Matthew Bell
@matthewjbell.bsky.social
Radio journalist with The World public radio program at GBH Boston - TheWorld.org
Watching Asia, the Middle East and religion. Irrational Boston Celtics fan. And yes to funk, soul, R&B, jazz and other American roots music, esp rhythm guitar.
Watching Asia, the Middle East and religion. Irrational Boston Celtics fan. And yes to funk, soul, R&B, jazz and other American roots music, esp rhythm guitar.
on.ft.com/49KkmaT Houthis signal halt to Red Sea shipping attacks
Houthis signal halt to Red Sea shipping attacks
Yemeni militant group’s campaign has caused two years of disruption to global maritime trade
on.ft.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:32 AM
on.ft.com/49KkmaT Houthis signal halt to Red Sea shipping attacks
Reposted by Matthew Bell
“This is all part of the Israeli government’s explicit agenda of expanding and deepening its control over the West Bank.” - Mairav Zonszein
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
Opinion | There Is No Cease-Fire in the West Bank
www.nytimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:08 PM
“This is all part of the Israeli government’s explicit agenda of expanding and deepening its control over the West Bank.” - Mairav Zonszein
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/o...
The Gaza plan needs fleshing out quickly, writes a former Israeli security chief -
economist.com/by-invitatio...
economist.com/by-invitatio...
The Gaza plan needs fleshing out quickly, writes a former Israeli security chief
Ultimately, explains Ami Ayalon, Binyamin Netanyahu will have to be gone for the vision to be realised
economist.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:36 AM
The Gaza plan needs fleshing out quickly, writes a former Israeli security chief -
economist.com/by-invitatio...
economist.com/by-invitatio...
Reposted by Matthew Bell
Dina Temple-Raston, the host of the “Click Here” podcast, reports on how an Uyghur kindergarten in western China was shut down.
Silencing a kindergarten - The World from PRX
Dina Temple-Raston, the host of the “Click Here” podcast, reports on how an Uyghur kindergarten in western China was shut down.
theworld.org
October 31, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Dina Temple-Raston, the host of the “Click Here” podcast, reports on how an Uyghur kindergarten in western China was shut down.
The drought in Iran seems pretty bleak. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Iran faces unprecedented drought as water crisis hits Tehran
The government is pleading with Iranians to save water as reservoirs dry up and rainfall is at a record low.
www.bbc.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:37 PM
The drought in Iran seems pretty bleak. www.bbc.com/news/article...
The Southeast Asia "peace deal" that Trump took credit for is shaky.
bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com/news/article...
Thailand suspends Cambodia 'peace deal' after soldiers injured
The two sides signed the agreement at a ceremony overseen by US President Donald Trump two weeks ago.
bbc.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:32 PM
The Southeast Asia "peace deal" that Trump took credit for is shaky.
bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com/news/article...
The siege of Boston was 250 years ago. It doesn’t sound like it was a lot of fun. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/09/m...
250 years ago, Boston was besieged, hungry, and desperate - The Boston Globe
Living in Boston during much of that siege — from April 19, 1775, to March 17, 1776 — meant being a prisoner in the town.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:19 PM
The siege of Boston was 250 years ago. It doesn’t sound like it was a lot of fun. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/09/m...
What a hit memoir reveals about work in China
economist.com/culture/2025...
economist.com/culture/2025...
What a hit memoir reveals about work in China
And about the millions of itinerant workers who powered the country’s rise
economist.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:29 PM
What a hit memoir reveals about work in China
economist.com/culture/2025...
economist.com/culture/2025...
Remarkable WW2 moment in the Pacific www.bbc.com/news/article...
Newcastle professor recalls US-Japan picnic truce
Prof Nick Megoran says the picnic on Aka island is as remarkable as the 1914 Christmas Day truce.
www.bbc.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Remarkable WW2 moment in the Pacific www.bbc.com/news/article...
The AP has details about some of the men from Venezuela killed in US military strikes. apnews.com/article/trum...
Trump has accused boat crews of being narco-terrorists. The truth, AP found, is more nuanced
One was a fisherman struggling to eke out a living on $100 a month. Another was a career criminal. A third was a former military cadet.
apnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:55 AM
The AP has details about some of the men from Venezuela killed in US military strikes. apnews.com/article/trum...
Reposted by Matthew Bell
On The World 🌎 today:
@matthewjbell.bsky.social: A shaky truce in Gaza with little progress on longer-term peace
@shirinj.bsky.social: What does the UAE want in Sudan?
@pattidaniels.bsky.social: German extremists pull Germany to the right
Tune in 📻 bit.ly/3xyRRfD
@matthewjbell.bsky.social: A shaky truce in Gaza with little progress on longer-term peace
@shirinj.bsky.social: What does the UAE want in Sudan?
@pattidaniels.bsky.social: German extremists pull Germany to the right
Tune in 📻 bit.ly/3xyRRfD
The World Stations - The World from PRX
The World's Station Finder shows where The World is broadcast, tune-in information, and a live link to the station.
bit.ly
November 6, 2025 at 7:34 PM
On The World 🌎 today:
@matthewjbell.bsky.social: A shaky truce in Gaza with little progress on longer-term peace
@shirinj.bsky.social: What does the UAE want in Sudan?
@pattidaniels.bsky.social: German extremists pull Germany to the right
Tune in 📻 bit.ly/3xyRRfD
@matthewjbell.bsky.social: A shaky truce in Gaza with little progress on longer-term peace
@shirinj.bsky.social: What does the UAE want in Sudan?
@pattidaniels.bsky.social: German extremists pull Germany to the right
Tune in 📻 bit.ly/3xyRRfD
Reposted by Matthew Bell
Reposted by Matthew Bell
The U.S. military has killed dozens of people in targeted strikes on small vessels in waters off South America since early September. https://to.pbs.org/4hCqmoj
All the U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats
The U.S. military has killed dozens of people in targeted strikes on small vessels in waters off South America since early September.
www.pbs.org
November 5, 2025 at 11:25 AM
The U.S. military has killed dozens of people in targeted strikes on small vessels in waters off South America since early September. https://to.pbs.org/4hCqmoj
“It’s not right,” he said, adding that he is a US citizen. “I do everything right, and still they show up here to violate my rights. Just because I look Latino.” www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/04/m...
Immigration agents raid Allston car wash and detain several workers - The Boston Globe
Many of them held legal status but were unable to immediately produce their documentation to the agents, according to their manager.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 5, 2025 at 11:20 AM
“It’s not right,” he said, adding that he is a US citizen. “I do everything right, and still they show up here to violate my rights. Just because I look Latino.” www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/04/m...
Rest in peace, Donna. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Grateful Dead singer, dies aged 78
The musician, who also provided backing vocals on Suspicious Minds and When a Man Loves a Woman, died of cancer in Nashville on Sunday
www.theguardian.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Rest in peace, Donna. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Reposted by Matthew Bell
That sucks because the knock on effects of subsidizing ebikes is far greater than EVs www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
November 3, 2025 at 11:48 PM
That sucks because the knock on effects of subsidizing ebikes is far greater than EVs www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
“It makes everyone afraid when the guy in charge of America’s nuclear weapons doesn’t appear to know what he’s talking about,”… www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/u...
Trump Doubles Down on Nuclear Tests. His Energy Secretary Differs.
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:52 AM
“It makes everyone afraid when the guy in charge of America’s nuclear weapons doesn’t appear to know what he’s talking about,”… www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/u...
on.ft.com/4hLgdWw Jihadis encircle Mali’s capital as they close in on power
Jihadis encircle Mali’s capital as they close in on power
Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists tighten blockade around Bamako as military regime reels
on.ft.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:47 AM
on.ft.com/4hLgdWw Jihadis encircle Mali’s capital as they close in on power
China’s “Belt and Road” initiative is back. And it’s big. You’ve been given free access to this article from The Economist as a gift. You can open the link five times within seven days. After that it will expire.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is booming
economist.com/china/2025/1...
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is booming
economist.com/china/2025/1...
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is booming
In a Trump-troubled world, China’s leader still sees opportunities in poor countries
economist.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:47 AM
China’s “Belt and Road” initiative is back. And it’s big. You’ve been given free access to this article from The Economist as a gift. You can open the link five times within seven days. After that it will expire.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is booming
economist.com/china/2025/1...
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is booming
economist.com/china/2025/1...
This is far too much military hardware for a counter narcotics operation and not nearly enough for an actual invasion of a country like Venezuela. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
These are the U.S. ships and aircraft massing off Venezuela
The large-scale buildup of U.S. military forces and assets in the Caribbean suggests that the Trump administration is preparing to expand operations.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:18 AM
This is far too much military hardware for a counter narcotics operation and not nearly enough for an actual invasion of a country like Venezuela. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
Reposted by Matthew Bell
Good to have some clarity www.latimes.com/world-nation...
U.S. plans for nuclear weapons testing won't include explosions, energy secretary says
Energy Secretary Chris Wright says that new tests of the U.S. nuclear weapons system ordered up by President Trump will not include nuclear explosions
www.latimes.com
November 2, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Good to have some clarity www.latimes.com/world-nation...
Excellent work from the Spotlight team at the @bostonglobe.com following up on arrests in August around New England that US officials said was part of "high-level arrests" of members of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/29/m...
The DEA said it arrested 171 ‘high ranking’ Sinaloa Cartel members. A Spotlight investigation found that’s not true. - The Boston Globe
A Globe investigation found that the federal agency misrepresented the stature of its targets, claiming cartel ties at a time when the Trump administration is taking lethal military action against suc...
www.bostonglobe.com
November 2, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Excellent work from the Spotlight team at the @bostonglobe.com following up on arrests in August around New England that US officials said was part of "high-level arrests" of members of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/29/m...
Reposted by Matthew Bell
Nov. 1, 1925: Italian dictator Mussolini opens construction of a Rome-Ostia highway by swinging a ceremonial pick. The event caps a week of the Fascist regime celebrating the third anniversary of its seizure of power.
November 1, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Nov. 1, 1925: Italian dictator Mussolini opens construction of a Rome-Ostia highway by swinging a ceremonial pick. The event caps a week of the Fascist regime celebrating the third anniversary of its seizure of power.
This isn’t supposed to happen in democratic countries. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
N.C. GOP spokesman urges reporter to drop news story, citing Trump ties
Communications director Matt Mercer later said in a social media post that Trump should “feed ProPublica to the USAID wood chipper.”
www.washingtonpost.com
November 1, 2025 at 6:13 PM
This isn’t supposed to happen in democratic countries. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Matthew Bell
President Trump’s announcement that he has ordered the U.S. to resume nuclear testing “immediately” has drawn confusion and alarm from some experts, who argue that physical testing is outdated and would add momentum to an arms race it aims to counter.
Trump push to restart nuclear tests could take years, cost millions, experts say
The Nevada Test Site — where the U.S. last tested a nuclear explosive more than 30 years ago — now relies on computer modeling, not physical explosions.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 1, 2025 at 8:00 AM
President Trump’s announcement that he has ordered the U.S. to resume nuclear testing “immediately” has drawn confusion and alarm from some experts, who argue that physical testing is outdated and would add momentum to an arms race it aims to counter.