Slideshow: Sochi Prepares for the Winter Olympics

Sochi, Russia, will host the next winter Olympics in two years. Wednesday was the first time athletes were allowed to train on the Olympic downhill skiing course in Sochi and many Russians are hoping the winter games will make Sochi a must-see international destination.

British Argue Over Olympic Soccer Team

Why Britons can’t agree on who should represent them on the soccer field at the London Olympics

Brazil Working to Clean Up Slums Ahead of World Cup

Brazilian police are beginning to clean up many of the slums in Rio de Janeiro.

Why Australians Are Obsessed with Sports

Australia is not just sport mad, it measures its place in the world on the sports field.

Palestinians take on Thailand for Olympic Soccer spot

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Anchor Marco Werman speaks with the BBC’s Jon Donnison about the soccer game the Palestinian team is playing today against Thailand to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. Download MP3

The staying power of English, and Shakespeare in Shona

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In this week’s World in Words podcast: a new book sparks a debate about how long English will rule the world. Also, Shakespeare’s plays will be performed in 38 languages next year in London, plus efforts to eradicate a Colonial-era pidgin still used by South African mineworkers, and to eradicate English words from Russian and Chinese.
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Former IOC president dies

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Former International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch died today. Samaranch helped define the modern Olympic games. Chicago Tribune correspondent Phillip Hersh spoke with anchor Marco Werman about how Samaranch brought the Olympics back from the brink of bankruptcy.

Packing flashcards, Pandas and Polyglotty Olympics

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Our top five language stories this month: why the disappearance of the Bo language is a big deal; the Olympics are being broadcast for the first time in, among other languages, Cree; when pandas move from the U.S. to China, do they have to learn a new language?; lawsuits concerning Arabic flashcards in hand baggage and speaking Spanish in English-only school; and the Pentagon’s latest attempts to equip soldiers with real-time speaking translator-bots.
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Olympic legacy for Canada’s native tribes

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Four of Canada’s ‘First Nations’ – the Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh – together with the Vancouver Olympic Committee officially hosted the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games which finished on Sunday. The World’s Andrea Crossan reports on the Olympic legacy for the four native tribes. Download MP3

• Video: Inuit throat singers in Vancouver
• Aboriginal Canadians divided over Vancouver Olympics

Oh Canada

Canadians don’t know how to celebrate? “You’ve to to be kidding me, eh?” says Andrea Crossan, producer and reporter for The World. Andrea was in her hometown, Vancouver, to cover the games for The World. Read her Reporter’s Notebook, and listen in to her coverage.

• Andrea’s story on Russian radio in Vancouver
• Andrea’s story on Vancouver’s Elbow Room Cafe
• Andrea’s story on Safe-Sex Superheroes in Vancouver

Global Political Cartoons: Feb 20-26, 2010

The World’s Carol Hills reviews the week’s news through political cartoons. This week pop culture icons in trouble: Google goes to jail, Abbey Road studios are up for sale, Toyota’s image is in tatters, and it turns out the shape of a hot dog actually matters.

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Worst Olympics in history?

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The British press has said the Vancouver Winter Olympics are on pace to be the worst in Olympic history. How do people in Vancouver feel about that? We speak with Daphne Branham, a columnist with the Vancouver Sun.

Global Political Cartoons: Feb 13-19, 2010

The World’s Carol Hills looks back at the week’s big stories through political cartoons. This week: lots of news from the ancient world including the final word on King Tut’s death; a 21st century Olympic Games in Vancouver; and a Greek economy that’s more fragile than the country’s ancient ruins.

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The Financial Problems With Greece

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Eurozone leaders say they will come to Greece’s rescue. But Greece’s Finance Minister wants details as to how exactly other eurozone nations will bailout his country. In this podcast we explore what went wrong with Greece and what it means for the rest of us.

Also, an update from Haiti: How to bring jobs to the millions of unemployed. And a small flower shop near Vancouver that is putting together 1,800 bouquets for all the Olympic medal winners.

Olympic luger dies after crash

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The death of a luge competitor who left the track at high speed has cast a shadow over the Winter Olympics in Canada ahead of the opening ceremony. Georgian Nodar Kumaritashvili’s sled flipped and he smashed into a steel pole at the Whistler Sliding Centre. The World’s Katy Clark has been following events. Download MP3 (Photo: Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images)

• BBC coverage of the Vancouver Olympics
• Vancouver 2010 homepage