Fuel Costs Spike In Afghanistan As Iran Flexes Muscle

Afghanistan's frigid winter has been made colder by some unneighborly actions by Iran: For a month, most fuel trucks bound for Afghanistan through Iran have been stopped at the border. As a result, gasoline and heating fuel prices have spiked, which poor Afghans can ill afford.

Iran says it's trying to stop fuel heading for U.S.-led NATO forces, which the U.S. denies. Observers in Kabul say Iran is showing its leverage with the U.S. Army next door.

But there have been side effects — anti-Iranian protests in Kabul, and even a rare protest in favor of the U.S. presence.

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'No Reasonable Prospect' Of Dollar Losing 'Reserve' Status, Geithner Says

As Chinese President Hu Jintao begins a state visit to Washington, among the issues on a lot of minds are the value of the Chinese yuan and whether Hu would like to see the dollar lose its status as the world's reserve currency.

In a conversation today with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, All Things Considered co-host Robert Siegel asked about Hu's statement in The Wall Street Journal that "the current international currency system is the product of the past." Is that a sign that "it's a goal of China to replace the dollar as the currency used in world trade?" Robert asked.

"No, absolutely not and there's no reasonable prospect of that happening," Geithner said, in part because "China is a huge beneficiary of the system that exists today." Here's that part of their conversation:

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Report: Women should be allowed to serve in combat

A Pentagon commission on diversity is recommending the U.S. military end its ban on women serving in direct combat roles -- a restriction the group says is discriminatory and out of touch with the demands of modern warfare.

In its draft report, the Military Leadership Diversity Commission said the military should gradually eliminate the ban in order to create a "level playing field for all qualified service members."

The commission, comprised of senior military officers, businessmen and academics, must now release a final report. Its findings would then need to be sent to Congress and President Obama before any changes to policy would be implemented.

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