Darfur

Monday raids against a Sudanese protest camp marked the worst outbreak of violence in the country since the army ousted President Omar al-Bashir in April. Reporter Jason Patinkin speaks with The World about the impact on the Sudanese capital.

There’s a way to do basketball diplomacy right, says former NBA player Ira Newble, who spoke up on the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan in 2007. And he says that’s not what Dennis Rodman is doing in North Korea.

Syria’s use of chemical weapons contravenes many international laws, meaning its leaders could be subject to international criminal prosecution. But for that to work, one author says, it must be done in coordination with other measures, including diplomacy and military strikes.

When diplomats and leaders from 193 countries converge on New York City and the United Nations, things get a bit humbled. Of course, the traffic is bad. But people get tangled up over what the United Nations should be doing. The situation in the Middle East, including the American video Innocence of Muslims, was top of mind.

The Lemelson MIT Prize recognizes inventors whose designs improve lives. This year’s winner, Ashok Gadgil, helped bring light to 100 million people in the developing world, designed fuel-efficient cook stoves and created a simple way to purify water.