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Obama
How to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions
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Vice-President Joe Biden is in Israel today where he reiterated that the US is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. But some analysts say the US would do better to cool its rhetoric and prepare to live with Iran as a nuclear power. The World’s Jeb Sharp reports. Download MP3
NATO causes more civilian deaths in Afghanistan
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At least 27 civilians died in a NATO air strike in southern Afghanistan, the Afghan cabinet says. NATO said it hit a suspected insurgent convoy, but ground forces later found “a number of individuals killed and wounded”, including women and children. Civilian deaths in strikes have caused widespread resentment in Afghanistan. Matthew Bell reports. Download MP3 (Photo: POOL/AFP/Getty Images)
Who is Mullah Baradar?
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Ron Moreau is South East Asia correspondent for Newsweek magazine. He profiled Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar last summer and managed to communicate with him through emails. Katy Clark talks with Moreau, who is in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Download MP3
Taliban ‘forced from strongholds’
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US Marines are making steady progress in one of the biggest NATO offensives in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001, but areas infested with roadside bombs are bogging them down, a spokesman said on Monday. On day three of Operation Moshtarak, senior Afghan officers said areas around Marjah and Nad Ali were being cleared of insurgents. The campaign aims to bring the areas back under Afghan government control. Anchor Katy Clark speaks with Rod Norland of the New York Times in Kabul. Download MP3 (Photo:Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images)Confronting Iran over its nuclear program
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President Barack Obama says the US and its allies are developing a “significant regime of sanctions” against Iran for its nuclear program. Speaking in Washington on Tuesday, Mr Obama said said despite Tehran’s denials, it was clear Iran was working to build nuclear weapons. The President’s remarks came after Iranian state media reported that Iran had started the process of enriching uranium to 20% for use in a medical research reactor. Marco Werman talks with David Sanger, author of The Inheritance about the Iran challenge. Download MP3
Obama’s new words, Avatar in the Amazon and a Chinese satire
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As Obama enters the second year of his presidency, he’s dropped some expressions — “war on terror”, “Af-Pak”, even “Middle East”. His administration has invented a few too: “remotedly piloted aircraft” (drones) and “overseas contingency operations” (wars). Also, a special screening of Avatar in Ecuador for indigenous groups. What did these Shuar and Achuar speakers think of Avatar’s invented language, Na’vi? Finally, a new online satirical movie is all the rage in China. It features a Chinese double-entendre phrase aimed at avoiding government censorship. The movie also includes a fantastic “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” rant.Download MP3
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
Radicalized at a British university?
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The alleged attempt to blow up a US airliner on Christmas Day sent a shock through the security system. Prosecutors say Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (pictured) tried to detonate a bomb sewn into his underwear. Abdulmutallab’s former London university is now launching a review into whether he became radicalized there. The World’s religion editor Jane Little reports. Download MP3
Yemen and national security
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Yemen didn’t feature in President Obama’s State of the Union address despite the country’s role in the attempted Christmas Day bombing. Washington has halted transfers of Yemeni detainees from Guantanamo because it’s concerned that some of them might join terrorist groups. Now Yemen says it will build a rehabilitation center for former detainees. The World’s Katy Clark looks at the success rate of such rehab programs. Download MP3
The state of national security
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President Barack Obama will deliver his first State of the Union address tonight before Congress. The economy and healthcare reform are sure to be high on the President’s agenda. But he will also likely focus on counter terrorism measures. The World’s Jason Margolis tells us what the President might say, and what some counter terrorism experts say he should say. Download MP3Scott Brown and climate change
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The election of an anti-cap & trade Republican to fill the seat of the late Senator Ted Kennedy is further clouding prospects for a climate bill in the Senate. And that in turn makes prospects for strong global action on climate change even murkier. Peter Thomson reports. Download MP3
Obama gets a mixed review in Ghana
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Many Africans were euphoric over the inauguration of President Obama. On his visit to Accra last year, the President said “great days lie ahead for Ghana.” Now some Ghanaians say they’re still waiting to see whether the President can improve the lives of Africans. Download MP3
Weird words like whiffling, and the elusive meaning of peace
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A conversation with Adam Jacot de Boinod, a seeker of obscure but colorful English expressions. If you read his new book, “The Wonder of Whiffling”, you’ll know whether you prefer to muppet shuffle or dwile flunk. You’ll know if you are a pozzy-wallah. Some of expressions are brand new, others long gone. Also, the meaning of the word peace. Barack Obama was the latest figure to tweak its definition when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize and made the argument for “just war”. Download MP3
Gitmo debrief
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Shortly after taking office, President Obama issued an executive order to shut down the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay within a year. The White House has now acknowledged it won’t make that January deadline. The World’s Katy Clark has reported several times from the detention facility on Cuba, she just returned from another reporting trip there. Jeb Sharp gets a debrief. Download MP3 (Photo: Katy Clark)
“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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