Entire program – June 10, 2010

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download MP3
Today on The World: The Gulf Oil spill as a national security threat; Also, a poker player’s view of nuclear negotiations with North Korea and Iran; Plus, how the official soccer ball of the World Cup has evolved over the years.

Bilateral discontent over BP oil spill

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

In Britain, there are growing fears that the nation’s image has been damaged by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. And British politicians say Barack Obama is at least partly to blame because of his remarks about British Petroleum. It’s all prompted British Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene. Cameron will call President Obama this weekend in hopes of improving relations. Laura Lynch reports from London. (image shows David Cameron with President Obama in April) Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• US backlash against BP
• BP’s tarnished image

The murder of albinos in Tanzania

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The East African country of Tanzania is known for its natural beauty and relative stability. But recently it’s become known for something quite macabre — the killings and mutilations of members of Tanzania’s albino population. They’re spurred by a lucrative trade in albino body parts for witchdoctor rituals. The World’s Jeb Sharp reports from Dar es Salaam. Download MP3

• Read more
• Audio slideshow: Senegal’s traditional healers
• Phillip Martin’s reports on albinism

The new World Cup ball

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Adidas’ new ball for the World Cup is named after the isiZulu word for “celebrate” but goaltenders aren’t celebrating. They think that the soccer ball’s flight will be erratic, leading to more goals. Alex Gallafent checked it out. Download MP3 (flickr image: CLF)

• World Cup balls 1970-2010
• World Cup 2010 on The World
• The language of soccer
• World Cup History

World Books Review: A Turkish Delight

The latest novel (now in paperback) from Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk centers on a wealthy Istanbul man who goes against convention and chooses a life governed by passion. The book also proffers a profound depiction of Istanbul, a city whose identity is symbolized by the Bosphorus—a bridge between the Middle East and Europe, Muslim and Christian, traditional and secular. What results is an urban portrait recalling the grimness of Dostoyevsky’s St. Petersburg and the romanticism of Proust’s Paris.

• Subscribe to the World Books podcast via iTunes
• Bill Marx’s Arts Fuse blog

Belgian pitch heads to the World Cup

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

One country that didn’t qualify for this year’s World Cup is Belgium. The national team, known as the Red Devils, won’t be making the trip to South Africa. But just because the Belgians aren’t on the field doesn’t mean they aren’t in the field. Our technology correspondent Clark Boyd sent in this report. Download MP3 (Photo courtesy of Desso)

• Watch a video of turf grass installation
• See photos of the Desso GrassMaster

American Shaolin previews Karate Kid

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The new ‘Karate Kid’ movie opens in US theaters on Friday. The remake of the martial arts classic also highlights China’s role as an essential American partner and rival, both culturally and economically. Matthew Polly is the author of the bestseller “American Shaolin” and he screened the movie for us. (image courtesy of Sony Pictures) Download MP3

• Movie trailer
• Matthew Polly’s website

Oil spill and national security

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download MP3
The damage caused by the BP oil spill in the Gulf is expected to affect the region’s environment and economy for decades. And some are suggesting it’s a greater threat to US national security than anything that’s going on in Afghanistan. The World’s Katy Clark has the story.

Nuclear poker game

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download MP3
Anchor Marco Werman speaks with journalist and poker player James McManus, who brings his poker skills to his observations of North Korea and Iran. He’s been watching those countries’ leaders to find patterns in how they portray their nuclear capabilities.

Egypt attempts smoking ban

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download MP3
Egypt is trying to make the city of Alexandria smoke-free. But as The World’s Carol Hills reports, it’s a hard sell in that country of smokers.

World cup excitement in South Africa

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download MP3
Anchor Marco Werman speaks with journalist Stephen Grootes in Johannesburg about the atmosphere there one day before of the beginning of the soccer World Cup.

Geo Quiz

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download MP3
Our daily geography quiz.

Geo answer

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download MP3
The answer to today’s Geo Quiz is Armenia, where an international team of archaeologists has discovered what’s believed to be the oldest leather shoe ever found. The World’s David Leveille reports.

Kung Fu Fighting Song

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

This remix of Carl Douglas’s 1974 smash hit, “Kung Fu Fighting” came out a few years ago. It takes us out of China and across to Japan. This version come from one of the most successful reggae-dub outfits to come out of Japan, a group called Audio Active. Download MP3

Music Heard on Air for June 10, 2010

Tunes Spun On The World Between Our Reports For June 10, 2010. Artists featured are, Ali Farka Toure, Ry Cooder, Nguyen Le, Kila, DIG feat. Omar Sosa y Greg Landau.