Entire program – July 1, 2010

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The Taliban says it there is no point in negotiating with NATO forces because it is winning the war in Afghanistan. Then, a conversation with two military widows who say losing their husbands also left them lost between the military and civilian worlds. Plus, another espionage case, but his time Canada has concerns about China.

Taliban touts strength, declines talks

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The Taliban has said it’s not interested in opening negotiations with NATO forces. The prospect of talks had been raised by senior U.S. and British forces. But in a statement, the Taliban said it’s winning the war, so there was no reason for them to negotiate. The World’s Jason Margolis has more.
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• Taliban attack on Nato base in Afghanistan is ‘repelled’
• Afghan troop map: US and Nato deployments

Widows seek community, meaning

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Host Katy Clark speaks with Taryn Davis, whose husband, Army Corporal Michael Davis, was killed in Iraq in 2007, and Michele Neff Hernandez of the “Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation.” The women describe how military widows can often feel shunned by their communities when a spouse dies, and how they don’t exactly fit in the civilian world either. Download MP3

• Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation
• American Widow Project

Foreign films compete in cluttered media market

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You used to have to live in New York or Los Angeles or some sophisticated college town to see foreign films. Now, theoretically at least, technology can bring foreign films to you, wherever you live. That’s the theory anyway. The World’s Alex Gallafent reports on why foreign films remain a tough sell in the United States despite all the new ways to get them out there. Download MP3

• IFC Films
• Kino International
• Tribeca Film

Wimbledon soothes Britain’s World Cup woes

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Sports fans in London may be devastated by England’s poor performance in the soccer World Cup, but they can turn to Wimbledon and Scottish tennis player Andy Murray to regain their hopes for victory. The World’s Laura Lynch reports.

British ad mogul donates artworks

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The British advertising tycoon and art collector Charles Saatchi is donating more than 200 modern works AND the Saatchi Gallery in London to the British government. Anchor Katy Clark speaks with Richard Cork, art critic for The Times of London.

Hearings for suspected Russian spies

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Anchor Katy Clark talks with the Washington Post’s Jeff Stein about the latest on the case of the alleged Russian spies arrested this week in the US.

Jeff Stein’s ‘Spy Talk’ column

Canada worried about Chinese influence

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Some in Candada, including the head of the nation’s intelligence agency, worry that China is out to exert its influence on Canadian officials. The concern is that the Chinese government is behind covert actions to influence local councils and politicians. Reporter Curt Petrovich has the story from Vancouver.

Geo Quiz

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Now, a national holiday is one of the clues to our geo quiz. We are looking for an East African country marking 50 years of independence today. On July 1st 1960, two territories that had been administered by the UK and Italy joined together to become one republic. It would take another 2 decades to complete a constitution. The legal system relies on a mix of English and Italian laws, and Islamic sharia. In 1991, this country’s president was ousted by armed clans; civil war began.
And there’s still fighting. Government troops today are battling Islamic militants. So where is this troubled country bordered by Kenya and Ethiopia?

Geo Answer

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For today’s geoquiz we’re in search of an East African country that’s celebrating 50 years of independence today. On July 1st 1960, this country joined two territories that had been administered by the UK and Italy, and became one republic. The answer is Somalia.

Congolese mambo

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Our global hit today is about one song with two messages. A Congolese mambo classic once hailed the country’s new independence from Belgium in 1960. Now a reworked version of the same song bemoans the widespread misery there. The World’s Marco Werman reports.

Decades of civil war

Now, a national holiday is one of the clues to our geo quiz. We are looking for an East African country marking 50 years of independence today. On July 1st 1960, two territories that had been administered by the UK and Italy joined together to become one republic. It would take another two decades to complete a constitution. The legal system relies on a mix of English and Italian laws, and Islamic sharia.

Rebuilding Liberia

The West African nation of Liberia suffered through an on-again, off-again civil war for 14 years from 1989 to 2003. The country was economically devastated: Roads were destroyed, sewage and water largely ceased functioning, and electricity was knocked out throughout the entire country. A generation of young people, many of whom were child soldiers, never received a formal education. Many were psychologically traumatized by a brutal and at-times bizarre war. The World’s Jason Margolis spent two weeks in Liberia to examine the challenges of rebuilding a war-torn nation.

Music Heard on Air for July 1, 2010

Tunes Spun On The World Between Our Reports For July 1, 2010. Artists featured are Gipsy Kings, Ali Farka Toure, Ry Cooder, Mongo Santamaria, Kerekes Band, Ensemble FizFuz, Carol Thompson.

Global Political Cartoons: Russian Spies

Spies in suburbia. The latest cartoons about the eleven alleged Russian spies living in the United States and how for years they went about their business living very ordinary American lives.

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