The World PRX

A UNICEF representative based in Gaza joins us from inside the territory with insights on what a proposed pause in fighting would — and wouldn't — accomplish on the ground. Plus, in a diplomatic shakeup, China is recalling two of its diplomats to Australia. Not the highest-ranking ones, but probably the most famous: giant pandas at the Adelaide Zoo, are going back to China. And, classic American folk tunes meets beloved ragas from India. The home of country music — the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville — is showcasing the ensemble American Patchwork Quartet.

Pope Francis convened a meeting with an unexpected audience while at the G7: more than 100 comedians from 15 different countries. Also, we air Part 3 of the series “Lethal Dissent,” which looks at the death of an Iranian poet living in Turkey. And, Qatar tries to beat the heat by air conditioning outdoor spaces. Plus, a new project tries to prove that gamers do, in fact, “touch grass.”

The death of poet Mohammad Shabani, an Iranian dissident living in Turkey, catches his friends, family, and supporters by surprise. Fariba finds one of Mohammad Shabani's confidantes and learns new details about his life in exile before he died.

G7 nations agree to give Ukraine a loan of $50 billion for weapons and rebuilding. Also, a growing number of governments in Latin America are aligning themselves with Palestinians and distancing themselves from Israel. But there's a price to pay for cutting ties with Israel. And, Haiti’s new government selected cabinet ministers this week, as it awaits the arrival of a long-delayed Kenyan security force designed to assist its embattled police. Plus, National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek takes us through Afghanistan's wild and mountainous Wakhan Corridor.

Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas deteriorate once again. Also, Denmark has ordered a recall of three types of Buldak, which translates as "fire chicken," manufactured in South Korea. The packaged noodles were deemed so hot they could pose a physical danger to Danish consumers. And, in a rare case, a jury in South Florida has ruled that banana giant Chiquita must pay $38.3 million to relatives of people killed by a right-wing paramilitary group in Colombia that received funding from the fruit company. Plus, remembering French chanteuse Françoise Hardy.

Momentum may be building to end the war in Gaza after a UN Security Council vote for a ceasefire. Also, Mexico deals with around 25,000 tons of trash generated by last week’s elections. Now, environmentalists are concerned that improper disposal of plastic waste could cause serious pollution. And, an effort to reintroduce wild horses to the steppe region of Kazakhstan. Plus, scientists detect a sizable drop in a harmful substance that depletes the ozone layer.