Colombia violence forces students to quit school

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John Otis reports from Medellin, a Colombian city plagued by gang violence. Hundreds of students there have dropped out rather than risk being shot as they walk to school.Download MP3

Entire program – October 26, 2009

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Today on The World: Iran vows to keep processing uranium, despite international pressure; Also, former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, boycotts his own war crimes trial; Plus, efforts in Ukraine to get citizens to speak more Ukrainian and less Russian.

Iraq situation report

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Iraqi officials have raised the death toll from Sunday’s bombings in Baghdad to 155. The co-ordinated attacks were Baghdad’s bloodiest since April 2007. There are fears that such attacks could become more frequent again. The World’s Jason Margolis takes a look at what’s been going on in Iraq. Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• Back to the bad old days for Iraq?

Ukraine’s language

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Ukraine became independent from the Soviet Union 18 years ago. One of the first moves Ukrainian nationalists took was to make Ukrainian the official state language. But as Brigid McCarthy reports, Russian remains the language of choice and there’s a move to change that. Download MP3

• The World in Words podcast
• Jason Margolis reported extensively from Ukraine in 2008

Hummus world record

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Hummus is on the menu for today’s Geo Quiz. Hummus is a concoction of mashed chickpeas, olive oil, and lemon juice with a pinch of salt and garlic. It’s especially popular in the Middle East where it originated. Today’s Geo Quiz wants to get a bit more specific… Download MP3

• See photos of the giant plate of hummus
• Watch a video

Fast food in Nigeria

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Mr. Bigg’s is the largest fast food chain in Africa’s most populous country. This Nigerian chain, loosely modeled on McDonald’s, offers hamburgers and French fries as well as local fare. But running a fast food operation is no easy feat in a country beset by mismanagement, corruption, and a lack of infrastructure. David Hecht reports. (Photo: David Hecht) Download MP3

• Mr. Bigg’s website
• Wikipedia: Mr. Bigg’s

Festival of Harps

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Recently, some 40 international harpists and groups of harpists gathered in Oakland, California. The idea behind this Festival of Harps was to move harp music beyond its traditional conventions. That wasn’t hard to do, given that the harps included everything from the African kora, to the Celtic harp, to the Paraguayan harp. Lonny Shavelson will have our story later today. Also, be sure to click below for Lonny’s video of a rehearsal session. Download MP3

• Watch Lonny’s video
• More on the Festival of Harps

Iran’s nuclear issue

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Today, Iran’s foreign minister said his government may agree to send some of its nuclear fuel abroad, but Iran will not give up its right to enrich uranium at home. We speak with Joseph Cirincione, a non-proliferation expert and president of the Ploughshares Fund in Washington.

Good morning Afghanistan!

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Today radio listeners in Afghanistan were treated to a new station and a new program — Good Morning Afghanistan! The radio station is for the British armed forces in Afghanistan. We speak with Dusty Miller, the station manager and morning host.

Wristwatches of the Russian elite

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Journalists, it has to be said, kind of enjoy giving politicians a hard time. Now one Russian newspaper has struck on a timely way of doing it. The World’s Alex Gallafent reports.

Former Serb leader stalls The Hague

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The trial of Radovan Karadzic began in the Hague today. The former Bosnian Serb leader faces charges of war crimes and genocide. And as Emily Kopp reports, Karadzic is boycotting the trial.

The challenges of an international court

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Jeb Sharp speaks with Law professor Lawrence Douglas about the challenges facing those trying Radivan Karadzic in The Hague.

Racism story

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A court in South Africa today postponed a very controversial trial. The defendants are four white college students who attended the University of the Free State. They were expelled after making a racist video that was posted on the Internet. The BBC’s Karen Allen reports from Bloemfontein.

Geo Quiz

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Our daily geography puzzler.