Did you know that Encarta articles and media are updated weekly to bring you the most up-to-date information on world politics, economics, science, culture, and sports? Here's a sampling of what Encarta added and updated recently.

Updated: Condoleezza Rice
Meet the first African American woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state.
Updated: Tsunami
Learn what sets off the giant sea waves that can cause catastrophic damage when they hit a coastline.
Updated: Republic of Indonesia
Review how the tsunami of December 2004 caused widespread devastation in the Indian Ocean region.
Updated: Ukraine
Find out how fraudulent election results triggered a fresh presidential runoff election.
Updated: Susan Sontag
Remember the American writer whose observations had a strong influence on her generation.
New: Wangari Muta Maathai
Meet the first environmentalist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
New: Private Military Firms
Read about the growing private military industry.
New: Depleted Uranium
Find out how depleted uranium is used in warfare and whether it poses health and environmental hazards.
New: Radiological Weapon
Learn why a "dirty bomb" is considered a weapon of mass disruption (rather than mass destruction).
Updated: Torture*
Read about recent international laws that seek to prevent torture and other human rights violations.
New: Neandertals*
Research the current evidence on this prehistoric human species.
Updated: Human Evolution
Learn about the new species of the human family tree discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores.
Updated: Arctic
Find out how the Arctic is showing the effects of global warming, according to a recent scientific study.
Updated: National Book Awards*
List the American authors who won the prestigious National Book Award in 2004.
Updated: Elfriede Jelinek
Meet the Austrian writer who won the 2004 Nobel Prize in literature.
Updated: Yasir Arafat
Remember the longtime leader of Palestinian efforts to gain statehood.
Updated: John Winston Howard*
Review the tenure of the Australian prime minister as he embarks on a fourth term.
Updated: Hamid Karzai
Meet the first directly elected president of Afghanistan.

Updated: George W. Bush
Review the accomplishments of the 43rd president of the United States, recently elected to a second term.
Updated: John F. Kerry
Review the accomplishments of the Democratic Party presidential candidate, Senator John F. Kerry.
Updated: Dick Cheney
Read the biography of Vice President Dick Cheney.
Updated: John Edwards*
Read the biography of 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards.
Updated: Congress of the United States
Reflect on the results of the 2004 elections in the U.S. Congress.
Updated: United States Senate
Reflect on the results of the 2004 elections in the U.S. Senate.
Updated: United States House of Representatives
Reflect on the results of the 2004 elections in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Updated: Thomas A. Daschle*
Review the accomplishments of former Senator Minority Leader Tom Daschle, who recently lost his bid for re-election.

Updated: Nobel Prize Winners*
Who won Nobel prizes in 2004? See Encarta's table to find out.
New: Entomophagy
Did you know fried wasps contain the most protein of any edible insect? Delve into insect cuisine.
Updated: Global Warming
Find out why the Kyoto Protocol treaty to control greenhouse gas emissions is now set to go into effect.
Updated: Ichiro Suzuki
Applaud the Seattle Mariners outfielder who set a new record during the 2004 major league baseball season.
Updated: Seattle Storm*
Cheer the winning team of the 2004 Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Finals.
Updated: Space Exploration
Read about the recent flights of SpaceShipOne, the first privately funded spacecraft to leave Earth's atmosphere.

Updated: Copyright
Review how U.S. copyright laws have changed in response to challenges posed by the digital age.
Updated: CBS Corporation
Investigate why CBS was recently forced to retract and apologize for a report on its 60 Minutes II program. 
New: Count Dracula
Read about Bram Stoker's spine-tingling tale that popularized Count Dracula, king of the vampires.
New: Cheerleading
Did you know cheerleading began in the 19th century as an all-male activity? Find out more about this growing competitive sport.
New: Jay-Z
Meet the hip-hop artist whose best-selling albums have gone platinum nine times.
Updated: Paul Martin*
Learn how the 2004 election in Canada weakened the position of Prime Minister Paul Martin.
Updated: National Museum of the American Indian*
Visit this new Smithsonian museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Updated: The Tallest Buildings in the World
Where are the world's tallest buildings? Find out here.

Updated: Lance Armstrong
Applaud the American cyclist who won the Tour de France an unprecedented sixth time in 2004.
Updated: John F. Kerry
Get to know the Democratic Party's nominee for president of the United States.
Updated: Michael Moore
Meet the director of the controversial movie Fahrenheit 9/11.
Updated: Saturn (planet)
Explore Saturn and its moons as the Cassini spacecraft conducts close-up studies.
Updated: September 11 Attacks
Learn new details of the 2001 terrorist attacks as revealed in the report of the 9/11 Commission.
Updated: Supreme Court of the United States
Review the Court's ruling on the constitutionality of detaining terrorism suspects.

Updated: Ray Charles
Remember the soulful contributions of a beloved American musician.
Updated: Hurricane
Discover current scientific knowledge about these violent tropical storms.
Updated: India
Learn the surprise outcome of the 2004 parliamentary elections in India.
Updated: Detroit Pistons*
Applaud the 2004 National Basketball Association (NBA) champions.
Updated: Pledge of Allegiance
Investigate the recent political controversy over the Pledge of Allegiance.
Updated: Ronald Reagan
Review the legacy of the 40th president of the United States.
Updated: Space Exploration
Blast off with SpaceShipOne, the first private spacecraft to reach the boundary of space.

Updated: Cyprus
Find out what voters decided on a United Nations proposal to reunify Cyprus.
Updated: European Union
Review the history of the European Union, including its most recent additions.
Updated: Hamas
Learn about the Palestinian group that seeks to create a single, Islamic state in historic Palestine.
Updated: Randy Johnson
Applaud the 17th pitcher in 120 years to throw a perfect game in Major League Baseball.
Updated: Marriage
Review laws on same-sex marriage in the United States and other countries.
Updated: Thabo Mbeki*
Get to know the recently reelected president of South Africa.
Updated: NBA Records*
Compare current season and career records in the National Basketball Association.
Updated: Panama
Learn the outcome of Panama's 2004 presidential election.
Updated: South Korea
Find out what the Constitutional Court decided on the impeachment of South Korea's president.
Updated: Genie Award Winners*
Applaud the winners of the 2004 Genie Awards, Canada's equivalent of the Oscars.
Updated: Kentucky Derby Winners*
Know which horse crossed the finish line first in the 2004 race.

Updated: Afghanistan 
Review the key provisions of Afghanistan's new constitution.
Updated: Boston Marathon Winners 
See who crossed the finish line first in the 2004 Boston Marathon. 
Updated: Central Intelligence Agency
Learn what the recent hearings before an independent commission revealed about CIA reports prior to the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Updated: Lithuania
Find out why the president of Lithuania was recently impeached and dismissed from office.
Updated: Mars (planet)
Track the latest discoveries of the Mars Exploration Rover mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Updated: Poland
Learn why a new prime minister took the helm in Poland shortly before the country's formal entry into the European Union (EU).
Updated: Pulitzer Prize Winners*
Applaud the 2004 winners of the prestigious Pulitzer Prizes.
Updated: South Korea 
Understand the significance of South Korea's recent parliamentary elections.
Updated: Taiwan
Gain perspective on the vote recount in Taiwan's presidential elections.