May 07 South Africans head to election polls, 20 years after end of apartheid By Anya van Wagtendonk South Africans take to the polls Wednesday for national elections, 20 years after Nelson Mandela’s historic election as president marked the end of apartheid. Mandela’s party, the African National Congress, has been in power ever since, and analysts are predicting… Continue reading
May 07 Putin says Russian troops pull back from Ukraine border By News Desk Vladimir Putin told diplomats Wednesday that Russian troops have been pulled back from the Ukrainian border. Putin also called on Ukraine's military to halt all operations against pro-Russia activists who have seized government buildings and police stations in at least… Continue reading
May 07 Boko Haram attacks town in Nigeria; police offer reward for schoolgirls By News Desk Islamic militants attacked a town in northeastern Nigeria, killing hundreds, an official said Wednesday, while police offered a $300,000 reward for information leading to the release of more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls. Continue reading
May 06 Watch Shareholders of e-commerce giant Alibaba seek greater control and exposure with American IPO filing By PBS News Hour A Chinese e-commerce giant called Alibaba filed an initial public offering that many experts say could rank among the largest ever. The company operates multiple businesses, including some akin to Amazon or eBay. Judy Woodruff talks to Paul Sweeney of… Continue watching
May 06 Watch Persistence is key to wiping out polio outbreaks in fragile nations By PBS News Hour Signaling a new public health emergency, the World Health Organization warns that if polio is not completely eradicated it could become endemic again. Worldwide, 74 cases of the crippling disease have been confirmed this year, with Syria, Cameroon and Pakistan… Continue watching
May 06 Watch News Wrap: More girls abducted in Nigeria after militants went door-to-door, reports say By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Tuesday, Islamist militants have reportedly abducted more girls in Nigeria’s northeast, in addition to the some 270 schoolgirls kidnapped last month. Men went door-to-door, taking girls ages 12 to 15, said witnesses and police. Also, the… Continue watching
May 06 New Russian law puts roubles in the swear jar By Ruth Tam Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a ban on swearing in Russian films, television, theater, concerts and other live entertainment. Continue reading
May 06 U.S. will send team to Nigeria to help search for kidnapped girls By Joshua Barajas Islamist extremists known as Boko Haram have kidnapped eight girls, aged 12 to 15, from a village in northeastern Nigeria, local police said Tuesday. The group’s raid of the village comes a day after they claimed responsibility for the abduction… Continue reading
May 06 Maternal deaths down in Afghanistan with help from community workers By Larisa Epatko One of the bright spots in Save the Children’s 15th annual ranking of the best and worst countries to be a mother, released Monday, is the progress Afghanistan has made improving maternal health. Continue reading
May 05 Watch Russia’s former foreign minister discusses Putin’s motivations in Ukraine By PBS News Hour Russian President Vladimir Putin has evoked Ukraine’s Soviet past as a way of justifying the annexation of Crimea, and to appeal to many Ukrainians. Putin has argued that post-Cold War expansion of NATO has provoked Moscow. Chief foreign correspondent Margaret… Continue watching