Tom Raine follows his creative process as he works on a brand new album, this time not inspired by amazing people, but amazing dogs. Having just retired his wife’s guide dog Nessie after 8 and a half years of service, Sean has been inspired to craft a new set of songs about history’s heroic hounds - the dogs that have been more than just companions, but life savers, including the legendary Rollo who saved a baby during the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864. It all culminates in a dog friendly concert in one of the many locations where the stories took place.
]]>Tom Raine follows his creative process as he works on a brand new album, this time not inspired by amazing people, but amazing dogs. Having just retired his wife’s guide dog Nessie after 8 and a half years of service, Sean has been inspired to craft a new set of songs about history’s heroic hounds - the dogs that have been more than just companions, but life savers, including the legendary Rollo who saved a baby during the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864. It all culminates in a dog friendly concert in one of the many locations where the stories took place.
]]>Hosted by Cerys Matthews, the show features messages from family and friends at home as well as music requests from Antarctica. For decades it has been part of the traditional midwinter celebrations and, since 2020, it’s been enjoyed by listeners around the world.
Midwinter celebrations at the British research stations include a feast, exchange of presents, watching the 1982 horror film The Thing (where an alien monster terrorises an Antarctic base) and listening - on short wave - to the BBC’s Midwinter Broadcast.
A Boffin Media Production for BBC World Service
]]>Hosted by Cerys Matthews, the show features messages from family and friends at home as well as music requests from Antarctica. For decades it has been part of the traditional midwinter celebrations and, since 2020, it’s been enjoyed by listeners around the world.
Midwinter celebrations at the British research stations include a feast, exchange of presents, watching the 1982 horror film The Thing (where an alien monster terrorises an Antarctic base) and listening - on short wave - to the BBC’s Midwinter Broadcast.
A Boffin Media Production for BBC World Service
]]>In May, in a town north-western Peru, a group of Catholic priests knelt and publicly asked forgiveness from descendants of the indigenous Tallàn community. The scene, captured on video, shows a group of priests in robes addressing the representatives of the community before stepping down to be among them and kneeling. Isabel Caro from BBC Mundo tells the story of the struggle behind this gesture.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>In May, in a town north-western Peru, a group of Catholic priests knelt and publicly asked forgiveness from descendants of the indigenous Tallàn community. The scene, captured on video, shows a group of priests in robes addressing the representatives of the community before stepping down to be among them and kneeling. Isabel Caro from BBC Mundo tells the story of the struggle behind this gesture.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>South Africa is the continent’s most developed economy, attracting citizens from poorer countries seeking work. But it also has a high rate of unemployment – almost one in three are without jobs. Although (officially) foreigners make up some 6% of the population, many more migrants are believed to be in the country without papers.
Protestors have told them they have until the end of June to leave, and some nations have already been repatriating their citizens.
In our conversations, we bring together migrants to share their experiences of rising tensions. We also hear from people who have decided to return and South Africans who want an end to illegal migration.
“For us to fix this country of ours, we have to secure our borders,” Olivier tells host James Reynolds. “People here illegally either they are criminals, or they are suffering in the process or they’re just getting a whole bunch of stuff for free and not contributing.”
]]>South Africa is the continent’s most developed economy, attracting citizens from poorer countries seeking work. But it also has a high rate of unemployment – almost one in three are without jobs. Although (officially) foreigners make up some 6% of the population, many more migrants are believed to be in the country without papers.
Protestors have told them they have until the end of June to leave, and some nations have already been repatriating their citizens.
In our conversations, we bring together migrants to share their experiences of rising tensions. We also hear from people who have decided to return and South Africans who want an end to illegal migration.
“For us to fix this country of ours, we have to secure our borders,” Olivier tells host James Reynolds. “People here illegally either they are criminals, or they are suffering in the process or they’re just getting a whole bunch of stuff for free and not contributing.”
]]>In this edition of Heart and Soul, Emily Wither speaks to Iranians inside the country about how war, repression and disillusionment have reshaped their relationship with religion. For some, years of state control in the name of Islam — now intensified by the trauma of recent conflict — have deepened the divide between official religion and personal faith.
Some still pray to God, but in intimate, private ways far removed from state doctrine. Others have drifted away from formal religious belief altogether, finding comfort instead in Persian poetry, music, mysticism and ancient cultural texts such as the Shahnameh. Through anonymous voices from inside Iran, the programme explores a quiet but profound spiritual shift: away from imposed religion, and toward more personal and self-fashioned ways of making meaning.
]]>In this edition of Heart and Soul, Emily Wither speaks to Iranians inside the country about how war, repression and disillusionment have reshaped their relationship with religion. For some, years of state control in the name of Islam — now intensified by the trauma of recent conflict — have deepened the divide between official religion and personal faith.
Some still pray to God, but in intimate, private ways far removed from state doctrine. Others have drifted away from formal religious belief altogether, finding comfort instead in Persian poetry, music, mysticism and ancient cultural texts such as the Shahnameh. Through anonymous voices from inside Iran, the programme explores a quiet but profound spiritual shift: away from imposed religion, and toward more personal and self-fashioned ways of making meaning.
]]>Presenter/producer: Dan Hardoon Editor: Mike Wendling Sound engineer: Richard Courtice A Story² Production for BBC World Service
(Photo: A composite image showing a woman packing a suitcase, alongside Russian passports and a stylised Russian flag, illustrating Westerners preparing to relocate to Russia. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>Presenter/producer: Dan Hardoon Editor: Mike Wendling Sound engineer: Richard Courtice A Story² Production for BBC World Service
(Photo: A composite image showing a woman packing a suitcase, alongside Russian passports and a stylised Russian flag, illustrating Westerners preparing to relocate to Russia. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>Sheba is the daughter of Nim, a famous chimp who learned sign language. Like her father, she demonstrated remarkable intelligence, learning to add, subtract, and paint. Her story traces back to a bold 1970s idea: if chimps are so genetically and behaviourally close to humans, could they help us learn about ourselves? Many scientists, like Bob Ingersoll, pursued that question through a series of behavioural and social experiments. Others pursued it through invasive biomedical research.
But the deeper they went, the shakier the premise became. As Bob reflects, much of the research proved not only scientifically flawed, but ethically troubling, often meaningless and cruel. That realisation sparked a shift. By 2016, biomedical research on chimpanzees in the U.S. had come to an end. In the UK and European Union, biomedical research ended a few years earlier.
Through Sheba’s journey, we hear about that turning point.
Featuring interviews with those who knew and worked with her, the documentary also includes zoologist Charlotte Uhlenbroek, who, drawing on years of studying chimps in the wild, guides us inside the world of primate research. The documentary confronts a question that is still unresolved: we have the need to experiment, but do we have the right?
]]>Sheba is the daughter of Nim, a famous chimp who learned sign language. Like her father, she demonstrated remarkable intelligence, learning to add, subtract, and paint. Her story traces back to a bold 1970s idea: if chimps are so genetically and behaviourally close to humans, could they help us learn about ourselves? Many scientists, like Bob Ingersoll, pursued that question through a series of behavioural and social experiments. Others pursued it through invasive biomedical research.
But the deeper they went, the shakier the premise became. As Bob reflects, much of the research proved not only scientifically flawed, but ethically troubling, often meaningless and cruel. That realisation sparked a shift. By 2016, biomedical research on chimpanzees in the U.S. had come to an end. In the UK and European Union, biomedical research ended a few years earlier.
Through Sheba’s journey, we hear about that turning point.
Featuring interviews with those who knew and worked with her, the documentary also includes zoologist Charlotte Uhlenbroek, who, drawing on years of studying chimps in the wild, guides us inside the world of primate research. The documentary confronts a question that is still unresolved: we have the need to experiment, but do we have the right?
]]>Presenter: Carine Torbey Producer: Nick Holland Sound: Rod Farquhar Production Coordinator: Janet Staples Editor Penny Murphy
(Image: Displaced Lebanese people. Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>Presenter: Carine Torbey Producer: Nick Holland Sound: Rod Farquhar Production Coordinator: Janet Staples Editor Penny Murphy
(Image: Displaced Lebanese people. Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>In this episode, Tom and Nicky head deep into the TikTok Farlands - the semi mythical place you supposedly reach if you scroll too far, too late, until your feed stops looking normal and starts serving up surreal, eerie and deeply unhinged videos. The name comes from Minecraft’s Far Lands, the glitched edge of the map where the world used to break apart, and TikTok users have borrowed it to describe the “end of the algorithm”: a strange zone of distorted edits, ominous warnings, weirdcore imagery and recurring figures like the now iconic fat bee playing the violin. TikTok’s Farlands have become a shorthand for what happens when doomscrolling tips into digital folklore.
But the Farlands aren’t just a joke. Tom and Nicky ask what this trend says about internet culture now. In a platform ecosystem dominated by polish, branding and optimisation, the Farlands feel like the return of an older internet: raw, surreal, handmade and proudly bizarre. At the same time, the meme also works as a critique of doomscrolling itself — turning algorithmic exhaustion into shared mythology, and making people newly conscious of how deep into the feed they’ve wandered.
So in this episode, we ask: is the TikTok Farlands a genuine return of weird, creative internet culture — or just another algorithmic genre?
Also in this episode: Karen looks at how AI detection tools may be changing the way we all write. As detectors spread through schools, publishing and professional life, students, teachers and writers are increasingly shaping their prose around what software might flag - dropping stylistic quirks, sanding off rhythm, and checking their own work in advance for fear of a false accusation. Researchers say the central problem is not just whether detectors catch AI, but how they balance false positives and false negatives in high stakes settings. And with a growing parallel market of “humanizer” tools promising to make AI text sound more human - and pass detection - the result may be an arms race that leaves everyone writing in a flatter, safer and more paranoid style.
To hear more, search The Interface wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
]]>In this episode, Tom and Nicky head deep into the TikTok Farlands - the semi mythical place you supposedly reach if you scroll too far, too late, until your feed stops looking normal and starts serving up surreal, eerie and deeply unhinged videos. The name comes from Minecraft’s Far Lands, the glitched edge of the map where the world used to break apart, and TikTok users have borrowed it to describe the “end of the algorithm”: a strange zone of distorted edits, ominous warnings, weirdcore imagery and recurring figures like the now iconic fat bee playing the violin. TikTok’s Farlands have become a shorthand for what happens when doomscrolling tips into digital folklore.
But the Farlands aren’t just a joke. Tom and Nicky ask what this trend says about internet culture now. In a platform ecosystem dominated by polish, branding and optimisation, the Farlands feel like the return of an older internet: raw, surreal, handmade and proudly bizarre. At the same time, the meme also works as a critique of doomscrolling itself — turning algorithmic exhaustion into shared mythology, and making people newly conscious of how deep into the feed they’ve wandered.
So in this episode, we ask: is the TikTok Farlands a genuine return of weird, creative internet culture — or just another algorithmic genre?
Also in this episode: Karen looks at how AI detection tools may be changing the way we all write. As detectors spread through schools, publishing and professional life, students, teachers and writers are increasingly shaping their prose around what software might flag - dropping stylistic quirks, sanding off rhythm, and checking their own work in advance for fear of a false accusation. Researchers say the central problem is not just whether detectors catch AI, but how they balance false positives and false negatives in high stakes settings. And with a growing parallel market of “humanizer” tools promising to make AI text sound more human - and pass detection - the result may be an arms race that leaves everyone writing in a flatter, safer and more paranoid style.
To hear more, search The Interface wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
]]>Reporter: Mohanad Hashim Producer: Alex Last Sound mix: Neil Churchill Production coordinator: Katie Morrison Series Editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Kids on a swing at a communal kindergarten in Khartoum. It was set up by local mothers who stayed during the battle for the city. Credit Alex Last/BBC)
]]>Reporter: Mohanad Hashim Producer: Alex Last Sound mix: Neil Churchill Production coordinator: Katie Morrison Series Editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Kids on a swing at a communal kindergarten in Khartoum. It was set up by local mothers who stayed during the battle for the city. Credit Alex Last/BBC)
]]>Political violence has been a problem in Kenya for decades now. It is often carried out by gangs of young people, known as 'goons', who are sponsored by politicians to threaten, disrupt and attack rivals. After the general election in 2007 over 1500 people were killed and with another election planned for 2027, there are fears violence could erupt again. Wycliffe Muia of BBC Africa has been looking into these politically sponsored violent gangs and what can be done to stop them.
Traditional fortune telling culture, known as Saju, is popular in South Korea and has ancient roots. It uses data such as a person's birth year, month, day and hour to determine their future and in South Korea people still sometimes consult it before important life decisions like marriage, or seeking a new job. Now, the practice of Saju is beginning to be combined with AI technology and it's finding a wide audience both online and as a walk-in, more immersive experience. BBC Korean's Yujin Choi went to try it out.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Political violence has been a problem in Kenya for decades now. It is often carried out by gangs of young people, known as 'goons', who are sponsored by politicians to threaten, disrupt and attack rivals. After the general election in 2007 over 1500 people were killed and with another election planned for 2027, there are fears violence could erupt again. Wycliffe Muia of BBC Africa has been looking into these politically sponsored violent gangs and what can be done to stop them.
Traditional fortune telling culture, known as Saju, is popular in South Korea and has ancient roots. It uses data such as a person's birth year, month, day and hour to determine their future and in South Korea people still sometimes consult it before important life decisions like marriage, or seeking a new job. Now, the practice of Saju is beginning to be combined with AI technology and it's finding a wide audience both online and as a walk-in, more immersive experience. BBC Korean's Yujin Choi went to try it out.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Against this backdrop, the country’s Right to Dream football academy aims to provide a safe passage to international game. Unusually, the school owns a number of top-tier clubs in Denmark, Egypt and the USA, which can act as stepping stones to the world’s top leagues, a path that stars such as Tottenham’s Mohamed Kudus and Atalanta’s Kamaldeen Sulemana have taken.
But while as many as 50,000 children try out for the school, just a handful win scholarships every year. Justice Baidoo meets the talented dreamers who hope to become the next generation of African superstars, from 10-year-olds attending their first trials in rural villages, right through to those taking their first steps as pro footballers in Europe.
]]>Against this backdrop, the country’s Right to Dream football academy aims to provide a safe passage to international game. Unusually, the school owns a number of top-tier clubs in Denmark, Egypt and the USA, which can act as stepping stones to the world’s top leagues, a path that stars such as Tottenham’s Mohamed Kudus and Atalanta’s Kamaldeen Sulemana have taken.
But while as many as 50,000 children try out for the school, just a handful win scholarships every year. Justice Baidoo meets the talented dreamers who hope to become the next generation of African superstars, from 10-year-olds attending their first trials in rural villages, right through to those taking their first steps as pro footballers in Europe.
]]>The UN says that at least 32 political prisoners have been executed in Iran since February this year. The UN's Human Rights Office has warned that the death penalty is increasingly being used to silence political dissent. Last year, Iran carried out 2,159 executions according to Amnesty International, the highest number since 1981. The Iranian government says that the vast majority are for drugs related offenses or murder. Ghoncheh Habibiazad of BBC Persian has been trying to find out more about the political prisoners who've been executed this year.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>The UN says that at least 32 political prisoners have been executed in Iran since February this year. The UN's Human Rights Office has warned that the death penalty is increasingly being used to silence political dissent. Last year, Iran carried out 2,159 executions according to Amnesty International, the highest number since 1981. The Iranian government says that the vast majority are for drugs related offenses or murder. Ghoncheh Habibiazad of BBC Persian has been trying to find out more about the political prisoners who've been executed this year.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>A documentary about deforestation in the West Papua region has attracted criticism from Indonesia's army. Some reports suggest the film Pesta Babi, or Pig Feast, has been banned, but the government insists that any cancelled screenings were the result of 'administrative procedures' and not an official ban. All the same, the controversy around the film seems to have made Indonesians more eager to find ways to watch it. BBC Indonesian's Lesthia Kertopati had a ticket for a screening this weekend.
Since the military coup in 2021, both international and domestic tourism in Myanmar has dwindled as insecurity and unpredictability in the country has put people off travelling. Incidents of robbery and kidnapping of tourists have been reported in the ancient city of Bagan, one of the most famous tourist hotspots. Soe Win Tan of BBC Burmese explains why this is happening.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts.
Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India.
If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more. This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
]]>A documentary about deforestation in the West Papua region has attracted criticism from Indonesia's army. Some reports suggest the film Pesta Babi, or Pig Feast, has been banned, but the government insists that any cancelled screenings were the result of 'administrative procedures' and not an official ban. All the same, the controversy around the film seems to have made Indonesians more eager to find ways to watch it. BBC Indonesian's Lesthia Kertopati had a ticket for a screening this weekend.
Since the military coup in 2021, both international and domestic tourism in Myanmar has dwindled as insecurity and unpredictability in the country has put people off travelling. Incidents of robbery and kidnapping of tourists have been reported in the ancient city of Bagan, one of the most famous tourist hotspots. Soe Win Tan of BBC Burmese explains why this is happening.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts.
Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India.
If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more. This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
]]>Also, the global fashion industry produces 92 million tonnes of textile waste every year with much of it ending up in landfills or being burned, according to the United Nations. We hear a Nigerian fashion designer's journey to curb rising fashion waste through upcycling.
]]>Also, the global fashion industry produces 92 million tonnes of textile waste every year with much of it ending up in landfills or being burned, according to the United Nations. We hear a Nigerian fashion designer's journey to curb rising fashion waste through upcycling.
]]>BBC reporter Tim Whewell and independent Slovak journalist Jakub Pohle have talked to people who’ve known her, and dug deep into the Epstein files, to put together the most detailed account yet of her life.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>BBC reporter Tim Whewell and independent Slovak journalist Jakub Pohle have talked to people who’ve known her, and dug deep into the Epstein files, to put together the most detailed account yet of her life.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>BBC Russian's Alina Isachenka came into The Fifth Floor studio to explain how the BBC is trying to keep its readers in Belarus safe.
Peace talks between Iran and the United States seem to have stopped, at least for now, while the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz remains firmly in place. But there's another unexpected player drawing attention in the region: Pakistan. Somehow, Pakistan has managed to stay on good terms with both Iran, its neighbor, and Iran's regional rival, Saudi Arabia, with whom it has a defense pact. BBC Persian's Mohammad Vaziri has been following Pakistan's balacing act.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts.
Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India.
If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>BBC Russian's Alina Isachenka came into The Fifth Floor studio to explain how the BBC is trying to keep its readers in Belarus safe.
Peace talks between Iran and the United States seem to have stopped, at least for now, while the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz remains firmly in place. But there's another unexpected player drawing attention in the region: Pakistan. Somehow, Pakistan has managed to stay on good terms with both Iran, its neighbor, and Iran's regional rival, Saudi Arabia, with whom it has a defense pact. BBC Persian's Mohammad Vaziri has been following Pakistan's balacing act.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts.
Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India.
If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Last summer Frenny Jowi visited him as he prepared his latest collection, Trying to Blossom, for an exhibition. But then disaster struck - so Frenny has been back to find out how Mika has coped with hardship, with support from his local community.
]]>Last summer Frenny Jowi visited him as he prepared his latest collection, Trying to Blossom, for an exhibition. But then disaster struck - so Frenny has been back to find out how Mika has coped with hardship, with support from his local community.
]]>A Thai drag performer has won the latest series of the television show RuPaul's Drag Race: UK versus The World. Gawdland is the first Thai winner of the all-star series and also the first non-native English speaker to take the title. Her triumph took some by surprise, but for fans of Drag Race, she's seen as a trailblazer for East Asian drag queens. Panisa Aemocha of BBC Thai explains what makes Gawdland such a stand-out performer.
Like anyone forced to leave their home country against their will, Russians who've sought asylum abroad face a variety of painful realities. Besides homesickness and the challenges of adapting to a new country, they also cannot safely return home to visit loved ones. For many years, exiled Russians could reunite with Russian family and friends in a wide variety of European and other countries, including the Baltic states. But as the rift between Russia and the rest of Europe deepend in the wake of the war in Ukraine, visa restrictions changed, leaving Russians with only a small handful of countries in which they could meet people from home. Recently, an exiled Russian man in his twenties, Sasha, planned and filmed a unique reunion with Russian friends. BBC Russian's Tatiana Kovtun tells Sasha's story and discusses the online response.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>A Thai drag performer has won the latest series of the television show RuPaul's Drag Race: UK versus The World. Gawdland is the first Thai winner of the all-star series and also the first non-native English speaker to take the title. Her triumph took some by surprise, but for fans of Drag Race, she's seen as a trailblazer for East Asian drag queens. Panisa Aemocha of BBC Thai explains what makes Gawdland such a stand-out performer.
Like anyone forced to leave their home country against their will, Russians who've sought asylum abroad face a variety of painful realities. Besides homesickness and the challenges of adapting to a new country, they also cannot safely return home to visit loved ones. For many years, exiled Russians could reunite with Russian family and friends in a wide variety of European and other countries, including the Baltic states. But as the rift between Russia and the rest of Europe deepend in the wake of the war in Ukraine, visa restrictions changed, leaving Russians with only a small handful of countries in which they could meet people from home. Recently, an exiled Russian man in his twenties, Sasha, planned and filmed a unique reunion with Russian friends. BBC Russian's Tatiana Kovtun tells Sasha's story and discusses the online response.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Contributors: Daria Mosolova, Howard Gethin, Gleb Borshchevski, Evgeny Pudovkin Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>Contributors: Daria Mosolova, Howard Gethin, Gleb Borshchevski, Evgeny Pudovkin Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>The released files run to three and a half million documents — emails, letters, photographs, videos, financial records, flight details — all are now open to public scrutiny. Many files remain heavily redacted, but what can be read has already had repercussions globally and revealed Epstein’s web of connections to powerful figures around the world.
Abdirahim Saeed, BBC Arabic, and Luiz Fernando Toledo, BBC News Brazil, share what they found about the files related to their regions.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
]]>The released files run to three and a half million documents — emails, letters, photographs, videos, financial records, flight details — all are now open to public scrutiny. Many files remain heavily redacted, but what can be read has already had repercussions globally and revealed Epstein’s web of connections to powerful figures around the world.
Abdirahim Saeed, BBC Arabic, and Luiz Fernando Toledo, BBC News Brazil, share what they found about the files related to their regions.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
]]>To hear more, search for In Our Time wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
]]>To hear more, search for In Our Time wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>To hear more, search for The Climate Question wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
]]>To hear more, search for The Climate Question wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
]]>In Indonesia, the posts of a woman called Emak Farida, 'Mother Farida', have gone viral on social media. From a remote village in East Kalimantan province, Farida's soothing posts documenting her daily life have found a devoted following amongst a generation of young people who've moved to big cities for work but still yearn for the village life and the family they've left behind. BBC Indonesian's Lesthia Kertopati reports.
When war broke out in 2020 between Ethiopia's federal government and the the Tigray region of the country, many women in Tigray joined the armed forces, in part to avoid sexual violence, as reports of women being assaulted by soldiers started to appear. As the regional factions draw closer to war once again, BBC Tigrinya's Hana Zeratsyon has been speaking to female veterans of a war that went on to cost 600,000 lives and hearing about their complex reasons for fighting, their experiences in the army and their return to civilian life.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>In Indonesia, the posts of a woman called Emak Farida, 'Mother Farida', have gone viral on social media. From a remote village in East Kalimantan province, Farida's soothing posts documenting her daily life have found a devoted following amongst a generation of young people who've moved to big cities for work but still yearn for the village life and the family they've left behind. BBC Indonesian's Lesthia Kertopati reports.
When war broke out in 2020 between Ethiopia's federal government and the the Tigray region of the country, many women in Tigray joined the armed forces, in part to avoid sexual violence, as reports of women being assaulted by soldiers started to appear. As the regional factions draw closer to war once again, BBC Tigrinya's Hana Zeratsyon has been speaking to female veterans of a war that went on to cost 600,000 lives and hearing about their complex reasons for fighting, their experiences in the army and their return to civilian life.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>To hear more, search World of Secrets wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Searching for Soldier Dad is a BBC Long Form Audio production for the BBC World Service. Please note, the image being used is for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model.
]]>To hear more, search World of Secrets wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Searching for Soldier Dad is a BBC Long Form Audio production for the BBC World Service. Please note, the image being used is for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model.
]]>But Iceland is one of the few nations in the world with no military of its own. A country of approximately 400,000 people, its security relies on the umbrella of protection it derives from being a founding member of NATO, a bilateral agreement with the United States signed in 1951 and a highly skilled coast guard and police force. In a climate of fracturing political alliances, is entrusting national defence so heavily on the guarantees of allies a sustainable strategy? Sandra Kanthal travelled to Reykjavik to find out.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>But Iceland is one of the few nations in the world with no military of its own. A country of approximately 400,000 people, its security relies on the umbrella of protection it derives from being a founding member of NATO, a bilateral agreement with the United States signed in 1951 and a highly skilled coast guard and police force. In a climate of fracturing political alliances, is entrusting national defence so heavily on the guarantees of allies a sustainable strategy? Sandra Kanthal travelled to Reykjavik to find out.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>They planned to get married on Saturday 26 April 1986. But the night before the wedding, they felt the ground shake and heard a booming sound. It came from the direction of the nuclear power plant. On the morning of the wedding, as Serhiy went to pick up his best man from the station, he found the streets full of soldiers wearing gas masks and washing the streets down. Rumours swirled that there had been an accident at the Nuclear reactor, but nothing official was said. They called the authorities who told them they must still hold their wedding. As engineers and firefighters battled an unfolding nuclear catastrophe, the city’s residents were told nothing. Iryna and Serhiy married, smiling for photographs, but stumbling during their much practised waltz, as unease rippled through the room. By the end of the wedding reception, the celebration descended into chaos. Still in her wedding dress, Iryna ended up running barefoot through the streets as evacuation orders spread, leaving behind her home, her possessions, and the city where their love had begun.
The contributors all feature in the TV documentary What Happened at Chernobyl, directed by Paul Harris, Executive Producer Vara Szajkowski, Assistant Producer Ellie Jacobs. It is available to watch on BBC iPlayer and the BBC World Service Youtube channel.
]]>They planned to get married on Saturday 26 April 1986. But the night before the wedding, they felt the ground shake and heard a booming sound. It came from the direction of the nuclear power plant. On the morning of the wedding, as Serhiy went to pick up his best man from the station, he found the streets full of soldiers wearing gas masks and washing the streets down. Rumours swirled that there had been an accident at the Nuclear reactor, but nothing official was said. They called the authorities who told them they must still hold their wedding. As engineers and firefighters battled an unfolding nuclear catastrophe, the city’s residents were told nothing. Iryna and Serhiy married, smiling for photographs, but stumbling during their much practised waltz, as unease rippled through the room. By the end of the wedding reception, the celebration descended into chaos. Still in her wedding dress, Iryna ended up running barefoot through the streets as evacuation orders spread, leaving behind her home, her possessions, and the city where their love had begun.
The contributors all feature in the TV documentary What Happened at Chernobyl, directed by Paul Harris, Executive Producer Vara Szajkowski, Assistant Producer Ellie Jacobs. It is available to watch on BBC iPlayer and the BBC World Service Youtube channel.
]]>Presenter and producer: Victoria Ferran Executive producer: Susan Marling A Just Radio production for BBC World Service
Image: Patti LuPone (Credit: Emilio Madrid)
]]>Presenter and producer: Victoria Ferran Executive producer: Susan Marling A Just Radio production for BBC World Service
Image: Patti LuPone (Credit: Emilio Madrid)
]]>At the end of January, six people were caned in public for violating Sharia law in Aceh, Indonesia. Caning is a common punishment for breaking Islamic law in the religiously conservative state, although the practice has drawn criticism from rights groups. Aceh has a unique identity within Indonesia and is the only part of the country to practice Sharia. Astudestra Ajengrastri of BBC Indonesian explains more about Aceh's history and why it chooses to be different from the rest of the country.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presenter: Faranak Amidi. Producer: Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>At the end of January, six people were caned in public for violating Sharia law in Aceh, Indonesia. Caning is a common punishment for breaking Islamic law in the religiously conservative state, although the practice has drawn criticism from rights groups. Aceh has a unique identity within Indonesia and is the only part of the country to practice Sharia. Astudestra Ajengrastri of BBC Indonesian explains more about Aceh's history and why it chooses to be different from the rest of the country.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presenter: Faranak Amidi. Producer: Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Search for Dear Daughter wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
To find out more about Dear Daughter, to take part, or read our privacy notice, please go to www.bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter. Or you can contact the team via WhatsApp on +44 800 030 4404.
]]>Search for Dear Daughter wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
To find out more about Dear Daughter, to take part, or read our privacy notice, please go to www.bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter. Or you can contact the team via WhatsApp on +44 800 030 4404.
]]>In February this year, a Kenyan woman called Joy, who was a 19-year-old student at the time, discovered that she was at the center of a viral video circulating on the social media platform, TikTok. In it, she's approached by a man who says he's from Russia and their interaction is secretly filmed by him. Several other similar clips of women were shared widely online. The creator of the videos had been promoting himself online as a so-called pickup coach and his content has proved extremely popular. But for many of the women, these videos have had real life consequences. Mungai Ngige from the BBC's Disinformation Unit investigated.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presenter: Faranak Amidi. Producer: Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>In February this year, a Kenyan woman called Joy, who was a 19-year-old student at the time, discovered that she was at the center of a viral video circulating on the social media platform, TikTok. In it, she's approached by a man who says he's from Russia and their interaction is secretly filmed by him. Several other similar clips of women were shared widely online. The creator of the videos had been promoting himself online as a so-called pickup coach and his content has proved extremely popular. But for many of the women, these videos have had real life consequences. Mungai Ngige from the BBC's Disinformation Unit investigated.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presenter: Faranak Amidi. Producer: Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>These days, Albania is aiming to shake off its past and transform its reputation from a country marked by corruption to one known for luxury tourism. With its miles of unspoilt beaches, snow capped mountains, and olive groves that could rival anything Greece has to offer, it’s unsurprising that it’s quickly attracting investors. Among them are Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, who are hoping to build a resort on an island off the coast of Vlorë. They have visited the secluded beaches of Zvërnec and Nartë; currently home only to endangered monk seals, sea turtles, and a few sheep. They, like others, hope to benefit from new government incentives to build luxury 5 star plus resorts.
However, ghosts of Albania’s communist past remain. Land disputes, allegations of corruption, and a lack of infrastructure could derail these resorts before they’ve even broken ground. For Assignment, Emily Wither travels to Albania to find out whether it will be able to re-brand itself, and whether its dream of luxury escapism will become a reality.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>These days, Albania is aiming to shake off its past and transform its reputation from a country marked by corruption to one known for luxury tourism. With its miles of unspoilt beaches, snow capped mountains, and olive groves that could rival anything Greece has to offer, it’s unsurprising that it’s quickly attracting investors. Among them are Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, who are hoping to build a resort on an island off the coast of Vlorë. They have visited the secluded beaches of Zvërnec and Nartë; currently home only to endangered monk seals, sea turtles, and a few sheep. They, like others, hope to benefit from new government incentives to build luxury 5 star plus resorts.
However, ghosts of Albania’s communist past remain. Land disputes, allegations of corruption, and a lack of infrastructure could derail these resorts before they’ve even broken ground. For Assignment, Emily Wither travels to Albania to find out whether it will be able to re-brand itself, and whether its dream of luxury escapism will become a reality.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Israel is home to around a quarter of a million Iranian Jews, who first began arriving in the country in 1948 and then came in bigger numbers following Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979. Many in the community (including younger generations born in Israel) remain closely connected to their Iranian heritage, while embracing both cultures. The US and Israel's war with Iran, however, has left Iranian Jews in a difficult position, caught between homeland and adopted home. BBC Arabic's Michael Shuval has been talking to Iranian Jews in Israel.
]]>Israel is home to around a quarter of a million Iranian Jews, who first began arriving in the country in 1948 and then came in bigger numbers following Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979. Many in the community (including younger generations born in Israel) remain closely connected to their Iranian heritage, while embracing both cultures. The US and Israel's war with Iran, however, has left Iranian Jews in a difficult position, caught between homeland and adopted home. BBC Arabic's Michael Shuval has been talking to Iranian Jews in Israel.
]]>Hope emerges through innovation and activism. Scientists at the Central Salt and Marine Chemical Research Institute are introducing new types of pan linings and solar-powered pumps to reduce costs and increase yields. Activists like Pankti Jog fight for land rights, healthcare and education, establishing mobile schools in old buses for the next generation. Yet, the future remains a gamble. While some children dream of becoming teachers or police officers, many feel tethered to the salt by heritage and lack of choice.
]]>Hope emerges through innovation and activism. Scientists at the Central Salt and Marine Chemical Research Institute are introducing new types of pan linings and solar-powered pumps to reduce costs and increase yields. Activists like Pankti Jog fight for land rights, healthcare and education, establishing mobile schools in old buses for the next generation. Yet, the future remains a gamble. While some children dream of becoming teachers or police officers, many feel tethered to the salt by heritage and lack of choice.
]]>A new 10-part series from the BBC World Service. Search for Inheritance: Samsung wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
]]>A new 10-part series from the BBC World Service. Search for Inheritance: Samsung wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
]]>In France, Stephanie grew up very happily with her adoptive mum and dad. But after they both died, she began to think more about her origins. And she experienced a desire to re-connect with her motherland. In this edition of Assignment, Stephanie journeys into rural India in the state of Maharashtra with journalist, Tanya Datta. Together they attempt to find Stephanie’s birth mother. Along the way, Stephanie discovers she isn’t an ‘absolutely abandoned and destitute child’ found on the roadside as she’s been led to believe her whole life, but was born to an unmarried teenager. Nearly 40 years later, will she find that 50-something woman?
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>In France, Stephanie grew up very happily with her adoptive mum and dad. But after they both died, she began to think more about her origins. And she experienced a desire to re-connect with her motherland. In this edition of Assignment, Stephanie journeys into rural India in the state of Maharashtra with journalist, Tanya Datta. Together they attempt to find Stephanie’s birth mother. Along the way, Stephanie discovers she isn’t an ‘absolutely abandoned and destitute child’ found on the roadside as she’s been led to believe her whole life, but was born to an unmarried teenager. Nearly 40 years later, will she find that 50-something woman?
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>For her latest series, Origin of the Universe, Khademi paints surreal scenes of women giving birth to animals — images inspired by a story her grandmother once told her about strength and survival. Following her creative process, Sahar Zand joins Khademi in her studio as she paints one of the works, revealing how memory, exile and defiance are transformed into art.
]]>For her latest series, Origin of the Universe, Khademi paints surreal scenes of women giving birth to animals — images inspired by a story her grandmother once told her about strength and survival. Following her creative process, Sahar Zand joins Khademi in her studio as she paints one of the works, revealing how memory, exile and defiance are transformed into art.
]]>In an in-depth interview with More than the Score’s Lee James, Elana discusses her 20-year journey to Olympic gold, and why it’s taken a whole team of people to get there – including receiving invaluable support from the deaf and Down syndrome community. She also discusses her activism for black athletes in winter sports, and reflects on the effect that climate change is already having on her sport. How does she see the future of bobsleigh racing, and what part will she play in it?
Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoresheet from all over the world of sport. From the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open to the Diamond League, and netball to Formula 1. For more episodes, follow and subscribe to More than the Score wherever you get your podcasts.
]]>In an in-depth interview with More than the Score’s Lee James, Elana discusses her 20-year journey to Olympic gold, and why it’s taken a whole team of people to get there – including receiving invaluable support from the deaf and Down syndrome community. She also discusses her activism for black athletes in winter sports, and reflects on the effect that climate change is already having on her sport. How does she see the future of bobsleigh racing, and what part will she play in it?
Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoresheet from all over the world of sport. From the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open to the Diamond League, and netball to Formula 1. For more episodes, follow and subscribe to More than the Score wherever you get your podcasts.
]]>Indonesia's Makassar Strait is one of the world's busiest shipping routes, with 36,000 ships passing between the islands of Sulawesi and Kalimantan annually. Beneath the surface, the area was once home to thriving corals. But by the early 2000s, the ecosystem was under threat of dying out completely as a result of coral damage caused by ship collisions, anchors and fishing practices. BBC Indonesian's Lesthia Kertopati explains how a group of young, predominantly female divers is setting out to restore the coral.
]]>Indonesia's Makassar Strait is one of the world's busiest shipping routes, with 36,000 ships passing between the islands of Sulawesi and Kalimantan annually. Beneath the surface, the area was once home to thriving corals. But by the early 2000s, the ecosystem was under threat of dying out completely as a result of coral damage caused by ship collisions, anchors and fishing practices. BBC Indonesian's Lesthia Kertopati explains how a group of young, predominantly female divers is setting out to restore the coral.
]]>For years, Cuba relied heavily on oil from Venezuela. Those supplies have largely stopped, contributing to widespread fuel shortages. Electricity blackouts have become increasingly common, disrupting daily life across the country.
The United States has blocked fuel shipments to Cuba as part of wider pressure linked to its economic and political policies. Meanwhile, the Cuban government has warned it will resist any external interference in its domestic affairs.
With economic strain growing and living conditions worsening, this week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: ‘Is the revolution in Cuba over?’
Contributors
Lillian Guerra, professor of Cuban and Caribbean history at the University of Florida, US
Ricardo Torres, research fellow at American University, US
Christopher Sabatini, senior research fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, UK
Renata Segura, programme director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Crisis Group, US
The Inquiry gets beyond the headlines to explore the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world, for more episodes, just search 'The Inquiry' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Matt Toulson Researcher: Evie Yabsley Editor: Tom Bigwood
]]>For years, Cuba relied heavily on oil from Venezuela. Those supplies have largely stopped, contributing to widespread fuel shortages. Electricity blackouts have become increasingly common, disrupting daily life across the country.
The United States has blocked fuel shipments to Cuba as part of wider pressure linked to its economic and political policies. Meanwhile, the Cuban government has warned it will resist any external interference in its domestic affairs.
With economic strain growing and living conditions worsening, this week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: ‘Is the revolution in Cuba over?’
Contributors
Lillian Guerra, professor of Cuban and Caribbean history at the University of Florida, US
Ricardo Torres, research fellow at American University, US
Christopher Sabatini, senior research fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, UK
Renata Segura, programme director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Crisis Group, US
The Inquiry gets beyond the headlines to explore the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world, for more episodes, just search 'The Inquiry' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Matt Toulson Researcher: Evie Yabsley Editor: Tom Bigwood
]]>The elections were called after young people took to the streets to protest against corruption and a political class which was slow to change.
But the protest of 8 September 2025 got out of hand and the police struggled to maintain order. It resulted in the death of 19 young protesters. The following day, more protests led to the fall of the government.
Drawing on more than 4000 videos filmed on the streets, testimony from police and protesters and an exclusive leaked record of police radio, Subina Shrestha reveals how Nepali authorities lost control of this protest. And ask - did Nepal’s police, army and politicians fail a generation desperate for change?
This was an investigation for BBC Eye and Assignment.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>The elections were called after young people took to the streets to protest against corruption and a political class which was slow to change.
But the protest of 8 September 2025 got out of hand and the police struggled to maintain order. It resulted in the death of 19 young protesters. The following day, more protests led to the fall of the government.
Drawing on more than 4000 videos filmed on the streets, testimony from police and protesters and an exclusive leaked record of police radio, Subina Shrestha reveals how Nepali authorities lost control of this protest. And ask - did Nepal’s police, army and politicians fail a generation desperate for change?
This was an investigation for BBC Eye and Assignment.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Hallyu, or the Korean wave, is what South Koreans call the international success of TV shows like Squid Game and K-Pop Demon Hunters. The phenomenon has grown exponentially since the 1990s, encompassing South Korean music, TV, drama, food and cosmetics. Boy band BTS have been central to the Hallyu craze since they got together in 2010. Their decision to go on hiatus so they could complete their military service sparked debate in South Korea. Now, as they prepare for a huge return concert in Seoul, Suhnwook Lee of BBC Korean joins the online queue for tickets.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presented by Irena Taranyuk
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo:Irena Taranyuk.)
]]>Hallyu, or the Korean wave, is what South Koreans call the international success of TV shows like Squid Game and K-Pop Demon Hunters. The phenomenon has grown exponentially since the 1990s, encompassing South Korean music, TV, drama, food and cosmetics. Boy band BTS have been central to the Hallyu craze since they got together in 2010. Their decision to go on hiatus so they could complete their military service sparked debate in South Korea. Now, as they prepare for a huge return concert in Seoul, Suhnwook Lee of BBC Korean joins the online queue for tickets.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presented by Irena Taranyuk
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo:Irena Taranyuk.)
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori, Barry Sadid, Krassi Ivanova Twigg Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori, Barry Sadid, Krassi Ivanova Twigg Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>With thanks to Mariam Issoufou and her team, Bassem and Wassim Shaaban, Professor Harriet Harriss PhD, Professor Lesley Lokko OBE, the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, and Nicholas Fox Weber
]]>With thanks to Mariam Issoufou and her team, Bassem and Wassim Shaaban, Professor Harriet Harriss PhD, Professor Lesley Lokko OBE, the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, and Nicholas Fox Weber
]]>Looming over the celebrations are some major upheavals in Hollywood: big corporate mergers, the incursion of AI, and mass layoffs. And it’s against that backdrop that the Oscars are increasingly nominating films, filmmakers, and actors from elsewhere in the world.
BBC film reporter and critic Tom Brook explains how the Oscars went global, and what it can tell us about the status of American soft power.
The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Producers: Xandra Ellin and Valerio Esposito
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Workers make preparations for the 98th annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles Credit: Reuters / Caroline Brehman
]]>Looming over the celebrations are some major upheavals in Hollywood: big corporate mergers, the incursion of AI, and mass layoffs. And it’s against that backdrop that the Oscars are increasingly nominating films, filmmakers, and actors from elsewhere in the world.
BBC film reporter and critic Tom Brook explains how the Oscars went global, and what it can tell us about the status of American soft power.
The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Producers: Xandra Ellin and Valerio Esposito
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Workers make preparations for the 98th annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles Credit: Reuters / Caroline Brehman
]]>For journalists at BBC Persian, reporting on the war from outside of the country has been incredibly difficult. The internet has been shut down on the 90 million people living inside Iran, making it difficult for people to get information on what is happening round them and which locations are being hit by bombing. It is also extremely difficult for Iranians outside the country to contact those inside.
BBC Persian's Ghoncheh Habibiazad and Taraneh Fathalian; and BBC Monitoring's Sarbas Nazari, discuss what is known about the situation within Iran. This edition was recorded on 12th March 2026.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Laura Thomas
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>For journalists at BBC Persian, reporting on the war from outside of the country has been incredibly difficult. The internet has been shut down on the 90 million people living inside Iran, making it difficult for people to get information on what is happening round them and which locations are being hit by bombing. It is also extremely difficult for Iranians outside the country to contact those inside.
BBC Persian's Ghoncheh Habibiazad and Taraneh Fathalian; and BBC Monitoring's Sarbas Nazari, discuss what is known about the situation within Iran. This edition was recorded on 12th March 2026.
The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Laura Thomas
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>To increase the pool of female drivers and return women to the top ranks of motor racing, F1 Academy was set up. In our conversation, three F1 Academy drivers – Rachel Robertson, Alba Larsen and Esmee Kosterman – share their experiences of speed, ambition and the sexism they have often faced from boys they have raced against.
]]>To increase the pool of female drivers and return women to the top ranks of motor racing, F1 Academy was set up. In our conversation, three F1 Academy drivers – Rachel Robertson, Alba Larsen and Esmee Kosterman – share their experiences of speed, ambition and the sexism they have often faced from boys they have raced against.
]]>Journalist Rajesh Joshi explores this unique spiritual practice, meeting fully fledged monks and disciples on the path to total nudity. While walking with them across the countryside, Rajesh learns about the danger these monks face, and he speaks to villagers to find out what they think of these naked monks whose numbers have unexpectedly grown in recent years. We also speak to female Jain followers to understand how they feel about the nudity they witness.
]]>Journalist Rajesh Joshi explores this unique spiritual practice, meeting fully fledged monks and disciples on the path to total nudity. While walking with them across the countryside, Rajesh learns about the danger these monks face, and he speaks to villagers to find out what they think of these naked monks whose numbers have unexpectedly grown in recent years. We also speak to female Jain followers to understand how they feel about the nudity they witness.
]]>In part three, we discuss justice and rehabilitation, as well as where the latest dramatic events leave the story.
Contributors: Mina al-Lami, Barry Marston, Clare Denning, Samia Hosny, Mohammed al-Jumaily, Bryn Windsor Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>In part three, we discuss justice and rehabilitation, as well as where the latest dramatic events leave the story.
Contributors: Mina al-Lami, Barry Marston, Clare Denning, Samia Hosny, Mohammed al-Jumaily, Bryn Windsor Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>In part two, we examine where governments are drawing the line on repatriation, from Britain’s tough stance to Kazakhstan’s model of success.
Contributors: Mina al-Lami, Jiyar Gol, Barry Marston, Clare Denning, Mohammed Al-Jumaily, Bryn Windsor Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>In part two, we examine where governments are drawing the line on repatriation, from Britain’s tough stance to Kazakhstan’s model of success.
Contributors: Mina al-Lami, Jiyar Gol, Barry Marston, Clare Denning, Mohammed Al-Jumaily, Bryn Windsor Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>This three-part series from The Global Jigsaw explores the trauma that led to the prolonged existence of these camps and what the future might hold for their residents. In part one, we zoom in on the tent city of al-Hol.
Contributors: Mina al-Lami, Jiyar Gol, Barry Marston, Mohammed Al-Jumaily Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>This three-part series from The Global Jigsaw explores the trauma that led to the prolonged existence of these camps and what the future might hold for their residents. In part one, we zoom in on the tent city of al-Hol.
Contributors: Mina al-Lami, Jiyar Gol, Barry Marston, Mohammed Al-Jumaily Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>Simon Bolivar was a nineteenth century soldier and statesman who led six countries - Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Panama - to independence from the Spanish empire and earned himself the title of ‘El Libertador’, the liberator. He left a huge legacy in South America and is still considered by many as a revolutionary hero. Growing up in Venezuela, Juan Alosno of BBC Mundo was very familiar with Bolivar's mythology, because it was taught to him in school. Even as a child, there were a couple of details that just didn't stack up for him.... so he set out to investigate.
At the end of January this year, 6 people were caned in public for violating Sharia law in Aceh, Indonesia. Caning is a common punishment for breaking Islamic law in religiously conservative Aceh, although the practice has drawn criticism from rights groups who say it's cruel. Aceh has a unique identity within Indonesia, and is the only part of the country to practice Sharia. Astudestra Ajengrastri of BBC Indonesian explains Aceh's history and why it chooses to be different from the rest of Indonesia.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Simon Bolivar was a nineteenth century soldier and statesman who led six countries - Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Panama - to independence from the Spanish empire and earned himself the title of ‘El Libertador’, the liberator. He left a huge legacy in South America and is still considered by many as a revolutionary hero. Growing up in Venezuela, Juan Alosno of BBC Mundo was very familiar with Bolivar's mythology, because it was taught to him in school. Even as a child, there were a couple of details that just didn't stack up for him.... so he set out to investigate.
At the end of January this year, 6 people were caned in public for violating Sharia law in Aceh, Indonesia. Caning is a common punishment for breaking Islamic law in religiously conservative Aceh, although the practice has drawn criticism from rights groups who say it's cruel. Aceh has a unique identity within Indonesia, and is the only part of the country to practice Sharia. Astudestra Ajengrastri of BBC Indonesian explains Aceh's history and why it chooses to be different from the rest of Indonesia.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Reporter Tim Whewell asks whether Rojava’s rare social experiment - including all-women fighting units – will survive? He interviews Kurdish women, including the young co-mayor of one of the area’s main cities, who’s determined to continue her work, and learns about the origins of Rojava’s unusual system. He also talks to a woman who says she and her family witnessed the killing in January this year of unarmed Kurdish men, by fighters supporting the central government. As such allegations multiply, many Kurds are nervous about their future in a united Syria.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Reporter Tim Whewell asks whether Rojava’s rare social experiment - including all-women fighting units – will survive? He interviews Kurdish women, including the young co-mayor of one of the area’s main cities, who’s determined to continue her work, and learns about the origins of Rojava’s unusual system. He also talks to a woman who says she and her family witnessed the killing in January this year of unarmed Kurdish men, by fighters supporting the central government. As such allegations multiply, many Kurds are nervous about their future in a united Syria.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Snow leopards are beautiful, yet elusive creatures. They like to live high up in snowy mountains, including certain areas in the Indian Himalayas. A group of women in one of India's coldest and most remote regions have joined the efforts to conduct a snow leopard census, using camera traps to count the big cats and protect them and their habitat. Ashay Yedge of BBC Marathi recently traveled to the world's second-highest village to speak to them about their work.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Irena Taranyuk
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Irena Taranyuk)
]]>Snow leopards are beautiful, yet elusive creatures. They like to live high up in snowy mountains, including certain areas in the Indian Himalayas. A group of women in one of India's coldest and most remote regions have joined the efforts to conduct a snow leopard census, using camera traps to count the big cats and protect them and their habitat. Ashay Yedge of BBC Marathi recently traveled to the world's second-highest village to speak to them about their work.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Irena Taranyuk
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Irena Taranyuk)
]]>This seismic shift is also being felt in parishes across America. Increasing numbers of US Catholics and Protestants are embracing Eastern Orthodoxy. Many converts disillusioned by the showbiz elements in many megachurches, say they are drawn to a faith with enduring traditions. Some, uneasy with social and demographic change, believe the churches they were raised in have lost their authority by going “woke” – shorthand for supporting equal marriage, female clergy, pro-choice, Black Lives Matter and other liberal issues.
Some converts have hundreds of thousands of followers online, and push Kremlin narratives that Russia is the world's last bastion of true Christianity - a few of the most radical have even emigrated there. Last year, Lucy Ash went to Texas – one of the most religious states in the US – to meet some new converts.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This seismic shift is also being felt in parishes across America. Increasing numbers of US Catholics and Protestants are embracing Eastern Orthodoxy. Many converts disillusioned by the showbiz elements in many megachurches, say they are drawn to a faith with enduring traditions. Some, uneasy with social and demographic change, believe the churches they were raised in have lost their authority by going “woke” – shorthand for supporting equal marriage, female clergy, pro-choice, Black Lives Matter and other liberal issues.
Some converts have hundreds of thousands of followers online, and push Kremlin narratives that Russia is the world's last bastion of true Christianity - a few of the most radical have even emigrated there. Last year, Lucy Ash went to Texas – one of the most religious states in the US – to meet some new converts.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Dream engineering is an experimental new field - with scientists, dream researchers and engineers pursuing the goal of influencing our thoughts as we sleep.
For some, the idea holds the promise of a bright future, with benefits for our memories, creativity and wellbeing.
On the other hand, though, the ethical issues it causes amid the unregulated world of an emerging technology have led to warnings of a future where our very dreams could be for sale.
Presenter: Anand Jagatia Producer: Dan Welsh
With special thanks to The MIT Museum, Seth Riskin, The Woodberry Poetry Room at Harvard Library, The Trustees of the E. E. Cummings Trust, Dr. Suzanne Fairless-Aitken at Bloodaxe Books
Credits: Tomas Tranströmer, New Collected Poems, tr. Robin Fulton (Bloodaxe Books, 2011) E. E. Cummings, Xaipe (W W Norton & Co Inc, 1997)
In The Dream Makers, Anand Jagatia investigates the fascinating potential and developing concerns over what the future of dream engineering could hold.
]]>Dream engineering is an experimental new field - with scientists, dream researchers and engineers pursuing the goal of influencing our thoughts as we sleep.
For some, the idea holds the promise of a bright future, with benefits for our memories, creativity and wellbeing.
On the other hand, though, the ethical issues it causes amid the unregulated world of an emerging technology have led to warnings of a future where our very dreams could be for sale.
Presenter: Anand Jagatia Producer: Dan Welsh
With special thanks to The MIT Museum, Seth Riskin, The Woodberry Poetry Room at Harvard Library, The Trustees of the E. E. Cummings Trust, Dr. Suzanne Fairless-Aitken at Bloodaxe Books
Credits: Tomas Tranströmer, New Collected Poems, tr. Robin Fulton (Bloodaxe Books, 2011) E. E. Cummings, Xaipe (W W Norton & Co Inc, 1997)
In The Dream Makers, Anand Jagatia investigates the fascinating potential and developing concerns over what the future of dream engineering could hold.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Irena Taranyuk
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Irena Taranyuk
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
]]>In a bonus episode from More than the Score, the BBC World Service podcast that scours the globe to tell stories from beyond the scoresheet, journalists Kate Reyes and Ben Rothenberg talked to Ed Harry where Eala came from, how far she could go, and what her popularity might mean for the future of tennis and sport in the Philippines.
Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoresheet from all over the world of sport. From the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open to the Diamond League, and netball to Formula 1. For more episodes, follow and subscribe to More than the Score wherever you get your podcasts.
]]>In a bonus episode from More than the Score, the BBC World Service podcast that scours the globe to tell stories from beyond the scoresheet, journalists Kate Reyes and Ben Rothenberg talked to Ed Harry where Eala came from, how far she could go, and what her popularity might mean for the future of tennis and sport in the Philippines.
Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoresheet from all over the world of sport. From the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open to the Diamond League, and netball to Formula 1. For more episodes, follow and subscribe to More than the Score wherever you get your podcasts.
]]>Leandro Prazeres of BBC News Brazil - who happens to be a big fan of Forró himself - and BBC Russian's Olga Ivshina unpack the story of this 'fake Brazilian' and explore the history and motivations of Russia's network of so-called 'illegals', or deep cover spies.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Irena Taranyuk.)
]]>Leandro Prazeres of BBC News Brazil - who happens to be a big fan of Forró himself - and BBC Russian's Olga Ivshina unpack the story of this 'fake Brazilian' and explore the history and motivations of Russia's network of so-called 'illegals', or deep cover spies.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Irena Taranyuk.)
]]>A warning: some listeners might find the content of this documentary upsetting.
]]>A warning: some listeners might find the content of this documentary upsetting.
]]>This episode was updated on 9 February 2026 for music rights reasons.
]]>This episode was updated on 9 February 2026 for music rights reasons.
]]>Three years ago Magerram Zeynalov, who covers Azerbaijan for for BBC News Russian, wrote an article about the fact that six years after the start of the global pandemic, Azerbaijan's land borders remain closed. Since he wrote it, nothing has changed: although Azerbaijan's airspace is open, its land borders remain shut. The Azerbaijani government cites security concerns as the reason; Magerram reflects on the impact a sixth year of closed land borders in "the most stable country in the world."
In the Indian state of Maharashtra, tigers are thriving. It's a win for conservationists, but locals living near tiger reserves are concerned about the threat to life. Bhagyashri Raut, who reports for BBC Marathi, explains how a group of mothers have taken matters into their own hands to protect children on their way to school.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Three years ago Magerram Zeynalov, who covers Azerbaijan for for BBC News Russian, wrote an article about the fact that six years after the start of the global pandemic, Azerbaijan's land borders remain closed. Since he wrote it, nothing has changed: although Azerbaijan's airspace is open, its land borders remain shut. The Azerbaijani government cites security concerns as the reason; Magerram reflects on the impact a sixth year of closed land borders in "the most stable country in the world."
In the Indian state of Maharashtra, tigers are thriving. It's a win for conservationists, but locals living near tiger reserves are concerned about the threat to life. Bhagyashri Raut, who reports for BBC Marathi, explains how a group of mothers have taken matters into their own hands to protect children on their way to school.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Criminals are hiding video cameras in hotel rooms across China to secretly film and live stream unsuspecting victims having sex and then selling the footage online. The illegal trade in spycam porn has become a big business, one with devastating consequences for the people whose most intimate moments are made public without their consent. Wanqing Zhang has been hunting the hidden cameras and trying to find those responsible. Can they be stopped?
]]>Criminals are hiding video cameras in hotel rooms across China to secretly film and live stream unsuspecting victims having sex and then selling the footage online. The illegal trade in spycam porn has become a big business, one with devastating consequences for the people whose most intimate moments are made public without their consent. Wanqing Zhang has been hunting the hidden cameras and trying to find those responsible. Can they be stopped?
]]>Officially, the practice of child marriage is illegal in the country. But UNICEF estimates that over 200 million girls and women in India have been married before they turned 18. Take Munna as an example. Her mother was fifteen when she married and Munna herself was only 14 when she was told she would be a child bride. However, she fought back, using football as her weapon. She broke social norms and took up the sport, including wearing shorts on the pitch, and fended off various attempts to marry her off early. Now her rebellion has spread to her youngest sister, who has felt emboldened by her elder sister and has made it to the state football team.
Sport has also helped members of a marginalised community - the Siddis, who were originally brought to India from Africa mainly as slaves - to battle against discrimination. For Shahin her route was via judo.
Divya Arya reports on how sport is helping some young women to break free from the bonds of early marriage and to forge an identity for themselves.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Officially, the practice of child marriage is illegal in the country. But UNICEF estimates that over 200 million girls and women in India have been married before they turned 18. Take Munna as an example. Her mother was fifteen when she married and Munna herself was only 14 when she was told she would be a child bride. However, she fought back, using football as her weapon. She broke social norms and took up the sport, including wearing shorts on the pitch, and fended off various attempts to marry her off early. Now her rebellion has spread to her youngest sister, who has felt emboldened by her elder sister and has made it to the state football team.
Sport has also helped members of a marginalised community - the Siddis, who were originally brought to India from Africa mainly as slaves - to battle against discrimination. For Shahin her route was via judo.
Divya Arya reports on how sport is helping some young women to break free from the bonds of early marriage and to forge an identity for themselves.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>The Kalbeliya community is a nomadic tribe from Rajasthan in India, known for its distinctive folk music and the Kalbeliya dance form. Traditionally, Kalbeliya families have led a nomadic life, though some have settled permanently over the years. They follow a type of Hinduism in which burial, rather than cremation, is a religious requirement after death. Community members say that even those who are settled often do not have legal access to land for burial, leaving families struggling to perform last rites. Ashay Yegde, who reports for the BBC in India, recently travelled to meet the Kalbeliya to hear their story.
AI-generated caricatures of middle-aged men decked out in street wear, clutching an iPhone have gone viral on social media in South Korea. They are being called 'Young 40s' by younger generations. Teasing of an older person is very unusual in South Korea, where age difference, even by a year, forms the basis of social hierarchy. But the Young 40 memes also represent Korean youth's growing scepticism of this reverence for elders. Hyojung Kim of BBC Korean has been looking into the internet phenomenon, and shares what it tells us about South Korean society today.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>The Kalbeliya community is a nomadic tribe from Rajasthan in India, known for its distinctive folk music and the Kalbeliya dance form. Traditionally, Kalbeliya families have led a nomadic life, though some have settled permanently over the years. They follow a type of Hinduism in which burial, rather than cremation, is a religious requirement after death. Community members say that even those who are settled often do not have legal access to land for burial, leaving families struggling to perform last rites. Ashay Yegde, who reports for the BBC in India, recently travelled to meet the Kalbeliya to hear their story.
AI-generated caricatures of middle-aged men decked out in street wear, clutching an iPhone have gone viral on social media in South Korea. They are being called 'Young 40s' by younger generations. Teasing of an older person is very unusual in South Korea, where age difference, even by a year, forms the basis of social hierarchy. But the Young 40 memes also represent Korean youth's growing scepticism of this reverence for elders. Hyojung Kim of BBC Korean has been looking into the internet phenomenon, and shares what it tells us about South Korean society today.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Alvin Hall asks some of these women about the lengths they have gone to to follow their calling, driving hundreds of miles to carry the word of God in touring ministries reminiscent of the male Circuit Riders of Alvin’s childhood. In Paducah, Kentucky he meets Baptist pastors Donna G Hawkins, LaRita Horton Addison and James Lee Hudson to explore their individual journeys towards acceptance. Alvin also meets Associate Pastor, Reverend Vanessa Skillion who has travelled 216 miles to join Donna in preaching at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. Meanwhile in Nashville, Tennessee Alvin hears the perspectives of two United Methodist Ministers, Reverend Dr Jacqui King and Reverend Dr Paula Smith.
In life stories, preaching, prayers and music we encounter communities uplifted and worship subtly altered by the spirits of women.
Music performed by Donna G. Hawkins and the congregation of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, Paducah, KY.
]]>Alvin Hall asks some of these women about the lengths they have gone to to follow their calling, driving hundreds of miles to carry the word of God in touring ministries reminiscent of the male Circuit Riders of Alvin’s childhood. In Paducah, Kentucky he meets Baptist pastors Donna G Hawkins, LaRita Horton Addison and James Lee Hudson to explore their individual journeys towards acceptance. Alvin also meets Associate Pastor, Reverend Vanessa Skillion who has travelled 216 miles to join Donna in preaching at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. Meanwhile in Nashville, Tennessee Alvin hears the perspectives of two United Methodist Ministers, Reverend Dr Jacqui King and Reverend Dr Paula Smith.
In life stories, preaching, prayers and music we encounter communities uplifted and worship subtly altered by the spirits of women.
Music performed by Donna G. Hawkins and the congregation of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, Paducah, KY.
]]>Season 1: Putin and the Apartment Bombs. In September 1999, just weeks after a 46-year-old Vladimir Putin became Prime Minister, four bombs blew up four apartment buildings across Russia, killing hundreds of people while they slept. The attacks plunged the country into panic. Families fled their homes. Residents patrolled their blocks around the clock. An entire nation paralyzed by fear. But who did it? It's a mystery that has fuelled some chilling theories. The government blamed Chechen militants. Many reporters agreed. But then the whispers started. Was something even more sinister going on?
If you're in the UK, listen first to The History Bureau on BBC Sounds - or elsewhere in the world, listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
]]>Season 1: Putin and the Apartment Bombs. In September 1999, just weeks after a 46-year-old Vladimir Putin became Prime Minister, four bombs blew up four apartment buildings across Russia, killing hundreds of people while they slept. The attacks plunged the country into panic. Families fled their homes. Residents patrolled their blocks around the clock. An entire nation paralyzed by fear. But who did it? It's a mystery that has fuelled some chilling theories. The government blamed Chechen militants. Many reporters agreed. But then the whispers started. Was something even more sinister going on?
If you're in the UK, listen first to The History Bureau on BBC Sounds - or elsewhere in the world, listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
]]>Tim Whewell reports on the trial and its outcome - and on the consequences for Lesbos. Back in 2015, when as many as 800,000 migrants arrived on the island after crossing the narrow strait from Turkey, local people were proud of their efforts to rescue and support refugees. But later, attitudes towards migrants changed. And NGOs stopped their rescue work - for fear more aid workers might be prosecuted. Now, far fewer migrants attempt the crossing to Greece. But those who do sometimes die in shipwrecks. And there are allegations, denied by Greece, that its police are illegally pushing asylum seekers back - putting them back on boats and abandoning them at sea.
What will the verdicts in this trial mean for Greece, for other European states that have been tightening their immigration policies - and for the defendants whose lives have been on hold for the last seven years?
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Tim Whewell reports on the trial and its outcome - and on the consequences for Lesbos. Back in 2015, when as many as 800,000 migrants arrived on the island after crossing the narrow strait from Turkey, local people were proud of their efforts to rescue and support refugees. But later, attitudes towards migrants changed. And NGOs stopped their rescue work - for fear more aid workers might be prosecuted. Now, far fewer migrants attempt the crossing to Greece. But those who do sometimes die in shipwrecks. And there are allegations, denied by Greece, that its police are illegally pushing asylum seekers back - putting them back on boats and abandoning them at sea.
What will the verdicts in this trial mean for Greece, for other European states that have been tightening their immigration policies - and for the defendants whose lives have been on hold for the last seven years?
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>In September 2025 a wave of anti-government protests swept through Indonesia. Bali, however, remained free from demonstrations. Academics and sociologists say this is due to a legacy of terror from the island's 1965 communist purge. This brutal period taught communities a chilling lesson: dissent leads to annihilation. As a result, many Balinese people have become conditioned to avoid confrontation and suppress negative opinions, especially concerning the tourism sector. Tri Wahyuni of BBC Indonesian has looked into Bali's relationship with tourism and its own history.
In Panna, a diamond mining region in central India, two childhood friends recently made a discovery that they think could change their lives forever. They had rented a small patch of land in the hopes of finding diamonds, and after only 19 days of digging they found one worth an estimated $55,000. Vishnukant Tiwari reports for the BBC in central India and spoke to the brothers.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
]]>In September 2025 a wave of anti-government protests swept through Indonesia. Bali, however, remained free from demonstrations. Academics and sociologists say this is due to a legacy of terror from the island's 1965 communist purge. This brutal period taught communities a chilling lesson: dissent leads to annihilation. As a result, many Balinese people have become conditioned to avoid confrontation and suppress negative opinions, especially concerning the tourism sector. Tri Wahyuni of BBC Indonesian has looked into Bali's relationship with tourism and its own history.
In Panna, a diamond mining region in central India, two childhood friends recently made a discovery that they think could change their lives forever. They had rented a small patch of land in the hopes of finding diamonds, and after only 19 days of digging they found one worth an estimated $55,000. Vishnukant Tiwari reports for the BBC in central India and spoke to the brothers.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
]]>Watch the film Into the Void Putin's Foreign Fighters on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y7ruSvJfn_g
]]>Watch the film Into the Void Putin's Foreign Fighters on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y7ruSvJfn_g
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>If you are affected by an issue raised in the programme you could speak to a health professional or an organisation that offers support. If you are suffering distress or despair, details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.org
]]>If you are affected by an issue raised in the programme you could speak to a health professional or an organisation that offers support. If you are suffering distress or despair, details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.org
]]>In November 2025, Cyclone Senyar caused devastating floods and landslides in Indonesia, resulting in widespread destruction and loss of life. The extreme weather has also been catestrophic for the Tapanuli orangutan population. Only discovered as a separate species in 2017, the Tapanuli orangutan is found in a small area of North Sumatra and haven't been seen or heard since the landslides. BBC World Service Environment Correspondent Navin Singh Khadka explains the importance of the Tapanuli orangutans and their environment.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>In November 2025, Cyclone Senyar caused devastating floods and landslides in Indonesia, resulting in widespread destruction and loss of life. The extreme weather has also been catestrophic for the Tapanuli orangutan population. Only discovered as a separate species in 2017, the Tapanuli orangutan is found in a small area of North Sumatra and haven't been seen or heard since the landslides. BBC World Service Environment Correspondent Navin Singh Khadka explains the importance of the Tapanuli orangutans and their environment.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>South Africa has one of the highest TB burdens in the world, but it has also developed one of the most sophisticated scientific ecosystems for the study of the disease. Clinical trials conducted in the country have been crucial to the innovation of TB treatments, vaccines, diagnostics and prevention strategies.
Much of the funding for this research comes from American institutions. But since early 2025, streams of that money have been withdrawn due to a series of decisions by the Trump administration.
Sandra Kanthal visits Cape Town and discovers the story of two intertwined landscapes: the people in local communities struggling with the burden of tuberculosis, and the scientific institutions embedded in them trying to tackle the disease - and why at the moment both are struggling.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>South Africa has one of the highest TB burdens in the world, but it has also developed one of the most sophisticated scientific ecosystems for the study of the disease. Clinical trials conducted in the country have been crucial to the innovation of TB treatments, vaccines, diagnostics and prevention strategies.
Much of the funding for this research comes from American institutions. But since early 2025, streams of that money have been withdrawn due to a series of decisions by the Trump administration.
Sandra Kanthal visits Cape Town and discovers the story of two intertwined landscapes: the people in local communities struggling with the burden of tuberculosis, and the scientific institutions embedded in them trying to tackle the disease - and why at the moment both are struggling.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Produced and presented by Olga Smirnova
]]>Produced and presented by Olga Smirnova
]]>In the last few years, for Gen Z, there’s been a huge rise in things like y2k fashion, old school technology like flip phones and digital cameras, and even Kate Bush has made it back into the charts.
So why do we care so much about old things?
Speaking of the past, let’s go way back and find out about the ancient origins of kissing! Scientists at Oxford University in the UK now think that kissing evolved more than 21 million years ago, and it wasn’t humans that started it.
Victoria Gill, our Science Correspondent, tells us all about the research and what we know about if animals can be romantic like humans can.
What in the World helping you make sense of what's happening in the world.
For more episodes, just search 'What in the World' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
]]>In the last few years, for Gen Z, there’s been a huge rise in things like y2k fashion, old school technology like flip phones and digital cameras, and even Kate Bush has made it back into the charts.
So why do we care so much about old things?
Speaking of the past, let’s go way back and find out about the ancient origins of kissing! Scientists at Oxford University in the UK now think that kissing evolved more than 21 million years ago, and it wasn’t humans that started it.
Victoria Gill, our Science Correspondent, tells us all about the research and what we know about if animals can be romantic like humans can.
What in the World helping you make sense of what's happening in the world.
For more episodes, just search 'What in the World' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Hannah Dean, Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Hannah Dean, Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>As bombs hit ever closer to her home in central Gaza, Hanya Aljamal spots her elderly neighbour tending to his garden. “He's been raking the earth,” she says, “prepping the soil for new seeds. Given everything that's already happening, it's quite interesting seeing him do that right now. I mean, if grandpa thinks it's a good time to put seeds in, then I don't know, maybe there's hope.”
In audio diaries sent from her balcony over four months, Hanya sees impromptu volleyball matches, flying shrapnel, and a hastily constructed tent village as Israel expands its military action. But after she questions whether she will live to see the end of the conflict, a fragile peace is finally agreed and Hanya’s personal situation changes dramatically.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>As bombs hit ever closer to her home in central Gaza, Hanya Aljamal spots her elderly neighbour tending to his garden. “He's been raking the earth,” she says, “prepping the soil for new seeds. Given everything that's already happening, it's quite interesting seeing him do that right now. I mean, if grandpa thinks it's a good time to put seeds in, then I don't know, maybe there's hope.”
In audio diaries sent from her balcony over four months, Hanya sees impromptu volleyball matches, flying shrapnel, and a hastily constructed tent village as Israel expands its military action. But after she questions whether she will live to see the end of the conflict, a fragile peace is finally agreed and Hanya’s personal situation changes dramatically.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Their extreme views on women, civil rights, and the role of the Church have attracted the attention of critics both locally and further afield. In Gainesboro itself, a resistance movement has formed and the battle lines have been drawn.
This small town of 900 people has become a symbol of the next frontier of America’s political warfare. Is the new development a haven for hate and extremism, with the newcomers looking to take over local power? Or are they just conservative businessmen catering to a renewed demand for the rural, traditional lifestyle? What actually is Christian nationalism? And what is it like for the locals, whose little town has been thrust into the spotlight? Ellie House reports from Gainesboro, Tennessee.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Their extreme views on women, civil rights, and the role of the Church have attracted the attention of critics both locally and further afield. In Gainesboro itself, a resistance movement has formed and the battle lines have been drawn.
This small town of 900 people has become a symbol of the next frontier of America’s political warfare. Is the new development a haven for hate and extremism, with the newcomers looking to take over local power? Or are they just conservative businessmen catering to a renewed demand for the rural, traditional lifestyle? What actually is Christian nationalism? And what is it like for the locals, whose little town has been thrust into the spotlight? Ellie House reports from Gainesboro, Tennessee.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Much of that will be shaped by what has already happened in 2025 - we entered the year still focused on the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan. Now, people are worried about conflict spreading further.
Topics like trade, technology, migration and the health of democracy have helped shaped our politics. Will they continue to be the pressing issues for the year ahead?
Join Anthony Zurcher, senior North America correspondent, Asma Khalid, co-host of the The Global Story podcast, Faisal Islam, economics editor, Laura Bicker, China correspondent, Lyse Doucet, chief international correspondent and Mayeni Jones, Africa correspondent as they ponder what might lie ahead for 2026.
Producer: Ben Carter and Lucy Proctor Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Sound engineer: Gareth Jones
]]>Much of that will be shaped by what has already happened in 2025 - we entered the year still focused on the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan. Now, people are worried about conflict spreading further.
Topics like trade, technology, migration and the health of democracy have helped shaped our politics. Will they continue to be the pressing issues for the year ahead?
Join Anthony Zurcher, senior North America correspondent, Asma Khalid, co-host of the The Global Story podcast, Faisal Islam, economics editor, Laura Bicker, China correspondent, Lyse Doucet, chief international correspondent and Mayeni Jones, Africa correspondent as they ponder what might lie ahead for 2026.
Producer: Ben Carter and Lucy Proctor Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Sound engineer: Gareth Jones
]]>Around a fifth of Guatemalans leave their home country to seek economic opportunity abroad, particularly in the USA. The money they send home offers vital support to the families they leave behind, but their earnings are also often used to build luxurious new houses in their hometowns. These homes, sometimes called 'remittance mansions', stand out from the traditional Guatemalan architecture all around them. For BBC Mundo, Atahualpa Amerise went to Guatemala to take a look.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Around a fifth of Guatemalans leave their home country to seek economic opportunity abroad, particularly in the USA. The money they send home offers vital support to the families they leave behind, but their earnings are also often used to build luxurious new houses in their hometowns. These homes, sometimes called 'remittance mansions', stand out from the traditional Guatemalan architecture all around them. For BBC Mundo, Atahualpa Amerise went to Guatemala to take a look.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>In 2025, the BBC launched The Interview, bringing you the best conversations from across the BBC. People shaping our world from all over the world.
This special episode for The Documentary features three of the most compelling conversations from The Interview across the year. Senior politicians are held to account by experienced BBC journalists, who also bring a unique and personal insight to the conversation, with a behind-the-scenes take on each encounter that took place.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s controversial challenge to climate orthodoxy was the subject of his conversation with the BBC’s climate editor Justin Rowlatt. Like his boss President Trump, Secretary Wright believes the threat from climate change is exaggerated, and the rush to decarbonisation by renewables has been an expensive mistake. In an interview with BBC presenter Paul Njie, Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud defends his efforts to tackle the terrorist insurgency in his country. And he stands firm in the face of demands for independence from the northern region of Somaliland - the unity of Somalia, he says, is sacrosanct. British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood set out her plans for a radical reform of the UK asylum system in a conversation with the BBC’s Nick Robinson. It makes for an uncompromising message for those trying to enter Britain illegally. Thank you to the all the teams across the BBC who have helped us make The Interview throughout 2025. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Lucy Sheppard Producers: Ben Cooper, Clare Williamson, Farhana Haider, Lucy Sheppard Editors: Justine Lang and Nick Holland Get in touch with us on email [email protected] and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.
]]>In 2025, the BBC launched The Interview, bringing you the best conversations from across the BBC. People shaping our world from all over the world.
This special episode for The Documentary features three of the most compelling conversations from The Interview across the year. Senior politicians are held to account by experienced BBC journalists, who also bring a unique and personal insight to the conversation, with a behind-the-scenes take on each encounter that took place.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s controversial challenge to climate orthodoxy was the subject of his conversation with the BBC’s climate editor Justin Rowlatt. Like his boss President Trump, Secretary Wright believes the threat from climate change is exaggerated, and the rush to decarbonisation by renewables has been an expensive mistake. In an interview with BBC presenter Paul Njie, Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud defends his efforts to tackle the terrorist insurgency in his country. And he stands firm in the face of demands for independence from the northern region of Somaliland - the unity of Somalia, he says, is sacrosanct. British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood set out her plans for a radical reform of the UK asylum system in a conversation with the BBC’s Nick Robinson. It makes for an uncompromising message for those trying to enter Britain illegally. Thank you to the all the teams across the BBC who have helped us make The Interview throughout 2025. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Lucy Sheppard Producers: Ben Cooper, Clare Williamson, Farhana Haider, Lucy Sheppard Editors: Justine Lang and Nick Holland Get in touch with us on email [email protected] and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Michael has just become a grandfather, so feels keenly the happiness of the arrival of a cherished child, creating a parallel between his own life and the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus. Julian May follows Michael’s creative process as he grapples huge spiritual and personal themes – distilling them to a length which can fit on a Christmas card: a daunting but joyful task.
The programme begins on London’s Oxford Street, where consumerism triggers preparations a full three months before Christmas, and ends with the sealing of the Christmas cards before they are popped into the post box.
]]>Michael has just become a grandfather, so feels keenly the happiness of the arrival of a cherished child, creating a parallel between his own life and the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus. Julian May follows Michael’s creative process as he grapples huge spiritual and personal themes – distilling them to a length which can fit on a Christmas card: a daunting but joyful task.
The programme begins on London’s Oxford Street, where consumerism triggers preparations a full three months before Christmas, and ends with the sealing of the Christmas cards before they are popped into the post box.
]]>Using mission control audio, news archive and personal stories, Alice illuminates acts of epic survival, humour and selflessness that made the station a reality. She investigates why a near fatal disaster on the Russian Mir space station spurred nations to commit to the ISS, and reveals how a Moscow basement and Hollywood royalty sparked bonding between Russians and Americans. She also discovers how quick thinking and plastic tape saved the station, allowing it to grow to the size of a football pitch, and how one astronaut came within seconds of drowning in space.
Looking into the future, Alice explores how the legacy of the ISS will be carried on by a new generation of private space stations, which have the power to push back the boundaries of science for the good of all humanity. The reduced gravity offers enormous possibilities, including creating materials impossible to create on Earth.
]]>Using mission control audio, news archive and personal stories, Alice illuminates acts of epic survival, humour and selflessness that made the station a reality. She investigates why a near fatal disaster on the Russian Mir space station spurred nations to commit to the ISS, and reveals how a Moscow basement and Hollywood royalty sparked bonding between Russians and Americans. She also discovers how quick thinking and plastic tape saved the station, allowing it to grow to the size of a football pitch, and how one astronaut came within seconds of drowning in space.
Looking into the future, Alice explores how the legacy of the ISS will be carried on by a new generation of private space stations, which have the power to push back the boundaries of science for the good of all humanity. The reduced gravity offers enormous possibilities, including creating materials impossible to create on Earth.
]]>Kings, or chiefs, in Ghana don't hold much formal or political power, but they are hugely important to people and hold a lot of cultural and social influence. But there are also powerful royal women in Ghana. They've held power in certain parts of the country for a long time, but it seems their influence is now on the rise. It is a story that caught the eye of Stefania Okereke of BBC Focus on Africa.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Laura Thomas.
]]>Kings, or chiefs, in Ghana don't hold much formal or political power, but they are hugely important to people and hold a lot of cultural and social influence. But there are also powerful royal women in Ghana. They've held power in certain parts of the country for a long time, but it seems their influence is now on the rise. It is a story that caught the eye of Stefania Okereke of BBC Focus on Africa.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Laura Thomas.
]]>Australia’s new laws aim to target those who spread “hate, division and radicalisation". In our conversations, Jewish Australians discuss their personal experiences of antisemitism in Australia.
“You see the arson, you see the graffiti, you see the protests, you see the slogans, you see the people delegitimising Israel and its right to exist,” Sharon tells us. “And the jump is, unfortunately, not that far for people to then delegitimise the right of Jews to be in this country.”
Reports from across the world suggest that antisemitism is on the rise, particularly since the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. We also bring together Jews in the US, Belgium and Germany who share their experiences of attacks on their community, and discuss what can be done about it.
Presenter: James Reynolds
]]>Australia’s new laws aim to target those who spread “hate, division and radicalisation". In our conversations, Jewish Australians discuss their personal experiences of antisemitism in Australia.
“You see the arson, you see the graffiti, you see the protests, you see the slogans, you see the people delegitimising Israel and its right to exist,” Sharon tells us. “And the jump is, unfortunately, not that far for people to then delegitimise the right of Jews to be in this country.”
Reports from across the world suggest that antisemitism is on the rise, particularly since the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. We also bring together Jews in the US, Belgium and Germany who share their experiences of attacks on their community, and discuss what can be done about it.
Presenter: James Reynolds
]]>The special administrative region of Macau on the south coast of China is sometimes referred to as the Las Vegas of the East. The gaming hub attracts tourists from all over the world, as well as from mainland China and Taiwan. But amid the glitzy casinos and hotels, Macau has just opened its very first luxury resort hospital, in the hope of capitalising on the medical tourism industry. The BBC's Osmond Chia reports from Singapore.
17-year-old Janvi Jindal, from Punjab state in India, has recently achieved 5 Guinness World Records in freestyle skating. She was able to perform, amongst other things, thirty-two 360 degree rotations in 30 seconds – whilst balancing on her inline skates. BBC reporter Sarabjit Singh Dhaliwal went to meet Janvi and her parents.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>The special administrative region of Macau on the south coast of China is sometimes referred to as the Las Vegas of the East. The gaming hub attracts tourists from all over the world, as well as from mainland China and Taiwan. But amid the glitzy casinos and hotels, Macau has just opened its very first luxury resort hospital, in the hope of capitalising on the medical tourism industry. The BBC's Osmond Chia reports from Singapore.
17-year-old Janvi Jindal, from Punjab state in India, has recently achieved 5 Guinness World Records in freestyle skating. She was able to perform, amongst other things, thirty-two 360 degree rotations in 30 seconds – whilst balancing on her inline skates. BBC reporter Sarabjit Singh Dhaliwal went to meet Janvi and her parents.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>The group Standing Together, known for their matching purple t-shirts, is a group of Jewish Israelis and Palestinian citizens of Israel (referred to by the state as Israeli Arabs, the country’s largest minority making up over 20% of the population).
It is unusual in either Israel or Palestine to find a mixed group working together for a shared cause and advocating for coexistence. Standing Together has received criticism from both sides of the conflict; with many Israelis calling them traitors and some Palestinian groups calling for a boycott of the movement. Despite all this the group say the only way to achieve a lasting peace is for the communities to work together.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>The group Standing Together, known for their matching purple t-shirts, is a group of Jewish Israelis and Palestinian citizens of Israel (referred to by the state as Israeli Arabs, the country’s largest minority making up over 20% of the population).
It is unusual in either Israel or Palestine to find a mixed group working together for a shared cause and advocating for coexistence. Standing Together has received criticism from both sides of the conflict; with many Israelis calling them traitors and some Palestinian groups calling for a boycott of the movement. Despite all this the group say the only way to achieve a lasting peace is for the communities to work together.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>In October this year, a young Chechen woman living in Armenia, Aishat Baimuradova, was killed. She'd previously escaped a repressive life in Chechnya but is now believed to be the first Chechen woman in exile to be killed outside of Russia. BBC Russian's Zlata Onufrieva and Olga Prosvirova set out what is known about Aishat's life and death, and consider the implications of her killing for Chechen women living in exile.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>In October this year, a young Chechen woman living in Armenia, Aishat Baimuradova, was killed. She'd previously escaped a repressive life in Chechnya but is now believed to be the first Chechen woman in exile to be killed outside of Russia. BBC Russian's Zlata Onufrieva and Olga Prosvirova set out what is known about Aishat's life and death, and consider the implications of her killing for Chechen women living in exile.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Ireland has a complex relationship with drinking, with its pubs venerated in many parts of the world and huge brands such as Guinness and Jamesons major exports. But alcoholism has been a long running issue putting a strain on the Irish health service. While overall alcohol consumption in Ireland is falling, binge drinking and drinking amongst teenagers and young people is increasing. Are Irish people and the country as a whole developing a new relationship with drink, and if so, which direction will win out? Katie Flannery heads out with the drinkers and non-drinkers in Dublin to find out.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Ireland has a complex relationship with drinking, with its pubs venerated in many parts of the world and huge brands such as Guinness and Jamesons major exports. But alcoholism has been a long running issue putting a strain on the Irish health service. While overall alcohol consumption in Ireland is falling, binge drinking and drinking amongst teenagers and young people is increasing. Are Irish people and the country as a whole developing a new relationship with drink, and if so, which direction will win out? Katie Flannery heads out with the drinkers and non-drinkers in Dublin to find out.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>On the night of 13th November 1985, the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia erupted, and the resulting landslide of mud and debris devastated the nearby city of Armero, causing twenty thousand deaths in the city itself and a further 5,000 in the wider area. In the aftermath, a baby called Jennifer was left with the Red Cross by her mother, who is then believed to have ventured back to the ruins of the family home to search for her partner. She never returned. BBC Mundo's Jose Carlos Cueto tells the story of Jennifer, who has become known as the 'daughter of the volcano' and continues to search for the truth about her mother.
Chicken 65 is a spicy, crispy chicken dish adored in the south of India. You can eat it in upmarket restaurants and roadside food stalls alike. But how did it get its name? From the BBC's Delhi Bureau, Bimal Thankachan joins Faranak as they eat some Chicken 65 and dive into the story of how it got its name.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>On the night of 13th November 1985, the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia erupted, and the resulting landslide of mud and debris devastated the nearby city of Armero, causing twenty thousand deaths in the city itself and a further 5,000 in the wider area. In the aftermath, a baby called Jennifer was left with the Red Cross by her mother, who is then believed to have ventured back to the ruins of the family home to search for her partner. She never returned. BBC Mundo's Jose Carlos Cueto tells the story of Jennifer, who has become known as the 'daughter of the volcano' and continues to search for the truth about her mother.
Chicken 65 is a spicy, crispy chicken dish adored in the south of India. You can eat it in upmarket restaurants and roadside food stalls alike. But how did it get its name? From the BBC's Delhi Bureau, Bimal Thankachan joins Faranak as they eat some Chicken 65 and dive into the story of how it got its name.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Contributors: Veronika Malinboym, Yulia Volovik Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>Contributors: Veronika Malinboym, Yulia Volovik Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>Every year the sea here is reclaiming several metres of coastline. But there are arguments over what to do about it.
In the area around Coutainville beachfront homeowners, oyster producers and campsites are confronting local and national authority plans for some of them to move and to allow nature to take its course. Some locals, suspicious of outside influence, argue this is a conspiracy by environmentalists to get rid of them. And yet others say the growing impact of climate change on coastal erosion is there for all to see.
Carolyn Lamboley speaks to those on both sides of the debate about what can be done to stem the tide.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Every year the sea here is reclaiming several metres of coastline. But there are arguments over what to do about it.
In the area around Coutainville beachfront homeowners, oyster producers and campsites are confronting local and national authority plans for some of them to move and to allow nature to take its course. Some locals, suspicious of outside influence, argue this is a conspiracy by environmentalists to get rid of them. And yet others say the growing impact of climate change on coastal erosion is there for all to see.
Carolyn Lamboley speaks to those on both sides of the debate about what can be done to stem the tide.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Rare access: Inside India’s claims to eliminate Maoist insurgency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=848zVNZV7ss
In Thailand, for the past 154 years, people have come together for the annual Buffalo Racing Festival. The festival honors the vital role of buffaloes in Thai agriculture, offering thanks for their hard work throughout the year. BBC's Thuong Le is based in Bangkok and she recently traveled to Chonburi province where the festival takes place to grab a front row seat.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Rare access: Inside India’s claims to eliminate Maoist insurgency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=848zVNZV7ss
In Thailand, for the past 154 years, people have come together for the annual Buffalo Racing Festival. The festival honors the vital role of buffaloes in Thai agriculture, offering thanks for their hard work throughout the year. BBC's Thuong Le is based in Bangkok and she recently traveled to Chonburi province where the festival takes place to grab a front row seat.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>But it seems no one is happy. For Assignment, Esperanza Escribano and Linda Pressly explore the story, legacy and future of El Valle de Cuelgamuros.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>But it seems no one is happy. For Assignment, Esperanza Escribano and Linda Pressly explore the story, legacy and future of El Valle de Cuelgamuros.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>In 2023, Algeria experienced devastating wildfires, particularly in the Kabylie region which is home to the Amazigh people. The Algerian government typically broadcasts brief updates in Algerian Arabic, which many people in affected regions do not speak. This lack of linguistic inclusivity means that vital information often fails to reach those who need it most. Khadija Maalej from BBC Media Action explains how a project called WISER has set about improving communications in order to save lives.
For centuries, people fleeing slavery lived in isolation in Jalapão, in the east of Brazil. They survived by raising cattle and used controlled fires to renew the natural pasture for their herds. Then, in 2001, the government banned burning. The ban had the opposite effect to what was desired: Jalapão began to face gigantic wildfires until, in 2014, the state relented and began to encourage controlled burns again. João Fellet of BBC Brasil has travelled to Jalapão, to speak to the Quilombola people, and watch their controlled burns.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Laura Thomas
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>In 2023, Algeria experienced devastating wildfires, particularly in the Kabylie region which is home to the Amazigh people. The Algerian government typically broadcasts brief updates in Algerian Arabic, which many people in affected regions do not speak. This lack of linguistic inclusivity means that vital information often fails to reach those who need it most. Khadija Maalej from BBC Media Action explains how a project called WISER has set about improving communications in order to save lives.
For centuries, people fleeing slavery lived in isolation in Jalapão, in the east of Brazil. They survived by raising cattle and used controlled fires to renew the natural pasture for their herds. Then, in 2001, the government banned burning. The ban had the opposite effect to what was desired: Jalapão began to face gigantic wildfires until, in 2014, the state relented and began to encourage controlled burns again. João Fellet of BBC Brasil has travelled to Jalapão, to speak to the Quilombola people, and watch their controlled burns.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Laura Thomas
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Marco Pereira travels around Ukraine talking to Colombian soldiers to find out why they have chosen to fight in a punishing war so far from home.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Marco Pereira travels around Ukraine talking to Colombian soldiers to find out why they have chosen to fight in a punishing war so far from home.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>She settled down in London, planning her comeback as the Queen of Liberland, a scrap of land on the banks of the Danube. But her downfall began when she botched an attempt to buy a north London mansion. This alerted the police, who arrested Qian and seized a stash of Bitcoin now worth billions of dollars.
Many investors put everything they had into the company. Several have now told the BBC how they were persuaded to invest, and how the company’s collapse led to personal and financial ruin.
Now, as Qian is sentenced, the question remains: will the victims get their money back?
]]>She settled down in London, planning her comeback as the Queen of Liberland, a scrap of land on the banks of the Danube. But her downfall began when she botched an attempt to buy a north London mansion. This alerted the police, who arrested Qian and seized a stash of Bitcoin now worth billions of dollars.
Many investors put everything they had into the company. Several have now told the BBC how they were persuaded to invest, and how the company’s collapse led to personal and financial ruin.
Now, as Qian is sentenced, the question remains: will the victims get their money back?
]]>This programme includes interviews that listeners may find upsetting, including some that refer to cannibalism, violent death and harm to children.
]]>This programme includes interviews that listeners may find upsetting, including some that refer to cannibalism, violent death and harm to children.
]]>Luiz Fernando Toledo BBC News Brazil tells the story of the successful conservation of the giant Amazon fish, the pirarucu. Its skin can be turned into leather, which is used to make high end fashion items. The fishermen who catch them do so in exchange for policing illegal fishing, which has pulled the fish numbers back from the brink of extinction. But despite their role in conservation, and providing the leather, these fishermen don't share in the economic benefits of this fish.
Have you ever thought about the history of toothbrushes or dental hygiene? Tejas Vaidya of BBC Gujarati went to meet an Indian man who owns the world’s largest toothbrush collection.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Rebecca Moore and Alice Gioia.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Luiz Fernando Toledo BBC News Brazil tells the story of the successful conservation of the giant Amazon fish, the pirarucu. Its skin can be turned into leather, which is used to make high end fashion items. The fishermen who catch them do so in exchange for policing illegal fishing, which has pulled the fish numbers back from the brink of extinction. But despite their role in conservation, and providing the leather, these fishermen don't share in the economic benefits of this fish.
Have you ever thought about the history of toothbrushes or dental hygiene? Tejas Vaidya of BBC Gujarati went to meet an Indian man who owns the world’s largest toothbrush collection.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Rebecca Moore and Alice Gioia.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>In this episode, first recorded in 2024, the Global Jigsaw digs into the prehistory of Sudan’s civil war. We focus on the power struggle between two men: Hemedti, in charge of the RAF, and Burkhan, the general leading the SAF. We ask who are the foreign powers aiding them, and why.
]]>In this episode, first recorded in 2024, the Global Jigsaw digs into the prehistory of Sudan’s civil war. We focus on the power struggle between two men: Hemedti, in charge of the RAF, and Burkhan, the general leading the SAF. We ask who are the foreign powers aiding them, and why.
]]>Earlier this year, news reports circulated online that a Vietnamese-American scientist called Anh Duong had a hand in creating the bombs used by America in its June airstrikes on Iran. Those reports turned out to be untrue, but Thuong Le from BBC Vietnamese has the real story of the chemical engineer known as 'the Bomb Lady.'
In India, pigeons are a much-loved part of city life for many, but a health risk for some.Sumedha Pal has the story.
Presenter: Faranak Amidi Producers: Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich
]]>Earlier this year, news reports circulated online that a Vietnamese-American scientist called Anh Duong had a hand in creating the bombs used by America in its June airstrikes on Iran. Those reports turned out to be untrue, but Thuong Le from BBC Vietnamese has the real story of the chemical engineer known as 'the Bomb Lady.'
In India, pigeons are a much-loved part of city life for many, but a health risk for some.Sumedha Pal has the story.
Presenter: Faranak Amidi Producers: Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich
]]>If you are affected by anything you hear in this programme, it is important to talk to someone about it and get support. Talking can help to see a way through things, whether this is with a family member, friends, a doctor, or a support organisation. You can find help by visiting the Befrienders Worldwide website: befrienders.org.
]]>If you are affected by anything you hear in this programme, it is important to talk to someone about it and get support. Talking can help to see a way through things, whether this is with a family member, friends, a doctor, or a support organisation. You can find help by visiting the Befrienders Worldwide website: befrienders.org.
]]>This series looks at The Russian Evil Corp accused of being a family crime gang, responsible for stealing hundreds of millions of dollars. Law enforcement agencies say they are “the most pervasive cybercrime group to ever have operated”. No one is off limits – not even a group of nuns in Chicago.
This is episode 1 of the series. For more episodes, just search 'Cyber Hack' wherever you got this podcast.
]]>This series looks at The Russian Evil Corp accused of being a family crime gang, responsible for stealing hundreds of millions of dollars. Law enforcement agencies say they are “the most pervasive cybercrime group to ever have operated”. No one is off limits – not even a group of nuns in Chicago.
This is episode 1 of the series. For more episodes, just search 'Cyber Hack' wherever you got this podcast.
]]>In traditional silk making methods the cocoons are boiled, killing the silkworm inside. But a state in western India is pioneering a new way of making silk, where the silkworm is allowed to mature into a moth, and leave the cocoon still alive. It's called 'Karuna' silk, which means compassion. Shivalika Puri who reports for the BBC in India went to go and meet the people who are making this more compassionate silk.
Spanish people and most Latin Americans have two surnames, but why? It’s a tradition that goes back centuries, but it’s not common across most Christian origin countries – which got BBC Mundo journalist Paula Rosas thinking, and digging into the history.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Laura Thomas and Hannah Dean.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
]]>In traditional silk making methods the cocoons are boiled, killing the silkworm inside. But a state in western India is pioneering a new way of making silk, where the silkworm is allowed to mature into a moth, and leave the cocoon still alive. It's called 'Karuna' silk, which means compassion. Shivalika Puri who reports for the BBC in India went to go and meet the people who are making this more compassionate silk.
Spanish people and most Latin Americans have two surnames, but why? It’s a tradition that goes back centuries, but it’s not common across most Christian origin countries – which got BBC Mundo journalist Paula Rosas thinking, and digging into the history.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi.
Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Laura Thomas and Hannah Dean.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
]]>If you are If you are affected by anything you hear in this programme, it is important to talk to someone about it and get support. You can find help by visiting the Befrienders Worldwide website: befrienders.org
]]>If you are If you are affected by anything you hear in this programme, it is important to talk to someone about it and get support. You can find help by visiting the Befrienders Worldwide website: befrienders.org
]]>Image: Ghada Al Kurd
With Asma Khalid in DC, Tristan Redman in London, and the backing of the BBC’s international newsroom, The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
]]>Image: Ghada Al Kurd
With Asma Khalid in DC, Tristan Redman in London, and the backing of the BBC’s international newsroom, The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
]]>Dr Tri Maharani's videos about how to treat snake bites are beginning to be well known in Indonesia. For fifteen years, she's worked to improve outcomes for snakebite victims in her country, where only one antivenom is currently available, but more than eighty species of poisonous snake are a threat. BBC Indonesian's Astudestra Ajengrastri spoke to her.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
]]>Dr Tri Maharani's videos about how to treat snake bites are beginning to be well known in Indonesia. For fifteen years, she's worked to improve outcomes for snakebite victims in her country, where only one antivenom is currently available, but more than eighty species of poisonous snake are a threat. BBC Indonesian's Astudestra Ajengrastri spoke to her.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Laura Thomas and Caroline Ferguson
]]>But drug-related fatalities haven't fallen everywhere in the US. In Nevada, those mortality statistics have continued to tick up. In the second in this Assignment series, Linda travels to Las Vegas and Reno to find out why this desert state is bucking the trend.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
(Image: Kayla, a former fentanyl user and now a client of a LEAD programme (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) in North Carolina that diverts substance abusers away from crime. Credit: Tim Mansel/BBC)
]]>But drug-related fatalities haven't fallen everywhere in the US. In Nevada, those mortality statistics have continued to tick up. In the second in this Assignment series, Linda travels to Las Vegas and Reno to find out why this desert state is bucking the trend.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
(Image: Kayla, a former fentanyl user and now a client of a LEAD programme (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) in North Carolina that diverts substance abusers away from crime. Credit: Tim Mansel/BBC)
]]>Journalist Pūlama Kaufman travels to the remote city of Resplendor in the south-east of Brazil to meet up with Brazilian environmental journalist, Cristina Serra. Together, they are welcomed into the Krenak Indigenous territory where they speak with Krenak elders, philosophers and community leaders.
The Documentary uncovers the many layers to what Brazilian Civil Prosecutor Edmundo Dias calls an intentional, “genocide” of the Krenak, lead by Brazilian federal agencies. For decades, very little was known about what the Krenak suffered during the dictatorship, but now they are speaking out. And in 2024, the Amnesty Commission made its first ever apology to an Indigenous group when the president of the Commission got down on her knees in front of the Krenak.
]]>Journalist Pūlama Kaufman travels to the remote city of Resplendor in the south-east of Brazil to meet up with Brazilian environmental journalist, Cristina Serra. Together, they are welcomed into the Krenak Indigenous territory where they speak with Krenak elders, philosophers and community leaders.
The Documentary uncovers the many layers to what Brazilian Civil Prosecutor Edmundo Dias calls an intentional, “genocide” of the Krenak, lead by Brazilian federal agencies. For decades, very little was known about what the Krenak suffered during the dictatorship, but now they are speaking out. And in 2024, the Amnesty Commission made its first ever apology to an Indigenous group when the president of the Commission got down on her knees in front of the Krenak.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
]]>This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Heart and Soul, exploring personal approaches to spirituality from around the world
Produced and Presented by Naomi Scherbel-Ball Executive Producer: Rajeev Gupta Editor: Chloe Walker
]]>This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Heart and Soul, exploring personal approaches to spirituality from around the world
Produced and Presented by Naomi Scherbel-Ball Executive Producer: Rajeev Gupta Editor: Chloe Walker
]]>Producer/presenter: Frank McWeeny Editor: Susan Marling A Just Radio production
]]>Producer/presenter: Frank McWeeny Editor: Susan Marling A Just Radio production
]]>Presenter: Andy Verity Producers: Reha Kansara, Tom Beal and William Dahlgreen Editors: Flora Carmichael and Anisa Subedar
]]>Presenter: Andy Verity Producers: Reha Kansara, Tom Beal and William Dahlgreen Editors: Flora Carmichael and Anisa Subedar
]]>Jane Chambers travels to Bolivia to find out how these women are reclaiming their cultural heritage and going from outcasts to icons and what it says about society. Join her to meet the cholita wrestlers, fashion designers and mountaineers changing public opinion.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Jane Chambers travels to Bolivia to find out how these women are reclaiming their cultural heritage and going from outcasts to icons and what it says about society. Join her to meet the cholita wrestlers, fashion designers and mountaineers changing public opinion.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi
Produced by Rebecca Moore and Caroline Ferguson
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi
Produced by Rebecca Moore and Caroline Ferguson
]]>However, the Dominican government is now implementing one of the most systematic deportation policies anywhere in the world. Last year the president, Luis Abinader, announced that his country would expel illegal migrants at the rate of ten thousand a week. The chief target is Haitians and people of Haitian descent. President Abinader says he is keeping his country secure and implementing the constitution. Meanwhile Haitians in the Dominican Republic are living in fear of raids by the immigration authorities and of being sent back across the border, to a country riven by violence as well as political and economic instability. John Murphy is in the Dominican Republic to talk to Haitians stuck between a rock and a hard place. This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>However, the Dominican government is now implementing one of the most systematic deportation policies anywhere in the world. Last year the president, Luis Abinader, announced that his country would expel illegal migrants at the rate of ten thousand a week. The chief target is Haitians and people of Haitian descent. President Abinader says he is keeping his country secure and implementing the constitution. Meanwhile Haitians in the Dominican Republic are living in fear of raids by the immigration authorities and of being sent back across the border, to a country riven by violence as well as political and economic instability. John Murphy is in the Dominican Republic to talk to Haitians stuck between a rock and a hard place. This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>The ‘Jerdon’s Courser’ is a critically endangered bird. It's only officially been sighted in the scrub forests of Eastern Ghats mountain range in Andra Pradesh in the Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary, although recently there was great excitement when its call was recorded in a different location in southern India. BBC Telugu recently joined the nightly efforts by forest watchers to track down the bird last seen 16 years ago, as Satheesh Urugonda reports.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi
Produced by Rebecca Moore and Caroline Ferguson
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
]]>The ‘Jerdon’s Courser’ is a critically endangered bird. It's only officially been sighted in the scrub forests of Eastern Ghats mountain range in Andra Pradesh in the Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary, although recently there was great excitement when its call was recorded in a different location in southern India. BBC Telugu recently joined the nightly efforts by forest watchers to track down the bird last seen 16 years ago, as Satheesh Urugonda reports.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi
Produced by Rebecca Moore and Caroline Ferguson
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
]]>It’s Spring 1969 - two months before the launch of Apollo 11 – the first US mission to land humans on the moon. But meanwhile, hidden away from public view, Nasa is thinking the unthinkable.
This is the epic story of the space shuttle, a dream to make spaceflight routine. Told by the astronauts and team who made it happen.
You can listen to episode 1 here. For more, search for 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
This is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service.
Hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock.
Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.
Archive: Richard Nixon launches Nasa’s space shuttle programme, CBS News, 1972 Mission audio and oral histories, Nasa History Office
]]>It’s Spring 1969 - two months before the launch of Apollo 11 – the first US mission to land humans on the moon. But meanwhile, hidden away from public view, Nasa is thinking the unthinkable.
This is the epic story of the space shuttle, a dream to make spaceflight routine. Told by the astronauts and team who made it happen.
You can listen to episode 1 here. For more, search for 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
This is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service.
Hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock.
Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.
Archive: Richard Nixon launches Nasa’s space shuttle programme, CBS News, 1972 Mission audio and oral histories, Nasa History Office
]]>The BBC has been granted rare access to a military base on the outskirts of Copenhagen to see the newest recruits learn how to operate on the battlefield.
Anna Holligan attends a “Defences Day” where teenagers find out whether they’re fit to serve, and draw a conscription lottery ticket that could shape their future.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>The BBC has been granted rare access to a military base on the outskirts of Copenhagen to see the newest recruits learn how to operate on the battlefield.
Anna Holligan attends a “Defences Day” where teenagers find out whether they’re fit to serve, and draw a conscription lottery ticket that could shape their future.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Ilan Shor, a fugitive oligarch on the run from Moldovan authorities, and now resident in Russia, is believed to be behind a major disinformation campaign. The apparent aim is to draw the nation of just over two million people under the influence of Moscow.
The BBC has sent a reporter undercover to find out how disinformation is being spread, and where the money funding it is coming from.
We hear from President Maia Sandu, on the danger it poses to the electorate, and the wider geopolitical forces at play.
Presenter: Seamus Mirodan Producer: Sam Judah Editors: Flora Carmichael and Michael Simkin BBC Eye Investigative Team: Rowan Ings, Angela Stanciu, Andreea Jitaru, Oana Marocico, Malvina Cojocari
]]>Ilan Shor, a fugitive oligarch on the run from Moldovan authorities, and now resident in Russia, is believed to be behind a major disinformation campaign. The apparent aim is to draw the nation of just over two million people under the influence of Moscow.
The BBC has sent a reporter undercover to find out how disinformation is being spread, and where the money funding it is coming from.
We hear from President Maia Sandu, on the danger it poses to the electorate, and the wider geopolitical forces at play.
Presenter: Seamus Mirodan Producer: Sam Judah Editors: Flora Carmichael and Michael Simkin BBC Eye Investigative Team: Rowan Ings, Angela Stanciu, Andreea Jitaru, Oana Marocico, Malvina Cojocari
]]>India is a country of well over a billion people, so the clearing of waste, requires a huge number of sanitation workers. About 98% of those workers are from one caste in society, who find it difficult to get jobs in any other industries. Ashay Yedge reports for BBC in India talked to some sanitation workers about why.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi
Produced by Rebecca Moore and Caroline Ferguson
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
]]>India is a country of well over a billion people, so the clearing of waste, requires a huge number of sanitation workers. About 98% of those workers are from one caste in society, who find it difficult to get jobs in any other industries. Ashay Yedge reports for BBC in India talked to some sanitation workers about why.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi
Produced by Rebecca Moore and Caroline Ferguson
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>His artwork may last as little as ten minutes before the sea washes it away, but his sculptures are not meant to last; his art is a testament to the beauty found in the ephemeral moment.
Jon’s work is not defined by meticulous planning, and he rarely has a fully formed idea in his head before he reaches the beach. He allows the environment on the day to guide his creative instincts.
From the ancient tools he uses to create his sculptures to the modern technology he employs to capture it; we follow Jon's creative process as he takes us to his favourite location to work - the pristine beach of Lindsway Bay on the Pembrokeshire coast, West Wales. Jon considers his work to be a collaboration with nature. However, it is nature itself which threatens to erase his work before it is even complete. With the tide fast approaching and mere minutes before the artwork is swept away, will he manage to complete the work in time? We listen to the artists race against natures clock.
Presented by Dualtagh Herr.
]]>His artwork may last as little as ten minutes before the sea washes it away, but his sculptures are not meant to last; his art is a testament to the beauty found in the ephemeral moment.
Jon’s work is not defined by meticulous planning, and he rarely has a fully formed idea in his head before he reaches the beach. He allows the environment on the day to guide his creative instincts.
From the ancient tools he uses to create his sculptures to the modern technology he employs to capture it; we follow Jon's creative process as he takes us to his favourite location to work - the pristine beach of Lindsway Bay on the Pembrokeshire coast, West Wales. Jon considers his work to be a collaboration with nature. However, it is nature itself which threatens to erase his work before it is even complete. With the tide fast approaching and mere minutes before the artwork is swept away, will he manage to complete the work in time? We listen to the artists race against natures clock.
Presented by Dualtagh Herr.
]]>Contributor: Tom Lam Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>Contributor: Tom Lam Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Music: Pete Cunningham
]]>Plus, 7-year-old Nigerian online musical sensation Emmanuel plays keyboards and drums, and has been captivating audiences online, as BBC Pidgin’s Adesola Ikulajolu reports.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Plus, 7-year-old Nigerian online musical sensation Emmanuel plays keyboards and drums, and has been captivating audiences online, as BBC Pidgin’s Adesola Ikulajolu reports.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>So, what is it like to live to an old age and will 150 years ever be possible?
We bring together two women in Australia, Janet and Myfanwy, with a combined age of 202. One of them still drives. The other stopped getting behind the wheel at 96.
They say they both enjoy busy lives. Janet at 102 doesn’t relish the thought of being 150 though: “Think how doddery and staggery you would be.” And Mwfanwy adds: “I don’t want to live forever!”
In another conversation, 87-year-old Elaine in the United States has this advice: “We’ve all been through difficult times, we’ve all had terrible things happen to us, but you just get past it, and you put one foot in front of the other and you just keep on going.”
We also hear from three distinguished researchers who discuss the reality of living a long life and the science of anti-aging.
This edition is from BBC OS Conversations, where we bring people together to share their experiences.
Presenter: Rahul Tandon BBC producers: Iqra Farooq, Akwasi Sarpong, Laura Cress and Ash Mohamed Boffin Media producers: Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson
(Photo:An elderly man holding a walking stick. Credit: Joe Giddens/PA Wire)
]]>So, what is it like to live to an old age and will 150 years ever be possible?
We bring together two women in Australia, Janet and Myfanwy, with a combined age of 202. One of them still drives. The other stopped getting behind the wheel at 96.
They say they both enjoy busy lives. Janet at 102 doesn’t relish the thought of being 150 though: “Think how doddery and staggery you would be.” And Mwfanwy adds: “I don’t want to live forever!”
In another conversation, 87-year-old Elaine in the United States has this advice: “We’ve all been through difficult times, we’ve all had terrible things happen to us, but you just get past it, and you put one foot in front of the other and you just keep on going.”
We also hear from three distinguished researchers who discuss the reality of living a long life and the science of anti-aging.
This edition is from BBC OS Conversations, where we bring people together to share their experiences.
Presenter: Rahul Tandon BBC producers: Iqra Farooq, Akwasi Sarpong, Laura Cress and Ash Mohamed Boffin Media producers: Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson
(Photo:An elderly man holding a walking stick. Credit: Joe Giddens/PA Wire)
]]>In this episode of BBC Trending we investigate Pink Stork and other supplement companies which say they can help you get pregnant. Now, they're being promoted heavily on social media and beyond. What is the science behind some of the claims?
And what does this say about regulation of the supplements industry as a whole?
Producer & Presenter: Kayleen Devlin Editor: Flora Carmichael
]]>In this episode of BBC Trending we investigate Pink Stork and other supplement companies which say they can help you get pregnant. Now, they're being promoted heavily on social media and beyond. What is the science behind some of the claims?
And what does this say about regulation of the supplements industry as a whole?
Producer & Presenter: Kayleen Devlin Editor: Flora Carmichael
]]>Like many Mexicans, he is also fiercely proud of the country’s native spirits: tequila and mezcal. The agave spirits are hugely important for Mexico’s economy, especially in the states of Jalisco and Oaxaca. Exports of the drinks are worth billions. Tequila and mezcal have become increasingly popular in recent decades, with sales boosted by big budget celebrity-owned brands designed to appeal to the US consumer. From Kendall Jenner to George Clooney, US celebrities have been riding high on the mass market appeal of the liquor.
But the boom in these industries has had unintended consequences for Rodrigo's beloved bats. Often the agave the spirits are made from is harvested early, before the slow-growing plant can flower. This means bats cannot feed from the nectar, and critically, they can’t do their job as pollinators. This contributes to agave monocultures which are susceptible to disease and blight.
Rodrigo explains how he wanted to change the way the industry works, creating a “bat-friendly” certification for tequila and mezcal producers who leave 5% of the agave untouched, to bloom. But why have so few brands been certified, why is the programme controversial for some producers, and why are bats a tricky sell as far as conservation for many people and communities? Sarah Treanor spends time with Rodrigo in Mexico City and Oaxaca to find out.
A Bespoken Media production.
Image: Rodrigo Medellin holding a bat (Credit: Paul Webala)
]]>Like many Mexicans, he is also fiercely proud of the country’s native spirits: tequila and mezcal. The agave spirits are hugely important for Mexico’s economy, especially in the states of Jalisco and Oaxaca. Exports of the drinks are worth billions. Tequila and mezcal have become increasingly popular in recent decades, with sales boosted by big budget celebrity-owned brands designed to appeal to the US consumer. From Kendall Jenner to George Clooney, US celebrities have been riding high on the mass market appeal of the liquor.
But the boom in these industries has had unintended consequences for Rodrigo's beloved bats. Often the agave the spirits are made from is harvested early, before the slow-growing plant can flower. This means bats cannot feed from the nectar, and critically, they can’t do their job as pollinators. This contributes to agave monocultures which are susceptible to disease and blight.
Rodrigo explains how he wanted to change the way the industry works, creating a “bat-friendly” certification for tequila and mezcal producers who leave 5% of the agave untouched, to bloom. But why have so few brands been certified, why is the programme controversial for some producers, and why are bats a tricky sell as far as conservation for many people and communities? Sarah Treanor spends time with Rodrigo in Mexico City and Oaxaca to find out.
A Bespoken Media production.
Image: Rodrigo Medellin holding a bat (Credit: Paul Webala)
]]>In Assisi, William meets Carlo’s mother Antonia Salzano Acutis who reveals how her son showed an unusual generosity for a teenager. He visits Carlo’s tomb, where Domenico Sorrentino, Bishop of Assisi, explains the connection between St. Francis and Carlo, as a bridge from the past to the present. At Carlo’s old school in Milan, Istituto Leone XIII, his former professor, Fabrizio Zaggia, recalls his curious mind. And contemporary students talk of how they can relate to the Saint who designed websites.
But is it all too convenient for the Catholic Church in this Jubilee Year to find a saint that appeals to this younger generation? William ponders this in Rome with John Allen, editor of Crux, the online Catholic newspaper, before heading off to St Peter’s Square and the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints where Monsignor Alberto Royo explains the investigation into Carlo’s life to see if it was one of ‘heroic virtue’.
Presenter: William Crawley Producer: Jill Collins Editor: Tara McDermott Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Credit: Carlo Acutis Digital Memorial App: Artist Riccardo Benassi, Curator Milano Arte Pubblica, Commune di Milano (Photo: Antonia Salzano, mother of blessed Carlo Acutis, who spent his life spreading his faith online, poses in front of a portrait of her son, 4 April, 2025. Credit: Tiziana Fabi/AFP)
]]>In Assisi, William meets Carlo’s mother Antonia Salzano Acutis who reveals how her son showed an unusual generosity for a teenager. He visits Carlo’s tomb, where Domenico Sorrentino, Bishop of Assisi, explains the connection between St. Francis and Carlo, as a bridge from the past to the present. At Carlo’s old school in Milan, Istituto Leone XIII, his former professor, Fabrizio Zaggia, recalls his curious mind. And contemporary students talk of how they can relate to the Saint who designed websites.
But is it all too convenient for the Catholic Church in this Jubilee Year to find a saint that appeals to this younger generation? William ponders this in Rome with John Allen, editor of Crux, the online Catholic newspaper, before heading off to St Peter’s Square and the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints where Monsignor Alberto Royo explains the investigation into Carlo’s life to see if it was one of ‘heroic virtue’.
Presenter: William Crawley Producer: Jill Collins Editor: Tara McDermott Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Credit: Carlo Acutis Digital Memorial App: Artist Riccardo Benassi, Curator Milano Arte Pubblica, Commune di Milano (Photo: Antonia Salzano, mother of blessed Carlo Acutis, who spent his life spreading his faith online, poses in front of a portrait of her son, 4 April, 2025. Credit: Tiziana Fabi/AFP)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events
]]>Reporter Albina Kovalyova follows the stories of people who have nevertheless chosen to continue to live in Kharkiv. One, Adela Knapova, a writer from the Czech Republic who unexpectedly found love during a visit to this frontline city last year – and who uprooted her life in Prague to move to Ukraine to be with him. He’s an artist from Kharkiv, Konstantin Zorkin, who describes his belief in the transformative power of art and love.
These personal stories of love and life are intercut with the violence Russia continues to unleash on this city of over a million people. And they are set against a shifting geopolitical backdrop, of ultimatums and recriminations and talks, as all the while the attacks on Kharkiv and Ukraine continue.
Presenter & reporter: Albina Kovalyova Producer: Louise Hidalgo Editor: Rebecca Henschke Executive Producer: Michael Simkin
Image: Adela and Konstantin (Credit: Konstantin Zorkin)
]]>Reporter Albina Kovalyova follows the stories of people who have nevertheless chosen to continue to live in Kharkiv. One, Adela Knapova, a writer from the Czech Republic who unexpectedly found love during a visit to this frontline city last year – and who uprooted her life in Prague to move to Ukraine to be with him. He’s an artist from Kharkiv, Konstantin Zorkin, who describes his belief in the transformative power of art and love.
These personal stories of love and life are intercut with the violence Russia continues to unleash on this city of over a million people. And they are set against a shifting geopolitical backdrop, of ultimatums and recriminations and talks, as all the while the attacks on Kharkiv and Ukraine continue.
Presenter & reporter: Albina Kovalyova Producer: Louise Hidalgo Editor: Rebecca Henschke Executive Producer: Michael Simkin
Image: Adela and Konstantin (Credit: Konstantin Zorkin)
]]>While many of their projects can be seen on the waters of Copenhagen, the team is inspired by the long tradition of waterborne dwellings across the world and are currently working on constructions in Thailand, the Maldives, the USA , India and Portugal.
Architecture critic and author Jonathan Glancey is invited to Copenhagen to see the studio in action and to travel out by boat to look at some of the completed projects.
Presenter: Jonathan Glancey Producer: Susan Marling A Just Radio production
Image: MAST architects Marshall Blecher and Magnus Maarbjerg (Credit: Susan Marling)
]]>While many of their projects can be seen on the waters of Copenhagen, the team is inspired by the long tradition of waterborne dwellings across the world and are currently working on constructions in Thailand, the Maldives, the USA , India and Portugal.
Architecture critic and author Jonathan Glancey is invited to Copenhagen to see the studio in action and to travel out by boat to look at some of the completed projects.
Presenter: Jonathan Glancey Producer: Susan Marling A Just Radio production
Image: MAST architects Marshall Blecher and Magnus Maarbjerg (Credit: Susan Marling)
]]>Labubu dolls, the elf-like plush toys from the Chinese toy maker Pop Mart, seem to have taken the world by storm. Singer Rihanna had one clipped to her bag, influencer Kim Kardashian shared her collection of 10 dolls on Instagram, and former England football captain Sir David Beckham also shared a photo of a Labubu, given to him by his daughter. So, what’s behind this craze? Fan Wang reports from Singapore.
From the US to the Middle East, sand and dust storms have recently swept across many parts of the world, colouring the skies and leaving people with breathing problems. These storms traditionally originate in vast deserts. However, scientists believe that climate change means more people could be affected - with desertification and melting glaciers, exposing more dust. Maria Zaccaro, a BBC journalist reporting for the Global Journalism Science and Climate team, finds out more.
Mumbai in India is one of the most densely populated cities in the world - and it’s also the perfect habitat for leopards. BBC Marathi recently posted a video on their YouTube channel, showing these majestic wild cats strolling down residential streets and even entering people’s homes. In the past, there were several reports of human-animal conflict, including some deadly attacks. But since 2022 there have been no accidents at all. So how did people and leopards manage to find a way to live together in harmony? Reporter Mayuresh Konnur has the story.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Labubu dolls, the elf-like plush toys from the Chinese toy maker Pop Mart, seem to have taken the world by storm. Singer Rihanna had one clipped to her bag, influencer Kim Kardashian shared her collection of 10 dolls on Instagram, and former England football captain Sir David Beckham also shared a photo of a Labubu, given to him by his daughter. So, what’s behind this craze? Fan Wang reports from Singapore.
From the US to the Middle East, sand and dust storms have recently swept across many parts of the world, colouring the skies and leaving people with breathing problems. These storms traditionally originate in vast deserts. However, scientists believe that climate change means more people could be affected - with desertification and melting glaciers, exposing more dust. Maria Zaccaro, a BBC journalist reporting for the Global Journalism Science and Climate team, finds out more.
Mumbai in India is one of the most densely populated cities in the world - and it’s also the perfect habitat for leopards. BBC Marathi recently posted a video on their YouTube channel, showing these majestic wild cats strolling down residential streets and even entering people’s homes. In the past, there were several reports of human-animal conflict, including some deadly attacks. But since 2022 there have been no accidents at all. So how did people and leopards manage to find a way to live together in harmony? Reporter Mayuresh Konnur has the story.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>The truth is it’s hard to be sure, because reliable figures on global divorce rates don’t exist. Where research has been done - most notably in the US - there’s some evidence that rising numbers of people are deciding to go their separate ways later in life.
We hear from three Americans, including 65 year-old Laura in Virginia. Her immediate feelings post break up - after almost 30 years of marriage - included loneliness and personal reappraisal.
“It was also a complete loss of my sense of identity,” said Laura. “I had my ex husband’s last name longer than I had my own name. I was a mother and my divorce coincided with my kids launching. So it was, okay, who am I now?”
For 68-year-old Steven in North Carolina, who split from his husband eight years ago, new relationships also required adjustment.
“It has taken time to rebuild that kind of trust on the emotional level,” he said, “and then taking your clothes off at 60 is different to taking your clothes off at 45!”
Two women from Malaysia and South Africa also reveal what grey divorce is like from an adult child’s point of view.
Hosted by Rahul Tandon. Conversations by Luke Jones.
A Boffin Media production with producer Sue Nelson in partnership with the BBC OS team and producers Iqra Farooq and Laura Cress.
]]>The truth is it’s hard to be sure, because reliable figures on global divorce rates don’t exist. Where research has been done - most notably in the US - there’s some evidence that rising numbers of people are deciding to go their separate ways later in life.
We hear from three Americans, including 65 year-old Laura in Virginia. Her immediate feelings post break up - after almost 30 years of marriage - included loneliness and personal reappraisal.
“It was also a complete loss of my sense of identity,” said Laura. “I had my ex husband’s last name longer than I had my own name. I was a mother and my divorce coincided with my kids launching. So it was, okay, who am I now?”
For 68-year-old Steven in North Carolina, who split from his husband eight years ago, new relationships also required adjustment.
“It has taken time to rebuild that kind of trust on the emotional level,” he said, “and then taking your clothes off at 60 is different to taking your clothes off at 45!”
Two women from Malaysia and South Africa also reveal what grey divorce is like from an adult child’s point of view.
Hosted by Rahul Tandon. Conversations by Luke Jones.
A Boffin Media production with producer Sue Nelson in partnership with the BBC OS team and producers Iqra Farooq and Laura Cress.
]]>Australian-Japanese food writer Emiko Davies takes a tasty journey into the spiritual significance of bread in Italy, her adopted home. In the west of Sicily, residents honour Saint Joseph by constructing intricate sculptural breads, adorning altars with baked symbols, and staging a ritualised feast attended by the entire community. On the coast of Puglia, locals queue to receive blessed loaves in celebration of Saint Anthony. Finally, with food historian Fabrizia Lanza, she reflects on the origins of religious superstitions surrounding bread, and what the nation's diverse culinary traditions tell us about faith in Italy today.
Presenter: Emiko Davies Producer: Jude Shapiro Executive Producer: Jack Howson Production Coordinator: Ieva Sabaliauskaite
A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC World Service
]]>Australian-Japanese food writer Emiko Davies takes a tasty journey into the spiritual significance of bread in Italy, her adopted home. In the west of Sicily, residents honour Saint Joseph by constructing intricate sculptural breads, adorning altars with baked symbols, and staging a ritualised feast attended by the entire community. On the coast of Puglia, locals queue to receive blessed loaves in celebration of Saint Anthony. Finally, with food historian Fabrizia Lanza, she reflects on the origins of religious superstitions surrounding bread, and what the nation's diverse culinary traditions tell us about faith in Italy today.
Presenter: Emiko Davies Producer: Jude Shapiro Executive Producer: Jack Howson Production Coordinator: Ieva Sabaliauskaite
A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC World Service
]]>Berlin based environmental journalist Becca Warner explores the ongoing problem of illegal deforestation.
Why is it proving so hard to tackle, despite tightening EU regulations? What are the consequences for those living in Papua New Guinea where much of this timber originates? And what makes this group of German scientists so important in the battle to protect the world’s forests?
Presenter: Becca Warner Producer: Tom Pooley
A 4 kicks production for the BBC World Service.
Image: Gerald Koch and Becca Warner inspect timber samples (Credit: Tom Pooley)
This programme has been edited for clarity.
]]>Berlin based environmental journalist Becca Warner explores the ongoing problem of illegal deforestation.
Why is it proving so hard to tackle, despite tightening EU regulations? What are the consequences for those living in Papua New Guinea where much of this timber originates? And what makes this group of German scientists so important in the battle to protect the world’s forests?
Presenter: Becca Warner Producer: Tom Pooley
A 4 kicks production for the BBC World Service.
Image: Gerald Koch and Becca Warner inspect timber samples (Credit: Tom Pooley)
This programme has been edited for clarity.
]]>On 4 July, just hours after flash floods hit the US state of Texas, killing more than 130 people, social media was inundated with unfounded theories about the causes of this tragedy.
The main allegation was that the extreme rainfall was somehow man-made, with many users blaming Rainmaker, a weather modification company based in California.
These baseless claims were quickly debunked by scientists.
And yet, online, calls for the company’s CEO, Augustus Doricko, to be arrested, punished - or, more sinisterly, executed - continued to multiply.
Suggestions that sinister forces may be controlling the weather by spraying chemicals in the atmosphere may have once been the preserve of niche websites and forums. Not anymore.
As several US states consider banning weather modification and geoengineering, BBC Trending investigates how fringe conspiracy theories have gone mainstream. Reporter: Marco Silva Editor: Flora Carmichael
]]>On 4 July, just hours after flash floods hit the US state of Texas, killing more than 130 people, social media was inundated with unfounded theories about the causes of this tragedy.
The main allegation was that the extreme rainfall was somehow man-made, with many users blaming Rainmaker, a weather modification company based in California.
These baseless claims were quickly debunked by scientists.
And yet, online, calls for the company’s CEO, Augustus Doricko, to be arrested, punished - or, more sinisterly, executed - continued to multiply.
Suggestions that sinister forces may be controlling the weather by spraying chemicals in the atmosphere may have once been the preserve of niche websites and forums. Not anymore.
As several US states consider banning weather modification and geoengineering, BBC Trending investigates how fringe conspiracy theories have gone mainstream. Reporter: Marco Silva Editor: Flora Carmichael
]]>John Murphy travels to Galicia to hear what is happening to these extraordinary animals and why they are so important.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>John Murphy travels to Galicia to hear what is happening to these extraordinary animals and why they are so important.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Nitin Sultane reports for BBC Marathi and recently travelled to a village in Maharashtra where discarded fabric has been turned into paper for 700 years.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Nitin Sultane reports for BBC Marathi and recently travelled to a village in Maharashtra where discarded fabric has been turned into paper for 700 years.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>As one team prepares to return to a city they once fled, another prepares for a life in exile. James Montague travels to Nagorno Karabakh to visit the two refugee football clubs who once played in the same league but who have come to represent division and displacement in the region.
Presenter: James Montague Producer and Sound Mix: Ben Wyatt
A Comuniqe production for the BBC World Service.
(Image Credit: James Montague A no-score draw in Nagorno Karabakh
]]>As one team prepares to return to a city they once fled, another prepares for a life in exile. James Montague travels to Nagorno Karabakh to visit the two refugee football clubs who once played in the same league but who have come to represent division and displacement in the region.
Presenter: James Montague Producer and Sound Mix: Ben Wyatt
A Comuniqe production for the BBC World Service.
(Image Credit: James Montague A no-score draw in Nagorno Karabakh
]]>The club relocated to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and rebuilt. But after the second Nagorno Karabakh war, which Azerbaijan won, the government has begun to rebuild Aghdam at breakneck speed. The centre-piece will be Qarabag's regenerated former stadium. The football club is a symbol of an Azerbaijani return to lands the government describes as "unlawfully stolen".
But as one team returns, another has been forced out. Lernayin Artsakh FC was based in Stepanakert. As Azeri troops bore down on the city in September 2023, its players, officials and families fled for Armenia, an act that the Armenian government called "ethnic cleansing". The team is now based in Armenia, playing in the second division.
James Montague travels to Nagorno Karabakh to visit the two refugee football clubs who once played in the same league but who have come to represent division and displacement in the region.
Presenter: James Montague Producer and Sound Mix: Ben Wyatt A Comuniqe production for the BBC World Service
(Photo: A 'no football' sign at a minefield in Nagorno Karabakh. Credit: James Montague)
]]>The club relocated to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and rebuilt. But after the second Nagorno Karabakh war, which Azerbaijan won, the government has begun to rebuild Aghdam at breakneck speed. The centre-piece will be Qarabag's regenerated former stadium. The football club is a symbol of an Azerbaijani return to lands the government describes as "unlawfully stolen".
But as one team returns, another has been forced out. Lernayin Artsakh FC was based in Stepanakert. As Azeri troops bore down on the city in September 2023, its players, officials and families fled for Armenia, an act that the Armenian government called "ethnic cleansing". The team is now based in Armenia, playing in the second division.
James Montague travels to Nagorno Karabakh to visit the two refugee football clubs who once played in the same league but who have come to represent division and displacement in the region.
Presenter: James Montague Producer and Sound Mix: Ben Wyatt A Comuniqe production for the BBC World Service
(Photo: A 'no football' sign at a minefield in Nagorno Karabakh. Credit: James Montague)
]]>The tradition of ‘money spraying' is a major part of Nigerian wedding celebrations, but now you could face a hefty fine or even a prison sentence if you’re caught doing it. Make-up artist Abdullahi Musa Huseini, also known as Amuscap on social media, was recently sentenced by a high court in the northern city of Kano for throwing cash at his own wedding, and he’s currently serving a six-month jail sentence. Mansur Abubakar from BBC Africa has been reporting on this story.
Tuareg communities in North Africa traditionally celebrate weddings with a 7-day party. The BBC Arabic's Xtra TV producers were invited to a wedding in Gath, in the south of Libya, and got to know the groom, Jamal, a young man who said he had to save for years to be able to afford such a feast in the current cost-of-living crisis. Saif Rebai reports.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>The tradition of ‘money spraying' is a major part of Nigerian wedding celebrations, but now you could face a hefty fine or even a prison sentence if you’re caught doing it. Make-up artist Abdullahi Musa Huseini, also known as Amuscap on social media, was recently sentenced by a high court in the northern city of Kano for throwing cash at his own wedding, and he’s currently serving a six-month jail sentence. Mansur Abubakar from BBC Africa has been reporting on this story.
Tuareg communities in North Africa traditionally celebrate weddings with a 7-day party. The BBC Arabic's Xtra TV producers were invited to a wedding in Gath, in the south of Libya, and got to know the groom, Jamal, a young man who said he had to save for years to be able to afford such a feast in the current cost-of-living crisis. Saif Rebai reports.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Producer and presenter – Daniel Semo A Dennis Funk/Written in Air production
]]>Producer and presenter – Daniel Semo A Dennis Funk/Written in Air production
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Also on the show: two BBC Language Services coming together to tackle disinformation. The relationship between neighbours India and Pakistan is well known around the world for going through periods of extreme hostility and even aggression. A deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April led to the two countries exchanging missile and drone attacks in one of the biggest escalations for about 50 years. And in times of tension, disinformation is rife. Sana Gulzar of BBC Urdu and Jugal Purohit who reports for BBC Hindi join Faranak Amidi to talk about it.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
Clips are from Spoiled by My Vampire Uncle and My Royal Secret Lover.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Also on the show: two BBC Language Services coming together to tackle disinformation. The relationship between neighbours India and Pakistan is well known around the world for going through periods of extreme hostility and even aggression. A deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April led to the two countries exchanging missile and drone attacks in one of the biggest escalations for about 50 years. And in times of tension, disinformation is rife. Sana Gulzar of BBC Urdu and Jugal Purohit who reports for BBC Hindi join Faranak Amidi to talk about it.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
Clips are from Spoiled by My Vampire Uncle and My Royal Secret Lover.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>According to the Ukrainian government more than 70 thousand people are missing in the war, leaving families, including thousands of children, anxious for news of their loved ones and unable to move on.
Psychologists say these children are some of the most traumatised they have worked with.
Now for the first time a leading Ukrainian children’s charity is putting on a special summer camp for some of these children, offering them therapy, fun activities and a safe place.
For Assignment, Will Vernon is given exclusive access to this project, where psychologists are developing a new framework to treat these deeply traumatised children.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>According to the Ukrainian government more than 70 thousand people are missing in the war, leaving families, including thousands of children, anxious for news of their loved ones and unable to move on.
Psychologists say these children are some of the most traumatised they have worked with.
Now for the first time a leading Ukrainian children’s charity is putting on a special summer camp for some of these children, offering them therapy, fun activities and a safe place.
For Assignment, Will Vernon is given exclusive access to this project, where psychologists are developing a new framework to treat these deeply traumatised children.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Contributors: Barry Marston, Jacob Boswall Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg
]]>Contributors: Barry Marston, Jacob Boswall Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg
]]>Denmark subsidises Greenland to the tune of around $10 000 per person per year. On an island where fishing is the primary source of income, independence would mean either increasing tourism or allowing the mining of minerals like rare earth metals. However the islanders have always favoured strict environmental controls when it comes to mining and it’s expensive for tourists. Hedi Nermin Aziz travels from Denmark to Greenland and talks to politicians, musicians and influencers about Greenland’s Innuit identity and to find out if it can and should go it alone.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Denmark subsidises Greenland to the tune of around $10 000 per person per year. On an island where fishing is the primary source of income, independence would mean either increasing tourism or allowing the mining of minerals like rare earth metals. However the islanders have always favoured strict environmental controls when it comes to mining and it’s expensive for tourists. Hedi Nermin Aziz travels from Denmark to Greenland and talks to politicians, musicians and influencers about Greenland’s Innuit identity and to find out if it can and should go it alone.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Season 8 of World of Secrets, The Killing Call, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service. To hear more episodes, search for World of Secrets wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Season 8 of World of Secrets, The Killing Call, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service. To hear more episodes, search for World of Secrets wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Hundreds of “foyers” - housing units especially for immigrant workers – were built after World War II. The economy was booming and France needed unskilled labour to help rebuild the country. But since the 1990s there has been a policy to get rid of the old foyers and replace them with a type of social housing. However, residents of the old foyers fear they are going to lose out in this transformation. Carolyn Lamboley has been visiting some foyers around Paris and speaking to those who for decades have called these places home. They fear for the break-up of their communities, for a loss of their culture and the little they have.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>Hundreds of “foyers” - housing units especially for immigrant workers – were built after World War II. The economy was booming and France needed unskilled labour to help rebuild the country. But since the 1990s there has been a policy to get rid of the old foyers and replace them with a type of social housing. However, residents of the old foyers fear they are going to lose out in this transformation. Carolyn Lamboley has been visiting some foyers around Paris and speaking to those who for decades have called these places home. They fear for the break-up of their communities, for a loss of their culture and the little they have.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>It was one of the most iconic sporting moments of the 20th Century at a time of huge political and racial unrest.
Ashe’s life spans America’s Civil Rights struggle, the ending of South Africa’s system of apartheid and his creation of an awareness of the disease that would eventually kill him - Aids.
BBC Tennis correspondent Russell Fuller tells his story, hearing from amongst others, former players John McEnroe, Serena Williams, Stan Smith, his agent Donald Dell and his brother Johnnie Ashe.
]]>It was one of the most iconic sporting moments of the 20th Century at a time of huge political and racial unrest.
Ashe’s life spans America’s Civil Rights struggle, the ending of South Africa’s system of apartheid and his creation of an awareness of the disease that would eventually kill him - Aids.
BBC Tennis correspondent Russell Fuller tells his story, hearing from amongst others, former players John McEnroe, Serena Williams, Stan Smith, his agent Donald Dell and his brother Johnnie Ashe.
]]>This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Over the past four months the BBC has been following the stories of two trans service people as the executive order took effect. Both have served 17 years in the military, and are now facing the threat of a dishonourable discharge.
Archive sources: NBC News, FOX News, CBS News, CNN, Chicks on the Right, Newsmax, 9 News, WKYC, ABC News, US Army's School of Advanced Military Studies
]]>Over the past four months the BBC has been following the stories of two trans service people as the executive order took effect. Both have served 17 years in the military, and are now facing the threat of a dishonourable discharge.
Archive sources: NBC News, FOX News, CBS News, CNN, Chicks on the Right, Newsmax, 9 News, WKYC, ABC News, US Army's School of Advanced Military Studies
]]>This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Irena Taranyuk. Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Irena Taranyuk.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Irena Taranyuk. Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
(Photo: Irena Taranyuk.)
]]>Hosted by Cerys Matthews, the show features messages from family and friends at home, music requests from Antarctica and a specially recorded message from His Majesty The King.
For decades this show has been part of the traditional midwinter celebrations and has also been enjoyed by listeners around the world.
Midwinter celebrations at the British research stations include a feast, exchange of presents, watching the 1982 horror film The Thing (where an alien monster terrorises an Antarctic base) and listening - on short wave - to the BBC’s Midwinter Broadcast.
Producers: Martin Redfern and Richard Hollingham
An EcoAudio certified Boffin Media production
]]>Hosted by Cerys Matthews, the show features messages from family and friends at home, music requests from Antarctica and a specially recorded message from His Majesty The King.
For decades this show has been part of the traditional midwinter celebrations and has also been enjoyed by listeners around the world.
Midwinter celebrations at the British research stations include a feast, exchange of presents, watching the 1982 horror film The Thing (where an alien monster terrorises an Antarctic base) and listening - on short wave - to the BBC’s Midwinter Broadcast.
Producers: Martin Redfern and Richard Hollingham
An EcoAudio certified Boffin Media production
]]>This bonus episode of The Documentary, comes to you from the Global Jigsaw, Looking at the world through the lens of its media.
]]>This bonus episode of The Documentary, comes to you from the Global Jigsaw, Looking at the world through the lens of its media.
]]>This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
]]>If you have been affected by the issues discussed in this episode, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.org. In the UK a list of organisations that can help is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Plus, Wycliffe Muia from BBC Africa explains why Uganda's iconic crested crane is endangered, and Mansur Abubakar, also from BBC Africa, meets one of the very few women driving kekes, small three-wheeled vehicles that people use as cabs, in the Nigerian city of Kano.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia, Hannah Dean and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>If you have been affected by the issues discussed in this episode, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.org. In the UK a list of organisations that can help is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Plus, Wycliffe Muia from BBC Africa explains why Uganda's iconic crested crane is endangered, and Mansur Abubakar, also from BBC Africa, meets one of the very few women driving kekes, small three-wheeled vehicles that people use as cabs, in the Nigerian city of Kano.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia, Hannah Dean and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Mutilated bodies have continued to turn up, including in mass graves.
Farhat Javed reports on Balochistan’s Women of the Vanished - the mothers and daughters left behind who are still searching for their missing loved ones.
This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Assignment.
]]>Mutilated bodies have continued to turn up, including in mass graves.
Farhat Javed reports on Balochistan’s Women of the Vanished - the mothers and daughters left behind who are still searching for their missing loved ones.
This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Assignment.
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Contributor: Shaina Oppenheimer
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Ivanova Twigg Contributor: Shaina Oppenheimer
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>VioGen is an algorithm used by the police – it’s a risk assessment tool. Based on a woman’s answers to a series of questions, it calculates the likelihood she will be attacked again so police resources can be allocated to protect those most in danger. The level of risk could be negligible, low, medium, high or extreme. Lina was recorded as being at ‘medium’ risk of a further attack by the man who was her ex-partner. Three weeks later, she was dead. VioGen’s critics are concerned about the number of women registered on the system who are then murdered by men who are former or current partners. Its champions claim that without VioGen there would be far more violence against women.
With AI in the ascendency, and governments increasingly turning to algorithms to make decisions affecting society, for Crossing Continents, Linda Pressly and Esperanza Escribano investigate the story of VioGen and domestic violence in Spain.
]]>VioGen is an algorithm used by the police – it’s a risk assessment tool. Based on a woman’s answers to a series of questions, it calculates the likelihood she will be attacked again so police resources can be allocated to protect those most in danger. The level of risk could be negligible, low, medium, high or extreme. Lina was recorded as being at ‘medium’ risk of a further attack by the man who was her ex-partner. Three weeks later, she was dead. VioGen’s critics are concerned about the number of women registered on the system who are then murdered by men who are former or current partners. Its champions claim that without VioGen there would be far more violence against women.
With AI in the ascendency, and governments increasingly turning to algorithms to make decisions affecting society, for Crossing Continents, Linda Pressly and Esperanza Escribano investigate the story of VioGen and domestic violence in Spain.
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>For Esben every flavour is a note, and the secret of the perfect dish is to build those notes into a symphony. He only uses local produce for the menu at his restaurant in Oslo, Maaemo, and he collects many ingredients from the local forest.
He aims to tell the story of Norway through food and respects the ancient crafts of preservation like pickling and dehydrating which sustained communities through the dark winter months in Scandinavia.
]]>For Esben every flavour is a note, and the secret of the perfect dish is to build those notes into a symphony. He only uses local produce for the menu at his restaurant in Oslo, Maaemo, and he collects many ingredients from the local forest.
He aims to tell the story of Norway through food and respects the ancient crafts of preservation like pickling and dehydrating which sustained communities through the dark winter months in Scandinavia.
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg Contributors: Pascal Fletcher, Samia Hosny, Margaryta Maliukova, Andrey Vladov, Tom Lam, Sarbas Nazari, Moses Rono
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg Contributors: Pascal Fletcher, Samia Hosny, Margaryta Maliukova, Andrey Vladov, Tom Lam, Sarbas Nazari, Moses Rono
]]>Prestented by Irena Taranyuk Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia
(Photo: Irena Taranyuk)
]]>Prestented by Irena Taranyuk Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia
(Photo: Irena Taranyuk)
]]>Prestented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Prestented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>This seismic shift is also being felt in parishes across America. Increasing numbers of US Catholics and Protestants are embracing Eastern Orthodoxy. Many converts disillusioned by the showbiz elements in many megachurches, say they are drawn to a faith with enduring traditions. Some, uneasy with social and demographic change, believe the churches they were raised in have lost their authority by going “woke” – shorthand for supporting equal marriage, female clergy, pro-choice, Black Lives Matter and other liberal issues.
Some converts have hundreds of thousands of followers online, and push Kremlin narratives that Russia is the world's last bastion of true Christianity - a few of the most radical have even emigrated there. Lucy Ash has been to Texas – one of the most religious states in the US – to meet some new converts.
]]>This seismic shift is also being felt in parishes across America. Increasing numbers of US Catholics and Protestants are embracing Eastern Orthodoxy. Many converts disillusioned by the showbiz elements in many megachurches, say they are drawn to a faith with enduring traditions. Some, uneasy with social and demographic change, believe the churches they were raised in have lost their authority by going “woke” – shorthand for supporting equal marriage, female clergy, pro-choice, Black Lives Matter and other liberal issues.
Some converts have hundreds of thousands of followers online, and push Kremlin narratives that Russia is the world's last bastion of true Christianity - a few of the most radical have even emigrated there. Lucy Ash has been to Texas – one of the most religious states in the US – to meet some new converts.
]]>(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>BBC Trending tracks the digital footprint of one of the suspected smugglers wanted for deaths on this very migrant boat. On TikTok, trivial videos depict his lifestyle - one of money, nice restaurants and a lot of travel. But these videos reveal much more about the smuggler’s operations.
Presenter/producer: Reha Kansara and Shruti Menon Producer: Mohammad Zubair Khan
]]>BBC Trending tracks the digital footprint of one of the suspected smugglers wanted for deaths on this very migrant boat. On TikTok, trivial videos depict his lifestyle - one of money, nice restaurants and a lot of travel. But these videos reveal much more about the smuggler’s operations.
Presenter/producer: Reha Kansara and Shruti Menon Producer: Mohammad Zubair Khan
]]>Minecraft is the most successful computer game ever. It's sold 300 million copies, built an active community of fans and there's now even a Minecraft movie. So how did one man - Markus Persson - create it all by himself, before selling it for billions?
BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng find out how a high school dropout, obsessed with Lego and gaming, became a computer game hero. The Swedish programmer, known by the nickname Notch, built a virtual 3D world where, with the help of a pickaxe, players could harness their creativity to build almost anything, one block at a time. Persson founded the video game development company Mojang Studios, before selling it to Microsoft, but then came a spectacular downfall.
Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast exploring the lives of the super-rich and famous, tracking their wealth, philanthropy, business ethics and success. There are leaders who made their money in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and in high street fashion. From iconic celebrities and CEOs to titans of technology, the podcast unravels tales of fortune, power, economics, ambition and moral responsibility, before inviting you to make up your own mind: are they good, bad or just another billionaire?
]]>Minecraft is the most successful computer game ever. It's sold 300 million copies, built an active community of fans and there's now even a Minecraft movie. So how did one man - Markus Persson - create it all by himself, before selling it for billions?
BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng find out how a high school dropout, obsessed with Lego and gaming, became a computer game hero. The Swedish programmer, known by the nickname Notch, built a virtual 3D world where, with the help of a pickaxe, players could harness their creativity to build almost anything, one block at a time. Persson founded the video game development company Mojang Studios, before selling it to Microsoft, but then came a spectacular downfall.
Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast exploring the lives of the super-rich and famous, tracking their wealth, philanthropy, business ethics and success. There are leaders who made their money in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and in high street fashion. From iconic celebrities and CEOs to titans of technology, the podcast unravels tales of fortune, power, economics, ambition and moral responsibility, before inviting you to make up your own mind: are they good, bad or just another billionaire?
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Bridgerton actor Adjoa Andoh joins Namulanta in the studio to share the letter she’s written to her three children.
She tells them the importance of trusting their bodies and following their instincts - a life philosophy which has sometimes led her into some unexpected situations, especially while pregnant…
Dear Daughter is a podcast all about love, life, family, and raising children. It is the brainchild of Namulanta Kombo, a mother on a quest to create a ‘handbook to life’ for her daughter, through the advice of parents from all over the world.
Each episode, a guest reads a letter they’ve written to their children (or their future children, or the children they never had) with the advice, life lessons, and personal stories they’d like to pass on.
Expect extraordinary true stories, inspirational advice for parents, and moving accounts of families, relationships and raising daughters.
]]>Bridgerton actor Adjoa Andoh joins Namulanta in the studio to share the letter she’s written to her three children.
She tells them the importance of trusting their bodies and following their instincts - a life philosophy which has sometimes led her into some unexpected situations, especially while pregnant…
Dear Daughter is a podcast all about love, life, family, and raising children. It is the brainchild of Namulanta Kombo, a mother on a quest to create a ‘handbook to life’ for her daughter, through the advice of parents from all over the world.
Each episode, a guest reads a letter they’ve written to their children (or their future children, or the children they never had) with the advice, life lessons, and personal stories they’d like to pass on.
Expect extraordinary true stories, inspirational advice for parents, and moving accounts of families, relationships and raising daughters.
]]>Last December the country’s Constitutional Court cancelled the presidential election two days before the final vote, citing outside interference, with the nationalist pro-Putin candidate, Calin Georgescu, riding high in the polls. TikTok sensation and portraying himself as an outsider, Georgescu’s anti-EU and anti-NATO message resonated with an unhappy electorate. His sudden success was unprecedented, as was the cancelation of a European democratic election.
The political establishment claim that cyberwarfare and Russian interference gave them no choice. Georgescu has now been eliminated from May’s Presidential re-run.
Historian Tessa Dunlop asks how this happened, why it matters and what next for this strategically important country on the eastern edge of the EU and NATO?
]]>Last December the country’s Constitutional Court cancelled the presidential election two days before the final vote, citing outside interference, with the nationalist pro-Putin candidate, Calin Georgescu, riding high in the polls. TikTok sensation and portraying himself as an outsider, Georgescu’s anti-EU and anti-NATO message resonated with an unhappy electorate. His sudden success was unprecedented, as was the cancelation of a European democratic election.
The political establishment claim that cyberwarfare and Russian interference gave them no choice. Georgescu has now been eliminated from May’s Presidential re-run.
Historian Tessa Dunlop asks how this happened, why it matters and what next for this strategically important country on the eastern edge of the EU and NATO?
]]>Amin also comes from a prestigious family: his father, Ismail Gulgee, was one of Pakistan’s most famous modernists, creating abstract paintings that have been exhibited across the globe, and even sketching heads of state like Reagan and Gaddafi. In 2007, Ismail and Amin’s mother Zaro were tragically murdered by their driver. It was Amin who found their bodies, in their house which adjoins his own studio and gallery. Much of Amin’s work since has been an attempt to come to terms and heal from this most tragic of events.
Presenter Harry Stott meets Amin on location in his Karachi studio-cum-gallery-cum-home, as he prepares to open a new museum of his father’s work – the ‘most momentous’ thing he has ever attempted. We listen in as Amin shows us the calligraphy adorned doors which he has created for the museum’s entrance. We go inside his studio to hear about his creative process more widely. And we hear Amin come to terms with the tragedy of his parents’ death and the solace that he finds in his workshop.
Amidst the tumult of this momentous museum opening in the already tumultuous city of Karachi, this episode of In the Studio attempts to understand how Amin’s two year process of creation, curation and healing will change his creative process for the years to come.
Presenter & Producer: Harry Stott Co-producer & Fixer: Adam Fahy-Majeed Exec Producer: Sandra Ferrari Sound Design & Engineering: Alan Leer, Lizzy Andrews
A Message Heard Production
Image: Amin Gulgee (Credit: Humayun Memon)
]]>Amin also comes from a prestigious family: his father, Ismail Gulgee, was one of Pakistan’s most famous modernists, creating abstract paintings that have been exhibited across the globe, and even sketching heads of state like Reagan and Gaddafi. In 2007, Ismail and Amin’s mother Zaro were tragically murdered by their driver. It was Amin who found their bodies, in their house which adjoins his own studio and gallery. Much of Amin’s work since has been an attempt to come to terms and heal from this most tragic of events.
Presenter Harry Stott meets Amin on location in his Karachi studio-cum-gallery-cum-home, as he prepares to open a new museum of his father’s work – the ‘most momentous’ thing he has ever attempted. We listen in as Amin shows us the calligraphy adorned doors which he has created for the museum’s entrance. We go inside his studio to hear about his creative process more widely. And we hear Amin come to terms with the tragedy of his parents’ death and the solace that he finds in his workshop.
Amidst the tumult of this momentous museum opening in the already tumultuous city of Karachi, this episode of In the Studio attempts to understand how Amin’s two year process of creation, curation and healing will change his creative process for the years to come.
Presenter & Producer: Harry Stott Co-producer & Fixer: Adam Fahy-Majeed Exec Producer: Sandra Ferrari Sound Design & Engineering: Alan Leer, Lizzy Andrews
A Message Heard Production
Image: Amin Gulgee (Credit: Humayun Memon)
]]>Presenter: Natalia Zuo Produce: Ly Truong Editors: Rebecca Henschke and Monica Garnsey Mixed by Gareth Jones
This episode includes a clip from The Most Beautiful You in the World (世界上最动听的你), aired on WeTV.
]]>Presenter: Natalia Zuo Produce: Ly Truong Editors: Rebecca Henschke and Monica Garnsey Mixed by Gareth Jones
This episode includes a clip from The Most Beautiful You in the World (世界上最动听的你), aired on WeTV.
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presenter: Emma Tracey Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound design: Steve Brooke Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
]]>Presenter: Emma Tracey Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound design: Steve Brooke Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
]]>In Olympique Lyonnais: The Champions League trailblazers we find out the story of how the French club raised the standard of women’s football, going behind the scenes with striker and Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg, Chelsea and England defender Lucy Bronze and France and Lyon captain Wendie Renard who have all witnessed huge success and then change with Europe’s elite catching up. Now South Korean born businesswoman Michele Kang has taken over the the French giants, with big ambitions for the club.
Photo: Players of Olympique Lyonnais celebrate after winning during the UEFA Women's Champions League final match between FC Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais at Juventus Stadium on May 21, 2022 in Turin, Italy. (Credit: Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)
]]>In Olympique Lyonnais: The Champions League trailblazers we find out the story of how the French club raised the standard of women’s football, going behind the scenes with striker and Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg, Chelsea and England defender Lucy Bronze and France and Lyon captain Wendie Renard who have all witnessed huge success and then change with Europe’s elite catching up. Now South Korean born businesswoman Michele Kang has taken over the the French giants, with big ambitions for the club.
Photo: Players of Olympique Lyonnais celebrate after winning during the UEFA Women's Champions League final match between FC Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais at Juventus Stadium on May 21, 2022 in Turin, Italy. (Credit: Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)
]]>In a 9-day hikoi or march of defiance they walked from the top of New Zealand down to the capital Wellington, joined by non-Māori supporters - all opposed to the changes.
A separate Māori Health Authority has been dismantled, for example. It was set up by the previous centre-left government to tackle health inequalities that mean indigenous people live seven years less than other New Zealanders. Māori also come bottom in statistics for employment, housing and education, and are highly overrepresented in prison.
Most divisive though, a new law proposal about the principles of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi - New Zealand’s founding document, sought to do away with what has been a form of affirmative action, and instead treat everyone the same, regardless of heritage.
Some feel this is all necessary to achieve proper equality. Others feel that Māori progress will be undone and inequality or inequity entrenched.
]]>In a 9-day hikoi or march of defiance they walked from the top of New Zealand down to the capital Wellington, joined by non-Māori supporters - all opposed to the changes.
A separate Māori Health Authority has been dismantled, for example. It was set up by the previous centre-left government to tackle health inequalities that mean indigenous people live seven years less than other New Zealanders. Māori also come bottom in statistics for employment, housing and education, and are highly overrepresented in prison.
Most divisive though, a new law proposal about the principles of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi - New Zealand’s founding document, sought to do away with what has been a form of affirmative action, and instead treat everyone the same, regardless of heritage.
Some feel this is all necessary to achieve proper equality. Others feel that Māori progress will be undone and inequality or inequity entrenched.
]]>Now a law proposal about the principles of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document, would do away with what has been a form of affirmative action, and instead treat everyone the same, regardless of heritage.
Some feel this is necessary to achieve proper equality. Others feel that Maori progress will be undone and inequality entrenched.
]]>Now a law proposal about the principles of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document, would do away with what has been a form of affirmative action, and instead treat everyone the same, regardless of heritage.
Some feel this is necessary to achieve proper equality. Others feel that Maori progress will be undone and inequality entrenched.
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Danish police and the Danish security services describe the objects as large drones - similar to the ones seen on the USA's East Coast before Christmas. But no-one can say who is flying them, or why. Could it be the Russians?
Lucy Proctor meets the people involved in Denmark's unique UFO scene and tries to find out what these drone sightings mean.
]]>Danish police and the Danish security services describe the objects as large drones - similar to the ones seen on the USA's East Coast before Christmas. But no-one can say who is flying them, or why. Could it be the Russians?
Lucy Proctor meets the people involved in Denmark's unique UFO scene and tries to find out what these drone sightings mean.
]]>For her next commission, she is working on a new concerto for the St Louis Symphony Orchestra in Missouri, US. The piece is called PALETTE, and will feature seven movements related to seven colours: plum, amber, lava, ebony, teal, tangerine and emerald green.
Anna will be working with her Grammy-winning audio engineer, sound artist and designer husband Jody Elff on the composition, using their Augmented Orchestra to electronically manipulate the sound of the orchestra in real time during live performances. It's part of their challenge to expand the sound of the acoustic orchestral world while pushing the boundaries of contemporary classical music. Anna will also be painting seven pictures as part of the creative process, inspired by her music, to add to the audience's experience of the work.
]]>For her next commission, she is working on a new concerto for the St Louis Symphony Orchestra in Missouri, US. The piece is called PALETTE, and will feature seven movements related to seven colours: plum, amber, lava, ebony, teal, tangerine and emerald green.
Anna will be working with her Grammy-winning audio engineer, sound artist and designer husband Jody Elff on the composition, using their Augmented Orchestra to electronically manipulate the sound of the orchestra in real time during live performances. It's part of their challenge to expand the sound of the acoustic orchestral world while pushing the boundaries of contemporary classical music. Anna will also be painting seven pictures as part of the creative process, inspired by her music, to add to the audience's experience of the work.
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>The Parliament building has been the site of the recent protests, where people have been gathering for more than 100 days. The ‘Dezerter bazar’ was said to be founded by deserters from the Czar’s army, who came there to sell their equipment over 100 years ago. Now it’s the biggest farmers market in Tbilisi. The history of the sulphur baths date back to the 5th century and Georgians have been coming here for generations to relax. With Nina Akhmeteli, Rayhan Demytrie and Maka Dzneladze.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Hannah Dean and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>The Parliament building has been the site of the recent protests, where people have been gathering for more than 100 days. The ‘Dezerter bazar’ was said to be founded by deserters from the Czar’s army, who came there to sell their equipment over 100 years ago. Now it’s the biggest farmers market in Tbilisi. The history of the sulphur baths date back to the 5th century and Georgians have been coming here for generations to relax. With Nina Akhmeteli, Rayhan Demytrie and Maka Dzneladze.
Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Hannah Dean and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>**This content was edited on 02/04/2025**
]]>**This content was edited on 02/04/2025**
]]>The topic was rarely visited during Kai's childhood. It was only after a school history lesson that he began to comprehend Rudolf’s role as head of the largest mass murder site in history.
Reporter Shiroma Silva travels to his home in Germany to interrogate Kai on his personal struggle. She tracks Kai’s outlook today through Christianity, in which he uses his past to look forward and understand the particular place of Jewish people in the Bible. He questions how antisemitism thrived in Christian societies and his grandfather’s early life in a devout Catholic family.
Awaiting execution at Nuremberg in 1947, Rudolf Höss returned to Catholicism, regretting his unquestioning pursuit of Nazi ideology and crimes against humanity. But little was said about the Jewish prisoners who made up the majority of the dead at Auschwitz.
Today his grandson speaks to Jewish communities globally, and Shiroma Silva talks to Pastor Kai Höss as he seeks to disabuse congregations of the thinking that has all too often blamed Jewish people for all the world’s ills, and describes himself as a Gentile who’s been saved by Jewish leaders.
]]>The topic was rarely visited during Kai's childhood. It was only after a school history lesson that he began to comprehend Rudolf’s role as head of the largest mass murder site in history.
Reporter Shiroma Silva travels to his home in Germany to interrogate Kai on his personal struggle. She tracks Kai’s outlook today through Christianity, in which he uses his past to look forward and understand the particular place of Jewish people in the Bible. He questions how antisemitism thrived in Christian societies and his grandfather’s early life in a devout Catholic family.
Awaiting execution at Nuremberg in 1947, Rudolf Höss returned to Catholicism, regretting his unquestioning pursuit of Nazi ideology and crimes against humanity. But little was said about the Jewish prisoners who made up the majority of the dead at Auschwitz.
Today his grandson speaks to Jewish communities globally, and Shiroma Silva talks to Pastor Kai Höss as he seeks to disabuse congregations of the thinking that has all too often blamed Jewish people for all the world’s ills, and describes himself as a Gentile who’s been saved by Jewish leaders.
]]>We hear from artist Alec Egan, who lost his home and studio, along with his paintings that were due to be shown at international exhibitions; photographer Everard Williams Jr reflects on losing his home and photography archive in Altadena; Carl Gordon and Camille Kirk from the Getty Museum explain how they saved their art works from fire; architect Michael Kovac on creating new homes for the future of the city; and cinematographer Stefanos Kafato, who lost his home and equipment, discusses the state of the LA film industry with Pat Saperstein, deputy film editor at Variety.
]]>We hear from artist Alec Egan, who lost his home and studio, along with his paintings that were due to be shown at international exhibitions; photographer Everard Williams Jr reflects on losing his home and photography archive in Altadena; Carl Gordon and Camille Kirk from the Getty Museum explain how they saved their art works from fire; architect Michael Kovac on creating new homes for the future of the city; and cinematographer Stefanos Kafato, who lost his home and equipment, discusses the state of the LA film industry with Pat Saperstein, deputy film editor at Variety.
]]>The scammers, whose job it is to persuade their victims to part with their hard-earned money, are often themselves the victims of crime, people trafficked across borders by gangsters and held prisoner in these “scam hubs”, forced to work.
It is a particular problem in the Philippines, where, in March 2024 the police raided a compound in a small town north of the capital, Manila. There they found several hundred people working. The spotlight immediately turned on the mayor of the town, Alice Guo, a colourful and energetic 32-year-old, who owned some of the land on which the compound was built.
We investigate the allegations against the former mayor who has now been charged with people trafficking, money laundering and tax evasion. There is a further, more lurid, and unproven allegation that she is a spy for China. We ask what effect this affair has had on an already tense relationship between the Philippines and China.
]]>The scammers, whose job it is to persuade their victims to part with their hard-earned money, are often themselves the victims of crime, people trafficked across borders by gangsters and held prisoner in these “scam hubs”, forced to work.
It is a particular problem in the Philippines, where, in March 2024 the police raided a compound in a small town north of the capital, Manila. There they found several hundred people working. The spotlight immediately turned on the mayor of the town, Alice Guo, a colourful and energetic 32-year-old, who owned some of the land on which the compound was built.
We investigate the allegations against the former mayor who has now been charged with people trafficking, money laundering and tax evasion. There is a further, more lurid, and unproven allegation that she is a spy for China. We ask what effect this affair has had on an already tense relationship between the Philippines and China.
]]>Presented by Feranak Amidi. Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presented by Feranak Amidi. Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Reporter Sahar Zand has gained rare access to this community, spending time with its leader, Tanu - a transgender woman and practising Muslim - who has built a sanctuary where hijras can reconnect with faith. At the heart of this transformation is a Quran study group, offering hijras the religious education they were long denied, and a newly built mosque - the first in Bangladesh to welcome them as equals, after they were expelled from others. With the help of an imam who risked everything to stand by them, they are reclaiming their right to Islam.
But as religious conservatism rises, so do the threats against them. Their village is no longer just a refuge; it is the frontline of a battle for acceptance. Can faith be the key to breaking barriers, or will they be forced back into the shadows?
]]>Reporter Sahar Zand has gained rare access to this community, spending time with its leader, Tanu - a transgender woman and practising Muslim - who has built a sanctuary where hijras can reconnect with faith. At the heart of this transformation is a Quran study group, offering hijras the religious education they were long denied, and a newly built mosque - the first in Bangladesh to welcome them as equals, after they were expelled from others. With the help of an imam who risked everything to stand by them, they are reclaiming their right to Islam.
But as religious conservatism rises, so do the threats against them. Their village is no longer just a refuge; it is the frontline of a battle for acceptance. Can faith be the key to breaking barriers, or will they be forced back into the shadows?
]]>Also on the show: stories about people celebrating Ramadan around the world, with BBC Urdu's Aliya Nazki, BBC Indonesia's Silvano Hajid and BBC Arabic's Khitam Amer; cricket enthusiast Janhavee Moole reporting for BBC Marathi on India's recent success at the ICC Champions Trophy; and the ship fixing Africa's internet blackouts with Daniel Dadzie in Ghana.
Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Hannah Dean, Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Also on the show: stories about people celebrating Ramadan around the world, with BBC Urdu's Aliya Nazki, BBC Indonesia's Silvano Hajid and BBC Arabic's Khitam Amer; cricket enthusiast Janhavee Moole reporting for BBC Marathi on India's recent success at the ICC Champions Trophy; and the ship fixing Africa's internet blackouts with Daniel Dadzie in Ghana.
Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Hannah Dean, Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>In this episode of Heart and Soul, reporter Janak Rogers travels to the Peruvian Amazon to explore this so-called ‘psychedelic renaissance’. From candlelit jungle ceremonies to bustling tourist strips, Rogers uncovers the allure of ayahuasca for Westerners seeking help and healing. But as the ayahuasca boom transforms local communities, challenges arise: the rise of unscrupulous shamans, the commercialisation of Indigenous knowledge, and risks faced by vulnerable travellers.
]]>In this episode of Heart and Soul, reporter Janak Rogers travels to the Peruvian Amazon to explore this so-called ‘psychedelic renaissance’. From candlelit jungle ceremonies to bustling tourist strips, Rogers uncovers the allure of ayahuasca for Westerners seeking help and healing. But as the ayahuasca boom transforms local communities, challenges arise: the rise of unscrupulous shamans, the commercialisation of Indigenous knowledge, and risks faced by vulnerable travellers.
]]>Many of the protestors came from different indigenous communities, descended from the Mayans, who have their own language and culture and make up more than half of the 18 million population.
Now there’s talk of an ‘Indigenous Spring’ after years of racism and discrimination. But is life really improving for these communities and is it possible to turn the Central American country around after years of corruption?
Jane Chambers travels around the highlands and lowlands of Guatemala talking to the people who are trying to make changes and hearing from others whether they think it’s really working.
]]>Many of the protestors came from different indigenous communities, descended from the Mayans, who have their own language and culture and make up more than half of the 18 million population.
Now there’s talk of an ‘Indigenous Spring’ after years of racism and discrimination. But is life really improving for these communities and is it possible to turn the Central American country around after years of corruption?
Jane Chambers travels around the highlands and lowlands of Guatemala talking to the people who are trying to make changes and hearing from others whether they think it’s really working.
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Hannah Dean and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Hannah Dean and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>He talks to a woman who’s used her “coffin money” to open a restaurant in memory of her dead son – and hears about a craze for ultra-expensive hair-dryers among wives and girlfriends of soldiers from Siberia.
Marrying soldiers has become so attractive that women on dating apps often search specifically for men in uniform.
But the compensation payouts are also fuelling furious court battles, when divorced or separated fathers who’ve played little role in child rearing suddenly reappear after their sons’ deaths and demand their share of the coffin money.
Besides the cash, there are many privileges offered to soldiers and their families, and to bereaved relatives of the fallen. Their children can go to university whatever their grades. And the Kremlin has started a programme called “Time of Heroes” that claims it will fast-track selected returning servicemen into elite positions in local politics and business. But can Putin’s attempt at social engineering really work? And will “deathonomics” – as one economist calls it – really boost the economy of the provinces that have suffered most from the huge death toll?
]]>He talks to a woman who’s used her “coffin money” to open a restaurant in memory of her dead son – and hears about a craze for ultra-expensive hair-dryers among wives and girlfriends of soldiers from Siberia.
Marrying soldiers has become so attractive that women on dating apps often search specifically for men in uniform.
But the compensation payouts are also fuelling furious court battles, when divorced or separated fathers who’ve played little role in child rearing suddenly reappear after their sons’ deaths and demand their share of the coffin money.
Besides the cash, there are many privileges offered to soldiers and their families, and to bereaved relatives of the fallen. Their children can go to university whatever their grades. And the Kremlin has started a programme called “Time of Heroes” that claims it will fast-track selected returning servicemen into elite positions in local politics and business. But can Putin’s attempt at social engineering really work? And will “deathonomics” – as one economist calls it – really boost the economy of the provinces that have suffered most from the huge death toll?
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Audio for this episode was updated on 27th February 2025.
]]>Audio for this episode was updated on 27th February 2025.
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presenter: Feranak Amidi Producers: Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presenter: Feranak Amidi Producers: Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>For Assignment, Linda Pressly and Esperanza Escribano report from the olive groves of Spain at harvest time.
]]>For Assignment, Linda Pressly and Esperanza Escribano report from the olive groves of Spain at harvest time.
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
'Songs from Inside' is part of the BBC 100 Women series and is available to watch on the BBC World Service YouTube page. To find out more about the other inspiring and influential women on this year's list go to bbc.co.uk/100women. You can also follow BBC 100 Women on Facebook and Instagram.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
'Songs from Inside' is part of the BBC 100 Women series and is available to watch on the BBC World Service YouTube page. To find out more about the other inspiring and influential women on this year's list go to bbc.co.uk/100women. You can also follow BBC 100 Women on Facebook and Instagram.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>The documentary explores stories of resilience and renewal, including Erin Raymond, a mother navigating profound personal loss while seeking healing in the spiritual community. It also features Chaplain Ryan from Westcare, who supports addiction recovery through a unique blend of Christian and Eastern spiritual practices. Together, their experiences paint a vivid picture of how spirituality thrives in a place known for excess.
From meditation sessions to spiritual detoxing and the serene Brahma statue on the Strip, Spirituality in Sin City reveals a side of Vegas few would expect—a city where faith and transformation flourish in the most surprising ways.
Produced and Presented by Rajeev Gupta.
]]>The documentary explores stories of resilience and renewal, including Erin Raymond, a mother navigating profound personal loss while seeking healing in the spiritual community. It also features Chaplain Ryan from Westcare, who supports addiction recovery through a unique blend of Christian and Eastern spiritual practices. Together, their experiences paint a vivid picture of how spirituality thrives in a place known for excess.
From meditation sessions to spiritual detoxing and the serene Brahma statue on the Strip, Spirituality in Sin City reveals a side of Vegas few would expect—a city where faith and transformation flourish in the most surprising ways.
Produced and Presented by Rajeev Gupta.
]]>In West Africa, end of life celebrations are a far cry from those in the Western world. Each funeral can take weeks or months to plan and they are often more lavish – and expensive - than weddings. Funerals are an essential part of paying respect to the departed.
Hannah travels to the cultural capital of the country, Kumasi, to witness a Ghanaian funeral first hand. She delves into the significance of these ancient traditions: the dancing, the dress code, the burial and final funeral rites as well as the role played by the ‘talking drums’.
]]>In West Africa, end of life celebrations are a far cry from those in the Western world. Each funeral can take weeks or months to plan and they are often more lavish – and expensive - than weddings. Funerals are an essential part of paying respect to the departed.
Hannah travels to the cultural capital of the country, Kumasi, to witness a Ghanaian funeral first hand. She delves into the significance of these ancient traditions: the dancing, the dress code, the burial and final funeral rites as well as the role played by the ‘talking drums’.
]]>Julien Alfred made history in 2024 when she won the women’s 100 metres gold medal in Paris becoming Saint Lucia’s first ever Olympic medallist. The sprinter sits down with Sportsworld’s Lee James to look back on her historic year, as we find out what it took to become an Olympic champion and the strategy she used to win the race.
We also discover the impact of her victory on the Caribbean island and the hero's welcome she received when she returned home with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports in Saint Lucia, Dr. Uralise Delaire and find out how Alfred’s athletics career started with her first coach Cuthbert Modeste.
Sportsworld brings you the latest live action and big name interviews from the world of sport every Saturday and Sunday and for more go to bbcworldservice.com/sportsworld or just search sportsworld wherever you got this podcast.
]]>Julien Alfred made history in 2024 when she won the women’s 100 metres gold medal in Paris becoming Saint Lucia’s first ever Olympic medallist. The sprinter sits down with Sportsworld’s Lee James to look back on her historic year, as we find out what it took to become an Olympic champion and the strategy she used to win the race.
We also discover the impact of her victory on the Caribbean island and the hero's welcome she received when she returned home with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports in Saint Lucia, Dr. Uralise Delaire and find out how Alfred’s athletics career started with her first coach Cuthbert Modeste.
Sportsworld brings you the latest live action and big name interviews from the world of sport every Saturday and Sunday and for more go to bbcworldservice.com/sportsworld or just search sportsworld wherever you got this podcast.
]]>Five years ago, COVID-19 was spreading around the world, causing millions of deaths. How did the pandemic change our lives, and what lessons have we learnt from it? With Martin Yip from BBC Chinese and Dorcas Wangira, BBC Africa’s Health Correspondent.
Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia, Hannah Dean and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Five years ago, COVID-19 was spreading around the world, causing millions of deaths. How did the pandemic change our lives, and what lessons have we learnt from it? With Martin Yip from BBC Chinese and Dorcas Wangira, BBC Africa’s Health Correspondent.
Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia, Hannah Dean and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Eighty years ago Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi extermination camp. Over 1.1 million people, mainly Jews, were murdered there. However, there is an aspect of those terrible days which is less well known and which 80 years later is still being uncovered and still resonating: the death marches.
As Soviet troops approached, in January 1945, SS soldiers at Auschwitz-Birkenau forced some 60,000 prisoners to march west, in freezing temperatures. Weak with hunger and disease, those who fell behind were shot.
This is the story of how eight decades on the search for the truth behind one of those death marches is being uncovered. For years the history of a death march passing through the once proud German community of Schönwald was hidden.
It is also the story of how descendants of the original inhabitants of Schönwald are having to confront the role some of their relatives may have played in the Nazi project, and how today’s Polish inhabitants of the town, which is now called Bojków, are grappling with what happened on their streets. Amie Liebowitz’s own great-grandmother was murdered Auschwitz-Birkenau, while her great-aunt was rescued by the Soviet forces. She speaks to those on both sides – German and Polish – who are uncovering this history.
]]>Eighty years ago Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi extermination camp. Over 1.1 million people, mainly Jews, were murdered there. However, there is an aspect of those terrible days which is less well known and which 80 years later is still being uncovered and still resonating: the death marches.
As Soviet troops approached, in January 1945, SS soldiers at Auschwitz-Birkenau forced some 60,000 prisoners to march west, in freezing temperatures. Weak with hunger and disease, those who fell behind were shot.
This is the story of how eight decades on the search for the truth behind one of those death marches is being uncovered. For years the history of a death march passing through the once proud German community of Schönwald was hidden.
It is also the story of how descendants of the original inhabitants of Schönwald are having to confront the role some of their relatives may have played in the Nazi project, and how today’s Polish inhabitants of the town, which is now called Bojków, are grappling with what happened on their streets. Amie Liebowitz’s own great-grandmother was murdered Auschwitz-Birkenau, while her great-aunt was rescued by the Soviet forces. She speaks to those on both sides – German and Polish – who are uncovering this history.
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Many do not make it. In recent years, the EU has done deals with several North African nations to clamp down on irregular migration. Though human rights groups say the treatment of migrants can be brutal - allegations the authorities deny. But each year thousands of African migrants say they have no choice but to return home.
It can be a struggle to return. Some are traumatised by their experience and face stigma for having failed to reach Europe. Others are already planning to try again.
For Assignment, Alex Last travels to The Gambia to find out what happens to migrants who've risked everything to get to Europe, but end up back home.
]]>Many do not make it. In recent years, the EU has done deals with several North African nations to clamp down on irregular migration. Though human rights groups say the treatment of migrants can be brutal - allegations the authorities deny. But each year thousands of African migrants say they have no choice but to return home.
It can be a struggle to return. Some are traumatised by their experience and face stigma for having failed to reach Europe. Others are already planning to try again.
For Assignment, Alex Last travels to The Gambia to find out what happens to migrants who've risked everything to get to Europe, but end up back home.
]]>Yuna's documentary is part of the BBC 100 Women series. To find out more about the other inspiring and influential women on this year's list go to bbc.co.uk/100women. You can also follow BBC 100 Women on Facebook and Instagram.
Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Yuna's documentary is part of the BBC 100 Women series. To find out more about the other inspiring and influential women on this year's list go to bbc.co.uk/100women. You can also follow BBC 100 Women on Facebook and Instagram.
Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Despite this, shocking new videos of alleged attacks continue to appear on social media, with little or no acknowledgement from a world that is now questioning their legitimacy. In the first episode of a two-part series for BBC World Service’s Heart & Soul, reporter Sahar Zand travels to Bangladesh to investigate the truth behind the contradictory news headlines and the contrasting videos emerging daily online. There, Sahar follows two Hindu university students, Sukanto and Banamali, who have made it their mission to verify and document what they describe as brutal assaults on their community, determined to set the record straight.
Sahar follows Sukanto and Banamali as they travel to some of the worst-affected areas, and sees and hears firsthand accounts of homes burned, families separated, temples desecrated, and entire villages torn apart by mob violence. Despite their tireless efforts to report the truth, the two friends say that the Hindu experience in Bangladesh has been met with silence from both the world's media and the country's authorities.
Producer: Sahar Zand Executive producer: Rajeev Gupta
]]>Despite this, shocking new videos of alleged attacks continue to appear on social media, with little or no acknowledgement from a world that is now questioning their legitimacy. In the first episode of a two-part series for BBC World Service’s Heart & Soul, reporter Sahar Zand travels to Bangladesh to investigate the truth behind the contradictory news headlines and the contrasting videos emerging daily online. There, Sahar follows two Hindu university students, Sukanto and Banamali, who have made it their mission to verify and document what they describe as brutal assaults on their community, determined to set the record straight.
Sahar follows Sukanto and Banamali as they travel to some of the worst-affected areas, and sees and hears firsthand accounts of homes burned, families separated, temples desecrated, and entire villages torn apart by mob violence. Despite their tireless efforts to report the truth, the two friends say that the Hindu experience in Bangladesh has been met with silence from both the world's media and the country's authorities.
Producer: Sahar Zand Executive producer: Rajeev Gupta
]]>This episode was made by Chris Flynn with Joe McFadden. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
]]>This episode was made by Chris Flynn with Joe McFadden. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
]]>For more in-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities, go to bbcworldservice.com/HARDTalk or search for HARDTalk wherever you got this podcast.
]]>For more in-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities, go to bbcworldservice.com/HARDTalk or search for HARDTalk wherever you got this podcast.
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>She speaks to friends who still live on the street, business owners who have experienced the changes, about whether the character of the city has been forever altered.
But Kamin’s story, like many she knows in Florence, is complicated. The book she wrote about the city’s lifestyle encouraged many of her readers to travel there and experience it for themselves. Many others – from bar owners to cookery writers – similarly depend on tourism. She asks all of them what the city can do to retain the character that residents – and tourists – love.
]]>She speaks to friends who still live on the street, business owners who have experienced the changes, about whether the character of the city has been forever altered.
But Kamin’s story, like many she knows in Florence, is complicated. The book she wrote about the city’s lifestyle encouraged many of her readers to travel there and experience it for themselves. Many others – from bar owners to cookery writers – similarly depend on tourism. She asks all of them what the city can do to retain the character that residents – and tourists – love.
]]>HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur looks back on some of the most powerful moments from 2024 in his end of year review.
For more in-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities, go to bbcworldservice.com/HARDTalk or search for HARDTalk wherever you got this podcast.
]]>HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur looks back on some of the most powerful moments from 2024 in his end of year review.
For more in-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities, go to bbcworldservice.com/HARDTalk or search for HARDTalk wherever you got this podcast.
]]>That followed heavy diplomatic pressure by Poland, about to take over the presidency of the European Union. It threatened to block moves towards Ukrainian integration with the EU unless the ban were lifted.
But Poland’s demand has stirred a controversy inside Ukraine about one of the darkest periods of its history. Ukrainian nationalists who were involved in the massacre - and their leader Stepan Bandera - are regarded by many Ukrainians as heroes.
Reporter Tim Whewell travels through Poland and western Ukraine to try to find out what really happened in 1943, and ask whether Poland and Ukraine can ever lay a fiercely-contested history to rest. And can the record of Ukraine's Second World War nationalists be openly discussed without giving a propaganda victory to Russia, which has tried to use the subject to vilify Ukraine?
]]>That followed heavy diplomatic pressure by Poland, about to take over the presidency of the European Union. It threatened to block moves towards Ukrainian integration with the EU unless the ban were lifted.
But Poland’s demand has stirred a controversy inside Ukraine about one of the darkest periods of its history. Ukrainian nationalists who were involved in the massacre - and their leader Stepan Bandera - are regarded by many Ukrainians as heroes.
Reporter Tim Whewell travels through Poland and western Ukraine to try to find out what really happened in 1943, and ask whether Poland and Ukraine can ever lay a fiercely-contested history to rest. And can the record of Ukraine's Second World War nationalists be openly discussed without giving a propaganda victory to Russia, which has tried to use the subject to vilify Ukraine?
]]>Produced by Hannah Dean and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Hannah Dean and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Six days later, on another beach 50 miles away, a second foot was found. But, strangely, it does not match the first - they are from different people.
The BBC’s Celia Hatton travels to Vancouver to hear how more than 20 feet have been found in the area since then, and to speak to the investigators and scientists who have worked to unravel the mystery of why they started appearing.
]]>Six days later, on another beach 50 miles away, a second foot was found. But, strangely, it does not match the first - they are from different people.
The BBC’s Celia Hatton travels to Vancouver to hear how more than 20 feet have been found in the area since then, and to speak to the investigators and scientists who have worked to unravel the mystery of why they started appearing.
]]>How have his actions changed life for ordinary Argentines? Buenos Aires based reporter, Charlotte Pritchard, talks to Argentines about how they're feeling now. From the gauchos at the annual event to show off their herds of horses, to those taking advantage of a scheme to 'whiten' black-market money they have hidden under their mattress - is there hope or despair?
]]>How have his actions changed life for ordinary Argentines? Buenos Aires based reporter, Charlotte Pritchard, talks to Argentines about how they're feeling now. From the gauchos at the annual event to show off their herds of horses, to those taking advantage of a scheme to 'whiten' black-market money they have hidden under their mattress - is there hope or despair?
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>We are celebrating 10 years of The Food Chain with some of our favourite programme moments from the past decade.
Fishing to stay alive, chopping onions in remembrance, and tasting people’s names – these stories and more tell us something about our relationship with food and how it helps us connect with one another.
If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]
Presenter: Ruth Alexander
The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate. For more go to bbcworldservice.com/thefoodchain or search for The Food Chain wherever you got this podcast.
]]>We are celebrating 10 years of The Food Chain with some of our favourite programme moments from the past decade.
Fishing to stay alive, chopping onions in remembrance, and tasting people’s names – these stories and more tell us something about our relationship with food and how it helps us connect with one another.
If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]
Presenter: Ruth Alexander
The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate. For more go to bbcworldservice.com/thefoodchain or search for The Food Chain wherever you got this podcast.
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Previously, approximately 17 percent of accredited journalists working in Afghanistan were women - so where have they all gone, and what are they doing now? The BBC’s Sana Safi investigates.
]]>Previously, approximately 17 percent of accredited journalists working in Afghanistan were women - so where have they all gone, and what are they doing now? The BBC’s Sana Safi investigates.
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori, Anne Dixey Presenter: Krassi Twigg
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori, Anne Dixey Presenter: Krassi Twigg
]]>Produced by Hannah Dean and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Hannah Dean and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Jonny Dymond brings together a carefully assembled panel of experts, academics and journalists to talk about the conflict in the region. They assess what has happened in history to lead us to this point. And, look at what history can teach us about what might happen next.
]]>Jonny Dymond brings together a carefully assembled panel of experts, academics and journalists to talk about the conflict in the region. They assess what has happened in history to lead us to this point. And, look at what history can teach us about what might happen next.
]]>But there's more than one way to be heard.
Our Whole Life is a Secret records the day to day life of 'Leila', a lively, energetic Afghan woman aged 23, doing everything she can to navigate the rules. From behind the walls of her home, Leila reveals her vivid interior world, and that of her female friends and relatives. She and her sisters are the first women in their family to read and write, and before the Taliban returned to power in 2021, she was a university student. Now she teaches in a secret school and is part of a dynamic online learning community. From reading Emily Bronte to working out to Zumba, Leila is determined to keep stay sane and busy.
'Leila' is not her real name and all locations are omitted for safety reasons. Her words are read by Asal Latifi.
]]>But there's more than one way to be heard.
Our Whole Life is a Secret records the day to day life of 'Leila', a lively, energetic Afghan woman aged 23, doing everything she can to navigate the rules. From behind the walls of her home, Leila reveals her vivid interior world, and that of her female friends and relatives. She and her sisters are the first women in their family to read and write, and before the Taliban returned to power in 2021, she was a university student. Now she teaches in a secret school and is part of a dynamic online learning community. From reading Emily Bronte to working out to Zumba, Leila is determined to keep stay sane and busy.
'Leila' is not her real name and all locations are omitted for safety reasons. Her words are read by Asal Latifi.
]]>(Photo: Composite image of Ghislaine Boddington. Credit: Ghislaine Boddington)
]]>(Photo: Composite image of Ghislaine Boddington. Credit: Ghislaine Boddington)
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Malaysia has become a global hub for plastic waste imports and recycling. But how clean and safe is the recycling trade and how much plastic can actually be recycled?
For Assignment, Leana Hosea travels to Malaysia to meet those who are risking their lives to stem the tide of foreign plastic waste. She tracks unfolding research into microplastics and people’s health, and gains access inside recycling factories to reveal the dirty truth behind the trade.
]]>Malaysia has become a global hub for plastic waste imports and recycling. But how clean and safe is the recycling trade and how much plastic can actually be recycled?
For Assignment, Leana Hosea travels to Malaysia to meet those who are risking their lives to stem the tide of foreign plastic waste. She tracks unfolding research into microplastics and people’s health, and gains access inside recycling factories to reveal the dirty truth behind the trade.
]]>Ten years ago, the current Champions League winners Barcelona and the Women’s Super League in England still weren’t professional, the Women’s World Cup was about to kick off in Canada using artificial pitches, much to the dismay of players and coaches – something which has never been repeated!
To mark an historic 10th year of the award, past winners including Norway’s Ada Hegerberg, Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala and England’s Lucy Bronze reflect on winning the trophy. Along with previous nominees, they discuss key moments in the last decade and the challenges still ahead for the women’s game.
]]>Ten years ago, the current Champions League winners Barcelona and the Women’s Super League in England still weren’t professional, the Women’s World Cup was about to kick off in Canada using artificial pitches, much to the dismay of players and coaches – something which has never been repeated!
To mark an historic 10th year of the award, past winners including Norway’s Ada Hegerberg, Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala and England’s Lucy Bronze reflect on winning the trophy. Along with previous nominees, they discuss key moments in the last decade and the challenges still ahead for the women’s game.
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Jude Shapiro spends a week with the chaplains and those they encounter to see what happens when faith, flight and the stresses of Europe’s busiest airport combine.
With thanks to the Heathrow Multi-Faith Chaplaincy and Heathrow Airport.
Presenter/producer: Jude Shapiro Executive producer: Jack Howson Sound engineer: Arlie Adlington A Peanut and Crumb production for BBC World Service
]]>Jude Shapiro spends a week with the chaplains and those they encounter to see what happens when faith, flight and the stresses of Europe’s busiest airport combine.
With thanks to the Heathrow Multi-Faith Chaplaincy and Heathrow Airport.
Presenter/producer: Jude Shapiro Executive producer: Jack Howson Sound engineer: Arlie Adlington A Peanut and Crumb production for BBC World Service
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>2024 has been called a record breaking year for elections, with billions of people eligible to take part in all types of votes. But how can we make sure people can vote safely and securely?
We visit Australia's Northern Territory to see how voting takes place in incredibly remote communities. We also find out how a group of eminent women in Uganda is combating violence and intimidation during elections. And we hear how Estonia operates one of the most high-tech elections in the world.
People Fixing the World looks at common challenges around the world and the creative ways people are trying to tackle them. Discover more of the people and projects trying to make the world a better place at bbcworldservice.com/peoplefixingtheworld or, just search for People Fixing the World wherever you got this podcast.
Presenter: Myra Anubi Producers: Katie Solleveld, Richard Kenny Australia reporter: Laetitia Lemke Sound mix: Hal Haines Editor: Jon Bithrey
]]>2024 has been called a record breaking year for elections, with billions of people eligible to take part in all types of votes. But how can we make sure people can vote safely and securely?
We visit Australia's Northern Territory to see how voting takes place in incredibly remote communities. We also find out how a group of eminent women in Uganda is combating violence and intimidation during elections. And we hear how Estonia operates one of the most high-tech elections in the world.
People Fixing the World looks at common challenges around the world and the creative ways people are trying to tackle them. Discover more of the people and projects trying to make the world a better place at bbcworldservice.com/peoplefixingtheworld or, just search for People Fixing the World wherever you got this podcast.
Presenter: Myra Anubi Producers: Katie Solleveld, Richard Kenny Australia reporter: Laetitia Lemke Sound mix: Hal Haines Editor: Jon Bithrey
]]>'Silk Roads' is at the British Museum in London until February 2025.
Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>'Silk Roads' is at the British Museum in London until February 2025.
Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>When the former US president called into question Kamala Harris's racial identity, it sparked an angry backlash. The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, responded by saying 'no-one has any right to tell someone who they are [or] how they identify.'
Mr Trump's words hit a nerve in the American psyche, tapping into a centuries-old debate about ethnicity and authenticity, power and privilege.
But in an age where it is said that race is a social construct, how fluid is racial identity?
For Assignment, Ellie House travels around the US, meeting people fighting to claim their racial identity - as well those looking to police it. From an organisation that seeks to expose fake Native Americans in North Carolina, to the Ohio town where people with red hair and green eyes still identify as black, due to the racist history of their town's authorities.
‘Please note, this episode contains some outdated racial language that could cause offence.’
]]>When the former US president called into question Kamala Harris's racial identity, it sparked an angry backlash. The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, responded by saying 'no-one has any right to tell someone who they are [or] how they identify.'
Mr Trump's words hit a nerve in the American psyche, tapping into a centuries-old debate about ethnicity and authenticity, power and privilege.
But in an age where it is said that race is a social construct, how fluid is racial identity?
For Assignment, Ellie House travels around the US, meeting people fighting to claim their racial identity - as well those looking to police it. From an organisation that seeks to expose fake Native Americans in North Carolina, to the Ohio town where people with red hair and green eyes still identify as black, due to the racist history of their town's authorities.
‘Please note, this episode contains some outdated racial language that could cause offence.’
]]>BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt travels to Somalia to investigate the links between global warming and the decades-long conflict there. He hears how Somalis are responding by launching businesses and their own renewables industry.
For more episodes on the issues facing our planet and how we might combat them, just search for The Climate Question wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Presenter: Justin Rowlatt Producer in Somalia: Stuart Phillips Producers in London: Miho Tanaka, Sara Hegarty Sound Mix: Tom Brignell and David Crackles Editor: Simon Watts
]]>BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt travels to Somalia to investigate the links between global warming and the decades-long conflict there. He hears how Somalis are responding by launching businesses and their own renewables industry.
For more episodes on the issues facing our planet and how we might combat them, just search for The Climate Question wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Presenter: Justin Rowlatt Producer in Somalia: Stuart Phillips Producers in London: Miho Tanaka, Sara Hegarty Sound Mix: Tom Brignell and David Crackles Editor: Simon Watts
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Hannah Dean and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Hannah Dean and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>The death of One Direction star Liam Payne has shocked the world, and there’s been a huge outpouring of grief. Many details about the British singer's death still remain unclear, but information from emergency services and other authorities has started to build a picture of the events. We know that he was in Buenos Aires, in Argentina, and died after falling from a hotel balcony.
Liam rose to fame after competing in the singing competition the X Factor. It was here that he first met fellow One Direction members Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik. Entertainment reporter Bonnie McLaren reminds us of his journey to fame, and his solo projects.
We also hear why he meant so much to fans globally, including 22-year-old Bintelmran in Pakistan. Plus Joshua Miles, a psychotherapist based in London, talks us through why we grieve celebs, even if we don’t know them directly.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this episode please contact support organisations in your own country. Or, if you live in the UK, please check out bbc.co.uk/actionline.
What in the World helps you make sense of what's happening in your world. Big stories, small stories and everything in between. Understand more, feel better. Five days a week, Monday to Friday. For more episodes, just search What in the World wherever you got this podcast.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Mora Morrison and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde
]]>The death of One Direction star Liam Payne has shocked the world, and there’s been a huge outpouring of grief. Many details about the British singer's death still remain unclear, but information from emergency services and other authorities has started to build a picture of the events. We know that he was in Buenos Aires, in Argentina, and died after falling from a hotel balcony.
Liam rose to fame after competing in the singing competition the X Factor. It was here that he first met fellow One Direction members Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik. Entertainment reporter Bonnie McLaren reminds us of his journey to fame, and his solo projects.
We also hear why he meant so much to fans globally, including 22-year-old Bintelmran in Pakistan. Plus Joshua Miles, a psychotherapist based in London, talks us through why we grieve celebs, even if we don’t know them directly.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this episode please contact support organisations in your own country. Or, if you live in the UK, please check out bbc.co.uk/actionline.
What in the World helps you make sense of what's happening in your world. Big stories, small stories and everything in between. Understand more, feel better. Five days a week, Monday to Friday. For more episodes, just search What in the World wherever you got this podcast.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: [email protected] Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Mora Morrison and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Joining Mishal are Jeremy Bowen, the BBC's international editor; Lord Ricketts, who served as a British diplomat for many years, including being on the Foreign Office Middle East desk during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982; Afif Safieh, former Palestinian head of mission in London, Washington, D.C. and Moscow; Ehud Olmert, who was Israeli prime minister from 2006 to 2009; Ambassador David Satterfield, who until earlier this year was US special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues; and Dr Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House.
Producers: Sinead Heekin and Louisa Lewis Editor: Owenna Griffiths Studio direction: Ben Andrews
]]>Joining Mishal are Jeremy Bowen, the BBC's international editor; Lord Ricketts, who served as a British diplomat for many years, including being on the Foreign Office Middle East desk during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982; Afif Safieh, former Palestinian head of mission in London, Washington, D.C. and Moscow; Ehud Olmert, who was Israeli prime minister from 2006 to 2009; Ambassador David Satterfield, who until earlier this year was US special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues; and Dr Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House.
Producers: Sinead Heekin and Louisa Lewis Editor: Owenna Griffiths Studio direction: Ben Andrews
]]>Concerns are growing about the effects of smartphones on both adults and children, so we're looking at ways to reduce our dependence on these ubiquitous devices.
Presenter Myra Anubi attempts to ditch her smartphone for a week, while she finds out about a fast-growing campaign in which local parents get together to agree to delay buying them for their children. But Myra and her own daughter don't quite see eye-to-eye on the topic.
Plus Anna Holligan visits an innovative project called The Offline Club in Amsterdam, where people hand in their phones in exchange for a dose of good old real-life interaction.
People Fixing the World is a weekly programme looking at common challenges around the world and the creative ways people are trying to tackle them. Discover more of the people and projects trying to make the world a better place at bbcworldservice.com/peoplefixingtheworld or, just search for People Fixing the World wherever you got this podcast.
Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer: William Kremer Netherlands reporter: Anna Holligan Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Hal Haines
]]>Concerns are growing about the effects of smartphones on both adults and children, so we're looking at ways to reduce our dependence on these ubiquitous devices.
Presenter Myra Anubi attempts to ditch her smartphone for a week, while she finds out about a fast-growing campaign in which local parents get together to agree to delay buying them for their children. But Myra and her own daughter don't quite see eye-to-eye on the topic.
Plus Anna Holligan visits an innovative project called The Offline Club in Amsterdam, where people hand in their phones in exchange for a dose of good old real-life interaction.
People Fixing the World is a weekly programme looking at common challenges around the world and the creative ways people are trying to tackle them. Discover more of the people and projects trying to make the world a better place at bbcworldservice.com/peoplefixingtheworld or, just search for People Fixing the World wherever you got this podcast.
Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer: William Kremer Netherlands reporter: Anna Holligan Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound mix: Hal Haines
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Producers: Eric Mugaju and Harry Graham
]]>Producers: Eric Mugaju and Harry Graham
]]>But hundreds of thousands of Panamanians don’t have access to piped water. With a growing population and a drought, last year the Canal Authority reduced the number of ships passing through by a third, losing it and the country hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.
The Authority says this was done to protect drinking water for the 2.5 million people who rely on the same water supply the Canal uses to work its massive locks. With uncertainty over the impact of climate change, Panamanians are asking whether there’ll be enough fresh water to satisfy the enormous demand from the canal’s locks with the basic need to have regular access to clean water.
Jane Chambers travels to Panama to meet the people involved in the struggles for access to water.
]]>But hundreds of thousands of Panamanians don’t have access to piped water. With a growing population and a drought, last year the Canal Authority reduced the number of ships passing through by a third, losing it and the country hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.
The Authority says this was done to protect drinking water for the 2.5 million people who rely on the same water supply the Canal uses to work its massive locks. With uncertainty over the impact of climate change, Panamanians are asking whether there’ll be enough fresh water to satisfy the enormous demand from the canal’s locks with the basic need to have regular access to clean water.
Jane Chambers travels to Panama to meet the people involved in the struggles for access to water.
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Just over three years ago the Taliban seized Kabul and stormed to power in Afghanistan. They soon declared a new government which is still not recognised by any other country. The Taliban claim they have made improvements to the country. War is over and, they say, there is more peace and security than before they came to power. But millions of people are struggling to survive in the country, there is a restrictive rule of law that is imposed by a very hierarchical government structure and half the population need aid.
This week on The Inquiry we’re asking ‘How are the Taliban governing Afghanistan?’
The Inquiry gets beyond the headlines to explore the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world. For more episodes just search for The Inquiry wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Presenter: Emily Wither Producers: Louise Clarke and Matt Toulson Editor: Tara McDermott T echnical Producers: Nicky Edwards and Cameron Ward Contributors: Dr Weeda Mehran, co-director for Advanced Internationalist studies at Exeter University Graeme Smith, senior analyst for the International Crisis Group Dr Orzala Nemet, research associate at ODI Overseas Development Institute Javid Ahmad, non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC
]]>Just over three years ago the Taliban seized Kabul and stormed to power in Afghanistan. They soon declared a new government which is still not recognised by any other country. The Taliban claim they have made improvements to the country. War is over and, they say, there is more peace and security than before they came to power. But millions of people are struggling to survive in the country, there is a restrictive rule of law that is imposed by a very hierarchical government structure and half the population need aid.
This week on The Inquiry we’re asking ‘How are the Taliban governing Afghanistan?’
The Inquiry gets beyond the headlines to explore the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world. For more episodes just search for The Inquiry wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Presenter: Emily Wither Producers: Louise Clarke and Matt Toulson Editor: Tara McDermott T echnical Producers: Nicky Edwards and Cameron Ward Contributors: Dr Weeda Mehran, co-director for Advanced Internationalist studies at Exeter University Graeme Smith, senior analyst for the International Crisis Group Dr Orzala Nemet, research associate at ODI Overseas Development Institute Javid Ahmad, non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Bonaventure and a friend developed a French to Fon translation app, with speech recognition functionality, using an old missionary bible and volunteer questionnaires as the source data. Although rudimentary, they put the code online as open-source to be used by others. Bonaventure has since joined with other young African computer scientists and language activists called Masakane to use this code and share knowledge to increase digital accessibility for African and other lower-resourced languages. They want to be able to communicate across the African continent using translation software, with the ultimate goal being an "African Babel Fish", a simultaneous speech-to-speech translation for African languages.
James Jackson explores what role their ground-breaking software could play for societies in Africa disrupted by language barriers.
A Whistledown production for BBC World Service
Photo: A woman using a mobile phone Credit: Getty Images
]]>Bonaventure and a friend developed a French to Fon translation app, with speech recognition functionality, using an old missionary bible and volunteer questionnaires as the source data. Although rudimentary, they put the code online as open-source to be used by others. Bonaventure has since joined with other young African computer scientists and language activists called Masakane to use this code and share knowledge to increase digital accessibility for African and other lower-resourced languages. They want to be able to communicate across the African continent using translation software, with the ultimate goal being an "African Babel Fish", a simultaneous speech-to-speech translation for African languages.
James Jackson explores what role their ground-breaking software could play for societies in Africa disrupted by language barriers.
A Whistledown production for BBC World Service
Photo: A woman using a mobile phone Credit: Getty Images
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Presenter: Amber Haque Producer: Rajeev Gupta Editor: Miriam Williamson Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
]]>Presenter: Amber Haque Producer: Rajeev Gupta Editor: Miriam Williamson Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
]]>In the 1960s Falco Peregrinus was close to extinction, but it has since made a remarkable comeback, hailed as a global success story of conservation.
Recent decades have also seen the trend of this speedy raptor notably settling, nesting and flourishing alongside us, in man-made environments around the globe.
Broadcaster, naturalist and writer David Lindo, a.k.a. ‘The Urban Birder’ travels from a hospital in London to a museum in Madrid and a power station in Kentucky, to explore how an iconic, apex predator is bouncing back from the brink, thriving in cities and towns across the world.
Along the way David highlights their incredible hunting ability and how both our responsibility for the decline of the Peregrine and our pervading fondness for it, have helped to contribute to its astounding recovery.
Image: Getty images
]]>In the 1960s Falco Peregrinus was close to extinction, but it has since made a remarkable comeback, hailed as a global success story of conservation.
Recent decades have also seen the trend of this speedy raptor notably settling, nesting and flourishing alongside us, in man-made environments around the globe.
Broadcaster, naturalist and writer David Lindo, a.k.a. ‘The Urban Birder’ travels from a hospital in London to a museum in Madrid and a power station in Kentucky, to explore how an iconic, apex predator is bouncing back from the brink, thriving in cities and towns across the world.
Along the way David highlights their incredible hunting ability and how both our responsibility for the decline of the Peregrine and our pervading fondness for it, have helped to contribute to its astounding recovery.
Image: Getty images
]]>A warning, this program includes upsetting content.
The Midwife’s Confession was produced by Anubha Bhonsle, Purnima Mehta, Debangshu Roy, Neha Tara Mehta, Annabel Deas, Rob Wilson and Ahmen Khawaja. The editors were Daniel Adamson and Rebecca Henschke. It was mixed by Neva Missirian. Image credit: BBC Eye
]]>A warning, this program includes upsetting content.
The Midwife’s Confession was produced by Anubha Bhonsle, Purnima Mehta, Debangshu Roy, Neha Tara Mehta, Annabel Deas, Rob Wilson and Ahmen Khawaja. The editors were Daniel Adamson and Rebecca Henschke. It was mixed by Neva Missirian. Image credit: BBC Eye
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>When listener Watum heard about the Titan submersible implosion in the news in 2023, a question popped up in his mind: if a machine that we specifically built for this purpose cannot sustain the water pressure of the deep ocean, how do fish survive down there?
In this episode, we travel with marine biologist Alan Jamieson to the second deepest place in our oceans: the Tonga trench. Meanwhile, presenter Caroline Steel speaks to Edie Widder about the creatures that illuminate our oceans, and travels to Copenhagen to take a closer look one of the strangest deep sea creatures and its deep sea adaptations.
But even fish have their limits! Scientist Paul Yancey correctly predicted the deepest point that fish can live, and it all comes down to one particular molecule.
So is there anything living beyond these depths? Well, there is only one way to find out…
CrowdScience takes your questions about life, Earth and the universe to researchers hunting for answers at the frontier of knowledge. For more episodes just search for CrowdScience wherever you got this podcast.
Contributors: Prof Alan Jamieson, University of Western Australia Luke Siebermaier, Submersible Team Leader, Inkfish Dr Edie Widder, Ocean Research & Conservation Association Peter Rask Møller, Natural History Museum of Denmark Prof Paul Yancey, Whitman College
Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Florian Bohr Editor: Martin Smith & Cathy Edwards Production Co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano Studio Manager: Steve Greenwood
(Image: Deep-sea fish - stock photo, Credit: superjoseph via Getty Images)
]]>When listener Watum heard about the Titan submersible implosion in the news in 2023, a question popped up in his mind: if a machine that we specifically built for this purpose cannot sustain the water pressure of the deep ocean, how do fish survive down there?
In this episode, we travel with marine biologist Alan Jamieson to the second deepest place in our oceans: the Tonga trench. Meanwhile, presenter Caroline Steel speaks to Edie Widder about the creatures that illuminate our oceans, and travels to Copenhagen to take a closer look one of the strangest deep sea creatures and its deep sea adaptations.
But even fish have their limits! Scientist Paul Yancey correctly predicted the deepest point that fish can live, and it all comes down to one particular molecule.
So is there anything living beyond these depths? Well, there is only one way to find out…
CrowdScience takes your questions about life, Earth and the universe to researchers hunting for answers at the frontier of knowledge. For more episodes just search for CrowdScience wherever you got this podcast.
Contributors: Prof Alan Jamieson, University of Western Australia Luke Siebermaier, Submersible Team Leader, Inkfish Dr Edie Widder, Ocean Research & Conservation Association Peter Rask Møller, Natural History Museum of Denmark Prof Paul Yancey, Whitman College
Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Florian Bohr Editor: Martin Smith & Cathy Edwards Production Co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano Studio Manager: Steve Greenwood
(Image: Deep-sea fish - stock photo, Credit: superjoseph via Getty Images)
]]>Maria Margaronis speaks to Varosha's former inhabitants - mostly Greek Cypriots - who fled in 1974 when Turkish troops invaded the island and have been unable to return ever since, after Turkey fenced off the town as a bargaining chip for future peace negotiations.
Some of these Varoshians want to rebuild the resort together with the island's Turkish Cypriots - a potential model for diffusing hostilities across the whole island - and the UN says its original inhabitants must be allowed to return. But, following decades of failed peace talks, the internationally unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which controls Varosha, now says it intends to re-open and redevelop the entire town.
]]>Maria Margaronis speaks to Varosha's former inhabitants - mostly Greek Cypriots - who fled in 1974 when Turkish troops invaded the island and have been unable to return ever since, after Turkey fenced off the town as a bargaining chip for future peace negotiations.
Some of these Varoshians want to rebuild the resort together with the island's Turkish Cypriots - a potential model for diffusing hostilities across the whole island - and the UN says its original inhabitants must be allowed to return. But, following decades of failed peace talks, the internationally unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which controls Varosha, now says it intends to re-open and redevelop the entire town.
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Since Israel launched its war in Gaza in the wake of the Hamas attacks of October 7th, it has intensified its military activities along the border between Israel and Lebanon.
The persistent question has been what is it trying to achieve? Are the attacks intended as a show of support for the Palestinians in Gaza or an attempt to take advantage of Israel’s diverted military focus? And could this dangerous front lead to an all-out war in the Middle East?
This week on the Inquiry we are asking: What does Hezbollah want?
For more, search "The Inquiry" whevever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Contributors: Aurélie Daher, Associate Professor in political science at the University Paris-Dauphine Lina Khatib, Associate Fellow with the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House Dr Bashir Saade, Lecturer of Politics and Religion at the University of Stirling in Scotland Mehran Kamrava, Professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar
Presenter: Tanya Beckett
]]>Since Israel launched its war in Gaza in the wake of the Hamas attacks of October 7th, it has intensified its military activities along the border between Israel and Lebanon.
The persistent question has been what is it trying to achieve? Are the attacks intended as a show of support for the Palestinians in Gaza or an attempt to take advantage of Israel’s diverted military focus? And could this dangerous front lead to an all-out war in the Middle East?
This week on the Inquiry we are asking: What does Hezbollah want?
For more, search "The Inquiry" whevever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Contributors: Aurélie Daher, Associate Professor in political science at the University Paris-Dauphine Lina Khatib, Associate Fellow with the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House Dr Bashir Saade, Lecturer of Politics and Religion at the University of Stirling in Scotland Mehran Kamrava, Professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar
Presenter: Tanya Beckett
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Geeta Pendse meets them both and finds out how to deliver sex education that is both useful and appropriate for their students.
Presenter: Geeta Pendse Producer: Linda Walker Series producer: Rajeev Gupta Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
]]>Geeta Pendse meets them both and finds out how to deliver sex education that is both useful and appropriate for their students.
Presenter: Geeta Pendse Producer: Linda Walker Series producer: Rajeev Gupta Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Hannah Dean and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Hannah Dean and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Twigg
The Global Jigsaw looks at the world through the lens of its media. Think of us as your media detectives, helping you get past the propaganda and misinformation. The Global Jigsaw comes from BBC Monitoring, which tracks, deciphers, and analyses news media in 100 languages. At BBC Monitoring, we don’t just speak the language, we understand the narrative. So we can help you untangle the context and single out rhetoric from reality, deception from truth. For more episodes just search The Global Jigsaw wherever you got this podcast.
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori, Elchin Suleymanov Presenter: Krassi Twigg
The Global Jigsaw looks at the world through the lens of its media. Think of us as your media detectives, helping you get past the propaganda and misinformation. The Global Jigsaw comes from BBC Monitoring, which tracks, deciphers, and analyses news media in 100 languages. At BBC Monitoring, we don’t just speak the language, we understand the narrative. So we can help you untangle the context and single out rhetoric from reality, deception from truth. For more episodes just search The Global Jigsaw wherever you got this podcast.
]]>Intelligent machines are remaking our world. The speed of their improvement is accelerating fast and every day there are more things they can do better than us. There are risks, but the opportunities for human society are enormous.
‘Machine Learning: AI’ is the technological revolution of our era. Three engineers at the forefront of that revolution come to London to join Caroline Steel and a public audience at the Great Hall of Imperial College:
Regina Barzilay from MIT created a major breakthrough in detecting early stage breast cancer. She also led the team that used machine learning to discover Halicin, the first new antibiotic in 30 years.
David Silver is Principal Scientist at Google DeepMind. He led the AlphaGo team that built the AI to defeat the world’s best human player of Go.
Paolo Pirjanian founded Embodied, and is a pioneer in developing emotionally intelligent robots to aid child development.
Producer: Charlie Taylor (Image: 3D hologram AI brain displayed by digital circuit and semiconductor. Credit: Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images)
]]>Intelligent machines are remaking our world. The speed of their improvement is accelerating fast and every day there are more things they can do better than us. There are risks, but the opportunities for human society are enormous.
‘Machine Learning: AI’ is the technological revolution of our era. Three engineers at the forefront of that revolution come to London to join Caroline Steel and a public audience at the Great Hall of Imperial College:
Regina Barzilay from MIT created a major breakthrough in detecting early stage breast cancer. She also led the team that used machine learning to discover Halicin, the first new antibiotic in 30 years.
David Silver is Principal Scientist at Google DeepMind. He led the AlphaGo team that built the AI to defeat the world’s best human player of Go.
Paolo Pirjanian founded Embodied, and is a pioneer in developing emotionally intelligent robots to aid child development.
Producer: Charlie Taylor (Image: 3D hologram AI brain displayed by digital circuit and semiconductor. Credit: Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images)
]]>For years, they worshipped at two Islamic centres in the town. Then, in November, the town’s far right mayor, Anna Maria Cisint, tried to effectively ban collective prayer there, along with stopping cricket - the Bangladeshi national sport - from being played within the town.
She says she is defending Christian values. Her critics say she is building walls rather than bridges. For Assignment, Sofia Bettiza travels to Italy to discover how the country is dealing with the increasing numbers of legal migrants coming to work in a country which needs their labour.
]]>For years, they worshipped at two Islamic centres in the town. Then, in November, the town’s far right mayor, Anna Maria Cisint, tried to effectively ban collective prayer there, along with stopping cricket - the Bangladeshi national sport - from being played within the town.
She says she is defending Christian values. Her critics say she is building walls rather than bridges. For Assignment, Sofia Bettiza travels to Italy to discover how the country is dealing with the increasing numbers of legal migrants coming to work in a country which needs their labour.
]]>This audio was updated on 13th August 2024.
]]>This audio was updated on 13th August 2024.
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
]]>Edna O’Brien was born in rural County Clare in 1930, and found her education by nuns suffocating. She moved to Dublin, and subsequently spent much of her life in London. The Country Girls tells the story of two girls from rural Ireland growing up in a convent school before moving to Dublin to begin their adult lives.
World Book Club is a series where the world's great authors discuss their best-known novel. For more episodes, search for World Book Club wherever you got this podcast.
]]>Edna O’Brien was born in rural County Clare in 1930, and found her education by nuns suffocating. She moved to Dublin, and subsequently spent much of her life in London. The Country Girls tells the story of two girls from rural Ireland growing up in a convent school before moving to Dublin to begin their adult lives.
World Book Club is a series where the world's great authors discuss their best-known novel. For more episodes, search for World Book Club wherever you got this podcast.
]]>The Global Story brings you one big story every weekday, making sense of the news with our experts around the world. Insights you can trust, from the BBC World Service. For more, go to bbcworldservice.com/globalstory or search for The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Divorce rates have been in decline across the West for decades. Experts put this down to a variety of factors, from fewer marriages to a widening dating pool, but cultural differences mean it is difficult to draw broad conclusions on the trends around splitting up. So how can we judge how attitudes to divorce have changed? On today's episode Lucy Hockings is joined by divorce mediator and former BBC presenter Joanna Gosling, as well as Marina Adshade, a professor at the University of British Columbia who focusses on the economics of sex and relationships. They interrogate some of the stats on divorce, and discuss how the process of dissolving marriage is portrayed in popular culture.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
Producer: Alice Aylett Roberts, Laurie Kalus and Emilia Jansson Sound engineer: Hannah Montgomery and Phil Bull Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas Editor is Richard Fenton-Smith
]]>The Global Story brings you one big story every weekday, making sense of the news with our experts around the world. Insights you can trust, from the BBC World Service. For more, go to bbcworldservice.com/globalstory or search for The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Divorce rates have been in decline across the West for decades. Experts put this down to a variety of factors, from fewer marriages to a widening dating pool, but cultural differences mean it is difficult to draw broad conclusions on the trends around splitting up. So how can we judge how attitudes to divorce have changed? On today's episode Lucy Hockings is joined by divorce mediator and former BBC presenter Joanna Gosling, as well as Marina Adshade, a professor at the University of British Columbia who focusses on the economics of sex and relationships. They interrogate some of the stats on divorce, and discuss how the process of dissolving marriage is portrayed in popular culture.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at [email protected] You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
Producer: Alice Aylett Roberts, Laurie Kalus and Emilia Jansson Sound engineer: Hannah Montgomery and Phil Bull Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas Editor is Richard Fenton-Smith
]]>This is a bonus episode from HARDtalk, a show that brings you in-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities. For more episodes search for HARDtalk wherever your get your BBC podcasts.
]]>This is a bonus episode from HARDtalk, a show that brings you in-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities. For more episodes search for HARDtalk wherever your get your BBC podcasts.
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>To hear more, search for World of Secrets, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. You can also listen here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xtvs0/episodes/downloads
Since this trailer was recorded, the “apartheid killer”, Louis van Schoor, has died. There will be more about this during the series.
World of Secrets is the home of major BBC global investigations and gripping storytelling, holding the powerful to account. Follow or subscribe to catch up on previous seasons and to hear what’s coming up in 2024.
]]>To hear more, search for World of Secrets, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. You can also listen here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xtvs0/episodes/downloads
Since this trailer was recorded, the “apartheid killer”, Louis van Schoor, has died. There will be more about this during the series.
World of Secrets is the home of major BBC global investigations and gripping storytelling, holding the powerful to account. Follow or subscribe to catch up on previous seasons and to hear what’s coming up in 2024.
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>This programme was edited on 19th July 2024.
]]>This programme was edited on 19th July 2024.
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson, Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Archive: ‘Witches’ Burnt in Kenya, NTD News
]]>Archive: ‘Witches’ Burnt in Kenya, NTD News
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>The Global Story brings you one big story every weekday, making sense of the news with our experts around the world. Insights you can trust, from the BBC World Service. For more, go to bbcworldservice.com/globalstory or search for The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
On Thursday, voters in the UK delivered a decisive political verdict. Keir Starmer became the new Prime Minister, as the Labour party won a landslide victory. The Conservatives, who have run Britain for 14 years, suffered the worst election defeat in their long history. So, who is Keir Starmer? And can his party deliver the change the people voted for?
Lucy Hockings speaks to Rob Watson - the BBC World Service's UK Political Correspondent. He explains how the Labour majority will command a huge majority in the House of Commons, but not necessarily the same level of support among the public.
This episode was made by Richard Moran, Alix Pickles, Peter Goffin and Eleanor Sly. The technical producers were Ricardo McCarthy. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
]]>The Global Story brings you one big story every weekday, making sense of the news with our experts around the world. Insights you can trust, from the BBC World Service. For more, go to bbcworldservice.com/globalstory or search for The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
On Thursday, voters in the UK delivered a decisive political verdict. Keir Starmer became the new Prime Minister, as the Labour party won a landslide victory. The Conservatives, who have run Britain for 14 years, suffered the worst election defeat in their long history. So, who is Keir Starmer? And can his party deliver the change the people voted for?
Lucy Hockings speaks to Rob Watson - the BBC World Service's UK Political Correspondent. He explains how the Labour majority will command a huge majority in the House of Commons, but not necessarily the same level of support among the public.
This episode was made by Richard Moran, Alix Pickles, Peter Goffin and Eleanor Sly. The technical producers were Ricardo McCarthy. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
]]>In the Netherlands, euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal if someone is suffering unbearably with no prospect of getting better. The suffering can be physical or psychological. Els was diagnosed with dementia. Jan lived with pain 24/7.
Last year, 33 Dutch couples chose to die like Els and Jan. And in February, one of the Netherlands’ former Prime Ministers ended his life by euthanasia together with his wife.
For Assignment, Linda Pressly meets Els and Jan as they prepare for the end. And she explores the complex issue of allowing euthanasia in cases of dementia. A warning: some listeners might find the content of this documentary upsetting.
]]>In the Netherlands, euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal if someone is suffering unbearably with no prospect of getting better. The suffering can be physical or psychological. Els was diagnosed with dementia. Jan lived with pain 24/7.
Last year, 33 Dutch couples chose to die like Els and Jan. And in February, one of the Netherlands’ former Prime Ministers ended his life by euthanasia together with his wife.
For Assignment, Linda Pressly meets Els and Jan as they prepare for the end. And she explores the complex issue of allowing euthanasia in cases of dementia. A warning: some listeners might find the content of this documentary upsetting.
]]>Last year, Nigeria’s immigration service issued a record number of passports - almost 2 million.
So when we were in Lagos we spoke to the BBC’s Faith Oshoko, who explained what drives young professionals to move abroad.
And we chatted to students - would they ever Japa? And would they come back?
To find out more of what is going on in the world search for "What in the World" wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
]]>Last year, Nigeria’s immigration service issued a record number of passports - almost 2 million.
So when we were in Lagos we spoke to the BBC’s Faith Oshoko, who explained what drives young professionals to move abroad.
And we chatted to students - would they ever Japa? And would they come back?
To find out more of what is going on in the world search for "What in the World" wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
]]>This programme contains discussion of suicide and suicide attempts. If you feel affected by this topic, you could speak to a health professional or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at: www.befrienders.org
Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>This programme contains discussion of suicide and suicide attempts. If you feel affected by this topic, you could speak to a health professional or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at: www.befrienders.org
Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Since last year, “decolonising Russia” has become a buzz-phrase in Ukraine and other former members of the soviet union, among many Western strategists and politicians, Russian studies experts – and Russia’s own liberal opposition and ethnic minorities.
And that’s triggered a vigorous debate about whether the term “decolonisation” is really relevant to Russia – and what it means. Is it about challenging the “imperial mindset” of its rulers – and perhaps of every ordinary Russian? Or perhaps it means dismembering the country itself?
In “Assignment: Decolonising Russia” Tim Whewell dissects a new and vital controversy with the help of historians, policy makers and activists in the former Soviet Union, the West and the Global South.
]]>Since last year, “decolonising Russia” has become a buzz-phrase in Ukraine and other former members of the soviet union, among many Western strategists and politicians, Russian studies experts – and Russia’s own liberal opposition and ethnic minorities.
And that’s triggered a vigorous debate about whether the term “decolonisation” is really relevant to Russia – and what it means. Is it about challenging the “imperial mindset” of its rulers – and perhaps of every ordinary Russian? Or perhaps it means dismembering the country itself?
In “Assignment: Decolonising Russia” Tim Whewell dissects a new and vital controversy with the help of historians, policy makers and activists in the former Soviet Union, the West and the Global South.
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Journalist Jigyasa Mishra meets the farmers, flower pickers and traditional perfumers of Kannauj to better understand the way of life attar sustains and to ask: can anything be done to reverse the trend?
Producers: Jigyasa Mishra and Artemis Irvine
A Whistledown Production for BBC World Service
]]>Journalist Jigyasa Mishra meets the farmers, flower pickers and traditional perfumers of Kannauj to better understand the way of life attar sustains and to ask: can anything be done to reverse the trend?
Producers: Jigyasa Mishra and Artemis Irvine
A Whistledown Production for BBC World Service
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>The Gambia banned FGM in 2015, but it could be about to reverse this. BBC journalist Esther Ogola, who’s based in Nairobi, explains why. We also hear how Kenya has more than halved its victims - and discuss the likelihood of the practice ending by 2030, which is the UN’s goal.
To find out more of what is going on in the world search for "What in the World" wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Note: This episode contains some graphic descriptions of FGM.
]]>The Gambia banned FGM in 2015, but it could be about to reverse this. BBC journalist Esther Ogola, who’s based in Nairobi, explains why. We also hear how Kenya has more than halved its victims - and discuss the likelihood of the practice ending by 2030, which is the UN’s goal.
To find out more of what is going on in the world search for "What in the World" wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Note: This episode contains some graphic descriptions of FGM.
]]>This content was created as a co-production between Nobel Prize Outreach and the BBC. Image of Maria Ressa: Getty Images
]]>This content was created as a co-production between Nobel Prize Outreach and the BBC. Image of Maria Ressa: Getty Images
]]>This content was created as a co-production between Nobel Prize Outreach and the BBC. Image credit: Francis Crick Institute
]]>This content was created as a co-production between Nobel Prize Outreach and the BBC. Image credit: Francis Crick Institute
]]>This content was created as a co-production between Nobel Prize Outreach and the BBC. Image: Courtesy of Oleksandra Matviichuk
]]>This content was created as a co-production between Nobel Prize Outreach and the BBC. Image: Courtesy of Oleksandra Matviichuk
]]>This content was created as a co-production between Nobel Prize Outreach and the BBC. Image: Courtesy of Katalin Kariko
]]>This content was created as a co-production between Nobel Prize Outreach and the BBC. Image: Courtesy of Katalin Kariko
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Presenter: Quentin Sommerville Producer: Lindle Markwell Editor: Penny Murphy Sound Engineer: Andy Fell Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
image: KNDF graduates in Myanmar. Credit: BBC
]]>Presenter: Quentin Sommerville Producer: Lindle Markwell Editor: Penny Murphy Sound Engineer: Andy Fell Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
image: KNDF graduates in Myanmar. Credit: BBC
]]>Reporter: Natasha Cox Producers: Ahmed El Shamy and Louise Hidalgo Editors: Rebecca Henschke and Rosie Garthwaite Sound engineer: Neil Churchill + James Beard
]]>Reporter: Natasha Cox Producers: Ahmed El Shamy and Louise Hidalgo Editors: Rebecca Henschke and Rosie Garthwaite Sound engineer: Neil Churchill + James Beard
]]>‘Mad Women’ is fighting the stereotypes and stigma of what it has historically meant to be a woman with mental health conditions, in different countries, through sometimes brutal conversations about sexuality, motherhood, gender oppression and the role of women in the arts, as artists and muses. Felicity Finch follows Constanza as she and her international creative team collaborate and face the challenges of working with the two casts: juggling rehearsals, coping with a very tight deadline, while making sure they are sensitive to the needs of the four women in the understandably vulnerable community cast.
Constanza is also making plans to take her play and this unique way of working to different communities of women internationally, including her native Chile.
If you need support following anything you’ve heard in this episode, there’s information at bbc.com/actionline
Presenter and Producer: Felicity Finch Exec producer: Andrea Kidd
(Photo: Professional Cast of Mad Women. Credit: Héctor Manchego)
]]>‘Mad Women’ is fighting the stereotypes and stigma of what it has historically meant to be a woman with mental health conditions, in different countries, through sometimes brutal conversations about sexuality, motherhood, gender oppression and the role of women in the arts, as artists and muses. Felicity Finch follows Constanza as she and her international creative team collaborate and face the challenges of working with the two casts: juggling rehearsals, coping with a very tight deadline, while making sure they are sensitive to the needs of the four women in the understandably vulnerable community cast.
Constanza is also making plans to take her play and this unique way of working to different communities of women internationally, including her native Chile.
If you need support following anything you’ve heard in this episode, there’s information at bbc.com/actionline
Presenter and Producer: Felicity Finch Exec producer: Andrea Kidd
(Photo: Professional Cast of Mad Women. Credit: Héctor Manchego)
]]>The BBC’s Security Correspondent, Gordon Corera, delves into the worlds of espionage, surveillance, technology, the theft of commercial secrets, free speech at universities and political interference to explore the points of friction. In this documentary, he speaks to spy chiefs, former prime ministers and dissidents as well as those on the frontline of this Shadow War.
]]>The BBC’s Security Correspondent, Gordon Corera, delves into the worlds of espionage, surveillance, technology, the theft of commercial secrets, free speech at universities and political interference to explore the points of friction. In this documentary, he speaks to spy chiefs, former prime ministers and dissidents as well as those on the frontline of this Shadow War.
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
Show less
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
Show less
]]>For more, go to bbcworldservice.com/globaljigsaw or search for The Global Jigsaw wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg
]]>For more, go to bbcworldservice.com/globaljigsaw or search for The Global Jigsaw wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Residents of Venice, Bali and Spain’s Canary Islands discuss their concerns, ranging from a lack of infrastructure and non-tourist housing to cultural insensitivity and the distribution of tourism income.
“Tenerife has about one million residents and six million tourists visit every year,” says Brian. “With over 36 percent of the population living in or at risk of poverty, it’s obvious that mass tourism has failed the islanders.”
We also discuss the role of travel influencers who share videos and photos with a mass audience on social media. Kristen Sarah in Costa Rica, who runs @Hopscotchtheglobe vlog, says: “As influencers, it’s our messaging that encourages and inspires others to follow in our footsteps,” she says. “A photo is just a photo. But if you don’t take in the place that you’re visiting, then what’s the point of even going?”
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>Residents of Venice, Bali and Spain’s Canary Islands discuss their concerns, ranging from a lack of infrastructure and non-tourist housing to cultural insensitivity and the distribution of tourism income.
“Tenerife has about one million residents and six million tourists visit every year,” says Brian. “With over 36 percent of the population living in or at risk of poverty, it’s obvious that mass tourism has failed the islanders.”
We also discuss the role of travel influencers who share videos and photos with a mass audience on social media. Kristen Sarah in Costa Rica, who runs @Hopscotchtheglobe vlog, says: “As influencers, it’s our messaging that encourages and inspires others to follow in our footsteps,” she says. “A photo is just a photo. But if you don’t take in the place that you’re visiting, then what’s the point of even going?”
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>With access to mafioso-turned-collaborator Emanuele Mancuso, journalist Francisco Garcia looks at why Emanuele testified against his powerful family. What has this trial meant for the 'Ndrangheta? And has it changed life for Calabrians today?
]]>With access to mafioso-turned-collaborator Emanuele Mancuso, journalist Francisco Garcia looks at why Emanuele testified against his powerful family. What has this trial meant for the 'Ndrangheta? And has it changed life for Calabrians today?
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>For this In The Studio, arts journalist Anna Bailey follows Wangari as she creates her second immersive experience at the Pippy Houldsworth Gallery. It’s a life-sized replica of her Nairobi studio and this is where she invited 20 female domestic workers to have a day of rest, while also painting large-scale portraits of them for a new series of work which celebrates female domestic workers in Kenya.
Wangari also invites listeners into her Chicago studio, where she is working on the next painting in the series. But as Anna finds out, rest is not only important to the workers but to Wangari herself.
Presenter and producer Anna Bailey Executive producer Andrea Kidd.
]]>For this In The Studio, arts journalist Anna Bailey follows Wangari as she creates her second immersive experience at the Pippy Houldsworth Gallery. It’s a life-sized replica of her Nairobi studio and this is where she invited 20 female domestic workers to have a day of rest, while also painting large-scale portraits of them for a new series of work which celebrates female domestic workers in Kenya.
Wangari also invites listeners into her Chicago studio, where she is working on the next painting in the series. But as Anna finds out, rest is not only important to the workers but to Wangari herself.
Presenter and producer Anna Bailey Executive producer Andrea Kidd.
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson
(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>AI researcher Kerry McInerney applies a feminist perspective to data, algorithms and intelligent machines. AI-powered tech, and generative AI in particular, pose new challenges for cybersecurity. Kerry proposes a new take on AI, looking at how it can be used on a small scale, acknowledging culture and gender, tailoring the technology for local applications rather than trying to push for global, one size fits all strategies.
And in addressing corporate responsibility for Big Tech, Kerry discusses how tackling harassment online requires an understanding of the social, political and psychological dimensions of harassment, particularly of women in the wider world, as opposed to seeing this as a technical problem.
Dr Kerry McInerney is a research fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge, and the AI Now Institute.
This is the last of four programmes from the Oxford Literary Festival, presented by Nuala McGovern, produced by Julian Siddle.
Recorded in front of an audience at Worcester College Oxford.
]]>AI researcher Kerry McInerney applies a feminist perspective to data, algorithms and intelligent machines. AI-powered tech, and generative AI in particular, pose new challenges for cybersecurity. Kerry proposes a new take on AI, looking at how it can be used on a small scale, acknowledging culture and gender, tailoring the technology for local applications rather than trying to push for global, one size fits all strategies.
And in addressing corporate responsibility for Big Tech, Kerry discusses how tackling harassment online requires an understanding of the social, political and psychological dimensions of harassment, particularly of women in the wider world, as opposed to seeing this as a technical problem.
Dr Kerry McInerney is a research fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge, and the AI Now Institute.
This is the last of four programmes from the Oxford Literary Festival, presented by Nuala McGovern, produced by Julian Siddle.
Recorded in front of an audience at Worcester College Oxford.
]]>In South Korean media, shamans are often portrayed as deceitful characters who misuse their status to manipulate people and profit from others… but that negative image is slowly changing as young shamans are modernising their approach. They now have shrines in the busy centre of Seoul and they've become big on social media, even offering consultations online. BBC journalist Soo Min Kim has been speaking to shamans and their customers about why people go to see them and how social media is making them more accessible.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Email: [email protected]
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart with Soo Min Kim
Producers: Emily Horler and Adam Chowdhury
Editor: Julia Ross-Roy
]]>In South Korean media, shamans are often portrayed as deceitful characters who misuse their status to manipulate people and profit from others… but that negative image is slowly changing as young shamans are modernising their approach. They now have shrines in the busy centre of Seoul and they've become big on social media, even offering consultations online. BBC journalist Soo Min Kim has been speaking to shamans and their customers about why people go to see them and how social media is making them more accessible.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Email: [email protected]
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart with Soo Min Kim
Producers: Emily Horler and Adam Chowdhury
Editor: Julia Ross-Roy
]]>It started out as underground music in marginalised communities but was criticised for allegedly promoting violence and being too sexually explicit.
Reggaeton has since been used as an anthem to overthrow a local governor and a way to criticise the island’s complex relationship with the United States.
It’s also evolved from misogynist roots to reach new audiences in the LGBTQ community.
Jane Chambers travels to Puerto Rico to meet the people and hear the music which is both maligned and revered.
]]>It started out as underground music in marginalised communities but was criticised for allegedly promoting violence and being too sexually explicit.
Reggaeton has since been used as an anthem to overthrow a local governor and a way to criticise the island’s complex relationship with the United States.
It’s also evolved from misogynist roots to reach new audiences in the LGBTQ community.
Jane Chambers travels to Puerto Rico to meet the people and hear the music which is both maligned and revered.
]]>What are the moral challenges of this work for a person of faith? Are 'enhanced interrogation techniques' ever justified? What if these methods help to prevent more deaths in the future? In this edition of Heart & Soul for the BBC World Service, Colm Flynn explores these questions with Dr Jennifer Bryson. He discovers how her faith guided her through what she regards as the most radical time of her life.
Producer/ Presenter: Colm Flynn Series Producer: Rajeev Gupta Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno Editor: Helen Grady
]]>What are the moral challenges of this work for a person of faith? Are 'enhanced interrogation techniques' ever justified? What if these methods help to prevent more deaths in the future? In this edition of Heart & Soul for the BBC World Service, Colm Flynn explores these questions with Dr Jennifer Bryson. He discovers how her faith guided her through what she regards as the most radical time of her life.
Producer/ Presenter: Colm Flynn Series Producer: Rajeev Gupta Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno Editor: Helen Grady
]]>In this episode Hannah Gelbart is joined by three Filipinos - a journalist, an activist and an engineer - to talk about the future of energy in the Philippines. Jhesset Enano, Mitzi Jonelle Tan and Joshua Miguel Lopez also discuss the importance of protecting indigenous communities, and they share examples of how localised solar panels have helped power rural communities. This programme was recorded in Manila, in the Philippines, and is an extended version of the What in the World podcast – a daily podcast which explain what in the world is going on. Producers: Mora Morrison and Emily Horler
]]>In this episode Hannah Gelbart is joined by three Filipinos - a journalist, an activist and an engineer - to talk about the future of energy in the Philippines. Jhesset Enano, Mitzi Jonelle Tan and Joshua Miguel Lopez also discuss the importance of protecting indigenous communities, and they share examples of how localised solar panels have helped power rural communities. This programme was recorded in Manila, in the Philippines, and is an extended version of the What in the World podcast – a daily podcast which explain what in the world is going on. Producers: Mora Morrison and Emily Horler
]]>In conversation with Nuala McGovern, she argues that different perspectives are essential for moving the science forward. One of these is a more global, inclusive vision to exploring the cosmos. India and China have prestigious space programmes, and the low-key space missions of Japan and South Africa collaborate with international partners from around the world. We discuss how global enthusiasm for space research can be used to propel change.
Jocelyn Bell Burnell is professor of astrophysics at the University of Oxford.
This is the second of a series of four programmes from the Oxford Literary Festival, presented by Nuala McGovern, produced by Julian Siddle.
Recorded in front of an audience at Worcester College Oxford.
]]>In conversation with Nuala McGovern, she argues that different perspectives are essential for moving the science forward. One of these is a more global, inclusive vision to exploring the cosmos. India and China have prestigious space programmes, and the low-key space missions of Japan and South Africa collaborate with international partners from around the world. We discuss how global enthusiasm for space research can be used to propel change.
Jocelyn Bell Burnell is professor of astrophysics at the University of Oxford.
This is the second of a series of four programmes from the Oxford Literary Festival, presented by Nuala McGovern, produced by Julian Siddle.
Recorded in front of an audience at Worcester College Oxford.
]]>Asif Farooqi, Aalia Farzan and Deena Easa have been looking at how conflict, natural disasters and the cost-of-living crisis are impacting people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Gaza. Plus... Ramadan cricket, why do people want to get married during the Holy Month, and the TV series that everyone’s talking about.
Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson
(Image: Presenter Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>Asif Farooqi, Aalia Farzan and Deena Easa have been looking at how conflict, natural disasters and the cost-of-living crisis are impacting people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Gaza. Plus... Ramadan cricket, why do people want to get married during the Holy Month, and the TV series that everyone’s talking about.
Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson
(Image: Presenter Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
]]>In the last few years, medical advances have led to treatments that really do offer the potential to tackle life-threatening cancers and debilitating diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
In discussion with Nuala McGovern, Venki also explores the questions such treatments raise. Initially, they will be expensive, and we already have a global society in which there is a direct link between life expectancy and affluence; will access to these treatments, or lack of it, increase that disparity? And although your incurable disease may now be cured, what about the rest of your quality of life? Can the planet support an increasingly needy older and older generation? Does trying to live longer become a selfish act?
Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Venki Ramakrishnan heads a research group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England.
This is the first in a series of four programmes from the Oxford Literary Festival, presented by Nuala McGovern and produced by Julian Siddle.
Recorded in front of an audience at Worcester College, Oxford.
]]>In the last few years, medical advances have led to treatments that really do offer the potential to tackle life-threatening cancers and debilitating diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
In discussion with Nuala McGovern, Venki also explores the questions such treatments raise. Initially, they will be expensive, and we already have a global society in which there is a direct link between life expectancy and affluence; will access to these treatments, or lack of it, increase that disparity? And although your incurable disease may now be cured, what about the rest of your quality of life? Can the planet support an increasingly needy older and older generation? Does trying to live longer become a selfish act?
Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Venki Ramakrishnan heads a research group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England.
This is the first in a series of four programmes from the Oxford Literary Festival, presented by Nuala McGovern and produced by Julian Siddle.
Recorded in front of an audience at Worcester College, Oxford.
]]>Almost industrial scale arrests began after huge, peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations swept the country in 2020 after Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in presidential elections. Mr Lukashenko has been in power for 30 years. Protestors said the result was a fraud, and that they’d been cheated of their vote.
Almost four years on, the authorities are still making mass arrests.
Many of those detained are women. The most prominent woman prisoner, Maria Kolesnikova, a professional flute player, has been incommunicado for over a year, with no word at all reaching her family or lawyers.
Political prisoners are made to wear a yellow patch on their clothes. The women say they kept short of food and made to sew uniforms for the security forces, to clean the prison yard with rags and shovel snow. They speak of undergoing humiliating punishments such as standing in parade grounds under the sun for hours.
Yet they also tell us of camaraderie and warmth in their tiny cells as they try to keep one other going. And women on the outside continue to take personal risks to help the prisoners by sending in food, warm clothes and letters.
]]>Almost industrial scale arrests began after huge, peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations swept the country in 2020 after Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in presidential elections. Mr Lukashenko has been in power for 30 years. Protestors said the result was a fraud, and that they’d been cheated of their vote.
Almost four years on, the authorities are still making mass arrests.
Many of those detained are women. The most prominent woman prisoner, Maria Kolesnikova, a professional flute player, has been incommunicado for over a year, with no word at all reaching her family or lawyers.
Political prisoners are made to wear a yellow patch on their clothes. The women say they kept short of food and made to sew uniforms for the security forces, to clean the prison yard with rags and shovel snow. They speak of undergoing humiliating punishments such as standing in parade grounds under the sun for hours.
Yet they also tell us of camaraderie and warmth in their tiny cells as they try to keep one other going. And women on the outside continue to take personal risks to help the prisoners by sending in food, warm clothes and letters.
]]>Photo by Tim Mansel
Producer/ Presenter: Linda Pressly Producer: Tim Mansel Producer in Mexico: Ulises Escamilla Series Producer: Rajeev Gupta Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno Sound:Tanzy Leitner
]]>Photo by Tim Mansel
Producer/ Presenter: Linda Pressly Producer: Tim Mansel Producer in Mexico: Ulises Escamilla Series Producer: Rajeev Gupta Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno Sound:Tanzy Leitner
]]>The city gained the same unwanted accolade last year. The practice of agricultural burning in the hills around Chiang Mai renders the air so toxic from February to April that it becomes unsafe to breathe. Respiratory problems and allergies caused by PM2.5, a type of pollution, led to more than 12,000 people being admitted to hospital in 2023.
The bad air affects everyone, including the young and physically fit. In December 2023, Krittai Tanasombatkul, a 29-year-old doctor and basketball fanatic, succumbed to lung cancer. Like 40% of people with the disease in the city, he was not a smoker.
]]>The city gained the same unwanted accolade last year. The practice of agricultural burning in the hills around Chiang Mai renders the air so toxic from February to April that it becomes unsafe to breathe. Respiratory problems and allergies caused by PM2.5, a type of pollution, led to more than 12,000 people being admitted to hospital in 2023.
The bad air affects everyone, including the young and physically fit. In December 2023, Krittai Tanasombatkul, a 29-year-old doctor and basketball fanatic, succumbed to lung cancer. Like 40% of people with the disease in the city, he was not a smoker.
]]>This is episode one of a four-part season from the Amazing Sport Stories podcast.
Content warning: This episode contains lived experiences which involve the use of strong racist language
]]>This is episode one of a four-part season from the Amazing Sport Stories podcast.
Content warning: This episode contains lived experiences which involve the use of strong racist language
]]>In this episode of Border Stories, Linda Pressly hears terrifying stories of kidnap and extortion from those who have risked everything to enter the United States.
The US/Mexico border has become the most important battleground for Americans in this year’s presidential election, but it seems no one can stop the men with guns who operate with impunity south of the border in Mexico.
]]>In this episode of Border Stories, Linda Pressly hears terrifying stories of kidnap and extortion from those who have risked everything to enter the United States.
The US/Mexico border has become the most important battleground for Americans in this year’s presidential election, but it seems no one can stop the men with guns who operate with impunity south of the border in Mexico.
]]>Measure 110 decriminalised possession of all illicit substances, including heroin, methamphetamine and oxycodone. The campaigners accurately predicted that the new law would ease tensions around racial disparities within policing, but it also coincided with the spread of the deadly and addictive drug fentanyl, and a tidal wave of homelessness.
Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, and is now the drug of choice for nearly all heroin users. It’s also more deadly - activists and the police now regularly carry the opioid-blocking drug Narcan to treat people overdosing on the streets. Homelessness also continues to rise as the cheap and available fentanyl spreads, creating an epidemic on two fronts.
Local journalist Winston Ross explores the complex issues behind Portland’s fentanyl crisis, speaking across the political divide and to many of those in the eye of the storm.
]]>Measure 110 decriminalised possession of all illicit substances, including heroin, methamphetamine and oxycodone. The campaigners accurately predicted that the new law would ease tensions around racial disparities within policing, but it also coincided with the spread of the deadly and addictive drug fentanyl, and a tidal wave of homelessness.
Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, and is now the drug of choice for nearly all heroin users. It’s also more deadly - activists and the police now regularly carry the opioid-blocking drug Narcan to treat people overdosing on the streets. Homelessness also continues to rise as the cheap and available fentanyl spreads, creating an epidemic on two fronts.
Local journalist Winston Ross explores the complex issues behind Portland’s fentanyl crisis, speaking across the political divide and to many of those in the eye of the storm.
]]>It starts with women from Malawi who travel to Oman in the hope of improving their lives. Instead, they find themselves trapped in servitude as domestic workers. BBC Africa Eye has spent months uncovering evidence of physical and sexual abuse through voice notes, videos, and texts. But as reporter Florence Phiri reveals, there’s a network of women working across continents, fighting to try to bring them home.
Warning: Some people may find details in this story distressing.
Presenter: Florence Phiri Producers: Nicky Milne and Rob Wilson Editors: Tom Watson and Rebecca Henschke Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar
]]>It starts with women from Malawi who travel to Oman in the hope of improving their lives. Instead, they find themselves trapped in servitude as domestic workers. BBC Africa Eye has spent months uncovering evidence of physical and sexual abuse through voice notes, videos, and texts. But as reporter Florence Phiri reveals, there’s a network of women working across continents, fighting to try to bring them home.
Warning: Some people may find details in this story distressing.
Presenter: Florence Phiri Producers: Nicky Milne and Rob Wilson Editors: Tom Watson and Rebecca Henschke Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar
]]>this edition was first published in 2022
]]>this edition was first published in 2022
]]>Linda Pressly hears about the pain of separation as experienced by a man from Guatemala; speaks to the people still trying to put families back together; and asks if a new administration might turn again to Zero Tolerance in an attempt to deter would-be migrants to the United States.
]]>Linda Pressly hears about the pain of separation as experienced by a man from Guatemala; speaks to the people still trying to put families back together; and asks if a new administration might turn again to Zero Tolerance in an attempt to deter would-be migrants to the United States.
]]>Everything from video game clips falsely presented as genuine combat footage, to the outright denial of civilian deaths, have been deployed to try to skew the online narrative and warp public perceptions.
BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson and Shayan Sardarizadeh examine the trends in this alternative war over the Middle East with the help of Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, the independent investigative organisation."
]]>Everything from video game clips falsely presented as genuine combat footage, to the outright denial of civilian deaths, have been deployed to try to skew the online narrative and warp public perceptions.
BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson and Shayan Sardarizadeh examine the trends in this alternative war over the Middle East with the help of Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, the independent investigative organisation."
]]>One man has made it his life’s work to record their testimonies with paper and pen. Kavita hears from him, and tries to understand more about why the three million people who perished aren’t better remembered or memorialised in India, Bangladesh and Britain.
Presenter: Kavita Puri Series producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Emma Rippon Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore Production coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Original music: Felix Taylor
With thanks to Dr Janam Mukherjee and Professor Joya Chatterji
]]>One man has made it his life’s work to record their testimonies with paper and pen. Kavita hears from him, and tries to understand more about why the three million people who perished aren’t better remembered or memorialised in India, Bangladesh and Britain.
Presenter: Kavita Puri Series producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Emma Rippon Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore Production coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Original music: Felix Taylor
With thanks to Dr Janam Mukherjee and Professor Joya Chatterji
]]>And as the need for relief in Bengal becomes ever greater, more pressure is put on the British government from India’s new Viceroy. He asks for more food imports. Could the War Cabinet and Prime Minister Winston Churchill have done more to help alleviate the famine in the middle of the war?
Presenter: Kavita Puri Series producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Emma Rippon Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Original music: Felix Taylor
With thanks to Dr Janam Mukherjee and Professor Joya Chatterji
Interviews conducted by Lance Brennan courtesy of University of Cambridge
Interviews with GS Khosla courtesy of University of Cambridge
]]>And as the need for relief in Bengal becomes ever greater, more pressure is put on the British government from India’s new Viceroy. He asks for more food imports. Could the War Cabinet and Prime Minister Winston Churchill have done more to help alleviate the famine in the middle of the war?
Presenter: Kavita Puri Series producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Emma Rippon Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore Production co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Original music: Felix Taylor
With thanks to Dr Janam Mukherjee and Professor Joya Chatterji
Interviews conducted by Lance Brennan courtesy of University of Cambridge
Interviews with GS Khosla courtesy of University of Cambridge
]]>But as more and more starving people arrive in cities across Bengal, it becomes harder to suppress. Indian writers, photographers and artists document the humanitarian catastrophe, but it was risky, as the censor forbade mention of the famine. A British journalist and editor of the English language Statesman newspaper, in Calcutta, decides to challenge the censor and begins publishing photographs and scathing editorials about what was really going on in Bengal. It shocks the world. In London, the BBC reports on “famine conditions” and, as we uncover, the British government tries to pressurise the broadcaster to tone down its coverage.
Presenter: Kavita Puri Series producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Emma Rippon Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore Production coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Original music: Felix Taylor
With thanks to Dr Janam Mukherjee, Professor Joya Chatterji and Dr Diya Gupta
]]>But as more and more starving people arrive in cities across Bengal, it becomes harder to suppress. Indian writers, photographers and artists document the humanitarian catastrophe, but it was risky, as the censor forbade mention of the famine. A British journalist and editor of the English language Statesman newspaper, in Calcutta, decides to challenge the censor and begins publishing photographs and scathing editorials about what was really going on in Bengal. It shocks the world. In London, the BBC reports on “famine conditions” and, as we uncover, the British government tries to pressurise the broadcaster to tone down its coverage.
Presenter: Kavita Puri Series producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Emma Rippon Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore Production coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Original music: Felix Taylor
With thanks to Dr Janam Mukherjee, Professor Joya Chatterji and Dr Diya Gupta
]]>As the food crisis deepens, shocking testimonies from the countryside show the extent of starvation. Many thousands of hungry people begin moving from the rural areas towards the cities.
Indians - including children - are forced into life-or-death decisions.
Presenter: Kavita Puri Series producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Emma Rippon Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore Production coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Original music: Felix Taylor
With thanks to Dr Janam Mukherjee, Professor Joya Chatterji and Dr Diya Gupta.
Interview with Alan McLeod courtesy of the University of Cambridge
]]>As the food crisis deepens, shocking testimonies from the countryside show the extent of starvation. Many thousands of hungry people begin moving from the rural areas towards the cities.
Indians - including children - are forced into life-or-death decisions.
Presenter: Kavita Puri Series producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Emma Rippon Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore Production coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Original music: Felix Taylor
With thanks to Dr Janam Mukherjee, Professor Joya Chatterji and Dr Diya Gupta.
Interview with Alan McLeod courtesy of the University of Cambridge
]]>From the creator and presenter of the award-winning series Three Pounds in my Pocket and Partition Voices, this is the story of the Bengal Famine of 1943. For the first time it is told by those who were there - farmers and fishermen, artists and writers, colonial British and everyday citizens. Nearly all of the testimony in the series has never been broadcast before.
Eighty years on, those who lived through it are a vanishing generation. Time is running out to record their memories.
We begin in 1942. As the Japanese sweep through South East Asia, Calcutta (now Kolkata) is inundated with hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers from all over the world. Fear of a Japanese invasion of British India provokes a consequential decision.
Presenter: Kavita Puri Series producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Emma Rippon Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore Production coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Original music: Felix Taylor
With thanks to Dr Janam Mukherjee, Professor Joya Chatterji and Dr Diya Gupta.
Interviews with American soldiers courtesy of The National World War II Museum, New Orleans: nationalww2museum.org/
Interviews with G S Khosla and Debotosh Das Gupta courtesy of the University of Cambridge
Major General Dharitri Kumar Palit interviewed by Gillian Wright, 1987, British Library reference C63/195/09. Audio © British Library Board and the interviewee. The British Library has been unable to locate the family of the interviewee. Please contact [email protected] with any relevant information.
]]>From the creator and presenter of the award-winning series Three Pounds in my Pocket and Partition Voices, this is the story of the Bengal Famine of 1943. For the first time it is told by those who were there - farmers and fishermen, artists and writers, colonial British and everyday citizens. Nearly all of the testimony in the series has never been broadcast before.
Eighty years on, those who lived through it are a vanishing generation. Time is running out to record their memories.
We begin in 1942. As the Japanese sweep through South East Asia, Calcutta (now Kolkata) is inundated with hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers from all over the world. Fear of a Japanese invasion of British India provokes a consequential decision.
Presenter: Kavita Puri Series producer: Ant Adeane Editor: Emma Rippon Sound design and mix: Eloise Whitmore Production coordinators: Maria Ogundele and Sabine Schereck Original music: Felix Taylor
With thanks to Dr Janam Mukherjee, Professor Joya Chatterji and Dr Diya Gupta.
Interviews with American soldiers courtesy of The National World War II Museum, New Orleans: nationalww2museum.org/
Interviews with G S Khosla and Debotosh Das Gupta courtesy of the University of Cambridge
Major General Dharitri Kumar Palit interviewed by Gillian Wright, 1987, British Library reference C63/195/09. Audio © British Library Board and the interviewee. The British Library has been unable to locate the family of the interviewee. Please contact [email protected] with any relevant information.
]]>Archive: AAJ News, May 2023 GNN, February 2023, Naya Daur February 2022, GEO TV October 2022
]]>Archive: AAJ News, May 2023 GNN, February 2023, Naya Daur February 2022, GEO TV October 2022
]]>Photo by ANATOLY MALTSEV/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock (14329432c) People stand at a bus stop near an image depicting St. Isaac's Cathedral (back) on a sunny day in St. Petersburg, Russia, 02 February 2024. Temperatures in St. Petersburg, Russia's second largest city, reached minus two degrees Celsius on the day.
]]>Photo by ANATOLY MALTSEV/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock (14329432c) People stand at a bus stop near an image depicting St. Isaac's Cathedral (back) on a sunny day in St. Petersburg, Russia, 02 February 2024. Temperatures in St. Petersburg, Russia's second largest city, reached minus two degrees Celsius on the day.
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg Editor: Judy King Twitter handle of contributors: @VitalyBBC, @jen_mon1, @oivshina Original music: Pete Cunningham Sound engineer: Martin Appleby
]]>Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg Editor: Judy King Twitter handle of contributors: @VitalyBBC, @jen_mon1, @oivshina Original music: Pete Cunningham Sound engineer: Martin Appleby
]]>A year on, we have been catching-up with survivors to hear how their lives have changed. One family – Iman, Karim and their 7-year-old daughter Nada – had fled from the war in Syria to have a new life in Turkey. They lost family, friends and their home in the earthquake.
When host James Reynolds called the family up in the last few days, they told him they were doing much better. Young Nada, however, is still having nightmares about the floor shaking and people she has lost.
“I have a dream about my friend Iman, she died from the earthquake,” Nada tells James. “I’m so sad about her, and I have a friend who moved to Canada – I miss her so much.”
We also hear messages from BBC listeners in Turkey and reunite with Harun, an English teacher in southern Turkey, and Bilal who is living in the east of the country and had his business destroyed last year.
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>A year on, we have been catching-up with survivors to hear how their lives have changed. One family – Iman, Karim and their 7-year-old daughter Nada – had fled from the war in Syria to have a new life in Turkey. They lost family, friends and their home in the earthquake.
When host James Reynolds called the family up in the last few days, they told him they were doing much better. Young Nada, however, is still having nightmares about the floor shaking and people she has lost.
“I have a dream about my friend Iman, she died from the earthquake,” Nada tells James. “I’m so sad about her, and I have a friend who moved to Canada – I miss her so much.”
We also hear messages from BBC listeners in Turkey and reunite with Harun, an English teacher in southern Turkey, and Bilal who is living in the east of the country and had his business destroyed last year.
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>Presented by Nikos Papanikolaou Produced by Giles Edwards.
This podcast was edited after it was published
]]>Presented by Nikos Papanikolaou Produced by Giles Edwards.
This podcast was edited after it was published
]]>Shaquem Griffin was born with amniotic band syndrome causing the fingers on his left hand not to fully develop. The pain was so intense that at 4 years of age he grabbed a butcher knife, planning to cut the hand off. His mother took the knife away, and scheduled an amputation the next day… Despite the obvious setback of only having one hand, Shaquem still fulfilled his dream and played in the NFL for four seasons. He tells us his story.
And Cyndy Feasel who watched on helpless as her husband, former NFL star Grant Feasel died the victim of alcohol abuse and a degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. She tells us about one NFL wife’s story of concussions, loss, and the faith that saw her through.
Plus, in the year America elects its next president we explore the relationship between the Super Bowl and the Commander in Chief.
And we speak to SpongeBob Square pants best friend Patrick Starr as he prepares to give an alternative commentary of Sunday's game for younger viewers!
]]>Shaquem Griffin was born with amniotic band syndrome causing the fingers on his left hand not to fully develop. The pain was so intense that at 4 years of age he grabbed a butcher knife, planning to cut the hand off. His mother took the knife away, and scheduled an amputation the next day… Despite the obvious setback of only having one hand, Shaquem still fulfilled his dream and played in the NFL for four seasons. He tells us his story.
And Cyndy Feasel who watched on helpless as her husband, former NFL star Grant Feasel died the victim of alcohol abuse and a degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. She tells us about one NFL wife’s story of concussions, loss, and the faith that saw her through.
Plus, in the year America elects its next president we explore the relationship between the Super Bowl and the Commander in Chief.
And we speak to SpongeBob Square pants best friend Patrick Starr as he prepares to give an alternative commentary of Sunday's game for younger viewers!
]]>It is not just the famous who are being targeted. Host James Reynolds hears the story of how a daughter’s voice was copied and used to make a scam phone call to her mother.
“She said mom I messed up, and all of a sudden a man said ‘put your head back and lay down’ and that’s when I started to get really concerned that she was either really hurt or something more was going on,” Jennifer tells us. “And then she goes ‘mom, mom, these bad men have me, help me, help me and she starts crying and sobbing.”
Thankfully her daughter, Brianna, had not been kidnapped but the call has had a lasting effect on the family.
Technology has made the process of adjusting images easier but artificial intelligence provides the means to create media from scratch to generate completely fake content. We bring together two women – in the US and Australia – who have had their faces manipulated using AI to produce malicious pornographic images and videos.
]]>It is not just the famous who are being targeted. Host James Reynolds hears the story of how a daughter’s voice was copied and used to make a scam phone call to her mother.
“She said mom I messed up, and all of a sudden a man said ‘put your head back and lay down’ and that’s when I started to get really concerned that she was either really hurt or something more was going on,” Jennifer tells us. “And then she goes ‘mom, mom, these bad men have me, help me, help me and she starts crying and sobbing.”
Thankfully her daughter, Brianna, had not been kidnapped but the call has had a lasting effect on the family.
Technology has made the process of adjusting images easier but artificial intelligence provides the means to create media from scratch to generate completely fake content. We bring together two women – in the US and Australia – who have had their faces manipulated using AI to produce malicious pornographic images and videos.
]]>For this last programme in a special series on religion in the 21st century, Heart and Soul on the BBC World Service brings together three global Buddhists from Singapore, the USA and the UK.
Venerable Canda Theri Bhikkhuni is the only fully ordained bhikkhuni, or female Buddhist monastic, in the UK. She founded the Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project, which aims to provide the country’s first monastery where women can train towards full ordination.
Heng Xuan Tio is based in Singapore and is the co-founder of Handful of Leaves, an online community which aims to show young people how Buddhism is relevant to their modern lives.
And Lama Rod Owens is a Black gay Buddhist teacher and author based in the USA. His teaching focuses on social change, identity, and spiritual practice.
For this special discussion programme, the BBC’s Alice Bhandhukravi brings them together to discuss Buddhism’s difference branches, how it’s been interpreted in western countries, the differences between monastic and lay Buddhism, and the unique challenges of following a 2,500-year-old faith tradition in the present day.
Presented by Alice Bhandhukravi.
]]>For this last programme in a special series on religion in the 21st century, Heart and Soul on the BBC World Service brings together three global Buddhists from Singapore, the USA and the UK.
Venerable Canda Theri Bhikkhuni is the only fully ordained bhikkhuni, or female Buddhist monastic, in the UK. She founded the Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project, which aims to provide the country’s first monastery where women can train towards full ordination.
Heng Xuan Tio is based in Singapore and is the co-founder of Handful of Leaves, an online community which aims to show young people how Buddhism is relevant to their modern lives.
And Lama Rod Owens is a Black gay Buddhist teacher and author based in the USA. His teaching focuses on social change, identity, and spiritual practice.
For this special discussion programme, the BBC’s Alice Bhandhukravi brings them together to discuss Buddhism’s difference branches, how it’s been interpreted in western countries, the differences between monastic and lay Buddhism, and the unique challenges of following a 2,500-year-old faith tradition in the present day.
Presented by Alice Bhandhukravi.
]]>This Podcast was originally published in March 2023
]]>This Podcast was originally published in March 2023
]]>It’s long been rumoured that Serbia’s ruling SNS party commands the online activity of a small army of citizens, dubbed ‘bots’ by the opposition. But this kind of list, naming and shaming thousands of ordinary Serbians, is unprecedented.
If true, their activity represents a form of political corruption according to Serbia’s public prosecutor. The government’s response has alarmed observers - it shrugged off the story, publishing instead a veiled tongue-in-cheek ‘admission’.
But who is behind the list, and can it be trusted? BBC Trending has analysed the data in an attempt to establish if the ‘bots’ are indeed real people. And whether their accounts show evidence of co-ordinated activity.
Featuring interviews gathered on the ground in Belgrade, we hear from opposition politicians, pro-democracy activists and a self-professed real-life ‘bot’. She tells us she trolled the President’s opponents under threat of losing her job – as a receptionist at a state-controlled electricity company in a small Serbian town.
Reporter: Sam Judah
]]>It’s long been rumoured that Serbia’s ruling SNS party commands the online activity of a small army of citizens, dubbed ‘bots’ by the opposition. But this kind of list, naming and shaming thousands of ordinary Serbians, is unprecedented.
If true, their activity represents a form of political corruption according to Serbia’s public prosecutor. The government’s response has alarmed observers - it shrugged off the story, publishing instead a veiled tongue-in-cheek ‘admission’.
But who is behind the list, and can it be trusted? BBC Trending has analysed the data in an attempt to establish if the ‘bots’ are indeed real people. And whether their accounts show evidence of co-ordinated activity.
Featuring interviews gathered on the ground in Belgrade, we hear from opposition politicians, pro-democracy activists and a self-professed real-life ‘bot’. She tells us she trolled the President’s opponents under threat of losing her job – as a receptionist at a state-controlled electricity company in a small Serbian town.
Reporter: Sam Judah
]]>This week, three US doctors who recently left Gaza share their experiences of working in a hospital in the territory with host James Reynolds. “Blast waves hit the operating room, you can see your metal table with all the instruments rattle, doors slam, the plaster falling off the walls,” Dr Chandra Hassan, from international humanitarian NGO MedGlobal tells us. “You learn to live with that, and you sleep out of exhaustion.”
The escalation of the military activities left many people with no choice but to flee their homes. 35-year-old Layan and her two daughters, 12-year-old Sama and Elya, who’s 8, had to take a long – and at times dangerous – journey from Gaza City to Khan Younis in the south. They have since managed to cross the border into Egypt, where they are now living safely in Cairo. They share their experiences of leaving the Gaza Strip and Layan tells us why she feels guilty leaving the rest of her family behind.
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>This week, three US doctors who recently left Gaza share their experiences of working in a hospital in the territory with host James Reynolds. “Blast waves hit the operating room, you can see your metal table with all the instruments rattle, doors slam, the plaster falling off the walls,” Dr Chandra Hassan, from international humanitarian NGO MedGlobal tells us. “You learn to live with that, and you sleep out of exhaustion.”
The escalation of the military activities left many people with no choice but to flee their homes. 35-year-old Layan and her two daughters, 12-year-old Sama and Elya, who’s 8, had to take a long – and at times dangerous – journey from Gaza City to Khan Younis in the south. They have since managed to cross the border into Egypt, where they are now living safely in Cairo. They share their experiences of leaving the Gaza Strip and Layan tells us why she feels guilty leaving the rest of her family behind.
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>The film follows a year in the life of 61-year-old African American, Adrian Spears. He certainly stands out in the sleepy Californian town where he makes a living shining shoes: dancing around with his bowler hat, starched shirt and bright red uniform. The film opens as he folds up the cardboard sheets he sleeps on at night and makes his way to the storage unit where he keeps clothes and an iron. Everything he owns is immaculately pressed, and it was partly his quiet dignity which drew Leonard to Adrian, and which resonates throughout the movie.
Leonard had thought his days in the movies business were over: he gave up his Hollywood career 30 years ago to retrain as a family therapist and through Adrian’s story he has reclaimed his passion.
The BBC Producer, Sue Mitchell, came across Leonard’s film whilst recording with a homeless man living just a few miles away. She was intrigued and began exploring the background to the film and examining why it was proving so popular with audiences.
]]>The film follows a year in the life of 61-year-old African American, Adrian Spears. He certainly stands out in the sleepy Californian town where he makes a living shining shoes: dancing around with his bowler hat, starched shirt and bright red uniform. The film opens as he folds up the cardboard sheets he sleeps on at night and makes his way to the storage unit where he keeps clothes and an iron. Everything he owns is immaculately pressed, and it was partly his quiet dignity which drew Leonard to Adrian, and which resonates throughout the movie.
Leonard had thought his days in the movies business were over: he gave up his Hollywood career 30 years ago to retrain as a family therapist and through Adrian’s story he has reclaimed his passion.
The BBC Producer, Sue Mitchell, came across Leonard’s film whilst recording with a homeless man living just a few miles away. She was intrigued and began exploring the background to the film and examining why it was proving so popular with audiences.
]]>We wanted to talk to people in Yemen to get a sense of what day to day life is like. Host, James Reynolds, is joined by two Yeminis who live and work in the capital, Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthis. “It looks like normal life,” Radhya tells us. “But if you are sick you will not find a proper health system, there is no good education system at all – the disaster in Sanaa is not something you can see with your naked eye.”
Others inside Yemen have sent us messages and we bring together three people who have left the country. They talk about their home and hopes to one day return. “I imagine Yemen before the nightmare, before the war,” says Ahad. “It was a beautiful place and I wish for it to go back to how it was before.”
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>We wanted to talk to people in Yemen to get a sense of what day to day life is like. Host, James Reynolds, is joined by two Yeminis who live and work in the capital, Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthis. “It looks like normal life,” Radhya tells us. “But if you are sick you will not find a proper health system, there is no good education system at all – the disaster in Sanaa is not something you can see with your naked eye.”
Others inside Yemen have sent us messages and we bring together three people who have left the country. They talk about their home and hopes to one day return. “I imagine Yemen before the nightmare, before the war,” says Ahad. “It was a beautiful place and I wish for it to go back to how it was before.”
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>In 2007 Finland decided to switch to a radical new approach to homelessness called ‘housing first’, in which homeless people are simply offered their own apartment, with no expectations of them except paying the rent (usually covered by their benefits); alongside this they are given whatever support they need to remain housed, for as long as they need it. Proponents of 'housing first' argue that it is much easier for homeless people to sort out issues such as addiction or poor mental health when they have a secure home.
The results so far seem to bear this out: around 90% of people offered an apartment remain housed, a much higher rate than under the previous system. However, critics argue that the approach could be much harder to implement in countries without Finland’s extensive social welfare system or good stock of affordable housing.
Erika Benke visits the Väinölä Housing Unit outside Helsinki, an emergency shelter which was converted into 35 individual flats for formerly homeless people. What difference has having their own place made to the residents? And are they off the streets for good?
]]>In 2007 Finland decided to switch to a radical new approach to homelessness called ‘housing first’, in which homeless people are simply offered their own apartment, with no expectations of them except paying the rent (usually covered by their benefits); alongside this they are given whatever support they need to remain housed, for as long as they need it. Proponents of 'housing first' argue that it is much easier for homeless people to sort out issues such as addiction or poor mental health when they have a secure home.
The results so far seem to bear this out: around 90% of people offered an apartment remain housed, a much higher rate than under the previous system. However, critics argue that the approach could be much harder to implement in countries without Finland’s extensive social welfare system or good stock of affordable housing.
Erika Benke visits the Väinölä Housing Unit outside Helsinki, an emergency shelter which was converted into 35 individual flats for formerly homeless people. What difference has having their own place made to the residents? And are they off the streets for good?
]]>A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>For Assignment, Nick Thorpe has been to the north-west of Bulgaria, where it meets Serbia to the west and Romania across the Danube to the north. There he meets two men who worked as drivers for a smuggling organisation, shuttling migrants from Sofia, the capital, to the border.
]]>For Assignment, Nick Thorpe has been to the north-west of Bulgaria, where it meets Serbia to the west and Romania across the Danube to the north. There he meets two men who worked as drivers for a smuggling organisation, shuttling migrants from Sofia, the capital, to the border.
]]>Host James Reynolds hears from graduates from India, the United States, Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana who either can’t find work or have changed direction from what they studied in order to find success - be it from English via waitressing to financial education - or economics to fashion.
These are stories about resilience and overcoming rejection, with many companies not even responding to job applications.
23 year old Priyanka, from India, lives in the UK after obtaining her degree and then her Masters in London in 2022. She recently signed up with a graduate coach to improve her chances of employment.
“I’ve probably had, out of 800 applications, maybe five interviews so far,” Priyanka says, “So it’s a very, very tough market for an entry level candidate.”
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team
]]>Host James Reynolds hears from graduates from India, the United States, Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana who either can’t find work or have changed direction from what they studied in order to find success - be it from English via waitressing to financial education - or economics to fashion.
These are stories about resilience and overcoming rejection, with many companies not even responding to job applications.
23 year old Priyanka, from India, lives in the UK after obtaining her degree and then her Masters in London in 2022. She recently signed up with a graduate coach to improve her chances of employment.
“I’ve probably had, out of 800 applications, maybe five interviews so far,” Priyanka says, “So it’s a very, very tough market for an entry level candidate.”
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team
]]>But serious and complex illnesses like cancer are becoming more common in Kenya, and end of life care is a much-needed service for people facing death. In Eldoret, Western Kenya, a group of Christians have made it their life's work to defy the stigma, and to help those with terminal illnesses find peace in their final days.
Kimbilio Hospice, run by a Christian charity called Living Room International, was established by Pastor David Tarus over a decade ago. The hospice provides specialist medical care to ease symptoms at the very end of a patient’s life, but often they first have to convince patients' families that it's OK to accept the facility's help. BBC Africa reporter Esther Ogola visited the hospice to see what exactly that entails.
]]>But serious and complex illnesses like cancer are becoming more common in Kenya, and end of life care is a much-needed service for people facing death. In Eldoret, Western Kenya, a group of Christians have made it their life's work to defy the stigma, and to help those with terminal illnesses find peace in their final days.
Kimbilio Hospice, run by a Christian charity called Living Room International, was established by Pastor David Tarus over a decade ago. The hospice provides specialist medical care to ease symptoms at the very end of a patient’s life, but often they first have to convince patients' families that it's OK to accept the facility's help. BBC Africa reporter Esther Ogola visited the hospice to see what exactly that entails.
]]>Presenter: Nomsa Maseko
]]>Presenter: Nomsa Maseko
]]>Fred D’Aguiar recovers and re-imagines his story, in several voices – including the horses. In this edition of In the Studio, Julian May meets D’Aguiar on the cusp. For The Unnamed is written and D’Aguiar explains how he is now preparing it for publication and his way of proof-reading. He is also feeling his way towards his next project, beginning a series of poetic studies of people he has known, people he has lost and people who inspire him. This is, tentatively, entitled Lives Studied.
D'Aguiar reveals his processes, how he begins, rising very early, taking his dog, Dexter, for a walk, drinking a coffee, then setting to. He speaks quickly, so writes always in longhand with a pen, to slow thought down, to consider. He speaks too of his reading and influences, for instance Robert Lowell and his collection ‘Life Studies’. For D’Aguiar the practice of writing is integral to his existence - writing is living.
]]>Fred D’Aguiar recovers and re-imagines his story, in several voices – including the horses. In this edition of In the Studio, Julian May meets D’Aguiar on the cusp. For The Unnamed is written and D’Aguiar explains how he is now preparing it for publication and his way of proof-reading. He is also feeling his way towards his next project, beginning a series of poetic studies of people he has known, people he has lost and people who inspire him. This is, tentatively, entitled Lives Studied.
D'Aguiar reveals his processes, how he begins, rising very early, taking his dog, Dexter, for a walk, drinking a coffee, then setting to. He speaks quickly, so writes always in longhand with a pen, to slow thought down, to consider. He speaks too of his reading and influences, for instance Robert Lowell and his collection ‘Life Studies’. For D’Aguiar the practice of writing is integral to his existence - writing is living.
]]>(Photo: Sandra Day O'Connor is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary committee during confirmation hearings as she seeks to become the first woman to take a seat on the US Supreme Court, Washington, DC, 9 September , 1981. Credit: David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
]]>(Photo: Sandra Day O'Connor is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary committee during confirmation hearings as she seeks to become the first woman to take a seat on the US Supreme Court, Washington, DC, 9 September , 1981. Credit: David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
]]>53-year-old professional explorer from Australia, Geoff Wilson, joined us from Canada. He has just completed the first part of his latest expedition, Project Zero, a two-year journey to promote the concept of “carbon neutral exploring”. So far, the adventure has included crossing perilous crevasses in Patagonia and battling towering waves at sea.
“I was woken up by my son and his mate Geordie who were on watch saying that the boat was surfing down 15, 16 metre waves at about 16 knots,” Geoff tells host, James Reynolds. “It just felt that everything had gone to custard very quickly.”
We bring Geoff together with Kiyonah Mya Buckhalter, a 25-year-old New Yorker. Kiyonah is Muslim, black and blogs as the “Veiled Traveller” on Instagram.
“Travelling the way I do,” she says, “I’ve had to grow my confidence to get people to understand that I do have a warm heart and I am smiling very hard under this veil, even though they may not see it.”
We also hear from 29-year-old Noel Salmon from London. Noel has just completed a seven-month solo cycle of the old silk road from Turkey to China, which involved extreme temperatures and exploding inner tubes.
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>53-year-old professional explorer from Australia, Geoff Wilson, joined us from Canada. He has just completed the first part of his latest expedition, Project Zero, a two-year journey to promote the concept of “carbon neutral exploring”. So far, the adventure has included crossing perilous crevasses in Patagonia and battling towering waves at sea.
“I was woken up by my son and his mate Geordie who were on watch saying that the boat was surfing down 15, 16 metre waves at about 16 knots,” Geoff tells host, James Reynolds. “It just felt that everything had gone to custard very quickly.”
We bring Geoff together with Kiyonah Mya Buckhalter, a 25-year-old New Yorker. Kiyonah is Muslim, black and blogs as the “Veiled Traveller” on Instagram.
“Travelling the way I do,” she says, “I’ve had to grow my confidence to get people to understand that I do have a warm heart and I am smiling very hard under this veil, even though they may not see it.”
We also hear from 29-year-old Noel Salmon from London. Noel has just completed a seven-month solo cycle of the old silk road from Turkey to China, which involved extreme temperatures and exploding inner tubes.
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>Every year, it reaches another 40 km of river and is eating all before it, especially smaller native fish stocks including even the deadly piranha. At the same time, the Paiche is proving a boon to many local fisherman who sell it to families and restaurants who are acquiring a taste for it in a land-locked country where meat has always been the favourite form of protein. This gives scientists and the authorities a dilemma. Do they try and control or even eradicate the Paiche from rivers famed for their biodiversity where new species are being identified all the time? Or let its spread continue unabated and provide a useful livelihood for fishermen and a healthy addition to the Bolivian diet? For Assignment, Jane Chambers takes to the rivers of Bolivia
]]>Every year, it reaches another 40 km of river and is eating all before it, especially smaller native fish stocks including even the deadly piranha. At the same time, the Paiche is proving a boon to many local fisherman who sell it to families and restaurants who are acquiring a taste for it in a land-locked country where meat has always been the favourite form of protein. This gives scientists and the authorities a dilemma. Do they try and control or even eradicate the Paiche from rivers famed for their biodiversity where new species are being identified all the time? Or let its spread continue unabated and provide a useful livelihood for fishermen and a healthy addition to the Bolivian diet? For Assignment, Jane Chambers takes to the rivers of Bolivia
]]>Presenter: Francis Peña
]]>Presenter: Francis Peña
]]>Time Magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year is also the most streamed female artist on Spotify and Apple and this week she achieved a record 90 weeks at number 1 on the US Billboard Artist 100 chart.
Swift’s Eras tour, which began in March this year and concludes at the end of 2024, has become the first to gross over $1 billion. Wherever Swift’s concerts land, they bring a big boost in the local economy.
Host James Reynolds hears about Swift’s appeal from those with a professional and personal interest in the singer-songwriter. They include the first full-time Taylor Swift reporter and also the professor who is about to start teaching a ‘Taylor Swift and her World’ course to students at Harvard University.
We also meet fans - or Swifties - from across four continents about why her songs are so special.
“I was in the southern most part of Africa,” says Agape, who is from Cape Town and currently studying in the UK. “But I felt, even in her song lyrics, like she was writing for me or about me.” A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>Time Magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year is also the most streamed female artist on Spotify and Apple and this week she achieved a record 90 weeks at number 1 on the US Billboard Artist 100 chart.
Swift’s Eras tour, which began in March this year and concludes at the end of 2024, has become the first to gross over $1 billion. Wherever Swift’s concerts land, they bring a big boost in the local economy.
Host James Reynolds hears about Swift’s appeal from those with a professional and personal interest in the singer-songwriter. They include the first full-time Taylor Swift reporter and also the professor who is about to start teaching a ‘Taylor Swift and her World’ course to students at Harvard University.
We also meet fans - or Swifties - from across four continents about why her songs are so special.
“I was in the southern most part of Africa,” says Agape, who is from Cape Town and currently studying in the UK. “But I felt, even in her song lyrics, like she was writing for me or about me.” A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>Host James Reynolds brings together three young people in India, Uganda and Bangladesh to hear their concerns and what it’s like to live in a country struggling with air pollution.
“I got up, I looked out the window, nothing. I couldn’t even see my own lane. It was extremely sad,” said 12 year old Myra in Delhi, India. “I was getting ready to go to the school. I was going to my bus and I couldn’t see anything. Almost all days smog is covering the entire city. It’s suffocating.”
Three women from the United States, India and the UK - all in their twenties - also share why they decided to not have children in order to help save the planet.
“Every year has become more significant,” says Melissa in London, “and of course making changes in my own life to help the climate like being plant-based and not having children seems to be quite a good decision in that regard as well.”
A co-production between the BBC OS team and Boffin Media.
]]>Host James Reynolds brings together three young people in India, Uganda and Bangladesh to hear their concerns and what it’s like to live in a country struggling with air pollution.
“I got up, I looked out the window, nothing. I couldn’t even see my own lane. It was extremely sad,” said 12 year old Myra in Delhi, India. “I was getting ready to go to the school. I was going to my bus and I couldn’t see anything. Almost all days smog is covering the entire city. It’s suffocating.”
Three women from the United States, India and the UK - all in their twenties - also share why they decided to not have children in order to help save the planet.
“Every year has become more significant,” says Melissa in London, “and of course making changes in my own life to help the climate like being plant-based and not having children seems to be quite a good decision in that regard as well.”
A co-production between the BBC OS team and Boffin Media.
]]>Presenter: Fergal Keane Producer: John Murphy
]]>Presenter: Fergal Keane Producer: John Murphy
]]>Iryna’s husband, Artem Chekh, is a well-known novelist and journalist. He volunteered to join the army and found himself in Bakhmut, scene of some of the bloodiest fighting. For five days Iryna did not know if he was alive or dead. She is focusing on the anguish she felt over this period and using a series of flashbacks to illustrate their past lives in peacetime.
Iryna tells Lucy Ash that to give herself more artistic freedom she has decided on a radical new tool for her work: this film will be an animation. Making films in wartime is a challenge and animation is expensive but Iryna has foreign backers and is determined to tell her own story in her own way.
]]>Iryna’s husband, Artem Chekh, is a well-known novelist and journalist. He volunteered to join the army and found himself in Bakhmut, scene of some of the bloodiest fighting. For five days Iryna did not know if he was alive or dead. She is focusing on the anguish she felt over this period and using a series of flashbacks to illustrate their past lives in peacetime.
Iryna tells Lucy Ash that to give herself more artistic freedom she has decided on a radical new tool for her work: this film will be an animation. Making films in wartime is a challenge and animation is expensive but Iryna has foreign backers and is determined to tell her own story in her own way.
]]>Imagine being stranded in the “death zone” on one of the world’s highest mountains. How about running 200 miles in a dark tunnel? We’ve been searching the world for the most amazing sport stories. Other podcasts bring you the scores and team news. This one tells the stories you’ll wish you’d known about and now probably won’t forget. You don’t need to be obsessed with sport to find yourself immersed in our mini-seasons and short stories. Search for Amazing Sport Stories wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Or find it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xtvs1/episodes/downloads
]]>Imagine being stranded in the “death zone” on one of the world’s highest mountains. How about running 200 miles in a dark tunnel? We’ve been searching the world for the most amazing sport stories. Other podcasts bring you the scores and team news. This one tells the stories you’ll wish you’d known about and now probably won’t forget. You don’t need to be obsessed with sport to find yourself immersed in our mini-seasons and short stories. Search for Amazing Sport Stories wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Or find it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xtvs1/episodes/downloads
]]>In our conversations host James Reynolds hears a few of those stories of families celebrating seeing loved ones again. “My mum came out of the Earth one day and that was incredible,” Sharone Lifschitz tells us. Her 85-year-old mother, Yocheved, was one of the first hostages to be released but (at the time of recording) her father was still being held. “She told us my father was injured and so we thought that he was gone and now we know that he is there, but we also know so much more about how horrendous the conditions are.”
Human rights organisations say the number of Palestinians held without charge in Israeli prisons has increased dramatically since 7 October. There are now thought to be more than 6,000 Palestinians held by Israel, many still awaiting trial. We bring together Marwan whose son, Wisam, was released after six and a half months in prison, and Eman who recently welcomed home her sister in law, Hanan.
We also meet two parents living under the Israeli bombardment in Gaza who led their families to safety in Egypt. They tell us about the conditions they endured and how their children are coping.
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>In our conversations host James Reynolds hears a few of those stories of families celebrating seeing loved ones again. “My mum came out of the Earth one day and that was incredible,” Sharone Lifschitz tells us. Her 85-year-old mother, Yocheved, was one of the first hostages to be released but (at the time of recording) her father was still being held. “She told us my father was injured and so we thought that he was gone and now we know that he is there, but we also know so much more about how horrendous the conditions are.”
Human rights organisations say the number of Palestinians held without charge in Israeli prisons has increased dramatically since 7 October. There are now thought to be more than 6,000 Palestinians held by Israel, many still awaiting trial. We bring together Marwan whose son, Wisam, was released after six and a half months in prison, and Eman who recently welcomed home her sister in law, Hanan.
We also meet two parents living under the Israeli bombardment in Gaza who led their families to safety in Egypt. They tell us about the conditions they endured and how their children are coping.
A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.
]]>this programe was first published in 2022.
]]>this programe was first published in 2022.
]]>The Gaza diaries was produced by Haya Al Badarneh, Lara Elgebaly, Mamdouh Akbiek Mohammad Shalaby and Mary O’Reilly.
The editors were Rebecca Henschke and Simon Cox and it was mixed by Graham Puddifoot.
A BBC Arabic investigations production for the BBC World Service.
]]>The Gaza diaries was produced by Haya Al Badarneh, Lara Elgebaly, Mamdouh Akbiek Mohammad Shalaby and Mary O’Reilly.
The editors were Rebecca Henschke and Simon Cox and it was mixed by Graham Puddifoot.
A BBC Arabic investigations production for the BBC World Service.
]]>But how does a text so praised for its formal inventiveness – the narrative voice shifting from third to first person, and inhabiting multiple interior lives, sometimes within a single paragraph – get translated for the theatre and brought to life?
Writer Bongani Kona goes behind the curtain to watch the rehearsal process unfold. We trace Galgut’s journey from the play’s conception, and follow the director and cast as they workshop scenes, experiment with sound and action, and navigate the unusual set design – all in the build-up to opening night. The Promise on stage is directed by Sylvaine Strike with stage adaptation by Damon Galgut and Sylvaine Strike. Original music composition by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder.
Presenter: Bongani Kona Produced by Catherine Boulle and Bongani Kona A Falling Tree production for the BBC World Service
]]>But how does a text so praised for its formal inventiveness – the narrative voice shifting from third to first person, and inhabiting multiple interior lives, sometimes within a single paragraph – get translated for the theatre and brought to life?
Writer Bongani Kona goes behind the curtain to watch the rehearsal process unfold. We trace Galgut’s journey from the play’s conception, and follow the director and cast as they workshop scenes, experiment with sound and action, and navigate the unusual set design – all in the build-up to opening night. The Promise on stage is directed by Sylvaine Strike with stage adaptation by Damon Galgut and Sylvaine Strike. Original music composition by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder.
Presenter: Bongani Kona Produced by Catherine Boulle and Bongani Kona A Falling Tree production for the BBC World Service
]]>Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in protest marches; there are reports of a rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism in some countries; and an increase in hate crimes.
We hear from Muslims and Jews living in the United States and Europe. Some of our Jewish guests say they would feel safer in Israel and the war, than in the country where they currently live.
“I don’t order anything, not an Uber, not a taxi, in my real name anymore,” says 20-year-old student Deborah Kogan, who lives in Berlin. “Not because I’m a Jewish activist, but also because my name sounds very Jewish, especially in Germany. So I’m afraid to get recognised as Jewish.”
Host James Reynolds also hears about the impact of Islamophobia on three Muslims living in Germany and the United States. They talk of how some people perceive them with suspicion, associate them with Hamas and call them a terrorist.
“I’m on a campus that an Arab-Muslim student experienced a hit and run and was told ‘F you and your people’, says Arab American University Lecturer Maytha Alhassen in California. “He was wearing a shirt that said in Arabic, Damascus. So that’s terrifying.”
A co-production between the BBC OS team and Boffin Media.
]]>Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in protest marches; there are reports of a rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism in some countries; and an increase in hate crimes.
We hear from Muslims and Jews living in the United States and Europe. Some of our Jewish guests say they would feel safer in Israel and the war, than in the country where they currently live.
“I don’t order anything, not an Uber, not a taxi, in my real name anymore,” says 20-year-old student Deborah Kogan, who lives in Berlin. “Not because I’m a Jewish activist, but also because my name sounds very Jewish, especially in Germany. So I’m afraid to get recognised as Jewish.”
Host James Reynolds also hears about the impact of Islamophobia on three Muslims living in Germany and the United States. They talk of how some people perceive them with suspicion, associate them with Hamas and call them a terrorist.
“I’m on a campus that an Arab-Muslim student experienced a hit and run and was told ‘F you and your people’, says Arab American University Lecturer Maytha Alhassen in California. “He was wearing a shirt that said in Arabic, Damascus. So that’s terrifying.”
A co-production between the BBC OS team and Boffin Media.
]]>Over the years Tanni has suffered discrimination including when she was pregnant being offered a termination. She meets others who have had similar journeys in India, Pakistan, Ghana, Nigeria, Brazil and New Zealand.
In India she meets Abha Khetarpal, and both reflect on several shared experiences. They both had scoliosis and use a wheelchair and faced early challenges at school - Abha having to be home schooled.
Meanwhile Lois Auta in Nigeria also uses a wheelchair. She was born in 1980 and tells Tanni how she managed to challenge the status quo and stand for parliament. ‘Disability is seen in our country as something that happens through witch craft," she says. Lois, who now acts as an advocate for women with disabilities says those prejudices still exist.
She meets BBC war correspondent Frank Gardner who tells her how he adapted to becoming disabled after being injured during his work in a war zone in the Middle East.
Producer: Ashley Byrne A Made in Manchester production for BBC World Service
]]>Over the years Tanni has suffered discrimination including when she was pregnant being offered a termination. She meets others who have had similar journeys in India, Pakistan, Ghana, Nigeria, Brazil and New Zealand.
In India she meets Abha Khetarpal, and both reflect on several shared experiences. They both had scoliosis and use a wheelchair and faced early challenges at school - Abha having to be home schooled.
Meanwhile Lois Auta in Nigeria also uses a wheelchair. She was born in 1980 and tells Tanni how she managed to challenge the status quo and stand for parliament. ‘Disability is seen in our country as something that happens through witch craft," she says. Lois, who now acts as an advocate for women with disabilities says those prejudices still exist.
She meets BBC war correspondent Frank Gardner who tells her how he adapted to becoming disabled after being injured during his work in a war zone in the Middle East.
Producer: Ashley Byrne A Made in Manchester production for BBC World Service
]]>A Smoke Trail Production.
]]>A Smoke Trail Production.
]]>Jenn is joined in her Taipei studio by Lucy Collingwood as she reaches the final stages of a collection that’s been many months in the making. Surrounded by sewing machines and a snooker table repurposed into a large fabric cutting table. Jenn shares her influences and attention to detail – from the running order of her catwalk show, finalising the looks on mannequins, to adding handmade accessories made of recycled zips and ribbons and choosing which eye catching creation should kick start the show.
Jenn takes us to one of the places that informs her work, the Fu He Bridge Flea Market, where items from used bicycle chains to second hand motorbike jackets can end up as integral parts of her high end garments.
For the catwalks of fashion weeks, Jenn is also planning something a little unusual. As well as her striking garments made in bold colours and hand-dyed fabrics, she’s also creating a digital version of her designs and collaborating on a game featuring characters who embody the themes behind her show.
We share Jenn’s creative journey from Taipei to backstage at her London Fashion Week catwalk show as the audience reacts as her collection is finally revealed.
Producer: Lucy Collingwood Exec Producer: Andrea Kidd
(Photo: Jen Lee. Credit: BBC)
]]>Jenn is joined in her Taipei studio by Lucy Collingwood as she reaches the final stages of a collection that’s been many months in the making. Surrounded by sewing machines and a snooker table repurposed into a large fabric cutting table. Jenn shares her influences and attention to detail – from the running order of her catwalk show, finalising the looks on mannequins, to adding handmade accessories made of recycled zips and ribbons and choosing which eye catching creation should kick start the show.
Jenn takes us to one of the places that informs her work, the Fu He Bridge Flea Market, where items from used bicycle chains to second hand motorbike jackets can end up as integral parts of her high end garments.
For the catwalks of fashion weeks, Jenn is also planning something a little unusual. As well as her striking garments made in bold colours and hand-dyed fabrics, she’s also creating a digital version of her designs and collaborating on a game featuring characters who embody the themes behind her show.
We share Jenn’s creative journey from Taipei to backstage at her London Fashion Week catwalk show as the audience reacts as her collection is finally revealed.
Producer: Lucy Collingwood Exec Producer: Andrea Kidd
(Photo: Jen Lee. Credit: BBC)
]]>Last week we heard from Palestinians. This time, Israeli families share their experiences and memories of those lost. During the surprise raid on Israel, Hamas killed 1400 people and took more than 200 hostages, including children.
Keren and her husband Avidor were rescued that day, under gunfire, from the Kibbutz Kfar Azar. But a few days after, the family heard that both Keren’s parents, Cindy and Igal, had been killed. “She was just the biggest soul,” says Keren of her mother. “She was a humanitarian through and through, she was just all heart.”
Host James Reynolds also speaks to Magen, a teacher from Israel who lives in London. His parents, Yakov and Bilha, were both killed in the attack. We bring Magen together with Elana, the mother of Yannai who was serving as a trainer in the Israeli Defence Forces. Yannai was killed defending his base, helping to save the lives of dozens of other young men and women. He would have celebrated his 21st birthday on the day before we spoke.
BBC OS Conversations is a Boffin Media production in partnership with the OS team.
(Photo: Keren with her baby, her sisters and her parents)
]]>Last week we heard from Palestinians. This time, Israeli families share their experiences and memories of those lost. During the surprise raid on Israel, Hamas killed 1400 people and took more than 200 hostages, including children.
Keren and her husband Avidor were rescued that day, under gunfire, from the Kibbutz Kfar Azar. But a few days after, the family heard that both Keren’s parents, Cindy and Igal, had been killed. “She was just the biggest soul,” says Keren of her mother. “She was a humanitarian through and through, she was just all heart.”
Host James Reynolds also speaks to Magen, a teacher from Israel who lives in London. His parents, Yakov and Bilha, were both killed in the attack. We bring Magen together with Elana, the mother of Yannai who was serving as a trainer in the Israeli Defence Forces. Yannai was killed defending his base, helping to save the lives of dozens of other young men and women. He would have celebrated his 21st birthday on the day before we spoke.
BBC OS Conversations is a Boffin Media production in partnership with the OS team.
(Photo: Keren with her baby, her sisters and her parents)
]]>Most recently, bishops in England made a proposal that same-sex couples should be welcomed in church for a blessing. Opposition from conservative, Anglican groups has been noisy, including from some same-sex attracted Christians.
Ahead of the General Synod, the Church of England’s regular gathering of bishops, and elected clergy and laity, Heart and Soul explores the most divisive and explosive issue facing Anglicans. Linda Pressly meets Christians who both accept, and struggle with, the Church’s teachings on sexuality.
Producer/presenter: Linda Pressly Editor: Helen Grady Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
(Photo: Esther and Victoria were married in September, 2019 in Old Saint Paul’s Church in Edinburgh. The Scottish Episcopal Church is a member of the world-wide Anglican Communion, but it has allowed same-sex marriage since 2017. Credit: Marta Kacala)
]]>Most recently, bishops in England made a proposal that same-sex couples should be welcomed in church for a blessing. Opposition from conservative, Anglican groups has been noisy, including from some same-sex attracted Christians.
Ahead of the General Synod, the Church of England’s regular gathering of bishops, and elected clergy and laity, Heart and Soul explores the most divisive and explosive issue facing Anglicans. Linda Pressly meets Christians who both accept, and struggle with, the Church’s teachings on sexuality.
Producer/presenter: Linda Pressly Editor: Helen Grady Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
(Photo: Esther and Victoria were married in September, 2019 in Old Saint Paul’s Church in Edinburgh. The Scottish Episcopal Church is a member of the world-wide Anglican Communion, but it has allowed same-sex marriage since 2017. Credit: Marta Kacala)
]]>Karam was 19 when the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, had security forces fire on peaceful protestors and arrest hundreds of citizens. Karam was one of those arrested, and after being released he eventually paid a people smuggler to take him to Turkey. He believes that he’ll be arrested and tortured if he returnsto Syria. But he’s also afraid to stay in Turkey, saying that local Police ask for his papers around five times a day.
Hannah Lucinda Smith is in Esenyurt, a predominantly Syrian district around an hour's drive from the centre of Istanbul, speaking to both Syrians and Turks about why tensions have escalated. She's asking what’s next for Syrians living there, and whether or not it will ever be safe enough for them to return home.
A Depictar production for the BBC World Service.
]]>Karam was 19 when the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, had security forces fire on peaceful protestors and arrest hundreds of citizens. Karam was one of those arrested, and after being released he eventually paid a people smuggler to take him to Turkey. He believes that he’ll be arrested and tortured if he returnsto Syria. But he’s also afraid to stay in Turkey, saying that local Police ask for his papers around five times a day.
Hannah Lucinda Smith is in Esenyurt, a predominantly Syrian district around an hour's drive from the centre of Istanbul, speaking to both Syrians and Turks about why tensions have escalated. She's asking what’s next for Syrians living there, and whether or not it will ever be safe enough for them to return home.
A Depictar production for the BBC World Service.
]]>Her next movie is an adaptation of her autobiographical novel Seven Miles Out. It’s about a teenage girl coming to terms with her father's suicide, and not one word of the book has made its way into the screenplay. Carol tells Stephen Hughes why she was surprised by how difficult it was to adapt her own work, and how it brought back thoughts and feelings she thought she'd learned to live with. Carol also reveals that selling a script is harder than writing one, as she waits patiently to hear back from film companies that she’d sent the screenplay to.
Produced and presented by Stephen Hughes
**This programme contains distressing content**
During this interview, Carol speaks frankly about the effect of her father’s suicide upon her. If you need support following anything you’ve hear in this episode, there’s information at bbc.com/actionline and help is also available at befrienders.org.
]]>Her next movie is an adaptation of her autobiographical novel Seven Miles Out. It’s about a teenage girl coming to terms with her father's suicide, and not one word of the book has made its way into the screenplay. Carol tells Stephen Hughes why she was surprised by how difficult it was to adapt her own work, and how it brought back thoughts and feelings she thought she'd learned to live with. Carol also reveals that selling a script is harder than writing one, as she waits patiently to hear back from film companies that she’d sent the screenplay to.
Produced and presented by Stephen Hughes
**This programme contains distressing content**
During this interview, Carol speaks frankly about the effect of her father’s suicide upon her. If you need support following anything you’ve hear in this episode, there’s information at bbc.com/actionline and help is also available at befrienders.org.
]]>The number of fatalities don’t tell the real stories though. In recent days, the OS team has been reaching out to people on both sides who have lost loved ones in the war; inviting them to tell the stories of those killed.
Next week’s programme will feature Israeli families. This edition, hosted by James Reynolds, is a conversation with two Palestinians who now live in Scotland and Turkey.
Yousef Almqayyad in Istanbul, had to have a heartbreaking discussion with his seven-year-old daughter about the deaths in his family.
“Your grandfather, your grandmother, your uncles and aunts and your cousins, right now are in heaven, in a good place,” he said. “Better than Gaza, better than Turkey, better than any place in this world. I told her they are waiting for us.”
Dr Ibrahim Khadra also shares his final conversation with a member of his family in Gaza, who said: “If we’ll survive, we’ll pray to God and if I’ll die just pray for me.”
“It was our last call,” said Dr Khadra.
A co-production between the BBC OS team and Boffin Media.
(Photo: Yousef Almqayyad with his parents Yaser and Inshirah)
]]>The number of fatalities don’t tell the real stories though. In recent days, the OS team has been reaching out to people on both sides who have lost loved ones in the war; inviting them to tell the stories of those killed.
Next week’s programme will feature Israeli families. This edition, hosted by James Reynolds, is a conversation with two Palestinians who now live in Scotland and Turkey.
Yousef Almqayyad in Istanbul, had to have a heartbreaking discussion with his seven-year-old daughter about the deaths in his family.
“Your grandfather, your grandmother, your uncles and aunts and your cousins, right now are in heaven, in a good place,” he said. “Better than Gaza, better than Turkey, better than any place in this world. I told her they are waiting for us.”
Dr Ibrahim Khadra also shares his final conversation with a member of his family in Gaza, who said: “If we’ll survive, we’ll pray to God and if I’ll die just pray for me.”
“It was our last call,” said Dr Khadra.
A co-production between the BBC OS team and Boffin Media.
(Photo: Yousef Almqayyad with his parents Yaser and Inshirah)
]]>He speaks to young victims who bear the scars of vicious beatings, to families who are seeking justice for their children who have reportedly been beaten, one of whom died - and to teachers who have turned their back on the cane and are now trying to spread the message that violence in the classroom is wrong. Through all of this, Tom asks the question, why is this happening, and what is being done to protect the most innocent in our society?
Reporter: Tom Odula Producer: Chris Alcock and Rebecca Henschke Africa Eye Editor: Tom Watson Assignment Editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Kenyan child looks out of a school window. Credit: BBC Africa Eye)
]]>He speaks to young victims who bear the scars of vicious beatings, to families who are seeking justice for their children who have reportedly been beaten, one of whom died - and to teachers who have turned their back on the cane and are now trying to spread the message that violence in the classroom is wrong. Through all of this, Tom asks the question, why is this happening, and what is being done to protect the most innocent in our society?
Reporter: Tom Odula Producer: Chris Alcock and Rebecca Henschke Africa Eye Editor: Tom Watson Assignment Editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Kenyan child looks out of a school window. Credit: BBC Africa Eye)
]]>Originally from Cork, Ireland, Kieran now lives in Berlin where he plans and designs zoos across the globe. He lists milestone projects in countries including the UK, Denmark, South Korea, Uzbekistan, China, and Germany. From his studios in Berlin, we find Kieran overseeing multiple international projects including a major, and slightly mysterious, new zoo development in Gujarat, India, called simply ’Zoo India’.
Working with a multidisciplinary team including architects, landscape architects, interior designers and communication designers, it quickly becomes clear that design is just one element of a complex and fascinating process.
A Tandem Production for BBC World Service.
]]>Originally from Cork, Ireland, Kieran now lives in Berlin where he plans and designs zoos across the globe. He lists milestone projects in countries including the UK, Denmark, South Korea, Uzbekistan, China, and Germany. From his studios in Berlin, we find Kieran overseeing multiple international projects including a major, and slightly mysterious, new zoo development in Gujarat, India, called simply ’Zoo India’.
Working with a multidisciplinary team including architects, landscape architects, interior designers and communication designers, it quickly becomes clear that design is just one element of a complex and fascinating process.
A Tandem Production for BBC World Service.
]]>We hear their conversations as they talk about the beginnings of romantic relationships, and the realisation of the huge complications and family disputes that might ensure. Emotions are shared, and the challenges and decisions they face because of the present and also the past.
Leya and Thaer, a Jewish-Palestinian couple living in the US, describe how both of their families were happy with the match, and how they’re bringing their son up to understand and celebrate both sides of his heritage, and to make his own choices.
Becca, an American-Israeli describes meeting her Palestinian husband-to-be Mohammed in Israel, and the moment she realised the impact this could have on both of their lives. “We kissed for the first time,” she says, “and afterwards I literally said, are we playing with fire here?” Despite unease on both sides of their family, they married in 2012. Years later, shocked by the events of October 7th, Becca found herself asking Mohammed, “’Is this the sort of operation that you support?’ And he was like, ‘of course not’. But I had to ask him that question, and I regret it.”
We also hear from a family of four, whose two adult sons now find themselves being asked by friends “whose side are you on?”.
(Photo: Leah and Thaer with their baby)
]]>We hear their conversations as they talk about the beginnings of romantic relationships, and the realisation of the huge complications and family disputes that might ensure. Emotions are shared, and the challenges and decisions they face because of the present and also the past.
Leya and Thaer, a Jewish-Palestinian couple living in the US, describe how both of their families were happy with the match, and how they’re bringing their son up to understand and celebrate both sides of his heritage, and to make his own choices.
Becca, an American-Israeli describes meeting her Palestinian husband-to-be Mohammed in Israel, and the moment she realised the impact this could have on both of their lives. “We kissed for the first time,” she says, “and afterwards I literally said, are we playing with fire here?” Despite unease on both sides of their family, they married in 2012. Years later, shocked by the events of October 7th, Becca found herself asking Mohammed, “’Is this the sort of operation that you support?’ And he was like, ‘of course not’. But I had to ask him that question, and I regret it.”
We also hear from a family of four, whose two adult sons now find themselves being asked by friends “whose side are you on?”.
(Photo: Leah and Thaer with their baby)
]]>Image: A scene from “We Are No Longer” by KnAM Theatre (Picture copyright Julie Cherki)
]]>Image: A scene from “We Are No Longer” by KnAM Theatre (Picture copyright Julie Cherki)
]]>In the final episode of 'Africa's Urban Future', a four-part series from the BBC World Service, Mike Wooldridge considers the future - and nothing is more pressing than the combination of this rapid urbanisation and accelerating climate change. In many cities, climate change will only add to the challenges. How the continent manages this, will not only affect the daily lives of the millions of Africans, but shape everything from migration and global economic prosperity to the future of the African nation state and the prospects for limiting climate crisis.
‘Africa’s Urban Future’ is a Ruth Evans Productions series for the BBC World Service.
]]>In the final episode of 'Africa's Urban Future', a four-part series from the BBC World Service, Mike Wooldridge considers the future - and nothing is more pressing than the combination of this rapid urbanisation and accelerating climate change. In many cities, climate change will only add to the challenges. How the continent manages this, will not only affect the daily lives of the millions of Africans, but shape everything from migration and global economic prosperity to the future of the African nation state and the prospects for limiting climate crisis.
‘Africa’s Urban Future’ is a Ruth Evans Productions series for the BBC World Service.
]]>How does it feel to nurture other people’s children while someone else takes care of yours? How does it shape a family when the mother works abroad? What’s the impact on the children, and their relationship with their parents?
Namulanta Kombo - host of the multi-award-winning World Service podcast Dear Daughter – explores the personal stories behind this “global care chain.”
She speaks to women all over the world who’ve been in this situation, from the Philippines to Romania to Nairobi to Dubai.
They tell her what led them to leave, and what it’s been like for them - the birthdays missed and late night phone calls.
They talk about the thrill of watching someone else’s child take their first steps, and the challenges of keeping your family together when you’re thousands of miles apart.
And she speaks to some of the people who stayed behind about the lasting impact on their families.
]]>How does it feel to nurture other people’s children while someone else takes care of yours? How does it shape a family when the mother works abroad? What’s the impact on the children, and their relationship with their parents?
Namulanta Kombo - host of the multi-award-winning World Service podcast Dear Daughter – explores the personal stories behind this “global care chain.”
She speaks to women all over the world who’ve been in this situation, from the Philippines to Romania to Nairobi to Dubai.
They tell her what led them to leave, and what it’s been like for them - the birthdays missed and late night phone calls.
They talk about the thrill of watching someone else’s child take their first steps, and the challenges of keeping your family together when you’re thousands of miles apart.
And she speaks to some of the people who stayed behind about the lasting impact on their families.
]]>(Image: Aida Fernandes, farmer in Covas do Barroso. Credit: BBC/Caroline Bayley)
]]>(Image: Aida Fernandes, farmer in Covas do Barroso. Credit: BBC/Caroline Bayley)
]]>In this episode of The Cultural Frontline, we speak to animators responsible for some of Disney and Pixar’s most successful films. We also explore the creative, technological and cultural challenges Disney and the wider animation industry are facing today.
Veteran animator Floyd Norman has worked with Disney since the 1950s, on films like Sleeping Beauty and The Jungle Book. His colleague Tony Bancroft was the co-director of Mulan and the creator of one of the most beloved Disney characters, Pumbaa the warthog, in The Lion King. They talk about the milestones of Disney history.
Oscar-winning director Brenda Chapman reflects on the role of women on screen and in production, and talks about the inspiration for Merida, Brave’s anti-princess.
Plus, Rebecca Sugar, and Frank Abney discuss how the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and the Black Lives Matter movement are changing the animation industry.
Presenter: Brian Sibley Producer: Constanza Hola
]]>In this episode of The Cultural Frontline, we speak to animators responsible for some of Disney and Pixar’s most successful films. We also explore the creative, technological and cultural challenges Disney and the wider animation industry are facing today.
Veteran animator Floyd Norman has worked with Disney since the 1950s, on films like Sleeping Beauty and The Jungle Book. His colleague Tony Bancroft was the co-director of Mulan and the creator of one of the most beloved Disney characters, Pumbaa the warthog, in The Lion King. They talk about the milestones of Disney history.
Oscar-winning director Brenda Chapman reflects on the role of women on screen and in production, and talks about the inspiration for Merida, Brave’s anti-princess.
Plus, Rebecca Sugar, and Frank Abney discuss how the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and the Black Lives Matter movement are changing the animation industry.
Presenter: Brian Sibley Producer: Constanza Hola
]]>In a region steeped in the history and trauma of that war, the unveiling of a new memorial has shone a spotlight on the hidden histories of the United States. As Elizabeth Gabriel reports for Assignment, how we remember the past remains a divisive issue.
Produced by Ben Wyatt Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Studio mix: Rod Farquhar Assignment editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Statue of Henrietta Lacks on Lacks Plaza, Roanoke. Credit: David Hungate and the Roanoke Times)
]]>In a region steeped in the history and trauma of that war, the unveiling of a new memorial has shone a spotlight on the hidden histories of the United States. As Elizabeth Gabriel reports for Assignment, how we remember the past remains a divisive issue.
Produced by Ben Wyatt Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Studio mix: Rod Farquhar Assignment editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Statue of Henrietta Lacks on Lacks Plaza, Roanoke. Credit: David Hungate and the Roanoke Times)
]]>Presented by Khadidiatou Cissé Produced by Stephanie Stafford and Suzanne Vanhooymissen. BBC Eye editors Rebecca Henschke and Tom Watson Mixed by Neil Churchill Assignment series editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Child holding football boots. Credit: BBC)
]]>Presented by Khadidiatou Cissé Produced by Stephanie Stafford and Suzanne Vanhooymissen. BBC Eye editors Rebecca Henschke and Tom Watson Mixed by Neil Churchill Assignment series editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Child holding football boots. Credit: BBC)
]]>As Tim Mansel discovers for Assignment, others disagree and are campaigning for the law to be abolished. Most eye-catching is a campaign run by the Freedom Fund, set up in Berlin in 2021, which has raised hundreds of thousands of Euros. Its founder, Arne Semsrott, describes the law as “deeply unjust,” saying it “discriminates heavily against people who don’t have money, against people who don’t have housing, against people who are already in crisis.”
Produced and presented by Tim Mansel
(Image: Gisa März, who served a prison sentence for fare dodging. Credit: Tim Mansel/BBC)
]]>As Tim Mansel discovers for Assignment, others disagree and are campaigning for the law to be abolished. Most eye-catching is a campaign run by the Freedom Fund, set up in Berlin in 2021, which has raised hundreds of thousands of Euros. Its founder, Arne Semsrott, describes the law as “deeply unjust,” saying it “discriminates heavily against people who don’t have money, against people who don’t have housing, against people who are already in crisis.”
Produced and presented by Tim Mansel
(Image: Gisa März, who served a prison sentence for fare dodging. Credit: Tim Mansel/BBC)
]]>For decades this area popularised the phrase “High North, Low Tension.” Close economic and cultural ties developed with brisk cross-border trade. Hundreds of Russians settled in the town. But now new cross-border restrictions have been imposed and co-operation has ended. The local economy has taken a significant hit and cross-border cultural groups no longer meet. However, despite this being a NATO member, the Norwegian government is keeping the border open. Russian fishing vessels still unload their catch in Kirkenes but are no longer allowed to undergo repairs. The Norwegians have stepped up checks on these Russian boats amid concern of a rise in Russian spying and potential sabotage.
For Assignment, John Murphy travels to Norway’s Arctic to see how war has changed the town and to ask what’s next for this unique community. Presenter: John Murphy Producer: Alex Last Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Series editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Kirkenes, in the far north-east of Norway. Credit: BBC)
]]>For decades this area popularised the phrase “High North, Low Tension.” Close economic and cultural ties developed with brisk cross-border trade. Hundreds of Russians settled in the town. But now new cross-border restrictions have been imposed and co-operation has ended. The local economy has taken a significant hit and cross-border cultural groups no longer meet. However, despite this being a NATO member, the Norwegian government is keeping the border open. Russian fishing vessels still unload their catch in Kirkenes but are no longer allowed to undergo repairs. The Norwegians have stepped up checks on these Russian boats amid concern of a rise in Russian spying and potential sabotage.
For Assignment, John Murphy travels to Norway’s Arctic to see how war has changed the town and to ask what’s next for this unique community. Presenter: John Murphy Producer: Alex Last Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Series editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Kirkenes, in the far north-east of Norway. Credit: BBC)
]]>Presenter: Lina Sinjab Producer : Caroline Bayley Editor: Penny Murphy Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar
(Image: Framed photographs of some of the people who are missing in Syria. Credit: Guevara Namer/The Syria Campaign)
]]>Presenter: Lina Sinjab Producer : Caroline Bayley Editor: Penny Murphy Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar
(Image: Framed photographs of some of the people who are missing in Syria. Credit: Guevara Namer/The Syria Campaign)
]]>Izabela is unusual as a young woman recordist, in a profession dominated by men - all the more so because has been blind from birth. She developed a special sensitivity to birdsong ever since her family gave her a tape recorder at the age of 12, and she at once turned its microphone towards the sky. She identifies species entirely though her ears, with an extraordinarily detailed depth of field.
Hearing the forest through Izabela’s acute ears, we venture into her world as well as that of the wilderness she loves. Recorded on location in Białoweiza, we also hear night and dawn recordings that bring all sorts of surprises to the microphone.
Produced by Monica Whitlock. Mixed by Neil Churchill
]]>Izabela is unusual as a young woman recordist, in a profession dominated by men - all the more so because has been blind from birth. She developed a special sensitivity to birdsong ever since her family gave her a tape recorder at the age of 12, and she at once turned its microphone towards the sky. She identifies species entirely though her ears, with an extraordinarily detailed depth of field.
Hearing the forest through Izabela’s acute ears, we venture into her world as well as that of the wilderness she loves. Recorded on location in Białoweiza, we also hear night and dawn recordings that bring all sorts of surprises to the microphone.
Produced by Monica Whitlock. Mixed by Neil Churchill
]]>After its engine broke down, the boat drifted for several hours while desperate passengers made distress calls and waited for rescue. Only 104 people survived the sinking. More than 600 may have drowned, making this one of the deadliest disasters in Europe’s ongoing migration crisis.
For Assignment, Nick Beake travels to Greece to meet survivors of the sinking, who are now living in a refugee camp outside Athens. He hears how they endured a four-day voyage, during which several passengers died due to a lack of food, water and ventilation on board. Brutal smugglers forced them to board the dangerous boat, and confiscated water bottles and life jackets to make room for extra passengers.
Many of the survivors have accused the Greek coastguard of causing the sinking by attempting to tow the heavily overloaded vessel. Greek authorities have denied these claims. Nick meets a Greek activist who volunteers for an emergency hotline that received distress calls from passengers on the ship. She explains that the June 14th disaster is not the first time the Greek coastguard has come under scrutiny, and it has previously been accused of using aggressive and illegal tactics to deter migration.
Presented by Nick Beake Producer: Viv Jones Studio mix: Graham Puddifoot Series Editor: Penny Murphy
]]>After its engine broke down, the boat drifted for several hours while desperate passengers made distress calls and waited for rescue. Only 104 people survived the sinking. More than 600 may have drowned, making this one of the deadliest disasters in Europe’s ongoing migration crisis.
For Assignment, Nick Beake travels to Greece to meet survivors of the sinking, who are now living in a refugee camp outside Athens. He hears how they endured a four-day voyage, during which several passengers died due to a lack of food, water and ventilation on board. Brutal smugglers forced them to board the dangerous boat, and confiscated water bottles and life jackets to make room for extra passengers.
Many of the survivors have accused the Greek coastguard of causing the sinking by attempting to tow the heavily overloaded vessel. Greek authorities have denied these claims. Nick meets a Greek activist who volunteers for an emergency hotline that received distress calls from passengers on the ship. She explains that the June 14th disaster is not the first time the Greek coastguard has come under scrutiny, and it has previously been accused of using aggressive and illegal tactics to deter migration.
Presented by Nick Beake Producer: Viv Jones Studio mix: Graham Puddifoot Series Editor: Penny Murphy
]]>Tara Gadomski follows Robyn over three intense days as she constructs a new crossword puzzle from blank page to completed grid. We get a glimpse of her long word lists and her daily puzzle-writing routine, and experience Robyn’s final verification - by pencil and paper - to make sure the puzzle is satisfying for the millions of people who will try to solve it then we discover whether Robyn’s puzzle has been accepted for publication by the New York Times
]]>Tara Gadomski follows Robyn over three intense days as she constructs a new crossword puzzle from blank page to completed grid. We get a glimpse of her long word lists and her daily puzzle-writing routine, and experience Robyn’s final verification - by pencil and paper - to make sure the puzzle is satisfying for the millions of people who will try to solve it then we discover whether Robyn’s puzzle has been accepted for publication by the New York Times
]]>Can you be a sex worker and still follow your faith? Sex work has always challenged religion. Although it’s broadly considered immoral within Christianity, Islam and Judaism, sacred texts carry some mixed messages. Women sex workers often see male religious leaders condemning them in public, whilst buying their services in private.
In Bangalore in India, women at a sex workers cooperative think religion is compatible with their work. One Christian, who’s a mother and wife, says her family don’t know how she makes her living. “I can talk to God about it when I can’t talk to my husband”. In Nigeria, a Muslim sex worker we’re calling Zara operates in an area where sex work is illegal and dangerous. But she draws strength from her faith. “I know what God says about selling sex, that it’s against the religion but he understands that I have to do it.”
]]>Can you be a sex worker and still follow your faith? Sex work has always challenged religion. Although it’s broadly considered immoral within Christianity, Islam and Judaism, sacred texts carry some mixed messages. Women sex workers often see male religious leaders condemning them in public, whilst buying their services in private.
In Bangalore in India, women at a sex workers cooperative think religion is compatible with their work. One Christian, who’s a mother and wife, says her family don’t know how she makes her living. “I can talk to God about it when I can’t talk to my husband”. In Nigeria, a Muslim sex worker we’re calling Zara operates in an area where sex work is illegal and dangerous. But she draws strength from her faith. “I know what God says about selling sex, that it’s against the religion but he understands that I have to do it.”
]]>What does its ever-growing popularity tell us about the changing identity of a country that once saw itself primarily as part of the Arab world, but has now become more interested in its links to the rest of the African continent?
Presented by Myriam Francois Produced by Tim Whewell Series editor Penny Murphy
(Image: Asmâa Hamzaoui. Credit: BBC/Myriam Francois)
]]>What does its ever-growing popularity tell us about the changing identity of a country that once saw itself primarily as part of the Arab world, but has now become more interested in its links to the rest of the African continent?
Presented by Myriam Francois Produced by Tim Whewell Series editor Penny Murphy
(Image: Asmâa Hamzaoui. Credit: BBC/Myriam Francois)
]]>More than two years on, five students at Parami University share their experiences of studying during the coup. Offering a US style liberal arts education, Parami University is one of many institutions offering people another chance to begin, or in some cases restart, their learning.
From dealing with electricity blackouts to writing essays about philosophy for teachers who are only ever a tile on a screen - and usually on the other side of the world - each student shares how they are using education as both resistance and hope for themselves and their country. We also hear from Parami University staff and academics who explain how education continues during conflict.
Names and voices have been changed on some contributors.
With thanks to Dr Shona Loong, Dr Will Buckingham, Dr Kyaw Moe Tun and students at Parami University
Producer: Mollie Davidson
A 7digital Production for BBC World Service
]]>More than two years on, five students at Parami University share their experiences of studying during the coup. Offering a US style liberal arts education, Parami University is one of many institutions offering people another chance to begin, or in some cases restart, their learning.
From dealing with electricity blackouts to writing essays about philosophy for teachers who are only ever a tile on a screen - and usually on the other side of the world - each student shares how they are using education as both resistance and hope for themselves and their country. We also hear from Parami University staff and academics who explain how education continues during conflict.
Names and voices have been changed on some contributors.
With thanks to Dr Shona Loong, Dr Will Buckingham, Dr Kyaw Moe Tun and students at Parami University
Producer: Mollie Davidson
A 7digital Production for BBC World Service
]]>We also hear from two unemployed mothers, one of whom is prepared to temporarily leave her young child with relatives in order to secure her own and her daughter’s future.
A co-production between the BBC OS team and Boffin Media.
]]>We also hear from two unemployed mothers, one of whom is prepared to temporarily leave her young child with relatives in order to secure her own and her daughter’s future.
A co-production between the BBC OS team and Boffin Media.
]]>Produced by Nina Robinson Series producer: Rajeev Gupta Production coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
]]>Produced by Nina Robinson Series producer: Rajeev Gupta Production coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
]]>But as Linda Pressly finds on a trip to Belize for Assignment, the ‘blue bond’ hasn’t been universally welcomed. There are concerns about an international NGO having influence in a poor nation, and arguments about which Belizean marine organisations have benefitted from the new investment. And there is one unresolved question: what does the ‘blue bond’ agreement mean for the potential future exploration of offshore oil in Belizean waters? Presenter/producer: Linda Pressly Sound engineer: Neil Churchill Editor: Penny Murphy (Photo: Replanting corals to restore Belize’s barrier reef is critical work in an era of climate emergency. Credit: Fragments of Hope)
]]>But as Linda Pressly finds on a trip to Belize for Assignment, the ‘blue bond’ hasn’t been universally welcomed. There are concerns about an international NGO having influence in a poor nation, and arguments about which Belizean marine organisations have benefitted from the new investment. And there is one unresolved question: what does the ‘blue bond’ agreement mean for the potential future exploration of offshore oil in Belizean waters? Presenter/producer: Linda Pressly Sound engineer: Neil Churchill Editor: Penny Murphy (Photo: Replanting corals to restore Belize’s barrier reef is critical work in an era of climate emergency. Credit: Fragments of Hope)
]]>Last year Zimbabwe was the third largest source of foreign workers for the UK, behind India and Nigeria, and ahead of the Philippines and Pakistan, which have much larger populations.
A popular social media post reads: “the Zimbabwean dream is to leave Zimbabwe.”
Many of those leaving their country are highly qualified. They’re taking jobs in the British care sector, where there is a huge shortage of workers. They send much of what they earn back to their families in Zimbabwe. For those back home it’s often the only way to survive in a country with hyper-inflation.
Zimbabwe is about to go to the polls but few expect things to change. The economy is in dire straits and the opposition hasn’t been allowed to campaign freely. Some activists have been imprisoned or even killed. The ruling ZANU PF party, which has been in power since independence in 1980, shows little sign of losing control.
Earlier this year the UK gave Zimbabwean teachers “Qualified Teacher” status, allowing them to work long-term in the UK. Zimbabwean parents fear their children’s teachers will be the next to leave.
Zimbabwe’s latest skills exodus could break the country’s healthcare and education systems, which are already crumbling after decades of under-investment and corruption. For Assignment, Charlotte Ashton hears from Zimbabweans who’ve left, Zimbabweans who want to leave and Zimbabweans who say they can only dream of leaving.
Presenter: Charlotte Ashton Producer: John Murphy
(Image: A well-used five US dollar note in Zimbabwe. Credit: KB Mpofu)
]]>Last year Zimbabwe was the third largest source of foreign workers for the UK, behind India and Nigeria, and ahead of the Philippines and Pakistan, which have much larger populations.
A popular social media post reads: “the Zimbabwean dream is to leave Zimbabwe.”
Many of those leaving their country are highly qualified. They’re taking jobs in the British care sector, where there is a huge shortage of workers. They send much of what they earn back to their families in Zimbabwe. For those back home it’s often the only way to survive in a country with hyper-inflation.
Zimbabwe is about to go to the polls but few expect things to change. The economy is in dire straits and the opposition hasn’t been allowed to campaign freely. Some activists have been imprisoned or even killed. The ruling ZANU PF party, which has been in power since independence in 1980, shows little sign of losing control.
Earlier this year the UK gave Zimbabwean teachers “Qualified Teacher” status, allowing them to work long-term in the UK. Zimbabwean parents fear their children’s teachers will be the next to leave.
Zimbabwe’s latest skills exodus could break the country’s healthcare and education systems, which are already crumbling after decades of under-investment and corruption. For Assignment, Charlotte Ashton hears from Zimbabweans who’ve left, Zimbabweans who want to leave and Zimbabweans who say they can only dream of leaving.
Presenter: Charlotte Ashton Producer: John Murphy
(Image: A well-used five US dollar note in Zimbabwe. Credit: KB Mpofu)
]]>Already, some returnees are reported to have committed further serious crimes. One has confessed to the brutal axe-murder of his 85-year-old former landlady. In another case, an ex-convict believed to have served with Wagner has been charged with masterminding the killing of two children's entertainers, one of them a 19-year-old woman who was training to be a teacher. The murders in southern Russia provoked an outpouring of anger and grief, with thousands signing a petition demanding that the alleged ringleader - who denies any guilt - should get a life sentence if he is eventually convicted. But they know any punishment will probably be less severe, because the criminal records of former Wagner mercenaries have been wiped. They start their lives again from a clean slate, and if they re-offend, no previous convictions can be considered.
Reporter Arseny Sokolov talks to the mother of the murdered entertainer, to campaigners for prison reform - and to an ex-convict who fought for Wagner - to investigate what threat the returned mercenaries pose in their home towns and villages - and to assess the damage "legal nihilism" is doing to Russian society.
Producer: Tim Whewell Editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: A poster showing Wagner Group servicemen with a slogan reading “Join the winning team” in St. Petersburg, Russia, 24 June 2023. Credit: Anatoly Maltsev/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
]]>Already, some returnees are reported to have committed further serious crimes. One has confessed to the brutal axe-murder of his 85-year-old former landlady. In another case, an ex-convict believed to have served with Wagner has been charged with masterminding the killing of two children's entertainers, one of them a 19-year-old woman who was training to be a teacher. The murders in southern Russia provoked an outpouring of anger and grief, with thousands signing a petition demanding that the alleged ringleader - who denies any guilt - should get a life sentence if he is eventually convicted. But they know any punishment will probably be less severe, because the criminal records of former Wagner mercenaries have been wiped. They start their lives again from a clean slate, and if they re-offend, no previous convictions can be considered.
Reporter Arseny Sokolov talks to the mother of the murdered entertainer, to campaigners for prison reform - and to an ex-convict who fought for Wagner - to investigate what threat the returned mercenaries pose in their home towns and villages - and to assess the damage "legal nihilism" is doing to Russian society.
Producer: Tim Whewell Editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: A poster showing Wagner Group servicemen with a slogan reading “Join the winning team” in St. Petersburg, Russia, 24 June 2023. Credit: Anatoly Maltsev/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
]]>Dr Tessa Dunlop travels to Transylvania to meet Alina, who was persuaded to leave the UK by a grant that helped her start up a leather clothing business. Adrian, co-owner of an app design company, relishes the high tech salary he can earn and the relatively low living costs in Romania. Dan, a foetal medicine specialist left the UK after nearly a decade working for the NHS, hoping to improve Romania’s maternity wards. In some sectors, though, there are still shortages. Builder Ion can't find the Romanian talent he could easily recruit in Italy. Perhaps not enough has improved, yet, to tempt lower paid workers home.
Presenter: Dr Tessa Dunlop Producer: Phoebe Keane Editor: Penny Murphy Production Coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross Mixed by: James Beard
(Image: Alina Morar returned to Romania to set up a leather clothing company with the help of a government grant. Credit: BBC)
]]>Dr Tessa Dunlop travels to Transylvania to meet Alina, who was persuaded to leave the UK by a grant that helped her start up a leather clothing business. Adrian, co-owner of an app design company, relishes the high tech salary he can earn and the relatively low living costs in Romania. Dan, a foetal medicine specialist left the UK after nearly a decade working for the NHS, hoping to improve Romania’s maternity wards. In some sectors, though, there are still shortages. Builder Ion can't find the Romanian talent he could easily recruit in Italy. Perhaps not enough has improved, yet, to tempt lower paid workers home.
Presenter: Dr Tessa Dunlop Producer: Phoebe Keane Editor: Penny Murphy Production Coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross Mixed by: James Beard
(Image: Alina Morar returned to Romania to set up a leather clothing company with the help of a government grant. Credit: BBC)
]]>Presenter: John Murphy Producer: Charlotte Ashton Studio Mix: Rod Farquhar Editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Elephant wading in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Credit: Brytta/Getty)
]]>Presenter: John Murphy Producer: Charlotte Ashton Studio Mix: Rod Farquhar Editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Elephant wading in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Credit: Brytta/Getty)
]]>Mike Thomson meets the sister of an activist who was imprisoned, an aspiring kickboxer who wants to settle abroad, a sub-Saharan migrant who’s lost his job and his home and a rapper, whose music helped inspire that 2011 revolution. What future faces Tunisia – democracy or dictatorship?
Presenter: Mike Thomson Producer: Bob Howard Mixed by Rod Farquhar Production coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross Series Editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Tunisians with Tunisian flags protesting against the constitutional referendum. Credit: Mohamed Messara/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
]]>Mike Thomson meets the sister of an activist who was imprisoned, an aspiring kickboxer who wants to settle abroad, a sub-Saharan migrant who’s lost his job and his home and a rapper, whose music helped inspire that 2011 revolution. What future faces Tunisia – democracy or dictatorship?
Presenter: Mike Thomson Producer: Bob Howard Mixed by Rod Farquhar Production coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross Series Editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Tunisians with Tunisian flags protesting against the constitutional referendum. Credit: Mohamed Messara/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
]]>Host James Reynolds has been bringing people around the world together to share their experiences of inflation. Three people living in cities in Asia, Africa and Europe describe their struggles to buy food and pay the rent.
We also speak to business owners, in Argentina, Senegal and Zimbabwe, including two who run restaurants. They give us an insight into how they stay solvent and share some advice on spending. They say that even when times are tough, people still want to go out to socialise with friends and family.
And two students, in Poland and Lebanon, tell us know they have taken on multiple jobs to make ends meet.
]]>Host James Reynolds has been bringing people around the world together to share their experiences of inflation. Three people living in cities in Asia, Africa and Europe describe their struggles to buy food and pay the rent.
We also speak to business owners, in Argentina, Senegal and Zimbabwe, including two who run restaurants. They give us an insight into how they stay solvent and share some advice on spending. They say that even when times are tough, people still want to go out to socialise with friends and family.
And two students, in Poland and Lebanon, tell us know they have taken on multiple jobs to make ends meet.
]]>But a new, burgeoning movement led by hip-hop artists, academics, writers and film makers is actively changing that perception. They want to reclaim Afrikaaps to restore the linguistic, cultural and racial dignity of a formerly disenfranchised people. The writer Lindsay Johns travels to Cape Town to meet the activists determined to assert the worth and pride of the people who speak Afrikaaps.
Presenter: Lindsay Johns Producers: Audrey Brown and Tim Mansel Mixed by Neil Churchill Production coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross Series Editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Children in Lavender Hill, a township on the Cape Flats in Cape Town, South Africa. Credit: Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
]]>But a new, burgeoning movement led by hip-hop artists, academics, writers and film makers is actively changing that perception. They want to reclaim Afrikaaps to restore the linguistic, cultural and racial dignity of a formerly disenfranchised people. The writer Lindsay Johns travels to Cape Town to meet the activists determined to assert the worth and pride of the people who speak Afrikaaps.
Presenter: Lindsay Johns Producers: Audrey Brown and Tim Mansel Mixed by Neil Churchill Production coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross Series Editor: Penny Murphy
(Image: Children in Lavender Hill, a township on the Cape Flats in Cape Town, South Africa. Credit: Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
]]>Despite the extra costs of becoming more environmentally friendly, the clothes Bangladesh exports remain surprisingly affordable. In this documentary, fashion media producer and rights campaigner Sheemtana Shameem asks how this is possible.
She looks into technologies to help sustainable production, examines what sustainability costs, and visits textile manufacturers to find out what it takes to ensure that sustainability itself remains sustainable. Ultimately, she asks, who is paying the price of Bangladesh’s textile industry going green? Will we all have to dig deeper into our pockets if we want to continue wearing clothes made in Bangladesh?
Producer: Shiroma Silva A CTVC production for the BBC World Service
]]>Despite the extra costs of becoming more environmentally friendly, the clothes Bangladesh exports remain surprisingly affordable. In this documentary, fashion media producer and rights campaigner Sheemtana Shameem asks how this is possible.
She looks into technologies to help sustainable production, examines what sustainability costs, and visits textile manufacturers to find out what it takes to ensure that sustainability itself remains sustainable. Ultimately, she asks, who is paying the price of Bangladesh’s textile industry going green? Will we all have to dig deeper into our pockets if we want to continue wearing clothes made in Bangladesh?
Producer: Shiroma Silva A CTVC production for the BBC World Service
]]>Photo: Bahar, a Yazidi survivor, holds a picture of her missing husband and son. She and her family were captured by Islamic State in 2014. (BBC)
Presenter: Rachel Wright Producer: Alex Last Sound Mix: Neva Missirian Production Coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross Series Editor: Penny Murphy
]]>Photo: Bahar, a Yazidi survivor, holds a picture of her missing husband and son. She and her family were captured by Islamic State in 2014. (BBC)
Presenter: Rachel Wright Producer: Alex Last Sound Mix: Neva Missirian Production Coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross Series Editor: Penny Murphy
]]>Audio for this episode was updated on 4th July 2023.
]]>Audio for this episode was updated on 4th July 2023.
]]>Presenter Mark Lobel Producer Kate West Editor Carl Johnston Studio mix by Graham Puddifoot
]]>Presenter Mark Lobel Producer Kate West Editor Carl Johnston Studio mix by Graham Puddifoot
]]>In 2023, Matt Warwick discovered what Girmay's victories have meant for Eritrea and Eritreans, as well as the rest of Africa. He tells the story of his extraordinary early life and examines the significance of what his achievements can mean for such an accessible sport, which, after more than 100 years, remains almost completely white European.
]]>In 2023, Matt Warwick discovered what Girmay's victories have meant for Eritrea and Eritreans, as well as the rest of Africa. He tells the story of his extraordinary early life and examines the significance of what his achievements can mean for such an accessible sport, which, after more than 100 years, remains almost completely white European.
]]>These subterranean dwellings are just one example of a growing wealth divide in Asia’s fourth largest economy. With almost half of the country’s population living in Greater Seoul, the struggle to find affordable housing has become a major political issue. It also contributes to Korea’s worryingly low birth rate. The inability of young people to afford a home of their own means they are not starting families. Many have given up on relationships altogether.
John Murphy reports from Seoul, where owning a home of your own is so important and yet increasingly unattainable.
Produced and presented by John Murphy Producer in Seoul: Keith Keunhyung Park Studio mix: Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinator: Iona Hammond Series editor: Penny Murphy
(Photo: Park Jongeon, his wife and dog live in this one room in one of Seoul’s poor housing districts. Credit: John Murphy)
]]>These subterranean dwellings are just one example of a growing wealth divide in Asia’s fourth largest economy. With almost half of the country’s population living in Greater Seoul, the struggle to find affordable housing has become a major political issue. It also contributes to Korea’s worryingly low birth rate. The inability of young people to afford a home of their own means they are not starting families. Many have given up on relationships altogether.
John Murphy reports from Seoul, where owning a home of your own is so important and yet increasingly unattainable.
Produced and presented by John Murphy Producer in Seoul: Keith Keunhyung Park Studio mix: Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinator: Iona Hammond Series editor: Penny Murphy
(Photo: Park Jongeon, his wife and dog live in this one room in one of Seoul’s poor housing districts. Credit: John Murphy)
]]>There's a horrific and disturbing trade in the torture of Macaque monkeys that are filmed and sold online. Rebecca Henschke follows the trade in these videos from the USA to Indonesia to the UK. Who is making them, who is selling them and who is buying them? Why is it that monkeys being put through unimaginable pain is so attractive that people are willing to pay to watch it? Rebecca confronts the people at the centre of this worldwide trade.
]]>There's a horrific and disturbing trade in the torture of Macaque monkeys that are filmed and sold online. Rebecca Henschke follows the trade in these videos from the USA to Indonesia to the UK. Who is making them, who is selling them and who is buying them? Why is it that monkeys being put through unimaginable pain is so attractive that people are willing to pay to watch it? Rebecca confronts the people at the centre of this worldwide trade.
]]>We find websites selling thousands of videos of men sexually abusing women on trains, buses, and other crowded public places across East Asia. You can even order your own tailor-made assault on these sites.
They’re run by a shadowy figure known as “Uncle Qi”. He’s hailed as a guru by an online community of perverts. But who is he?
The hunt takes Assignment to Japan, where sexual assault in public is known as "Chikan". We take you inside this dark and twisted world to hear from the perpetrators of these horrific crimes, and meet the women who are fighting back. We visit a “Chikan” sex club where customers can pay to legally grope women in rooms decorated like trains; and we follow plain clothes police searching for sexual predators on Japan’s metro.
The investigation goes undercover to expose the identity of the men running these websites who are cashing in on sexual violence.
Presenter: Zhaoyin Feng BBC Eye Producers: Aliaume Leroy, Shanshan Chen, Zhaoyin Feng Assignment producer: John Murphy Sound mix: Rod Farquhar Production Co-ordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross Assignment Editor: Penny Murphy
This programme deals with matters of a sexual nature which some listeners may find disturbing.
]]>We find websites selling thousands of videos of men sexually abusing women on trains, buses, and other crowded public places across East Asia. You can even order your own tailor-made assault on these sites.
They’re run by a shadowy figure known as “Uncle Qi”. He’s hailed as a guru by an online community of perverts. But who is he?
The hunt takes Assignment to Japan, where sexual assault in public is known as "Chikan". We take you inside this dark and twisted world to hear from the perpetrators of these horrific crimes, and meet the women who are fighting back. We visit a “Chikan” sex club where customers can pay to legally grope women in rooms decorated like trains; and we follow plain clothes police searching for sexual predators on Japan’s metro.
The investigation goes undercover to expose the identity of the men running these websites who are cashing in on sexual violence.
Presenter: Zhaoyin Feng BBC Eye Producers: Aliaume Leroy, Shanshan Chen, Zhaoyin Feng Assignment producer: John Murphy Sound mix: Rod Farquhar Production Co-ordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross Assignment Editor: Penny Murphy
This programme deals with matters of a sexual nature which some listeners may find disturbing.
]]>(Photo credit: Free Burma Rangers)
]]>(Photo credit: Free Burma Rangers)
]]>Producer/presenter: Caroline Bayley Editor: Penny Murphy Studio: Engineer Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross
(Photo: Harz mountains by Caroline Bayley)
]]>Producer/presenter: Caroline Bayley Editor: Penny Murphy Studio: Engineer Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross
(Photo: Harz mountains by Caroline Bayley)
]]>(Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>(Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>Generation Change is a co-production of the BBC and Nobel Prize Outreach
]]>Generation Change is a co-production of the BBC and Nobel Prize Outreach
]]>Generation Change is a co-production of the BBC and Nobel Prize Outreach
]]>Generation Change is a co-production of the BBC and Nobel Prize Outreach
]]>Generation Change is a co-production of the BBC and Nobel Prize Outreach
]]>Generation Change is a co-production of the BBC and Nobel Prize Outreach
]]>Generation Change is a co-production of the BBC and Nobel Prize Outreach
]]>Generation Change is a co-production of the BBC and Nobel Prize Outreach
]]>Producer: Phoebe Keane Producers in Turkey: Zeynep Bilginsoy, Musab Subuh
(Omar pastes a poster of his son on a lamppost near his destroyed home. It reads: ‘Missing’. Credit: Musab Subuh)
]]>Producer: Phoebe Keane Producers in Turkey: Zeynep Bilginsoy, Musab Subuh
(Omar pastes a poster of his son on a lamppost near his destroyed home. It reads: ‘Missing’. Credit: Musab Subuh)
]]>Photo: Woman frying fish in village in western Kenya (BBC)
Reporter: Mary Harper Producer: Alex Last Studio Manager: Graham Puddifoot Series Editor: Penny Murphy Production Coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross With special thanks to Fred Ooko
]]>Photo: Woman frying fish in village in western Kenya (BBC)
Reporter: Mary Harper Producer: Alex Last Studio Manager: Graham Puddifoot Series Editor: Penny Murphy Production Coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross With special thanks to Fred Ooko
]]>(Photo: Clearing unexploded bombs in northern Laos. Credit: MAG / Bart Verweij)
]]>(Photo: Clearing unexploded bombs in northern Laos. Credit: MAG / Bart Verweij)
]]>Ed Butler speaks to some of those who are involved in this industry, who’ve taken this perilous option, and asks why aren’t more Sri Lankans, and even the government, speaking out more loudly about what some see as a national tragedy?
Produced and presented by Ed Butler Production coordinator Helena Warwick Cross Series editor Penny Murphy
(Photo by Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images)
]]>Ed Butler speaks to some of those who are involved in this industry, who’ve taken this perilous option, and asks why aren’t more Sri Lankans, and even the government, speaking out more loudly about what some see as a national tragedy?
Produced and presented by Ed Butler Production coordinator Helena Warwick Cross Series editor Penny Murphy
(Photo by Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images)
]]>The new road is being cautiously welcomed by some members of the Mennonite Community, a Christian religious group who came to the Gran Chaco 100 years ago via Prussia, Russia and Canada and bought land from the government to farm. Will the impact of the road on the indigenous and Mennonite communities - and the environment - be worth the economic benefits?
Jane Chambers travels across the Gran Chaco for Assignment. Produced by Bob Howard. The Paraguay producer was Santi Carneri.
]]>The new road is being cautiously welcomed by some members of the Mennonite Community, a Christian religious group who came to the Gran Chaco 100 years ago via Prussia, Russia and Canada and bought land from the government to farm. Will the impact of the road on the indigenous and Mennonite communities - and the environment - be worth the economic benefits?
Jane Chambers travels across the Gran Chaco for Assignment. Produced by Bob Howard. The Paraguay producer was Santi Carneri.
]]>Image: Jake Slinn, founder of JS Global, at Felixstowe docks
]]>Image: Jake Slinn, founder of JS Global, at Felixstowe docks
]]>The Laconian Gulf in southern Greece is a major hub for such transfers, and locals now fear any accident could cause major environmental damage in an area which depends on tourism and fishing. Tim Whewell witnesses the operations close-up, and talks to campaigners who believe the influence of powerful shipowners makes local authorities turn a blind eye to possible dangers. Who is responsible for policing the operations of ships in international waters? And where is the oil going? The war in Ukraine has led to a major reshuffling of trade flows, as Asia becomes an ever bigger market for Russian crude.
Presenter: Tim Whewell Producer: Monica Whitlock
]]>The Laconian Gulf in southern Greece is a major hub for such transfers, and locals now fear any accident could cause major environmental damage in an area which depends on tourism and fishing. Tim Whewell witnesses the operations close-up, and talks to campaigners who believe the influence of powerful shipowners makes local authorities turn a blind eye to possible dangers. Who is responsible for policing the operations of ships in international waters? And where is the oil going? The war in Ukraine has led to a major reshuffling of trade flows, as Asia becomes an ever bigger market for Russian crude.
Presenter: Tim Whewell Producer: Monica Whitlock
]]>Official data suggests guns are the leading cause of death for American children and teens - even more than car accidents. Researchers have recorded more than 130 mass shootings across the US so far this year. Their data suggests incidents have gone up significantly in recent years. The term “mass shooting” is generally understood to be incidents in which four or more people have been injured or killed.
Meanwhile, the debate about gun violence in the US continues to be highly polarised.
In this edition, we bring together those directly affected, who share the impact it has had on their lives.
Abede Dasilva and Max Schachter discuss dealing with the aftermath of a shooting. Abede’s brother Akilah was killed in 2018 at a Waffle House restaurant, also in Tennessee. Max’s son, Alex, was one of 17 victims murdered in the Parkland School shooting in Florida in the same year. We also talk to Jennifer Hubbard, whose six-year-old daughter Catherine was murdered by a lone gunman at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
Two mothers also tell us how they talk to their children about gun violence, and students in Tennessee send us messages about their protests against gun violence.
]]>Official data suggests guns are the leading cause of death for American children and teens - even more than car accidents. Researchers have recorded more than 130 mass shootings across the US so far this year. Their data suggests incidents have gone up significantly in recent years. The term “mass shooting” is generally understood to be incidents in which four or more people have been injured or killed.
Meanwhile, the debate about gun violence in the US continues to be highly polarised.
In this edition, we bring together those directly affected, who share the impact it has had on their lives.
Abede Dasilva and Max Schachter discuss dealing with the aftermath of a shooting. Abede’s brother Akilah was killed in 2018 at a Waffle House restaurant, also in Tennessee. Max’s son, Alex, was one of 17 victims murdered in the Parkland School shooting in Florida in the same year. We also talk to Jennifer Hubbard, whose six-year-old daughter Catherine was murdered by a lone gunman at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
Two mothers also tell us how they talk to their children about gun violence, and students in Tennessee send us messages about their protests against gun violence.
]]>The BBC’s Mexico correspondent, Will Grant, travels to Tierra Caliente to meet a group of seminarians. In recent years, their director was attacked and almost killed. Members of a drug cartel entered their seminary, dragged off one of their colleagues and murdered him in the surrounding countryside. And the grave to one of their instructors is nestled by the chapel. All reminders, if any were needed, that these young men are about to join the world’s most dangerous priesthood. How are they prepared? Do they appreciate just what they are letting themselves in for? And how will they tackle the thorny ethical and spiritual questions which lie ahead as priests?
]]>The BBC’s Mexico correspondent, Will Grant, travels to Tierra Caliente to meet a group of seminarians. In recent years, their director was attacked and almost killed. Members of a drug cartel entered their seminary, dragged off one of their colleagues and murdered him in the surrounding countryside. And the grave to one of their instructors is nestled by the chapel. All reminders, if any were needed, that these young men are about to join the world’s most dangerous priesthood. How are they prepared? Do they appreciate just what they are letting themselves in for? And how will they tackle the thorny ethical and spiritual questions which lie ahead as priests?
]]>Reporter: Chris Bowlby Producer: Jim Frank
]]>Reporter: Chris Bowlby Producer: Jim Frank
]]>Follow Nikita across several months as she works towards completing her first draft of this exciting new work.
Presented and produced by Rebecca Armstrong for the BBC World Service
]]>Follow Nikita across several months as she works towards completing her first draft of this exciting new work.
Presented and produced by Rebecca Armstrong for the BBC World Service
]]>Caroline Bayley looks at Finland’s relationship with Russia – past and present – and asks what’s next for these uneasy neighbours. Producer/presenter Caroline Bayley Editor Penny Murphy Studio Engineer Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinator Helena Warwick-Cross
(Photo: Almost deserted border post on Finland’s border with Russia. Credit: Caroline Bayley)
]]>Caroline Bayley looks at Finland’s relationship with Russia – past and present – and asks what’s next for these uneasy neighbours. Producer/presenter Caroline Bayley Editor Penny Murphy Studio Engineer Rod Farquhar Production co-ordinator Helena Warwick-Cross
(Photo: Almost deserted border post on Finland’s border with Russia. Credit: Caroline Bayley)
]]>In the second of a two-part series, Assignment crosses into the US from Mexico to run a rule over the devastation this lethal drug has left in its wake in San Diego County.
Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly Producer: Tim Mansel
(Photo: The wall between the US and Mexico from the Mexican side. The city of San Diego is in the distance. Credit: Tim Mansel).
]]>In the second of a two-part series, Assignment crosses into the US from Mexico to run a rule over the devastation this lethal drug has left in its wake in San Diego County.
Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly Producer: Tim Mansel
(Photo: The wall between the US and Mexico from the Mexican side. The city of San Diego is in the distance. Credit: Tim Mansel).
]]>Producer: Matt Pintus Editor: Clare Fordham
]]>Producer: Matt Pintus Editor: Clare Fordham
]]>[Photo: The Navy is in charge of security at Mexico’s seaports in a bid to stop the chemicals used to make fentanyl coming in from Asia. Credit: Tim Mansel]
]]>[Photo: The Navy is in charge of security at Mexico’s seaports in a bid to stop the chemicals used to make fentanyl coming in from Asia. Credit: Tim Mansel]
]]>(Photo by Bob Howard)
]]>(Photo by Bob Howard)
]]>Photo: Some of the weapons used by vigilantes in Zamfara state, north west Nigeria, 2019 (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP via Getty Images)
Reporter: Alex Last Producer: Abdullahi Kaura Abubakar Sound mix: Rod Farquhar Series Editor: Penny Murphy Production assistant: Helena Warwick-Cross
]]>Photo: Some of the weapons used by vigilantes in Zamfara state, north west Nigeria, 2019 (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP via Getty Images)
Reporter: Alex Last Producer: Abdullahi Kaura Abubakar Sound mix: Rod Farquhar Series Editor: Penny Murphy Production assistant: Helena Warwick-Cross
]]>(Photo of Russian war reporter Alexander Kots)
]]>(Photo of Russian war reporter Alexander Kots)
]]>Producer: Jim Frank
(Photo by Stephen Barnes via Getty Images)
]]>Producer: Jim Frank
(Photo by Stephen Barnes via Getty Images)
]]>Producer/presenter: Tim Mansel
]]>Producer/presenter: Tim Mansel
]]>Presenter: Phoebe Keane Producers: Ed Butler, Ali Hamedani, Khosro Isfahani and Taraneh Stone Series editor: Penny Murphy
]]>Presenter: Phoebe Keane Producers: Ed Butler, Ali Hamedani, Khosro Isfahani and Taraneh Stone Series editor: Penny Murphy
]]>Photo: A home burns as the Camp fire tears through Paradise, California on November 8, 2018. (Josh Edelson /AFP via Getty Images)
Reporter and producer: Alex Last Sound mix: Rod Farquar Series Editor: Penny Murphy Production coordinator: Iona Hammond
]]>Photo: A home burns as the Camp fire tears through Paradise, California on November 8, 2018. (Josh Edelson /AFP via Getty Images)
Reporter and producer: Alex Last Sound mix: Rod Farquar Series Editor: Penny Murphy Production coordinator: Iona Hammond
]]>Photo: A 17 year-old girl, Letizia, supported by her uncle, addresses an anti-mafia meeting in the Sicilian town of Messina. Her mother is missing and is believed to have been killed by local gangsters. (Rocco Papandrea, Gazzetta del Sud.)
Reporter: Daniel Gordon Producer: Alex Last Series Editor: Penny Murphy Sound engineer: Graham Puddifoot Production coordinator: Iona Hammond
]]>Photo: A 17 year-old girl, Letizia, supported by her uncle, addresses an anti-mafia meeting in the Sicilian town of Messina. Her mother is missing and is believed to have been killed by local gangsters. (Rocco Papandrea, Gazzetta del Sud.)
Reporter: Daniel Gordon Producer: Alex Last Series Editor: Penny Murphy Sound engineer: Graham Puddifoot Production coordinator: Iona Hammond
]]>James Reynolds has been in Santos, Pelé’s adopted hometown. He was among the crowds on the streets at the funeral procession, as they celebrated this sporting legend’s life.
]]>James Reynolds has been in Santos, Pelé’s adopted hometown. He was among the crowds on the streets at the funeral procession, as they celebrated this sporting legend’s life.
]]>But Oritsé never forgot his early years as a young, unpaid carer. He meets the next generation of kids who care – in the UK, Uganda and El Salvador. He learns about the challenges these children and teenagers face, but also hears stories of resilience and hope. Among the children are 13-year-old Amber, who looks after two sick and disabled parents; 15-year-old Jordan, whose care role ties him to the house almost completely; and 13-year-old Gloria from Uganda, who looks after four younger siblings all on her own.
]]>But Oritsé never forgot his early years as a young, unpaid carer. He meets the next generation of kids who care – in the UK, Uganda and El Salvador. He learns about the challenges these children and teenagers face, but also hears stories of resilience and hope. Among the children are 13-year-old Amber, who looks after two sick and disabled parents; 15-year-old Jordan, whose care role ties him to the house almost completely; and 13-year-old Gloria from Uganda, who looks after four younger siblings all on her own.
]]>Presenter: Camilla Mota Producer: Bob Howard
]]>Presenter: Camilla Mota Producer: Bob Howard
]]>During the Covid lockdowns, a third of all flamenco venues closed down, and with many yet to reopen, training opportunities for new artists remain in short supply. The pandemic has also exacerbated the struggle of many singers and dancers to make ends meet. Meanwhile, to the outrage of purists, other practitioners see a future in fusing traditional flamenco with new, more commercially viable genres, such as pop and hip-hop. Still others see flamenco as a stereotype, and unhelpful to their country’s modern image.
The BBC’s Madrid correspondent Guy Hedgecoe takes us on a colourful journey, reflecting on flamenco’s intriguing origins among the downtrodden folk culture of southern Spain, its difficult present, and its possibly uncertain future.
Presenter: Guy Hedgecoe Producer: Mike Gallagher
]]>During the Covid lockdowns, a third of all flamenco venues closed down, and with many yet to reopen, training opportunities for new artists remain in short supply. The pandemic has also exacerbated the struggle of many singers and dancers to make ends meet. Meanwhile, to the outrage of purists, other practitioners see a future in fusing traditional flamenco with new, more commercially viable genres, such as pop and hip-hop. Still others see flamenco as a stereotype, and unhelpful to their country’s modern image.
The BBC’s Madrid correspondent Guy Hedgecoe takes us on a colourful journey, reflecting on flamenco’s intriguing origins among the downtrodden folk culture of southern Spain, its difficult present, and its possibly uncertain future.
Presenter: Guy Hedgecoe Producer: Mike Gallagher
]]>The Second World War saw radio services expand massively, broadcasting in more than 40 languages to listeners hungry for truth and facts they could trust. In every crisis and conflict since, individual voices out of the air have offered news, but also drama, music, education and sometimes hope to their audiences.
In a special 90th anniversary programme, the broadcaster Nick Rankin, who worked for more than 20 years at the BBC, digs into a treasure trove of sound archive and talks to journalists who made and still make the BBC World Service such a remarkable network.
]]>The Second World War saw radio services expand massively, broadcasting in more than 40 languages to listeners hungry for truth and facts they could trust. In every crisis and conflict since, individual voices out of the air have offered news, but also drama, music, education and sometimes hope to their audiences.
In a special 90th anniversary programme, the broadcaster Nick Rankin, who worked for more than 20 years at the BBC, digs into a treasure trove of sound archive and talks to journalists who made and still make the BBC World Service such a remarkable network.
]]>Presenter: Sharon Hemans Producer: Alex Last Sound mix by Neil Churchill Series editor: Penny Murphy Production Coordinator: Iona Hammond
]]>Presenter: Sharon Hemans Producer: Alex Last Sound mix by Neil Churchill Series editor: Penny Murphy Production Coordinator: Iona Hammond
]]>Presented and produced by Tim Whewell
]]>Presented and produced by Tim Whewell
]]>Reporter: Linda Pressly Producer: Tim Mansel
]]>Reporter: Linda Pressly Producer: Tim Mansel
]]>Producer: Kate Vandy
]]>Producer: Kate Vandy
]]>Produced by Phoebe Keane Field producer: Ndeye Borso Tall Additional Research: Azil Momar Lo and Nicolas Negoce Production coordinator: Iona Hammond Editor: Penny Murphy
]]>Produced by Phoebe Keane Field producer: Ndeye Borso Tall Additional Research: Azil Momar Lo and Nicolas Negoce Production coordinator: Iona Hammond Editor: Penny Murphy
]]>Reporter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Hayley Mortimer
]]>Reporter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Hayley Mortimer
]]>Photo Credit: Lucinda Elliot
]]>Photo Credit: Lucinda Elliot
]]>The response sparked anger and triggered an unprecedented wave of activism to raise awareness of hidden sex abuse within the ultra-Orthodox world. Some are describing it as a “me-too” moment. The BBC’s Middle East correspondent, Yolande Knell hears from survivors of sexual assault and the campaigners within the ultra-Orthodox community working towards lasting change.
Presenter: Yolande Knell Producers: Gabrielle Weiniger and Phoebe Keane Editor: Penny Murphy
Photo: A child sex abuse survivor prays at the grave of his alleged abuser)
]]>The response sparked anger and triggered an unprecedented wave of activism to raise awareness of hidden sex abuse within the ultra-Orthodox world. Some are describing it as a “me-too” moment. The BBC’s Middle East correspondent, Yolande Knell hears from survivors of sexual assault and the campaigners within the ultra-Orthodox community working towards lasting change.
Presenter: Yolande Knell Producers: Gabrielle Weiniger and Phoebe Keane Editor: Penny Murphy
Photo: A child sex abuse survivor prays at the grave of his alleged abuser)
]]>The Tank beams all kinds of programmes across the prison complex: conversations both gruff and tender; music from R&B to metal; the soundtracks of old movies; inspirational messages from all faiths and none. The station’s steady signal has saved some men from suicide and many from loneliness; it lets family members and inmates dedicate songs to each other and make special shows for those on their way to execution. Maria Margaronis tunes in to The Tank and meets some of the men who say it's changed their lives—even when those lives have just weeks left to run.
Produced by David Goren.
Photo credit (Michael Starghill)
]]>The Tank beams all kinds of programmes across the prison complex: conversations both gruff and tender; music from R&B to metal; the soundtracks of old movies; inspirational messages from all faiths and none. The station’s steady signal has saved some men from suicide and many from loneliness; it lets family members and inmates dedicate songs to each other and make special shows for those on their way to execution. Maria Margaronis tunes in to The Tank and meets some of the men who say it's changed their lives—even when those lives have just weeks left to run.
Produced by David Goren.
Photo credit (Michael Starghill)
]]>But their school, School no. 20 in Chernihiv, has been shelled badly by the Russian army, and the school leavers face a future with none of the old certainties. In the early morning of February 24th, ’My mother came in and said that the war had begun… it was unreal,’ Alyona says ‘I just went back to bed thinking it was cool that I didn't have to go to school and could sleep in. And then, when I finally realised… it was as if someone took the ground from under your feet, and now you’re kind of weightless.’ Alina tells us of the weeks she spent in the cellar, sleeping on a shelf meant for jam and trying to revise by candle light. When the fighting died down, she made her way across her bombed city to charge her phone at a special park bench fitted with solar panels.
All six have found themselves changed forever by the last few months. They are thinking deeply about what will happen next. Vlad is still planning to study IT, but who knows? ‘If my country needs me, then so be it. I’ll serve in the army.’ Yet despite it all, they are teenagers still. Toffee popcorn, model dragons, and dresses all feature in a documentary full of life.
The teenagers plan to stay in touch with one another in the years to come, even if their lives are scattered. And Assignment plans to stay in touch with them too. Alyona reaches out in this first episode to other teens in Ukraine and the wider world.
‘I want to say to all the people who are safe - don’t feel bad about it. It’s fine that you can eat, or smile, or just go for a walk and enjoy your life in peace. You must live your life!’
With special thanks to Vladyslav Savenok and the staff and pupils at School no. 20, Chernihiv.
Presenter: Olga Betko Producer: Monica Whitlock Editor: Penny Murphy Studio Managers: James Beard and Graham Puddifoot Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
(Image: Leavers from School no 20, Chernihiv, Ukraine. Credit: Vladyslav Savenok)
]]>But their school, School no. 20 in Chernihiv, has been shelled badly by the Russian army, and the school leavers face a future with none of the old certainties. In the early morning of February 24th, ’My mother came in and said that the war had begun… it was unreal,’ Alyona says ‘I just went back to bed thinking it was cool that I didn't have to go to school and could sleep in. And then, when I finally realised… it was as if someone took the ground from under your feet, and now you’re kind of weightless.’ Alina tells us of the weeks she spent in the cellar, sleeping on a shelf meant for jam and trying to revise by candle light. When the fighting died down, she made her way across her bombed city to charge her phone at a special park bench fitted with solar panels.
All six have found themselves changed forever by the last few months. They are thinking deeply about what will happen next. Vlad is still planning to study IT, but who knows? ‘If my country needs me, then so be it. I’ll serve in the army.’ Yet despite it all, they are teenagers still. Toffee popcorn, model dragons, and dresses all feature in a documentary full of life.
The teenagers plan to stay in touch with one another in the years to come, even if their lives are scattered. And Assignment plans to stay in touch with them too. Alyona reaches out in this first episode to other teens in Ukraine and the wider world.
‘I want to say to all the people who are safe - don’t feel bad about it. It’s fine that you can eat, or smile, or just go for a walk and enjoy your life in peace. You must live your life!’
With special thanks to Vladyslav Savenok and the staff and pupils at School no. 20, Chernihiv.
Presenter: Olga Betko Producer: Monica Whitlock Editor: Penny Murphy Studio Managers: James Beard and Graham Puddifoot Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
(Image: Leavers from School no 20, Chernihiv, Ukraine. Credit: Vladyslav Savenok)
]]>Lacrosse may have the reputation as a white elitist sport, played in private schools. In fact, it was originally a Native American game, practiced across North America before European colonisers arrived.
As white settlers pushed westwards, taking land and resources, they also took lacrosse as their own. They stopped Native Americans from playing it, alongside prohibiting other spiritual and cultural practices.
But now a Native American grassroots movement is aiming to 'reclaim' what they call "the Creator's game". In doing so they want to promote recognition for their peoples and nations.
Rhodri Davies travels to Minnesota, in the American Midwest, to talk to Native Americans about how lacrosse is integral to their identity.
Producer: John Murphy Editor: Penny Murphy Studio Manager: Rod Farquhar Production Coordinators: Iona Hammond and Gemma Ashman
(Image: A game of traditional lacrosse begins with sticks raised and a shout to the Creator. Credit: Rhodri Davies/BBC)
]]>Lacrosse may have the reputation as a white elitist sport, played in private schools. In fact, it was originally a Native American game, practiced across North America before European colonisers arrived.
As white settlers pushed westwards, taking land and resources, they also took lacrosse as their own. They stopped Native Americans from playing it, alongside prohibiting other spiritual and cultural practices.
But now a Native American grassroots movement is aiming to 'reclaim' what they call "the Creator's game". In doing so they want to promote recognition for their peoples and nations.
Rhodri Davies travels to Minnesota, in the American Midwest, to talk to Native Americans about how lacrosse is integral to their identity.
Producer: John Murphy Editor: Penny Murphy Studio Manager: Rod Farquhar Production Coordinators: Iona Hammond and Gemma Ashman
(Image: A game of traditional lacrosse begins with sticks raised and a shout to the Creator. Credit: Rhodri Davies/BBC)
]]>A quarter of a million people have left Odesa. Its beloved holiday beaches are closed and mined, yet life has gradually returned to its performance spaces: concerts, opera, spoken word. Recordings made since the first days of the war interweave with the fabulously rich cultural history of the city.
Founded in 1794 by Catherine the Great as part of her expanding empire of Novo Rossiya, Odesa began as a dusty boom town of enormous opportunity and possibility that connected the chill of Imperial Russia to the warmth of the wider world. In some ways nothing has changed. A port city possessed of a unique argot - 'Odesski Iazyk' (a fusion of Yiddish and Russian); eternal optimism; a wicked sense of humour; more violinists than you can shake a bow at; poets and writers galore; and a gallery of rogues, real and imagined.
Perhaps its most beloved literary son is Isaac Babel. Raised in the Moldovanka- still a place of liminal existence, his Odessa Tales of gangster anti-heroes like Benya Krik are forever interwoven with how Odesites and the wider world imagine the city - beautiful and bad! It is of course only partially true. Film-maker Sergei Eisenstein's Battle Ship Potemkin also put the city on the world map and the first film studios in Russia sprang up there. with its ready supply of sunlight. From foundational boom town days onwards its streets and people could make you rich, or ruin you. In the crumbling days of the Soviet empire it was a place to dream of escape to a world beyond.
Babel and Eisenstein are just two among many who, since the 19th Century have helped created the myth of Old Odessa -poets and writers, musicians and comedians who flourished in what was a largely Jewish city until 1941 and the Nazi invasion of Russia. Legendary violinists ever since David Oistrakh are forged there at the Stolyarsky School, now closed due to war.
Musician Alec Koypt, who grew up in the mean streets of Molodvanka, shipping proprietor Roman Morgenshtern, journalist Vlad Davidson, translator Boris Dralyuk, poets Boris and Lyudmila Kershonsky and others are our contemporary guides as the voices of the past bring forth their very Odesan genius.
]]>A quarter of a million people have left Odesa. Its beloved holiday beaches are closed and mined, yet life has gradually returned to its performance spaces: concerts, opera, spoken word. Recordings made since the first days of the war interweave with the fabulously rich cultural history of the city.
Founded in 1794 by Catherine the Great as part of her expanding empire of Novo Rossiya, Odesa began as a dusty boom town of enormous opportunity and possibility that connected the chill of Imperial Russia to the warmth of the wider world. In some ways nothing has changed. A port city possessed of a unique argot - 'Odesski Iazyk' (a fusion of Yiddish and Russian); eternal optimism; a wicked sense of humour; more violinists than you can shake a bow at; poets and writers galore; and a gallery of rogues, real and imagined.
Perhaps its most beloved literary son is Isaac Babel. Raised in the Moldovanka- still a place of liminal existence, his Odessa Tales of gangster anti-heroes like Benya Krik are forever interwoven with how Odesites and the wider world imagine the city - beautiful and bad! It is of course only partially true. Film-maker Sergei Eisenstein's Battle Ship Potemkin also put the city on the world map and the first film studios in Russia sprang up there. with its ready supply of sunlight. From foundational boom town days onwards its streets and people could make you rich, or ruin you. In the crumbling days of the Soviet empire it was a place to dream of escape to a world beyond.
Babel and Eisenstein are just two among many who, since the 19th Century have helped created the myth of Old Odessa -poets and writers, musicians and comedians who flourished in what was a largely Jewish city until 1941 and the Nazi invasion of Russia. Legendary violinists ever since David Oistrakh are forged there at the Stolyarsky School, now closed due to war.
Musician Alec Koypt, who grew up in the mean streets of Molodvanka, shipping proprietor Roman Morgenshtern, journalist Vlad Davidson, translator Boris Dralyuk, poets Boris and Lyudmila Kershonsky and others are our contemporary guides as the voices of the past bring forth their very Odesan genius.
]]>One year on, the list of challenges is long, including the millions who are facing hunger amid a dire economic and humanitarian situation. As well as warning about malnutrition, the United Nations has urged the world not to forget the plight of the country's women and girls. Three Afghans still living in the country discuss the changes to their lives with host Anna Foster. Two are young women and they reveal the severe restrictions to their rights, education, freedom and choice of clothes.
Tens of thousands also fled the country last August, and we bring together Afghans who escaped and are now living in Poland, Germany and the United States. Although grateful for their safety, the emotion and pain remains at having often left loved ones behind.
“I miss my home. I miss my mother. I miss my room. I miss my bed,” says Laleh in Berlin. “I miss everything about my country.”
]]>One year on, the list of challenges is long, including the millions who are facing hunger amid a dire economic and humanitarian situation. As well as warning about malnutrition, the United Nations has urged the world not to forget the plight of the country's women and girls. Three Afghans still living in the country discuss the changes to their lives with host Anna Foster. Two are young women and they reveal the severe restrictions to their rights, education, freedom and choice of clothes.
Tens of thousands also fled the country last August, and we bring together Afghans who escaped and are now living in Poland, Germany and the United States. Although grateful for their safety, the emotion and pain remains at having often left loved ones behind.
“I miss my home. I miss my mother. I miss my room. I miss my bed,” says Laleh in Berlin. “I miss everything about my country.”
]]>In an echo of what happened in Ukraine, Moldova lost a chunk of its eastern territory to separatists in a short war 30 years ago. The separatists were backed by elements of the Russian army. Since then Transnistria has remained a post-Soviet “frozen conflict.”
In recent months almost 500,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed into Moldova – the highest per capita influx to a neighbouring country. Up to 90,000 have remained in Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries. The republic’s president has warned that President Putin has his sights set on her country. Tessa Dunlop travels to Moldova to hear what Moldovans think about the war in Ukraine and their country’s future.
Produced by John Murphy
(Image: A Russian armoured vehicle at the border crossing with the breakaway enclave of Transnistria in the village of Firladeni, Republic of Moldova. Credit: BBC/John Murphy)
]]>In an echo of what happened in Ukraine, Moldova lost a chunk of its eastern territory to separatists in a short war 30 years ago. The separatists were backed by elements of the Russian army. Since then Transnistria has remained a post-Soviet “frozen conflict.”
In recent months almost 500,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed into Moldova – the highest per capita influx to a neighbouring country. Up to 90,000 have remained in Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries. The republic’s president has warned that President Putin has his sights set on her country. Tessa Dunlop travels to Moldova to hear what Moldovans think about the war in Ukraine and their country’s future.
Produced by John Murphy
(Image: A Russian armoured vehicle at the border crossing with the breakaway enclave of Transnistria in the village of Firladeni, Republic of Moldova. Credit: BBC/John Murphy)
]]>The United Nations warns that millions are at risk of severe hunger, in particular in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. We hear from two families in Kenya who are struggling with rising food prices as their own crops fail. Michael tells us about the impact on his mother, who has a small farm, and Odongo worries about the health effects of the drought on the people living in Nairobi.
France is experiencing its worst drought since records began. We bring together two French wine growers who are desperate for rain as their crops are suffering. They warn it could be a “huge problem”. Meanwhile, in Iraq, drought continues to be a concern, as temperatures increase. Two Iraqis tell us how they are trying to cope.
]]>The United Nations warns that millions are at risk of severe hunger, in particular in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. We hear from two families in Kenya who are struggling with rising food prices as their own crops fail. Michael tells us about the impact on his mother, who has a small farm, and Odongo worries about the health effects of the drought on the people living in Nairobi.
France is experiencing its worst drought since records began. We bring together two French wine growers who are desperate for rain as their crops are suffering. They warn it could be a “huge problem”. Meanwhile, in Iraq, drought continues to be a concern, as temperatures increase. Two Iraqis tell us how they are trying to cope.
]]>Will Grant, the BBC’s Central America Correspondent, finds out what life was like under the disgraced president and meets some people trying to instil a little hope in a nation which hasn’t had any for a long time. He meets Norma, the mother of Keyla Martinez, who was killed in a police cell. Initially, the police said she had killed herself but hospital reports later proved this wasn’t the case. Now, can Norma Martinez’s campaign for justice bring a sense of hope to those who don’t trust the authorities and have endured years of rampant corruption and police impunity?
Producer: Phoebe Keane Fixer in Honduras: Renato Lacayo
]]>Will Grant, the BBC’s Central America Correspondent, finds out what life was like under the disgraced president and meets some people trying to instil a little hope in a nation which hasn’t had any for a long time. He meets Norma, the mother of Keyla Martinez, who was killed in a police cell. Initially, the police said she had killed herself but hospital reports later proved this wasn’t the case. Now, can Norma Martinez’s campaign for justice bring a sense of hope to those who don’t trust the authorities and have endured years of rampant corruption and police impunity?
Producer: Phoebe Keane Fixer in Honduras: Renato Lacayo
]]>(Photo Credit: Deepak Rajbanshi)
Presented by Rebecca Henschke Produced by Kevin Kim and Rajan Parajuli, with the BBC Nepali team Studio mix by Neil Churchill Production coordinators Gemma Ashman and Iona Hammond Editor Penny Murphy
]]>(Photo Credit: Deepak Rajbanshi)
Presented by Rebecca Henschke Produced by Kevin Kim and Rajan Parajuli, with the BBC Nepali team Studio mix by Neil Churchill Production coordinators Gemma Ashman and Iona Hammond Editor Penny Murphy
]]>Producer and Presenter Ed Butler Studio mix by Neil Churchill Production coordinators Iona Hammond and Gemma Ashman Editor Penny Murphy
]]>Producer and Presenter Ed Butler Studio mix by Neil Churchill Production coordinators Iona Hammond and Gemma Ashman Editor Penny Murphy
]]>Photo: Ivan Skyba who survived the massacre at 144 Yablunska Street in Bucha, Ukraine (BBC)
Reporter: Fergal Keane Producers: Orsi Szoboszlay and Alex Last Fixers: Sofiia Kochmar-Tymoshenko, Viacheslav Shramovych, Rostyslav Kubik Series Editor: Penny Murphy Studio Mix: Graham Puddifoot and Neil Churchill Production Coordinators: Gemma Ashman and Iona Hammond
]]>Photo: Ivan Skyba who survived the massacre at 144 Yablunska Street in Bucha, Ukraine (BBC)
Reporter: Fergal Keane Producers: Orsi Szoboszlay and Alex Last Fixers: Sofiia Kochmar-Tymoshenko, Viacheslav Shramovych, Rostyslav Kubik Series Editor: Penny Murphy Studio Mix: Graham Puddifoot and Neil Churchill Production Coordinators: Gemma Ashman and Iona Hammond
]]>(Photo Credit: Mari Margun)
]]>(Photo Credit: Mari Margun)
]]>Music featured: Stefan Wesolowski – Love Immortal Onion - Dune Both tracks from the compilation: W snach widzę spokojny Wschód / In my dreams I see a peaceful East, digital album by Various Artists. Published by Palma Foundation.
]]>Music featured: Stefan Wesolowski – Love Immortal Onion - Dune Both tracks from the compilation: W snach widzę spokojny Wschód / In my dreams I see a peaceful East, digital album by Various Artists. Published by Palma Foundation.
]]>Host Karnie Sharp and the OS team also hear from two protestors in Sri Lanka about dealing with power cuts, and if they believe the recent change of government will improve the situation there.
As the rising cost of living hits some of the most vulnerable particularly hard, two people in the UK share their experiences: writer and recovering alcoholic Sam Thomas, and Jenny Holden, who has a form of chronic arthritis as well as the long-term health condition fibromyalgia, which causes body pain that gets a lot worse in the cold, and means paying higher fuel bills is becoming increasingly difficult.
]]>Host Karnie Sharp and the OS team also hear from two protestors in Sri Lanka about dealing with power cuts, and if they believe the recent change of government will improve the situation there.
As the rising cost of living hits some of the most vulnerable particularly hard, two people in the UK share their experiences: writer and recovering alcoholic Sam Thomas, and Jenny Holden, who has a form of chronic arthritis as well as the long-term health condition fibromyalgia, which causes body pain that gets a lot worse in the cold, and means paying higher fuel bills is becoming increasingly difficult.
]]>(Image: Kvitka Perehinets has been following the conflict in her home country of Ukraine, from afar. Credit: Kvitka Perehinets)
]]>(Image: Kvitka Perehinets has been following the conflict in her home country of Ukraine, from afar. Credit: Kvitka Perehinets)
]]>Producer Bob Howard
(Image: Woman walking alone in St. Louise, Senegal. Credit: roripalazzo.com/Getty)
]]>Producer Bob Howard
(Image: Woman walking alone in St. Louise, Senegal. Credit: roripalazzo.com/Getty)
]]>Across Estonia, one quarter of the population are Russian speakers, prompting many to describe this as a threat. When Putin invaded Ukraine on the premise of liberating Russian speakers there, it lead to many in the press to ask ‘is Narva next?’ but a new generation of Russian speaking Estonians are increasingly frustrated by this rhetoric and say it simply is not true. Russian speakers are even signing up to Estonia’s volunteer defence force, ready to fight to defend Estonia should the worst happen. Their allegiance is clear. But is music and culture enough to unite Estonia’s Russian speakers?
Presenter: Lucy Ash Producer: Phoebe Keane
(Image: Tallinn Music Week festival lights up Kreenholm, an abandoned 19th century textile factory in Narva, on Estonia’s border with Russia. Credit: Phoebe Keane/BBC)
Music credits:
Artist: Trad Attack! Track: Sõit Writers: Jalmar Vabarna, Sandra Vabarna, Tõnu Tubli
Artist: Gameboy Tetris and Nublu Track: Für Oksana Writers: Pavel Botsarov, Markkus Pulk, Fabry El Androide, Ago Teppand
Artist: Pale Alison Track: забывай Writers: Evelina Koop, Nikolay Rudakov
Artist: Jaakko Sound Installation: On the Border/Rajalla
]]>Across Estonia, one quarter of the population are Russian speakers, prompting many to describe this as a threat. When Putin invaded Ukraine on the premise of liberating Russian speakers there, it lead to many in the press to ask ‘is Narva next?’ but a new generation of Russian speaking Estonians are increasingly frustrated by this rhetoric and say it simply is not true. Russian speakers are even signing up to Estonia’s volunteer defence force, ready to fight to defend Estonia should the worst happen. Their allegiance is clear. But is music and culture enough to unite Estonia’s Russian speakers?
Presenter: Lucy Ash Producer: Phoebe Keane
(Image: Tallinn Music Week festival lights up Kreenholm, an abandoned 19th century textile factory in Narva, on Estonia’s border with Russia. Credit: Phoebe Keane/BBC)
Music credits:
Artist: Trad Attack! Track: Sõit Writers: Jalmar Vabarna, Sandra Vabarna, Tõnu Tubli
Artist: Gameboy Tetris and Nublu Track: Für Oksana Writers: Pavel Botsarov, Markkus Pulk, Fabry El Androide, Ago Teppand
Artist: Pale Alison Track: забывай Writers: Evelina Koop, Nikolay Rudakov
Artist: Jaakko Sound Installation: On the Border/Rajalla
]]>Celia Hatton joins the Cambodian investigative team and gains unprecedented access to looters who have become government witnesses. The Phnom Penh government has now launched a legal campaign in the UK to get some of its most prized statues back. For many Cambodians these are not simply blocks of stone or pieces of metal, they are living spirits and integral to the Khmer identity. The Gods, they say, are cold and lonely in foreign collections and they want to come home.
Producer: John Murphy
(Image: Monks at Angkor Wat temple, Cambodia. Credit: BBC)
]]>Celia Hatton joins the Cambodian investigative team and gains unprecedented access to looters who have become government witnesses. The Phnom Penh government has now launched a legal campaign in the UK to get some of its most prized statues back. For many Cambodians these are not simply blocks of stone or pieces of metal, they are living spirits and integral to the Khmer identity. The Gods, they say, are cold and lonely in foreign collections and they want to come home.
Producer: John Murphy
(Image: Monks at Angkor Wat temple, Cambodia. Credit: BBC)
]]>Presenter: Linda Pressly Producer: Phoebe Keane Producer in Mexico: Ulises Escamilla
(Image: Anabela Carlon, of the Yaqui tribe, stands in the dry bed of the river Yaqui. Credit: BBC)
]]>Presenter: Linda Pressly Producer: Phoebe Keane Producer in Mexico: Ulises Escamilla
(Image: Anabela Carlon, of the Yaqui tribe, stands in the dry bed of the river Yaqui. Credit: BBC)
]]>Presented and produced by Tim Whewell
(Image: Famo group leader Ntei Tsehlana was shot at a Democratic Congress (DC) party concert and later died from his injuries. Credit: BBC/Tim Whewell)
]]>Presented and produced by Tim Whewell
(Image: Famo group leader Ntei Tsehlana was shot at a Democratic Congress (DC) party concert and later died from his injuries. Credit: BBC/Tim Whewell)
]]>Reporter, Rebecca Henschke. Produced with Kelvin Brown, Ko Ko Aung and Banyar Kong Janoi.
(Photo: Twenty-year-old Myo left home to join the resistance. Credit: Chit Aye/BBC)
]]>Reporter, Rebecca Henschke. Produced with Kelvin Brown, Ko Ko Aung and Banyar Kong Janoi.
(Photo: Twenty-year-old Myo left home to join the resistance. Credit: Chit Aye/BBC)
]]>ABC producer Belinda Sommer takes you to the wide plains and sub-tropical forests of Australia to meet the farmers who are combining commerce and conservation.
]]>ABC producer Belinda Sommer takes you to the wide plains and sub-tropical forests of Australia to meet the farmers who are combining commerce and conservation.
]]>One of Russia’s key targets has been the southern port city of Mariupol. Thousands of civilians are dead, many more have been left trapped and face an horrendous struggle for survival. Pastor Gennady Mokhnenko is a chaplain from Mariupol. He describes what he has seen and heard in the city, and his efforts to help children to escape. He is joined in conversation by Vasylyna Dubaylo, director of the charity Partnership for Every Child. She’s currently in Poland and has been helping foster children find Ukrainian families.
The war has now separated millions of people in Ukraine from loved ones/ Host Ben James introduces us to Olha and Andrii, a young married couple. Olha took an opportunity to leave with her younger siblings, but is now more than five thousand miles away in Canada. Andrii remains in Ukraine, wondering if he will be called upon to fight for his country. Neither of them know when or if they will see each other again, and they discuss how the war has changed their lives.
Guidance: Contains graphic content.
]]>One of Russia’s key targets has been the southern port city of Mariupol. Thousands of civilians are dead, many more have been left trapped and face an horrendous struggle for survival. Pastor Gennady Mokhnenko is a chaplain from Mariupol. He describes what he has seen and heard in the city, and his efforts to help children to escape. He is joined in conversation by Vasylyna Dubaylo, director of the charity Partnership for Every Child. She’s currently in Poland and has been helping foster children find Ukrainian families.
The war has now separated millions of people in Ukraine from loved ones/ Host Ben James introduces us to Olha and Andrii, a young married couple. Olha took an opportunity to leave with her younger siblings, but is now more than five thousand miles away in Canada. Andrii remains in Ukraine, wondering if he will be called upon to fight for his country. Neither of them know when or if they will see each other again, and they discuss how the war has changed their lives.
Guidance: Contains graphic content.
]]>Political assassinations in the Middle East are almost always unsolved, and reliable evidence can be extremely hard to find. The lack of accountability in these cases is often seen as the reason for the pervasiveness of assassinations in the region. In Yemen, power struggles over the last 60 years have left a long list of murdered political figures. One particular case, the unsolved murder of Yemen’s former foreign minister in 1974, sent shockwaves across the country, and was covered widely in the region and then in the West. Mohamed Noman was a liberal and progressive politician who was building a different path for Yemen, away from authoritarian rule. His death at the early age of 41 had arguably paved the way for decades of military rule in Yemen.
In this documentary, his granddaughter, Mai Noman, sets off on a mission to investigate who could have been behind his murder, almost 50 years after his death.
]]>Political assassinations in the Middle East are almost always unsolved, and reliable evidence can be extremely hard to find. The lack of accountability in these cases is often seen as the reason for the pervasiveness of assassinations in the region. In Yemen, power struggles over the last 60 years have left a long list of murdered political figures. One particular case, the unsolved murder of Yemen’s former foreign minister in 1974, sent shockwaves across the country, and was covered widely in the region and then in the West. Mohamed Noman was a liberal and progressive politician who was building a different path for Yemen, away from authoritarian rule. His death at the early age of 41 had arguably paved the way for decades of military rule in Yemen.
In this documentary, his granddaughter, Mai Noman, sets off on a mission to investigate who could have been behind his murder, almost 50 years after his death.
]]>But Georgia itself, invaded by the Kremlin in 2008, has a tense relationship with Russia. Tim Whewell travels to Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, to meet some of the new exiles, and finds they’re not universally welcome. They’re accused of arrogance, of raising property prices – and possibly providing a pretext for the Kremlin to intervene again in Georgia.
]]>But Georgia itself, invaded by the Kremlin in 2008, has a tense relationship with Russia. Tim Whewell travels to Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, to meet some of the new exiles, and finds they’re not universally welcome. They’re accused of arrogance, of raising property prices – and possibly providing a pretext for the Kremlin to intervene again in Georgia.
]]>Mila Sanchez was so shocked by her friend Morgan’s death that she collected hundreds of thousands of signatures to change the hunting laws. She gave evidence to the French Senate and put the topic on the political agenda. The Green Party is now calling for a ban on hunting on Sundays and Wednesdays. But the Federation National des Chasseurs, which licenses the 1.3 million active hunters across France, is fighting back. It argues hunting is a vital part of rural life and brings the community together. Its members were delighted when President Macron recently halved the cost of annual hunting permits.
Yet public opinion, concerned about safety and animal rights, is hardening against hunting and the battle for la France Profonde is on. On the eve of presidential elections, Lucy Ash looks at a country riven with divisions and asks if new laws are needed to ensure ramblers, families, residents and hunters can share the countryside in harmony.
Presenter: Lucy Ash Producer: Phoebe Keane Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Anthony, from the Ile de France branch of the Federations of Hunters, in the forest of Rambouillet west of Paris. Credit: Amélie Le Meur)
]]>Mila Sanchez was so shocked by her friend Morgan’s death that she collected hundreds of thousands of signatures to change the hunting laws. She gave evidence to the French Senate and put the topic on the political agenda. The Green Party is now calling for a ban on hunting on Sundays and Wednesdays. But the Federation National des Chasseurs, which licenses the 1.3 million active hunters across France, is fighting back. It argues hunting is a vital part of rural life and brings the community together. Its members were delighted when President Macron recently halved the cost of annual hunting permits.
Yet public opinion, concerned about safety and animal rights, is hardening against hunting and the battle for la France Profonde is on. On the eve of presidential elections, Lucy Ash looks at a country riven with divisions and asks if new laws are needed to ensure ramblers, families, residents and hunters can share the countryside in harmony.
Presenter: Lucy Ash Producer: Phoebe Keane Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Anthony, from the Ile de France branch of the Federations of Hunters, in the forest of Rambouillet west of Paris. Credit: Amélie Le Meur)
]]>But the people who died are not forgotten. Not by their families and friends, and not by a professor of forensic pathology at the University of Milan.
“There’s a body that needs to be identified, you identify it. This is the first commandment of forensic medicine,” says Dr Cristina Cattaneo.
Assignment tells the story of the raising of the fishing boat from the Mediterranean's seabed, and Dr Cattaneo's efforts to begin to identify the people who lost their lives on that moonless night on the edge of Europe.
Producer/presenter: Linda Pressly
(This programme was originally broadcast in December 2020)
(Image: Ibrahima Senghor, a survivor of the tragedy of 18 April, 2015 - he was prevented from boarding the boat in Libya. Credit: Ibrahima Senghor)
]]>But the people who died are not forgotten. Not by their families and friends, and not by a professor of forensic pathology at the University of Milan.
“There’s a body that needs to be identified, you identify it. This is the first commandment of forensic medicine,” says Dr Cristina Cattaneo.
Assignment tells the story of the raising of the fishing boat from the Mediterranean's seabed, and Dr Cattaneo's efforts to begin to identify the people who lost their lives on that moonless night on the edge of Europe.
Producer/presenter: Linda Pressly
(This programme was originally broadcast in December 2020)
(Image: Ibrahima Senghor, a survivor of the tragedy of 18 April, 2015 - he was prevented from boarding the boat in Libya. Credit: Ibrahima Senghor)
]]>SB8 has given traction to those who advocate for alternatives for women faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Just outside Dallas, a Christian couple are working to bring to fruition a ‘maternity ranch’ to provide homes for pregnant, single mothers.
Of course many women don’t even know they are pregnant by the 6 week mark. So the law has promoted vigilance. And countless women hold their breath as they undergo an ultrasound in the state’s few remaining abortion clinics. If they are in time, they can terminate their pregnancy in Texas. If not, they will have to travel to another state.
But for some Texans, the law does not go far enough – they want a total ban on abortion. And in towns across the state, pro-life activists have pushed local government to declare their communities, ‘Sanctuaries for the Unborn Child’. Assignment reports from Abilene, where pro-life activists are lobbying to put in place an ordinance that would prohibit abortion within the city limits. So far, 39 Texan towns have outlawed abortion completely.
Presenter: Linda Pressly Producer: Tim Mansel
(Image: Aubrey Schlackman is planning on opening a ‘maternity ranch’ for single, pregnant mothers in Texas. Credit: Tim Mansel/BBC)
]]>SB8 has given traction to those who advocate for alternatives for women faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Just outside Dallas, a Christian couple are working to bring to fruition a ‘maternity ranch’ to provide homes for pregnant, single mothers.
Of course many women don’t even know they are pregnant by the 6 week mark. So the law has promoted vigilance. And countless women hold their breath as they undergo an ultrasound in the state’s few remaining abortion clinics. If they are in time, they can terminate their pregnancy in Texas. If not, they will have to travel to another state.
But for some Texans, the law does not go far enough – they want a total ban on abortion. And in towns across the state, pro-life activists have pushed local government to declare their communities, ‘Sanctuaries for the Unborn Child’. Assignment reports from Abilene, where pro-life activists are lobbying to put in place an ordinance that would prohibit abortion within the city limits. So far, 39 Texan towns have outlawed abortion completely.
Presenter: Linda Pressly Producer: Tim Mansel
(Image: Aubrey Schlackman is planning on opening a ‘maternity ranch’ for single, pregnant mothers in Texas. Credit: Tim Mansel/BBC)
]]>For Assignment, Tim Whewell follows the story of one young prisoner of war. He looked so terrified during an interrogation that a Ukrainian woman took pity on him and helped his family to get in touch, even though her own home in Odessa was shelled by Russian forces. Will the 21-year-old soldier ever be able to return to his family and could the truth about Russia’s defeats and losses change attitudes to the war back home?
Producers: Lucy Ash and Yulia Mineeva
(Image: Pro-Russian service member in an armoured vehicle in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, March 2022. Credit: Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko)
]]>For Assignment, Tim Whewell follows the story of one young prisoner of war. He looked so terrified during an interrogation that a Ukrainian woman took pity on him and helped his family to get in touch, even though her own home in Odessa was shelled by Russian forces. Will the 21-year-old soldier ever be able to return to his family and could the truth about Russia’s defeats and losses change attitudes to the war back home?
Producers: Lucy Ash and Yulia Mineeva
(Image: Pro-Russian service member in an armoured vehicle in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, March 2022. Credit: Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko)
]]>(Image: Homeless people sitting on the street in the Tenderloin district in San Francisco, California, United States. Credit: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
]]>(Image: Homeless people sitting on the street in the Tenderloin district in San Francisco, California, United States. Credit: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
]]>Production Team in India: Ajit Sarathi; Kinjal Pandya; Piyush Nagpal and Praveen Mudholkar Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Lal Bihari holding a banner for the Association of the Living Dead. Credit: Piyush Nagpal/BBC)
]]>Production Team in India: Ajit Sarathi; Kinjal Pandya; Piyush Nagpal and Praveen Mudholkar Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Lal Bihari holding a banner for the Association of the Living Dead. Credit: Piyush Nagpal/BBC)
]]>Reporter: Athar Ahmad Producer: Anna Meisel Editor: Carl Johnston
(Image: Using a digital tablet with a credit card. Credit: Natee Meepian)
]]>Reporter: Athar Ahmad Producer: Anna Meisel Editor: Carl Johnston
(Image: Using a digital tablet with a credit card. Credit: Natee Meepian)
]]>Reporter: Mark Lowen Producer: Julian Miglierini in Rome and Michael Gallagher in London
(Angel statue, Rome. Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus)
]]>Reporter: Mark Lowen Producer: Julian Miglierini in Rome and Michael Gallagher in London
(Angel statue, Rome. Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus)
]]>This is what has become known as a 'dark pattern'; complex web design that makes it hard for you to do something the website does not want you to do, and employs behavioural psychology to make you do things it does want you to do. It is just one of the techniques used to make us click, buy or subscribe.
Journalist and broadcaster Darryl Morris digs into the methods being used to grip your attention, and examines the persuasive power that is being harnessed. What impact is it having on your free will, and is there anything that can be done to resist it?
]]>This is what has become known as a 'dark pattern'; complex web design that makes it hard for you to do something the website does not want you to do, and employs behavioural psychology to make you do things it does want you to do. It is just one of the techniques used to make us click, buy or subscribe.
Journalist and broadcaster Darryl Morris digs into the methods being used to grip your attention, and examines the persuasive power that is being harnessed. What impact is it having on your free will, and is there anything that can be done to resist it?
]]>(Image: Workers in the bakery in Marinka. Credit: Frederick Paxton)
]]>(Image: Workers in the bakery in Marinka. Credit: Frederick Paxton)
]]>Manon Ouaiss is the only woman on the three person Lebanon team while Ornella Oettl Reyes is the sole member, and flag bearer, for Peru. Both are alpine skiers and both are aware of the importance of sending a positive message to those who are cheering them on from the countries they represent.
These Games are impacted by the Covid pandemic and by politics. Several countries have declared diplomatic boycotts over China’s alleged human rights abuses. One protest concerns the treatment of the Muslim Uyghur population. While China denies any human rights violations, we hear from three Uyghur exiles and activists living in Germany, Australia and Switzerland. They discuss their objection to these Games.
]]>Manon Ouaiss is the only woman on the three person Lebanon team while Ornella Oettl Reyes is the sole member, and flag bearer, for Peru. Both are alpine skiers and both are aware of the importance of sending a positive message to those who are cheering them on from the countries they represent.
These Games are impacted by the Covid pandemic and by politics. Several countries have declared diplomatic boycotts over China’s alleged human rights abuses. One protest concerns the treatment of the Muslim Uyghur population. While China denies any human rights violations, we hear from three Uyghur exiles and activists living in Germany, Australia and Switzerland. They discuss their objection to these Games.
]]>Producer / presenter: Linda Pressly Producer in Mexico: Ulises Escamilla Editor: Bridget Harney
(Photo: Lawyer Maria Teresa Guerra advocates for women in Sinaloa. Credit: BBC/Ulises Escamilla)
]]>Producer / presenter: Linda Pressly Producer in Mexico: Ulises Escamilla Editor: Bridget Harney
(Photo: Lawyer Maria Teresa Guerra advocates for women in Sinaloa. Credit: BBC/Ulises Escamilla)
]]>The UK’s National Crime Agency says recent international takedowns of so called dark markets and arrests in multiple countries are a result of new techniques in cyber policing that is giving them the upper hand. However, BBC research suggests that police around the world have an uphill struggle on their hands as many dealers - known as vendors - have survived multiple market place collapses by operating across many different darknet sites.
The programme explores the major role played by UK dealers in the global business which is estimated to be worth more than a billion dollars a year. The BBC’s cyber reporter Joe Tidy and BBC data journalist Alison Benjamin journey into this hidden world to speak to vendors and buyers and uncover secrets of the trade.
Reporter: Joe Tidy Producer: Paul Grant Editor: Maggie Latham
(Image: An ecstasy pill bought on the darknet, being tested at a lab in the UK. Credit: BBC)
]]>The UK’s National Crime Agency says recent international takedowns of so called dark markets and arrests in multiple countries are a result of new techniques in cyber policing that is giving them the upper hand. However, BBC research suggests that police around the world have an uphill struggle on their hands as many dealers - known as vendors - have survived multiple market place collapses by operating across many different darknet sites.
The programme explores the major role played by UK dealers in the global business which is estimated to be worth more than a billion dollars a year. The BBC’s cyber reporter Joe Tidy and BBC data journalist Alison Benjamin journey into this hidden world to speak to vendors and buyers and uncover secrets of the trade.
Reporter: Joe Tidy Producer: Paul Grant Editor: Maggie Latham
(Image: An ecstasy pill bought on the darknet, being tested at a lab in the UK. Credit: BBC)
]]>A co-production by BBC and Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
Presenter: Suzanne Kianpour Produced by Philip Reevell for BBC World Service
]]>A co-production by BBC and Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
Presenter: Suzanne Kianpour Produced by Philip Reevell for BBC World Service
]]>An American in Florida and a French citizen in Ireland share the difficulties they have encountered at home with host James Reynolds.
We bring them together to hear how family gatherings can become fraught.
]]>An American in Florida and a French citizen in Ireland share the difficulties they have encountered at home with host James Reynolds.
We bring them together to hear how family gatherings can become fraught.
]]>Presented and produced by Chloe Hadjimatheou and Michael Ertl Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: A woman shows a picture of her Syrian relatives outside the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz, Germany, 13 January 2022. Credit: EPA/Sascha Steinbach)
]]>Presented and produced by Chloe Hadjimatheou and Michael Ertl Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: A woman shows a picture of her Syrian relatives outside the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz, Germany, 13 January 2022. Credit: EPA/Sascha Steinbach)
]]>Professional athletes often follow a rigorous diet and training schedule to achieve optimum fitness. Not surprisingly, athletes care about what they put in their bodies and in some cases they are delaying or avoiding getting a jab against Covid-19.
To discuss how this is playing out in different sports, host James Reynolds brings together an American professional basketball player, currently competing in Istanbul, a sports physician in Mumbai, India and a sports writer in the US. They discuss how the stance of the men's world number one tennis player and other sports stars is having an impact and what might be done to offer reassurance around Covid vaccines.
]]>Professional athletes often follow a rigorous diet and training schedule to achieve optimum fitness. Not surprisingly, athletes care about what they put in their bodies and in some cases they are delaying or avoiding getting a jab against Covid-19.
To discuss how this is playing out in different sports, host James Reynolds brings together an American professional basketball player, currently competing in Istanbul, a sports physician in Mumbai, India and a sports writer in the US. They discuss how the stance of the men's world number one tennis player and other sports stars is having an impact and what might be done to offer reassurance around Covid vaccines.
]]>Presenter: Linda Pressly Producer: Mike Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: A slogan for Chinese construction workers adorns part of Montenegro’s new mountain road. Credit: BBC/Michael Gallagher)
]]>Presenter: Linda Pressly Producer: Mike Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: A slogan for Chinese construction workers adorns part of Montenegro’s new mountain road. Credit: BBC/Michael Gallagher)
]]>We also hear from two people in the US and the UK who turned down a vaccination. After almost dying, they regret their decisions. “I had no idea what was going into me when they [health workers] were saving my life - the same as I don’t know what’s in the vaccine,” says Jade in the UK. “It’s silly isn’t it? You kind of overthink one thing but not the other.”
]]>We also hear from two people in the US and the UK who turned down a vaccination. After almost dying, they regret their decisions. “I had no idea what was going into me when they [health workers] were saving my life - the same as I don’t know what’s in the vaccine,” says Jade in the UK. “It’s silly isn’t it? You kind of overthink one thing but not the other.”
]]>Tim Whewell reports from a divided Istanbul.
(Image: Turkish coastal safety patrol boats in the Bosphorus, Istanbul. Credit: Yörük Işık)
]]>Tim Whewell reports from a divided Istanbul.
(Image: Turkish coastal safety patrol boats in the Bosphorus, Istanbul. Credit: Yörük Işık)
]]>Hear the whole series at bbcworldservice.com/afghanistan
]]>Hear the whole series at bbcworldservice.com/afghanistan
]]>According to clean-tech enthusiast and investor Ramez Naam, we have the means at our disposal. Our fossil-fuelled global economy has enabled a rapid collapse in the cost of renewable energy and electric vehicles. And now we are seeing a snowballing of government action to decarbonise our economies, according to UN climate negotiator Christiana Figueres. But many problems remain. Energy historian Vaclav Smil points out that we still have no easy way to store renewable energy, or use it to make billions of tonnes of cement and steel. Sheffield-based ITM Power hope that their green hydrogen could solve many of these problems. Plus, electricity historian Julie Cohn says another option might be to build a global electricity grid.
]]>According to clean-tech enthusiast and investor Ramez Naam, we have the means at our disposal. Our fossil-fuelled global economy has enabled a rapid collapse in the cost of renewable energy and electric vehicles. And now we are seeing a snowballing of government action to decarbonise our economies, according to UN climate negotiator Christiana Figueres. But many problems remain. Energy historian Vaclav Smil points out that we still have no easy way to store renewable energy, or use it to make billions of tonnes of cement and steel. Sheffield-based ITM Power hope that their green hydrogen could solve many of these problems. Plus, electricity historian Julie Cohn says another option might be to build a global electricity grid.
]]>Nuala talks to Dr Emma Hodcroft, a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland, Dr Swapneil Parikh in Mumbai, India, and Professor Manfred Green, an epidemiologist based at the University of Haifa in Israel.
]]>Nuala talks to Dr Emma Hodcroft, a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland, Dr Swapneil Parikh in Mumbai, India, and Professor Manfred Green, an epidemiologist based at the University of Haifa in Israel.
]]>Reported and produced by Jane Chambers Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Jhoana Olinda Antón Silva and her children in their home at the shrine they built for their father who died of Covid-19. Credit: Paola Ugaz)
]]>Reported and produced by Jane Chambers Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Jhoana Olinda Antón Silva and her children in their home at the shrine they built for their father who died of Covid-19. Credit: Paola Ugaz)
]]>Hear the whole series at bbcworldservice.com/afghanistan
]]>Hear the whole series at bbcworldservice.com/afghanistan
]]>(Image: Sierra Leonean women hoping for repatriation after leaving their employers in Oman. Credit: Do Bold)
]]>(Image: Sierra Leonean women hoping for repatriation after leaving their employers in Oman. Credit: Do Bold)
]]>Reporter: James Clayton Producer: Regan Morris Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Hacker in front of a computer. Credit: Witthaya Prasongsin)
]]>Reporter: James Clayton Producer: Regan Morris Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Hacker in front of a computer. Credit: Witthaya Prasongsin)
]]>Host Nuala McGovern brings together people working in the healthcare sector to think about the pressures on people’s mental health after almost two years of caring for those who are sick or dying due to the pandemic.
Nuala talks with hospital workers in the Dominican Republic, the United States and South Africa. For some it’s constant stress, anxiety and burnout. For others, it’s led to even more serious outcomes including post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.
]]>Host Nuala McGovern brings together people working in the healthcare sector to think about the pressures on people’s mental health after almost two years of caring for those who are sick or dying due to the pandemic.
Nuala talks with hospital workers in the Dominican Republic, the United States and South Africa. For some it’s constant stress, anxiety and burnout. For others, it’s led to even more serious outcomes including post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.
]]>(Photo: A health worker prepares a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>(Photo: A health worker prepares a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>Reporter: Lucy Ash Produced by: Lucy Ash and Eva Krysiak Editor: Bridget Harney Research: Grzegorz Sokol
(Image: Polish volunteers provide relief to injured migrants stranded in the icy forest. Credit: Agnieszka Sadowska / Agencja Wyborcza.pl)
]]>Reporter: Lucy Ash Produced by: Lucy Ash and Eva Krysiak Editor: Bridget Harney Research: Grzegorz Sokol
(Image: Polish volunteers provide relief to injured migrants stranded in the icy forest. Credit: Agnieszka Sadowska / Agencja Wyborcza.pl)
]]>In addition to the gauntlet of predators the fish face, from orcas to eagles, they are also running into a man-made obstacle: huge concrete dams.
Most scientists agree the dams need to go for the fish to live, but the dams provide jobs, clean energy, and an inexpensive way for farmers to get their crops to international markets.
However, US Congressman Mike Simpson, a Republican representing Idaho, has a plan to save the salmon. He wants to blow up four dams on the Snake River and reinvent the region's energy infrastructure - a plan which has been overwhelmingly rejected by his own party.
Heath Druzin investigates how a bitter fight is now playing out in America's Pacific Northwest, pitting Native American tribes and conservationists against grain growers and power producers.
Presented by Heath Druzin Produced by Richard Fenton-Smith
(Image: Sockeye salmon. Credit: Mike Korostelev)
]]>In addition to the gauntlet of predators the fish face, from orcas to eagles, they are also running into a man-made obstacle: huge concrete dams.
Most scientists agree the dams need to go for the fish to live, but the dams provide jobs, clean energy, and an inexpensive way for farmers to get their crops to international markets.
However, US Congressman Mike Simpson, a Republican representing Idaho, has a plan to save the salmon. He wants to blow up four dams on the Snake River and reinvent the region's energy infrastructure - a plan which has been overwhelmingly rejected by his own party.
Heath Druzin investigates how a bitter fight is now playing out in America's Pacific Northwest, pitting Native American tribes and conservationists against grain growers and power producers.
Presented by Heath Druzin Produced by Richard Fenton-Smith
(Image: Sockeye salmon. Credit: Mike Korostelev)
]]>Presented by Maria Margaronis and produced by Mark Burman
(Image: A firefighter tries to extinguish wildfire on the island of Evia, August 2021. Credit: Reuters/Nikolas Economou)
]]>Presented by Maria Margaronis and produced by Mark Burman
(Image: A firefighter tries to extinguish wildfire on the island of Evia, August 2021. Credit: Reuters/Nikolas Economou)
]]>Reported and produced by Tim Whewell Editor: Bridget Harney
(Destruction in Germany’s Ahr Valley after the July 2021 floods. Credit: Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo)
]]>Reported and produced by Tim Whewell Editor: Bridget Harney
(Destruction in Germany’s Ahr Valley after the July 2021 floods. Credit: Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo)
]]>Producer / presenter: Linda Pressly
(Image: The Red Van with some of its volunteers – Pauline Hoffman Schroder, Sine Plambech and Aphinya Jatuparisakul. Credit: BBC/Linda Pressly)
]]>Producer / presenter: Linda Pressly
(Image: The Red Van with some of its volunteers – Pauline Hoffman Schroder, Sine Plambech and Aphinya Jatuparisakul. Credit: BBC/Linda Pressly)
]]>Producer/presenter: Sarah Rainsford Producer: Will Vernon
(Photo: Sarah Rainsford. Credit: Jonathan Ford)
]]>Producer/presenter: Sarah Rainsford Producer: Will Vernon
(Photo: Sarah Rainsford. Credit: Jonathan Ford)
]]>Somali pirates made millions of dollars hijacking ships and holding their crews hostage, if no ransom was paid though, sailors could spend years languishing in captivity.
When retired British Army Colonel John Steed set out to try to free what he called "Somalia’s forgotten hostages" he had no money and no hostage-negotiation experience, so how did he do it?
Colin Freeman, who was himself taken hostage in Somalia, hears the remarkable stories of the sailors and their saviours.
Producer: Joe Kent Sound: Rob Farquhar and Neil Churchill
(Image: Armed Somali pirate standing on the coast looking to sea. Credit: Mohamed Dahir/AFP/Getty Images)
ARCHIVE: Captain Phillips (Columbia Pictures) directed by Paul Greengrass
]]>Somali pirates made millions of dollars hijacking ships and holding their crews hostage, if no ransom was paid though, sailors could spend years languishing in captivity.
When retired British Army Colonel John Steed set out to try to free what he called "Somalia’s forgotten hostages" he had no money and no hostage-negotiation experience, so how did he do it?
Colin Freeman, who was himself taken hostage in Somalia, hears the remarkable stories of the sailors and their saviours.
Producer: Joe Kent Sound: Rob Farquhar and Neil Churchill
(Image: Armed Somali pirate standing on the coast looking to sea. Credit: Mohamed Dahir/AFP/Getty Images)
ARCHIVE: Captain Phillips (Columbia Pictures) directed by Paul Greengrass
]]>Why does the UK remain a go-to destination for some of the world’s most tainted money? And why does it take a leak for the truth to be revealed about who’s really invested in some of the country’s prime property?
Reporter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Anna Meisel and Kate West Editor: Gail Champion
(Image: Pandora Papers illustration. Credit: BBC)
]]>Why does the UK remain a go-to destination for some of the world’s most tainted money? And why does it take a leak for the truth to be revealed about who’s really invested in some of the country’s prime property?
Reporter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Anna Meisel and Kate West Editor: Gail Champion
(Image: Pandora Papers illustration. Credit: BBC)
]]>Producer: Mike Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Young female loyalist band prepares to take part in the annual Relief of Derry march on August 14, 2021. Credit: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
]]>Producer: Mike Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Young female loyalist band prepares to take part in the annual Relief of Derry march on August 14, 2021. Credit: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
]]>Reporter: Nga Pham Producer: Anna Horsbrugh-Porter A Just Radio production for the BBC World Service
(Image: A group of women harvest rice, Vietnam. Credit: BBC)
]]>Reporter: Nga Pham Producer: Anna Horsbrugh-Porter A Just Radio production for the BBC World Service
(Image: A group of women harvest rice, Vietnam. Credit: BBC)
]]>Snared by the FBI in 2020, Abbas is better known as Instagram influencer Hushpuppi, who flaunted a life of designer clothes, private jets and penthouse apartments to millions of followers. Little did they know that his lavish lifestyle was funded through a complex web of cyber-heists.
Most cyber-criminals remain nameless, faceless, anonymous and all but untraceable. Now, Assignment unmasks Ramon Abbas, revealing a complicated, sometimes ruthless character driven by a thirst for wealth and celebrity status.
]]>Snared by the FBI in 2020, Abbas is better known as Instagram influencer Hushpuppi, who flaunted a life of designer clothes, private jets and penthouse apartments to millions of followers. Little did they know that his lavish lifestyle was funded through a complex web of cyber-heists.
Most cyber-criminals remain nameless, faceless, anonymous and all but untraceable. Now, Assignment unmasks Ramon Abbas, revealing a complicated, sometimes ruthless character driven by a thirst for wealth and celebrity status.
]]>Producer: Emma Wells Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Illustration of a man sitting in a chair in a laboratory, a device behind him pulsing wavy beams of microwave energy through his head. Credit: BBC/Gerry Fletcher)
]]>Producer: Emma Wells Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Illustration of a man sitting in a chair in a laboratory, a device behind him pulsing wavy beams of microwave energy through his head. Credit: BBC/Gerry Fletcher)
]]>Presented and produced by Maria Margaronis Special thanks to Lighthouse Reports for their support in gathering this material
(Image: Refugee girl playing in the ashes of the ruined Moria camp. Credit: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
]]>Presented and produced by Maria Margaronis Special thanks to Lighthouse Reports for their support in gathering this material
(Image: Refugee girl playing in the ashes of the ruined Moria camp. Credit: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
]]>Producer / Presenter: Linda Pressly Producer / Presenter in Spain: Esperanza Escribano Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Jorge Fe, director of FueraOkupas – a company dedicated to evicting squatters and unwanted tenants. Credit: BBC/Esperanza Escribano)
]]>Producer / Presenter: Linda Pressly Producer / Presenter in Spain: Esperanza Escribano Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Jorge Fe, director of FueraOkupas – a company dedicated to evicting squatters and unwanted tenants. Credit: BBC/Esperanza Escribano)
]]>In a series of intimate one to one conversations presented by the BBC’s Sana Safi ,three spiritual advisers – Sister Dang Nghiem, Dr Shefali Tsabary and Eckhart Tolle offer guidance to members of the public from across the world as they ask for advice and inspiration.
]]>In a series of intimate one to one conversations presented by the BBC’s Sana Safi ,three spiritual advisers – Sister Dang Nghiem, Dr Shefali Tsabary and Eckhart Tolle offer guidance to members of the public from across the world as they ask for advice and inspiration.
]]>Ray Torres used to get beaten up every day at school. He stood out because he had a learning disability. But when his dad gave him a basketball, he found an escape and a kind of friend that didn’t hit him or call him names. He took the ball everywhere - even using it as a pillow.
When Spain started an intellectual disability basketball team, Ray was picked as one of the best players in the country and within a few years he was made captain. And when he found out the team had qualified to take part in the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, it was beyond his wildest dreams…
]]>Ray Torres used to get beaten up every day at school. He stood out because he had a learning disability. But when his dad gave him a basketball, he found an escape and a kind of friend that didn’t hit him or call him names. He took the ball everywhere - even using it as a pillow.
When Spain started an intellectual disability basketball team, Ray was picked as one of the best players in the country and within a few years he was made captain. And when he found out the team had qualified to take part in the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, it was beyond his wildest dreams…
]]>The Taliban is advancing towards Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, as foreign forces prepare to fully withdraw from the country. Thousands of people are being displaced and many more are fearful about what lies ahead. Reporting the news in the country can result in death threats and loss of life, and host Nuala McGovern hears from Afghan journalists who are determined to continue working despite the dangers, including losing colleagues. Two women also share their fears for the future, concerned that their rights will go back two decades, to a time when women were not allowed to work or leave the house without an escort.
]]>The Taliban is advancing towards Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, as foreign forces prepare to fully withdraw from the country. Thousands of people are being displaced and many more are fearful about what lies ahead. Reporting the news in the country can result in death threats and loss of life, and host Nuala McGovern hears from Afghan journalists who are determined to continue working despite the dangers, including losing colleagues. Two women also share their fears for the future, concerned that their rights will go back two decades, to a time when women were not allowed to work or leave the house without an escort.
]]>Producers: Quique Kierszenbaum in Israel and Michael Gallagher in London Editor: Bridget Harney
]]>Producers: Quique Kierszenbaum in Israel and Michael Gallagher in London Editor: Bridget Harney
]]>But a new generation has developed an unusual method of keeping those memories alive. Denshosha are the designated guardians of survivors’ memories. They act as storytellers, working with survivors to record their story and pass it down to future generations, embodying the survivor in a deeply personal way, so they do not permanently disappear.
]]>But a new generation has developed an unusual method of keeping those memories alive. Denshosha are the designated guardians of survivors’ memories. They act as storytellers, working with survivors to record their story and pass it down to future generations, embodying the survivor in a deeply personal way, so they do not permanently disappear.
]]>Italy enjoyed an incredible few hours in Japan’s National Stadium and Viviana Masini reveals her son’s challenging childhood that ultimately put him on a path to become the fastest man on the planet. Lamont Marcell Jacobs was also the first Italian to claim the men’s 100 metres Olympic gold.
We also hear from residents in Tokyo. Two of them explain their change of heart about holding the Games in the capital. Meanwhile, the pandemic remains an emergency and two doctors in the city discuss the latest rise in Covid rates.
]]>Italy enjoyed an incredible few hours in Japan’s National Stadium and Viviana Masini reveals her son’s challenging childhood that ultimately put him on a path to become the fastest man on the planet. Lamont Marcell Jacobs was also the first Italian to claim the men’s 100 metres Olympic gold.
We also hear from residents in Tokyo. Two of them explain their change of heart about holding the Games in the capital. Meanwhile, the pandemic remains an emergency and two doctors in the city discuss the latest rise in Covid rates.
]]>Producer Kate Vandy.
]]>Producer Kate Vandy.
]]>Reporter and producer: Tim Whewell Producer: Mohamad Chreyteh Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Beirut explosion survivors Manal Ghaziri and Johnny Khawand outside the ruins of a neighbours' house in the Karantina district. Credit: Mohamad Chreyteh/BBC)
]]>Reporter and producer: Tim Whewell Producer: Mohamad Chreyteh Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Beirut explosion survivors Manal Ghaziri and Johnny Khawand outside the ruins of a neighbours' house in the Karantina district. Credit: Mohamad Chreyteh/BBC)
]]>New York producer: Guglielmo Mattioli Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: A view of Midtown Manhattan and Bryant Park. Credit: Reuters/Carlo Allegri)
]]>New York producer: Guglielmo Mattioli Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: A view of Midtown Manhattan and Bryant Park. Credit: Reuters/Carlo Allegri)
]]>Producers: Naomi Scherbel-Ball in Lagos and Michael Gallagher in London Sound mix: James Beard Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Mrs Sani shows a photo of her two daughters Rejoice and Victory. They were kidnapped from their school in March and were finally released after being held captive for almost two months. Credit: BBC)
]]>Producers: Naomi Scherbel-Ball in Lagos and Michael Gallagher in London Sound mix: James Beard Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Mrs Sani shows a photo of her two daughters Rejoice and Victory. They were kidnapped from their school in March and were finally released after being held captive for almost two months. Credit: BBC)
]]>In the final programme from the season Lina hears from BBC foreign correspondent Tim Whewell who spoke to Abood Hamam, perhaps the only photojournalist to have worked under every major force in Syria's war - and lived to tell the tale. At the start of the uprising he was head of photography for the state news agency, SANA, taking official shots of President Assad and his wife Asma by day - and secretly filming opposition attacks by night. Later he defected and returned to his home town, Raqqa, where various rebel groups were competing for control. Other journalists fled when the terrorists of so-called Islamic State (IS) took over, but Abood stayed - and was asked by IS to film its victory parade. He sent pictures of life under IS to agencies all over the world - using a pseudonym. As the bombing campaign by the anti-IS coalition intensified, Abood moved away - but returned later to record the heartbreaking destruction - but also the slow return of life, and colour, to the streets. For months, he roamed through the ruins with his camera, seeing himself as ”the guardian of the city." Raqqa's future is still very uncertain, but Abood now wants everyone to see his pictures, which he posts on Facebook, and know his real name. He hopes the colours he's showing will tempt the thousands of families who've fled Raqqa to return home, and rebuild their lives, and their city.
Producer: Mohamad Chreyteh Sound mix: James Beard Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Children running in Raqqa, 2019. Credit: Abood Hamam)
]]>In the final programme from the season Lina hears from BBC foreign correspondent Tim Whewell who spoke to Abood Hamam, perhaps the only photojournalist to have worked under every major force in Syria's war - and lived to tell the tale. At the start of the uprising he was head of photography for the state news agency, SANA, taking official shots of President Assad and his wife Asma by day - and secretly filming opposition attacks by night. Later he defected and returned to his home town, Raqqa, where various rebel groups were competing for control. Other journalists fled when the terrorists of so-called Islamic State (IS) took over, but Abood stayed - and was asked by IS to film its victory parade. He sent pictures of life under IS to agencies all over the world - using a pseudonym. As the bombing campaign by the anti-IS coalition intensified, Abood moved away - but returned later to record the heartbreaking destruction - but also the slow return of life, and colour, to the streets. For months, he roamed through the ruins with his camera, seeing himself as ”the guardian of the city." Raqqa's future is still very uncertain, but Abood now wants everyone to see his pictures, which he posts on Facebook, and know his real name. He hopes the colours he's showing will tempt the thousands of families who've fled Raqqa to return home, and rebuild their lives, and their city.
Producer: Mohamad Chreyteh Sound mix: James Beard Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Children running in Raqqa, 2019. Credit: Abood Hamam)
]]>This week Chloe Hadjimatheou tells the astonishing story of a group of young men from Raqqa, Syria, who chose to resist the so-called Islamic State, which occupied their city in 2014 and made it the capital of their ‘Caliphate’. These extraordinary activists risked everything to oppose ISIS; several were killed, or had family members murdered. ISIS put a bounty on the resistance leaders’ heads forcing them to go into hiding. But the group continued its work, under the banner Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently. Chloe met the group’s founders, who were organising undercover activists in Raqqa from the relative safety of other countries.
As reporter Chloe Hadjimatheou tells Lina, despite the passing of the years these men are still in hiding from the militants who occupied their city in 2014.
(Photo: Four activists from the group working under the banner Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently)
]]>This week Chloe Hadjimatheou tells the astonishing story of a group of young men from Raqqa, Syria, who chose to resist the so-called Islamic State, which occupied their city in 2014 and made it the capital of their ‘Caliphate’. These extraordinary activists risked everything to oppose ISIS; several were killed, or had family members murdered. ISIS put a bounty on the resistance leaders’ heads forcing them to go into hiding. But the group continued its work, under the banner Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently. Chloe met the group’s founders, who were organising undercover activists in Raqqa from the relative safety of other countries.
As reporter Chloe Hadjimatheou tells Lina, despite the passing of the years these men are still in hiding from the militants who occupied their city in 2014.
(Photo: Four activists from the group working under the banner Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently)
]]>#LazarusHeist
]]>#LazarusHeist
]]>As some countries, including Japan, struggle to vaccinate older members of their populations, host Nuala McGovern also hears from two 12-year-olds in Canada and the United States. They were among the first children in the world to receive a Covid vaccine.
]]>As some countries, including Japan, struggle to vaccinate older members of their populations, host Nuala McGovern also hears from two 12-year-olds in Canada and the United States. They were among the first children in the world to receive a Covid vaccine.
]]>This week an extraordinary story from 2016, reported by Mike Thomson, about a secret library stored in the basement of a crumbling house in the besieged Syrian town of Darayya. The library was home to thousands of books rescued from bombed-out buildings by local volunteers, who daily braved snipers and shells to fill its shelves.
In the town gripped by hunger and death after three years without food aid, Mike Thomson revealed how this literary sanctuary proved a lifeline to a community shattered by war. And now, 10 years on, Mike brings Lina up to date on the fate of some of those volunteers.
Produced by Michael Gallagher and additional research and translation by Mariam El Khalaf.
(Image: 14 year-old Chief Librarian Amjad in the Secret Library, Credit: Daraya Council Media Team)
]]>This week an extraordinary story from 2016, reported by Mike Thomson, about a secret library stored in the basement of a crumbling house in the besieged Syrian town of Darayya. The library was home to thousands of books rescued from bombed-out buildings by local volunteers, who daily braved snipers and shells to fill its shelves.
In the town gripped by hunger and death after three years without food aid, Mike Thomson revealed how this literary sanctuary proved a lifeline to a community shattered by war. And now, 10 years on, Mike brings Lina up to date on the fate of some of those volunteers.
Produced by Michael Gallagher and additional research and translation by Mariam El Khalaf.
(Image: 14 year-old Chief Librarian Amjad in the Secret Library, Credit: Daraya Council Media Team)
]]>This week she introduces Tim Whewell’s programme from 2016 about what happened to a local football team in Aleppo province in the early years of the civil war:
A fuzzy team photo from the 1980s sent Tim on a journey to track down the football players in the picture; the men who were once the champions of Aleppo province. Mare’a, their small hometown in northern Syria, had by then become a war zone - bombed by the Assad regime, besieged by Islamic State, even subjected to a mustard gas attack. And the civil war had torn through what was once a close knit band of friends - some had become pro-rebel, some pro-regime. They were scattered across Syria and beyond, some were fighting near Mare'a, some were living in refugee camps abroad. In this moving story about how war fractures and divides a community, Tim hears about the ordeals the men had suffered since they won that football cup and asks whether they could ever be reunited?
At the end of the programme, Lina catches up with Tim to find out what’s happened to the team members since 2016.
(Image: Mare’a’s cup-winning football team, 1983. Credit: Mare'a football team’s archive)
]]>This week she introduces Tim Whewell’s programme from 2016 about what happened to a local football team in Aleppo province in the early years of the civil war:
A fuzzy team photo from the 1980s sent Tim on a journey to track down the football players in the picture; the men who were once the champions of Aleppo province. Mare’a, their small hometown in northern Syria, had by then become a war zone - bombed by the Assad regime, besieged by Islamic State, even subjected to a mustard gas attack. And the civil war had torn through what was once a close knit band of friends - some had become pro-rebel, some pro-regime. They were scattered across Syria and beyond, some were fighting near Mare'a, some were living in refugee camps abroad. In this moving story about how war fractures and divides a community, Tim hears about the ordeals the men had suffered since they won that football cup and asks whether they could ever be reunited?
At the end of the programme, Lina catches up with Tim to find out what’s happened to the team members since 2016.
(Image: Mare’a’s cup-winning football team, 1983. Credit: Mare'a football team’s archive)
]]>(Image: Lina Sinjab. Credit: Sima Ajalyakin)
]]>(Image: Lina Sinjab. Credit: Sima Ajalyakin)
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher Producer in Mexico: Ulises Escamilla Haro
(Image: Illustration of a vaquita in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. Credit: Greenpeace/Marcelo Otero)
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher Producer in Mexico: Ulises Escamilla Haro
(Image: Illustration of a vaquita in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. Credit: Greenpeace/Marcelo Otero)
]]>Produced and presented by Rebecca Henschke with Kelvin Brown Reporting team: Banyol Kong Janoi, Phyu Zin Poe and Zarchi
(Image: Bhone at a pro-democracy demonstration in Myanmar. Credit: BBC)
]]>Produced and presented by Rebecca Henschke with Kelvin Brown Reporting team: Banyol Kong Janoi, Phyu Zin Poe and Zarchi
(Image: Bhone at a pro-democracy demonstration in Myanmar. Credit: BBC)
]]>Produced by Becky Lipscombe
(Image: Mozambican soldiers on a motorbike in the streets of Palma, April 2021. Credit: European Pressphoto Agency/Joao Relvas)
]]>Produced by Becky Lipscombe
(Image: Mozambican soldiers on a motorbike in the streets of Palma, April 2021. Credit: European Pressphoto Agency/Joao Relvas)
]]>Produced for radio by Michael Gallagher
If you have been affected by any of the issues discussed in this programme, you can contact help at Befrienders International: www.befrienders.org
(Image: A juvenile inmate in a cell seen through the door hatch. Credit: Richard Ross)
]]>Produced for radio by Michael Gallagher
If you have been affected by any of the issues discussed in this programme, you can contact help at Befrienders International: www.befrienders.org
(Image: A juvenile inmate in a cell seen through the door hatch. Credit: Richard Ross)
]]>It’s not just people living alone who can feel isolated, of course, and three single parents from the Philippines, the United States and the UK share their experiences - both the highs and lows - of living with their children 24/7. For theatre artist Floyd in Manila, it has resulted in singing regularly with his ten year old son.
]]>It’s not just people living alone who can feel isolated, of course, and three single parents from the Philippines, the United States and the UK share their experiences - both the highs and lows - of living with their children 24/7. For theatre artist Floyd in Manila, it has resulted in singing regularly with his ten year old son.
]]>The stories reflect on the Prince’s many passions, the charities he was involved with, his commitment to individuals and causes and also his support for the Queen and the Commonwealth. We also hear about his sharp wit and sense of humour.
]]>The stories reflect on the Prince’s many passions, the charities he was involved with, his commitment to individuals and causes and also his support for the Queen and the Commonwealth. We also hear about his sharp wit and sense of humour.
]]>Producer: Philip Marzouk Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Hand being held in a gesture of comfort. Credit: PeopleImages via Getty)
]]>Producer: Philip Marzouk Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Hand being held in a gesture of comfort. Credit: PeopleImages via Getty)
]]>Producers/presenters: Linda Pressly and Rikke Bolander Editor, Bridget Harney
(Image: A mink in a cage on a Danish fur farm. Credit: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>Producers/presenters: Linda Pressly and Rikke Bolander Editor, Bridget Harney
(Image: A mink in a cage on a Danish fur farm. Credit: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>Producer and presenter: Tim Whewell Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Laidlaw Peringanda at the Swakopmund Genocide Memorial. Credit: Tim Whewell/BBC)
]]>Producer and presenter: Tim Whewell Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Laidlaw Peringanda at the Swakopmund Genocide Memorial. Credit: Tim Whewell/BBC)
]]>(Image: Bangladeshi labourers and docked ships at a shipbreaking yard. Credit: Farjana Khan Godhuly/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>(Image: Bangladeshi labourers and docked ships at a shipbreaking yard. Credit: Farjana Khan Godhuly/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>Producer: Mike Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Demonstrator, with a Saltire bodysuit and flag, at a Pro-Scottish Independence rally in Glasgow, 05 February 2021. The Scottish National Party has adopted the Saltire as its symbol but Unionists say they have just as much ownership of the country’s blue and white flag, also known as the St Andrew’s Cross. Credit: Reuters)
]]>Producer: Mike Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Demonstrator, with a Saltire bodysuit and flag, at a Pro-Scottish Independence rally in Glasgow, 05 February 2021. The Scottish National Party has adopted the Saltire as its symbol but Unionists say they have just as much ownership of the country’s blue and white flag, also known as the St Andrew’s Cross. Credit: Reuters)
]]>Editor: Lucy Proctor
(Image: Checking a smartphone, lit-up against a dark background. Credit:d3sign/Getty)
]]>Editor: Lucy Proctor
(Image: Checking a smartphone, lit-up against a dark background. Credit:d3sign/Getty)
]]>Producer: Rob Cave
]]>Producer: Rob Cave
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Healthcare workers light candles next to a photograph of Doctor Stephen Mogusu. Credit: Dennis Sigwe/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Healthcare workers light candles next to a photograph of Doctor Stephen Mogusu. Credit: Dennis Sigwe/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
]]>Presenter: Lucy Proctor Producer: Linda Pressly
(Image: Artwork depicting a young woman, with her head in her hands. Credit: Malin Rossi)
]]>Presenter: Lucy Proctor Producer: Linda Pressly
(Image: Artwork depicting a young woman, with her head in her hands. Credit: Malin Rossi)
]]>Reporter: Phil Kemp Producer: Anna Meisel (Image: A worker inspects newly-made gloves. Credit: Reuters/Lim Huey Teng)
]]>Reporter: Phil Kemp Producer: Anna Meisel (Image: A worker inspects newly-made gloves. Credit: Reuters/Lim Huey Teng)
]]>Reporter and producer: Simona Rata Assistant editor: John Murphy Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Abandoned building on Calea Mosilor, a busy street in the centre of Bucharest. Credit: Simona Rata/BBC)
]]>Reporter and producer: Simona Rata Assistant editor: John Murphy Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Abandoned building on Calea Mosilor, a busy street in the centre of Bucharest. Credit: Simona Rata/BBC)
]]>Produced and presented by Rebecca Henschke in London and Grace Tsoi in Hong Kong Sound recordings by Wei Wang Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: A Hong Kong pro-democracy protestor who has decided to flee to the United Kingdom. Credit: BBC/Wei Wang)
]]>Produced and presented by Rebecca Henschke in London and Grace Tsoi in Hong Kong Sound recordings by Wei Wang Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: A Hong Kong pro-democracy protestor who has decided to flee to the United Kingdom. Credit: BBC/Wei Wang)
]]>Warning: Disturbing content
Producer: Michael Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Lisa Montgomery. Credit: Wyandotte County Sheriff / via EPA)
]]>Warning: Disturbing content
Producer: Michael Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Lisa Montgomery. Credit: Wyandotte County Sheriff / via EPA)
]]>Producer: Kate West Reporter: Joice Etutu Editor: Gail Champion
(Image: Plastic surgeon marking a woman’s body for plastic surgery. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>Producer: Kate West Reporter: Joice Etutu Editor: Gail Champion
(Image: Plastic surgeon marking a woman’s body for plastic surgery. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: A defaced mural depicting Mohsen al-Kani in the town of Tarhuna. Credit: Mahmud Turkia/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: A defaced mural depicting Mohsen al-Kani in the town of Tarhuna. Credit: Mahmud Turkia/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>The audio for this podcast was updated on 8 January 2021.
]]>The audio for this podcast was updated on 8 January 2021.
]]>Three mothers from three different countries also speak to Nuala again. They faced the daunting prospect of giving birth in 2020, as medical staff were under pressure due to the virus. The women reflect on their birth experiences, the first few months with their new babies and how the current situation has left them feeling more isolated. Thanks to BBC OS Conversations, they have now formed their own virtual support group
]]>Three mothers from three different countries also speak to Nuala again. They faced the daunting prospect of giving birth in 2020, as medical staff were under pressure due to the virus. The women reflect on their birth experiences, the first few months with their new babies and how the current situation has left them feeling more isolated. Thanks to BBC OS Conversations, they have now formed their own virtual support group
]]>The incident has traumatised a highly popular political reform movement that began as a demand to close down the S.A.R.S., a notoriously corrupt and brutal police squad. In the aftermath, many of the movement’s young supporters are keeping a low profile. Some have had their bank accounts frozen and passports seized. Others have even fled overseas, in fear of their lives.
The BBC’s Nigeria correspondent Mayeni Jones has been talking to some of them, including a witness to the Lekki shooting, and Peace, who is tirelessly searching for her brother, Wisdom, who is still missing after attending the demonstration. Mayeni finds a country whose traditionally deferential society and elderly leadership seem suddenly vulnerable; shaken by a perfect storm of youthful idealism, social media activism, and the crippling economic fallout of the Covid pandemic.
Producers: Naomi Scherbel-Ball & Michael Gallagher With additional research by Jonelle Awomoyi Editor: Bridget Harney
]]>The incident has traumatised a highly popular political reform movement that began as a demand to close down the S.A.R.S., a notoriously corrupt and brutal police squad. In the aftermath, many of the movement’s young supporters are keeping a low profile. Some have had their bank accounts frozen and passports seized. Others have even fled overseas, in fear of their lives.
The BBC’s Nigeria correspondent Mayeni Jones has been talking to some of them, including a witness to the Lekki shooting, and Peace, who is tirelessly searching for her brother, Wisdom, who is still missing after attending the demonstration. Mayeni finds a country whose traditionally deferential society and elderly leadership seem suddenly vulnerable; shaken by a perfect storm of youthful idealism, social media activism, and the crippling economic fallout of the Covid pandemic.
Producers: Naomi Scherbel-Ball & Michael Gallagher With additional research by Jonelle Awomoyi Editor: Bridget Harney
]]>Producer: Bob Howard Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: UN peacekeepers on patrol in Darfur, Sudan. Credit: Bob Howard/BBC)
]]>Producer: Bob Howard Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: UN peacekeepers on patrol in Darfur, Sudan. Credit: Bob Howard/BBC)
]]>Produced and presented by Ed Butler.
(Image: Men in the same fatigues as SNA fighters photographed in Azerbaijan stand in front of a border sign written in Armenian, Russian and English. Credit: Telegram channel of Jarablus News)
]]>Produced and presented by Ed Butler.
(Image: Men in the same fatigues as SNA fighters photographed in Azerbaijan stand in front of a border sign written in Armenian, Russian and English. Credit: Telegram channel of Jarablus News)
]]>Producer: Paul Grant
(Image: Anonymous internet-user in a mask. Credit: Peter Dazeley/Getty)
]]>Producer: Paul Grant
(Image: Anonymous internet-user in a mask. Credit: Peter Dazeley/Getty)
]]>Presenter / producer: Jane Chambers Producer in London: Linda Pressly Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Machi Juana at her home by her sacred altar. Credit: Jane Chambers/BBC)
]]>Presenter / producer: Jane Chambers Producer in London: Linda Pressly Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Machi Juana at her home by her sacred altar. Credit: Jane Chambers/BBC)
]]>Produced and presented by Tim Whewell Editor, Bridget Harney
(Image: Sunset on a beach in Martinique. Credit: DeAgostini/Getty Images)
]]>Produced and presented by Tim Whewell Editor, Bridget Harney
(Image: Sunset on a beach in Martinique. Credit: DeAgostini/Getty Images)
]]>(Image: Tadius Butipo, 30 years old, with his son, in a oil palm plantation. Credit: Albertus Vembrianto/BBC)
]]>(Image: Tadius Butipo, 30 years old, with his son, in a oil palm plantation. Credit: Albertus Vembrianto/BBC)
]]>Host Nuala McGovern is in Reno, Nevada, speaking to people across the political spectrum to hear how they feel about the vote and the state of their nation. In this election assumptions have been overturned and expectations upended. Double the number of Black voters are believed to have supported President Trump at the polls compared to 2016, and several prominent Republicans publicly declared they were voting for Joe Biden, instead of the leader of their own party.
Among our conversations, we hear from three Black Trump supporters about why they voted for him, and two women from opposing sides of the political fence on the controversy surrounding the voting and counting.
]]>Host Nuala McGovern is in Reno, Nevada, speaking to people across the political spectrum to hear how they feel about the vote and the state of their nation. In this election assumptions have been overturned and expectations upended. Double the number of Black voters are believed to have supported President Trump at the polls compared to 2016, and several prominent Republicans publicly declared they were voting for Joe Biden, instead of the leader of their own party.
Among our conversations, we hear from three Black Trump supporters about why they voted for him, and two women from opposing sides of the political fence on the controversy surrounding the voting and counting.
]]>(Image: Domenico Asaro, a third generation fishermen from Mazara del Vallo who has been arrested at sea by Libya three times. Credit: BBC)
]]>(Image: Domenico Asaro, a third generation fishermen from Mazara del Vallo who has been arrested at sea by Libya three times. Credit: BBC)
]]>Producer Mike Gallagher
(Image: A trader examines a haddock at the daily Grimsby Fish Market auction. Credit: Bethany Clarke/Getty Images)
]]>Producer Mike Gallagher
(Image: A trader examines a haddock at the daily Grimsby Fish Market auction. Credit: Bethany Clarke/Getty Images)
]]>Producer: Linda Pressly
(Image: Said Reza Adib. Credit: Sayed Ahmadzia Ebrahimi)
]]>Producer: Linda Pressly
(Image: Said Reza Adib. Credit: Sayed Ahmadzia Ebrahimi)
]]>Portland has a reputation as one of the United States’ most liberal and tolerant cities. Since the death of George Floyd, it has been at the forefront of protests and violence as anti-racist demonstrators and far right groups have battled with each other and with the police. Yet, in 2016, the killing of a young black man sparked a national debate about race hatred. Nineteen year old Larnell Bruce died after a white man called Russell Courtier drove his car at him. A trial for murder and a hate crime followed, and exposed a culture of white supremacy in Oregon, rooted in the state’s history and which endures today despite its easy-going image. In this two-part documentary for Assignment, Mobeen Azhar follows the trial of Russell Courtier and investigates the issues it exposed.
Part Two follows Mobeen as he leaves the courtroom to meet Portland’s white supremacists and find out how they operate. He discovers that violent gangs are thriving because of the very institution meant to prevent crime – the prison system. Then, it is time for the verdict.
(This programme was adapted for radio from the feature-length TV documentary, “A Black & White Killing: The Case That Shook America”, made by Expectation Entertainment.)
(Photo: Prisoner being escorted by guards. Credit: BBC)
]]>Portland has a reputation as one of the United States’ most liberal and tolerant cities. Since the death of George Floyd, it has been at the forefront of protests and violence as anti-racist demonstrators and far right groups have battled with each other and with the police. Yet, in 2016, the killing of a young black man sparked a national debate about race hatred. Nineteen year old Larnell Bruce died after a white man called Russell Courtier drove his car at him. A trial for murder and a hate crime followed, and exposed a culture of white supremacy in Oregon, rooted in the state’s history and which endures today despite its easy-going image. In this two-part documentary for Assignment, Mobeen Azhar follows the trial of Russell Courtier and investigates the issues it exposed.
Part Two follows Mobeen as he leaves the courtroom to meet Portland’s white supremacists and find out how they operate. He discovers that violent gangs are thriving because of the very institution meant to prevent crime – the prison system. Then, it is time for the verdict.
(This programme was adapted for radio from the feature-length TV documentary, “A Black & White Killing: The Case That Shook America”, made by Expectation Entertainment.)
(Photo: Prisoner being escorted by guards. Credit: BBC)
]]>In 2016, the killing of a young black man sparked a national debate about white supremacy. Nineteen year old Larnell Bruce died after a white man called Russell Courtier deliberately drove his car at him. A trial for murder and a hate crime followed, and exposed a culture of white supremacy in Oregon, rooted in the state’s history and thriving today despite its easy-going image. In this two-part documentary for Assignment, Mobeen Azhar follows the trial of Russell Courtier and investigates how the prison system has become a recruitment ground for racist gangs.
Part one reveals the disturbing details of what happened to Larnell Bruce when he encountered Russell Courtier outside a convenience store in one of Portland’s most deprived neighbourhoods. Then, as the murder trial gets underway, we learn that Russell Courtier had once joined a white supremacist gang and continued to bear its insignia on his clothes, and tattooed on his body. However, new evidence emerges to suggest that the case might not be as straightforward as it first appeared.
(Image: Safely behind bars? Some white prisoners have found themselves targeted by gangs. Image: Prisoner being escorted by guards. Credit: BBC)
]]>In 2016, the killing of a young black man sparked a national debate about white supremacy. Nineteen year old Larnell Bruce died after a white man called Russell Courtier deliberately drove his car at him. A trial for murder and a hate crime followed, and exposed a culture of white supremacy in Oregon, rooted in the state’s history and thriving today despite its easy-going image. In this two-part documentary for Assignment, Mobeen Azhar follows the trial of Russell Courtier and investigates how the prison system has become a recruitment ground for racist gangs.
Part one reveals the disturbing details of what happened to Larnell Bruce when he encountered Russell Courtier outside a convenience store in one of Portland’s most deprived neighbourhoods. Then, as the murder trial gets underway, we learn that Russell Courtier had once joined a white supremacist gang and continued to bear its insignia on his clothes, and tattooed on his body. However, new evidence emerges to suggest that the case might not be as straightforward as it first appeared.
(Image: Safely behind bars? Some white prisoners have found themselves targeted by gangs. Image: Prisoner being escorted by guards. Credit: BBC)
]]>Presenter: Lucy Ash Producer: Mike Gallagher
(Image: A woman wears a rainbow face mask at a pro-LGBT demonstration in Poland. Credit: European Photopress Agency/Andrzej Grygiel Poland Out)
]]>Presenter: Lucy Ash Producer: Mike Gallagher
(Image: A woman wears a rainbow face mask at a pro-LGBT demonstration in Poland. Credit: European Photopress Agency/Andrzej Grygiel Poland Out)
]]>(image: Dutch dairy farmer Erik Luiten feeds a new calf. Credit: Tim Whewell/BBC)
]]>(image: Dutch dairy farmer Erik Luiten feeds a new calf. Credit: Tim Whewell/BBC)
]]>When producer Max Freedman visits Rashash, he sees this conflict in action. One settler tries to scatter the sheep by driving towards them in an all-terrain vehicle. Another chases after the flock on horseback. An Israeli activist tries to use his body as a human shield.
After leaving Rashash, Max sets out to understand what he saw there.
Presenter/reporter: Max Freedman Producer: Max Freedman, Ilana Levinson, and Emily Bell Editor: Ilana Levinson
]]>When producer Max Freedman visits Rashash, he sees this conflict in action. One settler tries to scatter the sheep by driving towards them in an all-terrain vehicle. Another chases after the flock on horseback. An Israeli activist tries to use his body as a human shield.
After leaving Rashash, Max sets out to understand what he saw there.
Presenter/reporter: Max Freedman Producer: Max Freedman, Ilana Levinson, and Emily Bell Editor: Ilana Levinson
]]>(Image: Barman working at a bar which has re-opened under new regulations in Val, South Africa, 07 August 2020. Credit: EPA/Kim Ludbrook)
]]>(Image: Barman working at a bar which has re-opened under new regulations in Val, South Africa, 07 August 2020. Credit: EPA/Kim Ludbrook)
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Naziha Syed Ali gives an interview at a journalism conference in 2017. Credit: Glenn Chong)
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Naziha Syed Ali gives an interview at a journalism conference in 2017. Credit: Glenn Chong)
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Hugh Sykes files a report on location – watched by a donkey. Credit: Hugh Sykes’ collection)
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Hugh Sykes files a report on location – watched by a donkey. Credit: Hugh Sykes’ collection)
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Soldiers at a military parade in North Korea. Credit: EPA/How Hwee Young)
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Soldiers at a military parade in North Korea. Credit: EPA/How Hwee Young)
]]>Produced by Michael Gallagher Editor Bridget Harney Image: (Milton Nkosi) Christian Parkinson
]]>Produced by Michael Gallagher Editor Bridget Harney Image: (Milton Nkosi) Christian Parkinson
]]>Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly Producer in Venezuela: Vanessa Silva Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Jordan Goudreau and Javier Nieto address the Venezuelan people on 3 May, 2020. Credit: Javier Nieto)
]]>Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly Producer in Venezuela: Vanessa Silva Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Jordan Goudreau and Javier Nieto address the Venezuelan people on 3 May, 2020. Credit: Javier Nieto)
]]>Reporter: Tim Whewell Producer: Mohamad Chreyteh Sound mix: James Beard Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Children running in Raqqa, 2019. Credit: Abood Hamam)
]]>Reporter: Tim Whewell Producer: Mohamad Chreyteh Sound mix: James Beard Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Children running in Raqqa, 2019. Credit: Abood Hamam)
]]>(Image: Zouk power station, Lebanon – where the tainted fuel shipment was first discovered. Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>(Image: Zouk power station, Lebanon – where the tainted fuel shipment was first discovered. Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>For Assignment, Mike Lanchin teams up with Guayaquil journalist Blanca Moncada, to follow the story of one woman in her dramatic search for the body of her late husband.
(Image: Funeral workers with a coffin in the back of a pick-up truck outside Los Ceibos hospital in Guayaquil. Credit: Reuters/Santiago Arcos)
]]>For Assignment, Mike Lanchin teams up with Guayaquil journalist Blanca Moncada, to follow the story of one woman in her dramatic search for the body of her late husband.
(Image: Funeral workers with a coffin in the back of a pick-up truck outside Los Ceibos hospital in Guayaquil. Credit: Reuters/Santiago Arcos)
]]>Reporter: John Sudworth Producer: Kathy Long
Photo: Two motorcyclists in Wuhan, China - June 2020 Credit: Getty Images
]]>Reporter: John Sudworth Producer: Kathy Long
Photo: Two motorcyclists in Wuhan, China - June 2020 Credit: Getty Images
]]>How are engineers reinventing our world to fight the virus? What can they do to re-imagine the everyday and make life safer and easier across the globe?
Presenter Kevin Fong is joined by a panel of four leading engineers from around the world who respond to questions, comments and first-hand accounts from a global audience linked by Zoom.
The panel: Luke Leung: Director of Sustainability at international architecture and engineering firm SOM Linda Miller: Transport infrastructure engineer at the major engineering and construction firm Bechtel Rebecca Shipley: Director of UCL’s Institute for Healthcare Engineering Carlo Ratti: Director of MIT’s Senseable Lab
This is a special edition of an annual event series staged in partnership with the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.
]]>How are engineers reinventing our world to fight the virus? What can they do to re-imagine the everyday and make life safer and easier across the globe?
Presenter Kevin Fong is joined by a panel of four leading engineers from around the world who respond to questions, comments and first-hand accounts from a global audience linked by Zoom.
The panel: Luke Leung: Director of Sustainability at international architecture and engineering firm SOM Linda Miller: Transport infrastructure engineer at the major engineering and construction firm Bechtel Rebecca Shipley: Director of UCL’s Institute for Healthcare Engineering Carlo Ratti: Director of MIT’s Senseable Lab
This is a special edition of an annual event series staged in partnership with the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.
]]>For Assignment, the BBC’s Senior Africa Correspondent Anne Soy joins Albert the Samburu herdsman turned locust hunter as he struggles to track the pests who have been decimating crops and pastures across his native northern Kenya. It is a race against time to exterminate this generation before they breed another, larger, more voracious generation.
Producer: Charlotte Atwood Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Man chasing away a swarm of desert locusts in Samburu County, Kenya. Credit: Fredrik Lerneryd/Getty Images)
]]>For Assignment, the BBC’s Senior Africa Correspondent Anne Soy joins Albert the Samburu herdsman turned locust hunter as he struggles to track the pests who have been decimating crops and pastures across his native northern Kenya. It is a race against time to exterminate this generation before they breed another, larger, more voracious generation.
Producer: Charlotte Atwood Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Man chasing away a swarm of desert locusts in Samburu County, Kenya. Credit: Fredrik Lerneryd/Getty Images)
]]>Presenter: Tom Wright Producer: Chloe Hadjimatheou
(Image: A banner draped across a Place Royale statue during an anti-5G protest in Nantes, France. Credit: Estelle Ruiz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
]]>Presenter: Tom Wright Producer: Chloe Hadjimatheou
(Image: A banner draped across a Place Royale statue during an anti-5G protest in Nantes, France. Credit: Estelle Ruiz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
]]>Every month, 100,000 seafarers leave their ships and are replaced by others. But due to covid-19, most of these crew changes have been cancelled for several months. Seafarers are in effect prisoners unable to leave the ship.
Maritime unions and ships owners are warning that covid-19 restrictions could lead to a “humanitarian crisis” as seafarers’ mental health and performance worsen in the face of increasing fatigue – in a profession, which already had a high prevalence of accidents, depression and suicide pre-pandemic.
What will it take to bring seafarers home? Assignment hears from the men and women stuck on board and those trying to help them; offering a unique insight into the often-forgotten human story of the global sea trade.
Presented and produced by Estelle Doyle
(Image: Seafarer looking out to sea. Credit: Artem Radchenko)
]]>Every month, 100,000 seafarers leave their ships and are replaced by others. But due to covid-19, most of these crew changes have been cancelled for several months. Seafarers are in effect prisoners unable to leave the ship.
Maritime unions and ships owners are warning that covid-19 restrictions could lead to a “humanitarian crisis” as seafarers’ mental health and performance worsen in the face of increasing fatigue – in a profession, which already had a high prevalence of accidents, depression and suicide pre-pandemic.
What will it take to bring seafarers home? Assignment hears from the men and women stuck on board and those trying to help them; offering a unique insight into the often-forgotten human story of the global sea trade.
Presented and produced by Estelle Doyle
(Image: Seafarer looking out to sea. Credit: Artem Radchenko)
]]>Tumso was the third Chechen to be attacked in Europe in just a few months; he was the only one to survive. All three men were critics and opponents of the pro-Moscow regime in Chechnya, an area in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus mountains where the authorities are accused of serious human rights abuses and violations. For Assignment, Nick Sturdee investigates who may have sent Tumso’s attacker, and explores the blogger’s relations with the Chechen government and leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
What are the parallels with another recent attack, in Berlin, where former Chechen fighter Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was shot dead? A case where the Bellingcat investigative team has identified the killer and revealed his close connections to the Russian Security Services, the FSB.
Produced and presented by Nick Sturdee
(Image: Tumso Abdurakhmanov takes a selfie in Stockholm. Credit: Tumso Abdurakhmanov)
]]>Tumso was the third Chechen to be attacked in Europe in just a few months; he was the only one to survive. All three men were critics and opponents of the pro-Moscow regime in Chechnya, an area in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus mountains where the authorities are accused of serious human rights abuses and violations. For Assignment, Nick Sturdee investigates who may have sent Tumso’s attacker, and explores the blogger’s relations with the Chechen government and leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
What are the parallels with another recent attack, in Berlin, where former Chechen fighter Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was shot dead? A case where the Bellingcat investigative team has identified the killer and revealed his close connections to the Russian Security Services, the FSB.
Produced and presented by Nick Sturdee
(Image: Tumso Abdurakhmanov takes a selfie in Stockholm. Credit: Tumso Abdurakhmanov)
]]>In Rwanda we find out about a cultural practice that allegedly puts female pleasure first, but is also linked to a controversial form of female genital modification.
The World Health Organisation does not explicitly mention labial elongation as a form of female genital mutilation. It periodically reviews the typology and classification of certain practices and the next review is envisioned for 2020-2021. In this documentary, we look at competing attitudes when it comes to female sexual pleasure and explore the collision zone between individual rights and preserving cultural practices.
]]>In Rwanda we find out about a cultural practice that allegedly puts female pleasure first, but is also linked to a controversial form of female genital modification.
The World Health Organisation does not explicitly mention labial elongation as a form of female genital mutilation. It periodically reviews the typology and classification of certain practices and the next review is envisioned for 2020-2021. In this documentary, we look at competing attitudes when it comes to female sexual pleasure and explore the collision zone between individual rights and preserving cultural practices.
]]>Assignment explores what lies behind President Lukashenko’s position. We hear from community activists, war veterans, tech-wizards and many other diverse people in Belarus. Lucy Ash pieces it all together with reporting by Ilya Kuziatsou.
Produced by Monica Whitlock
(Image: Jana Shostak’s Angry Mask. Human Constanta, a Belarusian human rights organisation, asked eight artists to design facemasks focusing on the coronavirus pandemic. Credit: Jakub Jasiukiewicz)
]]>Assignment explores what lies behind President Lukashenko’s position. We hear from community activists, war veterans, tech-wizards and many other diverse people in Belarus. Lucy Ash pieces it all together with reporting by Ilya Kuziatsou.
Produced by Monica Whitlock
(Image: Jana Shostak’s Angry Mask. Human Constanta, a Belarusian human rights organisation, asked eight artists to design facemasks focusing on the coronavirus pandemic. Credit: Jakub Jasiukiewicz)
]]>Producer and presenter: Lucy Proctor
(Image: Migrants in a dinghy at sea. Credit: Reuters/Yannis Behrakis)
]]>Producer and presenter: Lucy Proctor
(Image: Migrants in a dinghy at sea. Credit: Reuters/Yannis Behrakis)
]]>(Image: Boris Johnson as he gives a statement outside 10 Downing Street on 27 April 27 2020 on his return to work after being hospitalised with the Covid-19 virus. Credit: Pippa Fowles/10 Downing Street/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>(Image: Boris Johnson as he gives a statement outside 10 Downing Street on 27 April 27 2020 on his return to work after being hospitalised with the Covid-19 virus. Credit: Pippa Fowles/10 Downing Street/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>Bangladesh’s garment industry employs millions of workers, mainly women, who make clothes for high street brands in Europe and the US. Western retailers, who have seen sales plummet due to the pandemic, have cancelled or suspended more than 3 billion dollars’ worth of orders from Bangladeshi garment factories. Over a million jobs in the sector could now be at risk.
For Assignment, Caroline Bayley and Morshed Ali Khan hear Aafiyah’s story, and talk to factory owners and the British Retail Consortium about the huge challenges facing Bangladesh's main export industry.
Producer: Josephine Casserly
(Image: Women, wearing masks, work in a garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Credit: Reuters/Mohammad Ponir Hossain)
]]>Bangladesh’s garment industry employs millions of workers, mainly women, who make clothes for high street brands in Europe and the US. Western retailers, who have seen sales plummet due to the pandemic, have cancelled or suspended more than 3 billion dollars’ worth of orders from Bangladeshi garment factories. Over a million jobs in the sector could now be at risk.
For Assignment, Caroline Bayley and Morshed Ali Khan hear Aafiyah’s story, and talk to factory owners and the British Retail Consortium about the huge challenges facing Bangladesh's main export industry.
Producer: Josephine Casserly
(Image: Women, wearing masks, work in a garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Credit: Reuters/Mohammad Ponir Hossain)
]]>Editor: Bridget Harney
(Photo: Isabel Costales and her husband Ramon Hernandez. Isabel died during the coronavirus pandemic in a care home in Madrid. Photo Credit: Paula Panera)
]]>Editor: Bridget Harney
(Photo: Isabel Costales and her husband Ramon Hernandez. Isabel died during the coronavirus pandemic in a care home in Madrid. Photo Credit: Paula Panera)
]]>Carbon Green Africa’s project focuses on protecting Zimbabwe’s existing forests, rather than planting new trees and her journey takes her to some surprising places. In a programme recorded last November, Charlotte finds that preventing deforestation not only helps her assuage her flight shame, but helps give people in a remote part of Zimbabwe new jobs, more food and an oven powered by cow dung!
Presenter: Charlotte Ashton Producer: Phoebe Keane
(Image: Forests in Guruve district, Zimbabwe. Credit: BBC/Phoebe Keane)
]]>Carbon Green Africa’s project focuses on protecting Zimbabwe’s existing forests, rather than planting new trees and her journey takes her to some surprising places. In a programme recorded last November, Charlotte finds that preventing deforestation not only helps her assuage her flight shame, but helps give people in a remote part of Zimbabwe new jobs, more food and an oven powered by cow dung!
Presenter: Charlotte Ashton Producer: Phoebe Keane
(Image: Forests in Guruve district, Zimbabwe. Credit: BBC/Phoebe Keane)
]]>Presented and produced by Jane Chambers Edited by Bridget Harney
(Image: A demonstrator kicks a tear gas canister at a police car during a protest about the education system in Chile. Credit: Reuters/Ivan Alvarado)
]]>Presented and produced by Jane Chambers Edited by Bridget Harney
(Image: A demonstrator kicks a tear gas canister at a police car during a protest about the education system in Chile. Credit: Reuters/Ivan Alvarado)
]]>This documentary is airing as part of Life Changes, a series of programmes and features across the BBC’s global TV, radio, social and online networks exploring the theme of change - how we change ourselves, our lives, and how we respond to changes in the world around us. Reporting from across the world - from Ethiopia, Korea, Rwanda and Paraguay to Egypt, the US and Russia – the documentaries and digital stories will cover a diverse range of topics, from sexuality to sustainability, from peace to war, and from neurodiversity to migration.
]]>This documentary is airing as part of Life Changes, a series of programmes and features across the BBC’s global TV, radio, social and online networks exploring the theme of change - how we change ourselves, our lives, and how we respond to changes in the world around us. Reporting from across the world - from Ethiopia, Korea, Rwanda and Paraguay to Egypt, the US and Russia – the documentaries and digital stories will cover a diverse range of topics, from sexuality to sustainability, from peace to war, and from neurodiversity to migration.
]]>The panel: Dunja Mijatovic: Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe Margaret Harris: World Health Organisation Richard Horton: Editor in Chief of The Lancet Nathalie Tocci: Political analyst and Director of the Institute of International Affairs Danae Kyriakopoulou: Economist from OMFIF, the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, an independent financial think tank
BBC World Questions is a series of international events created in partnership with the British Council.
]]>The panel: Dunja Mijatovic: Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe Margaret Harris: World Health Organisation Richard Horton: Editor in Chief of The Lancet Nathalie Tocci: Political analyst and Director of the Institute of International Affairs Danae Kyriakopoulou: Economist from OMFIF, the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, an independent financial think tank
BBC World Questions is a series of international events created in partnership with the British Council.
]]>Reporter: Adrian Goldberg Researcher: Luke Radcliff Producer, Helen Clifton Editor: Carl Johnston
(Photo: Jack Merritt courtesy of the Merritt family)
]]>Reporter: Adrian Goldberg Researcher: Luke Radcliff Producer, Helen Clifton Editor: Carl Johnston
(Photo: Jack Merritt courtesy of the Merritt family)
]]>The modern working environment has shifted and employers are finally embracing neuro-diversity as a vital tool in building effective teams. Saeedeh will explore what it actually means, how the thinking about workflow, work space and team work reflects the needs of people with the condition and allows them to grow to the best of their potential and to the benefit of business. The programme, of course, certainly won’t suggest that ADHD is entirely a gift. It will, however, seek to emphasise that alongside negatives come strengths and qualities that can help propel individuals to enormous personal success, and how society and businesses are beginning to see it as an opportunity rather than a disadvantage.
This documentary is airing as part of Life Changes, a series of programmes and features across the BBC’s global TV, radio, social and online networks exploring the theme of change - how we change ourselves, our lives, and how we respond to changes in the world around us. Reporting from across the world - from Ethiopia, Korea, Rwanda and Paraguay to Egypt, the US and Russia – the documentaries and digital stories will cover a diverse range of topics, from sexuality to sustainability, from peace to war, and from neurodiversity to migration.
]]>The modern working environment has shifted and employers are finally embracing neuro-diversity as a vital tool in building effective teams. Saeedeh will explore what it actually means, how the thinking about workflow, work space and team work reflects the needs of people with the condition and allows them to grow to the best of their potential and to the benefit of business. The programme, of course, certainly won’t suggest that ADHD is entirely a gift. It will, however, seek to emphasise that alongside negatives come strengths and qualities that can help propel individuals to enormous personal success, and how society and businesses are beginning to see it as an opportunity rather than a disadvantage.
This documentary is airing as part of Life Changes, a series of programmes and features across the BBC’s global TV, radio, social and online networks exploring the theme of change - how we change ourselves, our lives, and how we respond to changes in the world around us. Reporting from across the world - from Ethiopia, Korea, Rwanda and Paraguay to Egypt, the US and Russia – the documentaries and digital stories will cover a diverse range of topics, from sexuality to sustainability, from peace to war, and from neurodiversity to migration.
]]>Naomi visits a school in Mönchengladbach in Western Germany, where Mustafa Hammal teaches English. Mustafa, an English teacher with eight years of experience, fled the civil war in Syria with his family in 2015. Arriving in Germany, he discovered a teacher retraining programme designed to harness the skills that refugee teachers bring with them.
Miriam Vock, an educational psychologist at Potsdam University, transports us back to the summer of 2015. Amidst the chaos of the refugee crisis, she wondered if there might be some teachers among the refugees arriving in Germany. A year later, the first refugee teacher retraining course was launched - an idea that inspired a number of other pilot courses across Germany.
Retraining as a teacher in a system with rigid set qualifications is particularly challenging, however, and graduates are finding it difficult to find work. The success of the far-right Alternative for Germany, now the country’s main opposition party, has raised the stakes for refugees trying to integrate.
As Germany struggles with an ageing population and a severe labour shortage, Naomi asks if refugees can fill the gap.
This documentary is airing as part of Life Changes, a series of programmes and features across the BBC’s global TV, radio, social and online networks exploring the theme of change - how we change ourselves, our lives, and how we respond to changes in the world around us. Reporting from across the world - from Ethiopia, Korea, Rwanda and Paraguay to Egypt, the US and Russia – the documentaries and digital stories will cover a diverse range of topics, from sexuality to sustainability, from peace to war, and from neurodiversity to migration.
]]>Naomi visits a school in Mönchengladbach in Western Germany, where Mustafa Hammal teaches English. Mustafa, an English teacher with eight years of experience, fled the civil war in Syria with his family in 2015. Arriving in Germany, he discovered a teacher retraining programme designed to harness the skills that refugee teachers bring with them.
Miriam Vock, an educational psychologist at Potsdam University, transports us back to the summer of 2015. Amidst the chaos of the refugee crisis, she wondered if there might be some teachers among the refugees arriving in Germany. A year later, the first refugee teacher retraining course was launched - an idea that inspired a number of other pilot courses across Germany.
Retraining as a teacher in a system with rigid set qualifications is particularly challenging, however, and graduates are finding it difficult to find work. The success of the far-right Alternative for Germany, now the country’s main opposition party, has raised the stakes for refugees trying to integrate.
As Germany struggles with an ageing population and a severe labour shortage, Naomi asks if refugees can fill the gap.
This documentary is airing as part of Life Changes, a series of programmes and features across the BBC’s global TV, radio, social and online networks exploring the theme of change - how we change ourselves, our lives, and how we respond to changes in the world around us. Reporting from across the world - from Ethiopia, Korea, Rwanda and Paraguay to Egypt, the US and Russia – the documentaries and digital stories will cover a diverse range of topics, from sexuality to sustainability, from peace to war, and from neurodiversity to migration.
]]>Reporter: Tim Whewell Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Forest guards stand next to wooden crosses bearing the names of their killed colleagues, including Liviu Pop. Credit: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>Reporter: Tim Whewell Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Forest guards stand next to wooden crosses bearing the names of their killed colleagues, including Liviu Pop. Credit: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images)
]]>There are a number of popular reality TV programmes starring North Korean defectors. Hyun-joo Yu is one of the most established stars on Now on My Way to Meet You, a popular and long running variety programme. The show features emotional North Korean defectors sharing their stories and performing to dramatic music. At the same time, the South Korean celebrity guests provide commentary and sometimes jokes.
Meanwhile, on the Internet, dozens of North Korean defectors have gained popularity through live streaming, telling stories about their lives in the North on YouTube and Instagram. These defector-celebrities, like 21-year-old Nara Kang, are mostly young, attractive women. Representing a younger generation of defectors, Nara Kang is tapping into an audience with no living memory of the North.
Capitalising on their status as defectors to gain fame, these celebrities cannot move on from being defined by their past. They strive to fit into South Korean society, while emphasising their otherness to South Korean audiences.
]]>There are a number of popular reality TV programmes starring North Korean defectors. Hyun-joo Yu is one of the most established stars on Now on My Way to Meet You, a popular and long running variety programme. The show features emotional North Korean defectors sharing their stories and performing to dramatic music. At the same time, the South Korean celebrity guests provide commentary and sometimes jokes.
Meanwhile, on the Internet, dozens of North Korean defectors have gained popularity through live streaming, telling stories about their lives in the North on YouTube and Instagram. These defector-celebrities, like 21-year-old Nara Kang, are mostly young, attractive women. Representing a younger generation of defectors, Nara Kang is tapping into an audience with no living memory of the North.
Capitalising on their status as defectors to gain fame, these celebrities cannot move on from being defined by their past. They strive to fit into South Korean society, while emphasising their otherness to South Korean audiences.
]]>Presenter: Simon Maybin Producer: Josephine Casserly Editor: Bridget Harney Music at the end of the programme was Tubuhku Otoritasku by Tika and The Dissidents (Image: Yati at an “Indonesia Without Dating” demo. Copyright: Simon Maybin/BBC)
]]>Presenter: Simon Maybin Producer: Josephine Casserly Editor: Bridget Harney Music at the end of the programme was Tubuhku Otoritasku by Tika and The Dissidents (Image: Yati at an “Indonesia Without Dating” demo. Copyright: Simon Maybin/BBC)
]]>Presenter/Producer: Chris Bowlby Image: Student rent strike in Cork. Credit: Chris Bowlby/BBC
]]>Presenter/Producer: Chris Bowlby Image: Student rent strike in Cork. Credit: Chris Bowlby/BBC
]]>Producer: Charlotte Attwood (Image: A "bleeding" rosewood tree. Credit: BBC/Maxime Le Hegarat)
]]>Producer: Charlotte Attwood (Image: A "bleeding" rosewood tree. Credit: BBC/Maxime Le Hegarat)
]]>Presenter: Dominic Casciani Producer: Sheila Cook
Image: Gennaro Panzuto Credit: Private
]]>Presenter: Dominic Casciani Producer: Sheila Cook
Image: Gennaro Panzuto Credit: Private
]]>(Image: Homeless people riding bus route 22. Credit: Sarah Svoboda/BBC)
]]>(Image: Homeless people riding bus route 22. Credit: Sarah Svoboda/BBC)
]]>Producer: Poppy Damon
(Image: A photograph showing a drawing of Karla Turcios smiling. Credit: BBC/Patricia Sulbarán Lovera)
]]>Producer: Poppy Damon
(Image: A photograph showing a drawing of Karla Turcios smiling. Credit: BBC/Patricia Sulbarán Lovera)
]]>(Image: Protestors in Sofia, Bulgaria, demand the return of Katerina, a Bulgarian baby taken into care by social services in Germany. Credit: BBC/Tim Whewell)
]]>(Image: Protestors in Sofia, Bulgaria, demand the return of Katerina, a Bulgarian baby taken into care by social services in Germany. Credit: BBC/Tim Whewell)
]]>In this Assignment, Michael Buchanan investigates what’s behind Colombia’s booming cocaine trade. He gains rare access to smugglers and producers, as well as meeting the indigenous people who are standing up to the traffickers, and often paying with their lives.
Producers: Josephine Casserly and Almudena Garcia Parrado Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Farmer picking coca leaves. Credit: BBC)
]]>In this Assignment, Michael Buchanan investigates what’s behind Colombia’s booming cocaine trade. He gains rare access to smugglers and producers, as well as meeting the indigenous people who are standing up to the traffickers, and often paying with their lives.
Producers: Josephine Casserly and Almudena Garcia Parrado Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Farmer picking coca leaves. Credit: BBC)
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: A boat in a lake - Lakeland, Finland. Credit: DeAgostini/Getty Images)
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: A boat in a lake - Lakeland, Finland. Credit: DeAgostini/Getty Images)
]]>Reporter: Simon Maybin Producer: Josephine Casserly Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Forest canopy, Peru. Credit: Getty Creative)
]]>Reporter: Simon Maybin Producer: Josephine Casserly Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Forest canopy, Peru. Credit: Getty Creative)
]]>Producer/presenter: Monica Whitlock Editor: Bridget Harney
(Photo: Galina at the door to her cottage. Credit: Monica Whitlock/BBC)
]]>Producer/presenter: Monica Whitlock Editor: Bridget Harney
(Photo: Galina at the door to her cottage. Credit: Monica Whitlock/BBC)
]]>Producer, Charlotte Pamment.
(Image: Billy Rakchongcharoen. Credit: Muenor Rakchongcharoen)
]]>Producer, Charlotte Pamment.
(Image: Billy Rakchongcharoen. Credit: Muenor Rakchongcharoen)
]]>How is this affecting the lives of local people, and the identity of a nation that has ice in its name?
Maria Margaronis talks to Icelandic farmers and fishermen, scientists and environmental activists about their (sometimes surprising) responses to climate change, and asks why it’s so difficult even for those who see its effects from their windows every day to take in what it means.
(Image: Glacier lagoon with icebergs, Vatnajokull, Iceland. Credit: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
]]>How is this affecting the lives of local people, and the identity of a nation that has ice in its name?
Maria Margaronis talks to Icelandic farmers and fishermen, scientists and environmental activists about their (sometimes surprising) responses to climate change, and asks why it’s so difficult even for those who see its effects from their windows every day to take in what it means.
(Image: Glacier lagoon with icebergs, Vatnajokull, Iceland. Credit: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
]]>Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Emma Forde
(Photo: Young woman by a window. Credit: Cindy Goff/Getty Images)
]]>Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Emma Forde
(Photo: Young woman by a window. Credit: Cindy Goff/Getty Images)
]]>Now a huge protest movement is demanding change in Lebanon - and a constant power supply is one of the demonstrators' main demands. They want to break the power of the "fuel mafia" that imports diesel for the generators and has close links to the country's leading politicians. For them, the fight for light is a fight against corruption. But can Lebanon's feeble state ever manage to turn all the lights on?
Reporter: Tim Whewell Producer: Anna Meisel
(Image: Protesters block the main entrance of the Lebanese electricity company headquarters in Beirut. Credit: European Photopress Agency)
]]>Now a huge protest movement is demanding change in Lebanon - and a constant power supply is one of the demonstrators' main demands. They want to break the power of the "fuel mafia" that imports diesel for the generators and has close links to the country's leading politicians. For them, the fight for light is a fight against corruption. But can Lebanon's feeble state ever manage to turn all the lights on?
Reporter: Tim Whewell Producer: Anna Meisel
(Image: Protesters block the main entrance of the Lebanese electricity company headquarters in Beirut. Credit: European Photopress Agency)
]]>Producer: Caroline Finnigan
(Image: Muslim boy on a bicycle in Kattankudy, Sri Lanka. Credit: Allison Joyce/Getty Images)
]]>Producer: Caroline Finnigan
(Image: Muslim boy on a bicycle in Kattankudy, Sri Lanka. Credit: Allison Joyce/Getty Images)
]]>Presenter: Mike Thomson Producer: Joe Kent
(Image: Raed Fares standing outside Radio Fresh. Credit: Radio Fresh)
]]>Presenter: Mike Thomson Producer: Joe Kent
(Image: Raed Fares standing outside Radio Fresh. Credit: Radio Fresh)
]]>But Russian society is waking up to the crisis. The case of three girls - the Khachaturyan sisters - who face long prison sentences for murdering their tyrannical father, has sparked mass protests. More than 300,000 people have signed an online petition urging prosecutors to drop the murder charges. The girls’ mother tells reporter Lucy Ash that her daughters were acting in self-defence against a man who had abused them physically, emotionally and sexually for years.
Lucy also meets the mother of a woman stabbed to death by her husband who was discovered in her blood soaked bed by her seven year old son. In all three cases, the frightened women had appealed to the police but to no avail. These tragedies might have been averted if only the authorities had taken earlier warnings seriously.
In Moscow, Lucy talks to activists who are fighting back by supporting victims, pushing for legal reforms and drawing attention to the cause through art, video games and social media. And she meets a lone feminist MP in the Russian Duma who is trying to bring in restraining orders for violent husbands, boyfriends and family members. Today Russia has no such laws and domestic violence is not a standalone offence in either the criminal or the civil code.
(Image: Woman holding sign saying “What is it for? Stop violence!” at a rally in support of the Khachaturyan sisters. Credit: Sergei Konkov\TASS via Getty Images)
]]>But Russian society is waking up to the crisis. The case of three girls - the Khachaturyan sisters - who face long prison sentences for murdering their tyrannical father, has sparked mass protests. More than 300,000 people have signed an online petition urging prosecutors to drop the murder charges. The girls’ mother tells reporter Lucy Ash that her daughters were acting in self-defence against a man who had abused them physically, emotionally and sexually for years.
Lucy also meets the mother of a woman stabbed to death by her husband who was discovered in her blood soaked bed by her seven year old son. In all three cases, the frightened women had appealed to the police but to no avail. These tragedies might have been averted if only the authorities had taken earlier warnings seriously.
In Moscow, Lucy talks to activists who are fighting back by supporting victims, pushing for legal reforms and drawing attention to the cause through art, video games and social media. And she meets a lone feminist MP in the Russian Duma who is trying to bring in restraining orders for violent husbands, boyfriends and family members. Today Russia has no such laws and domestic violence is not a standalone offence in either the criminal or the civil code.
(Image: Woman holding sign saying “What is it for? Stop violence!” at a rally in support of the Khachaturyan sisters. Credit: Sergei Konkov\TASS via Getty Images)
]]>Reporter: Tim Whewell
(Photo: An awkward embrace - Jamilatu Sheriff is reunited with her mother Maryatu after two years absence. Credit: Sayoh Kamara/BBC)
]]>Reporter: Tim Whewell
(Photo: An awkward embrace - Jamilatu Sheriff is reunited with her mother Maryatu after two years absence. Credit: Sayoh Kamara/BBC)
]]>But in Albania – a fragile democracy - there’s disquiet. Critics claim MEK’s presence compromises Albania’s security, and is fuelling a crack-down on the press. Meanwhile, dozens of Iranian MEK members have defected but find themselves living a precarious existence in Tirana because they are stateless, without passports.
Assignment investigates the improbable relationship between Albania and MEK.
Presenter: Linda Pressly Producer: Albana Kasapi
(Photo: Gholam Mirzai has left the MEK. He would like to return to Iran. Credit: BBC Credit)
]]>But in Albania – a fragile democracy - there’s disquiet. Critics claim MEK’s presence compromises Albania’s security, and is fuelling a crack-down on the press. Meanwhile, dozens of Iranian MEK members have defected but find themselves living a precarious existence in Tirana because they are stateless, without passports.
Assignment investigates the improbable relationship between Albania and MEK.
Presenter: Linda Pressly Producer: Albana Kasapi
(Photo: Gholam Mirzai has left the MEK. He would like to return to Iran. Credit: BBC Credit)
]]>He is now a leading contender for heavyweight champion of the world and a global star. He returns to his village in western Cameroon, where he is investing in the next generation. Zak Brophy travels to Cameroon to hear the story of his incredible life, and his dreams of becoming a role model within his community.
]]>He is now a leading contender for heavyweight champion of the world and a global star. He returns to his village in western Cameroon, where he is investing in the next generation. Zak Brophy travels to Cameroon to hear the story of his incredible life, and his dreams of becoming a role model within his community.
]]>Nineteen years later, Miatta is what many Liberians would call a Zogo. The Zogos are Liberia’s underclass: jobless, homeless and addicted to drugs. They’re a menace on the streets of the capital, Monrovia, where many make their living by snatching purses and phones from passers-by.
In this Assignment, Lucy Ash follows a projects aiming to rehabilitate hundreds of Liberia’s Zogos – including Miatta.
Producer: Josephine Casserly
(Image: A mural in the Liberian capital called Female Zogos of Monrovia. They are sitting on gravestones because many are homeless and seek refuge in cemeteries. Credit: James Giahyue)
]]>Nineteen years later, Miatta is what many Liberians would call a Zogo. The Zogos are Liberia’s underclass: jobless, homeless and addicted to drugs. They’re a menace on the streets of the capital, Monrovia, where many make their living by snatching purses and phones from passers-by.
In this Assignment, Lucy Ash follows a projects aiming to rehabilitate hundreds of Liberia’s Zogos – including Miatta.
Producer: Josephine Casserly
(Image: A mural in the Liberian capital called Female Zogos of Monrovia. They are sitting on gravestones because many are homeless and seek refuge in cemeteries. Credit: James Giahyue)
]]>Born and raised in Nigeria, Senator Iwobi moved to Italy as a young man and carved out a successful career in business. Now he’s immigration spokesperson for the right-wing Lega party and wants to stop the illegal flow of migrants coming to Italy from Africa. BBC Africa journalist Dickens Olewe follows Iwobi in the Senate in Rome and finds out what it’s like to be black in a party that’s widely perceived as racist.
At a festival on the bank of the River Tiber, Dickens meets aspiring politician Paolo Diop from the Far-Right Brothers of Italy. Diop moved to Italy from Senegal as a baby and describes himself as “an Italian nationalist and an African nationalist” who wants to “make Africa great” by sending migrants home.
We also meet the young black activists coming of age in the midst of the migrant crisis and the rise of the political right. Born and bred in Italy, they feel deeply Italian but are not always recognised as such - among them the rapper Tommy Kuti whose work explores his Afro-Italian identity, the founder of Milan’s Afro Fashion Week Michelle Francine Ngonmo and the writer Igiaba Scego, whose parents grew up in one of Italy’s African colonies.
Producer: Helen Grady
(Image: Afro-Italian rapper and musician Tommy Kuti in Milan. Credit: Helen Grady/BBC)
]]>Born and raised in Nigeria, Senator Iwobi moved to Italy as a young man and carved out a successful career in business. Now he’s immigration spokesperson for the right-wing Lega party and wants to stop the illegal flow of migrants coming to Italy from Africa. BBC Africa journalist Dickens Olewe follows Iwobi in the Senate in Rome and finds out what it’s like to be black in a party that’s widely perceived as racist.
At a festival on the bank of the River Tiber, Dickens meets aspiring politician Paolo Diop from the Far-Right Brothers of Italy. Diop moved to Italy from Senegal as a baby and describes himself as “an Italian nationalist and an African nationalist” who wants to “make Africa great” by sending migrants home.
We also meet the young black activists coming of age in the midst of the migrant crisis and the rise of the political right. Born and bred in Italy, they feel deeply Italian but are not always recognised as such - among them the rapper Tommy Kuti whose work explores his Afro-Italian identity, the founder of Milan’s Afro Fashion Week Michelle Francine Ngonmo and the writer Igiaba Scego, whose parents grew up in one of Italy’s African colonies.
Producer: Helen Grady
(Image: Afro-Italian rapper and musician Tommy Kuti in Milan. Credit: Helen Grady/BBC)
]]>Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly Producer in Argentina: Gert De Saedeleer
(Image: Tomasa Soriano keeps goats and llamas – she believes there’s less water locally since the lithium miners arrived. Credit: BBC/Linda Pressly)
]]>Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly Producer in Argentina: Gert De Saedeleer
(Image: Tomasa Soriano keeps goats and llamas – she believes there’s less water locally since the lithium miners arrived. Credit: BBC/Linda Pressly)
]]>Presenter: Kiki Mordi Producer: Jim Frank Editor: Hugh Levinson
(Image: Presenter - Kiki Mordi. Credit: Charlie Northcott/BBC)
]]>Presenter: Kiki Mordi Producer: Jim Frank Editor: Hugh Levinson
(Image: Presenter - Kiki Mordi. Credit: Charlie Northcott/BBC)
]]>As Nawal al-Maghafi of BBC Arabic discovers in this disturbing story, the clerics’ lucrative business comes at enormous personal cost to many women, who are often tricked and coerced into marrying, only to be dumped shortly afterwards. Worse, their life-chances and even their lives are put at risk, because virginity is a prerequisite for proper marriage. Using undercover reporting and secret recording, the programme also finds clerics willing to supply women for sex, and even to officiate for men who want to have sex with children.
]]>As Nawal al-Maghafi of BBC Arabic discovers in this disturbing story, the clerics’ lucrative business comes at enormous personal cost to many women, who are often tricked and coerced into marrying, only to be dumped shortly afterwards. Worse, their life-chances and even their lives are put at risk, because virginity is a prerequisite for proper marriage. Using undercover reporting and secret recording, the programme also finds clerics willing to supply women for sex, and even to officiate for men who want to have sex with children.
]]>(Image: Hazelnut picker on Turkey’s Black Sea coast. Credit: Reyan Tuvi)
]]>(Image: Hazelnut picker on Turkey’s Black Sea coast. Credit: Reyan Tuvi)
]]>Presenter/producer: Simon Maybin
(Image: Marlon with his bike ready to ride back down into Medellín. Credit: Simon Maybin/BBC)
]]>Presenter/producer: Simon Maybin
(Image: Marlon with his bike ready to ride back down into Medellín. Credit: Simon Maybin/BBC)
]]>Producer: Josephine Casserly
(Photo: Marawi's Grand Mosque pockmarked by bullet holes and small artillery fire - in the area that the authorities call the Most Affected Area (MAA) or Ground Zero of the siege of Marawi. Credit: Howard Johnson/BBC)
]]>Producer: Josephine Casserly
(Photo: Marawi's Grand Mosque pockmarked by bullet holes and small artillery fire - in the area that the authorities call the Most Affected Area (MAA) or Ground Zero of the siege of Marawi. Credit: Howard Johnson/BBC)
]]>Producer: Katy Long
]]>Producer: Katy Long
]]>Producer: Elyse Blennerhassett and Michael Green
]]>Producer: Elyse Blennerhassett and Michael Green
]]>Producer: Portia Crowe
]]>Producer: Portia Crowe
]]>Producer: Damon Smith
]]>Producer: Damon Smith
]]>Producer: David Borenstein
]]>Producer: David Borenstein
]]>Presenter: Kanishk Tharoor Producer: Maryam Maruf
With thanks to Roberta Fortuna
Contributors: Cahe Rodrigues, carnival director; Dom João, photographer and descendent of Brazil’s last emperor; Laurentino Gomes, journalist and author; Monica Lima, historian; Mariza Carvalho Soares, historian and museum curator; Aparecida Vilaça, anthropologist and author of Paletó and Me; Bernabau Tikuna, linguist; Tonico Benetiz, anthropologist; Murilo Bastos, bio-archaeologist; Luciana Carvalho, paleontologist and deputy director of rescue Museu Nacional; Sergio Azevedo, paleontologist and director of Museu Nacional’s 3D printing lab
Voice over performances by: Fernando Duarte, Marco Silva, Silvia Salek; Thomas Pappon
Picture: Brazil’s National Museum – or Museu Nacional – on fire September, 2018 Credit: Getty Images
]]>Presenter: Kanishk Tharoor Producer: Maryam Maruf
With thanks to Roberta Fortuna
Contributors: Cahe Rodrigues, carnival director; Dom João, photographer and descendent of Brazil’s last emperor; Laurentino Gomes, journalist and author; Monica Lima, historian; Mariza Carvalho Soares, historian and museum curator; Aparecida Vilaça, anthropologist and author of Paletó and Me; Bernabau Tikuna, linguist; Tonico Benetiz, anthropologist; Murilo Bastos, bio-archaeologist; Luciana Carvalho, paleontologist and deputy director of rescue Museu Nacional; Sergio Azevedo, paleontologist and director of Museu Nacional’s 3D printing lab
Voice over performances by: Fernando Duarte, Marco Silva, Silvia Salek; Thomas Pappon
Picture: Brazil’s National Museum – or Museu Nacional – on fire September, 2018 Credit: Getty Images
]]>Reporter, Hugo Bachega Producer, Michael Gallagher
Image: A military policeman takes part in an operation at Cidade de Deus favela in Rio de Janeiro Credit: MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP/Getty Images
]]>Reporter, Hugo Bachega Producer, Michael Gallagher
Image: A military policeman takes part in an operation at Cidade de Deus favela in Rio de Janeiro Credit: MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP/Getty Images
]]>Afghan Star is much like any other TV talent show – except that its context is a war zone. The studios are guarded by bomb-proof gates and snipers, and the participants arrive by armoured vehicle. It is watched by millions throughout the country – and has led the way in a resurgence of music in Afghanistan despite constant threats.
]]>Afghan Star is much like any other TV talent show – except that its context is a war zone. The studios are guarded by bomb-proof gates and snipers, and the participants arrive by armoured vehicle. It is watched by millions throughout the country – and has led the way in a resurgence of music in Afghanistan despite constant threats.
]]>Barbuda has long been viewed as ripe for more tourism – Hollywood actor Robert De Niro is part of a commercial enterprise working on the opening of an exclusive resort. One of the obstacles to widespread development has been the island’s unique system of tenure – all land has been held in common since the emancipation of Barbuda’s slave population in the 19th century. But last year the government repealed the law guaranteeing those communal rights, partly to attract investment to the island. Meanwhile, although the hurricane season began on June 1st, families are still living in tents.
(Image:The remains of a luxury resort on Barbuda reveal the power of hurricane Irma. Credit: BBC/Linda Pressly)
]]>Barbuda has long been viewed as ripe for more tourism – Hollywood actor Robert De Niro is part of a commercial enterprise working on the opening of an exclusive resort. One of the obstacles to widespread development has been the island’s unique system of tenure – all land has been held in common since the emancipation of Barbuda’s slave population in the 19th century. But last year the government repealed the law guaranteeing those communal rights, partly to attract investment to the island. Meanwhile, although the hurricane season began on June 1st, families are still living in tents.
(Image:The remains of a luxury resort on Barbuda reveal the power of hurricane Irma. Credit: BBC/Linda Pressly)
]]>Image: Montage – 1960s headline announcing hospital opening with sign announcing the 2019 closure of Jamestown Regional Medical Centre. Credit: BBC/Neal Razzell
]]>Image: Montage – 1960s headline announcing hospital opening with sign announcing the 2019 closure of Jamestown Regional Medical Centre. Credit: BBC/Neal Razzell
]]>(Image: Electronic eye. Photo credit Valery Brozhinsky\Getty)
]]>(Image: Electronic eye. Photo credit Valery Brozhinsky\Getty)
]]>Producer: Nicola Dowling Reporter: Anna Cavell Editors: Gail Champion & Andrew Smith
(Photo: Freshly plucked tea leaves. Credit: Getty Creative Stock)
]]>Producer: Nicola Dowling Reporter: Anna Cavell Editors: Gail Champion & Andrew Smith
(Photo: Freshly plucked tea leaves. Credit: Getty Creative Stock)
]]>Manheim has become a ghost village. Most of the 1600 residents have now moved out. Many of the houses have already been pulled down. But a few people still live there against a backdrop of diggers pulling their village apart. Some are sad that the kart track where local boy Michael Schumacher learned to drive is likely to fall victim to the excavators. And many felt threatened last year by the protesters, in hoodies and face masks, when they moved into to occupy empty houses.
Yet the protesters seem to have the German government on their side. It recently commissioned a report, which recommended Germany stop burning coal by 2038 in order to meet emissions targets. That’s a problem for RWE, the company that owns the mine and nearby power stations. It’s going to keep digging for as long as it can. Tim Mansel joins the protesters for their monthly gathering on the forest edge; meets the villagers who simply want a quiet life, away from the front line; and asks RWE if it will ever stop mining.
(Photo: Protesters defending the Hambacher Forest. Credit: Tim Mansel/BBC)
]]>Manheim has become a ghost village. Most of the 1600 residents have now moved out. Many of the houses have already been pulled down. But a few people still live there against a backdrop of diggers pulling their village apart. Some are sad that the kart track where local boy Michael Schumacher learned to drive is likely to fall victim to the excavators. And many felt threatened last year by the protesters, in hoodies and face masks, when they moved into to occupy empty houses.
Yet the protesters seem to have the German government on their side. It recently commissioned a report, which recommended Germany stop burning coal by 2038 in order to meet emissions targets. That’s a problem for RWE, the company that owns the mine and nearby power stations. It’s going to keep digging for as long as it can. Tim Mansel joins the protesters for their monthly gathering on the forest edge; meets the villagers who simply want a quiet life, away from the front line; and asks RWE if it will ever stop mining.
(Photo: Protesters defending the Hambacher Forest. Credit: Tim Mansel/BBC)
]]>(Image: Muslim immigrants cross the street in Copenhagen city centre. Credit: Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor via Getty Images)
]]>(Image: Muslim immigrants cross the street in Copenhagen city centre. Credit: Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor via Getty Images)
]]>The accident shed light on something that residents have been saying for years: Marseille’s city centre is falling apart. After decades of neglect by slum landlords, the poor, multi-ethnic area in the heart of the city is in a desperate state of disrepair. In a frantic attempt to avoid further disasters, the local government has evacuated thousands of residents from the area - and hundreds are still staying in hotels.
This tragedy has morphed into a political scandal which is shaken Marseille to the core – and anger at the local authorities is still palpable.
Presenter: Lucy Ash Producer: Josephine Casserly
(Image: Graffiti in the neighbourhood of Noailles, Marseille. Credit: BBC)
]]>The accident shed light on something that residents have been saying for years: Marseille’s city centre is falling apart. After decades of neglect by slum landlords, the poor, multi-ethnic area in the heart of the city is in a desperate state of disrepair. In a frantic attempt to avoid further disasters, the local government has evacuated thousands of residents from the area - and hundreds are still staying in hotels.
This tragedy has morphed into a political scandal which is shaken Marseille to the core – and anger at the local authorities is still palpable.
Presenter: Lucy Ash Producer: Josephine Casserly
(Image: Graffiti in the neighbourhood of Noailles, Marseille. Credit: BBC)
]]>Parents who could have protected their children often failed to do so – mainly because of a mass mistrust of vaccine, spread partly by doctors, including leading medical specialists. Tim Whewell travels to Ukraine to meet bereaved parents and worried health chiefs - and find out why vaccination rates fell so abruptly in just a few years. It’s a story of lack of confidence in the state, inadequate medical training, government complacency and political manipulation that’s had deadly consequences.
(Image: One-year-old girl being given a measles vaccine shot in Kiev health clinic, 2019. Credit: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)
]]>Parents who could have protected their children often failed to do so – mainly because of a mass mistrust of vaccine, spread partly by doctors, including leading medical specialists. Tim Whewell travels to Ukraine to meet bereaved parents and worried health chiefs - and find out why vaccination rates fell so abruptly in just a few years. It’s a story of lack of confidence in the state, inadequate medical training, government complacency and political manipulation that’s had deadly consequences.
(Image: One-year-old girl being given a measles vaccine shot in Kiev health clinic, 2019. Credit: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)
]]>Producer: Neal Razzell
(Image: Spanish police conduct a series of raids hoping to disrupt hash smuggling from Morocco. Credit: BBC)
]]>Producer: Neal Razzell
(Image: Spanish police conduct a series of raids hoping to disrupt hash smuggling from Morocco. Credit: BBC)
]]>Reporter/producer: Ed Butler
(Image: Fans at a Galatasaray home match, May 2019. Credit: Reuters/Murad Sezer)
]]>Reporter/producer: Ed Butler
(Image: Fans at a Galatasaray home match, May 2019. Credit: Reuters/Murad Sezer)
]]>Produced by Bob Howard
(Image:Sudanese doctors protesting in Khartoum. Credit: Mike Thomson/BBC)
]]>Produced by Bob Howard
(Image:Sudanese doctors protesting in Khartoum. Credit: Mike Thomson/BBC)
]]>Zahra travels to rural Sweden to meet Doaa Al-Zamel, who survived the sinking of a boat in the Mediterranean by floating on an inflatable ring. Her story has now been optioned for a film by Steven Spielberg. Also in Europe, Fewaz and his family have found refuge near Bremen – and though he is grateful for Germany’s hospitality, he is finding it difficult to integrate. She ends the series with Faysal, who escaped to Turkey before returning to his home city of Kobani in Syria. The war there has finished but danger remains – and he himself was critically wounded.
(Photo: Doaa al-Zamel. Credit: Elena Dorfman, Archive: UNHCR)
]]>Zahra travels to rural Sweden to meet Doaa Al-Zamel, who survived the sinking of a boat in the Mediterranean by floating on an inflatable ring. Her story has now been optioned for a film by Steven Spielberg. Also in Europe, Fewaz and his family have found refuge near Bremen – and though he is grateful for Germany’s hospitality, he is finding it difficult to integrate. She ends the series with Faysal, who escaped to Turkey before returning to his home city of Kobani in Syria. The war there has finished but danger remains – and he himself was critically wounded.
(Photo: Doaa al-Zamel. Credit: Elena Dorfman, Archive: UNHCR)
]]>When Azeteng, a young man from rural Ghana, heard stories on the radio of West African migrants dying on their way to Europe, he felt compelled to act. He took what little savings he had and bought glasses with a hidden camera – his ‘secret spectacles.’
Then he put himself in the hands of people smugglers and travelled 3,000 miles on the desert migrant trail north, aiming to document the crimes of the traffickers. Along the way he saw extortion, slavery, and death in the vast stretches of the Sahara.
For Assignment, reporter Joel Gunter tells the story of his journey – a journey that thousands of young Africans like him attempt each year.
Producer, Josephine Casserly
(Image: Azeteng's secret spectacles. Credit: BBC, taken by Joel Gunter)
]]>When Azeteng, a young man from rural Ghana, heard stories on the radio of West African migrants dying on their way to Europe, he felt compelled to act. He took what little savings he had and bought glasses with a hidden camera – his ‘secret spectacles.’
Then he put himself in the hands of people smugglers and travelled 3,000 miles on the desert migrant trail north, aiming to document the crimes of the traffickers. Along the way he saw extortion, slavery, and death in the vast stretches of the Sahara.
For Assignment, reporter Joel Gunter tells the story of his journey – a journey that thousands of young Africans like him attempt each year.
Producer, Josephine Casserly
(Image: Azeteng's secret spectacles. Credit: BBC, taken by Joel Gunter)
]]>Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly
(Photo: Bolivia Mennonite colony, Belice, Girl at school. Photo Credit: @jordibusque)
]]>Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly
(Photo: Bolivia Mennonite colony, Belice, Girl at school. Photo Credit: @jordibusque)
]]>Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly with Morshed Ali Khan
(Image: Yaba pills being held by a drug-user. Credit: Ye Aung THU / AFP)
]]>Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly with Morshed Ali Khan
(Image: Yaba pills being held by a drug-user. Credit: Ye Aung THU / AFP)
]]>The Born Frees are 25 years old now – graduating from universities, getting established in their careers, or still living in enduring poverty, which has reduced since 1994 but is still profound. The government estimates that 13 million South Africans still live in what they call 'extreme poverty.' This is a major disappointment to many who queued for hours to vote in the 1994 election which brought Nelson Mandela to power. Despite spending twenty-seven years in an Apartheid gaol, Mandela was dedicated to creating a 'rainbow nation', with dignity and opportunity for everyone, regardless of race.
BBC correspondent Hugh Sykes has visited South Africa regularly since 1994, and in this programme he tells us about the politics of the country, education, corruption and poverty.
]]>The Born Frees are 25 years old now – graduating from universities, getting established in their careers, or still living in enduring poverty, which has reduced since 1994 but is still profound. The government estimates that 13 million South Africans still live in what they call 'extreme poverty.' This is a major disappointment to many who queued for hours to vote in the 1994 election which brought Nelson Mandela to power. Despite spending twenty-seven years in an Apartheid gaol, Mandela was dedicated to creating a 'rainbow nation', with dignity and opportunity for everyone, regardless of race.
BBC correspondent Hugh Sykes has visited South Africa regularly since 1994, and in this programme he tells us about the politics of the country, education, corruption and poverty.
]]>(Image: A Brazilian firefighter attempts to extinguish flames during a fire at the National Museum of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Sept 2018. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>(Image: A Brazilian firefighter attempts to extinguish flames during a fire at the National Museum of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Sept 2018. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>These rogue stations evade detection and take to the air, blanketing their neighbourhoods with the sounds of ancestral lands blending into a new home. They broadcast music and messages to diverse communities – whether from Latin America or the Caribbean, to born-again Christians and Orthodox Jews.
Reporter David Goren has long followed these stations from his Brooklyn home. He paints an audio portrait of their world, drawn from the culture of the street. Vivid soundscapes emerge from tangled clouds of invisible signals, nurturing immigrant communities struggling for a foothold in the big city.
With thanks to KCRW and the Lost Notes Podcast episode Outlaws of the Airwaves: The Rise of Pirate Radio Station WBAD.
Producer/Presenter: David Goren
]]>These rogue stations evade detection and take to the air, blanketing their neighbourhoods with the sounds of ancestral lands blending into a new home. They broadcast music and messages to diverse communities – whether from Latin America or the Caribbean, to born-again Christians and Orthodox Jews.
Reporter David Goren has long followed these stations from his Brooklyn home. He paints an audio portrait of their world, drawn from the culture of the street. Vivid soundscapes emerge from tangled clouds of invisible signals, nurturing immigrant communities struggling for a foothold in the big city.
With thanks to KCRW and the Lost Notes Podcast episode Outlaws of the Airwaves: The Rise of Pirate Radio Station WBAD.
Producer/Presenter: David Goren
]]>Produced by Charlotte McDonald.
(Image: March through the town of Hajnowka to celebrate the Polish partisans known as the Cursed Soldiers. Copyright: BBC)
]]>Produced by Charlotte McDonald.
(Image: March through the town of Hajnowka to celebrate the Polish partisans known as the Cursed Soldiers. Copyright: BBC)
]]>Mired in poverty and still recovering from a devastating earthquake in 2015, Nepal is increasingly being targeted by foreign paedophiles who recommend it as a destination when they share child abuse tips on the dark web.
In recent years a series of western men have been charged with raping or sexually assaulting Nepali boys.
Jill McGivering follows the under-resourced police unit, hears the stories of victims and perpetrators and examines what makes Nepal so vulnerable to abuse by western men.
This programme contains descriptions of child sexual abuse which some listeners may find distressing.
Producer: Caroline Finnigan
(Photo: Nepalese children play in Kathmandu. Credit: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images)
]]>Mired in poverty and still recovering from a devastating earthquake in 2015, Nepal is increasingly being targeted by foreign paedophiles who recommend it as a destination when they share child abuse tips on the dark web.
In recent years a series of western men have been charged with raping or sexually assaulting Nepali boys.
Jill McGivering follows the under-resourced police unit, hears the stories of victims and perpetrators and examines what makes Nepal so vulnerable to abuse by western men.
This programme contains descriptions of child sexual abuse which some listeners may find distressing.
Producer: Caroline Finnigan
(Photo: Nepalese children play in Kathmandu. Credit: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images)
]]>One leading American academic created huge attention when in 2017 when he posed the idea of what he called a "Thucydides Trap". Drawing on the work of the ancient Greek historian, he warned that when a rising power (Sparta) threatens an existing power (Athens) they are destined to clash, unless both countries change their policies. He warned that the same pattern could play out with the US and China.
Since then, President Trump has engaged in combative rhetoric over trade, while China has fast been modernising and upgrading its military.
BBC Diplomatic Correspondent Jonathan Marcus considers whether Washington and Beijing can escape the trap, or whether the growing economic, strategic and technological rivalry between the two nations will inevitably end in conflict.
(Photo: US and Chinese freight containers crash into each other. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>One leading American academic created huge attention when in 2017 when he posed the idea of what he called a "Thucydides Trap". Drawing on the work of the ancient Greek historian, he warned that when a rising power (Sparta) threatens an existing power (Athens) they are destined to clash, unless both countries change their policies. He warned that the same pattern could play out with the US and China.
Since then, President Trump has engaged in combative rhetoric over trade, while China has fast been modernising and upgrading its military.
BBC Diplomatic Correspondent Jonathan Marcus considers whether Washington and Beijing can escape the trap, or whether the growing economic, strategic and technological rivalry between the two nations will inevitably end in conflict.
(Photo: US and Chinese freight containers crash into each other. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>Ukraine and Hungary both expelled diplomats from each other’s nations, following a row over passports and a Hungarian cultural centre has been repeatedly firebombed. Lucy Ash meets people in the Ukrainian border town of Berehove and investigates whether deepening tensions could destabilise the region and further dash Ukraine’s hopes of being a unified country inside NATO and the EU.
Producer: Josephine Casserly
(Image: Pupil at a Hungarian-language secondary school in Berehove in Western Ukraine walks down a corridor bearing a portrait of Lajos Kossuth, the 19th Century political reformer after whom the school is named. Credit: Balint Bardi)
]]>Ukraine and Hungary both expelled diplomats from each other’s nations, following a row over passports and a Hungarian cultural centre has been repeatedly firebombed. Lucy Ash meets people in the Ukrainian border town of Berehove and investigates whether deepening tensions could destabilise the region and further dash Ukraine’s hopes of being a unified country inside NATO and the EU.
Producer: Josephine Casserly
(Image: Pupil at a Hungarian-language secondary school in Berehove in Western Ukraine walks down a corridor bearing a portrait of Lajos Kossuth, the 19th Century political reformer after whom the school is named. Credit: Balint Bardi)
]]>Reporter: Paul Connolly Producer: Kate West Editor: Gail Champion
(Image: A broken Bitcoin. Credit: Reuters)
]]>Reporter: Paul Connolly Producer: Kate West Editor: Gail Champion
(Image: A broken Bitcoin. Credit: Reuters)
]]>(Image: Before the tragedy - Jeziel Barbosa de Moura, pilot of the vanished plane, minutes before he took off on the doomed flight. Credit: Family archive)
]]>(Image: Before the tragedy - Jeziel Barbosa de Moura, pilot of the vanished plane, minutes before he took off on the doomed flight. Credit: Family archive)
]]>Through interviews first recorded for Danish Broadcasting Corporation’s P1 documentary, she discovers “The Seducer” - a man who used his charisma and the power of his position in the Evangelical Lutheran state church to abuse children in the village of Tømmerup near Kalundborg on the west coast of Denmark. When Peschack was first arrested in 2016, many of the locals didn’t want to believe it, while others had been carrying a terrible secret for years.
In graphic accounts, which some listeners may find upsetting, victims describe their experience of Peschack’s abuse. One speaks of his shock at discovering the extent of the assaults and of his anger at the betrayal by a man who he thought was his friend. Parents who were suspicious regret their failure to act, while others realise they were duped into trusting their children to a paedophile.
Peschack’s appeal against his sentence has been rejected and he’s been banned from working as a priest, but have lessons been learned by the church authorities, whose priest inflicted on his victims such devastating harm?
Reporter: Gry Hoffmann Producer: Sheila Cook Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Tommerup town name road-sign with church in background. Credit: Gry Hoffmann)
]]>Through interviews first recorded for Danish Broadcasting Corporation’s P1 documentary, she discovers “The Seducer” - a man who used his charisma and the power of his position in the Evangelical Lutheran state church to abuse children in the village of Tømmerup near Kalundborg on the west coast of Denmark. When Peschack was first arrested in 2016, many of the locals didn’t want to believe it, while others had been carrying a terrible secret for years.
In graphic accounts, which some listeners may find upsetting, victims describe their experience of Peschack’s abuse. One speaks of his shock at discovering the extent of the assaults and of his anger at the betrayal by a man who he thought was his friend. Parents who were suspicious regret their failure to act, while others realise they were duped into trusting their children to a paedophile.
Peschack’s appeal against his sentence has been rejected and he’s been banned from working as a priest, but have lessons been learned by the church authorities, whose priest inflicted on his victims such devastating harm?
Reporter: Gry Hoffmann Producer: Sheila Cook Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: Tommerup town name road-sign with church in background. Credit: Gry Hoffmann)
]]>The Caravans of Women - or Caravans of Love as they are known - began as a response to Spain’s epic story of rural depopulation. More than half the country is at risk, and in nearly 600 municipalities there isn’t one resident under the age of 10. And as Linda Pressly finds out, there are many initiatives now to reverse the decline of the Spanish countryside, including a movement of young people – the "neo-rurales" – who have begun to occupy abandoned villages.
Presenter and producer: Linda Pressly Producer in Spain: Esperanza Escribano
(Image: Antonio Cerrada, a shepherd who found love. Credit: BBC, Esperanza Escribano)
]]>The Caravans of Women - or Caravans of Love as they are known - began as a response to Spain’s epic story of rural depopulation. More than half the country is at risk, and in nearly 600 municipalities there isn’t one resident under the age of 10. And as Linda Pressly finds out, there are many initiatives now to reverse the decline of the Spanish countryside, including a movement of young people – the "neo-rurales" – who have begun to occupy abandoned villages.
Presenter and producer: Linda Pressly Producer in Spain: Esperanza Escribano
(Image: Antonio Cerrada, a shepherd who found love. Credit: BBC, Esperanza Escribano)
]]>His release was part of a re-sentencing project in Malawi. Anyone who was given the death penalty automatically for killing someone can have their case re-examined. What is known as a mandatory death sentence was ruled to be unconstitutional, so now judges are giving custodial sentences instead, or in some cases inmates are even being freed.
Charlotte McDonald travels to the small town of Balaka to visit the Halfway House where Byson mentors former inmates. She visits someone who came out of jail a few years ago and now runs her own business in the village where she was born. And she speaks to one of the last remaining people on death row about their upcoming re-sentencing hearing.
Many of those former death row inmates are now back in their communities living and working – but that doesn’t necessarily mean that ordinary Malawians are ready for the death penalty to be abolished.
(Image: Former inmate Byson sits with his mother, Lucy, outside her house. Credit: BBC)
]]>His release was part of a re-sentencing project in Malawi. Anyone who was given the death penalty automatically for killing someone can have their case re-examined. What is known as a mandatory death sentence was ruled to be unconstitutional, so now judges are giving custodial sentences instead, or in some cases inmates are even being freed.
Charlotte McDonald travels to the small town of Balaka to visit the Halfway House where Byson mentors former inmates. She visits someone who came out of jail a few years ago and now runs her own business in the village where she was born. And she speaks to one of the last remaining people on death row about their upcoming re-sentencing hearing.
Many of those former death row inmates are now back in their communities living and working – but that doesn’t necessarily mean that ordinary Malawians are ready for the death penalty to be abolished.
(Image: Former inmate Byson sits with his mother, Lucy, outside her house. Credit: BBC)
]]>In Germany, Neil talks to Wolfgang Schäuble, the president of the Bundestag; TV host, writer and cultural commentator Thea Dorn; and Hartmut Dorgerloh, the new director of Berlin's Humboldt Forum.
As the UK prepares to place itself on the world stage as an independent power, he explores the relationship between Germany and Britain.
]]>In Germany, Neil talks to Wolfgang Schäuble, the president of the Bundestag; TV host, writer and cultural commentator Thea Dorn; and Hartmut Dorgerloh, the new director of Berlin's Humboldt Forum.
As the UK prepares to place itself on the world stage as an independent power, he explores the relationship between Germany and Britain.
]]>Assignment reveals the inside story of how players and betting gangs are seeking to corrupt the lower tiers of the sport. In many cases, a player only has to lose a set or certain games - not the whole match - to get paid. Players and fixers communicate on social media as matches get underway to ensure the correct outcome is achieved. The rewards can be significant with players sometimes being paid thousands of pounds - often much more than they can earn in prize money. For the betting gangs who have placed money on a guaranteed outcome, the pay off can be much greater.
Two years after the BBC first revealed concerns about match fixing in the game, Assignment looks at how the tennis authorities have responded to the issue and examines the measures put forward by an independent panel to reduce the risk of corruption.
Reporter: Paul Connolly Producer: Paul Grant
(Image: A tennis ball on a tennis court. Photo credit: AFP / Getty Images)
]]>Assignment reveals the inside story of how players and betting gangs are seeking to corrupt the lower tiers of the sport. In many cases, a player only has to lose a set or certain games - not the whole match - to get paid. Players and fixers communicate on social media as matches get underway to ensure the correct outcome is achieved. The rewards can be significant with players sometimes being paid thousands of pounds - often much more than they can earn in prize money. For the betting gangs who have placed money on a guaranteed outcome, the pay off can be much greater.
Two years after the BBC first revealed concerns about match fixing in the game, Assignment looks at how the tennis authorities have responded to the issue and examines the measures put forward by an independent panel to reduce the risk of corruption.
Reporter: Paul Connolly Producer: Paul Grant
(Image: A tennis ball on a tennis court. Photo credit: AFP / Getty Images)
]]>In 2011, Pam and Robert Champion Sr. lost their son Robert to a hazing incident. Robert was a student at Florida A&M University and a drum major in the college’s prestigious marching band, the Marching 100. He was brutally beaten to death by his fellow band members in an initiation rite known as "Crossing Bus C." Even though this ritual was prohibited, it was widely condoned, accepted, even encouraged, and going through it was considered an essential part of band membership.
Today hazing remains rife in all types of groups, from sports teams to all-male fraternities and all-female sororities, the so-called “Greek Letter Organisations” since the names of these social groups are taken from the Greek alphabet.
With around 220 deaths attributed to hazing since records began, producer and presenter Nicolas Jackson asks why so many are willing to risk so much in order to become members of a group, and just what can be done to stop it.
Producer and presenter: Nicolas Jackson
“The Pledge” is an Afonica production for BBC World Service
(Image: Family and friends Of Armando Villa call for an end to fraternity "hazing." Credit: Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
]]>In 2011, Pam and Robert Champion Sr. lost their son Robert to a hazing incident. Robert was a student at Florida A&M University and a drum major in the college’s prestigious marching band, the Marching 100. He was brutally beaten to death by his fellow band members in an initiation rite known as "Crossing Bus C." Even though this ritual was prohibited, it was widely condoned, accepted, even encouraged, and going through it was considered an essential part of band membership.
Today hazing remains rife in all types of groups, from sports teams to all-male fraternities and all-female sororities, the so-called “Greek Letter Organisations” since the names of these social groups are taken from the Greek alphabet.
With around 220 deaths attributed to hazing since records began, producer and presenter Nicolas Jackson asks why so many are willing to risk so much in order to become members of a group, and just what can be done to stop it.
Producer and presenter: Nicolas Jackson
“The Pledge” is an Afonica production for BBC World Service
(Image: Family and friends Of Armando Villa call for an end to fraternity "hazing." Credit: Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
]]>Produced and reported by Ed Butler.
(Image: Elderly Inmate "Kita-san" at Fuchu Prison, Tokyo. Credit: BBC)
]]>Produced and reported by Ed Butler.
(Image: Elderly Inmate "Kita-san" at Fuchu Prison, Tokyo. Credit: BBC)
]]>It is believed 80% of children now living in orphanages have at least one living parent. The majority of the hundreds of orphanages operating in Uganda are illegal, unregistered and now are in a fight with the government trying to shut them down.
Dozens on the government's list for closure are funded by overseas charities and church groups, many of which are based in the UK.
With widespread concerns about abuse, trafficking and exploitation of children growing up in orphanages are funders doing enough to make sure their donations aren't doing more harm than good?
Reporter: Anna Cavell Producer: Kate West
(Image: Ugandan children stand on the banks of the Kagera River. Credit: ISAAC KASAMANI/AFP/Getty Images)
]]>It is believed 80% of children now living in orphanages have at least one living parent. The majority of the hundreds of orphanages operating in Uganda are illegal, unregistered and now are in a fight with the government trying to shut them down.
Dozens on the government's list for closure are funded by overseas charities and church groups, many of which are based in the UK.
With widespread concerns about abuse, trafficking and exploitation of children growing up in orphanages are funders doing enough to make sure their donations aren't doing more harm than good?
Reporter: Anna Cavell Producer: Kate West
(Image: Ugandan children stand on the banks of the Kagera River. Credit: ISAAC KASAMANI/AFP/Getty Images)
]]>He described a system that allowed people to be arrested, interrogated and sometimes killed. Many families still don’t know what happened to their loved ones.
At 87, Josette Audin, has campaigned for more than 60 years for the French state to take responsibility for the disappearance of her husband, Maurice Audin, during the Algerian War.
Charlotte McDonald hears Josette’s story and discovers that the Algerian War has had a lasting impact on many more in France.
She speaks to historians Malika Rahal and Fabrice Riceputi about their website 1000autres.org, and to war veteran Rémi Serres about his association 4ACG.
Producer, Josephine Casserly
Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: File photo of Maurice Audin, circa 1950. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
]]>He described a system that allowed people to be arrested, interrogated and sometimes killed. Many families still don’t know what happened to their loved ones.
At 87, Josette Audin, has campaigned for more than 60 years for the French state to take responsibility for the disappearance of her husband, Maurice Audin, during the Algerian War.
Charlotte McDonald hears Josette’s story and discovers that the Algerian War has had a lasting impact on many more in France.
She speaks to historians Malika Rahal and Fabrice Riceputi about their website 1000autres.org, and to war veteran Rémi Serres about his association 4ACG.
Producer, Josephine Casserly
Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: File photo of Maurice Audin, circa 1950. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
]]>(PHOTO: Hevzi Imeri, an ethnic Albanian and Danilo Dabetic, a Serb, play together at the basketball club Play 017 in Bujanovac – one of very few mixed activities for young people in Serbia’s Presevo Valley. BBC photo.)
]]>(PHOTO: Hevzi Imeri, an ethnic Albanian and Danilo Dabetic, a Serb, play together at the basketball club Play 017 in Bujanovac – one of very few mixed activities for young people in Serbia’s Presevo Valley. BBC photo.)
]]>(Image: Footballer’s legs with rainbow socks. Credit: BBC)
]]>(Image: Footballer’s legs with rainbow socks. Credit: BBC)
]]>(Image: Reginald Berry and Paul Burns – two retired UK firefighters – revisit Armenia, 30 years after taking part in rescue and recovery efforts after the 1988 earthquake. Credit: BBC/Hakob Hovhannisyan)
]]>(Image: Reginald Berry and Paul Burns – two retired UK firefighters – revisit Armenia, 30 years after taking part in rescue and recovery efforts after the 1988 earthquake. Credit: BBC/Hakob Hovhannisyan)
]]>(Image: This chip holds samples of 24 people’s DNA – one in each box. Credit: BBC)
]]>(Image: This chip holds samples of 24 people’s DNA – one in each box. Credit: BBC)
]]>(Image credit: BBC)
]]>(Image credit: BBC)
]]>But when legal attempts are made to ban pornography, a strong resistance emerges in the name of freedom of expression, including sexual expression. Others argue that online pornography is the wrong target, pointing out that around a third of porn viewers in India are women.
But what do Indian men themselves make of this? The BBC’s India Women Affairs correspondent Divya Arya travels the country to meet men from all backgrounds to find out.
]]>But when legal attempts are made to ban pornography, a strong resistance emerges in the name of freedom of expression, including sexual expression. Others argue that online pornography is the wrong target, pointing out that around a third of porn viewers in India are women.
But what do Indian men themselves make of this? The BBC’s India Women Affairs correspondent Divya Arya travels the country to meet men from all backgrounds to find out.
]]>*This programme contains graphic scenes of torture and killing.
(Image: A computer generated image of an alleged detention house in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura. A red liquid, which looked like blood, was seen pouring from its gutter. Credit: BBC)
]]>*This programme contains graphic scenes of torture and killing.
(Image: A computer generated image of an alleged detention house in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura. A red liquid, which looked like blood, was seen pouring from its gutter. Credit: BBC)
]]>(Image: Former Cambodian surrogate Va-Tei: "I feel really sad that I had to give the baby away." Credit: BBC)
]]>(Image: Former Cambodian surrogate Va-Tei: "I feel really sad that I had to give the baby away." Credit: BBC)
]]>Kim begins her journey by the golden sands of England’s North East coast, where we hear the Italian family history of England’s ice cream champions. Michael Minchella shares the experiences and struggles of generations of his family setting up and running their seaside business. Some 75 years later, Michael now leads their much loved ice cream empire.
We then head to North Yorkshire to meet one of the 8000 Syrian refugees who have arrived in the UK in recent years. Razan, a pharmacist from Syria, explains how she is making a new life as a traditional Yorkshire cheese maker.
Kim also travels over the border to Edinburgh to meet Talal and Nour, two Syrians who met for the first time in Edinburgh and went on to recreate a facsimile of the baker’s shop that Noor was forced to leave behind when fleeing Aleppo.
]]>Kim begins her journey by the golden sands of England’s North East coast, where we hear the Italian family history of England’s ice cream champions. Michael Minchella shares the experiences and struggles of generations of his family setting up and running their seaside business. Some 75 years later, Michael now leads their much loved ice cream empire.
We then head to North Yorkshire to meet one of the 8000 Syrian refugees who have arrived in the UK in recent years. Razan, a pharmacist from Syria, explains how she is making a new life as a traditional Yorkshire cheese maker.
Kim also travels over the border to Edinburgh to meet Talal and Nour, two Syrians who met for the first time in Edinburgh and went on to recreate a facsimile of the baker’s shop that Noor was forced to leave behind when fleeing Aleppo.
]]>In March 2016, a young woman went into labour. She was rushed to a local, private hospital in south-east Nigeria where she gave birth by caesarean section. But when the hospital discovered this teenage mother didn’t have the money to pay for her treatment, she and her son were unable to leave. They remained there for 16 months – until the police arrived and released them.
This is not an isolated case. In Nigeria, very few health services are free of charge, and campaigners estimate that thousands have been detained in hospitals for failing to pay their bills. It’s become an increasingly high-profile issue – one couple have been awarded compensation after going through the courts.
For Assignment, Linda Pressly explores a widespread abuse – meeting victims, and the hospital managers attempting to manage their budgets in a health system under enormous pressure, where only 5% of Nigerians are covered by health insurance.
Producer: Josephine Casserly
(Photo: Ngozi Osegbo was awarded compensation by a court after she and her husband were detained in a hospital because they couldn't pay their medical bills. BBC PHOTO)
]]>In March 2016, a young woman went into labour. She was rushed to a local, private hospital in south-east Nigeria where she gave birth by caesarean section. But when the hospital discovered this teenage mother didn’t have the money to pay for her treatment, she and her son were unable to leave. They remained there for 16 months – until the police arrived and released them.
This is not an isolated case. In Nigeria, very few health services are free of charge, and campaigners estimate that thousands have been detained in hospitals for failing to pay their bills. It’s become an increasingly high-profile issue – one couple have been awarded compensation after going through the courts.
For Assignment, Linda Pressly explores a widespread abuse – meeting victims, and the hospital managers attempting to manage their budgets in a health system under enormous pressure, where only 5% of Nigerians are covered by health insurance.
Producer: Josephine Casserly
(Photo: Ngozi Osegbo was awarded compensation by a court after she and her husband were detained in a hospital because they couldn't pay their medical bills. BBC PHOTO)
]]>We heard allegations that some competitors had gone to astonishing lengths such as taping up their arms to make their disability appear worse. A parliamentary select committee hearing looked into the way British Paralympic athletes are classified and questions were raised over whether the system was fit for purpose.
In this programme, we examine fresh claims of athletes exaggerating or even faking a disability to get ahead in para sports. We look at the case of an athlete where concerns have been raised after they competed in several different disability classifications.
A Paralympic gold medallist tells Assignment that he believes that gaming the system in para sports is at a similar level to cheating in able bodied sports and reveals the tell-tale signs that athletes may be trying to get into an easier classification.
Reporter Simon Cox speaks to a former international classifier – the people responsible for ensuring athletes are placed in the right category – who reveals how it is possible for classifiers to be fooled.
But the head of the British Paralympic Association says he does not believe cheating happens at any meaningful level.
The concerns raised by the programme come as a report by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee into sports governance which has examined classification in para sports is due to be published in the UK.
(Image: Paralympic Games Gold medal. Credit: Press Association)
]]>We heard allegations that some competitors had gone to astonishing lengths such as taping up their arms to make their disability appear worse. A parliamentary select committee hearing looked into the way British Paralympic athletes are classified and questions were raised over whether the system was fit for purpose.
In this programme, we examine fresh claims of athletes exaggerating or even faking a disability to get ahead in para sports. We look at the case of an athlete where concerns have been raised after they competed in several different disability classifications.
A Paralympic gold medallist tells Assignment that he believes that gaming the system in para sports is at a similar level to cheating in able bodied sports and reveals the tell-tale signs that athletes may be trying to get into an easier classification.
Reporter Simon Cox speaks to a former international classifier – the people responsible for ensuring athletes are placed in the right category – who reveals how it is possible for classifiers to be fooled.
But the head of the British Paralympic Association says he does not believe cheating happens at any meaningful level.
The concerns raised by the programme come as a report by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee into sports governance which has examined classification in para sports is due to be published in the UK.
(Image: Paralympic Games Gold medal. Credit: Press Association)
]]>Producers: Josephine Casserly and Haley Thomas
(Image: A collection of pictures of Ethan Saylor, a twenty-six year old man with Down Syndrome, who died of asphyxiation after three off-duty deputies restrained him. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>Producers: Josephine Casserly and Haley Thomas
(Image: A collection of pictures of Ethan Saylor, a twenty-six year old man with Down Syndrome, who died of asphyxiation after three off-duty deputies restrained him. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>Reporter: Simon Cox Producer: Anna Meisel
Image: Martin Sellner demonstrating at Kahlenberg Vienna Credit: David Speier/NurPhoto via Getty Images
]]>Reporter: Simon Cox Producer: Anna Meisel
Image: Martin Sellner demonstrating at Kahlenberg Vienna Credit: David Speier/NurPhoto via Getty Images
]]>Ten years on the economy has recovered, thanks to the millions of tourists who now visit every year. But what scars have been left on this close-knit island nation’s collective psyche?
Edwin Lane speaks to the Icelanders hit hardest by the crisis, the small-town chief of police charged with pursuing the errant bankers, the new wave of Icelandic politicians agitating for change, and the Icelanders who fear that the lessons of the past haven’t been learned.
]]>Ten years on the economy has recovered, thanks to the millions of tourists who now visit every year. But what scars have been left on this close-knit island nation’s collective psyche?
Edwin Lane speaks to the Icelanders hit hardest by the crisis, the small-town chief of police charged with pursuing the errant bankers, the new wave of Icelandic politicians agitating for change, and the Icelanders who fear that the lessons of the past haven’t been learned.
]]>Today, no fewer than seven of them are owned by one man: Dennis Hof, a gun-toting restaurateur, entrepreneur and reality TV star. He calls himself the 'Trump from Pahrump', after a town where he recently won the Republican primaries for the Nevada State Legislature.
Now, though, there is a backlash from religious and social activists, who have managed to get a referendum on the ballot during this November’s mid-term elections. Voters in Lyon County will be asked if the legal brothels there should be allowed to continue to operate.
Ultimately, the campaigners aim to end legal sex work across the whole state. They say it is an exploitative, abusive trade, and prevents other businesses from investing in the area. But some sex workers are worried that a ban could push them onto the streets, where they would face potential danger.
Lucy Ash talks to Dennis Hof, the women who work for him, and those who are pushing for change.
Producer: Mike Gallagher
Image: Dennis Hof poses outside the Moonlite BunnyRanch (Credit: Reuters)
]]>Today, no fewer than seven of them are owned by one man: Dennis Hof, a gun-toting restaurateur, entrepreneur and reality TV star. He calls himself the 'Trump from Pahrump', after a town where he recently won the Republican primaries for the Nevada State Legislature.
Now, though, there is a backlash from religious and social activists, who have managed to get a referendum on the ballot during this November’s mid-term elections. Voters in Lyon County will be asked if the legal brothels there should be allowed to continue to operate.
Ultimately, the campaigners aim to end legal sex work across the whole state. They say it is an exploitative, abusive trade, and prevents other businesses from investing in the area. But some sex workers are worried that a ban could push them onto the streets, where they would face potential danger.
Lucy Ash talks to Dennis Hof, the women who work for him, and those who are pushing for change.
Producer: Mike Gallagher
Image: Dennis Hof poses outside the Moonlite BunnyRanch (Credit: Reuters)
]]>-- An atheist is driving in Belfast and he gets stopped by a paramilitary road block. A paramilitary walks up to the window and asks him "Catholic or Protestant?" The atheists looks at him and says "well I'm an atheist" The paramilitary nods "Ah okay, but are you a Catholic or a Protestant atheist?" --
Northern Ireland is renowned for its friendliness and sense of humour but after 40 years of violence how do you keep laughing? The conflict has brought out a very particular brand of humour unique to the country, much darker than the Irish humour and sharper than the Scottish.
Comedian Diona Doherty (star of Derry Girls and Soft Border Patrol) finds out what comedy can tell us about healing in conflict and what young people think of the future of NI post Brexit and without a government.
Speaking with stars of the past and future she hears how the jokes have changed even if some of the issues haven’t. Along with her former comedy partner Jordan Dunbar they set out to find the man with the darkest sense of humour in Belfast.
How has comedy evolved and what can it tell us about how to live in a country without a government?
]]>-- An atheist is driving in Belfast and he gets stopped by a paramilitary road block. A paramilitary walks up to the window and asks him "Catholic or Protestant?" The atheists looks at him and says "well I'm an atheist" The paramilitary nods "Ah okay, but are you a Catholic or a Protestant atheist?" --
Northern Ireland is renowned for its friendliness and sense of humour but after 40 years of violence how do you keep laughing? The conflict has brought out a very particular brand of humour unique to the country, much darker than the Irish humour and sharper than the Scottish.
Comedian Diona Doherty (star of Derry Girls and Soft Border Patrol) finds out what comedy can tell us about healing in conflict and what young people think of the future of NI post Brexit and without a government.
Speaking with stars of the past and future she hears how the jokes have changed even if some of the issues haven’t. Along with her former comedy partner Jordan Dunbar they set out to find the man with the darkest sense of humour in Belfast.
How has comedy evolved and what can it tell us about how to live in a country without a government?
]]>Ed Butler reports from Uganda where most of the country’s 54,000 inmates are now serving an economic purpose, working for the benefit of an elite collection of private farmers and other business interests – even though half of them have not been convicted of any crime. He speaks to current and former prisoners to find out how the system works, and asks: is the country breaking its international pledges on prisoner treatment?
Presented and produced by Ed Butler.
(Image: Prisoners at Patongo Prison, Uganda. Credit: David Brunetti)
]]>Ed Butler reports from Uganda where most of the country’s 54,000 inmates are now serving an economic purpose, working for the benefit of an elite collection of private farmers and other business interests – even though half of them have not been convicted of any crime. He speaks to current and former prisoners to find out how the system works, and asks: is the country breaking its international pledges on prisoner treatment?
Presented and produced by Ed Butler.
(Image: Prisoners at Patongo Prison, Uganda. Credit: David Brunetti)
]]>Colin Grant reporting and producing.
(Image: West Indian mother keeps the rain off her child with an umbrella, as they depart the Spanish passenger vessel Montserrat at Southampton docks Oct 1961 / Credit: Press Association)
]]>Colin Grant reporting and producing.
(Image: West Indian mother keeps the rain off her child with an umbrella, as they depart the Spanish passenger vessel Montserrat at Southampton docks Oct 1961 / Credit: Press Association)
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher
(Image: 17 year old Tyler Ruzich believes he can become Governor of Kansas. Credit: BBC)
]]>Producer: Michael Gallagher
(Image: 17 year old Tyler Ruzich believes he can become Governor of Kansas. Credit: BBC)
]]>Producer: Albana Kasapi
(Image: Candles placed in front of a portrait of investigative reporter Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend Martina Kusnirova. Credit:AFP/Getty Images)
]]>Producer: Albana Kasapi
(Image: Candles placed in front of a portrait of investigative reporter Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend Martina Kusnirova. Credit:AFP/Getty Images)
]]>Image Credit: Chloe Hadjimatheou
]]>Image Credit: Chloe Hadjimatheou
]]>Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Karen Griggs
(Photo: Susan and Martin Spinnato Credit: BBC)
]]>Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Karen Griggs
(Photo: Susan and Martin Spinnato Credit: BBC)
]]>European MEPs have launched an investigation into 'Golden Passport' programmes across Europe - including the UK - amid concerns that they pose a corruption risk. In the US, government financial investigators say individuals are buying citizenship to hide their true identity, in an attempt to flout economic sanctions against Iran. Alys Harte reporting.
Image Credit: Shutterstock
]]>European MEPs have launched an investigation into 'Golden Passport' programmes across Europe - including the UK - amid concerns that they pose a corruption risk. In the US, government financial investigators say individuals are buying citizenship to hide their true identity, in an attempt to flout economic sanctions against Iran. Alys Harte reporting.
Image Credit: Shutterstock
]]>Virgen de la Asuncion was supposed to be a refuge for children affected by abuse, neglect or who had become entangled in Guatemala’s gang culture. Often girls were placed in the home for their own protection, to keep them from the clutches of traffickers and drug dealers who operate with impunity in poor neighbourhoods. But conditions at the home were appalling. Designed for 400, it was home to hundreds more boys and girls. And far from being a sanctuary for the children, there was a terrifying culture of abuse – sexual and physical. On 7th March, 2017 more than 100 of the children and young people broke out. Most were rounded up in the local area by the police. As punishment, they were locked up. And in protest, in the room where the girls were corralled, one of them set fire to a mattress.
Assignment meets families, explores the fate of others who lived at the home, and talks to welfare workers. Why did no one heed the loud warning bells about Virgen de la Asuncion?
Presenter Linda Pressly Producer Georgina Hewes
Photo title: Heidi Hernandez – her daughter survived the fire with life-changing injuries / Credit: Georgina Hewes BBC
]]>Virgen de la Asuncion was supposed to be a refuge for children affected by abuse, neglect or who had become entangled in Guatemala’s gang culture. Often girls were placed in the home for their own protection, to keep them from the clutches of traffickers and drug dealers who operate with impunity in poor neighbourhoods. But conditions at the home were appalling. Designed for 400, it was home to hundreds more boys and girls. And far from being a sanctuary for the children, there was a terrifying culture of abuse – sexual and physical. On 7th March, 2017 more than 100 of the children and young people broke out. Most were rounded up in the local area by the police. As punishment, they were locked up. And in protest, in the room where the girls were corralled, one of them set fire to a mattress.
Assignment meets families, explores the fate of others who lived at the home, and talks to welfare workers. Why did no one heed the loud warning bells about Virgen de la Asuncion?
Presenter Linda Pressly Producer Georgina Hewes
Photo title: Heidi Hernandez – her daughter survived the fire with life-changing injuries / Credit: Georgina Hewes BBC
]]>Producer: Ben Allen Photo credit: Ben Allen / BBC
]]>Producer: Ben Allen Photo credit: Ben Allen / BBC
]]>Assignment, this week, is in the province of Chimbu in the highlands – a witch hunt hotspot. It’s a place where revenge attacks can lead to full-blown tribal warfare and where one accusation can destroy a family for generations. Why do so many people here believe in witchcraft and what is being done to change that?
Emily Webb follows one local man – whose motive is intensely personal – on his difficult mission to save the “witches” of Papua New Guinea.
Presented by: Emily Webb Photo credit: BBC / Emily Webb
]]>Assignment, this week, is in the province of Chimbu in the highlands – a witch hunt hotspot. It’s a place where revenge attacks can lead to full-blown tribal warfare and where one accusation can destroy a family for generations. Why do so many people here believe in witchcraft and what is being done to change that?
Emily Webb follows one local man – whose motive is intensely personal – on his difficult mission to save the “witches” of Papua New Guinea.
Presented by: Emily Webb Photo credit: BBC / Emily Webb
]]>For Assignment, Kim Chakanetsa chronicles his forced disappearance and asks the new government how the people of Zimbabwe can ever trust that the days of disappearances are over unless this high-profile case is resolved.
Itai Dzamara came to the attention of the authorities in 2014 when he started a protest in Harare's Africa Unity Square and delivered in person a petition to the president's office. His demand was simple but blunt: go now Mugabe.
We retrace what happened; we find out more about Itai the man from his friends; we explore the impact of his disappearance on his wife and children; we hear from lawyers how the initial police investigation took them on a wild goose chase. We question the police on what's the latest on the investigation and ask government how it can hope to restore faith without telling the people of Zimbabwe where Itai is.
Producer: Penny Dale Editor: Penny Murphy
]]>For Assignment, Kim Chakanetsa chronicles his forced disappearance and asks the new government how the people of Zimbabwe can ever trust that the days of disappearances are over unless this high-profile case is resolved.
Itai Dzamara came to the attention of the authorities in 2014 when he started a protest in Harare's Africa Unity Square and delivered in person a petition to the president's office. His demand was simple but blunt: go now Mugabe.
We retrace what happened; we find out more about Itai the man from his friends; we explore the impact of his disappearance on his wife and children; we hear from lawyers how the initial police investigation took them on a wild goose chase. We question the police on what's the latest on the investigation and ask government how it can hope to restore faith without telling the people of Zimbabwe where Itai is.
Producer: Penny Dale Editor: Penny Murphy
]]>Since its founding in 1948, after the horrors of the Holocaust, Israel has seen itself as a safe haven for Jews from anywhere in the world to come to escape persecution. But now that policy is under threat. As Jewish communities in Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya are finding, a debate has arisen about who is “Jewish enough” to qualify. David Baker investigates claims that decisions are being made not on the basis of ancestry or religious observance but on the colour of people’s skin.
Producer: Simon Maybin Presenter: David Baker
]]>Since its founding in 1948, after the horrors of the Holocaust, Israel has seen itself as a safe haven for Jews from anywhere in the world to come to escape persecution. But now that policy is under threat. As Jewish communities in Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya are finding, a debate has arisen about who is “Jewish enough” to qualify. David Baker investigates claims that decisions are being made not on the basis of ancestry or religious observance but on the colour of people’s skin.
Producer: Simon Maybin Presenter: David Baker
]]>For Assignment, Celia Hatton visits a special primary school in Gansu, in China’s far west, which is setting out to turn those World Cup dreams into reality. Made up of “left-behind children,” whose parents have migrated to the cities for work, the school drills the children in football skills each day, to give them direction and purpose, but also in the hope that some of them will use football as route out of poverty and to garner Chinese success on the pitch.
Producer: John Murphy (Image Credit: John Murphy BBC)
]]>For Assignment, Celia Hatton visits a special primary school in Gansu, in China’s far west, which is setting out to turn those World Cup dreams into reality. Made up of “left-behind children,” whose parents have migrated to the cities for work, the school drills the children in football skills each day, to give them direction and purpose, but also in the hope that some of them will use football as route out of poverty and to garner Chinese success on the pitch.
Producer: John Murphy (Image Credit: John Murphy BBC)
]]>Producer: Anna Meisel
]]>Producer: Anna Meisel
]]>Image: Sanju (with friends), is one of the men featured in the programme. He was a child worker making electric switches and has had "100 odd jobs since then". He now drives a battery operated free wheeler. Credit: Reduced Listening
]]>Image: Sanju (with friends), is one of the men featured in the programme. He was a child worker making electric switches and has had "100 odd jobs since then". He now drives a battery operated free wheeler. Credit: Reduced Listening
]]>Identified at a young age as a talented cross-country athlete, Salah was forced to run under the Moroccan flag. At the end of a crucial race, victorious, he waved the Saharawi flag – illegal in Morocco – and was immediately exiled from the country.
Nicola follows Salah as he returns home to be reunited with his family and friends, many of whom he hasn’t seen since he left several years ago. Through him, she explores the complexities of living under occupation and in exile. She meets landmine victims, youth leaders and members of the Saharawi independence movement, the POLISARIO and asks how running can help its people gain a sense of freedom.
Reporter: Nicola Kelly
**Podcast has been updated**
]]>Identified at a young age as a talented cross-country athlete, Salah was forced to run under the Moroccan flag. At the end of a crucial race, victorious, he waved the Saharawi flag – illegal in Morocco – and was immediately exiled from the country.
Nicola follows Salah as he returns home to be reunited with his family and friends, many of whom he hasn’t seen since he left several years ago. Through him, she explores the complexities of living under occupation and in exile. She meets landmine victims, youth leaders and members of the Saharawi independence movement, the POLISARIO and asks how running can help its people gain a sense of freedom.
Reporter: Nicola Kelly
**Podcast has been updated**
]]>Some have joked that the long shadow of its colonial origins has made it the ‘after-care service of Empire’. And with Her Majesty the Queen as its Head, the Commonwealth in the 1980s and 1990s became a powerful tool in the pursuit of majority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa. But since then it has struggled to clearly define itself for the closely interconnected 21st Century.
Jonny Dymond samples the colour and the conversation of the London summit, visits the institution’s palatial London home, Marlborough House, and talks to Secretary General Patricia Scotland about the Commonwealth’s value in the modern world.
(Photo: Prime Minister Theresa May chairs a meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) in London, 2018. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>Some have joked that the long shadow of its colonial origins has made it the ‘after-care service of Empire’. And with Her Majesty the Queen as its Head, the Commonwealth in the 1980s and 1990s became a powerful tool in the pursuit of majority rule in Zimbabwe and South Africa. But since then it has struggled to clearly define itself for the closely interconnected 21st Century.
Jonny Dymond samples the colour and the conversation of the London summit, visits the institution’s palatial London home, Marlborough House, and talks to Secretary General Patricia Scotland about the Commonwealth’s value in the modern world.
(Photo: Prime Minister Theresa May chairs a meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) in London, 2018. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>Presented by Howard Zhan
Photo: The Phoenix Tower which is the highest building inside Shenyang Imperial Palace, China. Credit: Feng Li/Getty Images
]]>Presented by Howard Zhan
Photo: The Phoenix Tower which is the highest building inside Shenyang Imperial Palace, China. Credit: Feng Li/Getty Images
]]>Presenter Tim Whewell Producers Nick Sturdee & Mike Gallagher
]]>Presenter Tim Whewell Producers Nick Sturdee & Mike Gallagher
]]>Tim Whewell follows Sukayna through the rubble of the city, visiting her orphanage, trying to find missing parents, meeting families who want to reclaim children. Can she solve the mystery of Jannat – an abandoned fair-haired girl who may be the daughter of a foreign IS family? Can she help Amal, sister of a dead IS fighter, to adopt her baby niece? How can families afford the expensive DNA tests the authorities require before families can be reunited? As she tries to solve these problems Sukayna also has to look after her own family of six children - and cope with personal tragedy. Two of her brothers were killed by jihadis; her family home, used as an IS base, is now in ruins. Highly charismatic - Sukayna now wants to go into politics. "I am a mini-Iraq,” she says – her family includes members of many communities - and she believes the country desperately needs more dynamic, tolerant people like her, to bring real change and overcome divisions. But it’s hard to be a high-profile, energetic woman in patriarchal Iraq – and she’s faced death threats both from remaining IS supporters - and those who think she’s too ready to help “terrorist” families.
Presenter Tim Whewell Producers Nick Sturdee & Mike Gallagher
]]>Tim Whewell follows Sukayna through the rubble of the city, visiting her orphanage, trying to find missing parents, meeting families who want to reclaim children. Can she solve the mystery of Jannat – an abandoned fair-haired girl who may be the daughter of a foreign IS family? Can she help Amal, sister of a dead IS fighter, to adopt her baby niece? How can families afford the expensive DNA tests the authorities require before families can be reunited? As she tries to solve these problems Sukayna also has to look after her own family of six children - and cope with personal tragedy. Two of her brothers were killed by jihadis; her family home, used as an IS base, is now in ruins. Highly charismatic - Sukayna now wants to go into politics. "I am a mini-Iraq,” she says – her family includes members of many communities - and she believes the country desperately needs more dynamic, tolerant people like her, to bring real change and overcome divisions. But it’s hard to be a high-profile, energetic woman in patriarchal Iraq – and she’s faced death threats both from remaining IS supporters - and those who think she’s too ready to help “terrorist” families.
Presenter Tim Whewell Producers Nick Sturdee & Mike Gallagher
]]>Following them on their daily missions, from house fires in the compounds to industrial accidents in the factories, he finds a fire service capable of some real heroics. Yet it is also burdened with a terrible, city-wide reputation – responsible for all of Lusaka, they simply cannot move fast enough.
And while Lusaka’s firefighters are used to the abuse they receive on arrival – from insults to thrown stones – they now find themselves on the frontline of a national political scandal too. For Zambians are protesting on the streets, demanding an explanation for the government’s purchase of 42 new fire trucks - for $42 million dollars.
Photo: Firefighters put out flames, Credit: Lusaka Fire Station
]]>Following them on their daily missions, from house fires in the compounds to industrial accidents in the factories, he finds a fire service capable of some real heroics. Yet it is also burdened with a terrible, city-wide reputation – responsible for all of Lusaka, they simply cannot move fast enough.
And while Lusaka’s firefighters are used to the abuse they receive on arrival – from insults to thrown stones – they now find themselves on the frontline of a national political scandal too. For Zambians are protesting on the streets, demanding an explanation for the government’s purchase of 42 new fire trucks - for $42 million dollars.
Photo: Firefighters put out flames, Credit: Lusaka Fire Station
]]>Producer: Chloe Hadjimatheou. Photo Credit: Maria Margaronis / BBC
]]>Producer: Chloe Hadjimatheou. Photo Credit: Maria Margaronis / BBC
]]>In this programme, journalist Magdi Abdelhadi – himself from Egypt – takes a closer look at satire in the Arab World. Among its rising stars are Andeel, a young Egyptian satirist angrily taking aim at the patriarchal order; the TV show Scenario, made by Syrians in Turkey, which lampoons the Assad regime, with President Assad himself often portrayed as a village fool; and Al Hudood, a satirical news website produced from London and Jordan, responsible for that cemetery sketch. We hear samples of these young satirists’ work, but also discover where the boundaries lie: when asked whether they can ridicule the Jordanian royal family, there’s a lot of squirming among Al Hudood’s journalists…
Arabic satire has a long tradition, rooted amongst other things in poetry using ordinary ‘street Arabic’ to lampoon public figures. Together with expert Clive Holes from Oxford University, Magdi explores some of those traditions and hears some of the most famous sketches of the genre. And he meets one of the biggest names in Arab satire, Karl Sharro from Lebanon, who works in English – taking the genre to the world stage.
Image: A man's face behind a printed smile, Credit: Getty Images
]]>In this programme, journalist Magdi Abdelhadi – himself from Egypt – takes a closer look at satire in the Arab World. Among its rising stars are Andeel, a young Egyptian satirist angrily taking aim at the patriarchal order; the TV show Scenario, made by Syrians in Turkey, which lampoons the Assad regime, with President Assad himself often portrayed as a village fool; and Al Hudood, a satirical news website produced from London and Jordan, responsible for that cemetery sketch. We hear samples of these young satirists’ work, but also discover where the boundaries lie: when asked whether they can ridicule the Jordanian royal family, there’s a lot of squirming among Al Hudood’s journalists…
Arabic satire has a long tradition, rooted amongst other things in poetry using ordinary ‘street Arabic’ to lampoon public figures. Together with expert Clive Holes from Oxford University, Magdi explores some of those traditions and hears some of the most famous sketches of the genre. And he meets one of the biggest names in Arab satire, Karl Sharro from Lebanon, who works in English – taking the genre to the world stage.
Image: A man's face behind a printed smile, Credit: Getty Images
]]>Spain has the second largest amount of mass graves in the world after Cambodia. Over 100,000 people disappeared during the 1930s civil war and the ensuing Franco dictatorship. Decades later, the vast majority are still unaccounted for.
Forgetting Spain's painful past and the disappeared is what allowed democracy and peace to flourish, the argument has long gone.
But many have not forgotten - including in the region of Catalonia, where bitter memories of Franco’s rule are just beneath the surface. Before Madrid imposed direct rule last October, the pro-independence Catalan government began an unprecedented plan to excavate civil war mass graves and collect DNA from families looking for their lost relatives.
Estelle Doyle travels to the politically troubled region and finds out how, despite direct rule, those seeking answers are more determined than ever to recover the past and to confront Spain's painful history. Others worry that their actions will only but reopen old wounds and further divide the country.
Presenter: Estelle Doyle Producer: John Murphy
Photo credit: BBC John Murphy - 'Exhuming a mass grave in El Soleras, Catalonia, Spain' **This podcast has been changed: Correction: El Soleras is in the West of Catalonia, while Catalonia itself is in the North East of Spain**
]]>Spain has the second largest amount of mass graves in the world after Cambodia. Over 100,000 people disappeared during the 1930s civil war and the ensuing Franco dictatorship. Decades later, the vast majority are still unaccounted for.
Forgetting Spain's painful past and the disappeared is what allowed democracy and peace to flourish, the argument has long gone.
But many have not forgotten - including in the region of Catalonia, where bitter memories of Franco’s rule are just beneath the surface. Before Madrid imposed direct rule last October, the pro-independence Catalan government began an unprecedented plan to excavate civil war mass graves and collect DNA from families looking for their lost relatives.
Estelle Doyle travels to the politically troubled region and finds out how, despite direct rule, those seeking answers are more determined than ever to recover the past and to confront Spain's painful history. Others worry that their actions will only but reopen old wounds and further divide the country.
Presenter: Estelle Doyle Producer: John Murphy
Photo credit: BBC John Murphy - 'Exhuming a mass grave in El Soleras, Catalonia, Spain' **This podcast has been changed: Correction: El Soleras is in the West of Catalonia, while Catalonia itself is in the North East of Spain**
]]>Fi Glover speaks to women who have frozen their eggs - both privately and through a company scheme. She follows the experience of Brigitte Adams, a marketing executive who froze her eggs at 39 and is about to have one of them fertilized and implanted at 45. Brigitte explains how the marketing of egg freezing took the fear out of it, but she has words of warning for women considering this route. We also hear from a former Apple employee who froze her eggs via the company's benefit scheme.
Professor Geeta Nargund is an expert in reproductive medicine and the director of Europe’s largest private fertility clinic. She explains why she views egg freezing as the second wave of emancipation for women after the contraceptive pill. Critics suggest though that employer-funded egg freezing sends a message that the corporate preference is for women to delay childbearing. Fi also speaks to obstetrician Susan Bewley who believes encouraging women to freeze their eggs is making risky and unreliable options seem desirable and routine.
Fi Glover is personally very familiar with the issues in this documentary. She considered freezing her own eggs and when she was living in the US almost a decade ago when it was still a niche technology.
Image: Human egg cell, Credit: Getty Images
]]>Fi Glover speaks to women who have frozen their eggs - both privately and through a company scheme. She follows the experience of Brigitte Adams, a marketing executive who froze her eggs at 39 and is about to have one of them fertilized and implanted at 45. Brigitte explains how the marketing of egg freezing took the fear out of it, but she has words of warning for women considering this route. We also hear from a former Apple employee who froze her eggs via the company's benefit scheme.
Professor Geeta Nargund is an expert in reproductive medicine and the director of Europe’s largest private fertility clinic. She explains why she views egg freezing as the second wave of emancipation for women after the contraceptive pill. Critics suggest though that employer-funded egg freezing sends a message that the corporate preference is for women to delay childbearing. Fi also speaks to obstetrician Susan Bewley who believes encouraging women to freeze their eggs is making risky and unreliable options seem desirable and routine.
Fi Glover is personally very familiar with the issues in this documentary. She considered freezing her own eggs and when she was living in the US almost a decade ago when it was still a niche technology.
Image: Human egg cell, Credit: Getty Images
]]>(Photo: Inga Karlsen outside the Lule Sami Cultural Centre in Drag, Tysfjord)
]]>(Photo: Inga Karlsen outside the Lule Sami Cultural Centre in Drag, Tysfjord)
]]>Reporter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Mike Gallagher
]]>Reporter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Mike Gallagher
]]>Producer: Mike Gallagher
]]>Producer: Mike Gallagher
]]>Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Anna Meisel Editor: Penny Murphy
]]>Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Anna Meisel Editor: Penny Murphy
]]>Orla Guerin has spent the last four years reporting from Cairo where she has witnessed a systematic assault on freedoms and human rights. The country's ruler, former army chief, President Abdel Fatah al Sisi is standing for re-election (next month) in a climate of fear and intimidation. Seven years after the euphoria in Tahrir Square, Orla asks what happened to the hope born during the revolution, and reports on the abuses which campaigners say are at the heart of the Sisi regime.
]]>Orla Guerin has spent the last four years reporting from Cairo where she has witnessed a systematic assault on freedoms and human rights. The country's ruler, former army chief, President Abdel Fatah al Sisi is standing for re-election (next month) in a climate of fear and intimidation. Seven years after the euphoria in Tahrir Square, Orla asks what happened to the hope born during the revolution, and reports on the abuses which campaigners say are at the heart of the Sisi regime.
]]>For over 20 years Toshiko Katayose edited Japan’s most popular magazine for senior readers. Now 67 and facing retirement, she reveals how her generation of baby-boomers born after World War Two, are overturning stereotypes about old age and how businesses are responding to these more demanding silver consumers. She visits Japan’s first supermarket built specifically to serve older shoppers which offers everything from crystal-studded walking sticks to try-before-you-buy coffin experiences.
(Photo: A cornucopia of stylish walking sticks at Japan’s first supermarket for older consumers. Credit: Mukti Jain Campion)
]]>For over 20 years Toshiko Katayose edited Japan’s most popular magazine for senior readers. Now 67 and facing retirement, she reveals how her generation of baby-boomers born after World War Two, are overturning stereotypes about old age and how businesses are responding to these more demanding silver consumers. She visits Japan’s first supermarket built specifically to serve older shoppers which offers everything from crystal-studded walking sticks to try-before-you-buy coffin experiences.
(Photo: A cornucopia of stylish walking sticks at Japan’s first supermarket for older consumers. Credit: Mukti Jain Campion)
]]>Photo: Branka Reljan and Drazenko Tevelli outside the abandoned institution of Cepin, where they lived for more than a decade.
]]>Photo: Branka Reljan and Drazenko Tevelli outside the abandoned institution of Cepin, where they lived for more than a decade.
]]>More than 10,000 people have been killed and as it enters its fourth year, this has become one of the longest conflicts in modern European history. But in the frontline town of Marinka there's one bright spot amidst the gloom - the bakery. It's the first new business in the town since the fighting began and it is bringing some hope and comfort to its traumatised citizens. We meet staff and customers from the bakery to explore a community living on the edge. "The aroma of fresh bread," says the man behind the enterprise, " gives people hope. It smells like normal life."
(Photo Credit: Photography by Frederick Paxton)
]]>More than 10,000 people have been killed and as it enters its fourth year, this has become one of the longest conflicts in modern European history. But in the frontline town of Marinka there's one bright spot amidst the gloom - the bakery. It's the first new business in the town since the fighting began and it is bringing some hope and comfort to its traumatised citizens. We meet staff and customers from the bakery to explore a community living on the edge. "The aroma of fresh bread," says the man behind the enterprise, " gives people hope. It smells like normal life."
(Photo Credit: Photography by Frederick Paxton)
]]>Sarah was alone until the last week when she was joined by Krystle Wright, a photographer sent to record her adventure. Krystle describes Sarah’s suspicion of her and the frustration of watching her eat the food she had brought along.
Image: Sarah Marquis, Credit: Krystle Wright
]]>Sarah was alone until the last week when she was joined by Krystle Wright, a photographer sent to record her adventure. Krystle describes Sarah’s suspicion of her and the frustration of watching her eat the food she had brought along.
Image: Sarah Marquis, Credit: Krystle Wright
]]>(Photo: Feliciano Loveda standing in the dry channel of the Pilcomayo river next to his home – he hasn’t used his boat for five years. Credit: Gabriela Torres)
]]>(Photo: Feliciano Loveda standing in the dry channel of the Pilcomayo river next to his home – he hasn’t used his boat for five years. Credit: Gabriela Torres)
]]>Trust was gained by undertaking a frightening and dangerous ‘yopo’ ceremony. Yopo is a powerful hallucinogenic drug, used in shamanic ritual; it sent Leo on what he describes as a terrifying exorcism.
Following the ceremony, Leo – in a fragile state – continued into the jungle on his expedition. The local people, who had been doubtful of him and his motives, were suddenly warm, friendly and helpful. Having battled plague proportions of insects, and hacked their way through almost impenetrable undergrowth, Leo and his team were finally able to attempt to scale this 1220 metre mountain.
Image: Leo Houlding, Credit: Alastair Lee
]]>Trust was gained by undertaking a frightening and dangerous ‘yopo’ ceremony. Yopo is a powerful hallucinogenic drug, used in shamanic ritual; it sent Leo on what he describes as a terrifying exorcism.
Following the ceremony, Leo – in a fragile state – continued into the jungle on his expedition. The local people, who had been doubtful of him and his motives, were suddenly warm, friendly and helpful. Having battled plague proportions of insects, and hacked their way through almost impenetrable undergrowth, Leo and his team were finally able to attempt to scale this 1220 metre mountain.
Image: Leo Houlding, Credit: Alastair Lee
]]>Image: Robert Mugabe, Credit: Getty Images
]]>Image: Robert Mugabe, Credit: Getty Images
]]>As a young, stylish, modern and educated woman, Sengel might not fit the stereotypical image of a fortune teller but her accurate readings have made her one of the most famous coffee fortune tellers in Istanbul. Her clients include politicians and world-renowned celebrities. How does she do it?
In a backroom of a local public baths, we meet a handful of women who are using their break time to drink Turkish coffee and read each other’s fortunes. This is where we learn that coffee cup reading is not exclusive to people with special powers, but is in fact a pivotal point to gatherings amongst almost all Turkish women - although there are some heated debates about the Islamic morals of this kind of 'superstition'.
Meanwhile, Sufi master Musa Dede explains where the first coffee drinkers came from and how coffee cup reading came into existence.
Produced by Sahar Zand for BBC World Service.
Image: A coffee cup and saucer with coffee grounds, Credit: Getty Images
]]>As a young, stylish, modern and educated woman, Sengel might not fit the stereotypical image of a fortune teller but her accurate readings have made her one of the most famous coffee fortune tellers in Istanbul. Her clients include politicians and world-renowned celebrities. How does she do it?
In a backroom of a local public baths, we meet a handful of women who are using their break time to drink Turkish coffee and read each other’s fortunes. This is where we learn that coffee cup reading is not exclusive to people with special powers, but is in fact a pivotal point to gatherings amongst almost all Turkish women - although there are some heated debates about the Islamic morals of this kind of 'superstition'.
Meanwhile, Sufi master Musa Dede explains where the first coffee drinkers came from and how coffee cup reading came into existence.
Produced by Sahar Zand for BBC World Service.
Image: A coffee cup and saucer with coffee grounds, Credit: Getty Images
]]>The push and pull of Russia's exit dilemma plays out in galleries and start-ups, architecture practices and universities. Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova, is now campaigning for prison reform, and says her spell behind bars only fuels her sense of mission. "I really do love to be inside of this courageous community, risking their lives by trying to change their country. It gives sense to my life." But others - from Herzen to Lenin to Khodorkovsky - have tried to influence the Russian condition from abroad. Life outside the motherland isn't always the easy option; many struggle with feeling superfluous, with indifference or competition.
Although the biggest country on earth, space for freedom of expression in Russia has been shrinking. Recently, a propagandist pop song has been urging students to mind their own business. Its lyrics include: "Kid, stay out of politics, and give your brain a shower!", a symptom of the claustrophobic atmosphere that is encroaching on public space and personal life. Some make an exit in search of a reliable environment for their business or propaganda-free schools for their children; others are fleeing homophobia or political danger.
Contributors include best-selling author Boris Akunin; the rising star of Russian architecture Boris Bernaskoni; techno producer Philipp Gorbachev; exiled oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky; Nonna Materkova, director of Calvert 22 Foundation; young entrepreneur Asya Parfenova; experimental linguist Natalia Slioussar; Nadya Tolokonnikova from Pussy Riot; Russia's best-known music critic Artemy Troitsky; and curators Dishon Yuldash and Alexander Burenkov.
Producer: Dorothy Feaver
Image: Lucy Ash in St Petersburg, Credit: BBC
]]>The push and pull of Russia's exit dilemma plays out in galleries and start-ups, architecture practices and universities. Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova, is now campaigning for prison reform, and says her spell behind bars only fuels her sense of mission. "I really do love to be inside of this courageous community, risking their lives by trying to change their country. It gives sense to my life." But others - from Herzen to Lenin to Khodorkovsky - have tried to influence the Russian condition from abroad. Life outside the motherland isn't always the easy option; many struggle with feeling superfluous, with indifference or competition.
Although the biggest country on earth, space for freedom of expression in Russia has been shrinking. Recently, a propagandist pop song has been urging students to mind their own business. Its lyrics include: "Kid, stay out of politics, and give your brain a shower!", a symptom of the claustrophobic atmosphere that is encroaching on public space and personal life. Some make an exit in search of a reliable environment for their business or propaganda-free schools for their children; others are fleeing homophobia or political danger.
Contributors include best-selling author Boris Akunin; the rising star of Russian architecture Boris Bernaskoni; techno producer Philipp Gorbachev; exiled oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky; Nonna Materkova, director of Calvert 22 Foundation; young entrepreneur Asya Parfenova; experimental linguist Natalia Slioussar; Nadya Tolokonnikova from Pussy Riot; Russia's best-known music critic Artemy Troitsky; and curators Dishon Yuldash and Alexander Burenkov.
Producer: Dorothy Feaver
Image: Lucy Ash in St Petersburg, Credit: BBC
]]>(Photo: Asian woman with red lipstick and finger showing hush silence sign, isolated on white background Credit: Shutterstock)
]]>(Photo: Asian woman with red lipstick and finger showing hush silence sign, isolated on white background Credit: Shutterstock)
]]>One significant finding from MRI scanners is that the adolescent brain continues to develop right into the early- and mid-twenties. The fact that we are not ‘adults’ at age 18 is having big repercussions in the legal system.
In San Francisco, the entire way that young offenders of crimes such as armed robbery up to the age of 25 are treated is adapting to the brain data.
More and more, neuroscientists are testifying in courts, often to mitigate sentences including the death penalty in juveniles. Other times, they highlight rare brain abnormalities that cause violent and antisocial behaviour, which helps justify a lighter sentence.
However, young brains are still malleable. In Wisconsin, brain imaging of juvenile prisoners can detect psychopathic markers. Once identified, staff can employ techniques to de-programme those antisocial traits and rehabilitate prisoners to ready them for, they hope, a crime-free life outside.
And this is simply the first generation of neurolaw – where to next?
(Photo: Human head scan, coloured magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of healthy brain. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>One significant finding from MRI scanners is that the adolescent brain continues to develop right into the early- and mid-twenties. The fact that we are not ‘adults’ at age 18 is having big repercussions in the legal system.
In San Francisco, the entire way that young offenders of crimes such as armed robbery up to the age of 25 are treated is adapting to the brain data.
More and more, neuroscientists are testifying in courts, often to mitigate sentences including the death penalty in juveniles. Other times, they highlight rare brain abnormalities that cause violent and antisocial behaviour, which helps justify a lighter sentence.
However, young brains are still malleable. In Wisconsin, brain imaging of juvenile prisoners can detect psychopathic markers. Once identified, staff can employ techniques to de-programme those antisocial traits and rehabilitate prisoners to ready them for, they hope, a crime-free life outside.
And this is simply the first generation of neurolaw – where to next?
(Photo: Human head scan, coloured magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of healthy brain. Credit: Getty Images)
]]>Produced by Peter Lang-Stanton and Nick Farago.
]]>Produced by Peter Lang-Stanton and Nick Farago.
]]>The government of Aung San Suu Kyi has faced international condemnation over the crisis. She says the military is responding to attacks by Rohingya militants. But the Rohingya have long been persecuted in Myanmar: denied citizenship, decent healthcare and education.
For Assignment, Gabriel Gatehouse investigates the massacre in Tula Toli. Speaking to survivors in camps in Bangladesh, he pieces together a picture of horrific violence, perpetrated in what has been described as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” And he hears evidence that suggests the violence may have been planned in advance.
Produced by John Murphy
]]>The government of Aung San Suu Kyi has faced international condemnation over the crisis. She says the military is responding to attacks by Rohingya militants. But the Rohingya have long been persecuted in Myanmar: denied citizenship, decent healthcare and education.
For Assignment, Gabriel Gatehouse investigates the massacre in Tula Toli. Speaking to survivors in camps in Bangladesh, he pieces together a picture of horrific violence, perpetrated in what has been described as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” And he hears evidence that suggests the violence may have been planned in advance.
Produced by John Murphy
]]>In a remote, tiny community in the southern tip of Vanuatu in the South-West Pacific, a village is earning more than ever through hosting gleaming white giant cruise ships that regularly appear over the horizon. Most months more than 25,000 visitors step ashore. The attraction is Inyeug, marketed to tourists as Mystery Island - a tiny offshore reef-ringed island, fringed by a beautiful beach and surrounded by sparkling clear turquoise shallow water.
Susie Emmett listens to villagers as they prepare souvenirs and village tours. She asks the captain of a cruise ship about the effects of the ships on the environment. And she joins tourists as they explore and meets the teams dealing with the debris after their departure.
(Photo: Locals hold up their catch from fishing in the island of Inyeug. Credit: Green Shoots)
]]>In a remote, tiny community in the southern tip of Vanuatu in the South-West Pacific, a village is earning more than ever through hosting gleaming white giant cruise ships that regularly appear over the horizon. Most months more than 25,000 visitors step ashore. The attraction is Inyeug, marketed to tourists as Mystery Island - a tiny offshore reef-ringed island, fringed by a beautiful beach and surrounded by sparkling clear turquoise shallow water.
Susie Emmett listens to villagers as they prepare souvenirs and village tours. She asks the captain of a cruise ship about the effects of the ships on the environment. And she joins tourists as they explore and meets the teams dealing with the debris after their departure.
(Photo: Locals hold up their catch from fishing in the island of Inyeug. Credit: Green Shoots)
]]>Nanobah Becker discovered that the voices of her grandfather and great-grandfather were among a collection of recordings in the ethnomusicology department, while she was studying at Columbia University. Knocking on the door that day and asking for them back began a process of cultural realisation for her whole family.
Nanobah is a Navajo film maker who didn't learn Navajo. For her parents generation, those who did speak their own language at school were beaten, had their mouths washed out with soap and forced to wear signs around their necks, "I speak Navajo". Today though, "I speak Navajo" is a sign of honour. This resurgence of Navajo culture has created a new pride amongst the Navajo nation, but it is still in a precarious position. With the loss of speaking generations, it is now imperative that this youngest generation learn and pass on to their children to ensure the survival of the Navajo language. Those of Nanobah’s generation that are struggling the most; without their own language they are often considered “not Navajo enough” by their own clans.
She travels from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Window Rock and Tahajilee in the Navajo Nation, to ask what "I speak Navajo" means to remaining generations. They meet musicians, artists and native speakers from a variety of backgrounds, learning along the way that there is real power of language and music.
Picture: The landscape at Window Rock, Credit: Hana Walker-Brown
]]>Nanobah Becker discovered that the voices of her grandfather and great-grandfather were among a collection of recordings in the ethnomusicology department, while she was studying at Columbia University. Knocking on the door that day and asking for them back began a process of cultural realisation for her whole family.
Nanobah is a Navajo film maker who didn't learn Navajo. For her parents generation, those who did speak their own language at school were beaten, had their mouths washed out with soap and forced to wear signs around their necks, "I speak Navajo". Today though, "I speak Navajo" is a sign of honour. This resurgence of Navajo culture has created a new pride amongst the Navajo nation, but it is still in a precarious position. With the loss of speaking generations, it is now imperative that this youngest generation learn and pass on to their children to ensure the survival of the Navajo language. Those of Nanobah’s generation that are struggling the most; without their own language they are often considered “not Navajo enough” by their own clans.
She travels from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Window Rock and Tahajilee in the Navajo Nation, to ask what "I speak Navajo" means to remaining generations. They meet musicians, artists and native speakers from a variety of backgrounds, learning along the way that there is real power of language and music.
Picture: The landscape at Window Rock, Credit: Hana Walker-Brown
]]>In Behind Closed Doors Claire Bolderson reports from three different countries: Kenya, Peru and Indonesia.
The issue that unites them all is domestic violence. It’s not that the problem is unique to these countries - the World Health Organisation estimates that one third of women worldwide suffer physical or sexual violence by a partner - but in each of the three countries, we hear about different and often inspiring solutions aimed at combating it.
Image: Ibu Yanti at her roadside foodstall, Credit: Claire Bolderson
]]>In Behind Closed Doors Claire Bolderson reports from three different countries: Kenya, Peru and Indonesia.
The issue that unites them all is domestic violence. It’s not that the problem is unique to these countries - the World Health Organisation estimates that one third of women worldwide suffer physical or sexual violence by a partner - but in each of the three countries, we hear about different and often inspiring solutions aimed at combating it.
Image: Ibu Yanti at her roadside foodstall, Credit: Claire Bolderson
]]>In Behind Closed Doors Claire Bolderson reports from three different countries: Kenya, Indonesia and Peru. The issue that unites them all is domestic violence. It’s not that the problem is unique to these countries - the World Health Organisation estimates that one third of women worldwide suffer physical or sexual violence by a partner - but in each of the three countries, we hear about different and often inspiring solutions aimed at combating it.
Image: Peruvian women of the Andes, Credit: BBC
]]>In Behind Closed Doors Claire Bolderson reports from three different countries: Kenya, Indonesia and Peru. The issue that unites them all is domestic violence. It’s not that the problem is unique to these countries - the World Health Organisation estimates that one third of women worldwide suffer physical or sexual violence by a partner - but in each of the three countries, we hear about different and often inspiring solutions aimed at combating it.
Image: Peruvian women of the Andes, Credit: BBC
]]>Claire Bolderson reports from three different countries: Peru, Indonesia and Kenya. The issue that unites them all is domestic violence. It is not that the problem is unique to these countries - the World Health Organisation estimates that one third of women worldwide suffer physical or sexual violence by a partner - but in each of the three countries, we hear about different and often inspiring solutions aimed at combating it.
]]>Claire Bolderson reports from three different countries: Peru, Indonesia and Kenya. The issue that unites them all is domestic violence. It is not that the problem is unique to these countries - the World Health Organisation estimates that one third of women worldwide suffer physical or sexual violence by a partner - but in each of the three countries, we hear about different and often inspiring solutions aimed at combating it.
]]>(Photo: Anti-government graffiit. Credit: Katy Watson/BBC)
]]>(Photo: Anti-government graffiit. Credit: Katy Watson/BBC)
]]>For women, Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to live in and yet it has also spawned a thriving women’s rights movement with thousands of activists such as Tanveer Jahan, “Societal transformation,” she says, “is a very, very long struggle”. (Photo: Presenter Shahzeb Jillani standing outside in front of a mosque, Pakistan)
]]>For women, Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to live in and yet it has also spawned a thriving women’s rights movement with thousands of activists such as Tanveer Jahan, “Societal transformation,” she says, “is a very, very long struggle”. (Photo: Presenter Shahzeb Jillani standing outside in front of a mosque, Pakistan)
]]>Hundreds of thousands died in 1947 as Muslims were driven across the partition line into the newly created Pakistan, and Hindus and Sikhs were forced in the opposite direction.
Taha Shaheen and Fakhra Hassan are making sure the stories of 1947 are not forgotten. They are collecting the testimonies of people who remember the carnage. Taha’s grandmother was driven out of her village in the Punjab and could only watch as her mother and brother were cut to pieces on the journey to Pakistan. Fakhra met a man who helped set fire to Sikh houses in Lahore. He was seven years old at the time.
But young Pakistanis learn only a partial version of these events, as Shahzeb discovers at a government school in the walled city of Lahore, a school that once carried the name of a local Sikh ruler. The 14-year-olds in the history class are taught that Muslims were the victims of Partition. There’s no mention of the atrocities committed by Muslim mobs against Sikh and Hindus.
Shahzeb is disappointed by what he hears. How, he asks, can Pakistanis learn to be tolerant of people of different faiths, if history is distorted in this way?
One answer may be the Partition Museum, which will open soon in Lahore, and which will put the stories of Partition on public display. Aaliyah Tayyebi of the Citizens Archive of Pakistan believes this will encourage a true understanding of why Pakistan was created and how it can learn to live at peace with itself and its neighbours.
(Photo: Shahzeb Jillani at Lahore station, Pakistan)
]]>Hundreds of thousands died in 1947 as Muslims were driven across the partition line into the newly created Pakistan, and Hindus and Sikhs were forced in the opposite direction.
Taha Shaheen and Fakhra Hassan are making sure the stories of 1947 are not forgotten. They are collecting the testimonies of people who remember the carnage. Taha’s grandmother was driven out of her village in the Punjab and could only watch as her mother and brother were cut to pieces on the journey to Pakistan. Fakhra met a man who helped set fire to Sikh houses in Lahore. He was seven years old at the time.
But young Pakistanis learn only a partial version of these events, as Shahzeb discovers at a government school in the walled city of Lahore, a school that once carried the name of a local Sikh ruler. The 14-year-olds in the history class are taught that Muslims were the victims of Partition. There’s no mention of the atrocities committed by Muslim mobs against Sikh and Hindus.
Shahzeb is disappointed by what he hears. How, he asks, can Pakistanis learn to be tolerant of people of different faiths, if history is distorted in this way?
One answer may be the Partition Museum, which will open soon in Lahore, and which will put the stories of Partition on public display. Aaliyah Tayyebi of the Citizens Archive of Pakistan believes this will encourage a true understanding of why Pakistan was created and how it can learn to live at peace with itself and its neighbours.
(Photo: Shahzeb Jillani at Lahore station, Pakistan)
]]>(Photo: Hadraawi. Credit: BBC)
]]>(Photo: Hadraawi. Credit: BBC)
]]>In part one, Kanishk Tharoor stretches back to stories of empire well before British rule, and looks at how narratives of conquest and loss still have a powerful hold over South Asians. There’s the spectacular creation - and destruction - of the famed Peacock Throne of the Mughal emperors. It took seven years to make, and seven elephants to cart it away forever. And the forgotten world of the Kushan empire in Pakistan, ruled over by the magnificent King Kanishka. We explore the mystery of what happened to his little bronze box that was said to hold the remains of the Buddha himself.
Part two delves into the histories of artefacts and landmarks linked to two of the greatest figures in modern South Asian history – Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and Rabindranath Tagore, the celebrated Bengali writer. Ziarat Residency, the beautiful sanatorium where Jinnah spent the last three months of his life. Four years ago, it was fire-bombed and burnt to the ground by Balochi insurgents. And Tagore’s missing Nobel Prize Medal. In 1913, Tagore made history by becoming the first non-westerner to win a Nobel award. But just over 10 years ago, the medal was stolen – and still hasn’t been found. We explore how Tagore inspired revolutionaries and reformers in South Asia, and how his suspicion of all nationalisms makes his work relevant today.
Produced by Maryam Maruf
Contributors: Yuthika Sharma, University of Edinburgh; Vazira Fazila-Yacoubali Zamindar, Brown University; Nayyar Ali Dada; Saher Baloch; Ayesha Jalal, Tufts University; Pasha Haroon; Arunava Sinha; Rahul Tandon; and Saroj Mukherji
With thanks to Sussan Babaie, The Courtauld Institute of Art; Fifi Haroon; Minu Tharoor; CS Mukherji; and Sudeshna Guha
Image: Persian ruler Nadir Shah on the Peacock Throne after his victory over the Mughals Credit: Alamy
]]>In part one, Kanishk Tharoor stretches back to stories of empire well before British rule, and looks at how narratives of conquest and loss still have a powerful hold over South Asians. There’s the spectacular creation - and destruction - of the famed Peacock Throne of the Mughal emperors. It took seven years to make, and seven elephants to cart it away forever. And the forgotten world of the Kushan empire in Pakistan, ruled over by the magnificent King Kanishka. We explore the mystery of what happened to his little bronze box that was said to hold the remains of the Buddha himself.
Part two delves into the histories of artefacts and landmarks linked to two of the greatest figures in modern South Asian history – Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and Rabindranath Tagore, the celebrated Bengali writer. Ziarat Residency, the beautiful sanatorium where Jinnah spent the last three months of his life. Four years ago, it was fire-bombed and burnt to the ground by Balochi insurgents. And Tagore’s missing Nobel Prize Medal. In 1913, Tagore made history by becoming the first non-westerner to win a Nobel award. But just over 10 years ago, the medal was stolen – and still hasn’t been found. We explore how Tagore inspired revolutionaries and reformers in South Asia, and how his suspicion of all nationalisms makes his work relevant today.
Produced by Maryam Maruf
Contributors: Yuthika Sharma, University of Edinburgh; Vazira Fazila-Yacoubali Zamindar, Brown University; Nayyar Ali Dada; Saher Baloch; Ayesha Jalal, Tufts University; Pasha Haroon; Arunava Sinha; Rahul Tandon; and Saroj Mukherji
With thanks to Sussan Babaie, The Courtauld Institute of Art; Fifi Haroon; Minu Tharoor; CS Mukherji; and Sudeshna Guha
Image: Persian ruler Nadir Shah on the Peacock Throne after his victory over the Mughals Credit: Alamy
]]>In 2013 Karachi was described as the most dangerous mega-city in the world where political gang warfare, terrorist bomb blasts, targeted killings, kidnapping and extortion were everyday occurrences. But in the past two years the security situation has been brought under control and citizen-led activities to reclaim Karachi’s public spaces are blossoming again, particularly by young people under 30 who make up two thirds of Pakistan’s population. Walls that were once covered with political slogans and hate speech are now painted over with murals celebrating the city’s history and diversity. Nightlife is once again booming with arts and culture back on the stage. This spring’s annual all-night Aalmi Mushaira, held in the Karachi Expo Centre, attracted thousands of Urdu poetry lovers of all ages and backgrounds. And the comedy scene is thriving, drawing new audiences and challenging stereotypes with internationally successful acts such as Saad Haroon.
Join Karachi radio journalist Noreen Shams Khan to discover a Pakistan that you do not usually hear about.
(Photo: A young pupil at Karachi’s first all-girls boxing club. Credit: Culture Wise Productions)
]]>In 2013 Karachi was described as the most dangerous mega-city in the world where political gang warfare, terrorist bomb blasts, targeted killings, kidnapping and extortion were everyday occurrences. But in the past two years the security situation has been brought under control and citizen-led activities to reclaim Karachi’s public spaces are blossoming again, particularly by young people under 30 who make up two thirds of Pakistan’s population. Walls that were once covered with political slogans and hate speech are now painted over with murals celebrating the city’s history and diversity. Nightlife is once again booming with arts and culture back on the stage. This spring’s annual all-night Aalmi Mushaira, held in the Karachi Expo Centre, attracted thousands of Urdu poetry lovers of all ages and backgrounds. And the comedy scene is thriving, drawing new audiences and challenging stereotypes with internationally successful acts such as Saad Haroon.
Join Karachi radio journalist Noreen Shams Khan to discover a Pakistan that you do not usually hear about.
(Photo: A young pupil at Karachi’s first all-girls boxing club. Credit: Culture Wise Productions)
]]>Presenter: Shaimaa Khalil Producers: Kevin Core for the BBC World Service with APM’s Laurie Stern
]]>Presenter: Shaimaa Khalil Producers: Kevin Core for the BBC World Service with APM’s Laurie Stern
]]>Presenter: Shaimaa Khalil Producers: Kevin Core for the BBC World Service with APM’s Laurie Stern
]]>Presenter: Shaimaa Khalil Producers: Kevin Core for the BBC World Service with APM’s Laurie Stern
]]>This episode was compiled and recorded in Kansas City and we hear technology and healthcare insights from KCUR reporters Laura Ziegler and Alex Smith.
Presenter: Shaimaa Khalil Producers: Kevin Core for the BBC World Service with APM’s Laurie Stern
]]>This episode was compiled and recorded in Kansas City and we hear technology and healthcare insights from KCUR reporters Laura Ziegler and Alex Smith.
Presenter: Shaimaa Khalil Producers: Kevin Core for the BBC World Service with APM’s Laurie Stern
]]>Presenter: Shaimaa Khalil Producers: Kevin Core for the BBC World Service with APM’s Laurie Stern
]]>Presenter: Shaimaa Khalil Producers: Kevin Core for the BBC World Service with APM’s Laurie Stern
]]>Contributors: Neerja Mattoo; Krishna Mishri; Imtiyaz
Presented by Kanishk Tharoor Produced by Maryam Maruf
With thanks to Andrew Whitehead
Image: Cadets during a National Conference rally at Lal Chowk, Srinagar 1944 Credit: India Picture
]]>Contributors: Neerja Mattoo; Krishna Mishri; Imtiyaz
Presented by Kanishk Tharoor Produced by Maryam Maruf
With thanks to Andrew Whitehead
Image: Cadets during a National Conference rally at Lal Chowk, Srinagar 1944 Credit: India Picture
]]>Presented by Kanishk Tharoor Produced by Maryam Maruf
Contributors: Maruf Khwaja; Saroj Mukherji; Vazira Fazila-Yacoubali Zamindar, Brown University; Sudeshna Guha, Shiv Nadar University
With thanks to Anwesha Sengupta, Institute of Development Studies Kolkata
Image: The Mohenjo Daro jade necklace that was cut in two. India's share on the left, Pakistan's share on the right. Credit: Archaeological Survey of India and Getty Images
]]>Presented by Kanishk Tharoor Produced by Maryam Maruf
Contributors: Maruf Khwaja; Saroj Mukherji; Vazira Fazila-Yacoubali Zamindar, Brown University; Sudeshna Guha, Shiv Nadar University
With thanks to Anwesha Sengupta, Institute of Development Studies Kolkata
Image: The Mohenjo Daro jade necklace that was cut in two. India's share on the left, Pakistan's share on the right. Credit: Archaeological Survey of India and Getty Images
]]>It happened in the small city of Mardan, set on a fertile plain below mountains that form part of the border with Afghanistan. Until recently, this part of Pakistan was officially known as a “frontier”.
Here, as in the rest of this huge Muslim country, blasphemy is a crime. And if the police won’t enforce the law, there’s a code. “If you have to kill someone as a punishment, do it in such a way that all connections to his brain are disconnected and there is no pain,” one local politician explained. “Just bury him afterwards.”
Mashal Khan was not so lucky. His slow, painful death and subsequent mutilation was captured on mobile phones. The shocking footage spread quickly and reignited the controversy over Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws.
There have been rallies in support of the victim’s family. His grave is blanketed in tinsel and flowers from sympathisers. But there’ve been rallies for the alleged killers as well.
The BBC’s Secunder Kermani is based in Pakistan and has gone to meet the families and friends on both sides of this story and asks, Who was Mashal Khan? And why did he die?
]]>It happened in the small city of Mardan, set on a fertile plain below mountains that form part of the border with Afghanistan. Until recently, this part of Pakistan was officially known as a “frontier”.
Here, as in the rest of this huge Muslim country, blasphemy is a crime. And if the police won’t enforce the law, there’s a code. “If you have to kill someone as a punishment, do it in such a way that all connections to his brain are disconnected and there is no pain,” one local politician explained. “Just bury him afterwards.”
Mashal Khan was not so lucky. His slow, painful death and subsequent mutilation was captured on mobile phones. The shocking footage spread quickly and reignited the controversy over Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws.
There have been rallies in support of the victim’s family. His grave is blanketed in tinsel and flowers from sympathisers. But there’ve been rallies for the alleged killers as well.
The BBC’s Secunder Kermani is based in Pakistan and has gone to meet the families and friends on both sides of this story and asks, Who was Mashal Khan? And why did he die?
]]>Producer Jim Frank
]]>Producer Jim Frank
]]>But Germans themselves are very reluctant to do this. As Chris Bowlby discovers in this documentary, German pacifism has grown since World War Two, when Nazi armies caused such devastation. Today’s German army, the Bundeswehr, was meant to be a model citizen's force. But it’s often poorly funded and treated with suspicion by its own population.
Some now say the world of Trump, Putin and Brexit demands major change in German thinking - much more spending, more Bundeswehr deployments abroad, even German nuclear weapons. But most Germans disagree. So could Germany in fact be trying something historically new - becoming a major power without fighting wars?
]]>But Germans themselves are very reluctant to do this. As Chris Bowlby discovers in this documentary, German pacifism has grown since World War Two, when Nazi armies caused such devastation. Today’s German army, the Bundeswehr, was meant to be a model citizen's force. But it’s often poorly funded and treated with suspicion by its own population.
Some now say the world of Trump, Putin and Brexit demands major change in German thinking - much more spending, more Bundeswehr deployments abroad, even German nuclear weapons. But most Germans disagree. So could Germany in fact be trying something historically new - becoming a major power without fighting wars?
]]>Susan Glasser, the chief international columnist for Politico, has followed politics in Washington DC for over 20 years – in late May she travelled to the UK to bring an American perspective to the election and to present a documentary about it. The assumption was it would focus on the scale of Theresa May’s anticipated landslide for her Conservative Party.
But on May 22nd, as she was packing her bags to fly to London, news began to break of a terrorist attack in the UK that would change all of that. By the time the overnight flight had landed, the campaign had been suspended. A Very British Election is Susan Glasser’s account of the four days after the Manchester bombing when politics stopped in Britain – and how the campaign re-started with the polls tightening – and what this might mean for politics everywhere.
(Photo: People pass a mock ballot box erected to encourage people to vote, Bristol, 2012. Credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
]]>Susan Glasser, the chief international columnist for Politico, has followed politics in Washington DC for over 20 years – in late May she travelled to the UK to bring an American perspective to the election and to present a documentary about it. The assumption was it would focus on the scale of Theresa May’s anticipated landslide for her Conservative Party.
But on May 22nd, as she was packing her bags to fly to London, news began to break of a terrorist attack in the UK that would change all of that. By the time the overnight flight had landed, the campaign had been suspended. A Very British Election is Susan Glasser’s account of the four days after the Manchester bombing when politics stopped in Britain – and how the campaign re-started with the polls tightening – and what this might mean for politics everywhere.
(Photo: People pass a mock ballot box erected to encourage people to vote, Bristol, 2012. Credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
]]>