Entire program – November 4, 2009

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Today on The World: Former Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah refuses to join the government and says he’ll continue to demand corruption reform, Germany reacts in anger at GM’s decision not to sell its European subsidiary Opel; and how a picnic in Communist Hungary played a role in bringing down the Iron Curtain.

Karzai rival continues criticism

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s main presidential opponent Abdullah Abdullah, who dropped out of the run-off election, today questioned the legitimacy of the Karzai government. The World’s Aaron Schachter reports.

Religious leaders promise climate action

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Global religious leaders gathered in England to urge–and offer–commitments to combat climate change. The World’s Jane Little reports.

German anger over GM’s decision on Opel

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General Motors has decided not to sell its European subsidiary, Opel. And that has the German government fuming. Reporter Brett Neely has the story from Berlin.

Touring the Carter Museum

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In 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter stumbled upon one of the most famous finds in Egyptology — the tomb of Tutankhamun. Today Carter’s house by the Valley of the Kings was opened as a museum. The BBC’s Yolande Knell went on a tour of the new museum.

Geo Quiz

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Our daily geography puzzler.

Geo answer

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Producer Mariana Schroeder sent us an audio postcard from Jamaica — the answer to our Geo Quiz. She stopped in for lunch at roadside stand manned by a 26-year-old cook named Omar. His specialty is Jerk.

Entire program – October 30, 2009

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Today on The World: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton takes on the stalled Mideast peace process this weekend; Also, what’s behind a new agreement that expands the US military presence in Colombia, And why Japan has so many different flavors of Kit Kat bars.

Podcast: New Peace Lobby for Israel

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On this week’s American Influence podcast, J Street has its coming out party in Washington. The new pro-Israel, pro-peace lobby group creates a stir. And US-funded Palestinian security forces in the West Bank. Join The World’s Matthew Bell for his weekly in-depth look at US foreign policy and its effects across the globe. Download MP3

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Orchid Ensemble

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We hear music from Canadian-based trio, Orchid Ensemble. Its latest CD is inspired in part by the Uyghur music of northwestern China. The title of “Road to Kashgar.” And the Uyghur city of Kashgar is the answer to our Geo Quiz today.

Entire program – October 29, 2009

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Today on The World: Why the new US defense bill includes funds to pay Taliban members, An Egyptian comedian tackles taboo subjects with his own version of Da Ali G. Show, and Spain’s economic woes forces small towns to sweep their own streets.

Twitter freedom, a zeitgeisty Chinese word, and Lakota immersion

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Question: what happens when a court gags a newspaper? Answer: The gag sags, 140 characters at a time. That’s what happened this month when microbloggers tweeted what The Guardian couldn’t report. Also, a group of Beijing and expat artists discover a Chinese word that seems to convey the state of China today; and the near-death – and possible rebirth – of the native American Lakota language, with an assist from a German rock star.

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Bilingual metaphors, place name changes, and interpreting for the Dodgers

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In this week’s World in Words podcast, Nobel literature prize winner Herta Mueller dreamed up metaphors in a mix of her native German and the Romanian she learned at school. Try translating that into English. Also, a conversation with the author of “Whatever Happened to Tanganika? The Place Names that History Left Behind.” And a profile of the man the Los Angeles Dodgers hired to interpret for the team’s Japanese players.

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Gaddafi’s translator and Nazi slogans in English

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In the latest World in Words podcast, the top five language-related stories from the past month. Among them: the sad tale of Muammar Gaddafi’s translator at the United Nations; the quixotic tale of the real estate mogul who is trying to export Korean Hangul script to Indonesia; and a German court’s decision to permit Nazi hate speech, so long as it’s not in German.

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Entire program – October 9, 2009

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Today on The World: International reaction to President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize; Also, how city living could help the world’s honeybees make a comeback; And the plight of those people around the globe who are displaced from their land in the name of conservation.