http://www.theworld.org The World is a US-based international news and analysis program co-produced by the BBC World Service, Public Radio International, and WGBH Public Radio in Boston. Hosted by Marco Werman. en-us Copyright 2010 PRI's The World Public Radio International Public Radio International theworld@pri.org 30 no http://www.theworld.org/theworld_logo.jpg http://www.theworld.org http://www.theworld.org http://media.theworld.org/pod/show/02082010full.mp3 Today on The World: US and NATO troops prepare for a major operation against a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan; Also, clandestine dining in Spain that requires a password... or a fingerscan; And a Scottish balladeer with a new take on an old tradition. http://www.theworld.org http://media.theworld.org/audio/020820101.mp3 Hundreds of villagers living in a Taliban-controlled area of southern Afghanistan are leaving before a major NATO-led offensive gets under way. It is expected to be one of the largest counter-insurgency operations since the Afghan conflict began in 2001. The operation to clear insurgents from the southern town of Marjah, in Helmand province, is expected to begin soon. The BBC’s Frank Gardner is 90 miles east of Marjah in Kandahar. http://www.theworld.org http://media.theworld.org/audio/020820102.mp3 US led forces in Afghanistan are increasing their efforts to train a professional Afghan national police force. But as the CBC's Derek Stoffel reports from Kandahar, that force is plagued by corruption and low pay. http://www.theworld.org http://media.theworld.org/audio/020820103.mp3 Viktor Yanukovich won yesterday's presidential runoff in Ukraine. He was the loser in Ukraine's Orange Revolution back in 2004. But times have changed. Anchor Marco Werman speaks with Mykola Riabchuk of the Uraine Center for Cultural Studies in Kiev about yesterday's election results. http://www.theworld.org http://media.theworld.org/audio/020820104.mp3 Anchor Marco Werman tells us about a Ukrainian writer who lives in England. Marina Lewycka was nearly 60 when her first book was published. And now she's backing a British campaign to encourage older people to join book clubs and even write their own novels. http://www.theworld.org http://media.theworld.org/audio/020820105.mp3 The police in Barcelona recently raided a suspicious looking dry cleaners. It was late at night and something fishy was going on. People were going in. But they weren’t coming out. It had all the makings of a front for some illegal business. Turns out it was a front. But the cops didn’t find anything nefarious. Just people eating dinner. The World’s Gerry Hadden explains. http://www.theworld.org http://media.theworld.org/audio/020820106.mp3 Anchor Marco Werman has details on how the song "My Way" has become deadly to sing in Philippine karaoke bars. http://www.theworld.org http://media.theworld.org/audio/020820107.mp3 Medgar Evers College Preparatory School is a public school in central Brooklyn, NY. Most of its student population is African American and Afro-Caribbean. The school runs one of the largest Chinese language programs for students not from a Chinese background in the US. The World’s Alex Gallafent went back to school for us. http://www.theworld.org http://media.theworld.org/audio/020820108.mp3 Where will our Geo Quiz take us today? http://www.theworld.org http://media.theworld.org/audio/020820109.mp3 Are you on the Internet because you're depressed, or are you depressed because you're spending too much time on the Internet? Anchor Marco Werman discusses the question with The World's Clark Boyd. http://www.theworld.org http://media.theworld.org/audio/0208201010.mp3 Today's Geo Quiz links North, Central, and South America. The answer is the American Cordilleran System. Jacob Thompson and some friends rode the whole thing on their mountain bikes. He tells us about their trip. http://www.theworld.org http://media.theworld.org/audio/02082010.mp3 Scottish singer Karine Polwart crafts songs which combine the Scots ballad tradition with contemporary issues to create a sound utterly her own. Her skill as a songwriter and the power of her singing have propelled her to the forefront of the traditional music scene in Scotland. Now working as a solo artist, Polwart previously performed with the band Malinky (which she founded), MacAlias, and as the lead singer for The Battlefield Band. She talks with Marco Werman about her music and the ballad tradition in our Boston studio.