After 15 years of widespread struggle against it, South Africa's Traditional Courts Bill has now been signed into law. It gives unbounded power including discrimination against women, to so-called traditional chiefs in the rural areas, and is considered a distortion of community-based dispute resolution traditions. One of the key opposition leaders, Sizani Ngubane, founder of the Rural Women's Movement, died before the bill was re-introduced again and signed into law. Other speakers: Nolundi Luwaya, Researcher at the Law, Race and Gender Unit at the University of Cape Town [now director of the Land and Accountability Research Centre]; Aninka Claassens, Chief Researcher, Land and Accountability Research Centre, University of Cape Town; Mnisi Weeks, Associate Professor in Legal Studies and Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Adjunct Associate Professor in Public Law at the University of Cape Town (UCT) [She previously worked in the Rural Womens Action Research Programme at UCT]; Patrick Mashego, community leader, Limpopo province, South Africa. 

Forget conspiracy. Contrails are real and dangerous to the climate - from Sweden's Chalmers University of Technology, Dr. Daniel Johansson. While thousands died of heat in Europe in 2003, a marine heat wave ripped the North Atlantic. Changes to marine life remain today. From Germany, Dr. Karl-Michael Werner, of the Thunen Institute of Sea Fisheries in Bremerhaven. The Pillars of Wealth remain oblivious at Davos. Full speed ahead, fossil fuel for a hot militarized world.

Activist-Filmmaker Abby Martin draws the connections between environment, imperialism, and war: the crises are converging quickly - collective action is needed to survive.

One of my heroes has sadly passed away as of Saturday January 24 2026 at the age of 92. A progressive historian, author and scholar with uncompromising principles whom I was honoured to know personally. Rest in power Dr Michael Parenti!

1. Eighties - MotionPlus 2. Illusion Of Self - Verb T & Vic Grimes feat. Farma G and BVA 3. Bring Back John Williams - dela 4. Like Ah First - Moka Only 5. Writings on the Wall - Señor Kaos & Illastrate feat. Supastition and 4-Ize 6. Straight from the Gutter - Godfather Don & Jazz Spastiks 7. Company - Edo. G & Parental 8. Hypophora - Abstract Minded feat. John Forte 9. Family Business - Fugees feat. John Forte and Omega 10. Sky Is Like - Skyzoo 11. Solar Panels - Tablet*tph 12. Hakata Station - Freddie Joachim feat. Nahokimama 13. Samda Pt. 2 - Midan feat. Jazzbois 14. Society Of NIMH - Sankofa & Uncle Fester feat. Denz, JON?DOE, Memphis 15. Reigns and AthenA 16. Silhouettes - Citero 17. Grand - Crotona & Silent Someone (cuts by DJ JS-1) 18. Reign of Truth - Dj Unknown feat. Iomos and King Jus 19. Marginal Gains - Ill Conscious, Alcynoos and Parental 20. The Answer - KLIM Beats 21. His Master Plan - Taylor Made It

This week's show has some old favourites such as the King Cole Trio, The Mills Brothers and The Harmonizing Four with recordings I haven't played before, George Jones gives us an example of great songwriting (and singing), Pat Johnson unleashes a new rockabilly-styled single with a message and more of the usual mix of blues, country and gospel not found anywhere else. Backbeat is also available in a 56 and 58 minute versions in three separate files if you want breaks. I am happy to provide custom station IDs, promos and liners. Email Lorne@Backbeatradio.com or visit www.backbeatradio.com for more information.

What we are witnessing today is a moment many anticipated, and one that others are only now beginning to grasp. Gaza, in the eyes of powerful political and financial actors, is being treated less like a home for two million people and more like a prize handed to the highest bidder. The narrative emerging from the Trump circle, echoed by the wealthy investors around him, frames Gaza as a future development project. According to the plan associated with Jared Kushner, reconstruction will begin soon, not for the people who lived through the devastation, but for those who see opportunity in the ruins. Kushner’s proposal imagines a thirty‑day timeline in which peace will supposedly become visible between Israel and the Palestinians. It is presented with remarkable confidence, as though decades of occupation, displacement, trauma, and unresolved injustice can be swept aside with investment portfolios and construction contracts. One is left wondering what world this vision belongs to, because it bears little resemblance to the world Palestinians inhabit, or the world observers see unfolding on the ground. So let us return to Gaza itself, to the people, the land, and the reality shaped by war, siege, and unimaginable loss. In the future imagined by these investors, Gaza becomes a kind of paradise, a fresh economic frontier, a blank slate ready for luxury development and international capital. But this imagined paradise is not for the Palestinians who lived there. As many have noted, the plan does not envision their return. The people whose homes were destroyed, whose families were displaced, whose lives were uprooted, are not part of the blueprint. This raises a profound question. If Gaza is rebuilt without its people, and if the land is handed over to outside investors who will govern it, what exactly are we looking at? Some have asked whether this represents a new form of colonialism, one wrapped in the language of development and peace. It is a question worth considering, because the implications are enormous. Critics describe the structure of the plan in stark terms. United States taxpayer money flows to Israel. Israel uses that support to wage war in Gaza. Gaza is destroyed. Palestinians are killed or displaced. And then, once the land is emptied, investors step in to rebuild a Gaza without Palestinians. A Gaza redesigned for profit, not for the people who lived there for generations. This is what is being presented to the world as a peace plan. Even Netanyahu is not happy that the envisioned Gaza would not be under his government’s control. When even political leaders closely aligned with the project raise concerns, it reveals something about the scale and ambition of what is being proposed. Today, we bring you a conversation that cuts through the slogans, the marketing, and the political theater. It is a discussion between two of the most incisive voices on these issues, Norman Finkelstein and Chris Hedges. Their conversation on The Chris Hedges Report, titled “Deconstructing Trump’s Peace Plan for Gaza,” examines the assumptions, the power dynamics, and the consequences embedded in this proposal. Finkelstein, known for his historical analysis and his critique of policy, explores how the plan disregards international law, erases Palestinian rights, and reframes occupation as a benevolent project. Hedges, drawing on his background in war reporting and political commentary, pushes the conversation further, looking at how narratives of peace are often used to mask systems of domination and dispossession. Together, they break down the core elements of this so‑called peace plan, revealing the economic motives, political calculations, and overlooked human cost. They show how language flips aggressors into victims, how destruction is sold as opportunity, and how those who suffer most are pushed out of the discussion.

I am guest-hosting WRIR's Cause and Effect Show today. It is one of my favorites to host and to listen to. Each week the host selects an artist than digs deep into the bands and artists that influenced the featured performer and in turns the bands and artists they influenced. Stream the show every Saturday from 1 PM to 3 PM @ www.wrir.org.

Indigenous in Music with Larry K and Kind of Sea (Indigenous Pop) Welcome to Indigenous in Music with Larry K, this week welcome Kind of Sea, an exciting new Indigenous family project led by acclaimed musician and producer Marc Meriläinen, also known for his long-running work as Nadjiwan. Alongside his sons Fox and Cole, Kind of Sea blends 1980s grooves with modern electronic textures, creating music that’s dance-driven, and rooted in Indigenous futurism. Marc is here to talk about their new album “End of Summer and read all about them in our latest issue of the SAY Magazine at www.indigenousinmusicandarts.org/past-shows/kind-of-sea. Also enjoy music from Kind of Sea, Iskwe, Suniel Fox, Henry Strange, Epikker, Joyslam, The Northstars, B-Side Players, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Dan L'initie, The Melawmen Collective, Solju, Hayley Wallis, Centavrvs, Eagle & Hawk, Robin Cisek, Eadse Brule, Robby Bee, William Prince, Johnny Ray Jones, Chantil Dukart, Stolen Identity, Martha Redbone, Ailaika, Garret T. Willie, QVLN and much more. Visit us on our home page to learn about us and our programs at www.indigenousinmusicandarts.org, check into our Two Buffalo Studios and our SAY Magazine Library to find out all about our Artists and Entrepreneurs.

From the threats on Greenland to the one-week uproar about Iran, Trump's train moves on even when the "show" is cancelled. We're always playing catch-up with the 'narrative' Trump establishes. It's why we need alternative media. It's time to pay attention to media beyond the Anglosphere.

Sonic Café with a song that’s just plain weird, Oingo Boingo there with some, weird, wacky science from 1985, so hey welcome to our little radio café way out here in the Pacific Northwest, I’m your host Scott Clark and this is episode 468. This time the Sonic Café celebrates the weird world we live in. Listen for comedian Mark Poolos describing the weird wonderful people he’s seen at Walmart, and later on comedian Jim Gaffigan shares some of his weird observations about life. Our music mix is pulled from 54 years including Weird Al Yankovic mashing the 80’s Safety Dance tune with his lyrics to ahh deliver the Brady Bunch. Just a bit weird. We’ll also spin Bob Seger’s Katmandu, The Helacopters, Frank Zappa, Avril Lavigne, Pixies, Aviva, X Ambassadors and many more. Oh and just to make things a bit more weird Neil deGrasse Tyson stops by to tell us the Zodiac signs are all wrong, plus a bit on strange phenomena from around the world. All this time as Weird ahh is the Word. From 2002 this is Nerf Herder from their American Cheese release and of course we’re the Sonic Café.

On January 21st, Trump unveiled his so-called ‘Board of Peace’ at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Ali Abunimah brings us his analysis on these developments. Ahmed al-Najjar speaks with hosts Nora Barrows-Friedman and Ali Abunimah about survival in Gaza and documenting the ongoing genocide. He’s an academic and journalist in Gaza who reports for Al-Jazeera and Press TV.  On the Resistance Report, Jon Elmer continues his reports on the Qassam Brigades’ Moons of the Flood video series that highlights fallen resistance soldiers.

— Jerusalem church leaders condemn Christian Zionism as harmful political ideology - HERESY - The Patriarchs — Andy Roberts, The Fine Print (1) - UK Digital ID scrapped? - Starmer lied - the contracts prove it. Starmer's U-Turn Is a Lie. Here's Where £210 Million of Your Money Went — Andy Roberts, The Fine Print (2) - Serco, Capita contract fraud - this Is why 9 Councils are bankrupt. Nine UK councils have declared effective bankruptcy since 2018. Over £5 billion in debt. And when I followed the money, I found a pattern — Starmer has cancelled elections this May for 4 million voters - 500 councillors - MPs erupt at Labours' cancelled elections in searing Commons attack. — Court to hear Reform UK's legal challenge to government's election delay plans A two-day hearing will be held next month to determine whether the government can delay dozens of local council elections by a year — Bristol City social cleansing: 4 yrs of site evictions leave 100s kerb-side, vigilante arson attacks — ITV News local - van dwellers in Fishponds - enforcement action served. Vehicle dwellers have days to leave Bristol road plagued by fires — Chris Gunness former UNRWA chief spokesman - the Palestinian genocide is official. Israel's sustained and systematically orchestrated assault on the Gaza Strip now has a name, the Palestinian genocide. — The newly published report by the UN's Independent Commission of Inquiry, is unequivocal. Israel is engaged in genocide against the Palestinian people — Starmer says he will not yield over Greenland amid tariff threat. "International Gangster": UK Leader Blasts Trump Over Greenland 'Bullying' — Our man in Greenland, Torstein Viddal, on life in Nuuk, lost Thule US H-bombs and Trump threats.The trouble is the whole world suddenly noticed Greenland and talking about it — WEF Dan Dicks on Davos 2026. Dan Dicks Davos 2026: Elites ADMIT THE GAME IS RIGGED… Then Beg For More Trust (While Booking Hookers) — RT - 'Macron is hated by almost 90% of the French population' — Cyrille de Lattre RT. Is Emmanuel Macron ignoring France’s domestic collapse while chasing global relevance abroad? — Trump Begs Europe To End Ukraine War in Davos & Our Man In Greenland — WEF - Trump on Greenland, housing crisis and Ukraine deaths — Trump delivers special address at 2026 Davos. The United Kingdom produces just one-third of the total energy from all sources that it did in 1999. — Think of that, one-third. And they're sitting on top of the North Sea, one of the greatest reserves anywhere in the world. But they don't use it — Norbert Hammes' dad, Wilhelm, was secret father of 1989 German re-unification - Wilhelm Hammes - The Father Of German Reunification — My father negotiated personally with RAF-leader Andreas Baader in his prison cell. He accompanied him on his flight to Mogadishu — Is Bilderberg 2026 in Helsinki or Ottawa...? Tally Ho! The search begins - With an apparent split in NATO over Greenland and the Ukraine War - this should be an interesting one. — Club of Rome - Limits to Growth (1972) - Kevin O'Doherty Club of Rome excerpt. "Space" . . "Dinosaurs" . . "Vanishing Resources" . . "End of Humanity" — Oil, Silver, Tin, etc etc . . all GONE by 1987. Population doubling every . . wait for it . . 33 years (always 33). MIT Computer tells us its over by 2040. — Roger Meacock - Club of Rome behind blaming farmers for climate change - Arla uses Bovaer hay additive to stop cows farting. Bovaer Open Letter — Johnny Vedmore - the story of Klaus Schwab is also the story of our past, our present & our future. Johnny Vedmore — Before my work on Klaus Schwab, there were many unknowns. I've dedicated years of my life to documenting the rise of one of the most influential men in modern history — Adrian Salbuchi in Argentina - Nazis traded 3 working atom bombs with US in 1945 - told to him by his friend, Wilfred von Oven, Goebbels' Private Secretary — 'Yes you have beaten us now for the second time. But next time we will win, and you won't now what's happening until it's all over." Nazi General threatened '4th Reich By Stealth' at 1946 Nuremberg Trials says Idris Francis — Manfred Petritsch 2018 - Nazi nuclear know how. Manfred Petritsch, Son of Nazi Scientist, Confirms 1944/45 Atom Bomb Tests Lüneburg Heath etc — The statement of the German test pilot Hans Zinsser in the file is considered evidence: the missile expert says he observed in 1944 a mushroom cloud in the sky during a test flight near Ludwigslust — Adrian Salbuchi - former Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann, who was kidnapped by Israeli Mossad from Argentina in 1961, was Zionist SS liaison officer - told by friend Wilfred von Offen. — In his 1984 book 'The Other Side : The Secret Relationship Between Nazism and Zionism' Abbas suggests that Israel's abduction, trial and subsequent execution of Adolf Eichmann, a high-ranking Nazi who was a main architect behind the Holocaust, was a cover-up operation. — Did Mossad kidnap Eichmann in 1961 because he was leaking Nazi/Zionist names to Life magazine? — Eichmann was in the process of revealing the involvement of the Zionists in the making of the Holocaust to the American magazine Life and was therefore silenced — Fox News - Argentina's Bungled Hunt for Hitler's Right Hand Man, Martin Bormann, Revealed in Declassified Files. — "MARTIN BORMANN ALIVE", with subhead: "The Express has the proof and knows exactly where he is living... until this story reaches him" — Argentine opposition figures share claims accusing Israeli tourists of arson in Patagonia wildfires — The Terrorist Sect in Palestine – Dr James Thring – Ministry of Peace - . The Global Vision 2000 Think-tank Is Holding Its 11th Eschatology Conference — The Bristol Politics Show, presented by Tony Gosling https://politicsthisweek.gn.apc.org/2026/01/the-bristol-politics-show-presented-by-tony-gosling-6/

The Vagina Monologues The Vagina Monologues, created and produced by Eve Ensler, tell the stories of women, their relationships, feelings, and, in some cases, abuse. In this edition of Radio Curious, we spoke with Eve Ensler about the origin of the the Vagina Monologues and the film, “Until the Violence Ends.” Eve Ensler recommends “Bush in Babylon,” by Tariq Ali. Originally Broadcast: January 27, 2004

A weekly 30 minute review of international news and opinion, recorded from a shortwave radio and the internet. With times, frequencies, and websites for listening at home. 3 files- Highest quality broadcast, regular broadcast, and slow-modem streaming. France 24, Germany, Japan, and Cuba.

In this fourth installment of our COVID-19 Highlight Series, we explore the critical, often unseen role public libraries play as first responders and civic anchors.

Nora Barrows-Friedman brings us a recap of Palestinian news for the week of January 15th to the 22nd, 2026.

In This Episode First Half: ICE Spending Lots and Using Influencers to Recruit New Agents Uvalde Officer Found Not Guilty in School Shooting Trial Ted Cruz Leaves Texas Ahead of Inclement Weather Again Second Half: Football Player Fined for Wearing “Stop the Genocide” across his face The Black Panther Party Challenges ICE in Philadelphia