One irreverent tweet about a powerful Chinese politician was enough to get Fang Hong sent to a Chinese labor camp for a year. Encouraged by the recent fall of that politician, Bo Xilai, Fang is appealing his case and attacking the system of re-education through labor.
NPR's Frank Langfitt can't get over how much things have changed for movie fans such as him. In only a decade or so, China's theaters have gone high-tech. And they've gotten expensive.
As officials count ballots from this week's first-ever free presidential election, the Muslim Brotherhood is claiming its candidate got the most votes and will be in a runoff next month against ousted President Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister.
When the Chinese firm Wanda announced the purchase of AMC cinemas, it may not have made a lot of business sense in the short term. But it could be part of a larger strategy that will bring the company into the U.S. in a major way.
Back in 2008, Zimbabwe's inflation rate was estimated at 79 billion percent. To cure hyperinflation, Zimbabwe ditched its own currency in favor of U.S. dollars. There's only one problem: Those constantly circulating dollars are now filthy and falling apart.
Moscow's recent deals with foreign oil companies are designed to maintain Russia as the world's No. 1 oil producer. The biggest deal, with Exxon Mobil, would put billions of dollars toward exploiting vast oil and gas reserves in Russia's Arctic waters.
Iranian officials continue meetings with envoys from six world powers in Baghdad on Thursday. They are seeking a solution to the long-running standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.
A demonstration held Wednesday night in Tel Aviv in favor of deporting Africans in Israel turned into a frenzied mob. Twelve people were arrested for committing acts of violence and vandalism against Africans. Israel has tens of thousands of African nationals from Darfur and Eritrea. Over the last month, reports have filled the Israeli papers of suspicions that the Africans are responsible for a string of violent crimes, and rapes, though actual evidence only incriminates them in a handful of circumstances.
Voting in Egypt's first free presidential election wrapped up Thursday and ballot counting began. If no one wins a majority, the contest goes to a run-off next month.
Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population and has drawn praise for evolving into a vibrant, pluralistic democracy. But the rise of hard-line Muslim groups and recent cases of religious persecution have led some to question if it can still live up to that reputation.
In tough economic times, people almost never cut out comfort foods like chocolate. But sometimes, when you just can't get the foods you love, deprivation can lead to a new food invention, like Estonia's faux chocolate bar, the Kama bar.
One of the candidates running in Egypt's presidential election is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. The group, Egypt's largest and best-organized political group, won almost half the seats in Parliament earlier this year. But the presidential election is more of a challenge.
The first free presidential election in Egypt is in its second day. Thirteen candidates are vying to replace Hosni Mubarak. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the overall vote, there will be a runoff next month between the top two vote getters.
Mobile phones and tablets have put a world of information at our fingertips, even when we're on the go. It would seem natural, then, for smartphones to help make traveling easier and more fun. But not all apps are created equal — so we got advice from Lauren Goode, a senior editor at the All Things D blog.
With desertification, drought and a booming mining industry, Mongolians are leaving the traditional life of herding. Herdsman Bat-Erdene Badam says he will be the last in his family to tend livestock. His children are trading in their nomadic lives for more stable, often urban jobs.
To protect the endangered animals, forest guards have been given the go-ahead to use lethal force if necessary. One minister has told rangers to "shoot at sight."
Campaign fever is in the air in Cairo and around Egypt. Millions of voters go to the polls, Tuesday and Wednesday, for what many believe to be the country's first free election in its long history. Host Michel Martin discusses what's at stake in this election with Sherine Tadros, the Egypt correspondent for Al Jazeera English.
The U.S. and other world powers hope to lay out a step by step process that will eventually lead to an end to Iran's nuclear enrichment program. Iran hopes to ease punitive sanctions that are choking its economy.
Shakil Afridi was recruited by the U.S. to try to collect DNA samples from the al-Qaida leader or his family members, to prove that bin Laden was in Pakistan. A local court in Pakistan's tribal areas has convicted him of treason.
Voting has begun in the country's first free presidential election. It was just a little more than a year ago that the regime of President Hosni Mubarak was toppled.
An artist painted South African President Jacob Zuma exposed. The president is seeking a court order to have the painting removed from a gallery. At the University of Texas, a commencement poster included a typo. It was missing the letter "L." It's supposed to be the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.
The United States has stopped buying Iranian oil, and the European Union is set to do so at the end of next month. There are sanctions on Iran's central bank and punishments for companies that help Iran ship its oil. Experts says Iran's oil exports are now in serious jeopardy.
