The World

Tension between Russia and US continues to rise as Russia announces counter sanctions 

On Thursday, the Biden administration slapped new, robust sanctions on the Kremlin. Now, Moscow has responded with a set of its own sanctions against the US. Host Marco Werman talks with The World's Daniel Ofman.

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Hong Kong democracy activists sentenced in court as crackdown continues 

The crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong continues. On Friday, multiple pro-democracy activists and opposition politicians were sentenced in a Hong Kong court. That includes prominent democracy advocates Jimmy Lai, Martin Lee and Margaret Ng. Host Marco Werman talks with Jeff Wasserstrom, a history professor at the University of California, Irvine, who focuses on modern Chinese history.

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Peru faces polarizing presidential runoff 

Peru is set for a presidential runoff between Pedro Castillo, a socialist schoolteacher, and Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the controversial former President Alberto Fujimori. The two came ahead in a crowded field of 18 candidates in the country's first round of voting this week. The World's Jorge Valencia reports.

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EU set to release artificial intelligence legislation 

Next week, the European Commission is expected to unveil its long-awaited proposal on artificial intelligence regulations. The World's Lydia Emmanouilidou obtained a draft of the regulations and has this report.

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Looking back on 50 years since the US and China engaged in pingpong diplomacy

Fifty years ago this week, the first official American delegation in decades was invited to China to play pingpong. It was an unconventional moment for diplomacy. But the matches led to President Richard Nixon’s visit the next year and a normalization of US-China relations. Rebecca Kanthor in Shanghai reports that those games have not been forgotten.

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Raúl Castro expected to step down as leader of Cuba 

This is a momentous week in Cuba: It's the 60th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion when US-backed forces failed to overturn Fidel Castro's Communist government. It also marks a significant change for the future of Cuba: Raúl Castro is expected to step down as Communist Party chief and leader of the nation at the party's congress this weekend. It will be the first time in 60 years that the country has not been ruled by a Castro. Host Marco Werman speaks with José Garcia, a Miami attorney and former legislator.

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Cuban American families want reunification program to resume 

The US Embassy in Havana is still closed after the suspected sonic attacks and thousands and thousands of families have been stuck in an immigration limbo ever since. The US is asking them to travel to Guyana to be processed. The World's Marco Werman talks to Daniel Rivero, reporter for WLRN in Miami who's been following this.

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Pakistan mourns its ‘father of human rights’

This week, Pakistan's longest and most well-known human rights activist, IA Rehman, died of natural causes at age 90. He co-founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, and for years braved threats and danger in order to support the rights of religious minorities and women. As The World’s Rupa Shenoy reports, for many his passing signals the end of an era.

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Bhutan’s successful vaccination program 

It took just one week for Bhutan to vaccinate almost its entire adult population. Some of the credit goes not only to their political leaders but to Buddhist monks as well. That's a topic discussed in The Intelligence, a podcast from our partners at Economist Radio.

https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/dovetail.prxu.org/_/300/d76aa1bb-15aa-408e-b305-916be02de02f/2021_04_16_09.mp3

Toddler’s pandemic adventures bring joy and childhood memories to Canadian retirement home 

Edison Tiessen is 2 years old. He doesn't yet know how to write, but he does have devoted readers. "Fridays with Edison," a weekly newsletter, has become a must-read for residents of a Toronto retirement home, who have been isolated during the pandemic. The World's Bianca Hillier has the story.

https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/dovetail.prxu.org/_/300/f8dffa67-29d4-468b-9380-d86cc0755490/2021_04_16_10.mp3

2021_04_16_SEG1.mp3

Russia retaliates with sanctions on US

The Biden administration on Thursday slapped new sanctions on the Kremlin. Now, Moscow has responded with a set of its own sanctions against the US. And, a significant change is set for the future of Cuba: Raúl Castro is expected to step down as Communist Party secretary-general this weekend. Also, the European Commission is expected to unveil its long-awaited proposal on artificial intelligence regulations.

Marco Werman

The Russian flag flies on the grounds of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Washington, April 15, 2021.

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Antonio Trujillo holds a cigarette while resting on a bench, in Pamplona, northern Spain

Environment

Big tobacco is forced to pay for cigarette butt pollution in Spain, but smokers may soon be on the hook

Peru protests reveal ethnic and regional divides

A security personnel speaks to people from inside the main gate of Jamia Millia Islamia university in New Delhi, India

Free speech

Blocking BBC documentary on Gujarat riots goes against India's democratic values, journalist says

LGBTQ

LGBTQ Russians are fleeing to Central Asia

The book includes haunting photos from inside the ghetto, along with its record of the medical effects of starvation. 

Warsaw Ghetto’s defiant Jewish doctors secretly documented the medical effects of Nazi starvation policies 

One of the main dishes at The Pork House includes a crunchy roasted pork with beans and fresh vegetables and is paired with the Brazilian national drink: caipirinha. 

Food

Pork paradigm shift: This high-end São Paulo restaurant features pig ears and tails

A general view of Mes Aynak valley is seen some 25 miles southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, March 2, 2022. Buildings on top are offices of Chinese mining company MCC that won the contract to exploit the world's second-largest copper mine.

Afghanistan

A Chinese company strikes a deal with the Taliban to extract oil from Afghanistan

Security officials and rescue workers gather at the site of suicide bombing, in Peshawar, Pakistan

Violence

Suicide bomber kills 34, wounds 150 at mosque in NW Pakistan

In this June 19, 2017, file photo, a person types on a laptop keyboard in North Andover, Massachusetts. 

Cybersecurity

'Ransomware Diaries:' Going undercover with the leader of LockBit

Ukraine

Wagner mercenary group recruits Africans held in Russian prisons

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