Libya rebels advance

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The uprising against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is in its sixth week. The rebels had been losing ground until the Western-led air strikes began on March 19th. Those strikes have enabled the rebels to regain control of eastern Libya and they are now advancing west along the main coastal road. Correspondent Ben Gilbert is in the rebel held city of Benghazi. Download MP3
Live updates from the BBC

Entire program – March 5, 2010

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Today on The World: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown defends Britain’s role in the Iraq war; Also, how soldiers feel about the Oscar-nominated film, “The Hurt Locker”; Plus 95-year-old British dancer Frederic Franklin on his life on stage, past and present.

Kirkuk and the Iraqi election

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Nearly 1.5 million Iraqis living abroad have begun casting their votes in parliamentary elections, people in Iraq itself will vote on Sunday. The northern city of Kirkuk is ground zero for a potential conflict following the planned US withdrawal: the struggle between Arabs and Kurds over a large part of the country’s north. In his second story from Kirkuk, reporter Ben Gilbert looks at the role Kirkuk plays in the Iraq vote. Download MP3 (Photo: Ben Gilbert)

• Ben Gilbert’s first report from Kirkuk
• Iraqi voters discuss election
• The struggle for Iraq

Richard Holbrooke on the fight against the Taliban

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For years Pakistan’s northwest has been plagued by Islamist violence fueled by anger over the war in Afghanistan and Islamabad’s alliance with Washington. A Pakistani military offensive that began in October against the Pakistani Taliban spurred attacks that killed more than 600 people. Marco Werman talks with Washington’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, about US policy in the region. Download MP3
(Photo: Martha Stewart/Harvard’s Institute of Politics)

• BBC coverage: Taliban conflict
• On The World: Is the Afghan army ready for prime time?

War movies and the Oscars

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One of the big-time Oscar favorites this weekend is The Hurt Locker. The film describes the work of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team, a group of soldiers in Iraq whose job it is to diffuse bombs. Host Marco Werman talks with Michael Kamber, a New York Times photographer in Baghdad, about the unrealistic aspects of The Hurt Locker and with film critic and historian David Thomson about the role of war films. Download MP3

• “The Hurt Locker” page
• BBC coverage of the Oscars
• Oscar.com
• Essay: How Not to Depict a War

Walking across the world’s deepest lake

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We’re tracking two Canadian adventurers for our Geo Quiz today. They’re attempting to cross a frozen lake in Siberia. It’s not just any lake – it’s about 400 miles across and its the deepest lake in the world. It’s the planet’s largest reservoir of fresh water. Download MP3

• Follow the Siberian Express
• Take a guided tour with The World’s environment editor Peter Thomson

Dancing through the 20th century

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The World’s Alex Gallafent introduces us to ballet dancer Frederic Franklin. At 95 years old, he’s still performing on stage. Franklin got his big break in Paris, back in the 1930s. He later went on to star in the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo before making his home in the United States. Franklin tells his own story on today’s show. Download MP3 (Photo courtesy of Frederic Franklin / Maurice Seymour)

• Photo gallery
• Music heard in this story

Iraqis in US cast votes

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Reporter Susannah George spoke with Iraqis living in the US about Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Iraq.

Brown defends Britain’s Iraq role

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British Prime Minister Gordon Brown testified today before an inquiry into Britain’s decision to enter the Iraq War. Brown defended Britain’s role in the conflict. The World’s Laura Lynch has details.

Pakistan and the Taliban

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The World’s Katy Clark reports on Pakistan’s recent anti-Taliban efforts and whether it marks a significant step forward in US-Pakistani cooperation.