In a video released by al Qaeda, 70-year-old American aid worker Warren Weinstein says he’ll be killed unless President Barack Obama agrees to the jihadi group’s demands.
Al-Khader is a Palestinian village where the Festival of St. George is celebrated each year. The World’s Matthew Bell visited the monastery in Al-Khader where the legend of St. George the Dragon Slayer still inspires Christians and Muslims alike.
Finnish singer Mirel Wagner’s music takes inspiration from the blues and her lyrics tend toward the morbid.
China and US reach a deal in the Chen Guangcheng case. Also, French President Nicolas Sarkozy prepares for a close run-off election this weekend. Plus, Rocket Juice and the Moon feature in the Global Hit.
Blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng has been given permission to study abroad. The US says it expects China to move quickly to allow the legal activist, Chen Guangcheng, to travel.
The Chinese civil rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng become a household word in the space of about 10 days. His daring escape from house arrest, his circuitous route to the US Embassy in Beijing, the tense negotiations between the US and China, the deal reached, his decision to leave the Embassy, and then the deal gone sour. Chinese netizens and cartoonists (using pen names) have followed the saga with solidarity, humor and solemnity.
Barely a year after a massive earthquake and tsunami crippled northern Japan, there’s increasing fear of a big quake hitting Tokyo. Reporter Sam Eaton recently spent time with one of Japan’s leading seismologists, and a survivor of the last major quake to hit Tokyo, nearly 90 years ago.
Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande are making their final pitch for votes in one of the most dramatic elections in recent French history. Opinion polls suggest the incumbent president has cut Hollande’s lead slightly but is still trailing his Socialist challenger.
The World’s Adeline Sire was born in France, and she plans to vote in this weekend’s French presidential election. She has a snapshot of going to the polls in Massachusetts for the first round election two weeks ago.
The World’s Laura Lynch takes a look at what it is like to be an ethnic minority these days, before and after mass murderer Anders Breivik went on his rampage.
Marco Werman talks with New York Times reporter Declan Walsh about the case of Dr. Shakil Afridi, who has been detained by Pakistani intelligence since last year for allegedly working for the CIA.
Ten years into the war in Afghanistan, American publishers continue to put out new books about the conflict and the country. But will those books dry up as the United States proceeds to withdraw its forces from the country?
For Friday’s Geo Quiz name the city where a stone engraving supposedly predicts the end of the world. Hint: You might find a swim up bar nearby.
Anchor Marco Werman tells us about the debut self-titled album from the new supergroup Rocket Juice and the Moon.
Blind dissident Chen Guangcheng strains US-China diplomacy as he changes his mind on remaining in China. Also, a Canadian mayor supports legislation that favors cars over bikes on the city streets. And a Korean rapper stages a comeback after an online slam damages his career.
