Entire program – January 7, 2010

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Today on The World: The latest on the White House report on security lapses that preceded the failed airliner attack on Christmas Day; Also the story behind the near-death and vibrant modern life of the Hebrew language; Why the year 2010 is causing problems for consumers using credit cards and ATM’s in Germany.

The President’s report on Flight 253

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President Obama has spoken of the intelligence failures uncovered by the White House inquiry into the attempted Christmas Day airliner bombing. He said the government had the relevant information – scattered around the system, as he put it – to possibly prevent the attack, but failure to follow up on the information, coupled with a failure of analysis, had left the US exposed. Anchor Jeb Sharp talks with The World’s Matthew Bell about the President’s speech. Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• Declassified report
• FAQ Jet bomber case
• Best of BBC: “I boarded a plane with an aerosol can”

Britain’s winter woes

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People in Britain are struggling with the harshest winter conditions in quite some time. With overnight temperatures as low as zero degrees Fahrenheit and days of snow fall, thousands of schools remain shut and power cuts are affecting thousands of homes. We’ll have more from Laura Lynch reports. Download MP3 (Photo of Hawick, Scotland by Neil Dickson)

• BBC coverage
• User generated pictures from across the UK
• Audio slideshow: 24 hours of snow
• NASA Satellite Photo: Snow covered UK

Israelis mark National Hebrew Day

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A hundred-twenty years ago a scholar named Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, took a dead language and started adding words. Modern Hebrew is still a work in progress. The Academy of the Hebrew Language is constantly introducing new words to keep Israel’s national language up-to-date. Daniel Estrin reports. Download MP3

• See photos
• Vox Tablet
• The Academy of the Hebrew Language
• The World in Words podcast

Germany’s 2010 bug

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Remember the Y2K bug? Well, Germany is experiencing a computer glitch, 10 years after millennium bug. It’s a software problem that’s preventing computers from recognizing “2010″ on credit cards. David Hecht checked it out for us. Download MP3

• Financial Times coverage

BBC slideshow: African elders

The BBC recently asked online visitors from Africa to send in pictures of elders. The result is a stunning slideshow full of pictures like this one. Here, an Ethiopian man meditates by the rock-hewn churches in Lalibela. The photo was sent in to the BBC by Eugene Prahin. Follow the link below to see the entire slideshow.

• Click here to view the slideshow
• Latest news from BBC Africa
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Bomb suspect recruited in Britain

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A top Yemen official said today that the failed Christmas Day bomber Abdul Mutallab was first recruited by al Qaeda in London. Anchor Jeb Sharp speaks with British security analyst Charles Shoebridge about whether the United Kingdom is a fertile breeding ground for radical Islam.

Sudan peace deal in jeopardy

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id agencies in Sudan today warned that the five-year-old peace deal between north and south Sudan could collapse. Reporter Alan Boswell finds out what’s going wrong with the 2005 peace deal that ended a generation of conflict.

Child soldiers in Nepal

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Jeb Sharp speaks with Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict about the use of child soldiers by Maoists in Nepal and the efforts to release them back into society.

Geo Quiz

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Where will our Geo Quiz take us today?

British retailer helps small shop owner

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British-based super retailer, Tesco’s, has extended a helping hand to a local bookstore after the store’s manager emailed Tesco’s chief executive about concerns that the superstore would put her small shop out of business. Anchor Jeb Sharp has details.

Geo answer

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For today’s Geo Quiz we’re looking for a city on the western coast of Sweden that’s home to the Swedish carmaker Saab. Trollhattan is the answer…and also the location of The Saab Automobile Museum. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with museum director Peter Beckstrom about the history of the Saab…and its questionable future. Saab owner General Motors set today for the deadline to shut the company down if a buyer couldn’t be found.

The Saab Museum

We’re looking for a city in south-western Sweden for today’s Geo Quiz. It’s on the banks of a river — known for its waterfalls and canals. But what this city is really known for is Saab.

HaBanot Nechama

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A group of three women singer-songwriters are reviving the folk movement in Israel. The trio isHaBanot Nechama and The World’s Aaron Schachter introduces us to them.

Tour dates

Music Heard on Air for January 7, 2010

Tunes Spun On The Word Between our reports for January 7, 2010. Artists featured are Ali Farka Toure, Ry Cooder, Los de Abajo, Oran Etkin, Rosewell Rudd and Toumani Diabate, Kaki King.