Freedom Riders Ride Again

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50 years ago this month, two buses carrying civil rights workers traveled to the deep South to confront racism. The brutality that the Freedom Riders faced became an international embarrassment for the Kennedy administration. This month, reporter Phillip Martin joined a group of students, American and international, who recreated the Freedom Riders’ journey. Download MP3

Slideshow: Recreating Freedom Riders’ Journey

Russia’s opposition campaigner Boris Nemtsov

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Human rights groups often accuse the Kremlin of trampling citizen’s rights in the name of security. Russian authorities get poor marks in general when it comes to human rights. Today, the group Human Rights Watch described the rights climate in the country as deeply negative. Jessica Golloher reports on Russian politician Boris Nemtsov and his campaign to exercise the rights granted by the Russian constitution. Download MP3

Working conditions in China

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The World’s Mary Kay Magistad reports on changing labor conditions in China. Workers there are increasingly pressing their case for higher wages and better work conditions. That means Chinese businesses are having to rethink their profit models. Download MP3(flickr image: Remko Tanis)

• China’s quest for soft power
• Mary Kay’s award winning series ‘Created in China’

China’s quest for soft power

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China’s power has been growing in recent years – its economic clout, its military capacity, its political influence on the international stage. But there’s one kind of power China’s leaders still crave – soft power. This is the informal influence a country has – through the attractiveness of its culture and values. The World’s Mary Kay Magistad reports from Beijing. Download MP3 (flickr image: d’n'c)

• Mary Kay’s award winning series ‘Created in China’
• Shanghai Expo is China’s new showcase to the world
• Clinton urges China on North Korea

Growing US-China rift over trade and arms

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China has hit back at the US a day after President Barack Obama promised to take a tougher line with Beijing over currency and trade. Ties between the US and China have been strained over an arms deal with Taiwan. Tensions have also risen over a planned visit to the US by the Dalai Lama. The World’s Matthew Bell takes at look at how strained US-China relations really are. Download MP3

• Matthew Bell’s blog “US-China cage match?”
• BBC coverage
• China criticizes US over Internet freedom
• President Obama to meet with Dalai Lama