On Capitol Hill today, the founder of Blackwater USA defended his company's record in Iraq. Blackwater contractors were involved in a shooting incident there involving civilians last month. The World's Aaron Schachter reports.

October 2, 2007 full program

The World's Carol Zall reports on a project in Scotland that set out to pair lyrics from well known novelists and poets with music by folk and pop bands. The result is a CD collection called "Ballads of the Book."

Today's answer is the country of Yemen, where a volcano off its west coast erupted this weekend. The BBC's Muhammed Suddam has details.

Israel released 57 Palestinian prisoners to the West Bank today as a goodwill gesture toward Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli and Palestinian leaders are slated to meet in Washington next month for peace talks. The World's Quil Lawrence reports from the West Bank.

Computer hackers are taking advantage of events in Burma to potentially wreak havoc on your computer. The World's Technology Correspondent Clark Boyd explains.

The Burmese people pay a high price for speaking out against its military government. That fear can even extend to Burmese living outside the country. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with a Burmese woman living in the United States whose family has ties to the Burmese military. She talks about her reaction to the recent protests.

The annual Ubud Writers and Readers Festival is held on the Indonesian island of Bali and attracts world-class writers...and readers. Lisa Mullins speaks with The World's international literature critic, Christopher Merrill, who has just returned from the Festival.

The government of Spain has a new way to discourage illegal immigration. It's running TV ads in Senegal -- one of the African countries that sends waves of migrants to its shores. The ads depict the deadly dangers of trying to reach Spain by boat. Phuong Tran reports from Senegal.

To fuel its booming economy, China has sought new resources and new markets. It's finding both in Africa. But the two countries are still learning how to work together. The World's Mary Kay Magistad reports.