Mar 18th, 2010 · Marco Bellocchio's historical drama follows the little-known Ida Dalser — Benito Mussolini's discarded lover — who spent much of her life fighting for the infamous dictator's recognition of both her and her son. Full of shadows, passion and madness, Vincere plays out like a grand opera — tragic ending and all.
Jan 13th, 2010 · Endemic instability, murderous dictators, and a seemingly endless series of hurricanes and other natural disasters have claimed countless souls over Haiti's tumultuous 206-year history, leaving it the Americas' poorest country and utterly dependent on foreign aid.
Dec 18th, 2009 · Sen. Ted Kennedy came from a family whose siblings "loved each other with a vengeance," dictated notes for a future memoir after his first Communion, and faced the illness that killed him with his distinctive mix of optimism and pragmatism. So says Victoria Reggie Kennedy, his widow, in her first broadcast interview since the senator's death.
Dec 13th, 2009 · A dictator's henchmen fatally poisons a former president in Chile. It sounds like the storyline from a political thriller, except it's true. Authorities say Augusto Pinochet's regime administered poison to former president Eduardo Frei during a hospital visit in 1981. He died weeks later, the truth unknown until now. The allegations come as Chile votes for a new president Sunday. NPR's Juan Forero reports.
Dec 13th, 2009 · Twenty years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, a new book titled Dracula Is Dead takes a look at how Romania has fared since the December 1989 overthrow of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Host Liane Hansen speaks with co-authors Jim Rosapepe, former U.S. ambassador to Romania, and journalist Sheilah Kast.
Dec 7th, 2009 · The first major protest in more than a month turns violent as security forces and pro-government militiamen confront thousands of opposition supporters demonstrating outside Tehran University and chanting "death to the dictator."
Nov 9th, 2009 · Spain's parliament recently voted to identify thousands of dead from the Spanish civil war of the 1930s. Their remains are in the same tomb as former dictator Francisco Franco. Fausto Canales, 75, is among those fighting to get a loved one's remains taken out of that tomb.
Oct 14th, 2009 · Students in Iraq will open new textbooks this school year that reflect the enormous changes the country has been through and include historical events that were once forbidden topics. Many of the fawning references to the former dictator have also been excised.