Entire program – July 20, 2009

Today on The World: gaping holes in the security of one of Afghanistan’s most dangerous cities; a former Soviet space program official recalls the day he heard about Americans landing on the moon; and tensions are rising due to a water shortage throughout the Middle East.

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Pentagon wants overhaul of Afghan jails

A new Pentagon report calls for a major overhaul of the prison system in Afghanistan. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with New York Times correspondent Eric Schmitt about concerns that Afghan jails are churning out a new generation of Taliban militants, even as the US is trying to combat fighters already on the ground.
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Taliban insurgency

Kandahar’s security lacking

James Murray reports on what Canadian soldiers found when they conducted an unnannounced check of police checkpoints in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. There was evidence of some gaping holes in the city’s security. Murray is embedded with the Canadian forces.
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Divisions emerge in Iran

Iran’s Supreme leader today warned Iranians not to play into the hands of the country’s enemies. This after other senior leaders spoke out against the outcome of last month’s disputed presidential election. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Ramin Mostaghim, special correspondent for the Los Angeles Times in Tehran.
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Iran protests

Space race memories

It’s been 40 years since the United States’ astronauts landed on the moon. It’s been one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind and it appears even more of a leap for some Russians to believe that the Americans actually landed on the moon first. Jessica Golloher has the details from Moscow.
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Former Soviet space official on US moon landing

Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Roald Sagdeev, former director of the Soviet Space Institute. He recalls his reaction to the news 40 years ago to a successful US moon landing.
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Obama’s Mideast policy

U. S. President Barack Obama has been in office for 6 months. The World’s Aaron Schachter takes a look at the impact the young administration has had on Middle East politics so far.
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Long Drought Worsens Middle East Tensions

The Middle East has had several years of drought with threats of even less rain in the years to come. Across the region, from Israel to Iraq, there’s more use of water and less water available and that’s exacerbating the political tensions and problems. Linda Gradstein reports, in the first of her two reports on the Middle East’s growing water crisis.
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Geo Quiz and Answer

On Wednesday, millions of people across Asia will witness the longest total solar eclipse that will happen this century. For today’s Geo Quiz we asked you where the eclipse will appear first and last. It will first be visible at dawn in India’s Gulf of Khambhat, just north of Mumbai and last from Nikumaroro Island in the South Pacific nation of Kiribati.
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Geo Quiz archive

Frank McCourt dies

Author Frank McCourt published his first book in his sixties. The successful “Angela’s Ashes” portrayed the slums of Limerick, Ireland and became controversial in Ireland.
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Eileen Battersby’s article on Frank McCourt in The Irish Times