SATURDAY 23 JANUARY 2021

SAT 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdjldn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 00:06 The Real Story (w3cszcp5)
Afghanistan: Hard choices for Biden

The future of US troops in Afghanistan could be Joe Biden's first major foreign policy decision. Less than a year ago the Trump administration reached a deal with the Taliban to withdraw all American troops from the country. The Taliban promised to stop targeting US and NATO forces as they wound down their presence. Now, with the May deadline fast approaching, President Biden will need to decide whether to honour the agreement at a time when the Taliban is being blamed for a string of deadly attacks targeting journalists, judges and police officers. The Red Cross described Afghanistan as the deadliest country for civilians in 2020, but despite the violence the government in Kabul is continuing discussions with the Taliban over a framework for peace negotiations. The presence of foreign troops has provided some level of security against an enemy that controls swathes of the countryside, so what will happen if and when they leave? And could advances in gender equality and religious freedoms be rolled back as part of any final agreement? Join Ritula Shah and guests as they discuss the state of Afghanistan and the tough decisions the Biden administration will soon need to make.


SAT 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdjq4s)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 01:06 Business Matters (w172x196dhr9y7p)
Brazil's coronavirus crisis continues to worsen

Doctors in the city of Manaus are struggling to control the growing number of deaths, which are increasing due to a new variant of the virus detected earlier this month. We get the latest from the BBC's Camilla Mota in Sao Paulo.
Google has threatened to remove its search engine from Australia after the country said it would introduce a law forcing tech companies to pay for news content it offers links to. We discuss the implications of this with the technology researcher and broadcaster Stephanie Hare.
And Kai Ryssdal, host of the Marketplace programme on American Public Media, has been speaking to HOPE South Florida, a homeless charity now facing extra challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Jamie Robertson is joined throughout the programme by Elizabeth Gwynn, reporter at 9News Border South East in New South Wales, Australia.

(Picture:Gravediggers at a cemetery in Manaus. Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdjtwx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3csz9qr)
China and the coronavirus

A team from the World Health Organisation is in Wuhan, trying to gather information and uncover the true course and origin of the pandemic. But as Robin Brant heard on the streets of the city recently, denial, doubts and disinformation are already clouding the picture.

Pascale Harter introduces this and other dispatches from correspondents and writers around the world.

Alexei Navalny is one of Putin's most outspoken critics - and a regular target for Russia's security forces and legal system. Most recently Steve Rosenberg witnessed the dramatic scenes at a Moscow airport as Navalny returned from Germany - where he had been hospitalised after an alleged poisoning by Novichok. He reflects on the many twists and turns of a long and complex story.

It's been ten years since a wave of popular protests in Tunisia finally ousted the country's longterm President Ben Ali from power. Since then the country's seen several rounds of elections, fractious coalitions - and undeniable economic decline. During the last week there was unrest on the streets night after night, as young, jobless and struggling Tunisians voiced their discontent. Rana Jawad reports on what was behind these events - and how the country's citizens feel about their prospects now.

And there's a fisherman's tale from the freezing waters off Canada's Nova Scotia province - where the rights to haul in local lobster can bring serious profits. Greg Mercer met one captain from the Mi'kmaq First Nation who earns a good living from shellfish, and argues that it's offering new hope and opportunity to the country's indigenous peoples.


(Image: A man an child wearing face masks ride past public security volunteers at a security fence, checking health codes to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Wuhan, China, 22 January 2021. Credit: EPA/Roman Pilipey)


SAT 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x807659)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:32 Stumped (w3cszhkf)
The weekly cricket show from BBC Sport in association with ABC and All India Radio.


SAT 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdjyn1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 03:06 The Fifth Floor (w3cszjj9)
Ten years after Tahrir Square

It has been 10 years since the Egyptian revolution, which forced President Hosni Mubarak from office. But what has happened since? And are the people who were involved in the revolution satisfied with the ways in which the country has changed? Hanan Razek and Reem Fatthelbab of BBC Arabic have been speaking to former protesters to hear their reflections.

Nepal’s K2 heroes
Nepal is celebrating the success of a team of Nepalese climbers who have become the first to reach the summit of Pakistan's K2 mountain in winter. Krishna Acharya of BBC Nepali tells us about the significance of their achievement, after decades of Nepalese Sherpa mountaineers living in the shadow of the foreign climbers they guide and support.

Taking the plane with Navalny
The return to Russia of leading opposition figure Alexei Navalny was always going to be a big story. He spent 5 months in Germany recovering from poisoning by a nerve agent, which he has blamed on the Russian state, a charge the Kremlin denies. BBC Russia's Andrey Kozenko has interviewed Navalny many times, and was on board the plane.

From the streets of Belarus to Franco’s Spain: the story of a song
The anthem sung at last year's opposition rallies in Belarus ahead of elections had it's birth in 1960s Spain, during the regime of General Franco. Written by a Catalan singer-songwriter, it's a call for unity to achieve freedom. Since then it has had several new lives in different countries. BBC Mundo’s Enric Botella, who’s from Catalonia, tells the story.


Image: Thousands of Egyptians wave their national flag in Cairo's Tahrir Square on February 25, 2011
Credit: KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images


SAT 03:50 Witness History (w3cszmw5)
Fighting for justice for India's Sikhs

Anti-Sikh violence erupted in India after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984. Looting, raping and killing broke out in Sikh areas. One of those killed was Nirpreet Kaur's father who was burnt to death by a furious mob in Delhi. She spent decades trying to bring to justice a politician she had seen encouraging the violence. She has been telling her story to Ishleen Kaur.

Photo: Nirpreet Kaur's family before the events of 1984. Copyright:Nirpreet Kaur.


SAT 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdk2d5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 04:06 The Real Story (w3cszcp5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:06 today]


SAT 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdk649)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct19z5)
President Biden: Call for unity

The new US President Joe Biden inherits a deeply divided country - whether by politics, race or religion. We hear from evangelical Christians in Ohio and Seattle about whether the church can support a president who’s a practising Catholic and about the rifts within their faith.

Nuala McGovern also hosts conversations with a Republican couple in Nevada and with Black Lives Matter supporters in Kentucky and North Carolina about the challenges that lie ahead for the Biden presidency.

(Photo: US President Joe Biden speaks on his administration"s Covid-19 response in the State Dining Room of the White House, 21 January 2021. Credit: Al Drago/EPA)


SAT 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x807kdp)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:32 The Cultural Frontline (w3cszj9j)
Writing America’s new chapter

As their nation starts a new chapter with the inauguration of President Joe Biden, we hear from the novelists Michael Farris Smith and Zaina Arafat on writing the American story at a time of national crisis.

Monique Roffey is one of Trinidad’s most celebrated writers. This month she won a Costa award for her new novel The Mermaid of Conch: A Love Story. Monique shares the story of how William Golding’s novel, The Inheritors shaped her life and her love of literature

This week, Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was detained by state authorities as he returned to Moscow after nearly being killed by a nerve agent attack. The writer Sergei Lebedev discusses how he reflects political truths in his new novel Untraceable, a story about physical, moral and political poisons in Putin’s Russia.

Plus literary journalist Amy Brady explains why the increasingly popular genre Cli-Fi or climate fiction is bringing the issues of climate change and environmental damage to readers through novels.

Presented by Nawal al-Maghafi


(Photo: Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States in Washington, DC. Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)


SAT 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdk9wf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 06:06 Weekend (w172x7d8bwrhp54)
Biden signs executive order on food aid

US President, Joe Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion dollar relief package to help Americans struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, he's signed executive orders that will give low-income families easier access to federal food assistance programmes, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), more commonly known as food stamps.

Also in the programme: Protests planned in support of jailed Russian opposition leader and criticism of Australia's quarantine rules from elite tennis players.

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Jacqueline Magnay, the European Correspondent for The Australian newspaper and Simon Robinson global managing editor at Reuters.

(Picture: US President, Joe Biden. Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)


SAT 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdkfmk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 07:06 Weekend (w172x7d8bwrhsx8)
Russia protests in support of Navalny

Supporters of the jailed opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, have begun staging protests in cities across Russia. The police say the demonstrations are illegal and will be broken up. Mr Navalny was detained on his return to Moscow from Germany, five months after being poisoned by a deadly nerve agent.

Also in the programme: As President Biden prepares his immigration reform bill, we look at what this means for the US and the rest of the world, with Marielena Hincapie, Executive Director of the National immigration Law Centre, Leon Rodrigues who served as the director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services under the Obama administration and retired Republican senator, Jeff Flake.

Also joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Jacqueline Magnay, the European Correspondent for The Australian newspaper and Simon Robinson global managing editor at Reuters.

(Picture: Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. Credit: REUTERS/Polina Ivanova)


SAT 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdkkcp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:06 Weekend (w172x7d8bwrhxnd)
Russia protests in support of opposition leader

Supporters of the jailed Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, have begun a wave of demonstrations in cities across Russia.

Also in the programme: Reflections on an historic week in American politics and is there evidence of increased mortality from a UK variant of Covid-19?

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Jacqueline Magnay, the European Correspondent for The Australian newspaper and Simon Robinson global managing editor at Reuters.

(Picture: Law enforcement officers speaking with Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. Credit: REUTERS/Reuters TV)


SAT 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x807xn2)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:32 When Katty Met Carlos (w3ct1c54)
A new presidency

It’s all change at the White House, with the new president promising a fresh start on a host of key issues: from vaccines and the economy, to race and climate change. But is President Biden offering too much, too soon, and can he live up to his pledge to unite a divided America? At the end of inauguration week, Katty Kay and Carlos Watson are joined by Valerie Jarrett, long-term adviser to Barack Obama, and by John McLaughlin, a former deputy director of the CIA. Together they discuss some of the major challenges facing the incoming Biden administration, from relations with the Republican party, to dealing with Iran and China.


SAT 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdkp3t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct19z5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:06 today]


SAT 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x8081d6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:32 Two Minutes Past Nine (w3ct1cwz)
Two Minutes Past Nine

23/01/2021 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 (w3cszf5k)
Hugging to celebrate a goal

Listeners to a recent edition of Weekend ask if a discussion on football that appeared to link hugging and kissing during goal celebrations to a player's sexuality, was appropriate.

Plus we discover how Covid has affected the BBC’s digital teams. And we need your help in identifying shortwave interference.

Presenter: Rajan Datar
Producer: Howard Shannon


SAT 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdksvy)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 10:06 Sportshour (w172x3c79n22lnn)
Basketball’s forgotten stars living in poverty

We look at why a 100 or so former basketball players are living in poverty. The players are from the ABA, which was a major rival to the NBA in the 1960's and 70's before a merger in 1976. The ABA helped modernise the NBA including the style of play that has made the league a billion dollar industry, but now some of the biggest names of their day are dying in poverty. Darnell 'Dr Dunk' Hillman campaigns on behalf of the "Dropping Dimes" charity who are asking for the NBA to step in.

Plus it’s exactly a year before the Winter Games of the Special Olympics take place in Kazan. We speak to Olga Slutsker the chair of the organising committee on why it’s so important Russia is hosting this event. We’ll also catch up with skier Jack Hale, a member of the British team set to compete in Kazan.

Swedish top flight footballer Philip Haglund tells us about his hugely successful app Gimi, which focuses on teaching kids about finance and how young footballers could also learn about financial responsibility to avoid the issues some footballers get into financially.

Plus we check in at the Cricket as Sri Lanka host England in the second Test, find out about what shocks might occur in the 4th round of the FA Cup and find out how Netball’s series between England and the Super League rest of the world All Stars team is progressing.

Photo: Darnell Hillman, number 30 of the Denver Nuggets, attempts a pass against Alonzo Bradley. (Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdkxm2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmgfk4p16)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x8088wg)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:32 The Documentary (w3ct1d1f)
President Joe Biden

On Wednesday, 20 January Joe Biden will be sworn in as America’s 46th president of the United States, after scoring a record-breaking victory on his third attempt at winning the White House.

The man he beat, Donald Trump, was elected on the promise to ‘drain the swamp’ in Washington, and in response Democrat voters elected a candidate from the heart of the political establishment.
After 36 years in the Senate, and Barack Obama’s VP for eight more, Joe Biden is Washington Man epitomised – though has always presented himself as the common man.

Known as the ultimate DC deal-maker and champion of bipartisan politics, he has already called upon both Democrats and Republicans to control the Covid-19 pandemic, and build prosperity, and has stated his desires to ‘restore the soul of America’.

BBC special correspondent James Naughtie charts Joe Biden’s blue-collar roots and political career, and asks what can he and the Democratic Party offer America, following one of the most divisive periods in American history.

(Photo: US President-elect Joe Biden delivers a televised address to the nation, after the US Electoral College formally confirmed his victory over Donald Trump. Credit: Mike Segar/Reuters)


SAT 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdl1c6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 12:06 Music Life (w3csz6v3)
'Educate yourself quickly' with Sarathy Korwar, Nadine Shah, James Holden and Nubya Garcia

Jazz musician Sarathy Korwar talks to Nadine Shah, James Holden and Nubya Garcia about whether there is something inherently dysfunctional about being a performer, relationships with their voice or instruments, and what it means to control and own your own music.

Sarathy Korwar was born in the US, grew up in Chennai and Ahmedabad in India before moving to London. He’s a percussionist, drummer, producer, and bandleader who’s at the forefront of the jazz world right now, using both modern methods and pulling resources from his classical roots.

Joining him is the formidable singer-songwriter Nadine Shah. Her 2017 album Holiday Destination was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and her most recent record, 2020’s Kitchen Sink, arrived to huge acclaim. Her sound has been described as everything from "loner pop" to "jazz meets indie".

James Holden is an electronic pioneer who’s revered by musicians and fans alike. He now runs his own label, has made a soundtrack, and performs improvised synth music in his ‘spiritual-synth-jazz-trance’ band The Animal Spirits.

And finally, Nubya Garcia is a saxophonist, composer and bandleader. As well as being one of the most important musicians in the UK right now, her long awaited debut record Source was released in the summer of 2020. She also plays in the bands Nérija and Maisha with some of the UK’s finest musicians.


SAT 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdl53b)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 13:06 Newshour (w172x2z4y1x8bqx)
Hundreds detained in protests across Russia

Thousands of people in Russia have taken part in demonstrations across the country in support of the jailed Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. Riot police are out in big numbers in Moscow, detaining demonstrators in Pushkin Square.

Also in the programme: the Hungarian government defies the EU in seeking vaccines from Russia and China; and President Joe Biden’s first steps to fight climate change.

(Photo: A man holds a placard reading "One for all, all for one" during a rally in support of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Credit: Reuters).


SAT 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdl8vg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 14:06 Sportsworld (w172x3lm96h8ths)
Live Sporting Action

Sportsworld brings you more live coverage from global sport. Our commentary game comes from the fourth round of England's FA Cup.

Photo: A close up of the Emirates FA Cup sleeve badge on a shirt. (Credit: CameraSport via Getty Images)


SAT 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdlrtz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmgfk5j83)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 18:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x80943c)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:32 Mayday (w3ct1cxh)
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 (w3cszh64)
Lucas Radebe

It’s 25 years since South Africa won football’s African Cup of Nations on home soil following the fall of Apartheid. Former Leeds United defender Lucas Radebe was part of the team and was later hailed by Nelson Mandela as his hero. He talks to Ashley Byrne about an emotional victory for the new “Rainbow Nation” and his own upbringing in Soweto. The programme is a Made-In-Manchester Production.

PHOTO:


SAT 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdlwl3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 19:06 The History Hour (w3cszkq4)
Hitler's beer hall putsch

Hitler made his first attempt at seizing power in Germany in 1923, ten years before he eventually became Chancellor. The failed "beer hall putsch" - so named because it started in a beer hall in the southern city of Munich - would become a foundational part of the Nazis' self-mythology. Professor Frank McDonough tells us more.

Plus, more Nazis with The Turner Diaries, the novel that inspired the US far right; anti-Sikh riots in India; the birth of Swahili-language publishing; and the house fire in New Cross, South London, which led to a Black People's Day of Action.

PHOTO: Nazi members during the Beer Hall Putsch, Munich, Germany 1923 (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)


SAT 20:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdm0b7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 20:06 The Arts Hour (w3cszk42)
Actor Vanessa Kirby

British actress Vanessa Kirby on her hardest role yet and why she’d rather not play heroines.

British movie star and rapper Riz Ahmed talks about getting his teeth into his latest film Sound Of Metal.

We hear from Nathan Evans, the Scottish postman behind the TikTok Sea Shanty craze.

Oscar-winning actress Regina King on her directorial feature film debut One Night in Miami.

Gambian-British rapper Pa Salieu talks about the tragedy that spurred him to success.

Writer Nadifa Mohamed pays tribute to the late Somali musician Hudeidi.

Joining Nikki Bedi is film critic Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, and down the line from LA to talk about his new film The Life Ahead, starring the great Sophia Loren, is Italian filmmaker Edoardo Ponti.


(Photo: Actor Vanessa Kirby. Credit: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)


SAT 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdm42c)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z4y1x99py)
Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.


SAT 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdm7th)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79t0pyhptb)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fpmtw5zs5)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


SAT 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x809m2w)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct16c5)
Is this Egypt’s #MeToo moment?

Egypt is currently in the midst of a growing movement calling out the culture of sexual assault that’s rife in the country. A UN study showed 99.3% of Egyptian women have experienced sexual harassment or violence, and although women’s rights activists have been campaigning for years, there continues to be victim blaming surrounding women and a lack of prosecutions. However, a recent high profile case of one man who allegedly sexually assaulted and blackmailed several women was brought to the public’s attention due to an Instagram account called Assault Police which shared victim’s testimonies. It’s encouraged more women to speak out about their own experiences. And significantly, the religious authority, the Al Azhar Mosque published guidelines against assault, specifically stating what women wear is not an excuse.

Salma El-Wardany, a UK based Muslim writer and poet, was born in Egypt and wants to uncover what impact this largely online movement is having. Will it create a lasting change in Egyptian society and result in prosecutions?
Salma will talk to the key women fighting for change, and the male allies using their platform to speak out. She’ll hear from Nadeen Ashraf, the young woman behind Assault Police, and Sabah Khodir who’s offering practical support and guidance for victims. Plus she’ll speak to Omar Samra a well-known adventurer who’s encouraging men to take responsibility for their actions. She’ll hear from Human Rights Watch about their concerns over women’s rights in the country, and she’ll speak to Egyptian American journalist Mona Eltahawy about her hopes for a feminist revolution.

Producer: Miriam Williamson

(Picture: Egyptian women hold signs during a protest against sexual harassment in Cairo, Egypt, June 2014 / Credit: Ahmed Ismail/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)


SAT 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdmckm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 23:06 Business Weekly (w3ct0spt)
Will Joe Biden be good for business?

As Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US president, business owners wonder what the new administration would do for them. We hear from some who tell us what they need from the President. We also look back at Donald Trump's economic legacy - will history look kindly upon his jobs and immigration policies? The director of hit Netflix series Lupin tells us why non-English language dramas are in vogue at the moment. Plus, why does honey taste different now compared to 60 years ago? Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.

(Image: Joe Biden on his inauguration day, Getty Images)



SUNDAY 24 JANUARY 2021

SUN 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdmh9r)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 00:06 The Cultural Frontline (w3cszj9j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:32 on Saturday]


SUN 00:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x809vl4)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 00:32 Mayday (w3ct1cxh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:32 on Saturday]


SUN 00:50 Over to You (w3cszf5k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:50 on Saturday]


SUN 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdmm1w)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 01:06 The Science Hour (w3cszkxx)
Saving the Northern White Rhino

Northern white rhinos are extinct in the wild and there are just two females in captivity in Kenya. Conservationists are working on an artificial breeding programme, using eggs from the females and sperm from a deceased male. Now five embryos have been created. Thomas Hildebrandt of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin explained the research.

President Biden’s first executive order was what’s being called the hundred-day mask mandate. The day before the inauguration a massive analysis of mask-wearing and COVID rates demonstrated a clear, if small, benefit. Epidemiologist Ben Rader told Roland Pease that it got over 300,000 opinions by using the online questionnaire, SurveyMonkey.

After the alarming series of record-breaking heatwaves last year, global warming is causing specific problems in the innumerable lakes around the world. Lakes are ecologically particularly vulnerable to extremes. The European Space Agency’s Yestyn Woolway has been analysing past trends, and modelling the future.

2020 delivered a record year in hurricanes, which caused around $60 billion dollars in damage to the US alone, according to one estimate. A new technology called Airborne Phased-Array Radar promises to improve the measurements that are currently made by planes that fly right into the eye of the hurricanes, and make the missions safe. It’s being developed at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research and Roland discussed the new technology with the Director of NCAR, Vanda Grubišić.

And Covid-19 has prompted a cleaning frenzy. CrowdScience listener William works as a personal trainer in a gym, and while cleaning’s always been part of his job, it’s now taken over much of his working day. He’s constantly wiping down equipment and doing regular deep cleans, and he reckons he can sanitize his hands 40 times in one shift.

This kind of routine might strike a chord with many of us, and it’s certainly vital to take hygiene seriously during times of pandemic.

But could there be any downsides to all this extra cleaning? There’s a whole world of microbes out there: some, like SARS-CoV-2, make us sick, but others are essential for our health. A rich microbiome is linked to a healthy immune system, while ‘good’ microbes help keep ‘bad’ ones at bay. And what about the chemicals in cleaning products – do they have any unintended consequences for our health?

CrowdScience turns to the experts to ask whether our supercharged hygiene routines could damage our immune systems, or promote the spread of superbugs. And we hear why, as long as we have a good diet, plenty of fresh air, and ideally a furry pet, we don’t need to worry too much about being too clean.

(Image; Najin and Fatu, the only two remaining female northern white rhinos graze in their paddock. Credit: Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images)


SUN 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdmqt0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 02:06 WorklifeIndia (w3ct1c1g)
Whose data is it anyway?

When signing up on a social media platform or installing an app, do you take even a couple of minutes to think what information is being asked for? Do you feel comfortable sharing your location, contacts and photos, or agreeing to the terms & conditions? How much of your personal information do you give away with that single click, and do you know who is benefiting from it?

Be it a social media company, a messaging app, or an e-commerce website, your personal data is significant as a core underpinning of these companies’ business models - so should you, as a user, be made more aware of who is using your data, and where?

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss data privacy and bring you tips on how to keep your data safe.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Sudhir Naidu, CEO, Troop Messenger; Dr Karnika Seth, cyber law expert; Himanshu Arya, digital marketer, founder and CEO, Grapes Digital


SUN 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x80b32d)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 02:32 Two Minutes Past Nine (w3ct1cwz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:32 on Saturday]


SUN 02:50 More or Less (w3ct0pyl)
Counting Covid’s impact on GDP

GDP figures for the period covering lockdown appear to show that the UK suffered a catastrophic decline, worse than almost any other country. But as Tim Harford finds out, things aren’t quite as bad for the UK as they might seem - though they might be worse for everywhere else.

Also, alarming claims have been circulating in the UK about the number of suicides during lockdown. We look at the facts.
There is support for the issues discussed in the programme at www.help.befrienders.org

Presenter: Tim Harford
Producers: Nathan Gower and Chloe Hadjimatheou

(Robots work on the MINI car production line at the BMW plant in Cowley, Oxford, UK. Credit: Tolga Akmen/ Getty Images)


SUN 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdmvk4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 03:06 Business Weekly (w3ct0spt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:06 on Saturday]


SUN 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdmz98)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 04:06 The Documentary (p012cbf2)
Voices from the Ghetto

Voices from the Ghetto tells the story of a remarkable secret project conducted inside the Warsaw Ghetto during World War Two.

Codenamed Oyneg Shabbat (Joy of the Sabbath), a team of 'researchers' wrote and collected documents detailing life and death inside the ghetto. The archive began as the Germans created the grotesque prison city of the ghetto, separating the Jewish population of Warsaw from their Catholic neighbours and destroying the city both physically and as the centre of eastern European Jewish life.

Led by the historian, Emanuel Ringelblum, the archive included surveys on schooling, smuggling, the life of the streets, the bitter jokes, the price of bread. Members of the project gathered posters, songs, newspapers, pamphlets and even tram tickets that together convey the essence of the Ghetto. As the community was pulled from its apartments, transported to Treblinka and murdered, these reseachers collected scraps of testimony scribbled in notebooks and thrown from train windows.

This colossal and perilous enterprise was intended to create a people's history to both warn the world and preserve the memory of a community clinging to life, belief and hope on the brink of destruction.

Nearly all those who worked on the project were murdered, including Ringelblum himself. But in the final days of the Ghetto and the uprising that followed, the archive was buried in the ruins and was recovered after the war.

Drawing on the words of the Oyneg Shabbat project and the memories of Janina Davidowicz, then a child who escaped the Ghetto just before its destruction, this programme marks the time behind the walls when people lived and struggled for another life, using rare recordings to reimagine the sounds of an extinguished world.

Presenter: Monica Whitlock
Producer: Mark Burman and Monica Whitlock

(Photo: Unearthing the archive from under the ruins of Warsaw. Photograph courtesy of Yad Vashem)


SUN 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdn31d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 05:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3csz9qr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 on Saturday]


SUN 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x80bg9s)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 05:32 Mayday (w3ct1cxh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:32 on Saturday]


SUN 05:50 More or Less (w3ct0pyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:50 today]


SUN 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdn6sj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 06:06 Weekend (w172x7d8bwrll27)
Thousands rally in Russia protests

Monitors say Russian police have detained more than 3,000 people in a crackdown on protests in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Tens of thousands of people defied a heavy police presence to join some of the largest rallies against President Vladimir Putin in years.

Also in the programme: A look back on Egypt's revolution of 2011 and looking ahead to the challenges faced by US President, Joe Biden.

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Manmit Bhambra, a British sociologist and Research Officer of the Religion and Global Society Research Unit at the London School of Economics and Tim Dixon, Australian-born social entrepreneur and co-founder of the More in Common organisation.

(Picture: People take part in a protest in support of Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. Credit: EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV)


SUN 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdnbjn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 07:06 Weekend (w172x7d8bwrlptc)
Rescue begins at Chinese gold mine

Chinese state media say rescue workers in the east of the country have begun rescuing a group of 22 miners who have been trapped 600 metres underground for two weeks. The entrance tunnel to the Hushan gold mine in Shandong province collapsed following an explosion, the cause of which is still unknown. 11 miners initially survived the collapse, but one later died.

Also in the programme: Why Australia's national cricket team has removed references to the country's national day and what lessons can Western countries learn on tackling the coronavirus?

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Manmit Bhambra, a British sociologist and Research Officer of the Religion and Global Society Research Unit at the London School of Economics and Tim Dixon, Australian-born social entrepreneur and co-founder of the More in Common organisation.

(Picture: Rescuers work at the Hushan gold mine where workers were trapped underground in Shandong province, China. Credit: REUTERS/Aly Song)


SUN 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdng8s)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 08:06 Weekend (w172x7d8bwrltkh)
Several rescued from gold mine in China

Chinese state media say rescuers in the east of the country have freed gold miners who have been trapped 600 metres underground for two weeks. They were taken to hospital for urgent treatment. The entrance tunnel to the Hushan gold mine in Shandong province collapsed following an explosion, the cause of which is still unknown.

Also in the programme: Arrests after protests in support of a Russian opposition leader and how a musician overcame deafness to become an internationally recognised percussionist.

Joining Julian Worricker to discuss these and other issues are Manmit Bhambra, a British sociologist and Research Officer of the Religion and Global Society Research Unit at the London School of Economics and Tim Dixon, Australian-born social entrepreneur and co-founder of the More in Common organisation.

(Picture: Law enforcement officers clash with participants during a rally in support of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Moscow. Credit: REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov)


SUN 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x80btk5)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 08:32 CrowdScience (w3cszv6y)
Are there downsides to deep cleaning?

Covid-19 has prompted a cleaning frenzy. CrowdScience listener William works as a personal trainer in a gym, and while cleaning’s always been part of his job, it’s now taken over much of his working day. He’s constantly wiping down equipment and doing regular deep cleans, and he reckons he can sanitize his hands 40 times in one shift.

This kind of routine might strike a chord with many of us, and it’s certainly vital to take hygiene seriously during times of pandemic.

But could there be any downsides to all this extra cleaning? There’s a whole world of microbes out there: some, like SARS-CoV-2, make us sick, but others are essential for our health. A rich microbiome is linked to a healthy immune system, while ‘good’ microbes help keep ‘bad’ ones at bay. And what about the chemicals in cleaning products – do they have any unintended consequences for our health?

CrowdScience turns to the experts to ask whether our supercharged hygiene routines could damage our immune systems, or promote the spread of superbugs. And we hear why, as long as we have a good diet, plenty of fresh air, and ideally a furry pet, we don’t need to worry too much about being too clean.

Presented by Marnie Chesterton
Produced by Cathy Edwards for the BBC World Service


(Photo credit: Getty Images)


SUN 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdnl0x)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 09:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3csz9qr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 on Saturday]


SUN 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x80by99)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 09:32 Outlook (w3cszf11)
The Iranian avocado quest that led to prison

Jason Rezaian was the Washington Post's bureau chief in Tehran. But a tongue-in-cheek campaign to bring avocados to the country caught the attention of the authorities and landed him in Iran's most notorious prison. Jason wrote a book about his experience called Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison. This story was first broadcast on 4th April 2019.

Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Maryam Maruf

Image: Jason Rezaian
Credit: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images


SUN 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdnps1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 10:06 WorklifeIndia (w3ct1c1g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


SUN 10:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x80c21f)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 10:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct16c5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:32 on Saturday]


SUN 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdntj5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmgfk7ky9)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x80c5sk)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 11:32 The Compass (w3ct1czp)
My Perfect City

My Perfect City: Women entrepreneurs in Kochi

The cosmopolitan port city of Kochi is the commercial capital of the southern state of Kerala, which has a special track record when it comes to gender equality. Female literacy and life expectancy rates are among the highest in India, and greater access to economic opportunities has made Kochi a hub for women-led businesses, which not only boosts the economy but has lasting development benefits for society as a whole.

The newly elected Mayor of Kochi, M Anil Kumar, is keen to make female entrepreneurship a flagship policy by increasing access to funding, startup and incubation programmes. We also hear how women’s safety is key to ensuring they have equal access to the workplace. But how far does India’s deep-seated gender discrimination cast a shadow?

Fi Glover is joined by urbanists Abha Joshi-Ghani and Dr Ellie Cosgrave to assess Kochi’s achievements. Is it a model for a perfect city?

The team also consider Stockholm’s record on promoting women entrepreneurs.

Featuring Pinky Jayaprakash, CEO and co-founder of edtech digital assessment platform SkEdu; Vinodini Isaac, president of the Women’s Entrepreneur Network; Dr Shoba Arun, reader in sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University; and EK Bharat Bhushan, Kerala’s former chief secretary.


SUN 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdny89)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 12:06 The Inquiry (w3cszl4p)
Why do the Indian farmer protests matter?

It has been called the world’s biggest protest. In November 2020, thousands of farmers marched to New Delhi to protest against new laws that the Indian government says will modernise farming. The farmers set up camp in and around the capital, blocking major highways. Over 50 days later they are still there, in spite of freezing temperatures. Even after the Supreme Court stayed the laws until further notice, the farmers say they aren’t budging until they are repealed completely. They say these reforms will strip them of protections they’ve enjoyed for decades, resulting in lower prices and ruined livelihoods.

Kavita Puri hears why the protests matter for India’s millions of farmers, for the future of the country’s crisis-ridden agriculture, and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With contributions from agricultural policy expert, Devinder Sharma; Fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, Sadanand Dhume; Professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Jayati Ghosh; and BBC correspondent Soutik Biswas.

Presenter: Kavita Puri
Producer: Viv Jones

(Women farmers form a human chain during the protest against the new farm laws, January 18 2021 at the Delhi borders in India. Credit: Sunil Ghosh/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)


SUN 12:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x80c9jp)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 12:32 Assignment (w3csz6mb)
Lisa Montgomery: The road to execution

Lisa Montgomery’s crime was an especially abominable murder. In 2004 in the small mid-West American town of Skidmore, she strangled an expectant mother, Bobbie Jo Stinnett. She then cut open her victim’s womb and kidnapped her baby, who survived the ordeal.

Her lawyers argued that she was mentally ill at the time – as a consequence of appalling abuse she had suffered in childhood, including gang rape and torture. They said she was also brain-damaged and delusional.

Nevertheless, in the final days of Donald Trump’s presidency, she paid for her actions with her own life - the first female to be executed by the US federal government in almost seven decades. As a new president assumes office, promising reform of America’s criminal justice system.

Hilary Andersson charts the story of this unsettling case, from Lisa Montgomery’s tragic beginnings to her final moments, and finds a nation deeply divided over the issue.

Warning: Disturbing content

Producer: Michael Gallagher
Editor: Bridget Harney

(Photo: Lisa Montgomery. Credit: Wyandotte County Sheriff/EPA)


SUN 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdp20f)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 13:06 Newshour (w172x2z4y1xc7n0)
Eleven miners rescued in China

Search teams in China have rescued eleven gold miners trapped underground for two weeks after an explosion. The fate of some of their colleagues is still unknown.

Also in the programme: As preparations are made for the impeachment trial of Donald Trump in the US Senate, we ask whether it is constitutional; and why are so many people in Honduras desperate to leave?

(Picture: a trapped miner is lifted from a gold mine in Qixia City, in China's Shandong Province. Credit: EPA/Chen Hao/Xinhua)


SUN 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdp5rk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 14:06 The Documentary (p012cbf2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


SUN 15:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdp9hp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 15:06 The Forum (w3cszjwn)
Toussaint L’Ouverture: Hero of the Haitian slave rebellion

Late 18th-Century Saint Domingue in the Caribbean – now known as Haiti – was one of the richest countries in the world. Known as ‘the pearl of the Antilles’, its wealth was built almost entirely on slavery. Around half a million enslaved Africans were transported to the French colony to work on the sugar plantations.

Toussaint L’Ouverture was destined to see out his days within this brutal system, but his skills as a negotiator and communicator saw him rise to the forefront of the resistance movement on the island. A wily and charismatic operator, he galvanised his fellow countrymen and women to lead history’s first and only successful slave uprising.

Diverging from French colonial rule brought him to the attention of Napoleon Bonaparte, who sent a large fleet to re-establish slavery on Saint Domingue. The expedition ended with Toussaint’s capture and exile to France, where he died in a cold prison cell in 1803. But his generals meanwhile carried on the struggle to uphold Toussaint’s opposition to slavery, which became the basis for the new independent state of Haiti.

Joining Rajan Datar to explore this complex figure are Marlene L Daut, Professor of African Diaspora Studies in the Carter G. Woodson Institute at the University of Virginia, and the author of Tropics of Haiti: Race and the Literary History of the Haitian Revolution in the Atlantic World, 1789-1865; Weibert Arthus, the Haitian ambassador to Canada, who’s also published widely on Haitian diplomacy and history; and Sudhir Hazareesingh, professor in politics at Balliol College, Oxford. His biography Black Spartacus: The epic life of Toussaint Louverture was published in 2020.


Producer: Fiona Clampin

(Image: Toussaint L'Ouverture painted on the body of a tap-tap bus operating in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Credit: Jan Sochor/Getty Images)


SUN 15:50 More or Less (w3ct0pyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:50 today]


SUN 16:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdpf7t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 16:06 Sportsworld (w172x3lm96hcyx4)
Live Sporting Action

Sportsworld brings you more live coverage from global sport. Our commentary game comes from the fourth round of England's FA Cup competition.

Photo: The FA Cup Trophy is prepared by a member of staff wearing a face mask and PPE. Football Stadiums around the UK remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. (Credit: Getty Images)


SUN 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdpsh6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 19:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmgfk8jxb)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x80d4rl)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 19:32 When Katty Met Carlos (w3ct1c54)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:32 on Saturday]


SUN 20:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdpx7b)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 20:06 Music Life (w3csz6v3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Saturday]


SUN 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdq0zg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z4y1xd6m1)
Minister says it's not Israel's job to vaccinate Palestinians

Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein has rebuffed calls from the United Nations to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to the Palestinians. He said Israel was not under any legal obligation to vaccinate Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Omar Shakir from Human Rights Watch tells us why he disagrees.

Also in the programme: good news from China as 11 miners trapped underground for two weeks are rescued; and we speak to the winner of one of the biggest prizes in poetry.

PHOTO: Israelis receive COVID-19 vaccine in Givatayim near Tel Aviv, Israel, 20 January 2021. CREDIT: EPA/ABIR SULTAN


SUN 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdq4ql)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79t0pyllqf)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fpmtw8wp8)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


SUN 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x80dhzz)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 22:32 Two Minutes Past Nine (w3ct1cwz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:32 on Saturday]


SUN 22:50 More or Less (w3ct0pyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:50 today]


SUN 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p8gjdq8gq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 23:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3csz9qr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 on Saturday]


SUN 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q2x80dmr3)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 23:32 Outlook (w3cszf11)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:32 today]



MONDAY 25 JANUARY 2021

MON 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspv7h0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 00:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct19z5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:06 on Saturday]


MON 00:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9jlrd)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 00:32 Discovery (w3ct1d12)
Plant scientist Dale Sanders

Professor Dale Sanders has spent much of his life studying plants, seeking to understand why some thrive in a particular environment while others struggle. His ground breaking research on their molecular machinery showed how plants extract nutrients from the soil and store essential elements. Since plants can’t move, their survival depends on these responses. In 2020, after 27 years at the University of York, he became the Director of the John Innes Centre in Norwich, one of the premier plant research institutions in the world. Meeting the food needs of a growing global population as the climate changes is a major challenge. And, Dale says, it’s not only about maximising yields. We need crops that are more resilient and more nutritious. Drought resistant crop varieties, for example. And zinc-rich white rice. Dale talks to Jim about how plant science is helping to feed the world in a sustainable way and why plant scientists don’t always get the recognition they deserve.
Producer: Anna Buckley


MON 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspvc74)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 01:06 World Business Report (w172x581tzpvqkw)
US passes grim Covid-19 milestone

Twenty five million Americans have now been infected with Covid-19. We explore what's next as President Biden prepares to unleash a fresh wave of government stimulus. Also, China overtook the US last year as the world’s top destination for new foreign direct investment, according to UN figures. Paul Hannon from the Wall Street Journal explains the significance. And, we hear why some suppliers are struggling to keep up with demand as hikers and families renew their love for the great outdoors.

Photo: A health worker prepares to administer a vaccine in Seattle, US (Credit: Getty).


MON 01:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9jqhj)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 01:32 When Katty Met Carlos (w3ct1c54)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:32 on Saturday]


MON 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspvgz8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 02:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc2q)
Perez Hilton: The 2000s' gossip-in-chief

Gossip, scurrilous rumour, a fascination with the flaws of the rich and famous: these human foibles are as old as the hills, but the age of the internet has amplified their power. Perez Hilton, real name Mario Lavandeira, can lay claim to being the godfather of online gossip and scandal mongering. He created his showbiz gossip blog 16 years ago, and made a pile of money trashing reputations and inflicting misery on the famous. Now he says he’s sorry, but should we believe him?


MON 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9jv7n)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 02:32 The Conversation (w3cszj4j)
Choosing to be childfree

When a woman chooses not to have children, why is it still seen as a radical decision? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women about their stories and the stigma associated with their choice to be childfree.

Doreen Akiyo Yomoah is a writer and blogs at Childfree African. Born in Accra, Ghana, she has lived in the US, Japan and Senegal and she is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. She chose not to have kids in her early 20s and she thinks being childfree is part of a wider discussion about reproductive rights and feminism.

Nina Steele is the founder and editor of Nonparents.com. She is originally from the Ivory Coast and she is now based in the UK. When she discovered she couldn't have children, she decided to stay childfree. She says her website has become a resource for African childless and childfree women and men alike.

Produced by Alice Gioia.

IMAGE

L: Doreen Akiyo Yomoah (Credit: Lamine Bouan)
R: Nina Steele (Courtesy of Nina Steele)


MON 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspvlqd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 03:06 The Forum (w3cszjwn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:06 on Sunday]


MON 03:50 Sporting Witness (w3cszh64)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:50 on Saturday]


MON 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspvqgj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 04:06 The Climate Question (w3ct0xb9)
How can we live with the SUV?

Lockdown saw historic drops in global emissions in every sector, except one: sports utility vehicles, or SUVs. They are among the best-selling cars in markets around the world, from India to China, South Africa and Germany. But these vehicles pollute much more than a normal sized car, and require more fuel to move and energy to make. Seen as a status symbol and wrongly thought of as safer than other cars, what can we do to wean ourselves off this polluting vehicle?

Featuring World Service India reporter Arunoday Mukhardji; New York Times Shanghai editor Keith Bradsher, author of High and Mighty: The Dangerous Rise of the SUV; Jillian Anable, Professor of Transport and Energy at the Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds; and Jim Holder, editorial director, Haymarket Automotive.


MON 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9k2qx)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 04:32 CrowdScience (w3cszv6y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:32 on Sunday]


MON 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspvv6n)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 05:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4dh3kc)
Mexican President has Covid-19

President López Obrador, who is 67, said on Twitter that he was "optimistic" following the diagnosis. The news comes as Mexico grapples with an upsurge in infections, with deaths nearing 150,000. We go live in Mexico for the latest.

In Russia thousands were detained this week-end after marching against the detention of Alexei Navalny. We speak to a member of the opposition.

And BBC Africa Eye reports on the private investigative industry in Kenya which is secretive and worth millions of dollars.


MON 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspvyys)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 06:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4dh79h)
EU to discuss Russia mass arrests

European Union Foreign Ministers will discuss relations with Russia today, following a weekend of protests and mass arrests in Russian cities. The detained opposition leader Alexei Navalny made use of his social media presence to call his supporters on to the streets. We have the latest.

As the US passes 25 million positive Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, we take a look at the differences between President Biden's strategy to slow this rate down and his predecessor's.

And we look at the rise in cases of piracy on the West African coast after a Turkish cargo ship was attacked and a sailor was killed.


MON 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspw2px)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 07:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4dhc1m)
Reaction to mass arrests in Russia

Thousands have been arrested across Russia after taking part in protests against the detention of the opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. We speak to one of the protesters.

The Mexican president has tested positive for Covid-19. He has mild symptoms. He has been criticised for playing down the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic.

And we get an update on the manhunt underway in Nigeria after criminals attacked an orphanage in Abuja.


MON 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspw6g1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 08:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc2q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


MON 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9kkqf)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 08:32 Business Daily (w3csz7kl)
Covid: Rethinking wealth and fairness

How the Covid pandemic is changing the way we see wealth and economic fairness. The Covid pandemic has not only changed the way we work. It’s also exposed how little we value the kind of work that’s kept economies afloat amid lockdowns. We hear from a panel of guests about how that’s altered our view of the relationship between wealth and fairness - and ask whether it will lead to fundamental change. (Pic of carer with patient via Getty Images).


MON 08:50 Witness History (w3cszml5)
Egypt's Facebook Girl

A wave of popular anti-government uprisings swept through the Arab world in the early months of 2011. Many of the activists who took to the streets were inspired by social media posts. Israa Abd el Fattah was one of the first Egyptian activists to use social media. In April 2008 she tried to organise a general strike in protest at low wages, and rising prices. She was given the nickname "Facebook Girl". In 2011 she used her experiences with Facebook to help mobilise people before the Egypt's Arab Spring uprising. She spoke to Zeinab Dabaa for Witness History in 2017. She has since been detained by the Egyptian authorities.

Photo: Israa Abd El Fattah in her office in Cairo in 2011. Credit: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images


MON 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspwb65)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 09:06 The Climate Question (w3ct0xb9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


MON 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9kpgk)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 09:32 The Conversation (w3cszj4j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


MON 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspwfy9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 10:06 The Cultural Frontline (w3cszj9j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:32 on Saturday]


MON 10:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9kt6p)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 10:32 Mayday (w3ct1cxh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:32 on Saturday]


MON 10:50 More or Less (w3ct0pyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:50 on Sunday]


MON 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspwkpf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvgb3k)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9kxyt)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 11:32 CrowdScience (w3cszv6y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:32 on Sunday]


MON 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspwpfk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 12:06 Outlook (w3cszd4b)
The rap star saved by a nursing home

T La Rock grew up in New York's Bronx and is seen by many as a pioneer of the Hip Hop music genre. He became the first artist to be recorded by Def Jam records and performed around the world, but that all came to a halt when he was attacked and left with 70% memory loss. Struggling to recover, he ended up in a Jewish nursing home where he found an unlikely group of supporters who helped him to perform again. Jo Fidgen spoke to him in 2018.

Catherine Corless has always been interested in history. She’s from Tuam in the west of Ireland, and after her children had grown up, she enrolled in history classes. As a little girl, she had always been aware of the local Mother and Baby Home – a Catholic institution for unmarried mothers and their children. When she started digging, she couldn’t find much public information about the place, but then she unearthed a shocking statistic – almost 800 children had died in that home, but their bodies were missing. Catherine began tirelessly investigating. Her work would thrust her into the spotlight and expose a national scandal in Ireland. This interview was first broadcast in 2019.

Any comments please email us on outlook@bbc.com

Image: 'T La Rock'
Credit: Stijn Coppens


MON 12:50 Witness History (w3cszml5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


MON 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspwt5p)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 13:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvgklt)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9l5g2)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 13:32 The Conversation (w3cszj4j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


MON 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspwxxt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 14:06 Newshour (w172x2z59b6l3kd)
EU foreign ministers meet to discuss response to Russian protests

European Union foreign ministers meet to discuss their response to the protests and the detention of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny with calls for increased sanctions. Also: we’ll hear from former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, about the future of the United Kingdom; and can experiencing nature virtually boost our wellbeing?

(Photo: Law enforcement officers clash with participants during a rally in support of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Moscow, Russia January 23, 2021. Credit: REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo.)


MON 15:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspx1ny)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 15:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc2q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


MON 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9ldyb)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 15:32 World Business Report (w172xlv96kykx2n)
Xi addresses virtual World Economic Forum

China's president Xi Jinping has spoken to a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum. Dr Yu Jie is senior research fellow on China at Chatham House, and discusses what he had to say. Also in the programme, the UN's International Labour Organisation says that as a result of the pandemic, 93% of the planet's workforce is subject to restrictions on what they can and can't do. We find out more from the ILO's director general, Guy Ryder. In Uganda, many citizens have turned to virtual private networks to get round government internet restrictions in the wake of this month's general election. But the government is now cracking down and threatening anyone using VPNs with prosecution, as the BBC's Patience Atuhaire explains from Kampala. Plus the BBC's Benjie Guy reports on why two Hollywood stars have come to the aid of Wrexham football club in north Wales.

(Picture: President Xi addresses the virtual WEF. Picture credit: EPA.)


MON 16:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspx5f2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 16:06 BBC OS (w172x2t7mylgjgx)
Coronavirus in Mexico: Upsurge in infections

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced he has tested positive for Covid-19. His symptoms are mild. The development comes as Mexico grapples with an upsurge in infections, with deaths nearing 150,000. We hear from people living there.

We continue to bring together people with similar experiences during the pandemic. Today we hear South African, American, Iranian and British people discuss what it has been like trying to start a career after graduating in a time of recession, few opportunities and global unemployment.

And we ask our regular coronavirus expert, Dr Eleanor Murray, about today's pandemic stories and put audience questions to her.

(Photo: Paramedics transfer patient from her house to a hospital in Mexico City. Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Jasso)


MON 17:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspx956)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 17:06 BBC OS (w172x2t7mylgn71)
Coronavirus conversations: Graduate career prospects

We continue to bring together people with similar experiences during the pandemic. Today we hear South African, American, Iranian and British people discuss what it has been like trying to start a career after graduating in a time of recession, few opportunities and global unemployment.

Also, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced he has tested positive for Covid-19. His symptoms are mild. The development comes as Mexico grapples with an upsurge in infections, with deaths nearing 150,000. We hear from people living there.

And we ask our regular coronavirus expert, Professor Manfred Green, about today's pandemic stories and put audience questions to him.

(Photo: Eirian Prosser. Credit: Lesley Prosser)


MON 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspxdxb)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 18:06 Outlook (w3cszd4b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


MON 18:50 Witness History (w3cszml5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


MON 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspxjng)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 19:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvh92l)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9lwxv)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 19:32 Sport Today (w172x3jzs0l7j3h)
2021/01/25 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 (w172x5p8tspxndl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 20:06 The Climate Question (w3ct0xb9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


MON 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9m0nz)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 20:32 Discovery (w3csz9fr)
Science Trumped

When US health expert sighed last week that science could now speak again, his sense of relief was shared by many scientists. Since the start of the Trump administration, experts inside the US government's science agencies, and those outside working with them have felt their efforts sidelined. From the coronavirus effort to international relations and the border wall, Roland Pease hears from some of those who have felt shut out of the nation's science conversation these past four years.

Presenter: Roland Pease

Picture: U.S. President Donald Trump references a map held by acting Homeland Security, credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)


MON 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspxs4q)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z59b6lys9)
Trump trial process to begin in the Senate

The US House of Representatives is to deliver a single article of impeachment to the Senate shortly, accusing Donald Trump of inciting the storming of the Capitol. The move will trigger the first-ever impeachment trial of a former president.

Also in the programme: Ugandan opposition leader, Bobi Wine, tells us the security forces continue to surround his home, despite a court order telling them to leave; and Lithuania's foreign minister on why the European Union failed to agree on new sanctions against Moscow over the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

(Picture: Razor wire outside the US Capitol Building in Washington. Credit: EPA/Michael Reynolds)


MON 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspxwwv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79tcz7tbwp)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fq035hmvj)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


MON 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9m857)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 22:32 World Business Report (w172x58w8q9mmb5)
Xi addresses virtual World Economic Forum

China's president Xi Jinping has spoken to a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum. Dr Yu Jie is senior research fellow on China at Chatham House, and discusses what he had to say. Also in the programme, the UN's International Labour Organisation says that as a result of the pandemic, 93% of the planet's workforce is subject to restrictions on what they can and can't do. We find out more from the ILO's director general, Guy Ryder. In Uganda, many citizens have turned to virtual private networks to get round government internet restrictions in the wake of this month's general election. But the government is now cracking down and threatening anyone using VPNs with prosecution, as the BBC's Patience Atuhaire explains from Kampala. Plus the BBC's Benjie Guy reports on why two Hollywood stars have come to the aid of Wrexham football club in north Wales.

(Picture: President Xi addresses the virtual WEF. Picture credit: EPA.)


MON 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspy0mz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 23:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc2q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


MON 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9mcxc)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 23:32 The Conversation (w3cszj4j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]



TUESDAY 26 JANUARY 2021

TUE 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspy4d3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 00:06 The History Hour (w3cszkq4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:06 on Saturday]


TUE 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspy847)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 01:06 Business Matters (w172x196rs1qh74)
President Biden strengthens 'Buy American' rules

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order that "strengthens" the Buy American rules the US government has to follow when it spends money on anything. The US government is the biggest single buyer of goods and services in the world. China's President Xi Jinping addressed global leaders at a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum - and warned the world of the dangers of a new 'cold war'. Meanwhile, the United Nations says the equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs were lost last year as economies were shut down and businesses went under. That figure is four times greater than the number of jobs lost during the global financial crisis just over a decade ago.

The BBC's Jamie Robertson explores what this means with Amanda Fischer, policy director for the Center for Equitable Growth in Washington DC, and finance professional Jessica Khine.

(Picture credit: Reuters)


TUE 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspycwc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 02:06 People Fixing the World (w3cszv2d)
The spacesuits saving mothers’ lives

A suit originally designed for astronauts has been adapted to save the lives of mothers who experience bleeding after giving birth. It stems the bleeding, buying time until people in remote areas can get to hospital for treatment.

Produced and presented by Craig Langran


TUE 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9mr4r)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 02:32 In the Studio (w3cszvch)
Max Richter: Writing music based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Composer Max Richter has created his own genre of classical music. His ground breaking eight-and-a-half-hour concert work SLEEP has been broadcast and performed all over the world, addressing the need to pause and seek a sense of community. Elizabeth Alker now follows Max as he works on one of his most ambitious and profound pieces of music about the human condition.

The new piece is based on the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." The plan was for artist and film-maker Yulia Mahr to create a full-length video for live performances of the music, but Max only finished the piece a few days before its premiere in London in February 2020.

Then Covid-19 struck. Max and Yulia spent months in lockdown together as their working relationship evolved.

So when will the project be finished and ready to perform in full?

Presented by Elizabeth Alker.

Image: Max Richter and Yulia Mahr (Credit: Mike Terry)


TUE 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspyhmh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 03:06 Outlook (w3cszd4b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Monday]


TUE 03:50 Witness History (w3cszml5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Monday]


TUE 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspymcm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 04:06 The Documentary (w3ct1fqx)
Donald Trump and me

In his inauguration speech in 2017, Donald Trump promised that ‘the forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.’

These words resonated with millions of voters across America’s heartland, who have grown increasingly disillusioned and detached from the people running their country in Washington DC.

Four years on, much has been made of Joe Biden’s record-breaking election win - but it’s important to remember that 74 million people still came out to vote for Donald Trump.

That’s 74 million people who are now coming to terms with the fact that the person who championed their vision of America has now been dethroned.

In this programme we head to one of America’s reddest states, Idaho, to hear reflections from local Republicans on Donald Trump’s rise to the White House. What were their hopes for the most unconventional president in living history, what was gained over the past four years – and what has now been lost?

Presenter Heath Druzin is a reporter with Boise State Public Radio who covers conservative politics, guns and far right movements in the American West.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump raises his fist as he reacts to early results from the 2020 US presidential election in the White House> Credit: Carlos Barria/Reuters)


TUE 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9mzn0)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 04:32 Discovery (w3csz9fr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Monday]


TUE 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspyr3r)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 05:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4dl0gg)
US: House delivers impeachment charge against Trump

US Democrats have delivered an impeachment charge to the Senate - accusing Donald Trump of inciting insurrection. We look at what this means in practice.

Our South America correspondent Katy Watson reports from the Amazonas region of Brazil where the second wave of the pandemic has been devastating, with supplies of oxygen running out in hospitals.

And in Zimbabwe a Doctors Association explains how they are working in a very challenging situation with poor resources, just as the recent deaths of ministers from Covid-19 turns political.


TUE 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspyvvw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 06:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4dl46l)
US Trump: date set for the Senate to start his trial

The former president will stand trial before the US Senate accused of inciting insurrection against the US government. It is the second time Donald Trump faces impeachment proceedings. We take a look at what happens next.

We have a report on the unease and misgivings among some of those at the WHO in its early dealings with China at the start of the pandemic.

And we're live in Harare following the controversy in Zimbabwe after a government spokesman blamed the recent Covid-19 deaths of government ministers on doctors.


TUE 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspyzm0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 07:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4dl7yq)
First step in Donald Trump's impeachment

Democrats from the House of Representatives have delivered an article of impeachment against him in the Senate, which will be the court for his trial. Donald Trump is accused of inciting insurrection against the US government. A law professor explains what happens now.

We're live in India where police in the capital Delhi have used batons and tear gas against thousands of protesting farmers who are demonstrating against new agriculture laws they fear will damage their livelihoods.

And we go to Tunisia where clashes have continued between the police and mostly young people, angry at the poverty so many face because of the lack of jobs.


TUE 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspz3c4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 08:06 People Fixing the World (w3cszv2d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


TUE 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9ngmj)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 08:32 Business Daily (w3csz8c8)
Gorillas, guns and oil

Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is Africa’s oldest and largest wildlife park. Since 1925, it’s been home to some of the last mountain gorillas on earth. But it’s also home to armed militia groups and an ongoing battle for natural resources. The park’s rangers regularly put their lives on the line protecting the precious wildlife and the Congolese communities who live within the park’s boundaries. Two weeks ago, six rangers were killed. Emmanuel De Merode, the park’s director – who also happens to be a Belgian prince – tells us his extraordinary story. Despite huge challenges he remains optimistic that renewable energy and job creation can help steer the region’s next generation of Congolese away from a cycle of violence that has caused so much damage.

(Photo: A mountain gorilla in Virunga National Park. Credit: Thierry Falise for Getty)

Presenter: Vivienne Nunis
Producer: Sarah Treanor


TUE 08:50 Witness History (w3cszmqp)
Syria in the Arab Spring

Protests erupted across the Arab world in 2011, people wanted change, an end to tyranny and dictatorship. But in Syria the unrest, and its put down by the authorities, led to civil war, years of violence and the survival of the Assad regime. One eye witness to events was Rami Jarrah, he was at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus when one of the first protests began in Syria. He told Rebecca Kesby how powerful it felt just to even shout the word "freedom" during the protests.

(Photo:


TUE 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspz738)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 09:06 The Documentary (w3ct1fqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


TUE 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9nlcn)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 09:32 In the Studio (w3cszvch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


TUE 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspzbvd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 10:06 The Arts Hour (w3cszk42)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:06 on Saturday]


TUE 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspzglj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvk70n)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9ntvx)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 11:32 Discovery (w3csz9fr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Monday]


TUE 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspzlbn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 12:06 Outlook (w3cszdkw)
My abuser used an alien plot to brainwash me

In the 1970s child sexual abuse was rarely talked about and for some people, barely understood. So when a trusted member of the community called Bob Berchtold inveigled himself into the Broberg family's lives, becoming like a second father to their three girls, nothing seemed out of place. Berchtold went on to kidnap 12-year-old Jan Broberg, twice, brainwashing her with an elaborate conspiracy that aliens were in charge and the world would end unless she had a baby with him. Decades on, Jan and her mother Mary Ann talk frankly to Jo Fidgen about how the abuser fooled the whole family - and how they eventually rebuilt their lives.

Any comments please email us on outlook@bbc.com

Details of organisations offering information and support for victims of child sexual abuse are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline


Picture: Jan Broberg as a child with her abuser Bob Berchtold
Credit: Courtesy Jan Broberg


TUE 12:50 Witness History (w3cszmqp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


TUE 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspzq2s)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 13:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvkghx)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9p2c5)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 13:32 In the Studio (w3cszvch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


TUE 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspzttx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 14:06 Newshour (w172x2z59b6p0gh)
EU vaccine row

The European Commission President has warned vaccine manufacturers that they must deliver on their promises, as a row grows over cuts in supply. French MEP, Véronique Trillet-Lenoir, who sits on the public health committee of the European Parliament told Newshour that the vaccine shortfall is unfair.
Also in the programme: WHO on vaccine equality; and why it really isn't environmentally friendly to plant the wrong trees?

(Photo: A member of staff holding a dose of the Oxford/Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination clinic at the NHS Nightingale Hospital North East in Sunderland in England credit: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire).


TUE 15:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tspzyl1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 15:06 People Fixing the World (w3cszv2d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


TUE 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9p9vf)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 15:32 World Business Report (w172xlwy3151dvb)
Vaccine supply concerns amid EU export threat

The EU calls for "fair" distribution after vaccine companies cut back on pledged supplies. The BBC's Naomi Grimley assesses the potential impact of a threat from the EU to limit exports of vaccines outside the bloc. And we get wider context from Philip Clarke, who is a professor of health economics at the University of Oxford. Also in the programme, there have been violent scenes in the Indian capital, Delhi, as a protest by hundreds of thousands of farmers against contentious agricultural reforms descended into chaos. We hear from Kavita Kuruganti, who is one of the organisers of the protest, and get perspectives on the dispute from Hindol Sengupta of Invest in India and Kriti Upadhyay, who is an Indian agricultural expert, based in Washington, DC. Plus, we meet Ghanaian photographer, Michael Aboya, who has set up a business after winning awards and money for his photographs showing a positive side of Africa that is sometimes forgotten in favour of bad news stories.

(Picture: A tray of coronavirus vaccine. Picture credit: Getty Images.)


TUE 16:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq02b5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 16:06 BBC OS (w172x2t7mylkfd0)
Coronavirus: How will poorer countries get the vaccine?

As many countries start to vaccinate their populations against Covid-19, questions are being asked as to how the vaccine will be evenly distributed around the world. There have been fears that richer countries could hoard jabs at the expense of poorer ones so an international scheme called Covax aims to make sure vaccines are shared fairly among all nations. But will this work? And how long will it take for poorer countries to get the vaccine? We'll speak to an expert to answer these questions.

Also, we continue to bring together people from across the world to hear how they have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Today we speak to people with stammers and stutters, to hear how lockdowns and isolation has impacted their speech problems.

And, every day we are joined by a health expert to help us understand the latest news about coronavirus and to answer your questions. Today our guest is Dr Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases physician and scientist from the University of Toronto.

(Photo: A health worker fills a syringe with a dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Widnes, Britain, January 14, 2021. Credit: Reuters/Jason Cairnduff)


TUE 17:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq0629)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 17:06 BBC OS (w172x2t7mylkk44)
Coronavirus: How has the pandemic affected people with stammers?

We continue to bring together people from across the world to hear how they have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Today we speak to people with stammers and stutters, to hear how lockdowns and isolation has impacted their speech problems. We'll also discuss the significance of US President Joe Biden, a man who has often talked about his stammer.

Also, in India protesting farmers have stormed Delhi's historic Red Fort complex. Tens of thousands of farmers have been striking on the outskirts of Delhi since November, protesting against new agricultural laws they say will negatively impact their business. We'll speak to our reporter in Delhi who's been following what's happening.

And, every day we are joined by a health expert to help us understand the latest news about coronavirus and to answer your questions. Today our guest is Dr Helen Wimalarathna, a Molecular Epidemiologist at the University of Buckingham in the UK.

(Photo: US President Biden speaks on American Manufacturing in Washington, DC 25/01/2021. Credit: European Pressphoto Agency)


TUE 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq09tf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 18:06 Outlook (w3cszdkw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


TUE 18:50 Witness History (w3cszmqp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


TUE 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq0fkk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 19:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvl5zp)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9psty)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 19:32 Sport Today (w172x3jzs0lbf0l)
2021/01/26 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 (w172x5p8tsq0k9p)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 20:06 The Documentary (w3ct1fqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


TUE 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9pxl2)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 20:32 Digital Planet (w3csz997)
Loon Balloon internet deflated

Loon Balloon internet deflated. Also Rabies vaccinations in Malawi – how tech is eliminating the disease in dogs and Cybersecurity and AI.

Alphabet, Google’s parent company has announced it’s winding down Project Loon. Hundred’s of high altitude balloons carrying miniature mobile phone towers were to drift around the globe providing internet connectivity to very remote regions. Digital Planet has been following the project from its first trials in 2013 and even visited one of their base stations in Kenya. We discuss why it didn’t succeed.

Rabies vaccinations in Malawi – how tech is eliminating the disease in dogs
Vaccinating dogs is the best way of reducing human deaths from rabies, but getting a minimum of 70% of dogs vaccination in an area (the coverage needed to eliminate the disease in the dogs) is very time consuming and costly. Now a new app, along with detailed data-driven analysis, has led to halving the time it takes to vaccinate dogs as well as significantly reducing costs and the workload for vets. Dr. Stella Mazeri, from Edinburgh University, is on the show explaining how their data-based approach has been so successful in Malawi.

Cybersecurity and AI
In the second of his reports on cybersecurity threats of the future Florian Bohr looks at artificial intelligence. Apparently, hackers are starting to use machine learning to attack systems more effectively. On the flipside, cybersecurity professionals are depending on AI more and more to control and defend their systems but who will prevail?

The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Ghislaine Boddington.

Studio Manager: Giles Aspen
Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz




(Image: A Google Project Loon internet balloon. Credit: Reuters/Stephen Lam)


TUE 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq0p1t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z59b6pvpd)
Vaccine supply fears grow amid EU export threat

The EU criticises vaccine makers for sluggish delivery and threatens to impose tight controls on the export of vaccines made in the bloc.

Also in the programme: coronavirus deaths in the UK passes 100,000 - the highest in Europe; and new research on tackling sleeping sickness.

(PHOTO: A health worker fills a syringe with a dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Credit: Reuters)


TUE 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq0ssy)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79tcz7x7ss)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fq035ljrm)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


TUE 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9q52b)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 22:32 World Business Report (w172x58w8q9qj78)
Vaccine supply concerns amid EU export threat

The EU calls for "fair" distribution after vaccine companies cut back on pledged supplies. The BBC's Naomi Grimley assesses the potential impact of a threat from the EU to limit exports of vaccines outside the bloc. And we get wider context from Philip Clarke, who is a professor of health economics at the University of Oxford. Also in the programme, there have been violent scenes in the Indian capital, Delhi, as a protest by hundreds of thousands of farmers against contentious agricultural reforms descended into chaos. We hear from Kavita Kuruganti, who is one of the organisers of the protest, and get perspectives on the dispute from Hindol Sengupta of Invest in India and Kriti Upadhyay, who is an Indian agricultural expert, based in Washington, DC. Plus, we meet Ghanaian photographer, Michael Aboya, who has set up a business after winning awards and money for his photographs showing a positive side of Africa that is sometimes forgotten in favour of bad news stories.

(Picture: A tray of coronavirus vaccine. Picture credit: Getty Images.)


TUE 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq0xk2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 23:06 People Fixing the World (w3cszv2d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


TUE 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9q8tg)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 23:32 In the Studio (w3cszvch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]



WEDNESDAY 27 JANUARY 2021

WED 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq1196)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 00:06 The Arts Hour (w3cszk42)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:06 on Saturday]


WED 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq151b)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 01:06 Business Matters (w172x196rs1td47)
Violent protests from Indian farmers turn deadly

A rally against agriculture reforms in India turned violent on Tuesday, after protesting farmers broke through police barricades to storm Delhi's historic Red Fort complex. One protester died and more than 80 police officers were injured. The BBC's Jamie Robertson talks to Kimberley Adams from Marketplace and Sushma Ramachandran in Delhi. Meanwhile, leaders of the European Union are furious after the British drug giant AstraZeneca said it's cutting deliveries of vaccines to the EU by 60% in January to March. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum that the bloc would now monitor all vaccine exports to countries outside the EU.

(Picture credit: Getty Images)


WED 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq18sg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 02:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc7m)
Yuli Edelstein: Israel's Covid-19 vaccination programme leads the world

Israel is leading the world in the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine. More than a million Israelis have had their second dose, the prime minister claims the vast majority of adults will have been immunised by mid march, allowing the country to ease restrictions. Does the Health Minister, Yuli Edelstein, think Israel has shown responsible and ethical coronavirus management?

(Photo: Yuli Edelstein appears via video link on Hardtalk)


WED 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9qn1v)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 02:32 Project 17 (w3ct0x81)
Goal 2: Zero hunger

In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world.

Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. Governments agreed to support the goals which cover gender equality, access to clean water, a good education and much more. Now, 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they want the world to be doing.

Seventeen-year-old Rosa Angelica lives in a Mayan community. As many as 80% of Mayan children in Guatemala suffer from malnutrition. Rosa Angelica has spoken to volunteers, activists and even a government minister to try to find out what Guatemala should be doing if it is to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030.

Project 17 is a unique collaboration between the BBC World Service and the Open University.

Presenter: Sana Safi. Producer: Kate Lamble.


WED 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq1djl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 03:06 Outlook (w3cszdkw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Tuesday]


WED 03:50 Witness History (w3cszmqp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Tuesday]


WED 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq1j8q)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 04:06 The Compass (w3ct1czq)
My Perfect City

My Perfect City: Communities in Barcelona

Barcelona has always put strong communities as a key aim of its urban planning. What has it got right, and should other cities follow suit?

In the 19th century, Barcelona instigated the City Market system. Every neighbourhood had its own food market, where locals met and mingled, but some fell into disrepair, and new areas didn’t have them. A renewed interest in the past 20 years has seen new ones built and old ones invested in.

In another major push, pilot schemes to reclaim public space by permanently pedestrianising streets have shown some success. These so-called “superblocks” have become car-less zones, with cafes, restaurants and children’s playgrounds reclaiming the streets which were once choked with traffic. Plans are afoot to broaden the initiative across the city’s more central districts.

Fi Glover and panellists Dr Ellie Cosgrave, director of the UCL Urban Laboratory, and Professor Greg Clark, urbanist and global city adviser, test the credentials of the Barcelona “village city” model. Should it be added to the perfect city portfolio?

The team also considers Addis Ababa’s attempts to build brand new liveable condominiums.


WED 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9qwk3)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 04:32 Digital Planet (w3csz997)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Tuesday]


WED 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq1n0v)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 05:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4dnxck)
President Biden addresses America's racial inequalities

President Biden is trying to address racial division in the US and has signed executive orders aimed at bringing about equality including in access to housing, and treatment in prisons. We get the reaction of the author of "Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities."

Tensions continue in Europe in terms of access to the Covid-19 vaccines. We speak to the Director General of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations.

And the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation has warned that its entire fleet of anti-locust aircraft could be grounded due to lack of funding, as their team leader in East Africa explains.


WED 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq1rrz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 06:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4dp13p)
The cost of the Covid-19 vaccine access row

We look at the issue of vaccine nationalism and the effect it could have on human health but also the health of economies around the world.

Over a million people in fifty countries took part in a survey about climate change. We get the findings from a lead researcher at Oxford University.

And a headteacher in Zimbabwe tells us about the situation there for staff and students as Covid-19 cases are on the rise across the country.


WED 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq1wj3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 07:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4dp4vt)
Europe's Covid-19 vaccine supply and demand row

While cases of Covid-19 keep rising, a row has been brewing over supplies of the vaccine within the European Union. A shortfall in expected doses has prompted the European Commission to start monitoring exports of the vaccine from member states. We speak to the Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister.

We mark Holocaust Memorial Day by hearing how people are commemorating this during the pandemic.

And we get an update on reports that an offensive by Malian and French troops has reportedly killed one hundred Islamic militants.


WED 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq2087)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 08:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc7m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


WED 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9rcjm)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 08:32 Business Daily (w3csz8nx)
Kidnap in the Gulf of Guinea

Is there a new piracy crisis afflicting Africa's shipping lanes? And should the merchant ships in the region now be armed? Four men boarded a Turkish-crewed container ship out at sea in the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa on Saturday - they killed a crew member and took 15 hostages. Robert Peters, a senior analyst for west Africa at Ambrey, a company which boasts the largest number of maritime security personnel in ports across the globe, tells Ed Butler what happened. Ed also speaks to Munro Anderson, who works for Dryad Global, another security firm that specialises in shipping in the area who says he doesn't think the Nigerian government is doing enough to stop kidnappings in the region. But Amy Jadesimi who is the MD of Ladol, a free trade area within Nigeria's largest port in Lagos, says they are doing quite a good job. And Professor Anja Shortland is a lecturer in political economy at Kings College London. She's also written a book, Kidnap: Inside the Ransom Business, in which she analyses how the problem of piracy around the east African coast off Somalia was effectively contained. Ed asks her if there are lessons to be learnt from that experience.

(Photo: Nigerian special forces sail to intercept pirates as part of an operation in 2019, Credit: Getty Images)


WED 08:50 Witness History (w3cszmsy)
Yemen's 2011 uprising

Inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt young Yemenis took to the streets in January 2011. Ishraq al-Maqtari was a lawyer and women's rights activist from the southwestern city of Taiz. She took her two young daughters on the first demonstration in her home town. She has been speaking to Sumaya Bakhsh about how the uprising was an unprecedented opportunity for women to have their voices heard. But in Yemen, war and a humanitarian catastrophe followed the popular uprising, so does Ishraq regret taking part in the protests of the Arab Spring?

Photo: Ishraq al-Maqtari in 2011.


WED 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq240c)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 09:06 The Compass (w3ct1czq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


WED 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9rh8r)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 09:32 Project 17 (w3ct0x81)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


WED 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq27rh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 10:06 The Documentary (p012cbf2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 on Sunday]


WED 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq2chm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvn3xr)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9rqs0)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 11:32 Digital Planet (w3csz997)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Tuesday]


WED 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq2h7r)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 12:06 Outlook (w3cszdsn)
Tales from 'the beautiful game'

Moses Akatugba used to coach a football team made up of prisoners on death row in Delta State, Nigeria. Moses was a death row prisoner himself. He had been arrested when he was 16 and accused of stealing mobile phones in an armed robbery. He says he didn’t do it, and claims that he was tortured into confessing. His case was taken up by human rights campaigners and he was eventually pardoned. But not before he had spent ten years behind bars – the last two of them on death row. This interview was first broadcast in 2018.

Meet the so-called 'queen of football' Marta Vieira da Silva, a Brazilian footballer who has been named Fifa Female World Player of the Year six times and has scored more World Cup goals than any other player. Our reporter Irene Caselli spoke to the legend back in 2018. This interview was part of 'A Girls' Game' - a project run by the European Journalism Centre.

Back in the 1980s, there were very few professional black footballers in England. Paul Canoville was the first to play for Chelsea. He was over the moon when he was signed, but on his debut he was booed and racially abused by his own fans. In this interview from 2018 he tells Jo Fidgen how he fought back and how his career paved the way for many other black players.

Any comments please email us on outlook@bbc.com


Picture: Brazilian footballer Marta Vieira da Silva
Credit: Buda Mendes/Getty Images


WED 12:50 Witness History (w3cszmsy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


WED 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq2lzw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 13:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvncf0)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9rz88)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 13:32 Project 17 (w3ct0x81)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


WED 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq2qr0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 14:06 Newshour (w172x2z59b6rxcl)
Covid-19: UK death toll passes 100,000

More than 100,000 people in the UK have now died with Covid-19, the highest number in Europe. The prime minister Boris Johnson called it a grim statistic and said he was deeply sorry for every life lost. He said there were many lessons to learn. We ask why the 100,000 toll is so bad as some argue poor decisions to blame for the high death toll.

Demand leads to counterfeits and thriving black-markets in Coronavirus vaccines -- we talk about the problem in the Philippines.

And president Biden's foreign policy resets -- we hear views from Russia and from South Korea.

(Photo Credit: PA MEDIA)


WED 15:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq2vh4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 15:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc7m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


WED 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9s6rj)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 15:32 World Business Report (w172xlxrjrrtm5q)
UK to introduce hotel quarantine

The UK is to introduce mandatory 10 day hotel quarantine for arrivals from some countries. The measure will target those locations where mutant coronavirus strains are widespread, and we find out how Australia's similar scheme works, which involves caps on numbers and mandatory hotel quarantine for all arrivals, from Nadia Daly, who is a journalist on ABC television in Australia. And we consider the economic costs and benefits of quarantine schemes with Professor Susan Michie, who is an independent advisor to the UK government on behavioural economics. Also in the programme, the BBC's Vivienne Nunis reports on the challenges of running Africa's oldest national park, Virunga in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the face of attacks from militia groups, and plans by an energy company to drill for oil. Plus, Twitter has bought the subscription newsletter service Revue. Jonathan Nunn edits the food newsletter Vittles, and tells us whether there is money to be made in the subscription model.

(Picture: Boris Johnson introduces the quarantine scheme in the House of Commons. Picture credit: AFP.)


WED 16:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq2z78)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 16:06 BBC OS (w172x2t7mylnb93)
Coronavirus death rates: The global picture

More than 100,000 people have now died with Covid-19 in the UK, making it fifth country to pass 100,000 deaths after the US, Brazil, India and Mexico. This means the UK has one of the worst death rates in the world. But what are the death rates like across the globe? We'll speak to our science editor to get the wider picture.

Also, we continue to bring together people from across the world to hear how they have been affected by coronavirus. The pandemic has meant many people have lost jobs or earnings, and so have had to turn to other ways of making money. Today we speak to three women who have started using OnlyFans, a social media platform that allows people to sell explicit photos of themselves. It's seen huge surge in popularity during the pandemic so we'll hear the realities of trying to earn a living on the site.

And every day we are joined by a health expert to help us understand the latest news about coronavirus and to answer your questions. Today our guest is Dr Maria Sundaram, infectious disease epidemiologist at ICES Ontario in Toronto.

(Photo: An ambulance drives past near the Royal London hospital in London, Britain, 26 January 2021. Credit: EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA)


WED 17:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq32zd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 17:06 BBC OS (w172x2t7mylng17)
Coronavirus conversations: Selling nudes

The pandemic has meant many people have lost jobs or earnings, and so have had to turn to other ways of making money. Today we speak to three women who have started using OnlyFans, a social media platform that allows people to sell explicit photos of themselves. It's seen huge surge in popularity during the pandemic so we'll hear the realities of trying to earn a living on the site.

Also, every day we are joined by a health expert to help us understand the latest news about coronavirus and to answer your questions. Today our guest is Dr Pedro Hallal, an epidemiologist from the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil.

And we'll speak to a journalist who spent three weeks inside a QAnon chatroom - a movement which believes former US President Donald Trump is waging a secret war against elite satan-worshipping paedophiles in government, business and the media.

(Photo: Lil in Berlin is one of the people who is selling content on OnlyFans. Credit: Jana Reinwarth)


WED 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq36qj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 18:06 Outlook (w3cszdsn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


WED 18:50 Witness History (w3cszmsy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


WED 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq3bgn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 19:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvp2ws)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9spr1)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 19:32 Sport Today (w172x3jzs0lf9xp)
2021/01/27 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 (w172x5p8tsq3g6s)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 20:06 The Compass (w3ct1czq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


WED 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9sth5)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 20:32 Health Check (w3cszcd4)
Brazilian city’s Covid crisis: ‘It’s like Hell’

The Brazilian city of Manaus remains in a state of crisis as its second surge of Covid-19 cases continues to overwhelm its hospitals and kill hundreds of people every day. Dr Marcus Lacerda, a clinical researcher at the FioCruz Institute talks to Claudia about the city’s medical oxygen supply shortage and why the coronavirus has caused even more suffering during this second surge of cases.

One of the commonest symptoms of Covid-19 illness is the loss of the sense of smell. It returns after a few weeks in most people but a significant minority still can’t smell anything many months later. We talk to Professor Carl Philpott of Norwich Medical School who’s led an international panel of nose doctors, assessing the evidence for the best therapies to restore the olfactory sense to people who’ve lost it following respiratory infections. So-called smell training comes out top as the most evidence-based approach. Carl explains how it works and we hear from two people who are trying to regain their sense of smell.

Can some people suffer from the side effects of some drugs because they are expecting to experience them, and not because the drugs are actually causing them? That does seem to the case with statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed to many millions of people around the world. Many people stop taking them because of side effects such as joint pain and muscle aches. But a fascinating study suggests that in many patients, it’s not the drugs that are the problem but something known as the nocebo effect - the evil twin of the placebo effect. We hear from Imperial College London cardiologist James Howard and one of the study’s participants.

Doctor Graham Easton is Claudia’s guest of the week, talking about whether Covid vaccines will be effective against the new, more infectious variants of the coronavirus; a link between afternoon naps and sharper mental agility; and he comments on the nocebo effect in medicine.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker

(Picture: A man holds an oxygen tank in Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil in January 2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo credit: Michael Dantas/AFP/Getty Images.)


WED 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq3kyx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z59b6srlh)
Biden sets out climate change plans

President Biden sets out his plans for dealing with climate change and describes it as an existential threat that has to be dealt with as a matter of urgency.

Also in the programme:the Gamestop stock saga; and Holocaust memorial day.

(Picture: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about administration plans to confront climate change at the White House ceremony in Washington. Credit: Reuters)


WED 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq3pq1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79tcz804pw)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fq035pfnq)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


WED 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9t1zf)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 22:32 World Business Report (w172x58w8q9tf4c)
Biden signs 'existential' executive orders on environment

President Biden's orders aim to freeze new oil and gas leases on public lands and double offshore wind-produced energy by 2030. They are expected to meet stiff resistance from the energy industry and come as a sea change from Donald Trump, who cut environmental protections.

The International Olympic Committee say they are "fully concentrated and committed to the successful and safe delivery" of the Games. However, as we know, nothing is certain when it comes to a pandemic, and much of Japan is still under a state of emergency. We explore what the options might be with Andrew Zimbalist, a professor of economics at Smith College and the author of Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup.

Also in the programme, the challenges of running Africa's oldest national park, Virunga in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the face of attacks from militia groups, and plans by an energy company to drill for oil.

(Picture: President Joe Biden/Getty Images)


WED 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq3tg5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 23:06 HARDtalk (w3cszc7m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


WED 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9t5qk)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 23:32 Project 17 (w3ct0x81)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]



THURSDAY 28 JANUARY 2021

THU 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq3y69)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 00:06 The Documentary (p012cbf2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 on Sunday]


THU 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq41yf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 01:06 Business Matters (w172x196rs1x91b)
Biden signs 'existential' executive orders on climate

President Biden's orders aim to freeze new oil and gas leases on public lands and double offshore wind-produced energy by 2030. They are expected to meet stiff resistance from the energy industry and come as a sea change from Donald Trump, who cut environmental protections.

Also in the programme, tech stocks have had another big day with Apple reporting their highest ever net profit.

We ask how games retailer, GameStop, found itself at the centre of a groundbreaking battle between Wall Street and small investors.

Plus - the International Olympic Committee say they are "fully concentrated and committed to the successful and safe delivery" of the Games. However, as we know, nothing is certain when it comes to a pandemic, and much of Japan is still under a state of emergency. We explore what the options might be with Andrew Zimbalist, a professor of economics at Smith College and the author of Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup.

And - canine companions are back in the White House. While people are getting excited about Champ and Major Biden, we hear about one-legged roosters , gifted ponies and other beloved pets of past US presidents from Andrew Hager, historian-in-residence of the Presidential Pet Museum.

PHOTO: Joe Biden/Getty Images


THU 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq45pk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 02:06 The Inquiry (w3cszl4q)
Is online censorship going too far?

Donald Trump has moved out of the White House, he’s been banned from Twitter and suspended from Snapchat, Facebook and YouTube. Parler, a twitter alternative for conservatives, went offline after Amazon stopped hosting it. Amazon say this is because they found dozens of posts on the service which encouraged violence. All of this has raised questions about the power of tech companies and who should decide who’s voice is heard on social media. So this week Charmaine Cozier asks, has big tech gone too far in limiting free speech?


Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producers: Sharon Hemans and Bob Howard
Editor: Richard Vadon


(Twitter suspended Donald Trump's account for violating app rules, January 2021. Credit: Jakub Porzycki/ Getty Images)


THU 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9tjyy)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 02:32 The Food Chain (w3cszjr5)
Divided by drink: A tale from dry America

Trump vs Biden isn’t the only issue that's been dividing communities in the USA in recent months - some have also been arguing over alcohol. Alongside November’s presidential vote, several counties and cities voted on whether to give up their ‘dry’ status and allow alcohol sales, many for the first time in 100 years.

This week we hear from Bath County, Kentucky, which narrowly voted to go ‘wet’. Emily Thomas hears the story of this small rural community told by the people on opposite sides of the sometimes bitter argument - a pastor whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, and a young metal worker convinced alcohol sales will bring prosperity.

Producers: Simon Tulett and Sarah Stolarz

Contributors:

The Reverend Lowell Rice, pastor at Owingsville First Church of God, Kentucky
Dallas Whisman, Bath County Alcohol Beverage Control administrator, Kentucky

(Picture: A broken beer bottle on a US flag. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)


THU 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq49fp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 03:06 Outlook (w3cszdsn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Wednesday]


THU 03:50 Witness History (w3cszmsy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Wednesday]


THU 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq4f5t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 04:06 Assignment (w3csz6mc)
The exiles: Hong Kong at a crossroads

Over a year ago, two young men who met over the internet as Hong Kong was gripped by months of pro-democracy protests. They shared a common interest in martial arts and a burning desire to resist China’s tightening grip on their lives. Now in the wake of a sweeping national security law, imposed by Beijing, they need to decide… are they going stay and continue to protest or flee to the United Kingdom, a country offering them a way out. In a move that infuriated China, Britain has introduced a new visa that will give 70% of its former colony’s population – 5.4m people - the right to live in the UK, and eventually become citizens. So what will they decide? Grace Tsoi, Wei Wang and Rebecca Henschke follow their story.

Produced and presented by Rebecca Henschke in London and Grace Tsoi in Hong Kong
Sound recordings by Wei Wang
Editor: Bridget Harney


(Image: A Hong Kong pro-democracy protestor who has decided to flee to the United Kingdom. Credit: BBC/Wei Wang)


THU 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9tsg6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 04:32 Health Check (w3cszcd4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Wednesday]


THU 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq4jxy)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 05:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4drt8n)
Climate change to be at the heart of US policies

The new measures set out in a series of executive orders by President Biden include a freeze on new oil and gas leases on public land and offshore waters, and an end to fossil fuel subsidies where legally possible. The moves are expected to meet stiff resistance from the energy industry. We take a look at the challenge ahead.

We report from South Africa, the hardest hit country on the African continent in terms of Covid-19 deaths and cases, which is experiencing oxygen shortages in hospitals.

Also what changes are likely in the US stance towards Ethiopia and the Tigray crisis? A former US diplomat gives his view.


THU 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq4np2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 06:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4dry0s)
President Biden sets out his climate change agenda

President Biden has signed executive orders to tackle climate change. The new climate envoy John Kerry speaks to the BBC and we also get a reaction from a representative of oil and gas interests in the US and from an environmental group.

A WHO team is starting its investigation of the origin of the Covid-19 virus in Wuhan, after their two weeks in quarantine - we go live to Wuhan.

And two young Kenyans describe their design for a robotic arm powered by brain signals and designed for people with disabilities.


THU 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq4sf6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 07:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4ds1rx)
Reactions to new US climate change policies

President Joe Biden has signed a series of executive orders designed to address climate change - including a new ban on some energy drilling. We speak to a representative of the oil and gas industry and to an environmentalist.

Will the new US administration have a different policy towards Ethiopia and the Tigray crisis? We ask a former US diplomat.

And the English National Opera is helping people with longer term symptoms of Covid-19. We speak to someone who's taken part.


THU 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq4x5b)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 08:06 The Inquiry (w3cszl4q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


THU 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9v8fq)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 08:32 Business Daily (w3csz7yd)
The economic cost of closing schools

The economic costs of school closures amidst the pandemic could be huge. 2 billion school days have been missed so far around the world, and millions more are to come. Experts are warning of a lost generation with many children losing key skills to earn their way out of poverty. Even in the rich world, this cohort could see their future incomes fall considerably. So are governments paying enough attention? Does education have to be the trade off for public health and the economy in the pandemic? We hear from Stefania Giannini Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO who tells us that disadvantaged children will suffer the most, whilst Dr Randa Grob Zakhary, CEO, Insights for Education says that different countries have taken different approaches to education during the pandemic with starkly different results. Nisha Ligon is the co-founder of Ubongo, Africa’s biggest EdTech non-profit, who has had a busy year filling the demand for home learning in African countries with limited access to modern technology. Plus educational economist Eric Hanushek, a fellow of the Hoover Institution, Stanford University has been crunching the numbers on the impact on GDP and personal earnings for the current cohort of school children being locked out of school.






(Image: School gates with closed sign. Credit: Press Association)


THU 08:50 Witness History (w3cszmnf)
Libya's Arab uprising

In the early months of 2011 demonstrators took to the streets across the Arab world in what became known as the Arab spring. In February, protests in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi soon turned into an armed revolt seeking to overthrow the dictator, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Six months later, following fierce fighting, Libyan rebel forces swept into the capital, Tripoli. After more than 42 years the Libyan leader was forced from power. He was later captured and killed. Farhana Haider has been speaking to BBC Arabic correspondent Feras Kilani, who was detained and beaten while covering the uprising.

Photo: Libyan anti-Gaddafi protesters wave their old national flag as they stand atop an abandoned army tank in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on February 28, 2011.(Credit PATRICK BAZ/AFP via Getty Images)


THU 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq50xg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 09:06 Assignment (w3csz6mc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


THU 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9vd5v)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 09:32 The Food Chain (w3cszjr5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


THU 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq54nl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 10:06 The Forum (w3cszjwp)
Eleusinian Mysteries: Secret ceremonies promising happiness

In ancient Greece, thousands of people flocked each year to join the religious rites known as the Eleusinian Mysteries. Based on the cult of the goddess of fertility Demeter and her daughter Persephone, the Mysteries were for many a profoundly moving and life-changing experience. People from all over the Greek world and beyond travelled to Eleusis for at least 800 years and the ceremonies remained a highlight of the Athenian calendar throughout that time. But what really went on in the great hall of the sanctuary at Eleusis? Why did the organisers deem it necessary to issue a strict injunction against divulging what actually took place - and what happened to some of those who broke that rule?

These are some of the questions Bridget Kendall discusses with Christy Constantakopoulou, professor in ancient history and classics at Birkbeck College, London; Esther Eidinow, professor of ancient history at Bristol University; Dr. Philippe Michel Matthey who lectures about ancient religions at Geneva University; and Dr. Julietta Steinhauer, a lecturer in Hellenistic history at University College, London.

[Image: Detail from a vessel showing a scene of the Eleusis cult with Triptolemus in a winged chariot and Demeter, c.460 BC. Credit DeAgostini/Getty Images]


THU 10:50 Sporting Witness (w3cszh65)
Mianne Bagger - Golf's transgender pioneer

In 2004, Mianne Bagger of Denmark became the first transitioned woman to play in a professional golf tournament when she played in the Australian women's open in Sydney. It was a landmark moment for trans sport and made headlines around the world. Mianne Bagger talks to Robbie Wojciechowski.

PHOTO: Mianne Bagger in action in 2010 (Getty Images)


THU 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq58dq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvr0tv)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9vmp3)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 11:32 Health Check (w3cszcd4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Wednesday]


THU 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq5d4v)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 12:06 Outlook (w3cszdc3)
Who says I can't go to school?

Homeira Qaderi lived for reading and writing. In the mid-1990s, when she was 13 years old, the Taliban banned girls from going to school in Afghanistan, so she set up a secret classroom in her kitchen. She also taught young refugee children in a tent, risking death if she was caught, and sought out a teacher who could secretly instruct her in the art of writing stories. She later went to university in Iran and became a successful writer, academic and women's rights advocate. Homeira has written a memoir as a ‘mother’s letter to her son’, in which she tries to explain to him what growing up as a girl in Afghanistan was like, and the sacrifices she made along the way. She tells Jo Fidgen just how much she has had to battle to pursue her dream.

The Russian wilderness is home to the world's largest owl - the Blakiston's Fish Owl. For months at a stretch, an American conservationist called Jon Slaght journeys through the forests of Eastern Russia following these rather elusive birds. It all began for him more than 20 years ago, when he was a young volunteer in the Peace Corps and had a magical chance encounter. This interview was first broadcast in 2016.

Any comments please email us on outlook@bbc.com


Picture: Homeira Qaderi
Credit: Tim Schoon


THU 12:50 Witness History (w3cszmnf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


THU 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq5hwz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 13:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvr8b3)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9vw5c)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 13:32 The Food Chain (w3cszjr5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


THU 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq5mn3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 14:06 Newshour (w172x2z59b6vt8p)
Russia: Court rejects Alexei Navalny's appeal

Russian anti-Putin campaigner Alexei Navalny has denounced his detention as "blatantly illegal" in an appeal hearing via video link. We get the latest from our correspondent in Moscow.

An interview with US climate envoy John Kerry, who says a UN climate summit in the UK this November is "the last best chance" to avert the worst environmental consequences for the world.

And we discuss whether China's relief at the new US presidency means it's onwards and upwards for Beijing's campaign for global economic dominance.

(Photo: Alexei Navalny says the latest case against him was fabricated. Credit: Reuters)


THU 15:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq5rd7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 15:06 The Inquiry (w3cszl4q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


THU 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9w3nm)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 15:32 World Business Report (w172xlw3n9kjx77)
How 5G could mean even more electronic waste

What happens to old devices, with mass adoption of 5G expected to create a lot of junk? The BBC's Rob Young has been finding out where our gadgets go when we are done with them. We get the perspectives of John Shegerian, co-founder of waste recycling company ERI in California, Ife Okafor-Yarwood who is a lecturer in sustainable development at St Andrews University, and Agudor Kwaku Agabas in Ghana, whose company AppCyclers turns e-waste into new products such as an egg incubator for farmers. Also in the programme, we have a report from New York where Wall Street is gripped by the story of an army of small investors, who have sent shares in a company called GameStop soaring, in what is known as a short squeeze. Plus we hear from Ivan Menezes, chief executive of alcoholic drinks maker Diageo, why sales for the company have increased during the course of the pandemic.

(Picture: A pile of e-waste. Picture credit: Getty Images.)


THU 16:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq5w4c)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 16:06 BBC OS (w172x2t7mylr766)
Coronavirus: Vaccine hesitancy among ethnic minority groups

There's been growing concern from health professionals about vaccine hesitancy among ethnic minority groups. One study, carried out in the UK, found that black people over the age of 80 were half as likely as white people in the same age group to have been vaccinated against Covid-19 by 13th January. We hear how doctors are tackling vaccine hesitancy in their parts of the world, and what role social media plays in spreading misinformation.

Also, our regular health experts joins us to answer your questions about the pandemic. Today it's Dr Emma Hodcroft, molecular epidemiologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland. If you have a question you would like to ask, send a WhatsApp message to +447730 751925.

And we go to Pakistan where the Supreme Court has ordered the release of four men accused of murdering US journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.

(Photo: Dr Angela Branche helps people sign up to receive fresh food boxes and coronavirus disease survival kits as part of an outreach program to the Black community to increase vaccine trial participation in Rochester, New York, US. Credit: Reuters/Lindsay DeDario)


THU 17:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq5zwh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 17:06 BBC OS (w172x2t7mylrbyb)
Coronavirus: Germany and AstraZeneca jab

Germany's vaccine committee has said that AstraZeneca's vaccine should only be given to people under the age of 65, citing "insufficient data" over its efficacy for older people. The announcement comes amid a dispute between the EU and leading manufacturers over a shortage of vaccines. We hear how the news is being seen across the continent, and get the thoughts of our health expert.

Also, there's been growing concern from health professionals about vaccine hesitancy among ethnic minority groups. One study, carried out in the UK, found that black people over the age of 80 were half as likely as white people in the same age group to have been vaccinated against Covid-19 by 13th January. We hear how doctors are tackling vaccine hesitancy in their parts of the world, and what role social media plays in spreading misinformation.

And we go to Pakistan where the Supreme Court has ordered the release of four men accused of murdering US journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.

(Photo: Vials and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo. Credit: Reuters/Dado Ruvic)


THU 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq63mm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 18:06 Outlook (w3cszdc3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


THU 18:50 Witness History (w3cszmnf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


THU 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq67cr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 19:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvrzsw)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9wln4)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 19:32 Sport Today (w172x3jzs0lj6ts)
2021/01/28 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 (w172x5p8tsq6c3w)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 20:06 Assignment (w3csz6mc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


THU 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9wqd8)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 20:32 Science in Action (w3cszh1n)
New Covid vaccine

Researchers at Imperial College have been working on a strategy that can make RNA vaccines stretch further. Anna Blakely explains how the new approach works and why RNA vaccines are adaptable to a changing disease.
In January 2019 a dam collapsed in Brazil, spilling 10 million cubic metres of red sludge down nearby rivers, claiming the lives of at least 259 people. An engineering report into the collapse looked at data from safety sensors around the site, and said they’d not revealed any weakening of the dam prior to the failure. But a new study using data from Earth observing satellites has found signs of subtle movement starting weeks earlier. Stephen Grebby of Nottingham University and Roland Pease discuss this finding.
An international collaboration led by Kew Gardens has just set out a list of ten golden rules for maintaining and restoring forests. The main author, Kate Hardwick talks about why the rules are necessary and why it isn’t as simple as planting any old trees.
There’s been a lot of debate about whether being bilingual is good for the brain. Does knowing more than one language take up precious capacity that could be used for better things? Or does it sharpen it, all the better to take on more challenges? Dean d’Souza of Anglia Ruskin University has been addressing this question by comparing the behaviour of infants brought up in monolingual and multilingual homes.


(Image: Getty Images)


Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Deborah Cohen


THU 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq6gw0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z59b6wnhl)
EU 'should consider' legal action in AstraZeneca vaccine row

The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, says the EU will make use of all legal means to enforce agreements with pharmaceutical companies for the delivery of coronavirus vaccines. The EU has clashed with AstraZeneca over reductions in supply of its vaccine. A senior member of the European Parliament tells Newshour the EU is planning to introduce measures to ensure transparency, but it will not ban vaccine exports.

Also in the programme: Russia's main opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, is refused his appeal to be released from prison; and are we seeing a revolution on Wall Street as small investors take on powerful hedge funds?

(Image: A vial and syringe are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo. Credit: Reuters/Dado Ruvic)


THU 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq6lm4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79tcz831lz)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fq035sbkt)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


THU 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9wywj)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 22:32 World Business Report (w172x58w8q9xb1g)
Anger as trading in GameStop shares restricted

Amateur investors are responding with outrage after trading platforms curbed buying of shares in the US games firm GameStop and other companies.
The moves by Robinhood and Interactive Brokers follow days of frenzied trading that led to massive gains for some stocks. Shares in GameStop dived by as much as 55% after the restrictions. The activity has drawn questions from regulators, who are monitoring trading amid fears of illegal actions.

Also in the programme, what happens to old devices, with mass adoption of 5G expected to create a lot of junk?

Plus we hear from Ivan Menezes, chief executive of alcoholic drinks maker Diageo, why sales for the company have increased during the course of the pandemic.

(Picture: Getty Images.)


THU 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq6qc8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 23:06 The Inquiry (w3cszl4q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


THU 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9x2mn)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 23:32 The Food Chain (w3cszjr5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]



FRIDAY 29 JANUARY 2021

FRI 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq6v3d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 00:06 The Forum (w3cszjwp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:06 on Thursday]


FRI 00:50 Sporting Witness (w3cszh65)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:50 on Thursday]


FRI 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq6yvj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 01:06 Business Matters (w172x196rs205yf)
Anger as trading in GameStop shares restricted

Amateur investors are responding with outrage after trading platforms curbed buying of shares in the US games firm GameStop and other companies. The moves by Robinhood and Interactive Brokers follow days of frenzied trading that led to massive gains for some stocks. Shares in GameStop dived by as much as 55% after the restrictions. The activity has drawn questions from regulators, who are monitoring trading amid fears of illegal actions.

President Biden has signed an executive order, reopening access to the online health insurance marketplace for Americans who cannot obtain coverage through their employers. He has also rescinded a regulation that barred US foreign aid from being used to perform or promote abortions, known as Mexico City Policy.

We also look into Mexico's vaccination programme.

Plus, we ask what happens to old devices, with mass adoption of 5G expected to create a lot of junk?

PHOTO: Getty Images


FRI 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq72ln)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 02:06 HARDtalk (w3cszbyl)
Leonid Volkov: Protests on the streets of Russia

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is the most resilient opponent Vladimir Putin has ever faced. Navalny survived assassination by Novichok, returned to Russia and is now in a prison cell. Stephen Sackur speaks to Navalny’s chief of staff Leonid Volkov. The opposition movement has supporters willing to take to the streets in anti-Putin protests in Russian towns and cities; but do they have a strategy capable of forcing Putin out of power?

(Photo: Leonid Volkov appears via video link on Hardtalk)


FRI 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9xfw1)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 02:32 World Football (w3cszthb)
The Thomas Tuchel diet: No wheat, no sugar

Goalkeeper Hendrik Bonmann talks about his former coach Thomas Tuchel. Plus, Brazil's Gláuber Berti looks ahead to the final of the Copa Libertadores and remembers his cameo appearance for Manchester City. And we find out why Chile's biggest club, Colo Colo, is is danger of relegation.

Picture: Julian Weigl and Henrik Bonmann celebrate during a parade following Borussia Dortmund's DFB Cup win in 2017 (Christof Koepsel/Bongarts/Getty Images).


FRI 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq76bs)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 03:06 Outlook (w3cszdc3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Thursday]


FRI 03:50 Witness History (w3cszmnf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Thursday]


FRI 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq7b2x)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 04:06 Tech Tent (w3cszhpz)
Robert Downey Jr. on backing green tech

The Iron Man star tells us how he wants to help tackle the climate crisis. Plus, how small investors on a Reddit forum took on Wall Street and won - for now at least. And have your shopping habits changed in the last year? A retail expert tells us how the pandemic has shown which brands have managed to adapt to the online revolution. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones with BBC senior tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.

(Image: Robert Downey Jr. against a pink and yellow gradient background, Credit: Getty Images).


FRI 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9xpc9)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 04:32 Science in Action (w3cszh1n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Thursday]


FRI 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq7fv1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 05:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4dvq5r)
New vaccine effective against Covid variants

A new vaccine to fight Covid-19 has been tested in the UK called Novavax. Tests show high rates of success against the new UK strain of the virus - and sixty percent efficacy against the South African variant.

President Biden plans to take on immigration with his latest batch of executive orders.

We speak to climate activist Vanessa Nakate in Uganda who says that educating girls could help stop climate change.


FRI 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq7kl5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 06:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4dvtxw)
New vaccine shows 89% effectiveness in trials

A new vaccine, produced by Novavax is being welcomed after trials prove it's 89% effective against coronavirus. It’s also the first to show it works against the UK variant but is less effective against the South African one.

Meanwhile a row continues between the European Union and AstraZeneca over the supply and distribution of their vaccine on the continent. AstraZeneca says manufacturing problems at its European plants mean there will be a shortfall in doses for the EU.

US President, Joe Biden has immigration in his sights with executive orders which will overhaul the policies of the Trump Administration.


FRI 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq7pb9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 07:06 Newsday (w172x2wpz4dvyp0)
Novavax proven effective in phase 3 trials

It's another shot in the arm for the World's battle against coronavirus. Novavax says its vaccine was 89 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in trials - and importantly it's the first to show strong protection against the UK variant. It also helped 60 per cent of people with the South African variant.

We'll also look at the row between the European Union and pharmaceutical companies over delays to getting doses.

In South Africa, Major Fatima Isaacs led a three year battle over her religious right to wear a headscarf in the army.


FRI 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq7t2f)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 08:06 HARDtalk (w3cszbyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


FRI 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9y5bt)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 08:32 Business Daily (w3csz79l)
The pandemic pet boom

Homeworking has led to booming pet sales. What happens when people head back to the office? Sales of dogs, cats and all sorts of other pets have soared in the developed world over the past year amid lockdowns. It’s great news for pet care businesses. But animal rescue centres are braced for the worst when and if people start heading back into work again.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)


FRI 08:50 Witness History (w3cszmw6)
The anthem of the Arab Spring

In December 2010, anti-government protests broke out in Tunisia after a young fruit-seller called Mohammed Bouazizi set himself alight outside a government office in the south of the country. At one of the huge rallies in Tunis, a young singer called Emel Mathlouthi sang a song called "Kelmti Horra" or "My Word is Free". A video of her passionate performance immediately went viral and inspired protestors to take to the streets in other parts of the Middle East in what became known as the Arab Spring. Emel Mathlouthi talks to Witness History.

PHOTO: Emel Mathlouthi performing in 2012 (Getty Images)


FRI 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq7xtk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 09:06 Tech Tent (w3cszhpz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


FRI 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9y92y)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 09:32 World Football (w3cszthb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


FRI 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq81kp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 10:06 The Real Story (w3cszcp6)
China's advance into Latin America

This month, in a highly unusual move, an American government agency bought nearly $3bn of debt from Ecuador that was owed to China. The aim – in the form of fresh loans – was to help Ecuador pay off 'predatory Chinese debt', strengthen its alliance with the United States and exclude Chinese companies from developing the country's telecoms network. Although the deal came at the end of the Trump presidency, it may encourage other South American countries to reach similar arrangements in the future. According to the UN, Chinese companies have invested $10bn a year in Latin America. Although the amount is far less than that of the United States, Chinese companies have made rapid inroads into the heart of Latin American economies, including in crucial sectors such as mining, power grids and telecommunications. There's speculation that many leaders find Chinese investment attractive because it's rarely tied to anti-corruption measures. Others say countries are walking into a Chinese-made 'debt trap' which will have negative economic consequences over the long run. So is China viewed by those across the region with suspicion, or as a welcome alternative to the United States - which has a controversial history operating outside its own borders? What's been the tangible impact of China's economic advances in Latin America, and will President Biden seek to cooperate with China in the region - or treat it as a strategic threat? Join Ritula Shah and guests as they discuss China's growing influence in Latin America.


FRI 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq859t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvtxqy)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9yjl6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 11:32 Science in Action (w3cszh1n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Thursday]


FRI 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq891y)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 12:06 The Fifth Floor (w3cszjjb)
Nigeria's 'Stingy Men Association'

BBC Pidgin has been reporting on the social media buzz around Nigeria’s Stingy Men Association, for men who want to avoid spending money on their wives and girlfriends. There’ve been jokes, spin-offs and celebrity members, but is it just a laugh, or is there a more serious side? Answers from Dan Ikpoyi of BBC Pidgin and Women’s Affairs journalist Azeezat Olaoluwa.

China’s controversial female comic
Yang Li has become a household name in China as a stand-up TV comedian. But a recent joke about men caused controversy, with critics accusing her of instigating hatred against men. Zhaoyin Feng of BBC Chinese tells us why some people in China find women making jokes at the expense of men a challenge.

Africa’s football pioneers
Today top African footballers playing for European clubs are household names. But their presence in Europe isn’t as recent as some might think. Ahmed Rouaba of BBC Arabic has uncovered fascinating stories of African stars from the early decades of the 20th century, many now forgotten.

Memories, identity and war
In January 1991, the Somali state collapsed into civil war after the fall of President Mohamed Siad Barre. For those living in what used to be British Somaliland, the violence began in 1988, when government forces bombed Hargeisa. Thousands fled to neighbouring Ethiopia, including Ismail Einashe, then a young boy, now a contributor to BBC Africa’s Letter from Africa. He reflects on his memories of that time, and Hartisheik refugee camp, to which he returned in 2019.

David Amanor has left the building!
All good things come to an end, and this is David’s last programme on The Fifth Floor. Friends from over the years bid a fond farewell, and remember some of his “best bits”. Expect Russian horses, songs and poetry, bees and the pungent stench of durian fruit.



Image: Celebrity members of Nigeria's "Stingy Men Association"
Credit: DON JAZZY/DEBO MR MACARONI


FRI 12:50 Witness History (w3cszmw6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


FRI 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq8dt2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 13:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvv576)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9ys2g)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 13:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct0w3g)
Redemption in recycling

In Philadelphia, husband and wife George and Mimi Limbach sit down in an old warehouse with 15 men who have recently been released from prison. Surrounding them are hundreds of old computers, which these former inmates will soon recycle as part of a rehabilitation programme underpinned by the couples Christian faith. They feel by offering these former offenders work they are keeping true to values such as forgiveness, love and second chances. “No one is here to judge. We are all on the same level,” George tells the young men.

In this programme, Colm Flynn travels to the computer recycling centre in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in Philadelphia to meet some of the former inmates who are building a better future "one computer tower at a time." We hear their raw stories, and hear why George and Mimi feel these people deserve a chance despite their past crimes.

Presenter: Colm Flynn


FRI 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq8jk6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 14:06 Newshour (w172x2z59b6yq5s)
Covid-19: Novavax jab shows 89% efficacy in UK trials

A new coronavirus vaccine has been shown to be 89.3% effective in large-scale UK trials. The Novavax jab is the first to show in trials that it is effective against the new virus variant found in the UK.

Also, the World Health Organisation team investigating the origins of Covid-19 begins fieldwork in the Chinese city of Wuhan. We will talk to the one of the scientists.

And what a chance encounter on a New York doorstep tells us about international migration.

(Photo: Biotech firm Novavax has labs in the US (pictured) and has carried out trials in the UK and South Africa. Credit: Getty Images)


FRI 15:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq8n9b)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 15:06 HARDtalk (w3cszbyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


FRI 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9z0kq)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 15:32 World Business Report (w172xltgrvc868r)
Shell Nigeria ordered to pay compensation for oil spill

A Dutch court has ruled Shell Nigeria must pay compensation over a 2004 oil spill. The BBC's Anna Holligan in the Hague brings us the details. Also in the programme, General Motors has announced that it plans to move away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2035. Daniel Ives is managing director of Wedbush Securities in New York, and tells us what's behind the move. The BBC's Manuela Saragosa has been finding out why sales of dogs, cats and all sorts of other pets have soared during the pandemic. Plus, this year's virtual Sundance Film Festival is under way. We hear about the potential impact of the event from Blerta Basholli, writer and director of Hive, which is one of the films being featured.

(Picture: A shell sign. Picture credit: Getty Images.)


FRI 16:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq8s1g)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 16:06 BBC OS (w172x2t7mylv439)
Covid vaccine: Single dose vaccine 66% effective

We bring you today’s developments and answer audience questions on Covid-19 vaccines, after encouraging results from the trials of two new vaccines. The Belgian pharmaceutical company Janssen, owned by Johnson & Johnson, has announced that a single dose of its vaccine prevents 66% of Covid cases. Also, a new Novavax vaccine has been shown to be 89.3% effective in large-scale trials in the UK. And the EU's drugs regulator has approved the use of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine for people aged over 18.

We also speak to parents about the challenges of parenting and home schooling during lockdown.

And we hear from people in Lebanon who have been protesting against a strict coronavirus lockdown.

(Photo: Screengrab taken from undated video issued by Johnson and Johnson showing vials of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. Credit: Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies/PA Wire)


FRI 17:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq8wsl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 17:06 BBC OS (w172x2t7mylv7vf)
Coronavirus conversations: Parenting and home schooling in lockdown

Few countries have been spared the challenges of being teacher and mum and dad at the same time. Priya in India and Mpulte in South Africa - two mums who managing the juggling act -- share their experiences.

We bring you today’s developments and answer audience questions on Covid-19 vaccines, after encouraging results from the trials of two new vaccines. The Belgian pharmaceutical company Janssen, owned by Johnson & Johnson, has announced that a single dose of its vaccine prevents 66% of Covid cases. Also, a new Novavax vaccine has been shown to be 89.3% effective in large-scale trials in the UK. And the EU's drugs regulator has approved the use of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine for people aged over 18.

And we hear from women in Poland protesting against the country's new abortion law.

(Photo: Leonard, 4 and Wilfred, 7, work at the dining table as they take part in home schooling at home in London in 2020 Credit: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire


FRI 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq90jq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 18:06 The Fifth Floor (w3cszjjb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


FRI 18:50 Witness History (w3cszmw6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


FRI 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq948v)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 19:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bmtpvvwpz)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9zhk7)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 19:32 Sport Today (w172x3jzs0lm3qw)
2021/01/29 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 (w172x5p8tsq980z)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 20:06 Tech Tent (w3cszhpz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


FRI 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9zm9c)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 20:32 CrowdScience (w3cszv6z)
Will Giving Up Alcohol Improve My Sperm Count?

When planning to have a baby, women are expected to give up everything from smoking to alcohol, even soft cheese. But the other half of fertility comes from the sperm, usually provided by a man. So should men also give up their vices to improve the quality of their sperm, and their chances of conception?
That’s what Listener Stuart in Australia wants to know. He emailed CrowdScience after he and his wife had been trying to have a second child for two years. He gave up alcohol, and coffee, but wants to know if there is any hard science to back up the idea that this would improve his fertility.

To find out, presenter Anand Jagatia speaks with Professor Allan Pacey, a scientist who specialises in the study of male fertility and sperm. He discovers that male subfertility accounts for 50% the problems with getting pregnant. And we’re far from alone. Sperm is a remarkably diverse, but also fragile cell. Across the animal kingdom, different species have problems with male fertility, but have adapted novel ways to improve their chances of reaching the egg.

Men often struggle to speak about their fertility, and reporter Chhavi Sachdev tells Anand the impact this has on couples in India who struggle to conceive, or don’t want to. She speaks with fertility specialist Professor Nirmal Kumar Lohiya about how this reticence to speak about fertility is changing.

Viruses from Mumps to HIV have long been known to target the delicate sperm production cells in the testicles. Dr Krutika Kuppalli tells Anand why, and what we know about the possible impact of SARS CoV-2 on male fertility.

Professor Allan Pacey gives Anand and Stuart some advice for what to do while trying to conceive - don’t wear tight underwear - and get used to talking about your swimmers or even getting them checked out.

Contributors:
Professor Allan Pacey - Andrologist at the University of Sheffield in the UK.
Dr Nicolla Hemmings, expert on bird sperm, Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield, UK.
Professor Nirmal Kumar Lohiya, Fertility specialist and co-developer of RISUG male contraceptive, University of Rajasthan, India
Dr Krutika Kuppalli, Assistant Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, USA

Chhavi Sachdev, Reporter and presenter for CrowdScience

Presented by Anand Jagatia,
Produced by Rory Galloway

(Image: Sperm cells Credit: Getty images)


FRI 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq9cs3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z59b6zkdp)
Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.


FRI 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq9hj7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79tcz85yj2)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fq035w7gx)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


FRI 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9zvsm)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 22:32 World Business Report (w172x58w8qb06yk)
Shell Nigeria ordered to pay compensation for oil spill

A Dutch court has ruled Shell Nigeria must pay compensation over a 2004 oil spill. The BBC's Anna Holligan in the Hague brings us the details. Also in the programme, General Motors has announced that it plans to move away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2035. Daniel Ives is managing director of Wedbush Securities in New York, and tells us what's behind the move. The BBC's Manuela Saragosa has been finding out why sales of dogs, cats and all sorts of other pets have soared during the pandemic. Plus, this year's virtual Sundance Film Festival is under way. We hear about the potential impact of the event from Blerta Basholli, writer and director of Hive, which is one of the films being featured.

(Picture: A shell sign. Picture credit: Getty Images.)


FRI 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p8tsq9m8c)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 23:06 HARDtalk (w3cszbyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:06 today]


FRI 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q38j9zzjr)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 23:32 World Football (w3cszthb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]