The World

Alexei Navalny poisoned with Soviet-era Novichok, German officials confirm 

On Aug. 20, Alexei Navalny, Russian's most prominent opposition politician, was poisoned. Days later Navalny was flown to Germany for treatment. Today the German government confirmed that Navalny was poisoned with a rare nerve agent called Novichok, the same substance used against former Soviet spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, in 2018. Host Carol Hills speaks with The World's Daniel Ofman.

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The legacy of Pol Pot's main executioner

The Khmer Rouge commander Kaing Guek Eav, known as “Comrade Duch” has died. He oversaw the killing of at least 14,000 Cambodians. Cambodian-American Putsata Reang was in the courtroom during his Duch's trial. She tells The World's Carol Hills that the trauma of those deaths lives on in generations of Cambodians, at home and abroad.

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Neighbors remember Holocaust survivor who died in Paris

Eugene Deutsch lived in the same apartment for 62 years. He died alone while the city was under lockdown. Neighbors believe the isolation led to his death, and they've made a special effort to remember him. Reporter Rebecca Rosman has the story.

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Stolen French painting in search of rightful owner

Paintings on display usually come with a plaque about the artwork. In one lobby in France, that plaque instead asks: Do you recognize me? The current caretakers who acquired the 19th-century oil painting are on the hunt for its rightful owner after it was stolen during WWII. Philippe Hansch is the director of the World Centre for Peace, Liberty and Human Rights in Verdun, France, where the painting is being displayed. He speaks with The World’s host Carol Hills from Verdun, France.

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Australian library calls every member over 70 during lockdown

When coronavirus lockdowns forced the Yarra Plenty Regional Library in Melbourne, Australia, to close its doors, staffers knew their regulars might get lonely. So they decided to call every member over the age of 70 to see how they were doing. Host Carol Hills speaks to the CEO of Yarra Plenty Regional Library, Jane Cowell.

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Confronting racial tensions between Black and South Asian American communities  

Protests over police brutality continue in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. On the streets of the San Francisco Bay area, like elsewhere in the US, many immigrant communities have participated in protests. Yet, Indian Americans have not had a big organized presence, at least in California, and some people are questioning why. Deepa Fernandes reports.

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Denmark to make consent basis for determining rape

The Danish government announced plans to reform sexual violence laws by removing the focus from violence and coercion and making consent the basis for determining rape. Denmark is known to have one of Europe’s best track records for gender equality, but recent studies have shown it also has the highest prevalence of sexual violence on the continent. Host Carol Hills speaks with Helena Hansen, president of the Danish Women's Society in Copenhagen.

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Upcoming Nollywood film set to break LGBTQ boundaries

Nigeria’s Nollywood produces about 2,500 films a year, but few of these films include LGBTQ characters, and an even smaller percentage portrays queerness in a positive light. But as The World’s Bianca Hillier reports, one of the newest films, “Ìfé,” is about to change that.

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A World War II soldier dog

World War II officially came to an end 75 years ago today. Millions of servicemen came home to the US, and so, too, did thousands of military dogs. Now, there's a children's book about war dogs that takes a dog's point of view about serving in the war. The book is called “Major: A Soldier Dog." Author Trevor Jones speaks to host Carol Hills. Also joining us is Major's owner, Sid Moore, who was just a boy when his dog went off to war.

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Alexei Navalny poisoned with Soviet-era Novichok, German officials confirm

The German government says that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by Novichok — a Soviet-era nerve agent. Plus, a textile company in Ghana produces vibrant patterns with pandemic motifs. And, it's the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II today. We hear a story about service dogs who worked with Allied forces during the war.

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Carol Hills, The World's producer and host.

Carol Hills

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny addresses demonstrators during a rally in support of independent candidates for elections to Moscow City Duma, the capital's regional parliament, in Moscow, Russia, on July 20, 2019.

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