Here and Now

There have been huge protests in the former British colony Hong Kong recently. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to demand that Beijing honor China’s commitment to Hong Kong’s political and judicial independence.

As the BBC’s Juliana Liu reports, there is deep anxiety in Hong Kong that China has no intention of allowing people on the island to choose their next leader, but there are also protestors on the other side, with leanings more toward China.

Apple is placing its bets on iPhones with bigger screens, and a whole lot of them. The company is asking suppliers to make between 70 and 80 million of the new models with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens by December 30, according to the Wall Street Journal. This is larger than the current models with 4-inch displays.

Apple had stuck with its smaller displays even as rival smartphone companies rolled out bigger screens and customers sought larger models. Now, Apple will join their ranks.

Who boxes nowadays? Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson went to The Ring Boxing Club in Boston and found that fighters ranged in age and were of both genders.

He talks to several boxers as well as Springs Toledo, author of “The Gods of War: Boxing Essays” (excerpt below), about the continuing appeal of the sport.

Foreign buyers have helped boost luxury real estate prices in places such as Manhattan for several years now. But that trend may soon push into non-luxury markets across the United States.

The real estate website Zillow soon plans to publish its for-sale listings in Mandarin. Diane Francis of the National Post joins Here & Now’s Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss the recent announcement.

There are still many questions and few answers related to the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 that crashed Thursday, killing all 298 passengers aboard. The commercial airliner may have been shot down by a missile along the Russian and Ukraine border.

Jim Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, joins Here & Now’s Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss the steps that would normally be taken after a plane crash.

In 2011, University of Southern California history professor Deborah Harkness introduced readers to professor and reluctant witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont in “A Discovery of Witches.”

It was the first in what has come to be called her “All Souls Trilogy.”

As President Obama announces new actions on climate change, a tight congressional race in southern West Virginia coal country is bringing environmental issues to the forefront.

In West Virginia’s third congressional district, Evan Jenkins, a Republican state senator, will try to unseat Democratic incumbent Nick Rahall, who’s been in office since 1977.

3D printers are capable of producing a variety of consumer products, from children’s toys to prosthetic limbs. Now, a company in the Phoenix area is trying to take the technology to the next level with cars. From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Carrie Jung of KJZZ reports.

Last summer we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones.

Now Keith Richards and Mick Jagger and the rest of the band are rocking in their 51st year. The Stones just put the finishing touches on a European tour and they will play shows in Australia and New Zealand in the fall.

Hope for a ceasefire in the Middle East ended today as Israel resumed airstrikes in Gaza. Palestinian officials say more than 190 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes so far. At least four Israelis have been seriously injured since the violence flared.

The ceasefire had been brokered by Egypt. The Israeli attacks resumed after Hamas militants continued to fire rockets into Israel.

From Gaza City, the BBC’s Rushdi Abualouf gives Here & Now’s Meghna Chakrabarti a view from the ground.