Working conditions in China

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The World’s Mary Kay Magistad reports on changing labor conditions in China. Workers there are increasingly pressing their case for higher wages and better work conditions. That means Chinese businesses are having to rethink their profit models. Download MP3(flickr image: Remko Tanis)

• China’s quest for soft power
• Mary Kay’s award winning series ‘Created in China’

Nneka

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Singer Nneka Egbuna goes simply by her first name. Nneka was born in Nigeria to a Nigerian father and German mother. She has been called an “Afro-German warrior princess.” The description is a bit deceiving. We hear more today. Download MP3

• Nneka’s tour dates
• KCRW: World Cup Music
• Nneka’s website

Baboons in vineyards and Mars500 isolation

In the science podcast: South African vineyards have a new species of visitors – baboons and after a tropical storm Guatemala City is trying to cope with a sinkhole that’s 60 feet wide and 100 feet deep. Also: Russia’s simulated manned mission to Mars and an anthropologist explains how Bruce Springsteen’s music fits into her work.

• Download the podcast here
• Science Forum
• Jeb Sharp on Mars500 isolation

Mourning the dead in Kyrgyzstan

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Anchor Marco Werman gets the latest on the violence in Kyrgyzstan from the BBC’s Rayhan Demytrie. The last few days have been filled with ethnic clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks that have left more than 180 people dead.

North Korea at the World Cup

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Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Bryan Clark of England who’s at the World Cup in South Africa, about why he’s a fan of the North Korean soccer team.

Female mutilation in northern Iraq

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Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Jessie Graham of Human Rights Watch about a report released today on the high rate of female genital mutilation in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

Climate change threatens Egyptian delta

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Climate change and rising sea levels are a growing threats to Egypt’s fertile Nile delta. Some Egyptians are pushing for drastic action to protect the delta, but the government doesn’t seem interested. Correspondent Ursula Lindsay reports from Alexandria.

A tale of two women in Tehran

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Tehran erupted in street protests last summer following Iran’s disputed presidential election. A young Iranian woman named Neda was shot and killed during the protests and became the face of the protest movement there. But the photo used to represent the movement was actually of a different Neda. Anchor Marco Werman gets the story from Cameron Abadi of Foreign Policy Magazine.

• The story of Iran’s other Neda Soltani

Geo Quiz / Geo answer

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For today’s Geo Quiz, we asked which of South Africa’s World Cup venues is farthest south? The answer is Port Elizabeth.

World Cup hosting cities

For today’s Geo Quiz remember that interview we heard earlier in the show with an English soccer fan? Bryan Clark travelled to South Africa to watch the World Cup. He’s in Johannesburg which is home to two soccer stadiums. One’s called Soccer City and the other is named Ellis Park.

• BBC interactive map

Music Heard on Air for June 16, 2010

Tunes Spun On The World Between Our Reports For June 16, 2010. Artists featured are Ali Farka Toure, Ry Cooder, Mongo Santamaria, Steve Dyer, Yoshida Brothers, Baaba Maal & Mansour Seck.

Entire program – June 15, 2010

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Today on The World: President Obama’s Oval Office address on the oil spill in the Gulf; Also, lessons learned from the massive oil spill in Spain eight years ago; Plus, the composer behind the music of Slumdog Millionaire takes his show on the road.

Aftermath of 2002 oil spill in Spain

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President Obama will speak to the nation from the Oval Office tonight about the continuing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The White House says Mr. Obama will outline his plan to contain the environmental disaster and hold oil giant BP responsible. Eight years ago, millions of gallons of oil smothered the northwest coast of Spain. Fishing stocks have rebounded now, but as Gerry Hadden reports, no one is sure of the long-term health effects. Download MP3

• Watch Gerry Hadden’s video
• Stricken oil tanker sinks
• Salvaging the Prestige

Infrastructure for Afghanistan offensive

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The commander of the US led milltary coalition fighting in Afghanistan has said an upcoming offensive in Kandahar will likely take longer than planned. That’s because the first part of the surge – constructing the buildings and security checkpoints and bases from which some of the thousands of new US troops involved in the operation will operate – is still in the works. Ben Gilbert reports. Download MP3 (photo: Ben Gilbert)

• BBC: What now in Afghanistan’s crucial year?
• Meeting with Afghan village elders
• The war in Afghanistan

‘Bloody Sunday’ dead all innocent

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An inquiry into the ‘Bloody Sunday’ events – in which 13 Catholics were shot dead by British soldiers in Northern Ireland in 1972 – has found the deaths were both unjustified and unjustifiable. Announcing the findings, British Prime Minister Cameron said none of those who died had been armed, no warning had been given by the army and some of the victims had been trying to tend to the dying. Laura Lynch reports.

• Bloody Sunday Report at a glance
• Bloody Sunday: what happened?