to 10 days while the Swiss government decides whether to appeal.