France protests over pensions to continue

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Following large protest marches over pension reforms, the labor unions in France agreed today to call another day of strikes and protests on September 23, raising the stakes in the showdown with Nicolas Sarkozy. The French president promised that the pension reform bill now before parliament could be tweaked to account for special cases but he refused to budge on the core elements of the reform. Anita Elash reports. Download MP3

• BBC video: Strike over French pension reforms

Arabic immersion school teams up with FBI

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Some kindergartners in California spend half their days learning Arabic. Muslim immigrant families there like the program but they’re troubled by the school’s partnership – with the FBI. Hana Baba from station KALW in San Francisco has the second part of our ‘Learning in two languages’ series.
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• Part one: Native Spanish speakers in Southern California
• Learning in two languages series
• The World in Words podcast

MIT develops smartphone-based eye exam

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MIT’s Media Lab is working on a project that could help people in poor countries get their eyes tested using a cellphone. Anchor Marco Werman travelled to the Media Lab to interview researcher Ramesh Raskar and get his eyes checked using the new technology. Download MP3

• Video: See Anchor Marco Werman get an eye exam at MIT
• More on MIT’s NETRA technology
• In The World: Easy on the eyes

World Books Review: Life Under Mao

Bi Feiyu’s satiric novel about village life during the Cultural Revolution is uneven, but he displays an uncanny understanding of young women and the way they use their sexuality to try to take control of their lives.

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

P.K. 14

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Our Global Hit is about a Chinese band that stands out to both Chinese and foreign audiences. The band is called ‘P.K. 14′, and its music has been called post-punk. But its lead singer says he’s been influenced by everything from Bob Dylan and Motown to the Beat Generation and French existentialism. Mary Kay Magistad reports from Beijing. Download MP3

• Video: ‘Some Surprises Happen Too Soon’ by P.K. 14
• P.K. 14 on MySpace
• Global Hit archive
• Global Hit on Facebook

Entire program – September 8, 2010

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Today on The World: French President Nicolas Sarkozy defies massive protests and union threats over a plan to raise the retirement age; Also, a public school in California is set to launch a full, K-12 Arabic-language immersion program; Plus, people in poor countries could soon have access to a quick and inexpensive new eye test via cellphone.