Protesters in Hong Kong are demanding universal suffrage. The latest protests coincide with the 65th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, a holiday.
Audie Cornish talks to Hong Kong University Law Professor Michael Davis about the roots of the pro-democracy protests there, and the Chinese government's stake in the outcome.
The students have appeared as the vanguard of the ongoing pro-democracy protests. On Tuesday, student groups announced they will boycott classes until the government addresses their demands.
"For the first time in modern history, the eastern basin of the South Aral Sea has completely dried," NASA says, citing satellite photos from 2000 and 2014.
The civil disobedience movement has set an Oct. 1 deadline for the city's unpopular chief executive to meet their demands for democracy. The also want him to step down as leader of Hong Kong.
China sentenced Ilham Tohti, an advocate for the mostly Muslim minority Uighers, to life in prison after a closed-door trial. His daughter, Jewher Ilham, who lives in Indiana, talks to Steve Inskeep.
The sudden eruption in central Japan surprised and stranded hikers, and caused one death. A hiker managed to shoot video of the shocking sight of an immense billowing gray cloud speeding toward them.