Fast food in Nigeria

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Mr. Bigg’s is the largest fast food chain in Africa’s most populous country. This Nigerian chain, loosely modeled on McDonald’s, offers hamburgers and French fries as well as local fare. But running a fast food operation is no easy feat in a country beset by mismanagement, corruption, and a lack of infrastructure. David Hecht reports. (Photo: David Hecht) Download MP3

• Mr. Bigg’s website
• Wikipedia: Mr. Bigg’s

Festival of Harps

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Recently, some 40 international harpists and groups of harpists gathered in Oakland, California. The idea behind this Festival of Harps was to move harp music beyond its traditional conventions. That wasn’t hard to do, given that the harps included everything from the African kora, to the Celtic harp, to the Paraguayan harp. Lonny Shavelson will have our story later today. Also, be sure to click below for Lonny’s video of a rehearsal session. Download MP3

• Watch Lonny’s video
• More on the Festival of Harps

Iran’s nuclear issue

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Today, Iran’s foreign minister said his government may agree to send some of its nuclear fuel abroad, but Iran will not give up its right to enrich uranium at home. We speak with Joseph Cirincione, a non-proliferation expert and president of the Ploughshares Fund in Washington.

Good morning Afghanistan!

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Today radio listeners in Afghanistan were treated to a new station and a new program — Good Morning Afghanistan! The radio station is for the British armed forces in Afghanistan. We speak with Dusty Miller, the station manager and morning host.

Wristwatches of the Russian elite

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Journalists, it has to be said, kind of enjoy giving politicians a hard time. Now one Russian newspaper has struck on a timely way of doing it. The World’s Alex Gallafent reports.

Former Serb leader stalls The Hague

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The trial of Radovan Karadzic began in the Hague today. The former Bosnian Serb leader faces charges of war crimes and genocide. And as Emily Kopp reports, Karadzic is boycotting the trial.

The challenges of an international court

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Jeb Sharp speaks with Law professor Lawrence Douglas about the challenges facing those trying Radivan Karadzic in The Hague.

Racism story

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A court in South Africa today postponed a very controversial trial. The defendants are four white college students who attended the University of the Free State. They were expelled after making a racist video that was posted on the Internet. The BBC’s Karen Allen reports from Bloemfontein.

Geo Quiz

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Our daily geography puzzler.

Music Heard on Air for October 26, 2009

Tunes Spun On The Word Between our reports for October 26, 2009. Artists featured are Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Thomas Fehlmann & Dabrye, Ali Farka Toure with Ry Cooder, Baka Beyond, Los de Abajo

Twitter freedom, a zeitgeisty Chinese word, and Lakota immersion

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Question: what happens when a court gags a newspaper? Answer: The gag sags, 140 characters at a time. That’s what happened this month when microbloggers tweeted what The Guardian couldn’t report. Also, a group of Beijing and expat artists discover a Chinese word that seems to convey the state of China today; and the near-death – and possible rebirth – of the native American Lakota language, with an assist from a German rock star.

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Entire program – October 23, 2009

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Today on The World: More attacks by militants in Pakistan we’ll hear about life in the Taliban strongholds inside Pakistan; A new proposal from Iran throws international talks over its nuclear program into confusion; Hollywood’s take on last year’s war between Russia and Georgia.

New round of attacks in Pakistan

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The Pakistani military and police were on guard after a suicide bomber killed seven people near a major air force complex in northwest Pakistan on Friday, while an explosion killed 17 on a bus heading to wedding elsewhere in the region. It’s the latest in a surge of militant attacks this month. We’ll guage the mood on the ground in Pakistan. Download MP3 Photo: A Majeed/AFP/Getty Images.

• BBC Coverage
• Recent coverage from our program
• Marco Werman interviews former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf
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Economic impact of terrorism

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Pakistan’s stock market ended 7 percent lower on the week as cautious investors sold amid continued militant attacks across the country. The World’s Katy Clark looks at the economic impact of the fight against terrorism in Pakistan. Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• American Influence podcast: Pakistan’s reluctant war on terrorism

The Caucasus and Hollywood

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Actor Andy Garcia is in Georgia to play the part of President Mikheil Saakashvili in a film about last year’s conflict with Russia. The biggest-budget movie ever to be made on Georgian soil, tells the story of a journalist and a cameraman caught up in the unfolding drama of the war last August. Carol Hills reports. (Photo: Irakli Gedenidze/AFP/Getty Images) Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• Georgia-Russia conflict