Archive for July 14th, 2009
Entire program – July 14, 2009
Today on The World: Former Liberian president Charles Taylor testifies at his own war crimes trial, the first in a series of reports on the rise, fall, and resurgence of the Taliban and the musical soundscapes of Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi. >>>Listen
Charles Taylor takes the stand
Former Liberian president Charles Taylor testified at his own war crimes trial in The Hague today. He’s facing 11 charges relating to the civil war in Sierra Leone…including murder, rape, and terrorism. Anchor Jeb Sharp speaks with the BBC’s Adam Minott, who’s at The Hague. >>>Listen
Reaction to Taylor trial
People in Charles Taylor’s home country Liberia and in neighboring Sierra Leone are watching his trial closely. Anchor Jeb Sharp has details. >>>Listen
Inside the international criminal court
Anchor Jeb Sharp speaks with Pamela Yates, director of a new documentary about the International Criminal Court. It’s called “The Reckoning,” and it airs tonight on PBS. Listen
Muslim reaction to China’s actions against Uighurs
The riots in China’s Xinjiang region and the subsequent Chinese crackdown on the Muslim Uighurs have drawn a muted response from the Muslim world — with the exception of Turkey. The World’s Aaron Schachter reports. Listen
The Tour de France
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Today’s Geo Quiz comes in on two-wheels. The Tour de France is in full swing right now. The world’s most famous bicycle race is rolling through central France right now. The cyclists have left behind the steep terrain of the Pyrenees. They’ll be headed for the Alps soon….
Al Qaeda group vows revenge on China
An Al Qaeda affiliate in northern Africa has vowed to avenge the deaths of Muslim Uighurs in China by targeting Chinese workers in Africa. The World’s Gerry Hadden explains. Listen
The resurgence of the Taliban
The year 2001 marked the end of Taliban rule in Afghanistan. But its leaders and fighters have regrouped. Reporter Charles Sennott has the first in a series of reports on resurgent influence of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Listen
Pharmaceutical giant allows generic AIDS drugs
One of the world’s largest drug companies, GlaxoSmithKline, has said it will allow the manufacturers of generic drugs to produce versions of all its medicines for treating HIV and AIDS. Anchor Jeb Sharp speaks with Michelle Childs, Director of Policy at the Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines. Listen
Geo answer
For today’s Geo Quiz we were looking for the city where cyclists in the 10th stage of the Tour de France will cross the finish line. The answer is Issoudun, France. Anchor Jeb Sharp gets the latest on today’s events from New York Times reporter Juliet Macur. Listen
Global Hit: Ludovico Einaudi
Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi shares the recipe for his famous musical soundscapes. Listen
Inside the Taliban
In the final part of our series on the Taliban, Charles Sennott sat down with former Taliban leaders, clerics and US counter-insurgency experts to try to discover the minds of the Taliban and whether the US military is making any progress in understanding them. >>>Listen to Part IV (Photo by Seamus Murphy/VII)
China: Global Warming Savior or Villain?
China is one of the planet’s biggest polluters, but it’s also a leader in efficient energy use and green technology. Starting today, China expert Julian Wong will appear in The World’s interactive science forum. Ask him questions, dispute his conclusions, and discuss the merits of solar power and pulverized coal. Can China save the world before it overheats? >>>Join the discussion in our science forum
Esperanto, Klingon, Blissymbolics and 900 others: why we invent languages
This week, a converation with Arika Okrent, author of “In the Land of Invented Languages: Esperanto Rock Stars, Klingon Poets, Loglan Lovers and the Mad Dreamers Who Tried to Build a Perfect Language.” Okrent, herself a linguist, tells the stories of people who dreamed up languages that would replace our own bastard tongues. She also submerges herself, Orwell-style, into the geeky world of invented language societies. The vast majority of invented languages from Lingua Ignota (c.1150) to Dritok (2007) have completely failed to take off. But they tell us much about how we think, how we do not think, and how we love to blame language for our own shortcomings. Listen
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