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The International Olympic committee (IOC) has elected a new president, Thomas Bach of Germany. He assumes leadership of an organization that faces criticism over politics, costs and what some view as its insular approach to which sports are offered during the games. The new president succeeds Jacques Rogge, who lead the IOC for 12 years.

A debate is taking place in Iowa over the ability of people who are legally or completely blind to carry guns in public. The issue stems from a 2011 change in the state's gun permit rules, allowing visually impaired people to carry firearms.

The label run by engineer Cookie Marenco sells super high-definition downloads — a development even she thought impossible 15 years ago. The downloads may be expensive, but she says, the sound is superior to current popular audio formats like MP3.

America's Cup yachts can gracefully skim above water at better than 40 mph, but Frank Deford says when he looks back at the seven seas in 2013 he'll remember 64-year-old Nyad "plowing, all by herself, freestyle, through 100 miles of surf from Havana to Key West."

Nathan Myhrvold, who made his name with inventions at Microsoft, is focusing these days on a different kind of technological advance: the threat from biological weapons. Myhrvold's in Washington this week to meet with national security leaders. He wants to convince them to spend time and energy on terrorist attacks that could cause the greatest damage.

The University of Wisconsin System will soon offer a new option for working adults who want to complete their bachelor's degree. Under the Flexible Option, students can earn credits and a degree, by proving they've mastered competencies. The Flex Option is aimed at helping more than 700,000 residents who have college credit but no degree, and adults who don't have time to attend classes.

The U.S. secretary of state will be in Geneva on Thursday to meet with his Russian counterpart. Russia's proposal that the Assad regime hand over its chemical weapons may provide a diplomatic way of resolving the crisis. But the U.S. has said Assad can't use it as a delaying tactic.

Jonathan Lethem's Dissident Gardens sketches a history of the American left that is at once intimate and expansive. Out of the lives of a few conflicted characters, reviewer Mohsin Hamid explains, the book lends depth and emotion to events that affected millions.

The situation is growing more complicated as the U.S. delves into a Russian proposal to make Syria turn over its chemical weapons. Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona has supported limited U.S. military intervention in Syria. McCain talks to Steve Inkseep about whether the Russian proposal will work.

Pockets of malaria that are resistant to the frontline drug have recently emerged in Southeast Asia. Health workers worry the problem could spread to Africa. To stay ahead of the parasite, scientists have developed a fast way to detect resistant malaria and map its spread through a community.