NPR News

Supporters of Ivory Coast's embattled strongman, Laurent Gbagbo, on Wednesday pushed back an armed group trying to force him out of a subterranean bunker where he has taken shelter.

Gbagbo has refused to relinquish power to the country's internationally recognized president-elect, Alassane Ouattara. Heavy arms fire rang out Wednesday as forces loyal to Ouattara assaulted Gbagbo's compound in the main city of Abidjan, diplomats and witnesses said.

It's hard to raise money for charity these days, so fundraisers are looking for new ways to attract donors. And for-profit businesses are eager to help with that search.

One way is through personalized fundraising appeals. You may have noticed what looks like more handwriting on those letters you get in the mail asking you to donate — maybe Post-it notes personalized with your name, something that looks like it was created just for you.

The pastor of a Florida church says he does not plan to burn any more Qurans — but Terry Jones has said that before.

Jones first made headlines around the world last September, when he announced — and then called off — plans to publicly burn a copy of the Muslim holy book at his church in Gainesville, Fla. But on March 20, he actually did it — and though it drew little media attention at the time, it has since sparked protests in Afghanistan that have claimed 20 lives.

Tina Brown, editor of The Daily Beast and Newsweek, checks in again with the recommended-reading feature Morning Edition likes to call Word of Mouth.

This month, Brown selects a book and pair of articles about people shaped by unique places and situations — whether they be uprisings half a world away or police investigations in America's largest city.

'Libya's Revolutionary Road'

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi went on trial Wednesday in Milan — not for accusations of tax fraud or corruption, as in his other pending court cases — but for allegedly paying for sex with a minor and abuse of office.

Neither the 74-year-old prime minister nor the young woman involved showed up in court Wednesday, and the judge ruled it an unexcused absence. The trial, dubbed Rubygate, will resume May 31.