Matthew Bell

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Matthew Bell


US-Pakistani cooperation

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The World’s Matthew Bell reports that the reported capture of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Baradar could signal increased cooperation between the United States and Pakistan.

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Growing US-China rift over trade and arms

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China has hit back at the US a day after President Barack Obama promised to take a tougher line with Beijing over currency and trade. Ties between the US and China have been strained over an arms deal with Taiwan. Tensions have also risen over a planned visit to the US by the Dalai Lama. The World’s Matthew Bell takes at look at how strained US-China relations really are. Download MP3
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US missiles and Iran

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The Pentagon says it’s expanding land and sea-based missile defense systems in and around the Persian Gulf. The moves are intended to counter what the US considers a growing missile threat from Iran. The buildup comes as President Obama is pushing for a new round of sanctions against the Iranians over their nuclear program. The World’s Matthew Bell reports that the military expansion seems to be part of an evolving policy toward Iran.


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How to help Haitians quicker

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Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are attempting to leave the capital, Port au Prince, devastated by last week’s earthquake. Aid officials have started to put up tent cities on the outskirts for up to 400,000 people, to try to halt the spread of disease. The aid effort in Haiti has been frustratingly slow by some accounts. The World’s Matthew Bell looks into how aid agencies might do better. Download MP3 (Photo:Olivier Laban Mattei/AFP/Getty Images)

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Multiple Taliban attacks in Afghanistan

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Taliban gunmen and suicide bombers have attacked buildings in the heart of the Afghan capital, Kabul, setting off explosions and sparking gun battles. Fighting erupted near the Serena Hotel and the presidential palace, although Afghan President Karzai says security has now been restored. The Taliban said 20 of its fighters took part in the attack. The World’s Matthew Bell reports on the implications of the brazen Taliban attack. Download MP3


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American Influence Podcast: Haiti in crisis

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This episode of The World’s American Influence podcast takes a look at the response to the earthquake in Haiti. The BBC’s Andy Gallacher gives an account from the ground. The World’s Katy Clark talks with some Haitian Americans in Boston. And correspondent Amy Bracken has a reporter’s notebook. Download MP3

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“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)
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Failure “to connect the dots”

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Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair has promised action after sharp criticism from President Barack Obama over the failed attempt to blow up flight 253 on Christmas Day. The intelligence community had failed to “connect the dots”, Mr Obama said in a statement, adding: “That’s not acceptable, and I will not tolerate it.” Matthew Bell looks at the fallout after the President’s remarks. Download MP3

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Dealing with Iran

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President Obama has put Iran on notice: start meeting demands on nuclear activites by 2010 or face the possiblity of crippling sanctions. The World’s Matthew Bell looks into US options now that the deadline is passed. Download MP3 (HO/AFP/Getty photo shows President Ahmadinejad at Natanz enrichment facility) Images
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“Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula”

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A group called “Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula” based in Yemen claimed to be behind the failed Christmas day bombing attempt near Detroit. The World’s Matthew Bell reports on the group and its leaders. Download MP3 (/AFP/Getty Images)

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Counter-terrorism activities in Yemen

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Officials in Yemen have confirmed that the Nigerian man charged with attempting to blow up an airliner on Christmas day outside Detroit spent time in Yemen in recent months. In addition, a Yemeni-based al Qaeda affiliate has claimed responsibility for planning the failed plot. The World’s Matthew Bell reports today on US options for stepping up counter-terrorism activities in Yemen. Download MP3

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War costs for Afghanistan; Helmand dam project halted; CIA “black sites” in Lithuania

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This episode of The World’s American Influence podcast gets into the costs of the war in Afghanistan; the background to a huge reconstruction project that’s been in hold, the Kajakai dam in Helmand province, Afghanistan; and finally, Lithuania comes clean on the two CIA-run “black sites” that were located outside the capital, Vilnius. Download MP3

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Muslims in the armed forces

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President Barack Obama has said the “entire nation” is grieving after a shooting that killed 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas. The President ordered all flags at the White House and other Federal buildings to be flown at half-staff. US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a US-born Muslim opened fire at the Army base on Thursday. His cousin told the media that Hasan had been battling racial harassment because of his “Middle Eastern ethnicity”. The tragedy casts a light on Muslims serving in the US military. The World’s Matthew Bell reports. Download MP3 (AP Photo:David Morris, Killeen Daily Herald)

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Karzai declared elected president

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karzaiHamid Karzai has been declared the elected president of Afghanistan by poll officials, after they scrapped the planned second round of the vote, Karzai’s challenger, Abdullah Abdullah had pulled out of the race, saying the poll would not have been free or fair. The first round of the vote, in August, was marred by mass electoral fraud. Matthew Bell reports.
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Clinton’s Pakistan mission

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clinton-pakistan150Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been meeting tribal leaders in north-west Pakistan on the last day of a testing visit to the country. During her three-day trip Mrs Clinton hoped to strengthen ties between the US and Pakistan and tried to address a rising tide of anti-American feeling. In today’s show Matthew Bell takes a look at Clinton’s mission in Pakistan. Download MP3 (AP Photo: Irfan Mahmood)

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