SATURDAY 21 AUGUST 2021

SAT 01:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lrlj1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 01:06 Business Matters (w172xvqh61hnytr)
What now for Afghanistan's media?

In the wake of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan we consider the future of its media. We get the perspective of Saad Mohseni, chairman of Moby Media Group, which owns the most-watched network in Afghanistan, Tolo TV. Also in the programme, clampdowns on tech companies have investors questioning the prospects for the Chinese market, as around $560bn is wiped in one week. Chris Low of FHN Financial breaks it down for us. Sophie Haigney reports on the black market of pre-publication copies of books by popular authors such as Stephen King, J.K. Rowling and Sally Rooney. Plus, the BBC's Elizabeth Hotson reports on the impact of time on our work lives, and gets tips on making better use of it.

(Picture: A female Afghan news presenter. Picture credit: Getty Images.)


SAT 02:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lrq85)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:06 The Newsroom (w172xyxlyzqvb7f)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172xzkhs16g2jk)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:32 Stumped (w3ct1lbv)
Afghanistan: 'We will rise again'

Afghanistan bowler Naveen-ul-Haq discusses the ongoing political situation in his home country, what the future holds for the national team and whether they will compete at the Twenty20 World Cup in October.

We hear how the Afghan Cricket Association, which normally supports players in the UK, has redirected its efforts to providing emergency aid.

Plus, we reflect on India’s win over England in the second Test, discuss the T20 World Cup draw and look ahead to the final Test between West Indies and Pakistan, after a thrilling first victory for the home side.

Photo: Captain Naveen Ul Haq of Afghanistan and his team mates line up for their national anthem prior to the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup match between New Zealand and Afghanistan at Hagley Oval on January 25, 2018 in Christchurch, New Zealand
Credit: Getty Images


SAT 03:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lrv09)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 03:06 The Fifth Floor (w3ct20fb)
Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover

There is fear and uncertainty in Afghanistan as people wonder what their lives will be like under Taliban rule. Sana Safi from BBC Pashto shares her insights from listening to and interviewing the Taliban, and talking to contacts in Afghanistan.

Delhi and Kashmir: two lives in letters
In 2017, BBC journalist Divya Arya brought together schoolgirls Saumya and Duaa, from Delhi and Indian-administered Kashmir, to become penfriends. She tells us how their growing understanding and friendship overcame political divides. Divya's book about their correspondence is called Postbox Kashmir: Two lives in letters.

The rise of plastic surgery in China
Plastic surgery has become a booming industry in China, but this has led to a rise in unlicensed clinics and many high profile botched operations. Waiyee Yip from BBC Singapore has been following the trend.

A Russian bike odyssey
BBC Russian's Oleg Boldyrev is a keen cyclist, and as Covid restrictions prevent more exotic routes, he's taken his bike along the backroads of Russia, revisiting childhood haunts and gauging opinions about next month's parliamentary elections.

Image: Members of Taliban forces sit at a checkpost in Kabul, Afghanistan in August 2021
Credit: Reuters/Stringer


SAT 03:50 Witness History (w3ct1wyy)
When The Queen met Ceaușescu

Nicolae Ceaușescu was the first communist leader to be given a full state visit to the UK, but it was controversial from the outset. The Romanian president was a known dictator who ran a brutal regime, but Britain was still cash-strapped after World War Two and was desperate to build new trading partners. Dorian Galbinski was one of the main translators for the visit and he explains to Rebecca Kesby some of the background to the event.

(Photo: June 1978: Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu rides in the state carriage with Queen Elizabeth II on his official visit to Britain. Credit: Central Press/Getty Images)


SAT 04:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lryrf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 04:06 The Real Story (w3ct1hst)
America after Afghanistan

The speed with which the Taliban took control of Afghanistan surprised not just the world but even its own members. The group's rapid rise coincided with an equally fast withdrawal of US-led international forces. In a major speech this week President Biden rejected criticism that the manner of the American withdrawal contributed to the sudden collapse of the Afghan government. He also said that the mission was never about nation building. But critics argue that the events in Afghanistan have not just tarnished Washington’s reputation but they have also exposed the limits of its willingness to invest time and resources to achieve foreign policy objectives. So what does America's departure from Afghanistan tell us about its future engagement on global security issues? Is it an effort to concentrate on more pressing challenges from rivals like China and Russia? Or is it a continuation of Donald Trump's isolationist ‘America First’ policy? How will it affect Washington's international credibility and its desire to promote human rights and democratic values around the world?

Ritula Shah is joined by a panel of expert guests. Producers: Junaid Ahmed and Paul Schuster.


SAT 05:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9ls2hk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:06 The Newsroom (w172xyxlyzqvpgt)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172xzkhs16gfry)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:32 Trending (w3ct1xzv)
Nesara: The financial fantasy ruining lives

Nesara is a decades-old conspiracy theory whose followers believe all their debts will be magically cancelled in a radical reset of the world’s economic system.

It’s a bizarre and baseless idea whose promoters peddle a vision of a financial neverneverland that is always just round the corner.

Many of those who get sucked in, develop an almost cult-like belief in Nesara that inspires them to make horrific financial decisions that they think will make them rich. It’s a fantasy whose real life impact is dividing families and ruining lives.

So why during the Covid-19 pandemic has Nesara become more popular than ever?

Presenters: Jonathan Griffin & Shayan Sardarizadeh
Additional reporting: Olga Robinson
Editor: Ed Main

Photo: A graphic of a banknote with an N at the centre. Photo credit: BBC


SAT 05:50 More or Less (w3ct2dkd)
The extraordinary life of Robert Moses

Dr Robert Moses, a pioneer in African-American civil rights and mathematics education has died at the age of 86. Charmaine Cozier looks at an extraordinary life, from the courthouses of 1960s Mississippi to the classrooms of modern public schools, and traces the philosophy and values that threaded their way through his life.

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Nathan Gower

Portrait of American Civil Rights activist Robert Parris Moses, New York, 1964. (Photo by Robert Elfstrom/Villon Films/Gety Images)


SAT 06:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9ls67p)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 06:06 Weekend (w172xytb62b3lhs)
Kabul evacuations resume

Many Afghans are still trying to leave Afghanistan, with intense scenes at Kabul airport. We hear from a young Afghan activist in Kabul who has been keeping a diary for Weekend about her experiences.

Also in the programme: we speak to one of the co-authors of a new book about Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny; and we hear about the surprising surge in sales of gin in Scotland.

Joining Anna Holligan to discuss these and other issues are author Misha Glenny and Kate Clark, co-director of the research group Afghanistan Analysts Network.

(Photo: U.S. Soldiers, arrive to provide security in support of Operation Allies Refuge at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. CREDIT: Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY)


SAT 07:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9ls9zt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 07:06 Weekend (w172xytb62b3q7x)
UNHCR urges Afghanistan’s neighbours to keep borders open

US President Joe Biden has said he will make sure every American is able to leave Afghanistan but admitted the evacuation process does pose risks. We speak to political scientist Francis Fukuyama about the past week’s events.

Also in the programme: we get the latest from Haiti, which was hit by a devastating earthquake a week ago; and we hear from the author of a new book about the German writer W.G. Sebald.


Joining Anna Holligan to discuss these and other issues are author Misha Glenny and Kate Clark, co-director of the research group Afghanistan Analysts Network.

(Photo: Evacuees assemble before boarding a C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan. CREDIT: U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Nicholas Guevara/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo)


SAT 08:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lsfqy)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:06 Weekend (w172xytb62b3v01)
Evacuations continue as tension intensifies in Kabul

The UNHCR has called on all neighbouring countries to keep their borders open to Afghan refugees. A few countries have offered to provide temporary shelter for Afghans heading to the United States. One of those countries is Kosovo; we hear from their President Vjosa Osmani.

Also in the programme: we hear from an Afghan journalist about what the future holds for the country; and we speak to a doctor in Kabul working for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Joining Anna Holligan to discuss these and other issues are author Misha Glenny and Kate Clark, co-director of the research group Afghanistan Analysts Network.

(Photo: A U.S. Air Force security forces raven, maintains a security cordon. CREDIT: Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY)


SAT 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172xzkhs16gt0b)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:32 The Conversation (w3ct1p8w)
Beauty and the skin

Kim Chakanetsa in joined by two pioneering dermatologists to talk about the challenges and satisfaction that come with working with one of the body’s most fascinating organs.

Dr Margaret Yaa Lartey is a Professor of Medicine and Dermatology at the University of Ghana, and the first woman to lead the Ghana Society of Dermatology. She had very personal reasons to become a skin specialist, and she is committed to fighting misinformation and myths around skin care and disease.

Dr Rashmi Sarkar is a Senior Professor in Dermatology at Delhi University and president elect of the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL). When she started out, there was stigma surrounding the profession. Now it’s a very popular choice, especially among women.

Produced by Alice Gioia

IMAGE DETAILS
L: Dr Rashmi Sarkar (credit Rama Studio)
R: Dr Margaret Yaa Lartey (credit courtesy of Margaret Yaa Lartey)


SAT 09:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lskh2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct2d63)
Trying to flee Afghanistan

As the Taliban takes control of Afghanistan, there has been much international focus on the thousands who are attempting to leave the country, fearful for their safety. During the 20-year conflict, some Afghans worked as translators, interpreters and support staff with international armies and foreign organisations. Taliban officials have been keen to allay widespread safety fears but reports suggest the militant group are intensifying their hunt for such residents. Some of those who are afraid managed to immediately relocate to other countries, but many who want to leave find themselves stuck in their homes or their access to the airport prevented.

Hosts Karnie Sharp and Nuala McGovern hear from three Afghan interpreters who fear for their lives, as well as military veterans in the US and the UK concerned for the Afghan soldiers and police they once worked alongside.

We also hear from one woman who arrived in the United States just two days before the capital Kabul fell to the Taliban. Her family remains in Afghanistan and she relates the emotional conversations she has over the telephone with her sister.

(Photo: Civilians prepare to board a plane during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan August 18, 2021. Picture taken August 18, 2021. Credit: U.S. Marine Corps/Staff Sgt. Victor Mancilla/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo)


SAT 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172xzkhs16gxrg)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:32 World Of Wisdom (w3ct2hdj)
Acceptance

Bereavement is a challenging experience. Akinkunmi has lost both his mother and his sister. Dr Shefali helps him come to terms with his loss, and discusses 'acceptance' and how we can learn from brutal realities with the presenter Sana Safi.

In a series of intimate one to one conversations presented by the BBC’s Sana Safi , World of Wisdom explores life-changing insights on happiness, inner peace and self-help for the spirit.

Produced by Charlie Taylor and Ruth Edwards


SAT 09:50 Over to You (w3ct1l1t)
Should the BBC WS have given a voice to the Taliban?

Listeners share their thoughts on the BBC World Service’s coverage of events in Afghanistan. They question whether the Taliban should have been given airtime. Plus: the BBC’s Trauma and Well Being Support Unit explain how it supports correspondents, and how easy is the BBC Africa website to navigate?

Presenter: Rajan Datar
Producer: Howard Shannon


SAT 10:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lsp76)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 10:06 Sportshour (w172y0q38bs837v)
'We have players in hiding, it's terrifying'

For many years the players of the Afghanistan women's football team were seen as beacons of hope and empowerment in the country. Now they are in hiding and in fear for their lives. Haley Carter is the former assistant coach of the Afghan women's team and also a US Marine veteran. She is in daily contact with players and desperately trying to help them.

Ahead of the Le Man's 24 hour race, we hear from Amanda Stretton who knows exactly what it takes to be part of one of the most iconic races in motor sport. As it turns out, her journey to the start line took as much endurance as the race itself.

We hear from cricketer Nicole Harvey, who a year ago was hospitalised whilst pregnant. She had contracted sepsis and nearly died. A year on she has been one of the stars of the inaugural season of The Hundred.

Plus ahead of the Paralympics we gather the presenters of BBC World Service podcast On The Podium, Paralympian Scout Basset, comedian Eliza Skinner and BBC athletic commentator Ed Harry to preview the event.

(Photo: Haley Carter coaches the Afghan women's football team, Credit: Haley Carter)


SAT 11:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lsszb)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:06 The Newsroom (w172xyxlyzqwdyl)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172xzkhs16h57q)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:32 WorklifeIndia (w3ct2f3k)
Bridging the learning gap

The coronavirus pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on schoolchildren. More than 300 million students in India have been impacted due to school closures as the country battled the health crisis. Many have shifted completely to online classes for more than a year, but millions of others haven’t had access to digital platforms.

So, what’s been the fallout as schools begin to take small steps to resume offline classes? How can students recover the lost learning curve? And what about their social-emotional wellbeing? Is it time to rethink education?

In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss the challenges and the solutions needed to bridge the learning gap.

Presenter: Devina Gupta

Contributors: Arindita Gogoi, experiential educator and teacher; Shantanu Rooj, Founder and CEO, TeamLease Edtech; Vikas Jhunjhunwala, CEO, Sunshine Schools


SAT 12:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lsxqg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 12:06 The Documentary (w3ct2h07)
A bad business

Twenty years ago, the brash Texan energy company Enron collapsed after its massive fraud was finally exposed. Investors and pension funds worldwide lost billions of dollars. The case was meant to signal a sea-change in the way businesses were policed. How difficult would it be to weave a similar web of financial deceit today? Lesley Curwen travels to the dark side of business to find out whether it’s still just as easy to fleece investors – which in the end means us – out of our money.

(Image: Businessman in handcuffs, Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 13:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lt1gl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 13:06 Newshour (w172xv57wqv90s6)
Taliban co-founder to set up government

Mullah Baradar’s arrives in Kabul after consultations in the southern city of Kandahar. There’s a promise of “inclusive” rule. But there’s never been any suggestion this is any more than an invitation to join an Islamic system dominated by the Taliban.

Also in the programme: People in Afghanistan are scared as banks remain shut for the seventh day and chaos continue in Kabul airport with people trying to flee; and President Joe Biden has again defended the US pull-out, we get a reaction from a former Commander of the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan.

(Photo: Mullah Baradar Akhund, a senior official of the Taliban, during a video statement released on August 16, 2021. Credit: Reuters.)


SAT 14:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lt56q)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 14:06 Sportsworld (w172y0td1860syj)
Live Sporting Action

Live Sport from around the world with news, interviews and analysis including the English Premier League.

(Photo by DAVE THOMPSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)


SAT 18:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9ltn67)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:06 The Newsroom (w172xyxlyzqx85h)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 18:30 BBC News Summary (w172xzkhs16j0gm)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:32 Trending (w3ct1xzv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:32 today]


SAT 18:50 Sporting Witness (w3ct1l8l)
Hou Bin wows the world

At the opening ceremony of the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, Chinese athlete Hou Bin stunned the huge global audience with an amazing feat of strength. As the world held its breath, he used a rope to haul himself, his wheelchair and the Olympic flame 39 metres into the air to light the cauldron. Hou Bin talks to Ashley Byrne. A Made In Manchester Production.

PHOTO: Hou Bin climbing to the top of the Olympic stadium (Getty Images)


SAT 19:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9ltryc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 19:06 BBC Proms on the World Service (w3ct2gdf)
Víkingur Ólafsson plays Bach and Mozart

Broadcast programme:
Johann Sebastian Bach - Keyboard Concerto in F minor, BWV 1056
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K 491

Víkingur Ólafsson (piano)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Paavo Järvi (conductor)

The BBC Proms are back in the Royal Albert Hall in London with a six-week season of concerts featuring leading British orchestras as well as international soloists and conductors.

The Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson came to international prominence with his interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach's works and he is making his Proms debut with Bach's Keyboard Concerto in F minor. This short work, written probably for the piano's elder cousin, the harpsichord, is followed by one of Mozart's finest. Mozart wrote the C-minor Concerto for himself to perform as a soloist. Among his two dozen keyboard concertos only two are in a minor key and they contain some of his most moving music. The composer gave a prominent role to the woodwind in the C-minor Concerto. There are seven of them - a flute plus pairs of oboes, clarinets and bassoons - and they often alternate with the piano in a 'call-and-response' fashion.

Presenter Andrew McGregor is joined by the pianist and broadcaster Keval Shah.

[Image: Víkingur Ólafsson at the 2021 BBC Proms. Credit: Mark Allan/BBC]


SAT 20:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9ltwph)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 20:06 The Arts Hour (w3ct1rtb)
Musician Billie Eilish

On The Arts Hour this week, Nikki Bedi is joined by Pakistani author Awais Khan and writer and broadcaster Karen Krizanovich to discuss the cultural highlights of the past week.

The singer songwriter and cultural icon, Billie Eilish, talks about the challenges of changing her public image.

Canadian film director Shawn Levy talks about the existential questions behind his new comedy, Free Guy, starring Ryan Reynolds.

Jamaican author Sara Collins shares the book she read in childhood that made her want to become a writer.

Actor Felicity Jones tells us about the new romantic drama The Last Letter from Your Lover in which she stars.

Lahore-based author Awais Khan reveals the inspiration for his latest novel, No Honour, and how he feels a responsibility to speak up about the injustices endured by women in Pakistan.

British Bangladeshi singer songwriter Joy Crookes shares how the Black Lives Matter movement has influenced her debut album, Skin.

And French-Moroccan author Leila Slimani talks about her latest novel, The Country of Others, and the legacy of shame sometimes felt by those who have been colonised.

Producer: Paul Waters

(Photo: Billie Eilish. Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)


SAT 21:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lv0fm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 21:06 Newshour (w172xv57wqv9zr7)
Taliban making "progress" on setting up government

The Taliban say they are making progress in forming a government in Afghanistan.

Its co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is in Kabul for talks, which are expected to include militant commanders, former government leaders and religious scholars.

In this edition of Newshour, we speak to a journalist who has met Mullah Baradar several times.

Also on the programme: Scientists in India are celebrating what they say could be a game-changing vaccine in the fight against Covid-19; and gunmen attack a community in the north west of Nigeria.

PICTURE: (In March, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and other delegation members attended a peace conference in Moscow. CREDIT: Alexander Zemlianichenko REUTERS)


SAT 22:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lv45r)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:06 Music Life (w3ct1hc8)
The importance of space with Cassandra Jenkins, Arooj Aftab and Charlotte Dos Santos

Cassandra Jenkins, Arooj Aftab and Charlotte Dos Santos discuss being inspired by physical spaces that no longer exist, the emotional aspects of releasing music, why you never really complete a piece of work, and why handing music into your label is a bit like running for a flight.

Cassandra Jenkins is an indie-folk musician and songwriter from New York. She’s always been surrounded by music, growing up with musical parents, and her latest album An Overview on Phenomenal Nature was released earlier this year, produced by Josh Kaufman (The National, Taylor Swift).

Charlotte Dos Santos is a Brazilian-Norwegian singer and composer who creates hypnotizing neo-soul sounds. Blending her love of flamenco, samba, and bossa nova with jazz, folk and soul, the Berklee-trained musician explores themes of femininity, power, nature, and personal growth.

And Arooj Aftab is an enigmatic Pakistani composer, based in New York City, who is reimagining traditional South Asian music and poetry. She moved to the US to also study at Berklee, where she began experimenting with jazz and electronic sounds.


SAT 23:00 BBC News (w172xzjpb9lv7xw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 23:06 The Newsroom (w172xywsj847kgv)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 23:20 Sports News (w172y0skljlcm3h)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


SAT 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172xzkhs16jm68)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 23:32 The Cultural Frontline (w3ct1pt0)
Photography: Tyler Mitchell and Russel Wong

American photographer Tyler Mitchell was 23 years old when he photographed Beyoncé for the front cover of American Vogue in 2018, becoming the first black American to do so in the magazine’s history.

He’s gone on to photograph Vice President Kamala Harris for Vogue and to exhibit his work in the United States and internationally. He talks about the images that have made him one of the most exciting photographers of his generation.

Sheetal Mallar started her career as a model in India, Italy and the United States before becoming a full time photographer. She talks about what her time in front of the camera taught her about how to take great photos.

Russel Wong is one of Asia's most famous celebrity photographers and is so well known, he played himself in the movie 'Crazy Rich Asians'. He explains how he gained rare access to photograph the world of Kyoto’s Geishas.

Presenter: Tumi Morake
Producers: Olivia Skinner, Paul Waters, Sharanjit Leyl, Lucy Collingwood, Kirsty McQuire

(Photo: Tyler Mitchell. Credit: Tyler Mitchell and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York)