An American working in West Africa in the 1940s thought he heard echoes of American blues in the local music. So he recorded it, and brought it back to the United States. Now his nephew shares the story and the music with The World's Lisa Mullins.

Monsieur le President, your love handles are missing! French magazine Paris-Match has reportedly airbrushed an image of a shirtless President Nicolas Sarkozy on vacation. The World's Alex Gallafent looks at this and other efforts to keep the image of international leaders in shape.

Where in the world will we go today?

The World's Mary Kay Magistad reports on a controversial government crackdown on mosques in Tajikistan. Unregistered mosques were a haven for radical Islamist groups that helped spark Tajikistan's civil war in the 1990s.

The Soviet Union used to use psychiatric institutions to silence dissidents. Now some fear some Russian officials are reviving that practice. Larissa Arap, a government critic, published an article alleging ill-treatment of children at a Moscow psychiatric facility. Shortly after she was arrested and sent to a psychiatric hospital herself. The case sparked an international outcry. Anchor Lisa Mullins gets the story from Andrei Ostalsky, who's with the BBC's Russian Service.

Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with The World's book critic, Christopher Merrill, about the life and work of author and activist Grace Paley. Paley was a poet and short story writer. She was also a self described pacifist who spoke out against the Vietnam War. She died yesterday at the age of 84.

The fighting between the Lebanese Army and an Islamic militant group in one of Lebanon's Palestinian camps has continued for three months. More than 30,000 refugees have been force to flee to a neighboring camp. But many of them are desperate to return home, even though the camp is largely in ruins. Correspondent Ben Gilbert reports.

Some immigrant groups in the United States fear that proposed changes in "religious worker" visas will hamper the construction of their houses of worship. They say only specialized artisans from their home countries can create temples that are authentic. But the new visa rules could make it difficult for these craftsmen to work in the US. One group concerned about this practices Jainism, an ancient religion from India. Brian Bull has the story.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is struggling to hold on to power. President Bush has offered Maliki some support. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with the BBC's Jon Donnison about Egypt's view of Maliki's leadership.