SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER 2020

SAT 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj08l3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 01:06 Business Matters (w172x18zhdvshp0)
Brexit - deal or no deal?

UK prime minister Boris Johnson has said the country must "get ready" for no EU trade deal by the end of the year - the BBC's Rob Watson explains why an agreement is proving so hard to reach. We look at the US election where astonishing sums are being spent; Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, talks us through the figures. A new study suggests the Great Barrier Reef has lost half its corals since 1995...the culprit is warmer seas according to researcher Renee Setter, from the University of Hawaii. Advertising using social media influencers is becoming a more and more common way for businesses to raise their profile but that relationship between business and the cool person they're paying to showcase their product isn’t always a happy one, as Sheetal Parmar has been finding out. Plus, we hear how the first flights from New Zealand in a special travel bubble have touched down in Sydney. And we're joined throughout the programme by Peter Ryan, ABC's senior business correspondent. (Photo of Boris Johnson by Wiktor Szymanowicz for Getty Images).


SAT 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj0db7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bdkbnl4rc)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pw053prlm)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:32 Stumped (w3cszhjt)
Mickey Arthur & how Miandad's six shook cricket

With Sri Lanka's strict quarantine rules thwarting their return to the cricket field, we ask head coach Mickey Arthur if he can see a solution.

And the power of a six - we look back at Javed Miandad's era-defining six for Pakistan against India in 1986 - and other key moments that changed the course of cricketing history.

Plus, tributes to former New Zealand captain John Reid.

Photo: Mickey Arthur (Getty Images)


SAT 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj0j2c)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 03:06 The Fifth Floor (w3cszjhp)
How an election kicked off a Kyrgyz crisis

It’s less than a fortnight since elections in Kyrgyzstan triggered mass protests. Since then the prime minister has resigned, the president too, and a man who was in prison then is now prime minister and self-declared acting president. BBC Kyrgyz Editor Gulnara Kasmambet shares the view from Bishkek.

My Home Town: Byblos
In our series My Home Town, we revisit Byblos in Lebanon with Janay Boulos of BBC Arabic.

Giving Afghan mothers a name
Afghan women recently won a major victory; after a 3 year campaign mothers' names can now be recorded alongside fathers' on children's ID cards. Mahjooba Nowrouzi of BBC Afghan explains why this change is so significant.

BBC Persian reports the US election debates
Iranians are following the US presidential election closely, with the candidates taking opposite positions on US sanctions. BBC Persian’s Siavash Ardalan and Nicholas Niksadat talk about the challenges of simultaneously interpreting the raucous, and occasionally rude, first presidential debate.

In praise of mahjong
The tile-based game has been played in China for centuries, but what’s the appeal? It's a question we posed to our BBC Chinese colleagues and mahjong aficionados, Howard Zhang and Suping.
Image: A rally in Bishkek in support of the former Kyrgyz president
Credit: EPA/IGOR KOVALENKO


SAT 03:50 Witness History (w3cszmvk)
Saddam Hussein's big movie project

In 1980 the Iraqi strongman, Saddam Hussein, tried to launch his country's entry into the world of movie making. He spent millions of dollars on an epic movie called Clash of Loyalties, filmed almost entirely on location in Iraq, and staring some of Britain's leading actors , including Oliver Reed, Helen Ryan and James Bolam. But soon after shooting of the film began, war erupted between Iraq and neighbouring Iran. Mike Lanchin speaks to the film's Iraqi-born British producer Lateif Jorephani and the Iraqi actor, Fatima al Rubai, about the ambitious project.

Photo Credit: Jorephani Productions


SAT 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj0mth)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 04:06 The Real Story (w3cszcnk)
How dangerous is North Korea?

This week North Korea celebrated 75 years of communism with a military parade at which it unveiled an giant intercontinental missile. The heavily choreographed event featured all the pomp and circumstance the world has come to expect from North Korea's mass human performances. It also contained a surprisingly emotional speech from Chairman Kim Jong-Un, who at times wept as he spoke about the country's struggles. The country’s first military parade in two years signalled a shift back to the more aggressive stance it used to adopt before the now stalled nuclear talks with the Trump administration. So is there any hope that temporary thaw created enduring opportunities for engagement with the rest of the world - or are we seeing a return to past behaviour? Ritula Shah and a panel of expert guests discuss - how dangerous is North Korea?


SAT 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj0rkm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bdkbnlhzr)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pw053q3v0)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:32 Comedians Vs. The News (w3ct0x3g)
Wonho Chung and Carol Zoccoli

Jordanian stand-up star Wonho Chung and brilliant Brazilian comedian Carol Zoccoli join comedy couple Jess Salomon and Eman El-Husseini to give their unique take on the world’s headlines.

This week, how do Brazilians feel about the promise of a vaccine for Covid-19? And what does it take to be crowned the most beautiful camel in Dubai?

Get involved and tell us about the funny stories where you are.
#comediansvsthenews


SAT 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj0w9r)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 06:06 Weekend (w172x7d1fsvz7lg)
Protests against the King in Thailand

Thousands take to the streets of the Thai capital, Bangkok, demanding political reforms: The government responds with new powers.

Also, we hear live from New Zealand where voting is underway in a general election.

Plus, as people around Europe face various levels of coronavirus lockdown, how is the hunt for a vaccine going?

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, and author of the book "Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for 21st Century"; and Stephanie Baker, a senior investigations writer at Bloomberg.

(Picture: A protester shows the three-finger salute during anti-government protests in Bangkok, Thailand. Credit: Reuters)


SAT 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj101w)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 07:06 Weekend (w172x7d1fsvzcbl)
Untold slave stories from the West Indies

We hear some of the untold histories of enslaved women in the West Indies.

Also, thousands take to the streets of the Thai capital, Bangkok, demanding political reforms: The government responds with new powers.

Plus, as people around Europe face various levels of coronavirus lockdown, how is the hunt for a vaccine going?

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, and author of the book "Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for 21st Century"; and Stephanie Baker, a senior investigations writer at Bloomberg.

(Picture: 'Slaves Fell the Ripe Sugar', a painting by William Clark of slaves cutting sugar cane on a plantation in the West Indies in 1823. Credit: British Library)


SAT 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj13t0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:06 Weekend (w172x7d1fsvzh2q)
Challenges facing black students at Cambridge

We'll find out about the challenges facing black students at one of the world's top universities.

Also, a year after Bolovian President Evo Morales was forced into exile, can his party prevail in elections there?

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, and author of the book "Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for 21st Century"; and Stephanie Baker, a senior investigations writer at Bloomberg.

(Picture: The BBC follows eight black undergraduates through their experiences at the University of Cambridge. Credit: BBC)


SAT 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pw053qh2d)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:32 The Documentary (w3ct0x67)
Soul Music

The Star-Spangled Banner

America's national anthem was written by a lawyer, Francis Scott Key, after watching the British navy bombing Fort McHenry in 1814. It was set to an English social men's club song and recognized as the national anthem in 1889. Notoriously difficult to sing, and traditionally played at public sports events and orchestral concerts, the anthem has inspired emotion and attracted controversy.

We hear from Dr John Carlos who along with Dr Tommie Smith, raised their fists on the Olympic podium in the Mexico City Olympics in 1968 as the anthem was played; Jose Feliciano who sang the anthem at the 1968 World series and provoked criticism; Conrad Netting IV who discovered the truth about his fighter pilot father's history which led him to a cemetery in Normandy; writer Crista Cloutier who associated it with Obama's election; members of the Coldstream Guards band who played the anthem at the changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace the day after 9/11 and Leon Hendrix, Jimi's brother, who was in the army at the time of Woodstock, and was put on 'potato peeling duty' because of the 'dishonourable' version his brother had played.


SAT 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj17k4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct0xjs)
US election: Losing your job

Our conversations reflect the impact Covid-19 has had on the US economy and on people’s jobs and wellbeing.

We introduce a cook in northern California and a PBX switchboard operator in Massachusetts. They both lost their jobs and are struggling to make ends meet and pay the bills. They talk about how they feel forgotten, how the social system isn’t working for them, and how the main presidential candidates are not talking to them.

And we bring a conversation between three flight attendants, who all lost their jobs after an economic relief plan in Congress stalled. They are all trying career changes but it’s not easy. They also share experiences of how passengers’ attitudes changed amid the pandemic, around issues such as wearing a face covering. One of them, Breaunna Ross, posted a video of her emotional farewell to passengers on her final flight, which has been viewed more than two million times on YouTube.

(Photo: Flight attendant Breaunna Ross. Credit: Breaunna Ross)


SAT 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pw053qltj)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:32 Girl Taken (w3ct0xw5)
Girl Taken

17/10/2020 GMT

Girl Taken is a two year investigation to find a little girl taken from her mother in Iran. In this 11 part series, recorded in real time, Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie slowly unravel the mystery of what happened to four year old Bru and set out to reunite mother and daughter after years of being apart.

The series starts when Sue Mitchell came into the story, as a reporter for the BBC covering the refugee crisis in Europe. The little girl had hit the media spotlight when her father, claiming to be a widow fleeing Afghanistan under threat of death from the Taliban, asked Rob Lawrie, a volunteer at the Calais camp, for help. He wanted Rob to smuggle Bru to the UK but this failed. Although the story was extensively covered no one knew Bru’s mother was alive and desperately searching for her.

Through the original BBC coverage the mother, Goli, makes contact with Sue and Rob, telling them her daughter was taken from the family home in Tehran without her knowledge or consent. She’d been to the police in Iran but was told they could not help. She then travelled thousands of miles at the hands of smugglers with Bru’s baby sister, Baran. Sickness forced her to stop in Denmark but authorities and refugee charities there could not find Bru. These recordings cover a series of dramatic turns in the search for the little girl.

The recordings also touch on the plight of other women whose children have been taken from them by abusive husbands. It is still a rare thing to happen, but this investigation exposes shortcomings in the asylum process. Since the recordings aired, officials have discovered other cases where men have come into the United Kingdom with a child to help their asylum claims. These claims have not been fully investigated in the past and there are few safeguards to protect those who have suffered as a result.

The series raises the plight of children living in the Calais Jungle and other overcrowded and unsanitary camps. Through Goli’s story we learn more about the control others had in shaping her life. She’d had an arranged marriage to a cruel and controlling man and lived in a society where she had few rights. When she decided to flee Iran and search for Bru, she encountered many dangers, from smugglers to perilous sea crossings in the dead of night with Bru’s baby sister, Baran, in her arms.

The series gives voice to one woman’s story and in doing so raises issues affecting many others. Goli left the only culture she had known to search the world for her little girl and in doing so changed her outlook completely. On reaching the West she immersed herself in the education she had always wanted. As she began making her own choices she starts to experience possibilities and freedoms she had never before imagined. Goli is hopeful that her story could help other women to challenge the injustice and cruelty she has overcome.


SAT 09:50 Over to You (w3cszf4y)
The challenges of staging World Questions in Lebanon

World Questions this past week came from Beirut - the scene of a recent massive explosion. A listener from Lebanon asks the show’s presenter and producer about the production issues involved in recording in the city.Why the focus on a young audience and where did they come from?

Presenter Rajan Datar
Producer: Howard Shannon


SAT 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj1c98)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 10:06 Sportshour (w172x3c0dk5k52z)
“You may end up being killed” – Kenyan footballer on defying drug gangs

Former Kenyan Premier League player Jacob Viera tells us how a Tanzanian gang almost killed him after he refused to be a drugs mule. He was electrocuted in the attack and his doctor felt he would need a miracle to survive. A subsequent trial at Newcastle United led to him seeking asylum in England. While waiting to gain UK residency he suffered a serious injury that ended his hopes of becoming a professional footballer. He’s now living in Liverpool and doing his refereeing qualifications. He aims to become a Fifa elite referee and says it would be a dream to take charge of a Merseyside Derby.

Legendary South Africa all-rounder Lance Klusener joins us in the week he completed a 200km endurance race on the dry salt pans of the Verneukpan in the Northern Cape. He was part of “Team Cricket” in the Battle of the Sports event to raise funds for covid relief in South Africa. He tells us how they battled the terrain, mental fatigue and sleep deprivation. Klusener also explains why he needed to do something to help people affected by the pandemic.

Leonessa Brescia won the Italian Baseball for the Blind Championship last week. Their assistant coach Michele Bianchi tells us why it was the biggest achievement in the club’s history. We also hear from one of the founders of blind baseball, Lorenzo de Regny, who tells us how the sport came about and what it means to see blind athletes competing in such a liberating sport. And Mariela Gonzales from the World Baseball Softball Confederation tells us their aspirations for blind baseball to one day feature at the Paralympic Games.

Kyra Condie is one of the first American women to qualify for climbing at an Olympic Games but her career nearly ended before it began. Shortly before she turned fourteen years old she had to have major surgery on her back as a result of Scoliosis. She tells us the first hospital she visited told her to forget about climbing and that she still keeps in touch with the surgeon who fixed her back, which she describes as having been like an “s” shape previously. She also explains her unique climbing style and how she burst into tears when she qualified for the Tokyo games.

Sports broadcaster Rikki Swannell joins us live from New Zealand as the All Blacks prepare to face Australia in front of a crowd of forty seven thousand people at Eden Park on Sunday. The country, with a population of 4.8 million people has been so successful in combating Covid-19 that it had only one new case in the 24 hours leading up to 13 October. Swannell also brings us the latest news ahead of the Super Netball Grand Final in Australia.

In Sporting Witness, we tell the story of the American Garrett McNamara, who pioneered surfing the colossal waves at Nazaré in Portugal and broke the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed.

And – the BBC’s football correspondent – John Murray – joins us live from Goodison Park ahead of Premier League leaders Everton facing the reigning champions Liverpool.

Photo: Jacob Viera refereeing the Merseyside County Cup Final at Goodison Park in 2019


SAT 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj1h1d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bdkbnm7gj)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pw053qv9s)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:32 The Documentary (w3ct16c8)
Dyslexia: Into adulthood

Stella Sabin hears from dyslexic people across the world who reveal the challenges of growing up and working with dyslexia, and from experts at the cutting edge of dyslexia research.

Reading and writing are fundamental tools in most societies, necessary for even the most basic of tasks. For the dyslexic this can cause an agonising disjuncture from an early age. Many dyslexic people will recall the difficulties of decoding words, the horror of the spelling test, the forgetfulness, and the shame of struggling with things that other people find so simple.

Stella Sabin who has dyslexia herself, looks at the impact of the condition in adult life, and asks what difference does it make to know the name of what you are experiencing? Dyslexic people are disproportionally represented in low paying jobs and in the US and the UK 50% of the prison population are dyslexic. She visits the intelligence and security organisation GCHQ who are positively recruiting dyslexic thinkers, who are able to find unusual and imaginative solutions to complex problems…like cracking codes.

(Photo: Jumbled letters flying. Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj1lsj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 12:06 Music Life (w3csz6th)
Recording tradition with Derya Yildirim and Yousra Mansour

A very exciting show this week, featuring the best artists from west Asia and north Africa. Turkish singer and saz player Derya Yildirim from Grup Simsek chats to Yousra Mansour, Hasan Nakhleh and Merve Erdem about how they work in the studio, what their songs tell us about tradition, and their biggest inspirations in the development of their work.

A very exciting show this week featuring the best artists from west Asia and north Africa. Yousra Mansour is a Moroccan guembri player and lead vocalist of Moroccan-French quartet, Bab L’ Bluz. They’re now at the forefront of the new wave of women fronting Gnawa bands.

Merve Erdem is a Turkish multi-disciplinary artist, born in Istanbul and now based in London. She writes, sings and produces multi-media visuals for her group Kit Sabastian, who last year released their debut album Matra Moderne.

And finally, Hasan Nakhleh is a keyboardist and guitarist who’s one half of Tootard, a band comprised of brothers from the Golan Heights. The band are described as “unleash[ing] a disco whirlwind that pays homage to the Middle Eastern dancefloor scenes of the 1980s”.


SAT 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj1qjn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 13:06 Newshour (w172x2yy0z0qx57)
France: Teacher beheaded after showing cartoons of Prophet Muhammad

French police are questioning four people after a teacher in a suburb of Paris was beheaded by a suspected Islamist extremist. We hear from Jean-Remi Girard, president of the National Union of School Teachers.

Also in the programme: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has won a landslide victory in the country's general election; and a city in eastern China has started offering a coronavirus vaccine to the general public - although it has not yet completed clinical trials.

(Photo: Flowers have been left at the school where the murdered man taught. Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj1v8s)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 14:06 Sportsworld (w172x3ldd3lrcy3)
Live Sporting Action

Sportsworld brings you full coverage of Chelsea vs. Southampton in the English Premier League, live from Stamford Bridge.

Lee James is joined by our new panel that includes former Australia international Alicia Ferguson, former Everton defender Slyvain Distin and former Wolves and Nigeria goalkeeper Carl Ikeme.

And with huge scorelines in the Premier League and the IPL we’ll also discuss the impact of no crowds at sporting events around the world.

Photo: Mason Mount of Chelsea looks on during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge (Getty Images)


SAT 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj2b89)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bdkbnn2pf)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 18:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pw053rpjp)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:32 Trending (w3cszvsd)
Disinfo wars and the all-American ‘troll farm’

The 2016 US election was beset by so-called “fake news” – but what’s happening this time around?

Four years ago, fictitious and scandalous news articles emanating from Russian backed troll farms went viral. Some even claim it may have changed the course of the election.

Now a new disinformation battle is raging, but this time the game has changed.
Instead of creating content overseas, a number of campaigns have been discovered enlisting American citizens in creating content designed to destabilise the political landscape.

That’s what happened to Colin Wood, a freelance writer from Binghamton, New York. He was delighted to start writing for a new left-wing website called PeaceData.

But as he soon learned, the site was being coordinated by people connected with Russia’s Internet Research Agency, the notorious troll farm responsible for much of the disinformation created in 2016.

The site’s editors turned out to be completely fictional, their social media profile photos generated by artificial intelligence.

And another disinformation campaign was unearthed, designed and coordinated entirely on US soil.

Turning Point, a right-wing lobby group, paid teenagers to systematically repost messages casting doubt on the legitimacy of the election.

Was the swift discovery of these networks a good news story? Or does it just show that disinformation is now an inextricable part of American politics?

Presenter: Mike Wendling
Reporter: Sam Judah

Picture credit: Getty Images


SAT 18:50 More or Less (w3ct0pxz)
Auction Theory - Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson

Paul Milgrom and his former tutor Robert Wilson worked together for years developing ways to run complicated auctions for large resources. This month the two Stanford University professors were awarded the Nobel memorial prize in economics for their work. The auction formats they designed facilitated the sale of goods and services that are difficult to sell in a conventional way, such as radio frequencies.

(L-R Paul Millgrom and Robert Wilson. Credit: Andrew Brodhead/ Stanford)


SAT 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj2g0f)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 19:06 The Response (w3ct16l4)
The Response USA: The return

As an election approaches in America, we return to a unique experiment which took the temperature of the USA after the surprise election of Donald Trump.

In 2016 the BBC World Service, in association with American Public Media, focused on areas which the media had neglected – but made all the difference. We asked for smartphone voice recordings from key areas in the middle of America about their lives now, about why they voted the way they did, and their hopes for the future.

Now, in 2020, we return to those contributors to see how their lives changed in the last four years. What do they think of their initial reaction to the 2016 result, and what do they want to happen now?

We also hear from contributors around the world to get an international perspective on the 3 November election. We’ll take a global view of America now, and a vote which will have impact across the world.

Presented by Angela Davis of MPR.

Image: Angela Davis (Credit: MPR/Nate Ryan)


SAT 20:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj2krk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 20:06 The Arts Hour (w3cszk3g)
The BFI London Film Festival 2020

This week’s Arts Hour Special celebrates the 64th annual BFI London Film Festival with conversations with some of the most exciting filmmakers from across the globe.

Playwright Kemp Powers tells us about turning his award winning play One Night in Miami into a movie and working on Disney Pixar’s latest animated feature Soul.

Oscar winning director Steve McQueen and actor Letitia Wright whose film Mangrove opened the festival, discuss the importance of telling the stories of those who have fought against discrimination.

Filmmaker Harry MacQueen reveals the inspiration behind Supernova, his tender British road movie, starring Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth.

The actor and singer Nubiya Brandon explains how her virtual reality work All Kinds Of Limbo explores issues of identity.

Kenyan documentary maker Peter Murimi talks about following a gay couple in Kenya for 5 years to make I Am Samuel, a moving and thought provoking love story.

The award winning Israeli director Talya Lavie tells us about the influences behind her rom-com Honeymood which takes place over the course of a single night in a Jerusalem hotel.

And from India we hear from Chaitanya Tamhane whose acclaimed film The Disciple takes us into the world of Hindustani classical music

We’ll also be hearing how the organisers of this year’s London Film Festival have been adapting their screenings, premieres and events to go ahead during the global pandemic.

(Image: A still from 'Soul'. Credit: Disney/Pixar)


SAT 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj2php)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 21:06 Newshour (w172x2yy0z0rw48)
France honours murdered teacher

People pay tribute to Samuel Paty, the teacher murdered in a Paris suburb yesterday as France's anti-terrorism prosecutor identifies the killer as an 18-year-old Russian citizen of Chechen origin.

Also in the programme: the aftermath of a rocket attack in Ganja, Azerbaijan; and we preview Bolivia's presidential election.

(Picture:People gather in front of the Bois d'Aulne college after the attack in the Paris suburb of Conflans St Honorine, France)


SAT 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj2t7t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3csz9q4)
Burning Issues

The Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos was Europe's largest holding facility for refugees and migrants - but last month it was burned to the ground. Gabriel Gatehouse investigates what happened there and why.

In Kenya, after months of complete closure during a Covid-19 lockdown, schools are opening their doors again. Anne Soy has been following how pupils, staff and school owners have managed during the months off - and how they're adapting to new lessons from the pandemic.

For decades Hong Kong has been a truly cosmopolitan city, with people and businesses from all over the world settling there, not only to make money but also to cultivate global relationships. As Beijing tightens its grip on the territory, Karishma Vaswani asks how long the city can hold on to this uniquely international character.

Last year there was particular concern around the world about the Amazon rainforest - threatened not only by deforestation and land-hungry industries, but also by an especially bad season for fires. As cattle ranching expands, trees disappear and blazes can rage out of control. This year, even parts of Brazil's Pantanal wetlands have been scorched. Katy Watson took a long journey to Sao Felix do Xingu, in the state of Para, to see a changing landscape for herself.

(Image: Refugees and migrants on the island of Lesbos, Greece, carry their belongings away from the Moria refugee camp as it burns down. Credit: Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis)


SAT 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pw053s5j6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:32 Trending (w3cszvsd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:32 today]


SAT 22:50 More or Less (w3ct0pxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:50 today]


SAT 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p1kfj2xzy)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 23:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bdkbnnpf2)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pw053s98b)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 23:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct1659)
Russia's persecuted Jehovah’s Witnesses

There are hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia who are being prosecuted for their faith. Some of them say they have been tortured and their testimonies were never investigated. Others have to hide their prayers as they fear the secret services are spying on them through undercover agents.

The wave of arrests started in 2017 after the Russian Supreme Court declared Jehovah’s Witnesses organisation as extremist and banned all Jehovah’s Witnesses registered groups throughout the country.

Jehovah’s Witnesses renounce violence and do not possess arms, yet criminal cases against them claim they possess extremist materials and peaceful worship has been raided by armed police.

This programme will follow some of the most dramatic stories told by Jehovah’s Witnesses under prosecution and their family members. Among them is the story of imprisoned man Feliks as told by his wife Zhenya. Upon arrival to his colony Feliks had suffered such an atrocious beating that he spent months recovering in a prison hospital. In May this year he was stripped of his Russian citizenship and became the first Jehovah’s Witness forced into statelessness. We will also hear from Jehovah’s Witnesses who aren’t prosecuted but live in constant expectation of being disturbed by police.

All of them will share how their faiths help them to survive those dark days and how they continue to worship despite being scared and intimidated.

Presenter: Anastasia Gulubeva
Producer: Tatyana Movshevich

(Picture: Feliks Makhammadiev /Credit: jw-russia.org)