SATURDAY 02 JANUARY 2021
SAT 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg64l4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 00:06 BBC Correspondents' Look Ahead (w3ct1cyx)
BBC correspondents' look ahead
There were times in 2020 when the world felt like an out of control carousel and we could all have been forgiven for just wanting to get off and to wait for normality to return.
But will 2021 be any less dramatic? Joe Biden will be inaugurated in January but will Donald Trump have left the White House by then? And vaccines are promised to help tackle the Covid19 pandemic but how successful will they be and how do global leaders go about trying to repair the economic damage the virus has caused?
So many big questions but luckily we have some big hitters to provide plenty of answers.
Presenter: Lyse Doucet
Panel: Anne Soy, Gabriel Gatehouse, Larry Madowo, Vincent Ni and Yogita Limaye
Producer: Ben Carter
Editor: Ravin Sampat
SAT 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg68b8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 01:06 Business Matters (w172x19gdd52p06)
2021: What will the year hold?
Rahul Tandon is joined by a variety of guests to look forward to the big trends of 2021.
The programme starts with views from some Business Matters regular panellists in India, Hong Kong, USA and Australia, and then discussed by the BBC Africa's Economics editor Zawadi Mudibo and Technology Researcher Stephanie Hare. David Cearley of Gartner Research looks ahead to the some of the big technology trends and will gaming play as an important part of 2021 as it did last year? Pooja Khatri, a streamer in New Delhi and Steffan Powell the host of the BBC Podcast Press X to continue discuss. Entertainment reporter Caroline Frost ponders what we can look forward to from the world of show business and ahead of COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Galsgow this year, Business Matters brings together young climate change campaigners from Sudan, Ireland, Norway and Bangladesh to hear about their hopes for the future.
SAT 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg6d2d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 02:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blcmls4hj)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
SAT 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg1wrbs)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
SAT 02:32 Stumped (w3cszhkb)
India revel in comeback victory
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar gives his reaction to India's brilliant victory over Australia in Melbourne to level the series at 1-1 with two to play.
Plus, Scotland all-rounder Kathryn Bryce on her journey to being recognised as the women's associate player of the decade.
Photo: Ajinkya Rahane and Shubman Gill (Getty Images)
SAT 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg6htj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 03:06 The Fifth Floor (w3cszjj6)
Vaccines, violence and forests
We look forward to 2021 from the very different perspectives of three continental giants – China, Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo. BBC Chinese editor Howard Zhang, Ricardo Senra of BBC Brasil and BBC Africa’s Emery Makumeno tell us what their focus will be in 2021, and suggest some New Year’s resolutions for their countries.
When will the famous cannon of Algiers return home?
Discussions are underway about the possible return to Algeria of a huge cannon that used to protect Algiers, but which was put on display at a French port after its capture in 1830. BBC Arabic’s Ahmed Rouaba, who’s from Algeria, explains why this cannon still means so much today.
Remedies for the morning after
Before coronavirus concerns in many countries, this was the time of year for parties. But what’s the advice for the morning after, if you partied a little too hard? We consult Oleg Boldyrev of BBC Russian, Suping of BBC Chinese, Brazilian Fernando Duarte and Sharon Machira of BBC Nairobi for their local hangover cures.
Image: Congolese house at the shoreline of Congo river
Credit: guenterguni/Getty Images
SAT 03:50 Witness History (w3cszmw2)
The destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas
In March 2001 the Taliban destroyed huge ancient statues of Buddha in Afghanistan. The statues were carved into the cliffs above the Bamiyan valley. Sayid Mirza Hossein, a local farmer, was taken prisoner by the Taliban and forced to pack explosives around the ancient Buddhas. He told Witness History what it felt like to destroy something that he had seen every day of his life.
(Photo: Taliban fighters looking at the Bamiyan cliffs. Credit: Getty Images)
SAT 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg6mkn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 04:06 The Documentary (w3ct1d08)
Breakthrough: The race for the Covid vaccine
Dr Kevin Fong talks to the people who have seemingly achieved the impossible and created a coronavirus vaccine in a matter of months. Along the way he looks at what it means for people all over the world and asks when our lives will be able to return to normal. Speaking to the scientists who’ve spent the past 12 months with the eyes of the world on them, Kevin wants to know how they tackled the science and what are the biggest barriers they’ve faced. For women and men who usually work away quietly in anonymous research facilities, 2020 has been a year like no other. There are tensions along the way between science and politics, or science and morality. But through it all do we enter a new year with our faith in science been renewed?
SAT 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg6r9s)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 05:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blcmlshqx)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
SAT 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg1x3l5)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
SAT 05:32 The Cultural Frontline (w3cszj9f)
Bulgaria’s art on the edge
Why does artist Ivo Dimchev pay members of his audience cash to perform naked, and even to simulate sex on stage? The Cultural Frontline encounters three extraordinary Bulgarian artists challenging audiences and blurring the lines between cabaret, theatre and real-life. Kamen Stoyanov straps a giant referee’s whistle to the roof of his car and drives around the country, and Gery Georgieva invades an abandoned communist monument to sing a haunting Bulgarian folk song.
Tracy Harris explores this bizarre art and a rapidly changing culture.
A Gritty Production for BBC World Service. Produced by Chris Rushton
Image: Ivo Dimchev (Credit: Karolina Miernik)
SAT 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg6w1x)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 06:06 Weekend (w172x7d782t57bm)
India Holds Vaccination Drill
A nationwide drill of what will be the world's largest vaccination drive begins in India. We hear about how the country is readying itself for the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine.
Also on the programme, the US Senate delivers a rebuke to Donald Trump in the dying days of his presidency, over-riding his veto of a defence bill; And we hear a report from Istanbul about how refugee Uighur children in Turkey are keeping up with their heritage.
To comment on these stories and others we are joined on the programme by Emma Bullimore, a British journalist and broadcaster specialising in the arts, television and entertainment and Justin Quirk, a British writer, journalist and culture critic.
(Photo : Indian health workers prepare for mass vaccination drive; Credit: EPA/RAJAT GUPTA)
SAT 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg6zt1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 07:06 Weekend (w172x7d782t5c2r)
India's Vaccination Practice Run
India has begun a nation-wide mock drill to test its preparedness for mass immunisation against Covid-19. We hear from the capital Delhi about all the arrangements for the roll out.
Also on the programme, doubts about the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics grow as coronavirus infection cases rise in Japan - Could the games be cancelled permanently?; And we'll discuss the enduring appeal of the crime writer, Agatha Christie.
To comment on these stories and others we are joined on the programme by Emma Bullimore, a British journalist and broadcaster specialising in the arts, television and entertainment and Justin Quirk, a British writer, journalist and culture critic.
(Photo : Delhi prepare's for Covid-19 vaccination drive; Credit: EPA/RAJAT GUPTA)
SAT 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg73k5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 08:06 Weekend (w172x7d782t5gtw)
Preparing for the World's Largest Vaccination Drive
A nationwide drill of what will be the world's largest vaccination drive begins in India - we'll hear the latest from our correspondent in the capital Delhi.
Also on the programme, North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un prepares to host a long-awaited Congress for his Workers Party; And will the Covid-19 pandemic really change the way we live our lives?
To comment on these stories and others we are joined on the programme by Emma Bullimore, a British journalist and broadcaster specialising in the arts, television and entertainment and Justin Quirk, a British writer, journalist and culture critic.
(Photo : Health workers show preparedness for Covid vaccine drive; Credit: EPA/Rajat Gupta)
SAT 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg1xgtk)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
SAT 08:32 When Katty Met Carlos (w3ct1c51)
Black Lives Matter co-founder Opal Tometi
Over the past year the Black Lives Matter movement went global, with protests against racial injustice taking place in over 60 countries.
Katty and Carlos speak to co-founder of the movement, Opal Tometi, about the roots of the organisation, its goals, and what its priorities are for 2021.
We hear some of the criticisms levelled at the movement, asking what has been achieved by the high-profile protests which have taken place across America, and reflect on its influence on civil rights activism around the world, exploring the movement's role in tackling issues beyond police brutality.
SAT 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg7799)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 09:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct19z2)
Coronavirus: Forgotten voices
Host Nuala McGovern checks in with two so-called Covid-19 ''long-haulers'', who are still enduring symptoms several months after catching the disease. We also hear from residents living in some of the world’s poorest communities in Kenya, India and Brazil; and a parent living in Chile who is bringing up a child with Autism.
Three mothers from three different countries also come together again with Nuala. 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.
(Photo: Brooke Young Russell Credit: Joseph Russell)
SAT 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg1xlkp)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
SAT 09:32 Two Minutes Past Nine (w3ct1cww)
Two Minutes Past Nine
02/01/2021 GMT
On April 19th 1995 a 26-year-old named Timothy Mcveigh steered a yellow rental truck into downtown Oklahoma city. Inside was a two-ton homemade explosive.
The Oklahoma City Bombing killed 168 people and leaving 680 injured. Journalist Leah Sottile investigates the legacy of the attack in a series that gets into the heart of America’s far-right today.
Recorded over some of the most divisive and turbulent months in recent American political history, Two Minutes Past Nine explores and questions the changing face of far right extremism in all its chaos and conspiracism.
SAT 09:50 Over to You (w3cszf5g)
BBC World Service English controller answers your questions - part two
We are joined for round two of our specials with the controller of BBC World Service English Mary Hockaday as she answers listeners' complaints and embraces their enthusiasm. Topics this time include: budget cuts, how new shows are commissioned and why comedy is not always a laughing matter.
Presenter: Rajan Datar
Produced: Howard Shannon
SAT 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg7c1f)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 10:06 Sportshour (w172x3c66v3r4v4)
When sport stopped
2020 was a sporting year like no other. The coronavirus pandemic forced global sport into an unprecedented shutdown, with Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics among the events postponed. Liverpool won the Premier League and Bayern Munich the Champions League behind closed doors as sport returned without fans. In this first Sportshour of 2021 we catch up with those sports people from around the world who told us how the pandemic impacted on their lives. What happened after we first spoke? And what are their hopes for the sporting year ahead?
Photo: Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games CEO Toshiro Muto (R) speaks during a press conference following a Tokyo2020 Olympics Executive Board meeting on December 22, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
SAT 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg7gsk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blcmlt76p)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
SAT 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg1xv1y)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
SAT 11:32 The Documentary (w3ct1d0z)
The Hindu bard
In 1914 a 19-year-old Indian student caused a sensation when she was awarded the top prize - the bardic chair - at the 1914 University College of Wales Eisteddfod held in Aberystwyth.
All the entries in the prestigious Welsh language and literature contest were submitted under pseudonyms. When the winner was awarded to "Shita", for an ode written in English, Dorothy Bonarjee revealed herself as the author, and received a "deafening ovation". It was the first time ever that the competition had been won by a non-European, or even by a woman.
So who was Dorothy Bonarjee, and how did she come to win one of Wales' most prestigious cultural prizes? Andrew Whitehead unearths the story, in conjunction with Dorothy's niece Sheela, who recalls her aunt as a source of inspiration: confident, independent and often (later in life) with a whisky-and-soda to hand.
The ode that triumphed at the college Eisteddfod was just the start of Dorothy’s poetic success. She contributed several poems to the newly-established Welsh Outlook, which was both a harbinger and reflection of increased national and cultural self-confidence.
Despite this early promise, things didn’t always go Dorothy’s way, however. On the back of one poem she wrote: "Written at the age of 22 when a Welsh student after three years of secret engagement dropped me because his parents said ‘She is very beautiful and intelligent - but she is Indian’." Presented by Andrew Whitehead
(Photo: Dorothy Bonarjee)
SAT 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg7ljp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 12:06 Music Life (w3csz6v0)
Chaos vs perfection with Ami Dang
Experimental sitarist, singer, and producer Ami Dang is from Baltimore in the US. Her sound fuses North Indian classical with ambient electronics. She’ll be asking the group today all about the importance of not knowing where a song will end up, persevering with a project even when it’s not going well, and how relations with family can inspire stories of positivity and tragedy.
Talking about those subjects is Elisita Punto, a producer and composer who was part of the band MKRNI from Santiago, Chile. They made ”psyche-elec-tropical” sounds before disbanding; she now performs solo as Futuro Fosil, and has been described as creating "unpredictable, reverb drenched, beat-heavy, delicate, ambient sounds”.
Nazar is a producer who draws on deep subject matter with his music, including his father’s role in the Angolan civil war. Nazar returned to the country in 2002, which is where his journey into music production began. Having grown up in Belgium, he describes his music as “rough Kuduro”, mixing traditional music with sounds of war, synths, chanting samples, and lyrics that deal with issues of massacres and violence.
And Tuna Pase is an artist, lecturer, ethnomusicologist and engineer born in Istanbul, and now based in Barcelona. She plays electronics, flute, percussion, and sings, and her music is inspired by “sleeping, dreams, nature, poetry, photography, street art, and bicycles”.
SAT 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg7q8t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 13:06 Newshour (w172x2z3v7yxwxd)
Tensions rise between Iran and the US
Tensions are rising in the Middle East on the first anniversary of the killing by US forces of Iran's top military commander, Qasem Soleimani. Iran has announced that it intends to start enriching uranium to a level beyond what it agreed to in the 2015 nuclear deal, while the US military has sent more B-52 bombers to the region as a warning signal to Tehran.
Also in the programme: America's top infectious diseases expert says he does not agree with the UK’s plan to delay giving people the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine; and how a Kurdish lullaby is helping pregnant women in northern Yemen.
(Picture: People visit the grave of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in his hometown of Kerman. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters)
SAT 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg7v0y)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 14:06 Sportsworld (w172x3ll6djycp8)
Live Sporting Action
Sportsworld brings you live Premier League commentary as Crystal Palace take on Sheffield United.
Lee James is joined by former Manchester City player Nedum Onuoha, former English professional footballer Siobhan Chamberlain and Chris Samba who represented Congo.
Photo: Chris Wilder, Manager of Sheffield United reacts during the Premier League match between Burnley and Sheffield United at Turf Moor (Credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
SAT 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg8b0g)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 18:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blcmlv2fl)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
SAT 18:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg1yp8v)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
SAT 18:32 Mayday (w3ct1cxd)
On 11 November 2019 James Le Mesurier was found dead in a street in Istanbul. He was the latest casualty in a very unusual war – one fought not on the battlefield, but online.
Le Mesurier was a mysterious figure with a taste for the finer things who served in the British Army in several of the world’s hotspots before focusing his energies on war-ravaged Syria from 2014. He co-founded the White Helmets, a Syrian civil defence force who filmed themselves pulling survivors and bodies from the rubble of bombed out buildings.
Soon, the White Helmets - and Le Mesurier - found themselves at the centre of a global race to control the narrative in the Syrian War. In this investigative series Mayday, presenter Chloe Hadjimatheou talks to the people who knew James, including his widow Emma, his ex-wife and former army colleagues, as well as those on the ground in Syria still working as White Helmets today in an effort to piece together James’ story and that of the White Helmets. She speaks to some of the White Helmet’s detractors and follows up accusations about the organisation to try and understand the truth surrounding them.
Chloe Hadjimatheou says: “Making this series has been an extraordinary experience, as listeners will discover. It started out being an investigation into the story of a man with an astonishing life and a mysterious death but it ended up taking me on a bizarre journey down rabbit holes of misinformation. Ultimately this is a story about how truth functions in modern warfare.”
SAT 18:50 Sporting Witness (w3cszh61)
Cameron Hughes - sports entertainer
Since the 1990s, Canadian Cameron Hughes has entertained millions of sports fans with a unique routine based on dad-dancing in the stands and giving out t-shirts. He’s managed to make a professional career out of firing up teams in the NBA, the NFL and NHL ice hockey. Simon Watts talks to Cameron Hughes about his autobiography "King of Cheer", and a job that involves a surprising amount of training.
PHOTO: Cameron Hughes in action in Las Vegas (L.E. Baskow/Lefteye Images courtesy of Cameron Hughes)
SAT 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg8frl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 19:06 The Arts Hour (w3ct1d06)
New Year's Concert
From the BBC Studios in Maida Vale, London, Georgia Mann introduces the BBC World Service New Year’s Concert 2021 featuring three of the BBC New Generation Artists scheme, some of the world’s most promising young musicians with established international careers!
After joining the BBC NGAs scheme in 2016, 29-year old Egyptian soprano Fatma Said has become one of the most sought after singers of her generation, praised for the lyricism and purity of her voice. She crosses cultures in her repertoire feeling at ease in both Western Classical music and works by Egyptian composers, as well as in traditional Middle-East songs. Also known for her commitment to humanitarian causes, Fatma’s received an honorary award from Egypt’s National Council for Women and she’s the first Egyptian opera singer ever to be given the state’s Creativity Award, one of the country’s highest accolades.
Born in 1995 in London, current NGAs member Timothy Ridout has taken his instrument, the viola, to new heights. He’s praised for his golden, dark, assured tone, his perfect intonation, his broad palette of colours… and a charisma beyond his years.
And former NGA member Trish Clowes brings her unique brand of Jazz to this event too! After joining the scheme in 2012, this prodigiously talented 36-year old British saxophonist and composer has mesmerised her audiences both in the UK and abroad thanks to her mercurial and imaginative improvisations, which no doubt we’ll hear in this concert.
Photo: The Egyptian soprano Fatma Said Credit: Felix Broede
SAT 20:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg8khq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 20:06 The Arts Hour (w3cszk3z)
The Arts Hour International Comedy Show
Nikki Bedi and Malawian stand-up Daliso Chaponda are joined by a glittering international line-up. We hear from star Indian comic Vir Das, South African queen of comedy Tumi Morake, America’s Gina Brillon, Malaysia’s Dr Jason Leong, Australian comedian Laura Davis, Irish stand-up Joanne McNally and representing the UK, the hilarious Josie Long.
Join The Arts Hour for a funny take on some of highlights and lowlights of 2020 from global politics to the pandemic and find out what our comedians think is in store for the world in 2021…
Image: Dr Jason Leong (credit: All Is Amazing), Tumi Morake (credit: Mark Mark Pass), Josie Long (credit: Giles Smith), Laura Davis (credit: Matt Crockett), Gina Brillon (credit: David Johnson courtesy of Amazon Prime Video), Joanne McNally (credit: Frank McKenna), Daliso Chaponda (credit: BBC), Vir Das (credit: Robert Sebree)
SAT 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg8p7v)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z3v7yyvwf)
Israel leads virus vaccine race with 12% given jab
Israel has given vaccinations against coronavirus to more than one million people, the highest rate in the world, as global immunisation efforts step up.
Also in the programme: A group of US senators say they will refuse to certify Joe Biden's election victory unless a commission is set up to investigate alleged voter fraud; and a beautiful Kurdish lullaby to help support mothers and babies in the worst of all worlds.
(Photo: Israel has given priority to the over-60s in its vaccination campaign. Credit: EPA)
SAT 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg8szz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79rxx057zt)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
SAT 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fnk0xvjyn)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.
SAT 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg1z58c)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
SAT 22:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct1gk5)
Coping with grief
The Archbishop of Canterbury and the UK’s Chief Rabbi discuss coping with losing a child.
SAT 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg8xr3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SAT 23:06 Business Weekly (w3ct0spq)
Global vaccine hopes for 2021
The UK has given the green light to the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid19 vaccine. It’s cheaper and easier to store than some of the alternatives - and the hope is that will make it easier to distribute globally. However, there are worries that production capacity and an unwillingness to share intellectual data might mean the poorest in the world won’t get the immunisation. We speak to Anna Marriott of Oxfam.
Also on the show we’ll be mulling over the Brexit deal. We get the view from businesses both sides of the Channel about what the future will bring now the UK and EU have a new trade relationship. We also hear from former EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom who tells us what effect the divorce will have on the rest of the union.
As the rest of the world continues to struggle with Covid 19, China is getting back to normal. We hear from Wuhan and Shanghai.
Plus, food businesses discuss how they’ve adapted to survive during the pandemic.
Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Clare Williamson.
(Image:University of Oxford researcher in a laboratory at the Jenner Institute, working on the coronavirus vaccine. Image credit: John Cairns/University of Oxford/PA Wire)
SUNDAY 03 JANUARY 2021
SUN 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg91h7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SUN 00:06 The Cultural Frontline (w3cszj9f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
05:32 on Saturday]
SUN 00:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg1zdrm)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
SUN 00:32 Mayday (w3ct1cxd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
18:32 on Saturday]
SUN 00:50 Over to You (w3cszf5g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:50 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg957c)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SUN 01:06 The Science Hour (w3cszkxt)
Coping with Covid
This has been an incredible year for scientific advance and collaboration, epitomised by the roll out of vaccines that didn’t exist a year ago, against a virus that no one had ever heard of .
And yet at the same time its been a year of incredible frustration. We are stil largely using the same methods to counter the virus that were used in past pandemics, going back a hundred years.
Here we look back at key the findings on who is most susceptible and why, and ask how to improve the strategies for reducing transmission.
As regular listeners may recall, CrowdScience has delved into the strange world of fungi before, as we dug down into the forest floor to reveal how plants and trees are connected to the vast mycelial network known as the “wood wide web”. But what makes this network possible and how might it have evolved? Fungi are incredible clever, or at least , it appears that they’re capable of displaying complex behaviour that gives them the appearance of intelligence. In this episode, we speak to fungal ecologist and author of a new book, Merlin Sheldrake, about fungal “brains”, the evolution of magic mushrooms and zombie insects – the astonishing way certain fungi can take over the bodies of ants and wasps in order to sow their spores above ground.
(Image: Getty Images)
SUN 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg98zh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SUN 02:06 WorklifeIndia (w3ct1c1c)
Are we ready for the passion economy?
Are there lessons in the pandemic upheaval about the evolving nature of work? In the new world, there is a new economic possibility - making money out of small, passion-fuelled endeavours, rather than the conventional 9-to-5 routines of the pre-pandemic world.
This rise of the “passion economy” is towards more niche, fluid pathways, in contrast to the traditional means of employment. But is it a temporary trend experiencing a surge due to the pandemic, or is it more fundamental?
More importantly, will innovation and passion shape the economy of the future?
In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we hear the stories of three different individuals taking uncharted courses to turn their passions into professions.
Presenter: Devina Gupta
Contributors: Sulakshana Bhattacharya, woodworker and founder, MishtooMade; Sonakshi Srivastava, wildlife conservationist; Rajat Ubhaykar, travel writer
SUN 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg1zn7w)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
SUN 02:32 Two Minutes Past Nine (w3ct1cww)
[Repeat of broadcast at
09:32 on Saturday]
SUN 02:50 More or Less (w3ct0pyh)
Numbers of the year: Part two
From the economic impact of Covid 19 to the number of people who have access to soap and water, we showcase figures that tell us something about 2020. Tim Harford asks a group of numbers-minded people to take a look back on the year and think of one statistic that really stands out for them.
We speak to Razia Khan, the head of research and chief economist for Africa and the Middle East at Standard Chartered; Sana Safi, presenter for BBC Pashto TV at the BBC's Afghanistan Service; and Jennifer Rogers, vice president for external affairs at the Royal Statistical Society.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Charlotte McDonald
SUN 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg9dqm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SUN 03:06 Business Weekly (w3ct0spq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:06 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg9jgr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SUN 04:06 World Book Club (w3cszmx6)
Sjón - Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was
On this month’s World Book Club, Icelandic literary superstar Sjón will be answering questions from readers around the world about his novel Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was.
Set in Reykjavik in 1918, it’s the story of sixteen year old Mani, whose life is completely changed by the arrival of the Spanish flu in the city.
It’s a fascinating novel about human resilience and connections, a love letter to cinema and a portrait of a place at a very particular moment in its history.
Moonstone won The Icelandic Literary Prize in 2013.
Sjón is one of Iceland’s leading novelists and his work has been translated into 30 languages. He’s also a poet and librettist and was Oscar nominated for his lyrics for the film Dancer In The Dark.
Presented by Harriett Gilbert.
(Picture: Sjón. Courtesy of Sjón.)
SUN 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg9n6w)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
SUN 05:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3csz9qn)
Key insights into 2020 from our correspondents
Pascale Harter reflects on key moments of 2020 with some of the most thought-provoking dispatches from our correspondents.
Afghanistan is a country where it’s not easy to define the term outrage. Violence there has not abated despite peace talks between the government and the Tailiban. But an attack on Kabul University on November 2nd sent shock waves across the country and beyond. At least 35 people were left dead and 50 seriously wounded. Photographs of the murdered students and their blood-stained classrooms spread widely through Afghan social media. Lyse Doucet spoke to one university lecturer about the students he lost and the damage done to Afghanistan’s hopes for the future.
Andrew Harding, who covers Africa and is based in Johannesburg, spends a lot of his time travelling around the continent to witness events at first hand. The Coronavirus pandemic put a stop to much of that, but he still had a dramatic story to tell in the autumn. He reflected on the somewhat ironic parallels he was seeing- as he applied some of the cliches often used to describe Africa to somewhere else in the world which was facing a significant election.
In Lebanon it was another year of slow bleed of talent and energy from the country, as many of its best-qualified and hardest-working people just couldn’t deal with the endless struggle of life there anymore. Corruption, an economic crisis and then a catastrophic explosion in Beirut’s port led many to feel they had no further future there, as Leila Molana Allen reported.
2020 will be remembered by many as a time of lockdowns and restrictions as countries around the world battled to contain the coronavirus pandemic. It was a way of life that most had never experienced before - and there was an intense longing for a return to normality. Our correspondent in Brussels, Kevin Connolly, had been confined at home for weeks when Belgium briefly relaxed its rules in the summer. Even he was surprised by the strength of his urge to indulge in shopping again.
(Image: The date 2020 with the world as one digit. Credit: Selensergen, iStock / Getty Images Plus)
SUN 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg200h8)
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SUN 05:32 Mayday (w3ct1cxd)
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SUN 05:50 More or Less (w3ct0pyh)
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SUN 06:06 Weekend (w172x7d782t847q)
US Republicans Challenge President Elect
As the clock ticks down on Donald Trump's presidency -- why are some Republicans taking a final stand? We hear the latest from Washington.
Also on the programme, A pioneering approach to the criminal justice system from San Francisco; And why the European Union's new deal with China is not going down well with the incoming White House administration.
To talk about these stories and more we are joined by Eunice Goes, Portuguese born professor of politics at Richmond University in the UK and Tom Rivers, correspondent for ABC, the American radio in London.
(Photo: The White House; Credit: REUTERS/Ken Cedeno)
SUN 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqg9wq4)
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SUN 07:06 Weekend (w172x7d782t87zv)
Biden win to be challenged by Republicans
The American Vice- President, Mike Pence, has welcomed plans by Senators to challenge Joe Biden's election victory, in spite of any substantial evidence of fraud. We hear from Washington about the controversy.
Also on the programme, How did Israel get to lead the global coronavirus drive?; And anger boils over as hundred of migrants are left out in the cold in Bosnia's harsh winter.
To talk about these stories and more we are joined by Eunice Goes, Portuguese born professor of politics at Richmond University in the UK and Tom Rivers, correspondent for ABC, the American radio in London.
(Photo: US Republican Senator Ted Cruz, one of those challenging President Elect Biden's legitimacy; Credit: REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage)
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SUN 08:06 Weekend (w172x7d782t8cqz)
Biden legitimacy to be challenged by opposition
As the clock ticks down in the US on Donald Trump's presidency -- why are some Republicans taking a final stand? We also head to the state of Georgia ahead of Senate run offs on Tuesday.
Also on the programme, India's drugs control authority has formally approved the emergency use of two coronavirus vaccines.
To talk about these stories and more we are joined by Eunice Goes, Portuguese born professor of politics at Richmond University in the UK and Tom Rivers, correspondent for ABC, the American radio in London.
(Photo: Preparations for the Presidential inauguartion at the Capitol building in Washington; Credit: REUTERS/Leah Millis)
SUN 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg20cqn)
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SUN 08:32 CrowdScience (w3cszv6v)
Is a fungus intelligent?
As regular listeners may recall, CrowdScience has delved into the strange world of fungi before, as we dug down into the forest floor to reveal how plants and trees are connected to the vast mycelial network known as the “wood wide web”. But what makes this network possible and how might it have evolved? Fungi are incredible clever, or at least , it appears that they’re capable of displaying complex behaviour that gives them the appearance of intelligence. In this episode, we speak to fungal ecologist and author of a new book, Merlin Sheldrake, about fungal “brains”, the evolution of magic mushrooms and zombie insects – the astonishing way certain fungi can take over the bodies of ants and wasps in order to sow their spores above ground.
Presented by Anand Jagatia
Produced by Rami Tzabar for the BBC World Service.
Image: Getty Images
SUN 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqgb46d)
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SUN 09:06 The Documentary (w3ct1d08)
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SUN 10:06 WorklifeIndia (w3ct1c1c)
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SUN 10:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg20m6x)
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SUN 10:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct1gk5)
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SUN 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqgbcpn)
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SUN 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blcmlx43s)
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SUN 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg20qz1)
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SUN 11:32 The Compass (w3ct1czl)
My Perfect City
My Perfect City: Mental health in Singapore
People who live in cities are more likely to experience mental health problems than their rural counterparts. Has Singapore found a solution to improving its citizens’ wellbeing that other cities should follow?
Greening urban areas, creating therapeutic gardens and high amenity public spaces, encouraging physical exercise as well as housing security and social services aim to reduce rates of common disorders such as OCD, anxiety and depression.
Fi Glover and panellists Dr Ellie Cosgrave, director of the UCL Urban Laboratory, and urbanist Abha Joshi Ghani test the credentials of Singapore’s initiatives. Is it a mental health blueprint for our imagined urban utopia?
The team also consider Dubai’s ambition to be the “world’s happiest city”.
SUN 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqgbhfs)
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SUN 12:06 The Arts Hour (w3ct1d06)
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SUN 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqgbm5x)
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SUN 13:06 Newshour (w172x2z3v7z0sth)
India approves emergency vaccine use
India has formally approved the emergency use of two coronavirus vaccines and now plans the world's largest immunisation programme.
Also in the programme: the WHO mission to Wuhan; and music in the time of Covid-19.
(Picture: A health worker holds a mock Covid-19 vaccine syringes during a dry run of Covid-19 vaccination at a government hospital in Jammu, India. Credit: EPA/JAIPAL SINGH)
SUN 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqgbqy1)
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SUN 14:06 World Book Club (w3cszmx6)
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SUN 15:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqgbvp5)
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SUN 15:06 The Forum (w3cszjwk)
Famous hats in history
There have been so many, probably hundreds, different styles and types of hat in history that a question inevitably arises: why? Why did something that began as a simple protection against inclement weather take on such varied forms and social meanings? Bridget Kendall and guests explore not just how hats were made, and by whom, but also how their function has evolved over centuries and across cultures. By focusing on just five distinct hat types, they sketch out a brief social history of headwear.
Bridget is joined by Dr. Drake Stutesman, an adjunct professor at New York University, and the author of the book Hat: Origins, Language, Style; Dr. Ulinka Rublack, professor of Early Modern European History at Cambridge University with a particular interest in Renaissance fashion; and Dr. Kirill Babaev, a cultural anthropologist and writer from the Russian Academy of Sciences and founder of the World of Hat museum in Riga, Latvia.
[Image: Model Carre Otis wearing a wide-brimmed black straw hat with a print of lemons on the underside. Credit: Arthur Elgort/Conde Nast via Getty Images]
SUN 15:50 More or Less (w3ct0pyh)
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SUN 16:06 Sportsworld (w172x3ll6dk1j2m)
Live Sporting Action
It’s a new year and we have a new Sunday guest on Sportsworld. Former Everton, Atletico Madrid and Netherlands defender Jonny Heitinga joins Delyth Lloyd for the next four weeks.
Our commentary game comes from Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea host Manchester City - a fantastic way to welcome the new year. Plus, we’ll preview all the sporting action for the upcoming 12 months.
Photo: Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola shakes hands with Frank Lampard, Chelsea manager during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Chelsea FC. (Credit: Manchester City FC via Getty Images)
SUN 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqgcbnp)
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SUN 19:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blcmly32t)
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SUN 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg21py2)
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SUN 19:32 When Katty Met Carlos (w3ct1c51)
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SUN 20:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqgcgdt)
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SUN 20:06 Music Life (w3csz6v0)
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SUN 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p7cqgcl4y)
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SUN 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z3v7z1rsj)
Has India been too hasty in approving local vaccine?
India approves two new vaccines, including one made locally that has not completed clinical trials. The opposition expresses concern at the speed of approval: we hear from a local medic and a health specialist in the United States.
Also in the programme: as the virus surges in Britain, we hear from an emergency doctor on the front line; and the Washington Post reveals a phonecall in which Donald Trump appears to put pressure on a top state election official to 'find' extra votes for him.
(Picture: India immunisation programme is one of the largest in the world. Credit: Getty Images)
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SUN 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79rxx084wx)
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SUN 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fnk0xyfvr)
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SUN 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q1tg2225g)
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SUN 22:32 Two Minutes Past Nine (w3ct1cww)
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SUN 23:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3csz9qn)
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SUN 23:32 Outlook (w3cszf0y)
Elza Soares: invincible queen of samba
Born in a Rio de Janeiro favela, Elza Soares overcame poverty, child marriage and public scandal to become one of her country's most beloved singers. She started out in the smokey nightclubs of Rio de Janeiro in the 1950s. With her unique raspy voice and the intensity of her dancing, she quickly became a hit on the club scene. In the 1960s a highly publicised relationship with a footballing legend briefly made her a national hate figure, but she came back and now into the seventh decade of her career she continues to be a Brazilian icon. This episode was first broadcast on 11th May 2019.
Presented and Produced by Harry Graham
Picture: Elza Soares
Credit: Getty Images/ Pedro Gomes
MONDAY 04 JANUARY 2021
MON 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrhsnh)
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MON 00:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct19z2)
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MON 00:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qc64xw)
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MON 00:32 Discovery (w3csz9fm)
Climate meltdown
The year 2020 started with wildfires raging across parts of Australia, exceptional floods in East Africa, and a heatwave in the Arctic. Extremes persisted through the year in the north - where wild fires consumed record areas in Siberia, and the Arctic ice reached record lows. Death Valley saw the highest reliable temperature yet recorded on the planet, while the Atlantic saw the most active hurricane season on record. An extreme year by many measures, and one that could end up as the hottest on record globally. Roland Pease asks what it tells us about global warming.
Picture credit: Wegener Institute / Steffen Graupner
MON 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrhxdm)
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MON 01:06 World Business Report (w172x580r5rj8rc)
The great vaccination challenge
The UK and United States have created divisions in the healthcare community with plans to delay the second coronavirus vaccination dose to give more initial jabs to others. Professor Janet Hemingway tells us that making and distributing vaccines is proving to be a huge challenge. The United States has banned imports of palm oil from Sime Darby in Malaysia, one of the world's biggest producers, after reports of workers suffering a series of abuses. We hear from Duncan Jepson, the managing director of the campaign group which lodged a complaint to the American authorities. Fiat Chrysler shareholders are set to agree a merger with PSA, which will create the world's fourth largest automotive company. Paul Eisenstein, publisher of the Detroit Bureau, tells us it could mean the end for some well known motoring brands. Plus how coronavirus will change the look of your office in the future.
(Picture: A lady being vaccinated via EPA)
MON 01:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qc68p0)
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MON 01:32 When Katty Met Carlos (w3ct1c51)
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MON 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrj14r)
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MON 02:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc77)
Jacob Bleacher: Putting astronauts back on the moon
Scientists have discovered water on the sunlit surface of the Moon for the first time. Does it matter? Well, maybe it does. The Moon is back in vogue in terms of space exploration – the US says it will put astronauts back on the lunar surface by 2024. It is supposed to be the precursor to a manned mission to Mars. Stephen Sackur speaks to Jacob Bleacher, chief exploration scientist at NASA. In this time of pandemic and climate change here on Earth, is space exploration a potential lifeline or a massive vanity project?
MON 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qc6df4)
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MON 02:32 The Conversation (w3cszj4f)
How to be happy
With so much happening that’s out of our control, what can we do to be happier, calmer and more content? Kim Chakanetsa gets tips and advice from South Korea and Denmark.
In her book The Power of Nunchi, Euny Hong writes about what she calls a South Korean ‘super power’. She says we could all live happier lives by developing this knowledge of how to 'read' a room or someone else's feelings and that we'd all get along better if we learned to listen more.
Denmark is considered to be one of the happiest countries in the world. The author of Happy as a Dane, Malene Rydahl believes there are aspects of their culture that we can all use to improve our chances of happiness. She has advice and tips on how we can all learn to be a little more Danish in our outlook and be happier as a result.
Produced by Jane Thurlow
IMAGE
L: Euny Hong (courtesy Euny Hong)
R: Malene Rydahl (credit malenerydahl.com)
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MON 03:06 The Forum (w3cszjwk)
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MON 03:50 Sporting Witness (w3cszh61)
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MON 04:06 The Climate Question (w3ct0xb6)
A year to save the world
Five years ago, there was widespread celebration after world leaders signed up to the Paris Agreement. However, despite pledging to pursue efforts to limit global warming to just 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, emissions have continued to rise. Many are saying the COP26 conference in late 2021, where world leaders will meet again, is a make-or-break moment to turn words into action. What needs to be achieved? What is the cost of failure? And where are the signs of hope for success?
Justin Rowlatt and Navin Singh Khadka talk to Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation (ECF), who was previously France’s climate change ambassador and special representative for COP21, and a key architect of the landmark Paris Agreement. They are also joined by Christiana Figuerres, who was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) between 2010 and 2016, and Dr Emily Shuckburgh, director of Cambridge Zero at the University of Cambridge, and reader in environmental data science at the Department of Computer Science and Technology.
Producer: Zak Brophy
Researcher: Soila Apparicio
Editor: Ravin Sampat
Sound Design: David Crackles
MON 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qc6mxd)
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MON 04:32 CrowdScience (w3cszv6v)
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MON 05:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbg4nqv)
President Trump asks Georgia official to 'find' votes
The US President has been recorded telling Georgia's top election official , the Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, to "find" enough votes to overturn the election result. We get the latest.
The world's biggest manufacturer of vaccines, the Serum Institute of India, says the government won't allow it to export the Oxford AstraZeneca coronavirus jab for several months. We get the reaction of the President of the Public Health Foundation.
And we report on the work done by The Justice Defenders Charity, which mainly operates in Uganda and Kenya, and gives legal training to prison inmates and staff.
MON 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrjj48)
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MON 06:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbg4sgz)
Reactions to President Trump's call to Georgia's top election official
The US President has been recorded telling Georgia's top election official , the Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, to "find" enough votes to overturn the election result.
The French President is being criticised for the slow speed of coronavirus vaccination rollout - we have a reaction.
And as the number of Covid cases soars across the US and Europe, the picture is very different in the United Arab Emirates, where new cases average twelve hundred a day. We report from Dubai on the tourist trade there at the moment.
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MON 07:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbg4x73)
Audio of President Trump asking election official to 'find' votes
President Trump has asked Georgia's Republican Secretary of State to 'find' enough votes to give him victory in the state. We speak to The Washington Post's senior editor, Marc Fisher.
Albania is one of the latest European countries to bring some of its nationals home from the Al-Hawl camp in northern Syria where tens of thousands of former wives and children of ISIS fighters are held. Many there describe the terrible conditions in that camp.
And primary schools across London are staying closed as the UK capital struggles to halt rising coronavirus infection rates. We get the reaction of a mother and her 8-year-old daughter.
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MON 08:32 Business Daily (w3csz7kh)
Thinking global, acting local
Lessons in rethinking the climate emergency from Sierra Leone and the US. We hear from mayor of Freetown Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr on her plans to plant a million trees, and make climate change relevant to the citizens of the rapidly urbanising capital city. Harvard’s Rebecca Henderson argues that capitalism can provide at least part of the solution, and companies need to price in climate damage, making them financially accountable.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
MON 08:50 Witness History (w3cszml2)
The oldest song in the world
A 3,500 year old song was found on a clay tablet by archaeologists in Syria in the 1950s. Often called the Hurrian Hymn, it had been unearthed amid the ruins of an ancient palace which belonged to the ancient Hurrian civilization. It is the oldest complete song ever found. The tablet was inscribed in the Hurrian language but using cuneiform script. Academics have spent decades debating how to interpret the song's ancient musical notation. Alex Last spoke to Richard Dumbrill, a leading archaeomusicologist, who has spent decades studying the tablet and has produced his own interpretation of the song. Photo: The Hurrian song written in cuneiform on the clay tablet H6 (Richard Dumbrill)
MON 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrjwcn)
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MON 09:06 The Climate Question (w3ct0xb6)
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MON 09:32 The Conversation (w3cszj4f)
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MON 10:06 The Cultural Frontline (w3cszj9f)
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MON 10:32 Mayday (w3ct1cxd)
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MON 10:50 More or Less (w3ct0pyh)
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MON 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrk3vx)
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MON 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwx3w91)
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MON 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qc7h49)
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MON 11:32 CrowdScience (w3cszv6v)
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MON 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrk7m1)
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MON 12:06 Outlook (w3cszd47)
Why I made a film in which I kill my dad
American filmmaker Kirsten Johnson’s most recent film is called ‘Dick Johnson is Dead’, it’s about her dad, a man she has adored her whole life. A few years ago Dick was diagnosed with dementia. Scared that she was losing the man she loved, she decided she had to try and capture his spirit on screen. But this is no ordinary movie, it follows Kirsten as she stages her father’s death in a number of grisly ways. It may sound bizarre but it appealed to their shared sense of humour, and by seeing him come back to life over and over again it allowed Kirsten to feel like she was making her dad live forever. Kirsten’s documentary film Dick Johnson Is Dead is now available to watch on Netflix.
We revisit a story from Verona, the home of Romeo and Juliet, and also the setting for our very own lockdown love story. Paolo Agnelli and Michele D'Alpaos share their tale of falling for each other from their balconies.
Picture: Dick Johnson
Credit: Dick Johnson Is Dead
MON 12:50 Witness History (w3cszml2)
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MON 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrkcc5)
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MON 13:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwx43s9)
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MON 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qc7qmk)
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MON 13:32 The Conversation (w3cszj4f)
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MON 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrkh39)
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MON 14:06 Newshour (w172x2z46j87nqw)
Kamala Harris: Trump tape "a bold abuse of power"
Leading US Democrats have attacked President Trump after a taped telephone conversation showed him trying to persuade a top official in Georgia to overturn his election defeat in the state. The Vice-President elect, Kamala Harris, accused Mr Trump of an abuse of power.
Also in the programme: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the United States because of suicide risk, a court in London has ruled; and Britain has become the first country in the world to start giving people the Oxford- AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. The government hopes it will be a pivotal moment in the fight against the pandemic.
(Photo: A composite image made of file images shows Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and US President Donald Trump. Credit: EPA/Erik S Lesser/Jim Lo Scalzo)
MON 15:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrklvf)
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MON 15:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc77)
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MON 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qc7z3t)
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MON 15:32 World Business Report (w172xlv83s07g84)
Fiat Chrysler PSA merger wins shareholder approval
A merger between Fiat Chrysler and PSA has won approval from the companies' shareholders. The new company will be called Stellantis, and Eric Sylver of the Wall Street Journal tells us why Fiat has agreed to be subsumed into an ever bigger group. And we get wider context from Stuart Masson, editor of The Car Expert. Also in the programme, worries over health and anxiety about employment during the pandemic have led to restless nights for many of us. The BBC's Elizabeth Hotson reports on measures people can take to ensure they get a good night's sleep. Plus, as a new year gets under way, we hear about the home fitness alternatives many are choosing for their resolutions, in place of signing up to a gym, from lifestyle journalist Jessica Salter.
(Picture: A Fiat production line in Brazil. Picture credit: Getty Images.)
MON 16:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrkqlk)
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MON 16:06 BBC OS (w172x2t6k4n42nd)
Coronavirus conversations: Return to classrooms
Schools are reopening in many countries across the world. We hear from parents and teachers in Kenya, Pakistan and the UK how they feel about children returning to classrooms.
We also reflect on the latest developments with the new coronavirus variants and with Covid vaccines. Dr Eleanor Murray from Boston University explains the latest research and answers some of the audience questions.
And a court in London has ruled that the Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, cannot be extradited to the United States. We bring more details of the ruling.
(Photo: A pupil helping another tie her shoe laces before heading to their classrooms during the reopening of schools at the Daima Primary school in Nairobi, Kenya, 04 January 2021 Credit: Daniel Irungu/EPA)
MON 17:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrkvbp)
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MON 17:06 BBC OS (w172x2t6k4n46dj)
US elections: Georgia Senate runoff
We discuss the runoff election in the US state of Georgia that will determine which party will control the Senate and how much the incoming Democratic president, Joe Biden, will be able to achieve. We speak to voters about the race and also about President Trump who was recorded telling Georgia's top election official to "find" enough votes to overturn the presidential election result.
We also speak to health experts about how Covid vaccines are being rolled out around the world and what more is known about the coronavirus variant that’s been detected in South Africa.
And schools are reopening in many countries across the world. We hear from parents and teachers in Kenya, Pakistan and the UK how they feel about children returning to classrooms.
(Photo: A VOTE billboard is seen on I-20 West near Lithonia, Georgia, U.S. January 2, 2021. The state's two U.S. Senate runoff elections will decide the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. Credit: Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters)
MON 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrkz2t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
MON 18:06 Outlook (w3cszd47)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 today]
MON 18:50 Witness History (w3cszml2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:50 today]
MON 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrl2ty)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
MON 19:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwx4v82)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
MON 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qc8g3b)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
MON 19:32 Sport Today (w172x3jyp6mx28z)
2021/01/04 GMT
BBC sports correspondents tell the story behind today's top sporting news, with interviews and reports from across the world.
MON 20:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrl6l2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
MON 20:06 The Climate Question (w3ct0xb6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
04:06 today]
MON 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qc8kvg)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
MON 20:32 Discovery (w3ct1csf)
Marine conservationist Heather Koldewey
Professor Heather Koldewey wants to protect our oceans from over-fishing and plastic pollution. An academic who is not content to sit back and let the science speak for itself, she wants to turn science into action and has found conservation allies in some unexpected places. Working with a carpet manufacturer, she created Net-Works, a business that turns old fishing nets into high-end carpet tiles and she has collaborated with Selfridges department store to give marine conservation a make-over. A research career that began studying the genetics of brown trout in Welsh rivers took her to the Philippines to save seahorses and a job running the aquarium at London Zoo. In 2018, she was made a National Geographic Fellow. Heather tells Jim Al-Khalili why, despite all the challenges to marine life, she remains an ‘ocean optimist’ and how she learned to drop her ‘scientific seriousness’.
MON 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrlbb6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
MON 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z46j88hys)
UK judge blocks extradition of Wikileaks founder to US
The United States says it will appeal against the decision not to extradite the Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange. A court in London had ruled that there was a real risk Mr Assange -- who has been charged for leaking classified documents -- would take his own life in an American prison. We hear from his lawyer and get reaction from the US.
Also in the programme: A national lockdown has been reimposed on England to protect the health service from being overwhelmed by the sharp rise in coronavirus infections; and the top election official in the US state of Georgia has said he was reluctant to take a phone call from Donald Trump and has restated his belief that the president has got his facts wrong.
(Photo: Assange pictured leaving court in January a year ago. Credit: Reuters)
MON 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrlg2b)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
MON 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79s959gx25)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
MON 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fnx975610)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.
MON 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qc8tbq)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
MON 22:32 World Business Report (w172x58v5xc95hn)
Fiat Chrysler PSA merger wins shareholder approval
A merger between Fiat Chrysler and PSA has won approval from the companies' shareholders. The new company will be called Stellantis, and Eric Sylver of the Wall Street Journal tells us why Fiat has agreed to be subsumed into an ever bigger group. And we get wider context from Stuart Masson, editor of The Car Expert.
Also in the programme, more than 200 workers at Google-parent Alphabet have formed a labour union. It marks a seismic shift in Silicon Valley, where unions are a rarity and relations with organised labour is often fractious. We hear from Google employee Dr Alex Hanna, who is one of the staff who've got their membership card.
Plus, worries over health and anxiety about employment during the pandemic have led to restless nights for many of us. The BBC's Elizabeth Hotson reports on measures people can take to ensure they get a good night's sleep.
(Picture: A Fiat production line in Brazil. Picture credit: Getty Images.)
MON 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrlktg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
MON 23:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc77)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:06 today]
MON 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qc8y2v)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
MON 23:32 The Conversation (w3cszj4f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:32 today]
TUESDAY 05 JANUARY 2021
TUE 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrlpkl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 00:06 The History Hour (w3cszkq1)
75 years of UNESCO
UNESCO - the United Nations Scientific, Cultural and Educational Organisation - was set up 75 years ago, in the aftermath of the Second World War.
It’s probably best known for its work protecting cultural monuments and areas of natural beauty around the world, but when it was founded, its aim was to use education as a means of sustaining peace after the horrors of the war.
In this episode of The History Hour: UNESCO’s work on race and tolerance, its effort in the 1960s to save Egyptian treasures from the rising waters of the Aswan Dam, Le Corbusier’s attempt to build a model city in India, the fight to protect the Great Barrier Reef and the tragic story of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan.
TUE 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrlt9q)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 01:06 Business Matters (w172x195nz3d1dm)
Fiat and Peugeot agree a merger
A merger between Fiat Chrysler and PSA has won approval from the companies' shareholders. The new company will be called Stellantis and we ask why has Fiat agreed to be subsumed into an ever bigger group.
Also in the programme, more than 200 workers at Google-parent Alphabet have formed a labour union. It marks a seismic shift in Silicon Valley, where unions are a rarity and relations with organised labour is often fractious. We hear from Google employee Dr Alex Hanna, who is one of the staff who've got their membership card.
Plus, worries over health and anxiety about employment during the pandemic have led to restless nights for many of us. The BBC's Elizabeth Hotson reports on measures people can take to ensure they get a good night's sleep.
And - as new year gets under way, we hear about the home fitness alternatives many are choosing for their resolutions, in place of signing up to a gym.
PHOTO: Getty Images
TUE 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrly1v)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 02:06 People Fixing the World (w3cszv29)
Can doughnuts save the planet?
Imagine a ring doughnut. This is the basis of an idea about how we could run the world in a way that gives everyone what they need - food, homes, healthcare and more - and save the planet at the same time.
Economist Kate Raworth, who came up with the idea, explains how it works. And we visit projects in Amsterdam that are using the model to provide food, clothing and sustainable housing.
Produced and presented by Anna Holligan.
Picture: Getty Images
TUE 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qc99b7)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
TUE 02:32 In the Studio (w3cszvcd)
The Big Fix Up: A new, digital venture for Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit – the eccentric inventor and his loyal dog – are one of Britain’s best-loved comedy duos. Created in plasticine clay by Nick Park of Aardman Animations, their stop motion adventures have won three Academy Awards and a BAFTA.
Now, Wallace and his faithful hound are heading into exciting new territory. The pair’s new business venture, Spick & Spanners, needs employees to help them ‘Fix Up’ the British city of Bristol. This interactive story, which takes place on smart phones and uses augmented and mixed reality, is a daring departure from their traditional claymation films. For the first time ever, fans can step directly into the world of Wallace and Gromit.
In The Studio goes behind-the-scenes of the production’s final stage, as the technical team grapple with bugs and the directors shoot final takes with their first ever real human character.
Eliza Lomas talks to Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park about his own childhood dreams of being an inventor, and he opens up his sketchbooks to reveal some very recent, very silly Wallace and Gromit doodles.
Presenter: Eliza Lomas
Producers: Eliza Lomas and Emma Kingsley for the BBC World Service
Image copyright Aardman Animations/W&G Ltd. & copyright Fictioneers Ltd. 2020
TUE 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrm1sz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 03:06 Outlook (w3cszd47)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 on Monday]
TUE 03:50 Witness History (w3cszml2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:50 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrm5k3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 04:06 The Documentary (w3ct1d1b)
Donald Trump: The man
Donald Trump was the businessman and TV show host who became the 45th President of the United States, with huge power and resources at his fingertips. Rob Watson tells the life story of one of the most extraordinary people to occupy the Oval Office.
(Photo: US President Donald Trump on the second day of his state visit to London 4 June 2019)
TUE 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qc9jth)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
TUE 04:32 Discovery (w3ct1csf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:32 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrm997)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 05:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbg7kmy)
US Senate race as Georgia election runoff takes place
The election in Georgia will decide whether the Republican party keeps control of the upper chamber of the US Congress. We speak to President Trump's former political director in Georgia.
Scientists from the World Health Organisation are heading to Wuhan to investigate with Chinese scientists the exact cause of Covid-19. One year on we look at what we've learnt about the origins of the virus.
And we hear from one of the survivors of the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone about promises of support made at the time in 2013 that never came to pass.
TUE 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrmf1c)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 06:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbg7pd2)
Georgia runoff vote to decide balance in US senate
Two US Senate seats are being contested in the state of Georgia which will determine who controls the upper chamber of the US Congress. We hear from a Democratic Congressman in Georgia.
We have the latest on the attack in Niger this weekend in which one hundred people are reported to have died.
And as Zimbabwe brings in new restrictions to control Covid-19 cases, we hear from a small business owner about how the pandemic is affecting his income.
TUE 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrmjsh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 07:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbg7t46)
US Senate runoff takes place in Georgia
This is a crucial runoff election which will decide which party controls the US Senate. We hear from President Trump's former political director in Georgia.
England is starting a new lockdown following a surge in Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations. We speak to a virologist from the University of Cambridge.
And the record breaking mountaineer Nirmal Purja who is embarking on climbing K2 in the harsh winter months describes the challenge ahead.
TUE 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrmnjm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 08:06 People Fixing the World (w3cszv29)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:06 today]
TUE 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcb0t0)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
TUE 08:32 Business Daily (w3csz8bj)
“Remote working” in the Indian Ocean
Pip Hare is currently sailing solo round the world in the Vendee Globe race, one of only a handful of women to attempt it. She speaks to the BBC’s Zoe Kleinman from the middle of the Indian Ocean, while preparing for a storm. We’ll hear about coping with isolation, the challenges of sleeping in 30 minute bursts, and why Pip was so committed to her teenage dream of becoming a professional sailor.
(Picture credit: Pip Hare)
TUE 08:50 Witness History (w3cszmql)
Buddhists and death row
In the 1990s a practising Buddhist called Anna Cox began visiting a murderer called Frankie Parker in jail. After his execution by lethal injection she carried on talking to prisoners on death row in Arkansas. Anna Cox has been speaking to Ibby Caputo for Witness History.
Photo: Anna Cox and Frankie Parker.
TUE 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrms8r)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 09:06 The Documentary (w3ct1d1b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
04:06 today]
TUE 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcb4k4)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
TUE 09:32 In the Studio (w3cszvcd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:32 today]
TUE 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrmx0w)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 10:06 The Arts Hour (w3cszk3z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:06 on Saturday]
TUE 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrn0s0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwx6s64)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
TUE 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcbd1d)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
TUE 11:32 Discovery (w3ct1csf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:32 on Monday]
TUE 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrn4j4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 12:06 Outlook (w3cszdks)
My husband came back from the dead
Back in 2015, Santoshi Tamang was told that her husband Subash had died in a car accident in Saudi Arabia. He'd left their home in Nepal to work there to pay off the family's debts. His body was flown back to Nepal and cremated. But, months later, Santoshi received a telephone call from a relative who told her that her husband was still alive...
Sly Stone is a musical legend. His band Sly & the Family Stone enjoyed enormous success and were pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music during the 1960s and 70s. But by 1975, drug problems and personal clashes led to the group's dissolution and Sly became a recluse. American actor Michael Rubenstone is a self-confessed superfan. He tells Emily Webb about his epic quest to find out what happened to his hero. This was first broadcast in 2018.
Picture: Subash and Santoshi Tamang
Credit: Subash and Santoshi Tamang
Interpreter: Bhrikuti Rai
TUE 12:50 Witness History (w3cszmql)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:50 today]
TUE 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrn888)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 13:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwx70pd)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
TUE 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcbmjn)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
TUE 13:32 In the Studio (w3cszvcd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:32 today]
TUE 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrnd0d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 14:06 Newshour (w172x2z46j8bkmz)
Georgia vote decides control of US Senate
The US state of Georgia is going to the polls in a vote that will decide whether President-elect Joe Biden's Democrats control the Senate. Victory would give Mr Biden control over the whole of Congress and with it the power to push forward his progressive agenda.
Also in the programme: Gulf leaders have signed a document at a summit in Saudi Arabia aimed at helping resolve a long-running dispute between several countries and Qatar; and the new strain of the coronavirus in South Africa is causing more concern. Could it be resistant to the current design of the vaccines?
(Photo: A sign urges residents to vote in the run-off election for both of Georgia's Senate seats. Credit: Reuters/Brian Snyder)
TUE 15:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrnhrj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 15:06 People Fixing the World (w3cszv29)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:06 today]
TUE 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcbw0x)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
TUE 15:32 World Business Report (w172xlwx076pz0t)
Germany set to extend coronavirus lockdown
German authorities are expected to extend strict lockdown measures to the end of January. We get reaction from some small businesses that will be affected, and hear about the likely economic impact of the move from Carsten Brzeski, chief economist at ING in Germany. Also in the programme, we examine the run-off Senate elections today in the US state of Georgia, which are set to determine whether Democrats or Republicans are in control of the upper house of Congress. We hear from Anita Kumar, Washington DC correspondent at Politico, Aaron Morrison, who writes about race and ethnicity for the Associated Press, and Alexa Bankert, a political science professor at Georgia University. Plus, Moscow's underground Metro has hired its first female train drivers since the 1980s. The profession had been added to a list of jobs considered too physically demanding or dangerous for women to undertake, as the BBC's Olga Ivshina explains.
(Picture: Two women speak outside a closed Berlin department store. Picture credit: Getty Images.)
TUE 16:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrnmhn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 16:06 BBC OS (w172x2t6k4n6zkh)
Covid vaccine rollouts
As many countries are starting their Covid vaccination programmes, we look at how the rollout is being managed in different countries.
Several countries are facing a surge of Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations. We speak to three ICU doctors – in the US, Brazil and South Africa - about the current situation and what has changed in wards compared to the beginning of the pandemic.
Our coronavirus expert of the day, Dr Isaac Bogoch, will answer more listener questions on the coronavirus, vaccines and virus variants.
Rwanda has banned transport between districts and the capital, Kigali, after the rise of coronavirus infections. We get the latest on the pandemic in the country from a local journalist.
(Photo: A staff member at Hamilton Park Nursing and Rehabilitation, a nursing home facility, receives the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine from Walgreens Pharmacist Craig Brandt in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., January 4, 2021. Credit: Yuki Iwamura/Reuters)
TUE 17:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrnr7s)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 17:06 BBC OS (w172x2t6k4n739m)
Coronavirus conversations: ICU doctors
Several countries are facing a surge of Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations. We speak to three ICU doctors – in the US, Brazil and South Africa - about the current situation and what has changed in wards compared to the beginning of the pandemic.
And as more countries are starting their Covid vaccination programmes, we look at how the rollout is being managed in different countries.
We explain the US Senate runoff election in the state of Georgia and why the result determines what Joe Biden will be able to achieve in office.
(Photo: Medical workers take care of a patient at the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Nossa Senhora da Conceicao hospital, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, November 19, 2020 Credit: Diego Vara/File Photo/Reuters)
TUE 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrnvzx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 18:06 Outlook (w3cszdks)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 today]
TUE 18:50 Witness History (w3cszmql)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:50 today]
TUE 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrnzr1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 19:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwx7r55)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
TUE 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qccc0f)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
TUE 19:32 Sport Today (w172x3jyp6mzz62)
2021/01/05 GMT
BBC sports correspondents tell the story behind today's top sporting news, with interviews and reports from across the world.
TUE 20:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrp3h5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 20:06 The Documentary (w3ct1d1c)
Donald Trump: The political record
What is Donald Trump’s political and policy legacy? Nada Tawfik explores how four years of the Trump presidency has challenged US policy conventions and rewritten the narrative of American political discourse.
Photo: Donald Trump speaks at the White House on 4 November, 2020 Credit: Getty Images
TUE 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qccgrk)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
TUE 20:32 Digital Planet (w3csz994)
Blindness in the digital age
Smartphone apps and other digital technologies have completely changed the lives of visually impaired and blind people around the world. This special programme on blindness and digital technology takes us through some of the tech responsible.
Motivational speaker Fern Lulham narrates her trip to the shops with her guide-dog Nancy, talking us through the different apps that she uses to help her find her keys, navigate there, and even colour match her clothes. She joins us live.
Presenter Gareth speaks with an Ophthalmologist in Delhi, India who is helping to train visually impaired people about how smartphone apps like ‘Be My Eyes’ can improve their independence and quality of life. We meet Brian Mwenda, the Kenyan inventor of the Fourth Eye and the Sixth Sense, two inexpensive, touch-based echo-location technologies that will help to give cheap and high-quality help with mobility for people with visual impairments around the world.
(Image: Brian Mwiti Mwenda - Hope Tech Plus)
Presenter: Gareth MitchellStudio Expert: Bill Thompson
Producer: Rory Galloway
TUE 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrp779)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z46j8cdvw)
Georgia Senate election: voting begins to decide Senate control
Two pivotal US Senate run-off elections are taking place in Georgia, a state President-elect Joe Biden won by just eleven-thousand votes in November. Today’s outcome will determine how easily he’ll be able to push through his legislative agenda once he enters the White House.
Also on the programme: We’ll find out more about the re-establishing of relations between Qatar and four of its neighbours; and a look at the disappearance of Chinese businessman Jack Ma.
(Picture: Voters in Tucker, Georgia, Credit: EPA)
TUE 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrpbzf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79s959ksz8)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
TUE 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fnx9782y3)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.
TUE 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qccq7t)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
TUE 22:32 World Business Report (w172x58v5xcd2dr)
Germany set to extend coronavirus lockdown
German authorities are expected to extend strict lockdown measures to the end of January. We get reaction from some small businesses that will be affected. Also in the programme the World Bank has said that any recovery in the global economy is dependent on the roll out of successful vaccines and has predicted 4% growth in the coming year - we hear from the BBC's Andrew Walker who's been talking to the World Bank. We examine the run-off Senate elections today in the US state of Georgia, which are set to determine whether Democrats or Republicans are in control of the upper house of Congress. We hear from Anita Kumar, Washington DC correspondent at Politico, Aaron Morrison, who writes about race and ethnicity for the Associated Press, and Alexa Bankert, a political science professor at Georgia University. Plus, Moscow's underground Metro has hired its first female train drivers since the 1980s. The profession had been added to a list of jobs considered too physically demanding or dangerous for women to undertake, as the BBC's Olga Ivshina explains.
(Picture: Two women speak outside a closed Berlin department store. Picture credit: Getty Images.)
TUE 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrpgqk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
TUE 23:06 People Fixing the World (w3cszv29)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:06 today]
TUE 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcctzy)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
TUE 23:32 In the Studio (w3cszvcd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:32 today]
WEDNESDAY 06 JANUARY 2021
WED 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrplgp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 00:06 The Arts Hour (w3cszk3z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:06 on Saturday]
WED 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrpq6t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 01:06 Business Matters (w172x195nz3gy9q)
The US state of Georgia goes to the polls
The US state of Georgia is going to the polls for a second-round vote and at stake is whether President-elect Joe Biden's Democrats control the Senate. In an extended report, the BBC's Fergus Nicoll looks at the forces in play behind the electioneering. Also in the programme, the World Bank has said that any recovery in the global economy is dependent on the roll out of successful vaccines and has predicted 4% growth in the coming year - we hear from the BBC's Andrew Walker. Plus, Singapore has confirmed its law enforcers will be able to access the country's coronavirus contact tracing data to help criminal investigations. And in Russia women are driving the metro trains - after a 40 year ban - although there's still a list of jobs women are not advised to do; we hear from Olga Ivshina from the BBC's Russian Service. Plus, this summer, festival goers around the world stayed at home due to coronavirus restrictions so what will happen this year? We hear from Chief Executive of UK Music, Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, who's been giving evidence to members of the British Parliament on the state of the music industry. And we're joined throughout the programme by two guests on opposite sides of the world; Erin Delmore, political correspondent in New York and Robin Harding, the Financial Times' correspondent in Tokyo. (Picture of stickers for voters in Atlanta, Georgia by Megan Varner via Getty Images).
WED 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrptyy)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 02:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc7j)
Neil Ferguson: Did the UK get its Covid strategy wrong?
Stephen Sackur speaks to British epidemiologist Professor Neil Ferguson, whose early modelling of Covid-19 made him an influential advocate of the lockdown strategy. The UK is back in lockdown and infections are surging. What has gone wrong, and why have other countries done better?
WED 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcd67b)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
WED 02:32 The Documentary (w3ct1d0f)
The Digital Human: Ghoul
Violent content online has rightly been condemned, yet while we criticise those facilitating the supply we rarely talk about the demand. Aleks Krotoski asks who views it and why.
WED 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrpyq2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 03:06 Outlook (w3cszdks)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 on Tuesday]
WED 03:50 Witness History (w3cszmql)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:50 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrq2g6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 04:06 The Compass (w3ct1czm)
My Perfect City
My Perfect City: Housing in Vienna
In Vienna housing is considered a basic human right. Is it a model other cities should follow?
In the Austrian capital, 60% of citizens live in subsidised social housing. Rent is affordable and developments are built to a high design and environmental specification. Many include swimming pools, schools, medical and sports facilities, while people from all walks of life live side by side, encouraging social cohesion.
Fi Glover and panellists Greg Clark, urbanist and global city adviser, and urban designer Pooja Agrawal test the credentials of the Viennese housing model. Should it be added to the perfect city portfolio?
The team also consider Kigali’s public housing achievements.
WED 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcdfql)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
WED 04:32 Digital Planet (w3csz994)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:32 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrq66b)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 05:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbgbgk1)
Georgia: US Senate vote on knife-edge
Elections in the US state of Georgia that will decide control of the Senate are too close to call amid a nail-biting ballot count. We have the latest.
No police officer will face charges over the shooting of a black man, Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August, an incident which sparked protests in the US. We hear from a community activist in Kenosha.
And the death toll from Covid-19 in South Africa means undertakers are running out of space in mortuaries as the President of an association representing Black-owned mortuaries describes.
WED 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrq9yg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 06:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbgbl95)
US Senate runoff: Georgia results on knife-edge
The stakes on the outcome of these two US Senate seats couldn't be higher as they will influence the fate of the entire Joe Biden presidency, due to start in two weeks time. We speak to a Republican who voted for the Democratic candidates in Georgia.
The head of Africa CDC gives the latest on how countries on the continent are being affected by the pandemic.
And today is the Christian festival of the Epiphany, which also marks the end of the holiday festivities, but Greece has reversed its decision to open up places of worship, because of the number of Covid-19 cases.
WED 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrqfpl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 07:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbgbq19)
US Senate runoff: Democrats and Republicans neck and neck
Crucial elections for Georgia's two seats in the US Senate are on a knife- edge. Ninety- seven per cent of returns have been counted, but the outcome is uncertain. We have the latest from Atlanta.
The police involved in the shooting in the back of Jacob Blake last August in Kenosha, Wisconsin, will not face prosecution as he had a knife, that’s the decision of the local district attorney. We get the reaction of a mental health professional and community activist in Kenosha.
And we report from Nigeria on what actual changes have taken place in legal terms and for prosecutions, after thirty state governors adopted a resolution last year to declare a state of emergency on rape.
WED 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrqkfq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 08:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc7j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:06 today]
WED 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcdxq3)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
WED 08:32 Business Daily (w3csz8nt)
Predicting the future of retail
With much of the world going back into stringent lockdowns and people warned away, or even outright banned, from physical stores and malls, some observers are suggesting this might be the moment online retail takes the dominant position. Others, however, say this is just the last of a long line of challenges for high street retail, and they’re not giving up without a fight. We’ll hear from branding consultant and futurist Karinna Nobbs as well as the self-styled “Retail Prophet” Doug Stephens.
(Image credit: Getty Creative)
WED 08:50 Witness History (w3cszmsv)
The 'strike' in space
The three astronauts on the Skylab 4 space research mission in 1973 got behind schedule when one of them vomited before they'd even got onto the space station. They felt they were being micromanaged by ground control, and that their workload was unreasonable - and one day, all three of them missed their daily radio briefing. Some people at Nasa thought they'd gone on strike. But what really happened? Lucy Burns speaks to Dr Edward Gibson, the only surviving member of the trio, about an incident that has been misremembered as the Skylab space strike.
Photo: Scientist-astronaut Edward G Gibson sailing through airlock module hatch of the Skylab, demonstrating the effects of zero-gravity, February, 1974. (Image courtesy National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa)/Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
WED 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrqp5v)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 09:06 The Compass (w3ct1czm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
04:06 today]
WED 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcf1g7)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
WED 09:32 The Documentary (w3ct1d0f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:32 today]
WED 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrqsxz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 10:06 World Book Club (w3cszmx6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
04:06 on Sunday]
WED 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrqxp3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwx9p37)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
WED 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcf8yh)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
WED 11:32 Digital Planet (w3csz994)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:32 on Tuesday]
WED 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrr1f7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 12:06 Outlook (w3cszdsk)
Seven songs to mourn seven black men
In the aftermath of a highly-publicised killing of an African American man by police in 2014, composer Joel Thompson started channelling his anger and sadness into music. He began setting the last words of seven black men, killed by police and authority figures in America, to music in a complex choral arrangement. The result was a composition called Seven Last Words of the Unarmed. He spoke to Outlook's Emily Webb.
Grecia is a toucan from Costa Rica whose beak had been crushed and completely amputated. The bird's chances of survival were poor, but animal rescue expert Ronald Sibaja was determined to save Grecia’s life. He got support from an unlikely source - 3D printing companies that normally fabricate noses for commercial aircraft. Outlook's Clayton Conn visited Grecia back in 2019.
Photo: Memorial for Eric Garner
Credit: Getty Images/Andrew Lichtenstein
WED 12:50 Witness History (w3cszmsv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:50 today]
WED 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrr55c)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 13:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwx9xlh)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
WED 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcfjfr)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
WED 13:32 The Documentary (w3ct1d0f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:32 today]
WED 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrr8xh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 14:06 Newshour (w172x2z46j8fgk2)
Georgia election: Democrats move closer to Senate control
The Democratic Party of US President-elect Joe Biden is moving closer to taking control of the Senate, as results come in from two elections in Georgia. Raphael Warnock, a pastor, is projected to have won one of the seats. The other is on a knife-edge.
Also in the programme: US lawmakers meet to confirm Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election amid expected protests from Trump supporters. A joint session of Congress will count and confirm electoral college votes; and Hong Kong police have arrested fifty-three pro-democracy activists and politicians, accusing them of trying to "overthrow" the territory's government.
(Photo: Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock speaks on his campaign's YouTube account. Credit: Reuters)
WED 15:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrrdnm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 15:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc7j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:06 today]
WED 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcfry0)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
WED 15:32 World Business Report (w172xlxqfyth5c6)
Alaska oil drilling auction to proceed
A controversial Alaska oil drilling rights auction has been approved by a federal judge. Matthew Rexford is tribal administrator for the native village of Kaktovik on a remote island off Alaska's northern shoreline, and explains why he welcomes the potential economic impact of new oil exploration. Adam Kolton is executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League in Washington, DC, and explains why environmentalists are opposed to the move. And we get the perspective of the energy industry from Kara Moriarty, president of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association. Also in the programme, Canadian-American singer-songwriter Neil Young has sold half the rights to his songs for an estimated $150m. Neil Young has been opposed to the commercialisation of music in the past, so we find out why he's made this move now from music writer Eamonn Forde. Plus, the BBC's Ed Butler examines the impact the pandemic is likely to have on the future of retail.
(Picture: A polar bear in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Picture credit: Getty Images.)
WED 16:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrrjdr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 16:06 BBC OS (w172x2t6k4n9wgl)
Coronavirus conversations: Vaccinations in Israel
An increasing number of countries around the world are starting to vaccinate their populations against Covid-19. Today we look at Israel, which has the highest rate of vaccinations globally, with nearly 15% of the population already vaccinated. We'll speak to people in Israel and the Palestinian territories about the vaccination program.
Also, every day we invite a health expert to help us understand the latest news about coronavirus and to answer listener questions. Today we are joined by Dr Maria Sundaram, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the ICES Ontario.
And there's lots of reports from the US saying that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are getting a divorce. The reports are so far unconfirmed by the couple, who have been married since 2014. We'll speak to a reporter who's been following the story to find out what we know so far.
(Credit: A medical worker prepares to administer a vaccination against the coronavirus disease at a drive-through vaccination centre in Haifa, Israel January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Ammar Awad)
WED 17:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrrn4w)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 17:06 BBC OS (w172x2t6k4nb06q)
Why do Georgia's elections matter?
In the United States the Democratic Party is on course to win control of the Senate - a key institution for making and passing legislation in the US. This will be decided by the results of two elections in Georgia, which are currently coming in. The Democrat candidate Pastor Raphael Warnock is already projected to win one seat. We'll follow the results and speak to voters in Georgia.
Also, an increasing number of countries around the world are starting to vaccinate their populations against Covid-19. Today we look at Israel, which has the highest rate of vaccinations globally, with nearly 15% of the population already vaccinated. We'll speak to people in Israel and the Palestinian territories about the vaccination program.
And we'll speak to a doctor in Brazil, the country with the second most Covid-19 related deaths in the world.
(Photo: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Raphael Warnock makes an address in Georgia 06/01/202. Credit: Reuters)
WED 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrrrx0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 18:06 Outlook (w3cszdsk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 today]
WED 18:50 Witness History (w3cszmsv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:50 today]
WED 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrrwn4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 19:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwxbn28)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
WED 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcg7xj)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
WED 19:32 Sport Today (w172x3jyp6n2w35)
2021/01/06 GMT
BBC sports correspondents tell the story behind today's top sporting news, with interviews and reports from across the world.
WED 20:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrs0d8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 20:06 The Compass (w3ct1czm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
04:06 today]
WED 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcgcnn)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
WED 20:32 Health Check (w3cszcd1)
The first year of the pandemic
Claudia Hammond talks to Guardian health editor Sarah Boseley exactly one year after she and Claudia first talked on Health Check about a mysterious respiratory disease that had appeared in Wuhan in China – with 59 cases reported at that point. What have been the highs and lows of the world’s response to the coronavirus so far?
Alison van Diggelen reports from the USA on research which has found that on average the mental wellbeing of older people has held up better during the pandemic than that of younger generations, despite the mortality risk being much higher for the elderly. Researchers in California and Georgia have also looked at why.
For listeners living under strict lockdowns, psychologist Virginia Frum recommends awe walks. Walks during which you deliberately look out for things to be amazed by can boost your emotional wellbeing. You don’t have to travel to spectacular scenery: awe walks can work just as well in a city as out in nature.
Boston University’s global health epidemiologist Matthew Fox is Claudia’s guest of the week. They discuss the United States’ troubled Covid vaccine rollout, the long term health problems of conflict refugees, and how smartphones can improve a low-tech method of cervical cancer screening.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker
(Picture: Medical staff members wearing protective clothing accompanying a patient in Wuhan, China in January 2020. Photo credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images.)
WED 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrs44d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z46j8g9rz)
Pro-Trump protesters storm Capitol building
Capitol police drew their weapons inside the Senate chamber as armed pro-Trump protesters ran riot inside the Capitol building. Representatives were moved to an undisclosed safe place. One woman was treated inside the building for a gunshot wound. Newshour spoke to congressmen and women caught up in the violence.
Photo: Protesters gather outside the Senate chamber after they breached security at the US Capitol building in Washington DC. Credit: EPA.
WED 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrs7wj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79s959npwc)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
WED 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fnx97bzv6)
Sports News
Due to events in Washington this programme was not broadcast.
WED 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcgm4x)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
WED 22:32 World Business Report (w172x58v5xcgz9v)
Alaska oil drilling auction to proceed
Due to events in Washington these programmes were not broadcast.
A controversial Alaska oil drilling rights auction has been approved by a federal judge. Matthew Rexford is tribal administrator for the native village of Kaktovik on a remote island off Alaska's northern shoreline, and explains why he welcomes the potential economic impact of new oil exploration. Adam Kolton is executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League in Washington, DC, and explains why environmentalists are opposed to the move. And we get the perspective of the energy industry from Kara Moriarty, president of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association. Also in the programme, Canadian-American singer-songwriter Neil Young has sold half the rights to his songs for an estimated $150m. Neil Young has been opposed to the commercialisation of music in the past, so we find out why he's made this move now from music writer Eamonn Forde. Plus, the BBC's Ed Butler examines the impact the pandemic is likely to have on the future of retail.
(Picture: A polar bear in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Picture credit: Getty Images.)
WED 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrscmn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
WED 23:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc7j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:06 today]
WED 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcgqx1)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
WED 23:32 The Documentary (w3ct1d0f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:32 today]
THURSDAY 07 JANUARY 2021
THU 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrshcs)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 00:06 World Book Club (w3cszmx6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
04:06 on Sunday]
THU 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrsm3x)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 01:06 Business Matters (w172x195nz3kv6t)
Trump supporters storm Capitol building
Hundreds of supporters of President Trump stormed into the US Capitol building after breaking through a security perimeter. The events happened as part of an effort to prevent the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's victory, with rioters smashing windows and clashing with police. We hear from the BBC's North America correspondent Lebo Diseko from the US Capitol building and are also joined by Peter Morici, University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business and Alexis Goldstein who lives near the US Capitol building; she's an activist and financial reform advocate in the city. And political reporter Erin Delmore and Marketplace's Nicole Childers provide additional analysis. Plus, whilst much of the country was gripped by what was happening in Washington, US stock markets were unmoved by the scenes; Susan Schmidt from Aviva Investors in Chicago tells us why. (Picture of rioters outside the Capitol by Tayfun Coskun via Getty Images).
THU 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrsqw1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 02:06 The Inquiry (w3csyth9)
Is recycling broken?
With countries shutting their doors to foreign recyclable waste and a lack of processing capacity back home, is the recycling system broken?
China used to accept 55% of the world’s plastic and paper waste. But it closed its doors in 2018. Initially other countries in South East Asia, like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam took over China’s waste processing role. But they too are now sending much of the waste back, arguing it is contaminated and is harming their own environments.
This has created major problems for countries in the West who traditionally relied on others to process their recycling waste. In addition, there’s confusion about what households can and cannot put into their recycling bins, along with that lack of recycling capacity back home. So what is the answer to the growing mountains of what was supposed to be recyclable waste? Could Sweden, which has reduced the amount of household waste it sends to landfill to under one per cent, have an answer? It’s not one everyone agrees with.
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: John Murphy
(A man picks up plastic waste to be recycled at the Kawatuna landfill in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photo credit: Basri Marzuki / Getty Images)
THU 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qch34f)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
THU 02:32 The Food Chain (w3cszjr2)
Yotam Ottolenghi: My life in five dishes
The influential Israeli-born, UK-based chef tells his life story through some of his most memorable dishes.
Often credited with bringing Middle Eastern food into the mainstream in the UK, he now has a string of restaurants and delicatessens behind him, along with several best-selling cookbooks, but he was a late starter in the kitchen - almost pursuing a career in philosophy instead.
He tells Emily Thomas about his youth in the vibrant and diverse Jerusalem of the 1970s, coming out as gay in Tel Aviv, and the huge impact of his younger brother’s death.
Usually reluctant to delve into politics, Yotam also explains why he’s decided to speak out in support of his industry during the coronavirus pandemic.
Producers: Simon Tulett, Siobhan O'Connell and Sarah Stolarz
If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk
(Picture: Yotam Ottolenghi. Credit: David Loftus/BBC)
THU 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrsvm5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 03:06 Outlook (w3cszdsk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 on Wednesday]
THU 03:50 Witness History (w3cszmsv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:50 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrszc9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 04:06 Assignment (w3csz6m8)
Libya's brothers from Hell
Amid the anarchy of post-Revolution Libya, seven brothers from an obscure background gradually took over their home town near Tripoli. They're accused of murdering entire families to instill fear and to build power and wealth. They created their own militia which threw in its lot, at different times, with various forces in Libya's ongoing conflict. And they grew rich by levying taxes on the human and fuel traffickers crossing their territory. Now, the full horror of their reign of terror is being exposed: since they were driven out in June, more and more mass graves are being discovered. The Libyan authorities - and the International Criminal Court - are investigating what happened. But the four surviving Kani brothers have fled. Will they ever face justice? And what does their story tell us about why the 2011 overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi brought not democracy, but chaos, to Libya? Tim Whewell reports.
Editor: Bridget Harney
(Image: A defaced mural depicting Mohsen al-Kani in the town of Tarhuna. Credit: Mahmud Turkia/AFP via Getty Images)
THU 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qchbmp)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
THU 04:32 Health Check (w3cszcd1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:32 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrt33f)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 05:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbgfcg4)
Chaos in the US capitol: protesters storm Capitol Hill.
Four protesters are dead after Trump supporters go on a rampage trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. We speak to a Congressman who was in the building.
Also in America the Democratic Party is set to gain control over the US Senate after wins in Georgia.
We also hear from Indonesia where a vaccine rollout isn't targeting the oldest and most vulnerable but instead working-age adults.
THU 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrt6vk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 06:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbgfh68)
Four dead after US Capitol invaded
The violence happened just hours after Mr Trump held a rally close to the White House repeating false claims that the election was stolen.
Twitter and Facebook have blocked the president after he tweeted a message of support for the protesters.
We speak to an activist in Tunisia as the authorities consider proposing a bill which will require mandatory military service for both men and women, in a bid to promote gender equality.
THU 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrtblp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 07:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbgflyd)
Supporters of President Trump storm Capitol
A joint session of Congress is now back underway - working late to officially confirm Joe Biden as president.
More than 1,000 people died from coronavirus in the UK on Wednesday - the highest daily death toll since April.
And France has launched a scheme enabling the government to take money directly from the bank accounts of parents who fail to pay child support.
THU 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrtgbt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 08:06 The Inquiry (w3csyth9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:06 today]
THU 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qchtm6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
THU 08:32 Business Daily (w3csz7y9)
Can the Democrats make economic change?
The Democrats and President-elect Biden have won control of the US Congress after results came in from two elections in Georgia. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff defeated Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue respectively. Mr Biden will have a much better chance now of pushing through his legislative agenda. We'll hear from former President Obama's top economic adviser Jason Furman, about how this might shape the country's economic future, while Chris Low of FHN Financial in New York gives us Wall Street's reaction. We'll also be joined live by entrepreneur and former economic adviser under President Bush, Pippa Malmgren to discuss the night of violence seen in the country's capitol buildings.
Producer: Frey Lindsay.
(Image: A voter leaves a polling station on January 5, 2021 in Marietta, Georgia. Image credit: Getty Creative.)
THU 08:50 Witness History (w3cszmnb)
Sequencing the Ebola virus genome
When the deadly Ebola virus broke out in West Africa in 2014, scientists in the USA set to work analysing it. What they discovered would eventually lead to a treatment. Pardis Sabeti is a virologist at Harvard University and leads the team who sequenced the Ebola virus genome - she has been speaking to Ibby Caputo for Witness History.
Photo: Pardis Sabeti (front row, right) with some of the team who sequenced the virus in the lab.
THU 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrtl2y)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 09:06 Assignment (w3csz6m8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
04:06 today]
THU 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qchycb)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
THU 09:32 The Food Chain (w3cszjr2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:32 today]
THU 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrtpv2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 10:06 The Forum (w3cszjwl)
Alexandre Yersin and the race to fight the plague
When Alexandre Yersin discovered one of the most lethal bacteria in human history, the tiny bacillus of the plague that over the centuries had killed tens of millions of people, he earned his place in the history books. Working in a straw hut in Hong Kong, armed with just a microscope, Yersin’s methodical mind worked out within just a few days where in human body to look for the plague bacteria. A much bigger and better-equipped Japanese team, competing with Yersin, came away empty-handed. So who was Alexandre Yersin? Why did this pioneering Swiss scientist spend most of his life in Vietnam? And why did it take decades fully to credit Yersin with the discovery of the microorganism that now bears his name, Yersinia pestis?
These are some of the questions Bridget Kendall discusses with film director Stephane Kleeb, who made a documentary about Yersin; Professor Maxime Schwartz, medical historian and former director of the Pasteur Institute in France; and Dr. Mary Augusta Brazelton from Cambridge University whose research focuses on medical history of Asia.
[Image: Alexandre Yersin in a sailor's uniform, c.1890. Credit: Pascal Deloche/Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images]
THU 10:50 Sporting Witness (w3cszh62)
Brad Snyder - From the battlefield to Paralympic gold
In 2011, US Navy bomb disposal officer Brad Snyder was blinded by an IED while serving in Afghanistan. Formerly a successful college swimmer, Snyder used sport as part of his recovery and exactly a year later took two gold medals at the London Paralympic Games. He talks to Ashley Byrne. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester Production.
PHOTO: Brad Snyder with one of his gold medals (Getty Images)
THU 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrttl6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwxdl0b)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
THU 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcj5vl)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
THU 11:32 Health Check (w3cszcd1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:32 on Wednesday]
THU 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrtybb)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 12:06 Outlook (w3cszdc0)
The rebel musicians fighting India’s caste system
Tenma and Arivu are members of The Casteless Collective - an ensemble protest band from the city of Chennai in southern India. They channel their outrage towards caste oppression into song. Arivu has seen that oppression first hand growing up in a Dalit - sometimes called ‘untouchable’ - community, and rapping became his outlet. As The Casteless Collective they blend traditional Gaana music with hip hop and rock, to challenge the caste system through their music.
Colin Butcher is a pet detective based in the UK - he and his cocker spaniel Molly track down missing animals through scent-matching - Colin will get a sample of hair from the missing pet and Molly will sniff the animal out. In 2019 Emily Webb travelled to Surrey in the south of England to meet them and see Molly in action. Emily also spoke to Colin this week to find out why he and Molly have been busier than ever during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Music courtesy of The Casteless Collective and Gana Palani.
Picture: Tenma (left) and Arivu (front right) performing as The Casteless Collective in Chennai, 2020
Credit: Palanikumar Manisha
THU 12:50 Witness History (w3cszmnb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:50 today]
THU 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrv22g)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 13:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwxdthl)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
THU 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcjfbv)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
THU 13:32 The Food Chain (w3cszjr2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:32 today]
THU 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrv5tl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 14:06 Newshour (w172x2z46j8jcg5)
Biden victory confirmed after Capitol riot
The US Congress has formally certified Joe Biden's presidential election victory, hours after furious Trump supporters broke into the Capitol building. President Trump has promised an orderly transition but says he still doesn't accept the election result.
We'll hear eyewitness accounts of what happened and we look at how the events in Washington are viewed by the EU, Brazil and Nigeria.
(Photo: Police enforcements arrive to guard the US Capitol in Washington, January 7, 2021. Credit REUTERS/Erin Scott)
THU 15:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrv9kq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 15:06 The Inquiry (w3csyth9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:06 today]
THU 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcjnv3)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
THU 15:32 World Business Report (w172xlw2khm6gdq)
Biden win certified by Congress after violent protests
There is a sense of shock after a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the US Congress. Daniel Lipmann of the news website Politico discusses the mood in Washington after a tumultuous 24 hours. The BBC's Michelle Fleury explains how US business leaders have responded. Multiple social media sites have imposed a suspension on President Trump's accounts, and social media specialist Jonathan Pollinger tells us whether the companies are now likely to come under greater pressure to exercise more control over content shared on their platforms. Meanwhile, Joe Biden's presidential victory has been certified by Congress, and we get a sense of what his approach to the US economy might be in the months ahead from Jason Furman, who is former chair of President Obama's council of economic advisers. Plus, we consider the future of the Republican party, with Kate Andrews of The Spectator, who also worked on the party's campaign to get Mitt Romney elected president in 2012.
(Picture: Protesters attempt to enter the US Capitol building. Picture credit: Getty Images.)
THU 16:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrvf9v)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 16:06 BBC OS (w172x2t6k4ndscp)
Biden victory certified after chaos in Washington
We dedicate most of the programme to the dramatic events in Washington where supporters of President Trump on Wednesday stormed the Capitol building. We speak to those who witnessed what happened and hear conversations with Republican voters about the developments and about the future of their party.
We also speak to our misinformation experts about the impact of conspiracy theories and fake news on what's been happening in the US during the Trump presidency.
And we discuss the risk of spreading COVID-19 in gatherings like the one in Washington. Our guest expert is Dr Emma Hodcroft, a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland
(Photo: Vice President Mike Pence (C-L) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (C-R) read the final certification of Electoral College votes cast in November"s presidential election during a joint session of Congress after working through the night, at the Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 07 January 2021. Credit: J. Scott Applewhite / POOL/EPA)
THU 17:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrvk1z)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 17:06 BBC OS (w172x2t6k4ndx3t)
Capitol riots: Security failures
The US Congress has certified Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election, hours after Trump supporters stormed the building. We hear a conversation about the security failures and police tactics. Many activists have pointed out that police response was very different from the massive show of police force in place in Black Lives Matter demonstrations last year.
We have also gathered messages from people around the world reacting to what has taken place in the US capital.
We discuss the latest research and talking points about the coronavirus pandemic with Dr Swapneil Parekh, an infectious disease researcher at the Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai.
(PHOTO: A supporter of President Donald Trump carries a Confederate battle flag on the second floor of the U.S. Capitol near the entrance to the Senate after breaching security defenses, in Washington, U.S., January 6, 2021. Credit: Mike Theiler/File Photo/Reuters)
THU 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrvnt3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 18:06 Outlook (w3cszdc0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 today]
THU 18:50 Witness History (w3cszmnb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:50 today]
THU 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrvsk7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 19:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwxfjzc)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
THU 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qck4tm)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
THU 19:32 Sport Today (w172x3jyp6n5s08)
2021/01/07 GMT
BBC sports correspondents tell the story behind today's top sporting news, with interviews and reports from across the world.
THU 20:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrvx9c)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 20:06 Assignment (w3csz6m8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
04:06 today]
THU 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qck8kr)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
THU 20:32 Science in Action (w3cszh1k)
New variants of SARS-Cov2
Mutant strains of SARS-Cov2 have been identified not only in the UK, where it was first identified, but also in at least 30 other countries. And to complicate matters, another alarming variant, with some similar mutations, has arisen in South Africa. Roland Pease talks to Ravi Gupta, a virologist at Cambridge University and Tulio de Oliveira of the University of KwaZulu Natal about these new strains.
There’s only so much that can be learned about the virus by looking at the patients it infects. Thanks to techniques developed to study HIV, Ebola, flu and other viruses in the past, researchers have methods for growing key parts of viral structures in the lab and watching closely how they behave in cell cultures. Jeremy Luban of the University of Massachusetts and Alli Greaney at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center talk to Roland about how they are studying the biology of the mutations to discover how the new strains might respond to vaccines.
(Image: Swab test. Credit: Getty Images)
Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Deborah Cohen
THU 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrw11h)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z46j8k6p2)
Biden blames Trump for Capitol Hill riots
President-elect Biden has said the blame for Wednesday's riots on Capitol Hill lies with Donald Trump, who he said had spent the past four years trying to undermine American democracy. Mr Trump's administration has been hit by a wave of resignations as former allies desert a man whose time in office is fast running out. We hear from one of them and from a Trump-supporting, Republican Congressman.
Also in the programme: we look at how a mob was able to break into the Capitol; and two leading historians give us an international perspective on the riots.
(Photo: Joe Biden speaks about the violence that took place at the US Capitol in Washington. Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
THU 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrw4sm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79s959rlsg)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
THU 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fnx97fwr9)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.
THU 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qckj20)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
THU 22:32 World Business Report (w172x58v5xckw6y)
Democrats seek Trump's removal from office
Democrats have called on the Cabinet to remove the President from office. They want Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment to the US Constitution, certifying the president as unfit to hold office. If he doesn't, they said Congress should move quickly to expel Mr Trump through the impeachment process; we hear from the BBC's Michelle Fleury. Plus, we hear from Steve Lamar, president of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, which represents some of the world's biggest clothes and shoe brands. And social media companies remain under the spotlight over their role in Wednesday’s events. Facebook has blocked Donald Trump from using his account on the platform for at least two weeks, we get analysis from Russell Brandom, policy editor at tech website, The Verge. The US aircraft maker Boeing will pay over $2.5 billion to resolve an investigation by the US Justice Department into two deadly crashes of the company's 737 Max aircraft; Cary Leahey from Decision Economics gives us the details. And the BBC's Ed Butler looks into the future of shopping. (Picture: Protesters attempt to enter the US Capitol building. Picture credit: Getty Images.)
THU 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrw8jr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
THU 23:06 The Inquiry (w3csyth9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:06 today]
THU 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qckmt4)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
THU 23:32 The Food Chain (w3cszjr2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:32 today]
FRIDAY 08 JANUARY 2021
FRI 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrwd8w)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 00:06 The Forum (w3cszjwl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:06 on Thursday]
FRI 00:50 Sporting Witness (w3cszh62)
[Repeat of broadcast at
10:50 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrwj10)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 01:06 Business Matters (w172x195nz3nr3x)
Democrats seek Trump's removal from office
Democrats have called on the Cabinet to remove the President from office. They want Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment to the US Constitution, certifying the president as unfit to hold office. If he doesn't, they said Congress should move quickly to expel Mr Trump through the impeachment process; we hear from the BBC's North America Political Reporter Anthony Zurcher. Plus, we hear from Steve Lamar, president of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, which represents some of the world's biggest clothes and shoe brands. And social media companies remain under the spotlight over their role in Wednesday’s events. Facebook has blocked Donald Trump from using his account on the platform for at least two weeks, we get analysis from Russell Brandom, policy editor at tech website, The Verge and Kimberley Adams, a correspondent for Marketplace, the business news show on US public radio. The US aircraft maker Boeing will pay over $2.5 billion to resolve an investigation by the US Justice Department into two deadly crashes of the company's 737 Max aircraft; the BBC's Theo Leggett brings us the details. The planet has a new richest person, Elon Musk, the founder of the electric carmaker, Tesla. He's worth $195 billion, according to Bloomberg due to the surge in Tesla's share price; we hear more from Daniel Ives, managing director of brokers Wedbush Securities. And joining us throughout the programme are Hayley Woodin, a multi-media reporter for the publication "Business" in Vancouver and in Delhi, Sushma Ramachandran, an independent business journalist and columnist for "The Tribune" newspaper. (Picture: Protesters attempt to enter the US Capitol building. Picture credit: Getty Images.)
FRI 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrwms4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 02:06 HARDtalk (w3cszbyh)
Admiral James Stavridis: The aftermath of the capitol riot
The Trump inspired insurrection on Capitol Hill failed. But the wounds to America’s body politic are now raw and deep. The President remains Commander in Chief with his finger on the nuclear button, but is that tenable for the next two weeks? What are the dramatic death throes of the Trump presidency doing to America’s standing in the wider world? Stephen Sackur speaks to retired US admiral and former Supreme Commander of Nato’s armed forces James Stavridis. How deep is the hole America is in?
FRI 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcl01j)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
FRI 02:32 World Football (w3cszth7)
Big plans and high hopes for Anguilla
Anguilla national team coach Stern John talks about his new job and his hunt for new players. Wales international Helen Ward tells us why she briefly considered quitting the game. And Pat Nevin meets Pat-Nevin, as we introduce our regular presenter to the Namibian international Pat-Nevin Uanivi!
Picture: Anguilla's football players pose for pictures aha of a CONCACAF Nations League match in 2019. (JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
FRI 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrwrj8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 03:06 Outlook (w3cszdc0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 on Thursday]
FRI 03:50 Witness History (w3cszmnb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:50 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrww8d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 04:06 Tech Tent (w3cszhpw)
Facebook and Twitter block Trump
Social giants act after the President praises supporters who broke into the US Congress building. Plus, how Singapore’s Covid-19 contact tracing data may be accessed by police despite earlier assurances it would only be used to control the pandemic. And we look ahead to next week’s CES, the biggest annual tech event. Can it deliver in a virtual format? Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC senior tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.
(Image: Donald Trump rallies supporters to march on the US Capitol to protest against the certification of the election result. Credit: Getty Images).
FRI 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcl7js)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
FRI 04:32 Science in Action (w3cszh1k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:32 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrx00j)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 05:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbgj8c7)
More Trump backlash after Capitol Hill riots
After the attack on the symbol of American democracy by his supporters, the outcry against President Trump grows. We speak to one of his fiercest critics - his niece Mary Trump, as well as a prominent Republican who is sticking by the president.
In Kenya almost 500 healthcare workers have been sacked after they took part in a nation-wide strike over the lack of personal protective equipment, putting them at greater risk of contracting coronavirus.
Thousands of migrants in Bosnia are enduring the winter without adequate shelter in the most difficult of circumstances.
FRI 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrx3rn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 06:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbgjd3c)
President Trump shows first sign of defeat
US President Donald Trump commits to an "orderly" transition of power a day after his supporters stormed Congress, provoking world condemnation. The President's remarks were widely seen as his first public acknowledgement of defeat in November's election.
In Indonesia the notorious Islamic extremist, Abu Bakar Bashir who has been accused of masterminding the 2002 Bali bombings, has been released from jail.
A teacher in Canada has been working with her schoolchildren to write and illustrate a book all about how to survive being at home for so long. They are using the opportunity to raise money from book sales to send to relief funds for families across the world affected by coronavirus.
FRI 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrx7hs)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 07:06 Newsday (w172x2wnwbgjhvh)
President Trump pledges smooth handover of power
President Trump changes his tone on the mayhem in Washington in a new video message - but he's still under fire. We'll speak to one of his fiercest critics - his niece.
We go to Australia for reaction to the release from prison of the man suspected of masterminding the Bali bombings.
And we head to France where the country's coronavirus vaccine programme has had a slow start.
FRI 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrxc7x)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 08:06 HARDtalk (w3cszbyh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:06 today]
FRI 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qclqj9)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
FRI 08:32 Business Daily (w3csz79h)
What makes Elon Musk tick?
Elon Musk, the space pioneer and electric car guru, now ranks as one of the world's richest men, thanks to a surge in the value of shares in his company Tesla. In an interview from 2014, he tells the BBC's chief environment correspondent Justin Rowlatt what drives him to take on some of the world's most technologically challenging projects, and how he feels about the wealth he's accumulated over the years.
FRI 08:50 Witness History (w3cszmw3)
The book that warned 2020 would bring disaster
The Limits to Growth was published in 1972 and warned of global decline from 2020. Claire Bowes spoke to one of the authors of the book, Professor Dennis Meadows, in 2019. He described how they used computer modelling to analyse how the Earth would cope with unrestricted economic growth. In the early 1970s he and his team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology fed in huge amounts of data on population, pollution, industrialisation, food production and resources. They found that if the trends continued, the result would be a sudden and uncontrollable downturn beginning around 2020. This programme was first broadcast in January 2020 but in this edition we catch up with Professor Meadows for a final thought on the significance of the global pandemic during 2020.
Image: Front cover of The Limits to Growth, published in 1972
FRI 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrxh01)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 09:06 Tech Tent (w3cszhpw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
04:06 today]
FRI 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qclv8f)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
FRI 09:32 World Football (w3cszth7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:32 today]
FRI 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrxlr5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 10:06 The Real Story (w3cszcp3)
Britain after Brexit: What’s its role in the world?
The Brexit transition period has ended and a new trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union is in effect. British PM Boris Johnson hailed “the dawn of a new era” saying it marked “a moment of real national renewal and change.” But there’s no consensus on what that change should look like and how it will impact the UK’s place in the world. The government in Westminster is now free to strike new trade deals, but US President-elect Joe Biden has indicated he’s in no hurry to enter negotiations, having opposed Britain’s exit from the EU from the beginning. Whatever deals the UK signs will involve offering concessions to trading partners and debate over how much to give up and to whom will be fierce. A new points-based immigration system is being introduced to allow Britain to manage the skills of arrivals, but there’s been little debate over who should be allowed in and whether people from Commonwealth countries should be given preferential treatment. Mr Johnson will host the G7 and UN climate conferences later this year and says the country will remain a key player on the world stage, staying in Nato and retaining its seat on the UN Security Council. But Britain’s political influence over its European neighbours has diminished and debate about potential future alliances has begun. Ritula Shah and panel discuss Britain’s new role on the world stage post-Brexit.
FRI 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrxqh9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwxhgxf)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
FRI 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcm2rp)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
FRI 11:32 Science in Action (w3cszh1k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:32 on Thursday]
FRI 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrxv7f)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 12:06 The Fifth Floor (w3cszjj7)
The abandoned Iraqi interpreters
Iraqis who worked as interpreters for British and US forces knew that their work was dangerous, but many did it from a sense of patriotism. But as coalition forces withdraw, many interpreters feel increasingly vulnerable to militias who see them as traitors. Nafiseh Kohnavard of BBC Persian recently met some interpreters in Baghdad to find out about their worries.
Chittagong's disappearing streams
In the Chittagong Hill Tracts of south-east Bangladesh, local people rely on forest streams for water. Now the streams are running dry because so many stones and rocks are being removed for construction projects. BBC Bangla’s Shahnewaj Rocky tells us about the impact this is having.
Thailand's New Year's nicknames
Every New Year the Thai government and its key players get nicknames, chosen by the Government House press corps. BBC Thai's Issariya Praithongyaem has been considering this year’s and previous New Year’s nicknames for us.
The real Russian 'Queen's Gambit'
The Netflix series Queens Gambit tells the story of a young orphan Beth Harmon who becomes a chess phenomenon and wins the World Championship in Moscow in the 1960s. All the characters are fictional, except one – the Soviet Union’s Nona Gaprindashvili, the world’s first female grand master of chess. Maria Jevstafjeva spoke to her for BBC Russian.
Turkey's Covid-19 vaccine drama
The Turkish government has bought 50 million doses of a Chinese vaccine, CoronaVac, and is one of the countries taking part in their clinical trials. But scientific and popular scepticism have been widespread, and the planned programme has been delayed several times. BBC Monitoring journalist Beril Akman has been following the story.
Image: Nafiseh Khonavard of BBC Persian
Credit: BBC
FRI 12:50 Witness History (w3cszmw3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:50 today]
FRI 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrxyzk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 13:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwxhqdp)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
FRI 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcmb7y)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
FRI 13:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct1d13)
Malta: The island where abortion is a crime
Malta is the last country in Europe to still criminalise abortion. A majority Catholic country, prior to Covid-19 Malta was due a visit from the Pope. While a pro-choice movement is increasingly emerging in the country, the Maltese political sphere on virtually all sides is anti-abortion. Doctors for Choice, a group of pro-choice medical professionals, was set up last year and they have received major criticism in the country – with hundreds of doctors writing a letter in response in support of what they call pro-life laws and treatments.
We speak to the doctors and activists trying to prompt debate in a country that has historically avoided it – and why anti-abortion politicians and doctors are proud that Malta is, as they see it, Europe’s defender of Catholic values.
Producer/presenter: Sophia Smith Galer
FRI 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzry2qp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 14:06 Newshour (w172x2z46j8m8c8)
Trump under pressure over Capitol riot
President Trump has finally accepted there will be a new administration in Washington this month and says he is committed to ensuring a smooth transition of power.
Also in the programme: the suspected mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings, the Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, has been released from prison in Indonesia; we hear from a survivor of the attack. And what is a 'coronavirus variant'?
(Photo: President Trump outside the White House. Credit: Reuters)
FRI 15:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzry6gt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 15:06 HARDtalk (w3cszbyh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:06 today]
FRI 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcmkr6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
FRI 15:32 World Business Report (w172xltfp1dxrg7)
Boeing to pay $2.5bn over 737 Max safety failings
Plane maker Boeing is to pay $2.5bn to settle a criminal charge over safety failings. The BBC's Theo Leggett explains the background, and we get the response of Zipporah Kuria, whose father was one of those killed when two Boeing 737 Max planes crashed in quick succession. Also in the programme, we have a report from the BBC's Thomas Naadi in Accra on Ghana's economic situation, as clashes between lawmakers broke out ahead of the swearing in of President Nana Akufo-Addo for a second term in office. And we get wider context from Dr John Asafu-Adjaye, at the African Center for Economic Transformation in Accra. Plus, Elon Musk, the space pioneer and electric car guru, now ranks as the world's richest person, thanks to a surge in the value of shares in his company Tesla. In an interview from 2014, we hear what drove him to take on some of the world's most technologically challenging projects, and how he feels about the wealth he's accumulated over the years.
(Picture: A Boeing 737 Max plane. Picture credit: Getty Images.)
FRI 16:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzryb6y)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 16:06 BBC OS (w172x2t6k4nhp8s)
US Capitol riot: Calls to remove Trump from office
We focus on developments in Washington and speak to the BBC's Reality Team about the people, who stormed the Capitol Building on Wednesday. And we discuss the backlash some of the lawmakers are facing over their support to overturn election results, as well as calls for President Trump to be removed from office.
We also continue to bring Republicans together in conversation to understand what they think this week’s events mean for President Trump’s legacy. And we ask international students in the US what they think about the events in the US capital.
And we get again questions answered on the coronavirus pandemic from our regular expert, Dr Megan Murray from Harvard Medical School. We discuss the discovery that two arthritis drugs can be used to help patients sick with Covid-19.
(Photo: U.S President Donald Trump gives an address, a day after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington Credit: Donald J. Trump via Twitter/via REUTERS)
FRI 17:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzryfz2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 17:06 BBC OS (w172x2t6k4nht0x)
Trump to snub Biden inauguration
We discuss the calls by top Democrats to remove President Trump from office or impeach him and get reaction to the news that Mr Trump will not attend Joe Biden's inauguation.
And we continue to bring Republicans together in conversation to understand what they think this week’s events mean for President Trump’s legacy.
We’ll also introduce a new coronavirus expert who will be joining the show every week, Dr Marc Mendelson is Professor of Infectious Diseases & HIV Medicine at Groote Schuur Hospital from University of Cape Town in South Africa.
((Photo: U.S President Donald Trump gives an address, a day after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington Credit: Donald J. Trump via Twitter/via REUTERS)
FRI 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrykq6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 18:06 The Fifth Floor (w3cszjj7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
12:06 today]
FRI 18:50 Witness History (w3cszmw3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
08:50 today]
FRI 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrypgb)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 19:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwxjfwg)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
FRI 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcn1qq)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
FRI 19:32 Sport Today (w172x3jyp6n8nxc)
2021/01/08 GMT
BBC sports correspondents tell the story behind today's top sporting news, with interviews and reports from across the world.
FRI 20:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzryt6g)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 20:06 Tech Tent (w3cszhpw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
04:06 today]
FRI 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcn5gv)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
FRI 20:32 CrowdScience (w3csz1tk)
Do green spaces make us healthier?
One of the more surprising consequences of the pandemic has been the trend for people wanting to move out of cities and back to the countryside. Not everyone has that privilege of course, but undoubtedly for some living in urban areas during lockdown, the lack of access to green spaces took its toll on their mental health and physical well-being. Now, with renewed hope of a global vaccine roll-out, ensuring more people have better access to nature is more important than ever, especially in cities of glass, steel and concrete.
Italian CrowdScience listener Enrica loves nothing better than walking along the verdant riverbank near her home after a hard week at work. But is this activity doing more than making her feel good? Is it having an actual effect on her health? Presenter Anand Jagatia meets Enrica and visits a radical scheme in the city of Milan, where officials have been working hard to increase urban green features and have committed to planting 3 million trees and building twenty new parks by 2030.
One such idea is the innovative Bosco Verticale - or vertical forest, planted up the side of two high rises apartment blocks. Amongst other benefits It’s hoped it could provide cooling microclimates to reduce the dangers of summer heat, and improve resident’s mental health.
Produced by Jennifer Whyntie. First broadcast October 2019.
(Photo: Tree lined "tunnel" in the English countryside of West Sussex. Credit: Getty Images)
FRI 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzryxyl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z46j8n3l5)
Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.
FRI 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrz1pq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79s959vhpk)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen
FRI 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fnx97jsnd)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.
FRI 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcndz3)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
FRI 22:32 World Business Report (w172x58v5xcns41)
Boeing to pay $2.5bn over 737 Max safety failings
Plane maker Boeing is to pay $2.5bn to settle a criminal charge over safety failings. The BBC's Theo Leggett explains the background, and we get the response of Zipporah Kuria, whose father was one of those killed when two Boeing 737 Max planes crashed in quick succession. Also in the programme, we have a report from the BBC's Thomas Naadi in Accra on Ghana's economic situation, as clashes between lawmakers broke out ahead of the swearing in of President Nana Akufo-Addo for a second term in office. And we get wider context from Dr John Asafu-Adjaye, at the African Center for Economic Transformation in Accra. Plus, Elon Musk, the space pioneer and electric car guru, now ranks as the world's richest person, thanks to a surge in the value of shares in his company Tesla. In an interview from 2014, we hear what drove him to take on some of the world's most technologically challenging projects, and how he feels about the wealth he's accumulated over the years.
(Picture: A Boeing 737 Max plane. Picture credit: Getty Images.)
FRI 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrz5fv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.
FRI 23:06 HARDtalk (w3cszbyh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:06 today]
FRI 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcnjq7)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.
FRI 23:32 World Football (w3cszth7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
02:32 today]