Entire program – December 16, 2009

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Today on The World: Chaos at the Copenhagen climate summit, as delegates struggle to hammer out a deal; Also, how climate change is affecting how farmers in Peru make a living; Plus, a high court discrimination ruling divides Britain’s Jewish community.

Copenhagen police battle climate talks protesters

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Police have forced back hundreds of protesters who tried to break through a perimeter fence at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen. Activists have been angered by lack of progress on a new climate deal and also by restrictions on access to the talks. Inside the conference, today’s “high-level” session was delayed when several developing countries protested about procedural issues. The World’s environment editor Peter Thomson reports from the Copenhagen summit. Download MP3 (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

• All of our coverage of Copenhagen 2009
• Environment stories on The World
• Offical Copenhagen webcast
• BBC photos from Copenhagen

Climate change in Peru

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Deep divisions between rich and poor nations are threatening to derail the negotiations at the climate summit in Copenhagen. The consequences of failure would have a global impact, from the world’s mountains to its jungles. Peru is a country that has both. John Beaupre tells us that the South American nation is feeling the effects of climate change from top to bottom. Download MP3

• See more pictures related this story
• The World’s coverage of Copenhagen 2009
• BBC coverage of the Copenhagen summit
• Audio slideshow: Saving Peru’s native potatoes

Parsing global climate change polls

Have you ever wondered why two polls on climate change, both done by credible organizations and both asking not dissimilar questions, can come up with strikingly different results? Well, so has political scientist Richard Worthington (pictured). Worthington’s in Copenhagen this week, and science journalist Daniel Grossman caught up with him. Continue reading by following the links below.

• Read the rest of this blog post
• Read Daniel’s post on Denmark’s most eco-friendly home

More nuclear worries about Iran

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Iran announced today that it had successfully tested a long-range missile capable of hitting Israel and US targets in the Gulf. The news comes days after new documents published by The Times of London suggesting that Iran was close to completing an atom bomb. The Times’ Catherine Philp who uncovered the documents talks with host Marco Werman. Download MP3

• Catherine Philp’s article in The Times of London
• Iran denies Times newspaper ‘nuclear trigger’ report
• Background Brief: Nuclear standoff with Iran

Micronesian nation

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The Geo Quiz takes us to Micronesia today. That puts us in the western reaches of the Pacific ocean. Hundreds of islands make up Micronesia. We’re looking for an eight square mile island that qualifies as the world’s smallest nation. Now this Pacific island is joining up with Russia, Venezuela, and Nicaragua in an interesting diplomatic venture. Can you name our mystery nation? Download MP3

• Geo Quiz archive

Court ruling against UK Jewish school

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Britain’s Supreme Court ruled against a Jewish school that refused admission to a student who it says was not ethnically Jewish. The court says that’s discrimination. But many orthodox Jews in Britain disagree. The World’s Religion Editor, Jane Little has the story.

Shroud reveals evidence of ancient leprosy

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DNA evidence from an ancient burial shroud found in Jerusalem reveals the earliest proven case of leprosy. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with a member of the team that studied the shroud — James Tabor, professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina.

Why climate deal is still possible

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Anchor Marco Werman speaks with former US climate negotiator Kathleen McGinty. She was a member of the U.S. delegation to the Kyoto climate summit back in 1997. She says a climate agreement is still possible in Copenhagen.

Iran’s nuclear trigger memo

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Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Catherine Philp, diplomatic correspondent with the Times of London newspaper. She recently worked on a report that suggests Iran is in the final stages of producing a trigger for a nuclear weapon.

How his friends hiked into Iran

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Anchor Marco Werman speaks with the man who ALMOST went on a hike that ended with the arrest of three Americans by Iran. Shon Meckfessel stayed behind that fateful day because he had a cold. Now he’s closely watching the fate of his friends, who are facing a trial in Iran.

Rights activists struggle in Russia

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The World’s Laura Lynch reports on human rights organizations and other non-governmental groups are faring in Russia. The government there has clamped down hard on such groups.

Geo Quiz

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Our daily geography quiz.

Geo answer

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Today’s Geo Quiz asked for the name of the smallest independent country in the world. The answer is Nauru a small island nation in the Pacific. It recently raised eyebrows by becoming only the fourth nation to recognize Abkhazia. That’s one of the rebel regions in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Anchor Marco Werman finds out more from Jack Hitt, a reporter who’s visited Nauru.

Juliani

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For today’s Global Hit, American rap meets Kenyan street slang. The World’s Andrea Crossan profiles Kenyan rapper Julius Owino.