The World PRX

For months, the Israeli military and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been trading drone, missile and rocket attacks across the border. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened a "very intense" military response. The World's Shirin Jaafari is in Beirut. Also, Thursday is the start of voting for the European Parliament. The polls suggest that far-right candidates will do well, and that could have big implications for some of America's most important allies. And New York's governor is hitting the brakes on a plan to implement congestion pricing in New York City. The plan has been in the works for several years. But other non-US cities went down this road a long time ago. We'll hear how it worked out overseas.Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air.

The top diplomat at the United Nations is once again sounding an alarm about the dangers of climate change. Also, in coastal communities around the globe — places such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, Egypt, Italy, Brazil and the southern United States — rising sea water levels threaten to infiltrate freshwater drinking supplies. And, Jerusalem Day marks the "reunification" of Jerusalem in 1967 and the Jews regaining access to the venerated Temple Mount. The day is generally tense as Jews march through the Arab quarter of Jerusalem's old city to commemorate victory in the Six Day War. This year, the holiday is especially fraught because of the war in Gaza. And, 3,000 Palestinian children have suffered at least one amputation in the last eight months, according to UNICEF. That's the largest cohort in recent history. Only a small percentage have been able to be evacuated out of the Gaza Strip. 

The US is strongly pushing a three-phase ceasefire deal in the Mideast that would bring back Israeli hostages and lead to a permanent ceasefire with Hamas. But members of the Israeli prime minister's cabinet have threatened to quit if any ceasefire is discussed. And, US Army Major Harrison Mann quit the Defense Intelligence Agency to protest what he calls Washington’s "unqualified" support for Israel, saying it has “enabled” the killing of Palestinian civilians. Also, results in India's national election are in. The incumbent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks like the winner, but the opposition also appears stronger. And the city of Vilnius, Lithuania, recently hosted a "Pink Soup Festival," celebrating cold beet soup. It's a staple in Lithuania and other parts of Eastern Europe.

For the first time, Mexico will have a woman president. Claudia Sheinbaum is a 61-year-old scientist, left-wing politician and a former mayor of Mexico City. Also, this week, we'll meet a child survivor of the war in Gaza who was able to travel to Qatar for medical treatment. And welcome to the Offline Club. It's a place in Amsterdam where visitors pay a cover charge to hang out in a social setting that's completely cut off from the digital world — no phones, tablets or laptops allowed.Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air.

Mexico heads to the polls this weekend for its largest-ever election, with more than 20,000 positions up for grabs — including local, state and congressional offices, as well as the office of the president. Also, a range of reactions from European leaders to the news of former President Donald Trump’s hush-money conviction. And, data shows that the number of Canadians heading south to live in the US has jumped 70%. Plus, a conversation with National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek about traversing Uzbekistan as part of his 24,000 mile Out of Eden Walk.Listen to today’s Music Heard on Air.

Reporter Fariba Nawa introduces her investigation into Iranian plots against exiles in Turkey. She tells the story of Iran's history of violence against its citizens at home, and how that violence has grown to cross international borders today. The fate of a dissident in France becomes a blueprint for the questions she seeks to answer.