Religious leaders promise climate action

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Global religious leaders gathered in England to urge–and offer–commitments to combat climate change. The World’s Jane Little reports.

A glimpse into the Persian blogosphere

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Persian language bloggers, both inside and outside the country, have been weighing in on the day’s events in Tehran. Those bloggers are the subject of some new research carried out by The BBC World Service Trust and a Persian social media website called Balatarin. Marco Werman hears more from The World’s technology correspondent Clark Boyd. Download MP3

• The BBC World Service Trust Iran Project
• Cyrus Farivar on detained Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou

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Even though the music business continues to suffer economically, record labels are still releasing lots of old music that’s been re-mastered and tweaked so it sounds fresher than ever. Columbia is about to re-issue everything Miles Davis recorded for them. 70 CDs in total. But I want to talk about the music of an old band that few people in the west have ever heard of: “Orchestre Poly Rhythmo de Cotonou.” We hear more today about Orchestre Poly Rhythmo de Cotonou. Download MP3

German anger over GM’s decision on Opel

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General Motors has decided not to sell its European subsidiary, Opel. And that has the German government fuming. Reporter Brett Neely has the story from Berlin.

Touring the Carter Museum

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In 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter stumbled upon one of the most famous finds in Egyptology — the tomb of Tutankhamun. Today Carter’s house by the Valley of the Kings was opened as a museum. The BBC’s Yolande Knell went on a tour of the new museum.

Geo Quiz

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Our daily geography puzzler.

Geo answer

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Producer Mariana Schroeder sent us an audio postcard from Jamaica — the answer to our Geo Quiz. She stopped in for lunch at roadside stand manned by a 26-year-old cook named Omar. His specialty is Jerk.

Jerk

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For today’s Geo Quiz, picture this: You’re about 90 miles south of Cuba … driving on a road along the sunny coastline of a Caribbean island. You’re slowly making your way to the town of Savannah-la-Mar. That’s the capital of Westmoreland Parish… Download MP3

Fourteen walls

Two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the world is still plagued by barriers dividing countries, towns, and families. The desire to contain illegal immigration or violent conflict is often used to justify them. The BBC’s Spanish website BBC Mundo presents 14 such walls, we talk with the project’s editor, Juan Carlos. (Audio available after 5PM Eastern)

• BBC Mundo (en español)

The Larsson inheritance

The family of Swedish crime author Stieg Larsson, who died before his “Millennium” trilogy became a cult hit, has offered Larsson’s partner a settlement to end a dispute over his inheritance, the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet reported. The “Millennium” trilogy has become a worldwide phenomenon. Marco Werman speaks with Swedish journalist Martin Jönsson about the controversy in today’s show. (Audio available after 5PM Eastern)

• Coverage in the Guardian newspaper
• Stieg Larsson on Amazon

Music Heard on Air for November 4, 2009

Tunes Spun On The Word Between our reports for November 4, 2009. Artists featured are Zelal, Cem Yildiz, Moriba Koita, Pell Mell, Los de Abajo, Mario Grigorov, Kerekes Band.

Entire program – November 3, 2009

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Newly re-elected President Hamid Karzai is under increasing pressure to address corruption in Afghanistan, residents of Mexico’s most violent cities are seeking refuge across the border, and the story of Ghana’s first Winter Olympian.

Fighting corruption in Afghanistan

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai has vowed to remove the “stigma” of corruption, a day after winning a new five-year term. President Barack Obama has asked Karzai to intensify efforts to eradicate corruption, but are the two leaders on the same page? The World’s Matthew Bell reports. Download MP3(AP Photo: Musadeq Sadeq)

• BBC coverage
• Profile: Hamid Karzai

Copenhagen Climate Summit: Deal or No Deal?

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Negotiators from around the world are meeting in Barcelona in the last round of climate treaty talks before a global summit next month in Copenhagen. The Copenhagen meeting was supposed to produce a new treaty to address the rising threats from global climate change. But as the World’s Marina Giovannelli reports, prospects for an agreement this year are growing dim. Download MP3

• BBC coverage: Copenhagen summit
• Environment coverage on The World
• State of the planet in graphics

Remembering East Germany

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Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, young Germans don’t give a lot of thought to what was once known as the GDR or East Germany. Few know much about a state that vanished before they were even born. And while some educators would rather not dwell on a recent but painful past, others say remembering is the only way to move the whole country forward. Susan Stone reports from Berlin. Download MP3

• The World’s Gerry Hadden revisits the former East German border
• The World’s Alex Gallafent on owning a piece of the Berlin Wall
• Former leaders recall Berlin Wall’s fall