Syrian government troops are continuing to bombard the central city of Homs. The United Nations says more than five thousand people have been killed during the 11-month uprising. Syrian activists say the number is much higher. Yesterday, two foreign journalists were among those killed.
Hopes ran high for a new era of freedom of expression after the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. But a year later, Egypt's independent media still face challenges from the ruling military council and from self-censorship.
The Civility Project, which is an ongoing project that reminds citizens of the importance of respect in matters of public discourse, is celebrating its one year anniversary this week. To honor the occasion, leaders of the project, including members from the Library Center and Community Foundation of the Ozarks, will be hosting the free program series called “Building Common Ground: Discussions of Community, Civility and Compassion.” The program series includes poetry readings, photo exhibits and a soup dinner. KSMU’s Rebekah Clark has more.
These days, visiting Tibetan areas is a risky venture for journalists trying to cover the protest movement against Chinese rule and a rash of self-immolations. But the dangers are far higher for those who talk to them. NPR's Louisa Lim recently traveled there and describes the challenges.
An absorbing new documentary by Danish director Lise Birk Pedersen charts four years in the life of a Russian teenager Masha Drokova, who became famous as the girl who publicly kissed Vladimir Putin. Critic John Powers says it "offers a fresh glimpse into how Putin's Russia actually works."
A Syrian activist said two foreign journalists were killed Wednesday by Syrian government forces shelling the restive central city of Homs. The report could not be immediately confirmed.
Fawzia Koofi almost died on the day she was born, but survived against all odds and became the first female deputy speaker of Afghanistan's parliament. Koofi plans to run for president in two years, and in a new memoir, describes her hopes for the country's future.
Millions of Yemenis voted Tuesday in an unusual presidential election in which the only candidate was the vice president. That was the result of a power-transfer deal with President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who agreed to step down after 33 years. Boycotts and violence affected the polls in some places.
Diplomacy in the age of social media is transforming the way ambassadors do their jobs. From tweets to Facebook posts, the State Department is encouraging ambassadors to get their messages out in new and different ways.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon spoke on the importance of exporting goods from the state of Missouri at a steel manufacturing plant in Springfield Tuesday. KSMU’s Melanie Foehrweiser was there and has this report.
Palestinians have long complained about the Israeli practice of detention without trial. One such prisoner went on a hunger strike for more than two months, and Israel has now agreed to free him.
More bailout money for Greece means adhering to tough austerity measures, but it's the price of saving Europe from a larger - and much more dangerous - financial meltdown.
The visit of Chinese Vice President and heir apparent Xi Jingping to the United States, raised questions about internal Chinese politics — from human rights to technological development — and how the country will be governed in the future.
"Danny Vampire" fought for freedom. But now, he says: "Tunisia had an election, Egypt had an election. And Libya? No." What's more, he sees just as much corruption now as before.
Former International Monetary Fund managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who faced a sexual assault charge in New York City last year — a charge that was dropped — is being questioned about an alleged multinational prostitution ring.
Tension has been high in the Maldives after Mohamed Nasheed resigned as president earlier this month. He later claimed that he was the victim of a coup, but his successor denies this. Nasheed talks to Renee Montagne about his situation, and what it means for the Indian Ocean islands.
During World War Two, the German army massacred hundreds of residents of the Greek village of Distomo. Now — as Greeks struggle under an austerity program they see as imposed by Germany — anti-German feelings are running high. Some Distomo villagers want to talk about the war again — and sue for reparations.
The authorities in China are said to have tightened security in Tibet and surrounding provinces after a series of demonstrations by Tibetans demanding more religious and political freedom. Several self-immolation protests by Tibetan monks and nuns has lead to violent confrontations with security forces, who are reported to have opened fire on some demonstrators.
Officials in Mexico are offering a reward of nearly $1 million for the capture of 30 inmates who broke out of a prison in the northern state of Nuevo Leon on Sunday. The governor says the inmates staged a riot in which 44 people died to create a diversion for their escape.
Oil-rich Venezuela is awash in hundreds of thousands of homeless. Many find places to live where they can — in half-finished shopping malls or under the grandstand at a race track. The huge number of homeless has become an election issue for President Hugo Chavez, who is seeking his fourth, six-year term.
Voters in Yemen go to the polls on Tuesday in a one-candidate presidential election many hope will lead to a resolution of the nearly year-long crisis there. While most Yemenis support the peaceful transfer of power from former President Ali Abdullah Saleh to his deputy, many are frustrated that Saleh has immunity for all the protester deaths last year and that his sons and nephews still control the country.
