Afghan election fraud accusations

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A brother of the Afghan president Hamid Karzai (pictured voting on Aug 20th/AP Photo) has denied accusations that his aides prevented thousands of people from voting in the presidential election because they planned to vote for an opposition candidate. The president’s brother Ahmed Wali Karzai told the BBC the accusations, published in the New York Times, were absolutely baseless. Marco Werman speaks with the BBC’s Chris Morris in Kabul about the mounting challenges posed by escalating violence and allegations of voting fraud in Afghanistan. >>>BBC coverage of the Afghan election

Depression in the slums

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“Doctors without Borders” are best known for their work in war zones but in the slums of Brazil they’ve also been helping people suffering from depression. In the Complexo do Alemao, a favela or shanty town in Rio de Janeiro – tens of thousands of people tread a fine line between the drug gangs and the police, leading to inevitable tensions and depression, as Gary Duffy reports.

Tax haven

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There’s a British territory in the Caribbean that’s been thriving on its status as one of the world’s major tax havens. It’s gotten all the money it’s needed through indirect taxes. But those times seem to be over: thanks to the global recession the local government has been unable to pay all its bills. Read more on our Geo Quiz page to find out which part of the world we’re talking about.

Recreating Nagasaki in 3D

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Students at the University of Nagasaki are attempting to recreate a community that a nuclear weapon destroyed. The Urakami neighborhood in Nagasaki was ground zero for the second atomic bomb the U-S dropped on Japan in World War Two. That attack killed 39-thousand people. And it destroyed most pictures of life in Urakami before the war. The students are recreating pre-war Urakami, with the help of memories and 3D technology. Akiko Fujita has our radio story.

• View a video about the 3D reconstruction

Laotian bomb hunters

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When you have no money and no opportunity to make any, you’ll do just about anything to survive. That can include risking your life for a few dollars a day. This is what many kids and adults do in the southeast Asian country of Laos. They trek into the forest to look for scrap metal they can sell for cash. The danger is that that scrap metal consists largely of bombs left over from the Vietnam War. And many of those bombs never exploded. Mary Stucky reports from Laos’ Boualapha Province on this deadly business.

• People of Laos suffer bomb legacy
• The Mines Advisory Group

Entire program – September 2, 2009

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Today on The World: Escalating violence and election fraud allegations raise serious concerns in Afghanistan; Also, using 3-D technology to preserve a memory of Nagasaki before a U-S atomic bomb destroyed the Japanese city; and in Laos, unexploded bombs from the Vietnam War pose a mortal danger for those who try to make a living collecting scrap metal.

Mounting trouble in Afghanistan

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Anchor Marco Werman speaks with the BBC’s Chris Morris in Kabul about the mounting challenges posed by escalating violence and allegations of voting fraud in Afghanistan.

International envoys meet on Afghanistan

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Twenty-six international envoys met in Paris today to discuss the future of Afghanistan. The World’s Laura Lynch reports.

Domestic concerns in Israel

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Linda Gradstein reports that Israelis are not focused on the peace process right now, but rather preoccupied by more domestic concerns such as political corruption and a series of unsolved murders.

Canada gives refuge to white South African

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The World’s Alex Gallafent reports on an immigration case in Canada that’s angering leaders in South Africa.

Europe’s plan for asylum seekers

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The World’s Gerry Hadden reports on an ambitious new plan announced by the Europe Union to resettle more refugees from around the world. It’s partly to distribute them more equally around Europe. But it’s also an attempt to lower immigration.

Depression in Brazilian slum

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Constant violence in a Rio de Janeiro slum has left many residents suffering from depression. The BBC’s Gary Duffy reports on how a team from the group “Doctors without Borders” is treating depression in the slum.

Recreating Nagasaki

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Akiko Fujita reports that students at the University of Nagasaki are attempting to create a 3D digital image of the Japanese city BEFORE a US atomic bomb destroyed it during World War II. Very few photos remain of the pre-bomb neighborhoods, so the students are also relying on survivor memories. Read more and watch a video

Unexploded bombs in Laos

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Many people in rural Laos try to make a living by collecting and selling scrap metal they find in the jungle. But much of that scrap metal comes from unexploded bombs left over from the Vietnam War. Reporter Mary Stucky has the story.

Read the transcript and see photos

Geo Quiz and answer

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We’re looking for a British territory in the Caribbean that has thrived on its status as one of the world’s major tax havens, but now may be edging closer to bankruptcy. The answer is the Cayman Islands. Anchor Marco Werman gets details from Desmond Seals, publisher of the Cayman Net News.