Archive for 2012
Zimbabwe’s Capital on the Move
The Geo Quiz wants you to name the capital of Zimbabwe – and if you’re really on top of your game, name the place where the Zimbabwean government wants to build a new capital.
New York Sikhs Organize Help for Sandy Victims
Members of Indian Sikh communities from around New York have organized to help those hardest-hit by Hurricane Sandy. Sikh volunteers are in Queens, providing hot food for displaced people in need of a meal.
Damon Albarn’s Soundscape Gives the BBC Something to Celebrate
These past few weeks have difficult for the people who run the BBC (which of course is one of the co-producers of The World). No-one at the Beeb feels like celebrating a birthday. But the BBC is 90 years old. And, awkward or not, it’s marking the day—November 14, 1922—when it made its first broadcast. [...]
PRI’s The World: 11/13/2012 (Afghanistan, China, Kenya)
What’s next for the US mission in Afghanistan, as the top American general there gets caught up in the widening Petraeus scandal. Also, a popular blogger draws attention to food safety problems in China. Plus, new music from a promising young trumpet player in Kenya.
Afghans Shocked by Scandals Among US Generals
The US commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, is under investigation for inappropriate communications with a Florida woman. It’s the same woman whose complaint exposed the affair which led to the resignation of CIA director, David Petraeus. The scandals are leaving many in Afghanistan with concerns, as anchor Marco Werman hears from the BBC’s Bilal Sarwary in Kabul.
The New Top Commander in Afghanistan
Even before the Petraeus scandal widened, General John Allen’s time as top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan was winding down. Last month, President Obama nominated General Joseph Dunford to replace Allen. If confirmed, Dunford would become the sixth American commander to lead the war in Afghanistan since the conflict began 11 years ago.
Petraeus Scandal Reveals Limits of Email Privacy
The Petraeus scandal offers insights into the security of online communication and the media’s access to military officials, says Zeynep Tufekci a visiting scholar at Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy.
Blogger Wu Heng, A Champion of Food Safety in China
As people in China become increasingly concerned about the safety of the food they eat, more and more of them are demanding that their government take action. One of the most prominent voices on that front is a young food safety blogger. His blog gets more than 5 million hits a month. It’s so popular that authorities are taking his advice.
French Senator Proposes ‘Nutella Tax’
In France, there is a new proposed amendment to put a 300 percent tax on palm oil, which is high in saturated fat and deemed unhealthy. It’s found in innumerable everyday food products like baby-formula, cookies, chocolate bars, and margarine. But the amendment has been nicknamed the “Nutella tax” because the chocolate-hazelnut spread contains no less than 20 percent palm oil.
Music Heard on Air for November 13, 2012
Tunes spun on The World between our reports for November 13, 2012. Artists featured are: Kinky, Super Hi-Fi, The Peronsits, Analog Players Society, Moriba Koita, Grupo Baturque, Christine Kamau.
Yemen, Al Qaeda, and America’s War in Arabia
Author and Yemen scholar Gregory D. Johnsen has written a comprehensive history of al Qaeda in Yemen, and shares his thoughts with The World’s Marco Werman. He observes that al Qaeda’s roots in Yemen go back to the 1990s.
Villa Aurora: House of Creativity and Refuge in Los Angeles
Villa Aurora in the Pacific Palisades district of Los Angeles was a refuge for German Jewish writer Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta after they fled the Nazis in the 1940s. Now, as Julia Simon reports, it provides a temporary home for other persecuted writers from around the world.
Bicycle Innovation on Display in Taiwan
Our Geo Quiz takes us to an international bicycle trade show going on in one of East Asia’s bike manufacturing hubs. The World checks in with Nicole Formosa who’s covering the event for Bicycle Retailer and Industry News to hear more about the innovative technology on exhibit including disc brakes, eBikes, and electronic cabling that’s generating a buzz.
Glimpses into Life in Northern Mali Under Islamist Control
Few journalists are allowed into northern Mali, which is now under the control of fundamentalist Islamic groups. But reporter Paul Mben, a Malian himself, did manage to get in, and tells of what he saw there.
Optimism and Female Power from Kenya Trumpeter Christine Kamau
Guest DJ Mannasseh Phiri tells us about an exciting new trumpet player from Kenya named Christine Kamau. Her debut album is called “This is For You”.
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