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Pop culture critic Linda Holmes has been making this annual list since 2010. Big, small, inspirational, silly — what these items have in common is that they are all wonderful and brought her joy.

The United Nations today sent its top humanitarian official, John Holmes, to Sri Lanka to push for more protection for civilians trapped in the island's war zone. The UN estimates nearly 6,500 civilians have been killed there in the last three months. The conventional war now appears to be in its final stages. But does that mean the island's civil conflict is finally at an end? NPR's South Asia Correspondent Philip Reeves reports.

Parents, cities and software companies have advocated or developed apps that block texts and calls when you're driving. But an Apple patent for locking phone functions could make a big impact.

Google may soon join Apple and Facebook in building a data center in Denmark. Thanks to easy access to renewable energy, big corporations can say their Danish data centers have zero emissions.

Saudi Arabia's terrorism court says Loujain al-Hathloul, who's been in prison since 2018, incited changes to the kingdom's laws and used the Internet to push a foreign agenda.

Read an exclusive excerpt of Lionel Shriver's latest, Big Brother. Shriver is no stranger to controversial topics, from school massacres to the American health care system. Big Brother is a comedic take on obesity and its effect on an Iowa family.

A ballot measure in San Antonio would strip the police union of its collective bargaining rights. NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Oji Martin, co-founder of Fix SAPD, which wants voters to approve it.

It turns out beans aren't the only musical fruit. The London Vegetable Orchestra is one of many musical acts that uses all sorts of fruit and veg to produce sweet (and savory) sounds.

The 18th century Catalan tradition of castelling, the building of human towers, or castles, is undergoing a renaissance today. This has accompanied a rise in Catalan nationalism.

In France, residents go to the polls Sunday in the first round of a two-part presidential election. The top two vote-getters from Sunday's balloting go to a runoff on May 6. As NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports, incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy is trailing Socialist candidate Francois Hollande.