SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2020

SAT 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kj7y3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 00:06 The Real Story (w3cszcnw)
Ethiopia crisis: High stakes for Africa

The fighting between Ethiopian federal troops and regional forces in Tigray has forced thousands of people to flee to Sudan for safety. The UN has warned of a full-scale humanitarian crisis. Ethiopia's Nobel Peace Prize winning prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, says there will be no let-up in his government's 'law enforcement' mission. His aim is to arrest and put on trial TPLF party politicians who he alleges have put the country's constitution in danger. Ethiopia plays a key role in maintaining security in the Horn of Africa. With a population of more than 110 million, and one of the fastest growing economies on the continent, what happens in Ethiopia will inevitably have a wider regional impact. So how did the TPLF - a group which once dominated Ethiopian politics - end up being accused of destroying national unity? Did PM Ahmed opt for a military confrontation before all avenues for negotiation were explored? And what role should Ethiopia's neighbours play in this conflict? Ritula Shah is joined by a panel of experts.


SAT 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kjcp7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 01:06 Business Matters (w172x19342x9ls4)
Saudi Arabia prepares to host virtual G20 summit

The G20 summit of the world’s biggest economies is this weekend in the Saudi capital Riyadh. It's the first time it’s being hosted by an Arab state, although leaders will only meet online. The agenda includes a collective response to covid-19, the worst recession in decades and women’s empowerment. But the summit is being overshadowed by calls from international human rights groups to boycott it. Our Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet is in Riyadh and tells us what to expect.

The Federal Reserve has hit back after the Trump administration said it was ending some emergency lending programmes established to provide economic support during the pandemic. Chris Low of FTN Financial gives us the market reaction. Also in the programme, we ask what Donald Trump will do next and consider the future of the Trump brand. Plus, the hair shampoo that doesn't need plastic packaging - or any packaging at all.

All this and more discussed with our guest throughout the show, Colin Peacock of Radio New Zealand, in Wellington.

(Picture: a family photo of G20 Leaders is projected at the historic site of al-Tarif in Diriyah district, on the outskirts of Saudi capital Riyadh. Picture credit: Getty Images.)


SAT 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kjhfc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bj60q37vh)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pzmv56vpr)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:32 Stumped (w3cszhk4)
Boult on World Cup heartache and IPL glory

From a Super Over at Lord's to the opening ball of the IPL final, Trent Boult is a man who thrives on pressure. The New Zealand fast bowler talks about success, failure and plenty in between.

Plus, which cricketers have got the X-factor? The ones you leave on the bench apparently! We'll take a look at some controversial new rules designed to make the Big Bash even bigger.

Photo: Trent Boult (Getty Images)


SAT 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kjm5h)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 03:06 The Fifth Floor (w3cszjj0)
Explaining Tigray

The crisis in the Tigray region of Ethiopia has continued to intensify, but what are the repercussions for ordinary Tigrayans? Hana Zeratsyon of BBC Tigrinya tells us how the conflict is affecting her friends and family back home. And where did the tensions begin? The BBC's Emmanuel Igunza, who was based in Addis Ababa for many years, explains.

Keeping a precious text alive
La Galigo is an ancient text which tells the creation story of the Bugis people of South Sulawesi in Indonesia, and is described by UNESCO as the most voluminous literary work in the world. Very few people understand the archaic language it's written in. Callistasia Wiyaya of BBC Indonesian has been hearing about efforts to keep La Galigo alive.

It started with a film poster…
A planned film about the life of Sri Lankan cricketing legend Muttiah Muralitharan has led to a huge backlash in south India, causing the lead actor to quit. The BBC’s Nalini Sivathasan explains the controversy around the film.

Learning English to survive: North Korean refugees in South Korea
North Korean refugees in South Korea at least share the same language as their host country. Or do they? BBC Korean’s Julie Yoonnyung Lee has been finding out how poor English skills can damage their chances in a society pervaded by English in education, culture and business.





Image: Ethiopian refugees who fled fighting in Tigray province
Credit: ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP via Getty Images


SAT 03:50 Witness History (w3cszmvw)
When the Egyptian president went to Israel

In 1977, Anwar Sadat became the first Egyptian president to visit Israel and address the Israeli parliament the Knesset. At the time, Egypt was still formally at war with Israel - a country which no Arab nation then recognised. Sadat's visit led to a formal peace treaty between the two countries. Louise Hidalgo spoke to the Egyptian cameraman, Mohamed Gohar who knew Sadat.

PHOTO: Sadat addressing the Knesset (AFP/Getty Images)


SAT 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kjqxm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 04:06 The Real Story (w3cszcnw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:06 today]


SAT 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kjvnr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bj60q3m2w)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pzmv576y4)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:32 The Cultural Frontline (w3cszj97)
New Iranian art and the censors

The repeatedly arrested film maker and women's rights activist, Mahnaz Mohammadi, speaks from Iran about the censors and interrogators she had to deal with while making her award-winning debut feature film, Son-Mother. In the story, a young widow struggles to look after her two children in Tehran. When a kind local man offers her marriage, she must choose between poverty and sending her young son away. Mahnaz Mohammadi talks about making art through personal pain.

Female singers in Iran have been prevented from performing solo since the Islamic revolution in 1979. But Farvaraz Farvardin was determined that her voice would be heard. She speaks to reporter Sahar Zand about her musical journey from singing in the classroom, to online videos, prosecution and seeking asylum in Germany.

Visual artist Barbad Golshiri shares his artistic response to the Covid-19 pandemic in Iran. Tuba Mirum is an audio-visual installation that moves between viral spores and loudspeakers heralding the last judgement, and it draws on both Islamic and Christian iconography.

Plus: Film director Shahram Mokri on how sanctions on Iran undermine hit film making, and why his new movie, Careless Crime, revisits the 1978 mass murder of a cinema audience, which fuelled the revolution in his country.

Presenter: Pooneh Ghoddoosi
Produced by Paul Waters, Sahar Zand, Lucy Collingwood and Shoku Amirani
(Image: From the film Son-Mother by Mahnaz Mohammadi Image credit: Mahnaz Mohammadi)


SAT 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kjzdw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 06:06 Weekend (w172x7d52gxhbpl)
Not Georgia or Michigan : What next for Trump?

US President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the result of the presidential election have suffered further setbacks from members of his own party in the states of Georgia and Michigan. We hear about what options Mr Trump has left.

Also on the programme : The humanitarian crisis following conflict in Northern Ethiopia drives thousands from their homes but the government says it won't stop its military campaign.And book wars in France. Is Amazon really a threat to smaller businesses?

(Photo: Trump meets Michigan Republican Leaders; Credit: Reuters/Leah Millis)


SAT 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kk350)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 07:06 Weekend (w172x7d52gxhgfq)
Virtual G20 Summit Opens

The G20 summit of the world’s biggest economies kicks off today, in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. For the first time, it's being hosted by an Arab state. But because of the current global pandemic, the leaders will only meet online. We hear from David Rundell, a former American diplomat in Saudi Arabia and author of a new book on the kingdom, Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia At The Crossroads.

Also, can the president elect of Moldova, one of the poorest nations in Europe, take her country into the EU?

To discuss these issues and more we have on the programme Laurie Goering, a US-born journalist and head of the climate programme at the Thomson Reuters Foundation in London and Oliver Bullough, a British writer, journalist and former correspondent in Russia.

(Photo: "Family Photo" for annual G20 Summit World Leaders; Credit: REUTERS/Nael Shyoukhi)


SAT 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kk6x4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:06 Weekend (w172x7d52gxhl5v)
Deadly Kabul rocket attack

There has been a deadly rocket attack on the Afghan capital Kabul ahead of scheduled talks between the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Taliban in Qatar. We get the latest from our correspondent in the region.

Also on the programme: We are in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as the G20 summit of the world's leading economies opens for an online meeting. And we hear about incoming US first lady Jill Biden.

Discussing these issues are Laurie Goering, a US-born journalist and head of the climate programme at the Thomson Reuters Foundation in London and Oliver Bullough, a British writer, journalist and former correspondent in Russia.

(Photo: Man injured from Afghan rocket. Credit:Omar Sobhani/Reuters)


SAT 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pzmv57l5j)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:32 When Katty Met Carlos (w3ct1c4v)
From cities to states, the US battles climate change

Joe Biden says he will immediately re-join the Paris agreement on climate change, which Donald Trump withdrew from. Donald Trump has also repealed many of President Obama’s environmental laws. In the meantime, cities and States across the US have been taking their own action on the environment and climate change, irrespective of what’s been happening in Washington. President-elect Biden has said that climate change is the number one issue for humanity and for him. But will he be able to change much?

Carlos Watson and Ritula Shah (standing in for Katty Kay this week) speak to Wisconsin’s Lieutenant Governor, Mandela Barnes, about what his state has been doing and what obstacles it faces. They’ll also be speaking to Jody Freeman, professor of environmental law at Harvard, who was an advisor to the Obama administration, about the difficulties Biden could have getting his climate agenda passed. Also taking part will be the mayor of Carmel, Indiana, Jim Brainard, who describes how being a Republican does not conflict with taking action on climate change.

Production team: Editor, Penny Murphy. Producers: John Murphy, Luke Radcliff, Maeve McGoran, Iyore Odighizuwa, Jonelle Awomoyi


SAT 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kkbn8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct19yw)
Coronavirus: Mental and physical toll

Women in Ecuador, Peru and Brazil reveal the frightening effect of the pandemic and lockdowns on women in Latin America. Many are living with their aggressors and are unable to escape to a safe place.

Many countries are now dealing with a new rise in coronavirus cases. Host Nuala McGovern hears from medical professionals from Madrid, Paris and New York as they share how the stress of dealing with patients is taking its toll on the mental health of doctors, nurses and paramedics.

Sweden's approach to the pandemic continues to provoke debate. Care homes were badly hit at the start of the pandemic but most of its schools, restaurants and businesses remained open. Two Swedes offer different views on how the outbreak has been handled in their country.

(Photo: Arlete Mendes from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Credit: Arlete Mendes)


SAT 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pzmv57pxn)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:32 Girl Taken (w3ct0xwb)
Girl Taken

21/11/2020 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 (w3cszf58)
How the BBC’s anti-disinformation team fights back

With the recent US election in mind, we ask what does disinformation mean to you? Are listeners worried they might fall victim to a falsehood without realising it? We speak to the BBC team set up to try and stop this happening. Plus - it’s just not cricket! A listener feels there is just not enough coverage of the sport on the BBC World Service.

Presenter: Rajan Datar
Producer: Howard Shannon


SAT 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kkgdd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 10:06 Sportshour (w172x3c41772863)
The man behind the hat: Meet Cam Newton's headwear designer

New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton is known for his love of fashion and Alberto Hernandez is the man responsible for making his hats.
Hernandez makes Newton a new fedora or Fez every week and tells us they began collaborating after Pharrell Williams recommended him to Newton. He breaks away from making Newton’s hat for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans to tell us how his grandfather taught him to make hats back in Mexico, the inspiration behind his designs and why you can’t buy copies of any of Newton’s hats. He also gives us an exclusive ahead of this week’s hat being revealed.

Dee Caffari is the first woman to have sailed single-handed and non-stop around the world in both directions. She tells us how people can use what she learned at sea to help themselves deal with feelings of isolation and loneliness during the covid-19 pandemic.

The president of Netball South Africa – Cecilia Molokwane – joins us ahead of the three-test series against Malawi. Molokwane tells us how the covid-19 pandemic has affected netball in South Africa, where they are in their preparations for hosting the 2023 World Cup and how she feels lucky to be alive after contracting coronavirus earlier this year.

Magnus Carlsen is the highest ranked chess player of all time. Ahead of playing in the new 1.5 million dollar Champions Chess Tour, he speaks to us about how long he’ll continue in chess and how he hopes the Netflix show “The Queen’s Gambit” will inspire more people to play chess.

Staying with chess and in Sporting Witness - we go back to 2002 when the Hungarian prodigy Judit Polgar finally defeated World Champion Gary Kasparov at a major tournament in Spain. Kasparov had previously incensed Polgar by ridiculing the idea of women chess champions and it took her several attempts to finally beat him.

And - the BBC’s tennis correspondent Russell Fuller joins us ahead of semi-finals day at the season ending ATP Finals in London and we’re at St James Park, with the BBC’s Vicki Sparks ahead of Newcastle playing Chelsea in the Premier League.

Image: Quarterback Cam Newton then of the Carolina Panthers wears a hat with "One Love" stitched on the side during a press conference after the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Getty Images)


SAT 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kkl4j)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bj60q4bkn)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pzmv57ydx)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:32 The Documentary (w3ct1ck0)
Obesity crisis in Thai temples

Very early every morning, Thai Buddhist monks leave their monasteries to seek alms. They have been doing this since the time of the Buddha who stated that monks cannot cook for themselves. They can only eat food that has been given to them.

By giving alms, people are making merit for themselves and their ancestors and so, whilst the food takes care of the monks’ physical health, the monks can concentrate on the spiritual wellbeing of the nation by offering blessings in return for food and spending many hours each day in prayer and meditation.

Obesity is a growing problem in Thailand. As the country becomes more affluent, its citizens are working more and cooking less which means that they are buying more convenience foods containing high levels of fat and sugar.

In the Thai population at large, one in three men is obese but the numbers are worse in Thai temples where one in two Buddhist monks is obese. They eat the same food as the Thai population and they only eat in the mornings so what is the problem?

Sucheera Maguire has been to Bangkok to talk to those who give and receive alms and she takes a look at some of the ingenious solutions that Thai nutritionists have come up with to combat the obesity crisis in Thai temples.

(Photo: Thai monk giving blessings to a street food trader. Credit: Helen Lee)


SAT 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kkpwn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 12:06 Music Life (w3csz6tt)
The politics of pleasure with Thurston Moore and Sunn O)))'s Stephen O'Malley

Sonic Youth founder Thurston Moore is joined by Brix Smith, Stephen O'Malley of Sunn O))) and Rachel Aggs to discuss staying creative in lockdown, connecting to their audiences, and the link between politics and their work.

Thurston Moore is a songwriter, guitarist, vocalist, and founded the band Sonic Youth. Joining him is Stephen O'Malley, a guitarist, producer, composer, label boss, and visual artist from Seattle, Washington, best known for his work in the doom metal group Sunn O))). The band has been described as creating “titanic drone metal” and their latest release was last year’s Pyroclasts. Brix Smith is a songwriter and guitarist best known for her work with post-punk band The Fall. She went on to form Adult Net and more recently Brix & The Extricated; she’s now recording her first solo album. And Rachel Aggs is a multi-instrumentalist originally from London and based in Glasgow. She sings, plays the guitar and is best known for her distinctive guitar work in Sacred Paws, Shopping, and Trash Kit. She’s also recently released her first solo album, Visitations 0202.


SAT 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kktms)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 13:06 Newshour (w172x2z1nn2808c)
Deadly rocket attack on Kabul

There's been a deadly rocket attack on the Afghan capital Kabul ahead of scheduled talks between the US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and the Taliban in Qatar.

Also in the programme: World leaders are beginning an online G20 summit hosted by Saudi Arabia with the coronavirus pandemic set to dominate proceedings. And we have a rare interview with the composer John Williams whose film scores include ET, Star Wars and Jaws.

(Photo: Rockets hit Kabul. Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p563kkycx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 14:06 Sportsworld (w172x3lj0sn8h17)
Live Sporting Action

Lee James presents live commentary on Aston Villa against Brighton from the English Premier League. Plus highlights of Newcastle v Chelsea and a look ahead to Tottenham versus Manchester City and Manchester United against West Brom. Today in the Premier League will have reaction from the day’s top stories at 1630 GMT

On this Sportsworld Team this week as we build up to kick-off we’re joined by the former Arsenal and England international Rachel, the former West Bromwich Albion and Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie and Spurs and Dutch goalkeeper Michel Vorm.

Also this week, the latest from the ATP Finals, Rugby Championship. Women’s Big Bash and the final of the International Swimming League.

Photo: Jack Grealish of Aston Villa during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium (Credit: James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images)


SAT 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p563klfcf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bj60q55sk)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 18:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pzmv58smt)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:32 Trending (w3cszvsq)
The roots of Donald Trump’s ‘voter fraud’ strategy

A Facebook group named Stop the Steal sprung up in the hours after the US presidential election. Within hours it had gained hundreds of thousands of followers. Members alleged the election had been “rigged”, despite a lack of evidence.

But this claim came from the very top. Months before, President Trump was planting seeds of doubt over the vote – mentioning “voter fraud” and similar phrases more than 70 times on Twitter.

BBC Trending looks into some of the most viral specific allegations – and we find out how “Stop the Steal” members kept pushing rumours built on disinformation.

Presenters: Marianna Spring and Mike Wendling

Picture: Protesters hold signs with the “Stop the Steal” slogan at a pro-Trump rally
Credit: Getty Images


SAT 18:50 More or Less (w3ct0py9)
Inviting Covid for Dinner

If you go to a gathering of 25 or more people, what are the chances one of you has coronavirus?

Imagine that you’re planning to hold some sort of gathering or dinner at your home. Take your pick of big festivities - it’s Thanksgiving in the US, we’ve just had Diwali and Christmas is on the horizon. In some places such a gathering is simply illegal anyway. But if it IS legal, is it wise?

Professor Joshua Weitz and his team at Georgia Tech in the US have created a tool which allows people in the US and some European countries to select the county they live in, and the size of gathering they are intending on having, and then it calculates the chances that someone at that party, has Covid 19.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Charlotte McDonald

Image: A family gathers for dinner (Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p563klk3k)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 19:06 The History Hour (w3cszkpv)
The world's first woman premier

Sirimavo Bandaranaike was elected prime minster of Sri Lanka, or Ceylon as it was known then, in 1960 following the assassination of her husband, Solomon Bandaranaike and became the first female prime minister in the world. We hear from Dr Asanga Welikala about her legacy. Plus the first Arab leader to visit Israel, the former hostage taken captive by Somali pirates in 2008 who came to sympathise with their plight and the Jewish refugees given sanctuary by America during WW2. Also the revolutionary and graphic book for women published in 1973 which helped us understand women's bodies and is now published in 33 different languages.

Photo: Sirimavo Bandaranaike the Prime Minister of Ceylon (later Sri Lanka), 1960. Credit Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images


SAT 20:00 BBC News (w172x5p563klnvp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 20:06 The Arts Hour (w3cszk3s)
Actor Tilda Swinton

Oscar-winning British actor Tilda Swinton tells us why she wanted to work with Pedro Almodóvar on his film The Human Voice

Pop princess Kylie Minogue on bringing ‘the disco’ to 2020 with her latest album

Irish crime fiction author Tana French explains why she needed an American lead character for her novel The Searcher

South African cellist Abel Selaocoe on bringing together Western classical and African traditional music

Film producer Cathy Schulman tells us how Hollywood is dealing with the pandemic

And veteran Polish film composer Zbigniew Preisner describes how he got around the communist censors

Joining Nikki Bedi in the studio is critic Leila Latif and on the line from Brooklyn is Rumaan Alam, who’ll also be telling us about his latest book, Leave the World Behind, which has had film companies clamouring to adapt it.


(Photo: Tilda Swinton. Credit: Dominique Charriau/Getty Images)


SAT 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p563klslt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z1nn28z7d)
Islamic State claims responsibility for deadly attack in Kabul

The Islamic State group has said it carried out a rocket attack on a residential area of the Afghan capital Kabul. At least eight people were killed with more than thirty injured. The Taliban denied any involvement in the attack, which took place just as the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was due to meet the group's negotiators in Qatar.

Also in the programme: 25 years on from the Dayton Accords that brought peace to Bosnia, can they be judged a success? And the new satellite that can measure sea levels to within a few centimetres and help track climate change.

(Picture: An injured person is carried to a hospital after rockets hit residential areas in Kabul. Credit: Reuters Wires)


SAT 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p563klxby)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79pr93hcbs)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 22:20 Sports News (w172x3flcf15n9m)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


SAT 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5pzmv598mb)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct1cgq)
Converts amongst the conflict in Belarus

Protests against the Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko have carried on for months. 80% of the country calls themselves Orthodox Christian. The church has stood squarely behind their President but not all of the faithful agree with them. Alina Isachenka is from Belarus and speaks to some of the Orthodox worshippers who have converted and become Catholic. The church has become a symbol of resistance and a haven for reformers. Why have these converts stepped away from the official church and how big a decision was it to leave the church that’s been in their blood for generations?

Alina meets the converts and clergy who have switched their allegiance to a church they once saw as an enemy
The Catholic Church has become the conscience of the anti-Lukashenko movement; Alina speaks to the symbolic head of the churches resistance, now exiled in Poland, Archbishop Tadeush Kondrusevich about how Catholic churches have opened their doors, literally in many cases, to Orthodox church goers.

Presenter Alina Isachenka

(Photo: Women form a human chain outside the Catholic Church of Saints Simon and Helena to protest against police violence during opposition rallies against the 2020 presidential election results. Credit: Sergei Gapon/AFP)


SAT 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p563km132)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 23:06 Business Weekly (w3ct0spj)
The UK ban on new petrol and diesel cars

In this edition of Business Weekly, we look at Britain’s drive to go green and how effective the proposed ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars might be. The Chief Operating Officer of the electric vehicle maker Polestar tells us what help the automotive industry needs from the government to persuade people to buy electric. Plus, we meet the first British Royal Air Force officer to openly transition from male to female and chat to her about transgender rights in the workplace. We also delve into the digital afterlife and hear from some of the companies promising to manage our online affairs once we’ve passed away. And we discuss why the British Royal Family are still seen as fashion icons. Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.

(Image: Woman charging electric car, Getty Images)