Hi folks. We're back after a short hiatus. Tech Podcast #112 will explore the decision by Sharman Networks, the Australian company behind the file-sharing program Kazaa, to go legit. Sharman will be forced to pay big music companies more than $115 million, and will begin to provide legal download services. We'll also hear about how wireless technology is helping Greek fire fighters detect and fight forest fires. And we'll finish off with some avant-garde war music by Lebanese blogger and sound artist Mazen Kerbaj. All that, plus music from Spunkshine and deadmou5.

Download mp3

The Republic of Malta has lived through a great amount of musical influences and the Maltese folk band Etnika hopes to save Malta's unique musical tradition. Correspondent Matthew Brunwasser has today's Global Hit.

In today's Geo Quiz we were looking for a small island nation of the Mediterranean. It's an archipelago consisting of seven islands located directly south of Sicily, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. Humphrey Bogart starred alongside a notorious falcon heading from this island in the 1941 Hollywood movie, "The Maltese Falcon." The answer to today's geo quiz is the Republic of Malta.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is due to hold historic democratic elections this weekend. Correspondent Suzanne Marmion reports on the last time Congo held a democratic vote -- back in 1960. That election was followed by turmoil and eventually by a coup that led to the three-decade-long Mobutu dictatorship.

Where in the world will we go today?

An American and an Israeli who recently married in the US are moving to northern Israel today. It's not to show support for Israel, it's because the Israeli's work visa expired. The federal government doesn't recognize the marriage because the couple in this case are two women who tied the knot in Massachusetts. Tina Antolini of WFCR has more on the story.

As Israel faces off with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli army are launching rockets at each other. Anchor Lisa Mullins gets more on the story from the BBC's Jon Brain in Gaza.

Anchor Lisa Mullins gets the latest information on Tour de France winner Floyd Landis's drug woes from Xavier Rivoire, London correspondent for the French sports daily, "L'Equipe."

Venezuela and Russia today announced a deal to send Russian weapons to Venezuela. The agreement between Presidents Hugo Chavez and Vladimir Putin is not very popular with the United States. The World's Ruxandra Guidi has our story.

Correspondent Ben Gilbert reports from Damascus on the influx of thousands of refugees from Lebanon into Syria. Syria is already coping with the presence of refugees from Iraq and Palestinian territories within its borders.