SATURDAY 09 JANUARY 2021

SAT 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrz95z)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 00:06 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.


SAT 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrzdy3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 01:06 Business Matters (w172x195nz3rn10)
Trump threatened with impeachment

House Democrats are preparing articles to accuse President Trump of 'inciting insurrection' as they attempt a second impeachment process as the clean-up continues at Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, the President takes to twitter to announce he's shunning Joe Biden's inauguration. We hear from Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal and Chris Low from FHN Financial. Also in the programme, we hear about the future of retail from the BBC's Ed Butler and Thomas Williams, a furniture expert at auction house Sotherbys tells us why dressing tables have become a sought after item of furniture in Hong Kong sale rooms. Plus we're joined throughout the programme by Karen Percy, a freelance reporter in Melbourne, Australia. (Picture: President Donald Trump speaks at the "Stop The Steal" Rally, by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images).


SAT 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrzjp7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3csz9qp)
Last Days of the Trump Presidency

After a week of turmoil on Capitol Hill, how does the world see American democracy now? And what do US citizens and Washington DC politicians feel about their country's ideals for government? Anthony Zurcher, who's covered US politics for decades, reflects on the wider consequences of Wednesday's rampage.

Pascale Harter introduces this story and other dispatches of insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents around the world.

Uganda's people will vote for their own government and presidency on January the 14th - and the incumbent, Yoweri Museveni, has won out in six previous elections so far. But as BBC Africa Correspondent Catherine Byaruhanga has been hearing, the country's mass of younger voters are turning an ear to the political rhetoric, as well as the protest songs, of one of the candidates challenging him - Robert Kyagulanyi, aka musician Bobi Wine.

Across the Northern Hemisphere it's the cold, dark depths of winter - and millions are living in lockdown as Covid-19 infection, hospitalisation and death rates are all climbing. Yet there is light at the end of the tunnel as countries work furiously to launch their national vaccination campaigns. These are huge feats of organisation and the roll-outs depend not just on having vaccines and staff to give them, but also the packaging, delivery chains and safe storage to keep them effective. Jenny Hill visited one firm in Germany with a key role to play in the process.

The real state of Venezuela's economy has been a matter of concern - and some intrigue - for many years. President Nicolas Maduro and his governing party, the PSUV, have been accused by critics at home and abroad of ruining the economy and driving millions of Venezuelan citizens into penury - or abroad, to seek work or a living wage. But as Katy Watson saw for herself in the capital, Caracas, recently, there are still a few places where you can see some spare cash being flashed - and one is the once-iconic, long-decaying and newly-reopened Hotel Humboldt.



(Image: An explosion caused by police munitions lights up the Capitol Building in Washington where supporters of US President Donald Trump gather on 06 January 2021. Credit: Reuters/Leah Millis)


SAT 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcnwym)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:32 Stumped (w3cszhkc)
Brilliant Black Caps: New Zealand usurp the 'Big Three'

New Zealand batsman Henry Nicholls on their journey to the top of the world Test rankings ahead of bigger, richer cricket nations like India, Australia and England.

Reaction to an impressive debut for Australia opening batsman Will Pucovski in the third Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

And the Nepalese cricket club in Tasmania that finally have their own home ground.

Photo: Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum (Getty Images)


SAT 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrznfc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 03:06 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


SAT 03:50 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


SAT 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrzs5h)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 04:06 The Real Story (w3cszcp3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:06 today]


SAT 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzrzwxm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct19z3)
Coronavirus: Intensive care

As vaccines begin to be administered in several countries, many places are experiencing worrying rises in cases and deaths from Covid-19. One effect is that hospitals have to try and cope with the increasing number of patients. Host Nuala McGovern hears from three doctors working in ICUs in South Africa, Brazil and the United States on the stressful frontline of intensive care. They also share their frustrations about some people having a distrust and reluctance towards being vaccinated, including medical colleagues.

Meanwhile, many around the world are adapting again to various increased restrictions. The pandemic continues to disrupt the education of millions of children in 2021. But while some people remain in severe lockdown, children in some countries are finally returning to school after months of being at home. Two parents from Kenya and Pakistan share their thoughts on whether they think it’s safe to go back into the classroom and the effects on their children of being without face-to-face teaching and school friends for the best part of a year.

(Photo: Dr. Joseph Varon looks on as medical professionals treat people infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas, U.S., November 12, 2020. Credit: Callaghan O"Hare/Reuters)


SAT 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcp860)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:32 The Cultural Frontline (w3cszj9g)
BTS ARMY: Inside the Fandom

BTS are one of the biggest bands in the world. They’ve sold millions of albums, their music has been streamed billions of times online and tickets to their tours sell out instantly.

The seven members of BTS, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, are history makers. In 2020 they became the first all-Korean pop act to top the American Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and they set the world record for attracting the most viewers for a concert live stream during the coronavirus pandemic.

At the heart of their success are their fans – BTS ARMY. ARMY is unlike any other fandom and has mobilised not just to celebrate BTS but also to support each other through social engagement, community building, education and charitable acts. In summer 2020 ARMY hit the headlines for matching the band's $1million donation to the Black Lives Matter campaign in less than 24 hours.

Camilla Costa explores how this fandom is revolutionising the well-established rules of the music industry and changing the way we think about the power of art to build community.

Our interviewees are Nicole Santero, Carla Postma-Slabbekoorn, Jiyoung Lee, Adaeze Agbakoba, David Kim and K-Ci Williams.

Our voices of ARMY are Areeba Sheikh, Brenda Ágatha, Michael Dürr, Monika Košťanyová, Snigdha Dutta, Yassin Adam, and Tagseen Samsodien.

With additional content from Waleska Herrera, FO Squad KPop, Amy & Bri and BTS Vlive.

Plus contributions from Nan Panunzo, Cathi Smith and Shelley Hoani.

Presented by Camilla Costa


(Photo: BTS. Credit: Noam Galai/Getty Images)


SAT 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs00nr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 06:06 Weekend (w172x7d7mc3ycyg)
Democrats move to impeach Trump over insurrection charges

US Democrats have started drawing up Articles of Impeachment against President Trump, accusing him of incitement of an insurrection.

How are parents coping with the challenges of providing education because of school closures due to coronavirus?

And an essay from Hong Kong.

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Myriam Francois, a Franco-British writer, journalist and film-maker based in London; and Sebastian Borger, a German journalist and London correspondent for the Berlin Tagespiegel and the Austrian Der Standard newspapers amongst other publications.

(Picture: Supporters of President Trump run through the Rotunda of the US Capitol. Credit: EPA)


SAT 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs04dw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 07:06 Weekend (w172x7d7mc3yhpl)
Trump permanently suspended from Twitter

Twitter permanently suspends the online account of Donald Trump. We'll look back at what he and his supporters were up this week.

Also, have we now entered a new American era?

And, the race is on to pick the successor of Angela Merkel as Germany's next Chancellor.

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Myriam Francois, a Franco-British writer, journalist and film-maker based in London; and Sebastian Borger, a German journalist and London correspondent for the Berlin Tagespiegel and the Austrian Der Standard newspapers amongst other publications.

(Picture: President Trump's suspended Twitter account on a smartphone and the White House in Washington. Credit: Reuters)


SAT 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs0850)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:06 Weekend (w172x7d7mc3ymfq)
Twitter permanently shuts down Trump's account

Social media giant, Twitter, shuts down permanently the account of US president Trump, 'due to risk of further incitement of violence'.

Plus, the tale of a conflict photographer who covered the Capitol riots.

We also get reaction from Europe on the latest developments in America.

And the Roaring Twenties - the Return? A hundred years later, will history repeat itself after the coronavirus Pandemic?

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Myriam Francois, a Franco-British writer, journalist and film-maker based in London; and Sebastian Borger, a German journalist and London correspondent for the Berlin Tagespiegel and the Austrian Der Standard newspapers amongst other publications.

(Picture: An image showing the Twitter app on a mobile phone. Credit: EPA)


SAT 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcpmfd)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:32 When Katty Met Carlos (w3ct1c52)
Is American democracy in danger?

Katty Kay and Carlos Watson look back on a tumultuous week in US politics, and ask: where now for American democracy and America’s democratic institutions? Republicans are divided over support for Donald Trump, so what does that mean for the GOP? What should President-elect Biden do to heal the divisions of the past four years in the political establishment and the country? Katty and Carlos are joined by veteran political strategists Ron Christie and Doug Sosnik, a Republican and Democrat respectively, to seek answers from the week’s events, and to look at America beyond the Trump presidency.


SAT 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs0cx4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct19z3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:06 today]


SAT 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcpr5j)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:32 Two Minutes Past Nine (w3ct1cwx)
Two Minutes Past Nine

09/01/2021 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 (w3cszf5h)
How Goodbye to All This grips listeners

Listeners react to the emotionally-charged podcast series Goodbye to All This - the story of how a husband’s death from cancer devastated his family. We speak to the series’ commissioning editor.

Plus it is a laughing matter! Following a recent series of negative reviews, a fan comes to the defence of Comedians vs The News.

Presenter Rajan Datar
Producer: Howard Shannon


SAT 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs0hn8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 10:06 Sportshour (w172x3c6l3fj9fz)
FA Cup third round: Dare to dream

It's the third round of the FA Cup and Chorley FC who are in the sixth tier of English football travel to Championship team Derby County. We will speak live to the club ahead of the fixture. Plus we hear from Paul the FA Cup fact file on some of the most weird and wonderful stats on the competition and speak live to lifelong Crawley Town fan Carol Bates ahead of their FA Cup match against Leeds United. She also tells us how she will be staying entertained during lockdown 3.0.

Away from the FA Cup, it is wildcard weekend in the NFL and Caroline speaks to the BBC's Osi Umenyiora about what we can expect and why it is being dubbed 'Super' Wildcard weekend.

Back in 2018, the Czech Republic's Ester Ladecka made history - the first person to compete in snowboarding and skiing at the Olympics in Pyeongchang.
But she wasn’t done there - and would go on to become the first woman to win two golds in different disciplines at the same Games. She speaks to BBC Sportshour's Katie Smith.

We are live in Sydney where the third test between Australia and India is taking place.

Finally we pay our own tribute to Gerry Marsden, whose version of You'll Never Walk Alone became a football terrace anthem for his hometown club of Liverpool. The voice of Anfield George Sephton tells us about when he met Gerry and what the song means to not just Liverpool but sports fans around the world.

Photo: The FA Cup trophy on display prior to The Emirates FA Cup first round match between Eastleigh FC and Swindon Town at Silverlake Stadium on November 4, 2016 in Eastleigh, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)


SAT 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs0mdd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwxlctj)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcpzns)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:32 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


SAT 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs0r4j)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 12:06 Music Life (w3csz6v1)
Writing under blankets in planes with Aloe Blacc and Gregory Porter

Soul singer and producer Aloe Blacc talks to Gregory Porter, Kadhja Bonet and Chelsea Jade about the purpose behind some of their work, writing songs in planes under blankets, and what happens to the creative process after losing those closest to you.

Aloe Blacc is a soul singer and producer raised in Orange County, USA. He absorbed the sounds of cumbia and salsa from his Panamanian parents, before moving on to hip-hop, forming the duo Emanon. Then came his worldwide hit I Need a Dollar, and his life would never be the same again.

He’s talking to artists both new and legendary, all now based in California. First up is soul, jazz, and gospel singer Gregory Porter, a Grammy winner who’s been compared to the likes of Nat King Cole and Stevie Wonder. He released his latest album All Rise is August last year.

Next is Kadhja Bonet, a multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter with a background in classical violin. She blends cosmic jazz, R&B, folk, and classical, and her father is an opera singer, so music runs in the family. Finally, Chelsea Jade is a South African-born pop singer and producer, who grew up in New Zealand and is now based in LA. She was previously known as Watercolors, and dropped out of art school before finding her feet in the music industry.


SAT 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs0vwn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 13:06 Newshour (w172x2z46j8q1j7)
Trump accuses Twitter of 'banning free speech'

US President Donald Trump has been permanently suspended from Twitter "due to the risk of further incitement of violence", the company says. It comes amid a Big Tech purge of the online platforms used by Mr Trump and his supporters. And the President is also facing another impeachment.

Kim Jong Un threatens to expand his country's nuclear arsenal. So how will Jo Biden manage North Korea.

And as one of Europe's most enduring politicians comes to the end of her career, how will her successor come close to matching Germany's Angela Merkel.

(Photo: Donald Trump posted a video on Twitter following his earlier suspension. Credit: Reuters)


SAT 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs0zms)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 14:06 Sportsworld (w172x3llknvqj93)
Live Sporting Action

Sportsworld brings you more live coverage from global sport. This week, our commentary game comes from the third round of England's FA Cup.

Photo: A detail of the 2020/21 FA Cup match ball during an Emirates FA Cup second round match between Shrewsbury Town and Oxford United. (Credit: AMA/Getty Images)


SAT 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs1gm9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:06 The Newsroom (w172x7blqwxm71f)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 18:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcqtwp)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:32 Mayday (w3ct1cxf)
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 (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)


SAT 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs1lcf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 19:06 The History Hour (w3cszkq2)
Buddhist on Death Row

How US inmates turned to Buddhism to face execution in 1990s Arkansas, and we look at the history of the death penalty in the US with Prof Vivien Miller. Plus, the truth of a space "strike", the 70s book that predicted global decline in 2020, sequencing the Ebola virus and we hear the world's oldest song.

Photo: Anna Cox and inmate Frankie Parker.


SAT 20:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs1q3k)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 20:06 The Arts Hour (w3cszk40)
Actor Viola Davis

Oscar-winning actor Viola Davis on bringing to life the ‘Mother of the blues’ in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

The Hollywood star Tom Hanks tells us about his film News Of The World

Actor and producer David Oyelowo addresses the trolling that comes with colour blind casting

Director Patty Jenkins and actor Gal Gadot on recreating the powers of Wonder Woman without CGI and in that gold outfit

Australian singer/songwriter SIA describes being catapulted into the public eye having decided to stay in the background

And we take a music trip through Tanzania

Joining Nikki Bedi in the studio is critic Kaleem Aftab and on the line from New York is filmmaker Ekwa Msangi, who’ll also be telling us about her movie Farewell Amor



(Image: Viola Davis. Credit: VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)


SAT 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs1tvp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z46j8r0h8)
Did President Trump attempt a coup?

President Trump's former top Russia adviser, Fiona Hill tells us that the invasion of Capitol Hill this week was the culminaton of an attempted coup.

Also on the programme, Allies of the president have said Twitter's decision to close his account amounts to an attack on free speech. What do social media platforms think?; And an Indonesian plane with more than sixty people on board is thought to have crashed into the sea shortly after take-off from Jakarta.

(Photo: Pro-Trump protesters storm into the U.S. Capitol during clashes with police; Credit: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo)


SAT 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs1ylt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79s959ydln)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fnx97mpkh)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


SAT 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q25qcr9w6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:32 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


SAT 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p7qzs22by)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 23:06 Business Weekly (w3ct0spr)
Chaos on Capitol Hill

In the week when a mob stormed the US Congress, Business Weekly examines the enormous task now facing President-elect Joe Biden. How will he unite the country and how will the new balance of power in Congress affect his economic agenda? Mr Biden’s campaign slogan was “Build Back Better” - we’ll ask whether the world will rise to the task of creating more equal societies once the pandemic is over. Nobel Prize winner Sir Angus Deaton says it’s possible. We’ll also get the secret to a good night’s sleep and hear why women are once again allowed to drive Moscow’s subway trains. Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.

(Image: Protestors storm the US Capitol, Getty Images)