“We are at war”

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In his report about the attempted Christmas Day airliner bombing, President Obama said “we are at war against al Qaeda.” The unclassified summary stated that US intelligence officials had received unspecified “discrete pieces of intelligence” to identify the alleged bomber as an al-Qaeda operative. The World’s Matthew Bell explores what the President means by being “at war”. Download MP3 (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

• Jeb Sharp talks with Matthew Bell about the President’s speech (Jan 7)
• Declassified report
• FAQ Jet bomber case
• Profile of ‘jet bomber’

Another hummus record

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Israel has taken the upper hand in a different kind of Mideast conflict: cooks in a town near Jerusalem have whipped up more than four metric tons of hummus, the chickpea paste that is a staple for many in the region. The cooks doubled the previous record for the world’s biggest serving of hummus, set in October by cooks in Lebanon. Aaron Schachter checks out the culinary delights. Download MP3

• Geo Quiz: pictures of Lebanon’s record hummus
• BBC Jerusalem Diary: Hummus wars

Being gay in Uganda

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A Ugandan government minister has said that a proposed law which includes the death penalty for some homosexual acts is “not necessary”. The bill submitted last October sparked international condemnation. Homosexual acts are punishable by up to 14 years in jail in Uganda. Jeb Sharp talks with Maria Burnett, Uganda researcher for Human Rights Watch, about the anti-gay bill. Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• Internat’l Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission

Moroccan music

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For our Global Hit today, we took an unscientific survey of what people in the city of Marrakech are listening to. The World’s Adeline Sire went to Morocco and took a sampling. Download MP3

• Urban Rai
• Video: DJ Kayz

Rift in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood

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Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the world’s oldest and largest Islamist group, counts 150,000 members But it’s becoming increasingly divided over its role in Egyptian politics. Reporter Ursula Lindsey has the story from Cairo.

Churches attacked in Malaysia

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Jeb Sharp speaks with the BBC’s Jennifer Pak about a spate of attacks on Christian churches in Malaysia. They follow a controversy over the use of the word “Allah” by some Malaysians when referring to the God of Christianity.

Dante descendant in wine-region dust-up

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Wine-makers in northern Italy’s Valpolicella region are worried about a local cement factory’s plans for expansion. Among the wine-makers is a direct descendant of Italy’s greatest poet, Dante. The BBC’s Mark Duff reports.

Geo Quiz

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Where will our Geo Quiz take us today?

Listener comments

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Anchor Jeb Sharp shares some interesting comments from our listeners regarding the Earth’s diameter.

Swiss tax evasion ruling

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A court in Switzerland ruled today that a Swiss financial regulator broke secrecy laws by ordering the bank UBS to release client information to U-S tax authorities. Anchor Jeb Sharp finds out more from Beat Kappeler, an economist and weekly contributor to the daily “Le Temps” in Geneva.

Geo Answer

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For today’s Geo Quiz we were looking for the zoo where FIVE RARE WHITE TIGER CUBS were recently born. The answer is the Chilean National Zoo in Santiago, Chile. Anchor Jeb Sharp finds out more about the white tiger cubs from zoo veterinarian Carolina Ibarra.