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France's plan to withdraw from Afghanistan a year ahead of schedule is of particular concern in a small province near Kabul. Local authorities say the 3,900 French troops deployed there have held an important line against the Taliban, and that an early exit could plunge the area into crisis.

As Western nations increasingly push to end the violence in Syria, tension has reached the capital Damascus. Last June, a woman there who blogs under the pseudonym "Jasmine Roman," described Damascus as a city removed from the demonstrations that were taking place elsewhere in the country. Renee Montagne talks with her again, to see how things have changed 11 months after the anti-government uprising began in Syria.

Starbucks recently announced it is expanding into India. Long a nation of tea lovers, India's youth are increasingly opting for coffee. The dramatic rise of coffee houses there, not only highlights a change in taste, but a cultural shift where young affluent Indians are more interested in global trends than ever before.

There are three weapons in fencing: epee, foil and sabre. Mariel Zagunis is the best woman in sabre, having won Olympic gold medals in 2004 and 2008. Zangunis says sabre fencers are the "punk rockers" of her sport — they are aggressive, explosive and a little crazy.

Optimism and Greek debt are rarely heard in a sentence together but there's hope, at least for the moment. Leaders in Greece are working on a plan needed to receive another international bailout, and market players think a deal is close. The country faces bankruptcy next month unless it can secure the next round of emergency funding.

"The Pentagon and the U.S. Central Command have begun a preliminary internal review of U.S. military capabilities," CNN is reporting. But U.S. officials also stress that they are committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Headline writers and political pundits are calling Tuesday's results a big deal for the Republican presidential race. A closer look raises some questions about that conclusion.

Also: Santorum won all three contests Tuesday; Egyptian judge lays out case against foreign groups.

Raising her children in Paris, American journalist Pamela Druckerman discovered that the French have mastered the art of child-rearing — or at least they have mastered the art of smoothly assimilating children into adult routines and reducing the stress of parenting.

GOP hopeful Rick Santorum carried wins in Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri, on Tuesday. The White House also tries to manage a controversy over requiring many Catholic institutions to provide free contraception in their employees' health coverage. Host Michel Martin covers these topics and other political news with a diverse panel of politicos.