May 23 To sway public opinion, China plants 488 million fake social media posts a year By Dominique Bonessi The Chinese government is paying its employees to generate positive comments on blog posts, and those positive comments totaled about 488 million from 2013 to 2014, a new study from Harvard University researchers revealed last week. Continue reading
May 23 Coordinated blasts hit Syrian government strongholds By News Desk A series of explosions targeting government strongholds in Syria killed at least 78 people on Monday, state media reported. The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility. Continue reading
May 23 Obama lifts decades-old arms ban in his first visit to Vietnam By Foster Klug, Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam — U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday lifted a half-century-old ban on selling arms to Vietnam, looking to bolster a government seen as a crucial, though flawed partner in a region that he has tried to place at… Continue reading
May 23 Obama: Taliban leader's death a 'milestone' for Afghan peace By Nancy Benac, Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam — President Barack Obama said Monday that the violent death of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Akhtar Mansour by a U.S. airstrike should send a "clear signal" to anti-American extremists that "we're going to protect our people."… Continue reading
May 22 Watch 24:51 PBS NewsHour Weekend full episode May 22, 2016 By PBS News Hour On this PBS NewsHour Weekend episode for Sunday, May 22, President Obama visits Vietnam, his first stop on a week-long trip, and the leader of the Taliban is killed by a U.S. drone strike inside Pakistan. Later, on our signature… Continue watching
May 22 Watch 9:47 How Lebanon is coping with more than a million Syrian refugees By PBS News Hour Syria's 5-year-long civil war has killed more than 400,000 people and displaced eleven million more, 5 million of whom have become refugees. But as people flee the humanitarian crisis to places like Europe and Turkey, tiny Lebanon holds the distinction… Continue watching
May 22 Watch 3:12 U.S. drone strike may have killed Taliban leader By PBS News Hour U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jey Johnson said “it appears likely” that a U.S. drone strike on Saturday killed the leader of the anti-government Taliban, Mullah Akhtar Mansour though it could be days before officials can confirm that. Jennifer… Continue watching
May 22 Watch 4:24 Obama expected to push for human rights in first visit to Vietnam By PBS News Hour President Barack Obama has begun a three-day visit to Vietnam, his first stop on a week-long trip in Asia. The president arrived in the Vietnam's capital city of Hanoi on Sunday in his first visit to the country. Vietnamese leaders… Continue watching
May 22 Watch 1:49 Austria could soon elect the EU's first far-right president By PBS News Hour A presidential runoff in Austria is pitting two men with with diametrically opposed views. Norbert Hoefer is running on an anti-immigration platform and could become the European Union’s first far-right head of state. His opponent, Alexander Van Der Bellen, supports… Continue watching
May 22 Indonesian volcano eruption kills at least seven people By Michael D. Regan Seven people were killed by a volcano in a northern section of Sumatra on Saturday. The volcano is one of the more active in Indonesia. Continue reading