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Most of the country is having a mild winter, and that's having a positive impact on cities and towns. Local governments report being able to continue roadwork uninterrupted, and cities that are usually cleaning up after winter storms are saving tens of thousands of dollars.

Britons are in an uproar over a judge's decision to release a Muslim preacher suspected of al-Qaida links. The British government wanted to deport him to Jordan, where he's been convicted of terrorism charges, but European courts won't allow that because the convictions were based on evidence obtained by torture. NPR's Phil Reeves tells host Scott Simon that the case has stirred up resentment.

As the violence continues in Syria, International aid agencies say that medical facilities have become a target for government forces. In many cases, doctors on the ground are being forced to treat patients in their own homes, and reaching the wounded has become extremely difficult. Host Scott Simon speaks with Dr. Greg Elder from Doctors Without Borders, who's running that agency's efforts in Syria.

France has opened a new museum honoring one of the most multi-talented, controversial and too-often-forgotten artists of the last century: Jean Cocteau. He was a poet, playwright, sculptor, painter and filmmaker. Frank Browning reports that it's all on view on the Cote d'Azur.

Nominated for Best Animated Feature at this year's Academy Awards, the film tells a love story about a Cuban pianist and singer. Co-director Fernando Trueba talks about using music and animation to transport audiences to the nightclubs of 1940s Havana and New York.

Egypt has faced deteriorating security and a surge in crime since the popular uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak a year ago. The country's military rulers have yet to transfer power to civilian rule, and though many are proud of the revolution, some argue Egypt is not much better off than it was under Mubarak.

President Obama is scheduled Monday to release his proposed federal budget for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1. House Republican leaders are likely to release their version in the coming days. Neither is likely to pass. Not that it matters — the spending level for the year was set in last summer's bill that settled the debt ceiling crisis.

For the month of February, a tiny village south of Madrid is running its economy on pesetas, which hasn't been used since 2002. It's a bit of a gimmick to lure older consumers who have piles of unused currency in their closets to spend it, but it's worked, bringing more trade to to town.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney won the straw poll Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference's annual meeting. Host Rachel Martin has the results as the major conservative conference comes to a close.

The main opposition leader in Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, is campaigning for a seat in parliament in her constituency outside Rangoon. It's a scene that seemed impossible only a few months ago, before the military-backed government began a process of change. Host Rachel Martin speaks with NPR's Anthony Kuhn from Rangoon.