Chatter: Syria’s revolution comes to TV

Need to know:
Gunmen have stormed the studios of a Syrian television station accused of being a government mouthpiece.

At least three of Ikhbariya TV's employees were shot dead, its newsroom destroyed and the building bombed, state media reported. Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi called the attack an attempt to "silence the voice of Syria."

It came hours after President Bashar al-Assad told Syrians that they were living "in a real state of war," a war that his regime would direct all its efforts into winning.

What's it like to live in a real state of war? GlobalPost meets the ordinary Syrians who know all too well.

Want to know:
Wildfires in Colorado have forced 32,000 people from their homes, as the flames reached the outskirts of Colorado Springs.

The several separate wildfires raging in the state's woodlands can be seen from space, satellite pictures show. Witnesses describe the scene as "an apocalypse," with the interstate and other highways clogged with people fleeing.

Despite the efforts of more than 700 firefighters and US Air Force planes, the fires have continued to spread, scorching tens of thousands of acres and, last night, several homes. Neighboring states Wyoming, Utah and Nevada are also under a red-flag warning, while tourist destinations from Montana to New Mexico are considered in danger.

Dull but important:
Queen Elizabeth II has shaken hands with former IRA commander Martin McGuinness in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

This was no ordinary photo opportunity. There were doubts over whether cameras would even be allowed, such is the sensitivity of a meeting between the British monarch and a man who helped lead the armed struggle for an independent Irish republic. 

The encounter, which took place first in private and was then restaged in public, was the first official meeting between the Queen and a representative of the IRA's political wing, Sinn Fein. It's been hailed as an historic step towards reconciliation in a long and painful peace process.

Just because:
At least one person has died after an asylum-seeker boat capsized north of Australia's Christmas Island today, with more than 130 people onboard — mainly women and children from Afghanistan.

The sinking comes less that a week after another boat – carrying close to 200 asylum seekers – sank in waters between Indonesia and Australia. Ninety of those onboard that vessel are believed to have drowned.

Australian rescue teams were able to save most of those shipwrecked today. But the sinkings have brought Australia's divisive political debate about asylum seekers to a head. The government has renewed its calls for a refugee swap with Malaysia to deter dangerous people-smuggling by sea, a deal the opposition has so far refused to back as long as Malaysia isn't signed up to UN conventions on refugees.

Strange but true:
Ever find yourself grinding your teeth during White House press conferences, or throwing a shoe at the TV when Mitt Romney makes a campaign stop? So do we, dear readers, so do we.

To save our molars, sneakers and possibly the world, GlobalPost is inviting you to tell the next American president – whosoe'er he may be – exactly what you'd do differently. Whether you're in St. Louis or Shanghai, Miami or Mombasa, we want to hear, in video form, the finest piece of advice you have to offer the incoming POTUS.

Full instructions are here. Don't forget: America needs you.