Lebanon's facing a massive crisis right now. More than 2,000 people have been killed in the past two weeks amid Israel and Hezbollah's war. Also, with flights to Iran, Lebanon and Iraq canceled, many travelers are stranded in Turkey, a regional transit hub. Our reporter takes us to the scene, as we hear how people stuck-in-transit are thinking about the escalation of war in the Middle East, and how they're feeling about its impact on their lives. Also, Japan shut down all 54 of its nuclear react...
Oct 04, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast While the eyes of the world are focused on Israel's invasion of Lebanon and war against Hezbollah, we have the latest from Gaza. It's almost a year since Hamas militants attacked several sites in Israel and the start of the persistent strikes on Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, and there's increasing concern about humanitarian needs of the people. Also, Taiwan has been hit by heavy rains as Typhoon Krathon hits the island. The storm has shut down the country, and there a...
Oct 03, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hunger in Haiti is reaching famine levels. Nearly 6,000 people in Haiti are starving, with nearly half the country's population of more than 11 million people experiencing crisis levels of hunger or worse as gang violence smothers life in the capital of Port-au-Prince and beyond. Also, Israel and Iran continue trading threats in the wake of Iran's missile attack. Meanwhile, Israeli forces and members of Hezbollah are battling on the ground in southern Lebanon. Israel announced the death of one s...
Oct 02, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Iran has launched a barrage of missiles at Israel. The attack comes just days after the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the chief of Hezbollah. Israelis are being warned to shelter in place. We have the latest updates on that story. Also, Mexico inaugurates a new president. Claudia Sheinbaum is the first woman to hold the country's highest office. She's promised to carry out the vision of her predecessor, but she also has an opportunity to build a legacy of her own. And, music producer Joe Bo...
Oct 01, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Israel's attacks in Lebanon escalated over the weekend, beginning with Friday's strike that shook south Beirut, killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Sources say that a ground operation may be imminent. We get the latest on those developments and their implications within the region and beyond. Also, Hurricane Helene has brought massive devastation to the southeastern United States. Part of what people there are struggling with is the fallout from mudslides linked to deforestation. This is ...
Sep 30, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Israel says it struck Hezbollah’s headquarters in a huge explosion that shook the Lebanese capital. We have the latest from Beirut, and reaction from Israel. And in Kenya, the self-proclaimed cult leader of a Christian sect who allegedly told hundreds of followers to starve themselves to death has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter. The case raises larger questions about how Kenyan authorities should be regulating religious organizations. Plus, after their farmlands became too salty for crops, t...
Sep 27, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been charged with bribery, fraud and using his position to help Turkey. Also, at least 18 countries around the world have recorded mpox cases, which the WHO has declared a public health emergency of global concern — the epicenter being the Democratic Republic of Congo. And, despite repeatedly clashing over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Armenia and Azerbaijan are still talking in hopes of reaching a peace deal. Plus, two sisters have begun nonprofits in Boston an...
Sep 26, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Climate change appears to be supercharging hurricanes. Meanwhile, storm warning systems in Bangladesh are resulting in fewer casualties. Also, Nitazenes are synthetic opioids 500 times more potent than heroin, and they’re increasingly showing up on the streets of the UK, the Netherlands, Australia and the US. And, more than 100,000 Armenians displaced by an Azerbaijani military operation a year ago are trying to adjust to life away from home in Yerevan, Armenia. Plus, the Revere History Museum i...
Sep 25, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Israeli air strikes in Lebanon continued on Tuesday. And so did rocket attacks from Hezbollah, aimed at northern Israel. The situation is looking more and more like all-out war. The international community is calling for restraint, but events on the ground appear to be heading in a different direction. Also, President Joe Biden's speech at the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday morning was an attempt to cement his legacy on foreign policy. But what will history say about this president's ro...
Sep 24, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon today killed more than 356 people and injured at least 1,200 others, marking a major escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Also, two new studies this week add to existing research that has found microplastics in nearly every organ in the human body. And, Sri Lanka’s new leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, won the presidential election on a Marxist platform, riding a wave of anger against the former president's handling of the island nation's ec...
Sep 23, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast A new report by Mediazona and the BBC finds that more than 70,000 Russian soldiers have died in the war in Ukraine. Also, Israel and Hezbollah continue to exchange fire as US President Joe Biden calls for comprehensive peace deal. And, a top official of the European Commission discusses regulating Big Tech. Plus, how the song, “We Are the World” changed the life of a musician from Uganda. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air ....
Sep 20, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech in Lebanon acknowledging the deadly attacks this week that caused pagers and walkie-talkies to explode across the country. He called it a "severe blow,” but also promised that Hezbollah will continue attacking Israel until the war in Gaza ends. Also, the US and Chinese militaries are talking to each other again, but can more face time avert a dangerous conflict? And, Mexican drug cartels don’t actually rely on migrants crossing the border illegally...
Sep 19, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Recent attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon haven't come in the form of drones or missile strikes. The weapons were already in the targets' hands: their pagers and walkie-talkies. We'll hear how people in Lebanon are feeling and perhaps changing their habits in the aftermath of the coordinated explosion of communication devices. Also, the nations around the globe are nearly evenly split between democracies and autocracies. But the autocracies are home to about 70% of the world’s population. We examin...
Sep 18, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Across Lebanon and reportedly in Syria, Hezbollah operatives have been gravely injured and killed when their pagers exploded. It bears the hallmarks of a coordinated attack and is a major strike against Hezbollah. Also, deadly flooding is underway in more than one global region, with death tolls rising from catastrophic floods in central Europe, and millions displaced by rising waters in central and western Africa. Also, in Lebanon, hundreds of pagers used by members of Hezbollah exploded simult...
Sep 17, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast More details are emerging about the background of the man allegedly involved in the second attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump. One particular aspect of the would-be shooter's history that stands out: His obsession with Ukraine's fight against Russia. A retired FBI agent talks about that. When wildfires rage in remote places, the challenge isn't just to fight the fires; even finding and reaching the fires in order to put them out can be difficult. In a densely vegetated r...
Sep 16, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast South America is seeing a record number of wildfires, and a smoky haze hung in the air in cities like São Paulo this week. The World's Carolyn Beeler reports from western Brazil, where climate change is fueling unprecedented flames in the Pantanal wetlands. Plus, video has emerged of North Korea's Kim Jong-un touring a uranium enrichment facility. Analysts say these images will help experts estimate with more accuracy how much nuclear capability North Korea has achieved. And a new book from Atla...
Sep 13, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Authorities in Belarus have granted amnesty to several dozen political detainees in recent weeks. These are opposition figures, part of the movement that protested the reelection in 2020 of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko over his authoritarian domestic policies. We hear from a political adviser to the opposition about the prisoner releases, and the reaction in opposition communities in Belarus and in the diaspora. Also, a severe drought in southern Namibia has led to food shortages. So, ...
Sep 12, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mexico's Senate has just approved a controversial judicial reform; the country's judges will now be elected by popular vote. Protesters flooded the Senate floor to voice their objection to the reform. Also, Russia's use of drones supplied by Iran indicates that Russia is coordinating with Tehran significantly more closely than in the past — even the recent past. And, Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam has brought nonstop rain, and the resulting flooding and landslides have killed at least 64 people. Listen...
Sep 11, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast An Israeli strike on a humanitarian zone in southern Gaza left a giant crater in the ground where Palestinian families had been living in tents. We have an update on the latest news, as well as perspectives on loss of civilian life in Gaza, even in designated safe zones. Also, around a half a million people cross the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama every year in the hopes of reaching the United States. They leave behind untold volumes of waste. And all that pollution is threatening a loca...
Sep 10, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ukrainian civilians, under relentless Russian bombing, are fleeing the key logistics and transit hub of Pokrovsk. A Ukrainian journalist explains why the fall of Pokrovsk might jeopardize Ukrainian control of the entire Donetsk region. Also, a housing shortage in Ireland is ranked the worst globally. We learn why. And, water shortages are driving discontent in Cuba and other Caribbean countries. Plus, a final wrap-up of the Paris Paralympics. Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air ....
Sep 09, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Israeli military has conducted intense operations in the occupied West Bank over the past 10 days, launching air and ground attacks, and leaving a trail of destruction. Also, France tries to redefine rape after a man in the south of the country went on trial for drugging his wife and then inviting dozens of men to rape her, over the course of nearly a decade. And, Europe grapples with a rise in xenophobia even though it’s in need of more foreign workers. Also, farmers in Kenya are breeding b...
Sep 06, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Automakers like Volvo and Volkswagen are making big changes to their business models as demand fluctuates for electric vehicles. Also, the athletics community across East Africa mourns the death of Ugandan Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who was reportedly killed by her partner. And, a discussion about euthanasia and how and when it’s used around the world. Plus, a collection of 1,984 copies of George Orwell's dystopian novel "1984" hopes to find a permanent home on the Scottish island where O...
Sep 05, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast A new report finds that Incompetence, dishonesty and greed led to the deaths of 72 people in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in the UK. It also says the deaths were avoidable and blames several manufacturers and successive British governments. Also, the Pope is on a trip across Southeast Asia. And, the head of Lebanon's central bank has been arrested after more than a year of damning revelations of alleged financial crimes. Plus, a group of people in the Canary Islands is embracing a centuries-old ...
Sep 04, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Three German states held elections this weekend, with the far-right AfD Party making big gains. Also, both major US presidential candidates say they oppose the proposed takeover of US Steel by Nippon Steel of Japan. But the CEO of US Steel and a majority of the company’s shareholders are in favor of the sale. And, a military partnership between Egypt and Somalia has Ethiopia alarmed. Plus, an online story about a hot new singles scene in a Spanish supermarket chain has exploded into a flirting f...
Sep 03, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast For Labor Day, we have a special show with reprisals all focused on the theme of transportation — including getting around on foot. Thor Pedersen, a former UN soldier originally from Denmark, went on a decadelong adventure that took him to every country in the world. He never took an airplane. Also, research shows that flight turbulence has increased as climate change has warmed the planet. One researcher explains that the increase in bumpy flights could be caused by changes in wind speed at hig...
Sep 02, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast A Palestinian baby in the Gaza Strip contracted polio and is now paralyzed in one leg. It's Gaza's first confirmed case of polio in 25 years. International agencies are scrambling to get an estimated 640,000 young kids in the territory vaccinated, requiring a halt in fighting between the Israeli military and Hamas. And, Kenya is getting a nuclear power plant, but those plans are bumping up against local opposition. Plus, there's a church in Turkey where hundreds of visitors of different faiths c...
Aug 30, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hong Kong used to be famous for its feisty and free press. Today, reporting the news there can land you in prison. Two journalists in the Chinese territory are now facing the possibility of jail time after being convicted of sedition for their work. Also, Thailand has a new prime minister. But less than two weeks into her term, Paetongtarn Shinawatra is already facing a complaint that could end up dissolving her political party. Many Thais are now wondering, what's the point of voting? And, Suda...
Aug 29, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Israeli military has carried out extensive raids overnight in several areas of the occupied West Bank. At least nine Palestinians were killed. Also, since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, they've made it more difficult for women and girls to get any kind of formal education. But some bold activists are still taking big risks to run secret schools for girls. And, the sporting world is once again setting its sights on Paris. This time, the 2024 Summer Paralympics kicking off with an op...
Aug 28, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast The World Health Organization has declared mpox, formerly Monkey Pox, a global public health emergency. A new strain of the virus has raised concerns due to its rapid transmission. Also, green tea is a major industry in Shizuoka prefecture, on Japan’s Pacific coast. Google “Shizuoka” and you’ll find images of hillsides covered in neat rows of bright-green tea bushes, with Mt. Fuji in the background. But that scenery is changing, with some tea farmers calling it quits and others scrambling to inn...
Aug 27, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast The deployment of Kenyan police to Haiti was supposed to quell ongoing violence, but two months in, that effort isn't going as planned. Local media report that gangs not only remain in power, but continue to expand their grip on the country. In the US, command of the English language is integral to finding work and housing, navigating education and health care, and everyday tasks, like getting groceries and using public transportation. But across Massachusetts, at least 20,000 immigrants are wai...
Aug 26, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
