Danger tourism

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More and more tourists, it seems, are winding up in places they shouldn’t be. Some travel to war zones or countries their government has warned them not to visit. Robert Reid is an editor with the travel guide series, Lonely Planet. Marco Werman asked him why people are heading to dangerous places.

Istanbul struggles with gentrification

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Some of Istanbul’s old neighborhoods are struggling to modernize. The Turkish government is razing buildings to make way for new homes. But in the process, some argue, the original character of the neighborhoods is being destroyed, along with the fabric of the communities that live there. Aaron Schachter reports from Istanbul.

• Slideshow: Istanbul gentrification
• Article on Sulukule from The Guardian newspaper
• Podcast: Istanbul, A Past and Future City

Fourteen walls

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Two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, there are still barriers dividing countries, towns, and families. Pictured is a border fence between Pakistan and India. The desire to contain illegal immigration or violent conflict is often used to justify such walls. The BBC’s Spanish website BBC Mundo profiles 14 such walls. We hear from the project’s editor, Juan Carlos Perez.

The Larsson inheritance

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The family of Swedish crime author Stieg Larsson, who died before his “Millennium” trilogy became a global bestseller, has offered Larsson’s partner a settlement to end a dispute over his inheritance, the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet has reported. The “Millennium” trilogy has become a worldwide phenomenon. The World’s Carol Zall reports on the latest chapter in the Larsson saga.

Billing reckless French tourists

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France’s parliament is considering legislation that would put a financial squeeze on tourists who travel to war zones and other hotspots. Supporters say if reckless tourists need government rescues, they should pay the bill. Genevieve Oger reports from Paris.

Who built Nicaragua’s mosque?

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Marco Werman gets details from reporter Steve Stecklow on a new mosque recently built in Nicaragua. There are conflicting reports on how it was funded; including rumors has that it was built with Iranian money.

A new police force for Venezuela

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The government of Venezuela has acknowledged that police are involved in up to 20-percent of the country’s crime. And so, president Hugo Chavez is forming the country’s first ever National Police Force. Will Grant reports.

Geo Quiz

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Our daily geography puzzler.

Protest songs

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We’re hearing lots about walls these days… With some luck, and often a great deal of hardship, walls can come down. The Berlin Wall, of course, fell 20 years ago today. That’s a crowd cheering after the toppling of a mock wall today in Berlin. Artists often play a part in the struggle against barriers. The World’s Gerry Hadden has been looking into what songs symbolized the struggle against the divided Germany. He didn’t find many. But the few he did find mostly came from the former East Germany where artists didn’t have the freedom to say what they meant.

Berlin Wall Anniversary

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This week’s history podcast compiles the best of our stories commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall. Alex Gallafent chases down pieces of the original wall; Gerry Hadden returns to a border town he lived in before the wall came down; Susan Stone finds out what young Germans are learning about their past; Laura Lynch gives us Hungary’s version of tearing down the Iron Curtain; and finally, Gerry Hadden takes us to former East Berlin for a night of nostalgia.

Entire program – November 6, 2009

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Today on The World: A look at military mental health caregivers in the wake of the Fort Hood shootings; A hotel in Berlin today offers the creature comforts of a 1970s Eastern Bloc guesthouse; and mixing it up with British songwriter Gemma Ray.

Muslims in the armed forces

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President Barack Obama has said the “entire nation” is grieving after a shooting that killed 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas. The President ordered all flags at the White House and other Federal buildings to be flown at half-staff. US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a US-born Muslim opened fire at the Army base on Thursday. His cousin told the media that Hasan had been battling racial harassment because of his “Middle Eastern ethnicity”. The tragedy casts a light on Muslims serving in the US military. The World’s Matthew Bell reports. Download MP3 (AP Photo:David Morris, Killeen Daily Herald)

• BBC coverage
• Profile of Major Hasan
• In pictures: Ft Hood shootings

Electricity for rural Nicaragua

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Correspondent Eliza Barclay reports from Nicaragua how two American brothers tried a technological fix to alleviate poverty in that Central American country, and our Science Forum invites you discuss aid projects online with environmental engineer Anu Ramaswami of the University of Colorado in Denver. Download MP3

• Discuss technological aid projects in our Science forum
• More in our latest Science podcast
• blueEngergy Group
• Eliza Barclay’s photos from Nicaragua
• Eliza Barclay’s blog

East German guesthouse nostalgia

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The World’s Europe Correspondent, Gerry Hadden, is in Berlin working on stories for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. He spent last night in the Ostel hotel. It’s a hotel refurbished to resemble a guesthouse in 1970s communist East Germany. Gerry gives us a tour. Download MP3 (Photo: Gerry Hadden)

• See photos from Ostel
• The World’s Coverage: First breach in the Iron Curtain

Gemma Ray

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As long as there have been cool themes and rhythms, musicians have been recycling them. The trick is how to pull that off without sounding derivative. Take the songs of British singer-songwriter Gemma Ray. They sound familiar, but when you stop and listen, you know you’ve never heard this before. Download MP3

• BBC review: Lights Out, Zoltar!
• Gemma Ray on MySpace
• Gemma Ray at Bronzerat Records