The BBC often calls on ordinary citizens affected by major news events to share their personal experiences. But asking someone in a difficult situation to pour their heart out, can put a journalist in an awkward situation. An example of this happened recently in an interview on the BBC World Service. Here Isa Ali Gedi, a resident of the war-torn Somali capital Mogadishu, tells his story to the The World Today's anchor Fergus Nicholl.

US Presidential Race: Christo Komarnitski, Bulgaria
How closely have you been following the US election? Let the BBC test your knowledge.

WTP 213 comes to you a few days early, and packing a Scottish wallop -- a nod to a listener who wants more stories on open source. It's his lucky day. This week's podcast is all about OpenMRS, an open source project trying to bring better medical record keeping to the developing world. That might not sound important to you, but to millions of patients across the globe, better record keeping might mean better health.

Download WTP 213

The World's Marco Werman profiles Vietnamese pop star Nguyet Anh.

Anchor Katy Clark speaks with author Jon Bowermaster about his 800-mile sea kayak expedition along the coast of Vietnam. His trek began at Ha Long Bay, near the border with China. And Ha Long Bay is the answer to today's Geo Quiz.

The World's Jeb Sharp continues her series on "How wars end" with a chapter on the American Civil War. The conflict is said to have ended with the battle at Appomattox in 1865. But the fighting continued for years after that.

Site of the Confederate surrender in 1865

Series page with audio and transcripts

Our daily geography quiz.

Authorities in Kenya today deported American author Jerome Corsi. Corsi was in Kenya to launch a book that is critical of Senator Barack Obama. Correspondent Nick Wadhams in Nairobi gives details to host Katy Clark.

David McGuffin reports from a Canadian ship in pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia. Canada is stepping up efforts to combat pirates in the region.

The BBC's Mark Doyle reports from Somalia

"Joe Six Pack" gets a lot of mention on the U.S. presidential campaign trail. The World's Alex Gallafent tells us about similar characters that populate the discourse of other countries.