SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER 2020

SAT 00:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tmvcg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 00:06 The Real Story (w3cszcp0)
Big Tech under pressure

The European Union has this week proposed new rules that would police the practices of big technology companies, including US giants such as Google, Amazon, Apple, and Facebook. As well as delivering greater scrutiny, the laws, if passed, would even allow for the forced break-up of businesses deemed to be anti-competitive. The long awaited Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act are seen as attempts to redefine the regulatory framework for a sector that will be key to the economy of the future. Meanwhile in the United States, the federal government and a large number of states have filed a case against Facebook alleging that the company is obstructing competition by buying up rivals. The interventions have been welcomed by those who’ve long argued for targeted measures aimed at the growing digital economy. But technology companies say they’re being penalised for their innovative business models. So have the titans of Silicon Valley become too big for the greater good, and - if so - should they be reformed or broken up? Ritula Shah and guests discuss the renewed focus on regulating global technology companies and what might come of it.


SAT 01:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tmz3l)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 01:06 Business Matters (w172x194l55f66h)
Sunburst hack on US government, 'worst ever'

Hackers are now known to have at least monitored data within the state, defence, homeland security, and treasury and commerce US government departments; we speak to Theresa Payton, a former chief information officer at the White House and chief executive of cyber security consultancy Fortalice Solutions. Sony has pulled one of the year's most anticipated games, Cyberpunk 2077, as it has bugs. As US vice-president Mike Pence receives his coronavirus vaccine in front of TV cameras, we have a report from New York on how long it might take for benefits from the country's vaccination programme to show in terms of new jobs and financial recovery. We're off to the Lake District in the north west of England full of dramatic fells and magnificent lakes and sheep... and where reporter Faarea Masud spoke to farmer James Rebanks about why he's calling for a return to more sustainable ways of farming. We hear from Kai Ryssdal at Marketplace in the US who's been talking about crowdfunding with the CEO of GoFundMe. Plus we hear how Andrew Slorance won $1,000,000 by re-inventing the wheelchair. We're joined throughout the programme by Sarah Knight, Manager at ABC radio in Perth Australia. (Picture of a computer keyboard via Getty Images).


SAT 02:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tn2vq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bkn2z6v8v)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q12xfbg43)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:32 Stumped (w3cszhk8)
Australia and India in thrilling Test battle

Alison Mitchell and Jim Maxwell are at the Adelaide Oval for reaction and debate as India and Australia go head-to-head in the opening Test, with Charu Sharma giving the Indian perspective.

Plus, England's all-time record run-scorer Sir Alastair Cook looks ahead to a massive year for England's Test team with tours of Sri Lanka, India and Australia.

Photo: Steve Smith (Getty Images)


SAT 03:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tn6lv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 03:06 The Fifth Floor (w3cszjj4)
'Milk siblings' and Islam

Margarita Rodriguez of BBC Mundo recently published a story about Islamic milk kinship, or milk siblings. It refers to the relationship between children from different mothers who are breastfed by the same woman. It brings with it a special bond, but also prohibitions.

Living and working with Covid-19
The perks and pressures of working through a pandemic, with Beatriz de la Pava from BBC Minute’s Spanish team, BBC Russian’s Grigor Atanesian, Issariya Praithongyaem from BBC Thai, BBC Uzbek’s Ibrat Safo and BBC Marathi’s Mayuresh Konnur.

A Maharaja and a dancer
BBC Urdu has been running a series of stories about historical sites named after women, including a temple and a mosque inspired by Moran Mai, the court dancer who captured the heart of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, leader of the 19th century Sikh empire. Umer Draz Nangiana tells their story.


Image: Muslim mother with headscarf cradling baby
Credit: Getty/Narisara Nami


SAT 03:50 Witness History (w3cszmw0)
The GDR's Namibian children

On December 18th 1979 hundreds of Namibian children were taken to East Germany to escape the war in their home country. But after communism in Europe collapsed in 1989 the children were sent back to Africa and an uncertain future. Johannes Dell has been speaking to Selma Kamati who was just four years old when she found herself experiencing a snowy East German Christmas.

Photo: Selma Kamati (far right of picture) and some of the of the other Namibian children.


SAT 04:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tnbbz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 04:06 The Reith Lectures (w3ct1cyn)
From Covid crisis to renaissance

Dr Mark Carney observes that the Covid pandemic has forced states to confront how we value health, wealth and opportunity. During the first few months of the crisis, most states chose to value human life more than the economic well-being of the nation-state. But if that seems to be changing how do we assess value in this sense? Carney elucidates surprising differences in the financial value put on a human life in different nations – and goes on to argue that this reductionist approach fails to take into deeper thinking about the worth of human existence.

(Photo: Outgoing Bank of England governor Mark Carney makes a keynote address at the 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Credit: Tolga Akmen/Getty Images)


SAT 05:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tng33)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bkn2z76j7)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q12xfbtch)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:32 The Cultural Frontline (w3cszj9c)
Board games: The politics of play

How do board games encourage players to explore ideas, politics and morals?

We meet Matt Leacock, designer of the game Pandemic, which has been used at medical schools to encourage co-operation, communication and strategy for trainees.

Reiner Knizia, designer of 700 board games, talks about how making a game out of tasks can change players' behaviour in daily life.

We explore the rise of a new generation of games where players collaborate, rather than oppose each other, in titles that deal with politics, hip-hop, ecology, employment, climate change and more. Quintin Smith from Shut Up & Sit Down discusses new trends in design, while Michelle Browne, designer of World of Work, tells us about the game that explores employment and social benefits.

Presented and produced by Zoë Comyns.

A New Normal production for the BBC World Service

Image: The board game Pandemic (Courtesy of Matt Leacock)


SAT 06:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tnkv7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 06:06 Weekend (w172x7d6jk5ly3y)
Moderna's coronavirus vaccine approved in the US

The coronavirus vaccine developed by Moderna has become the second to be approved for emergency use in the U S, with millions of doses ready to be distributed.

Also, as the world's attention is fixed on the fight against coronarvirus, is another major killer, HIV, being forgotten?

Plus, how Sesame Street is getting involved in the welfare of Rohingya child refugees.

And, if you want to go skiing this Christmas in Europe - why it might have to be in Austria.

Joining Paul Henley to discuss these and other issues are Lijia Zhang, a Chinese-born writer and social commentator, based in the UK; and Frank Langfitt, London correspondent for the US National Public Radio network.

(Picture: Vials with a coronavirus vaccine. Credit: Reuters)


SAT 07:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tnplc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 07:06 Weekend (w172x7d6jk5m1w2)
Italy set for lockdown over Christmas and New Year

Italy is imposing a nationwide lockdown over much of the Christmas and New Year period.

Also, the United States approves its second coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, with millions of doses ready to be distributed.

Plus, a look at China's global PR campaign to shape perceptions of its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Joining Paul Henley to discuss these and other issues are Lijia Zhang, a Chinese-born writer and social commentator, based in the UK; and Frank Langfitt, London correspondent for the US National Public Radio network.

(Picture: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announcing lockdown rules over the Christmas and New Year period. Credit: EPA)


SAT 08:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tntbh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:06 Weekend (w172x7d6jk5m5m6)
Has HIV been forgotten because of coronavirus?

As the world's attention is fixed on the fight against coronarvirus, is another major killer, HIV, being forgotten? We hear from a leading researcher in Uganda.

Also, the coronavirus vaccine developed by Moderna has become the second to be approved for emergency use in the U S -- with millions of doses ready to be distributed.

Joining Paul Henley to discuss these and other issues are Lijia Zhang, a Chinese-born writer and social commentator, based in the UK; and Frank Langfitt, London correspondent for the US National Public Radio network.

(Picture: Professor Pontiano Kaleebu, Director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute. Credit: Pontiano Kaleebu)


SAT 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q12xfc5lw)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:32 When Katty Met Carlos (w3ct1c4z)
What next for the GOP?

In the week that the Electoral College confirmed Joe Biden as the next US President, Katty Kay and Carlos Watson take a look at the future of the Republican party. The Trump presidency might be over, but there is no sign that Republican leaders are ready to jettison Trumpism, especially after securing more than 72 million votes in November’s elections. Katty and Carlos are joined by Brian Lanza, who was part of President Trump’s 2016 transitional team, and by Michael Steele, the first African-American to hold the post of chairperson of the Republican National Committee, to discuss what role Donald Trump will play in the party’s path ahead; and, if not a Trump, then who else will seek to steer the GOP into the 2024 presidential run-off?


SAT 09:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tny2m)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct19z0)
Coronavirus: Spikes and Santas

We are in the biggest holiday season for large parts of the world but many countries are experiencing a rise in Covid cases.

It’s worrying for those in South Korea's capital Seoul, where around half the country’s 52 million population live. So far there has not been a national lockdown, but this may be about to change as the authorities deal with a third spike in cases. Since around one in three South Koreans are Christians, Christmas will bring potential risks. Host Nuala McGovern hears from three people who live in South Korea about their experiences during the pandemic.

Also, ski instructors in Europe discuss the uncertainty of resort closures during the winter season.

And three Santas from Finland, the UK and the United States discuss how they are safely dispensing Christmas cheer during a pandemic.

Picture: Santa Larry speaking to the BBC from the North Pole / Dallas (BBC)


SAT 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q12xfc9c0)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:32 Two Minutes Past Nine (w3ct1cwt)
Two Minutes Past Nine

19/12/2020 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 (w3cszf5d)
Moving personal stories of life in the pandemic

Presenter Alan Dein and producer Laurence Grissell explain how they found the inspirational personal stories in the documentary Don't Log Off. Plus, what programmes stood out for listeners in 2020?


SAT 10:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tp1tr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 10:06 Sportshour (w172x3c5h9h5vmg)
“It’s much more than being a race car driver” – Nascar racer Bubba Wallace on finding his voice

Bubba Wallace joins us to reflect on a turbulent 2020 and to look ahead to racing for his new Michael Jordan owned team in 2021. Wallace led the successful calls for his sport to ban the confederate flag before a subsequent incident in Alabama prompted an FBI investigation. A member of his team found what looked like a noose hanging in his racing stall, with the authorities finding that no hate crime had been committed. As the only black driver at the top level of Nascar, Wallace tells us why it was important to speak out this year and how he feels about what happened in Alabama. He also tells us how excited he is to be working with Michael Jordan and that he’s been enjoying playing Call of Duty with Lewis Hamilton.

Mary Annette Pember of the Red Cliff Ojibwe tribe joins us to give her thoughts on the decision of Cleveland’s baseball team to drop the term “Indians” from their name. Pember – who is National Correspondent for Indian Country Today – dismisses the idea that teams using Native American terms and imagery are in some way honouring indigenous people. She also recalls having her home vandalised and receiving threatening phone calls when she spoke out against her local school’s Native American mascot.

Ahead of the WBA world super-middleweight champion Callum Smith facing Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in Texas we look at just what the Liverpudlian is up against. Canelo is widely regarded as the finest pound for pound boxer on the planet and is unbeaten in seven years. Former title holders Matthew Hatton, Rocky Fielding and Ryan Rhodes all tried and failed to beat the Mexican. They recall their encounters with him and tell us what Smith needs to do to win.

Professor Tony Belli joins us to talk about concussion in football. Belli is leading a study into concussion among Premier League players, which involves those who have suffered head injuries having samples of their saliva tested and compared to that of uninjured players. Research by Belli’s University of Birmingham has already found that saliva contains certain testable biomarkers if a concussion has occurred. He tells us about the test, his hopes for a wider roll-out and his belief that football's lawmakers approving trials for concussion substitutes from January is just the start of the process.

Alex Capstick has a special report on hopes for a green men’s football World Cup in Qatar in two years time. The sport’s world governing body FIFA and the tournament organisers are promising a net-zero sustainable event. But can the world’s biggest sporting event, let alone one in a desert nation rich on fossil fuels ever be sustainable?

In Sporting Witness – we mark 20 years since the Northern Irish motorbike racing champion – Joey Dunlop – was killed in a high-speed crash in Estonia. Dunlop was loved by fans across the sectarian divide.

NBA journalist Lindsay Dunn tells us what to look out for when the new season gets underway on Tuesday and Lizzi Doyle from the Anfield Wrap gives us her thoughts on Liverpool ahead of their game at Crystal Palace in the Premier League.


SAT 11:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tp5kw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bkn2z7y00)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q12xfcjv8)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:32 The Documentary (w3ct1csp)
Disunion

On February 1st this year nearly every news bulletin began with the words 'the UK has officially left the European Union'. Boris Johnson could have been forgiven for congratulating himself for fulfilling his constitutional promise to 'get Brexit done'. But there was another story in the news that day too - health officials were trying to find anyone who’d had close contact with two Chinese tourists being treated in Newcastle for coronavirus.

No one at the time could have predicted then that a virus which began thousands of miles away in China would shake the foundations of Britain’s system of government; ten months on all the nations of the United Kingdom are living under different social regimes, internal borders divide the country as never before, and even parts of England have been in open revolt against Westminster.

In this programme Edward Stourton will explore how Covid19 is rewriting the rules Britain’s leaders live by and ask where it could take the UK.

(Image: Fractured Union Flag, Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 12:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tp9b0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 12:06 Music Life (w3csz6ty)
Trapped in an idea with David Byrne and St Vincent

St. Vincent is an artist, songwriter and producer from Texas, now based in LA. After playing with the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens, she formed her own band in 2006. She’s since released six albums including Love This Giant, a collaboration with David Byrne, and she completely shreds on the guitar. Vagabon is a Cameroonian-American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and producer described as an “indie rock game changer”. She started uploading tracks to Bandcamp in 2014 before releasing her debut album Infinite Worlds in 2017. And finally, David Byrne is one of the planet’s most engaging and prolific creators. He formed new wave band Talking Heads after dropping out of art school and they became one of the most influential bands of the twentieth century. Recently he has been working with Spike Lee on a film version of his Broadway show American Utopia, which has been described as ‘The Best Live Show of All Time’. Ahmed Gallab, also known as Sinkane is a Sudanese-American musician and singer based in New York, who blends Funk, Jazz, Dance, and Pop. His latest album ‘Dépaysé’ is about self-discovery as an immigrant in the USA.

Together they’ll discuss feeling the pressure to do something different, what American identity is and how it shows in their music, and whether they make things to make people think, or move their feet.


SAT 13:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tpf24)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 13:06 Newshour (w172x2z33qbclpq)
Italy faces lockdown over Christmas period

Italians are facing tight lockdown rules over the Christmas and New Year holidays to help curb a third wave of coronavirus cases. Non-essential shops, restaurants and bars will be closed. Italians are only allowed to travel for work, health and emergency reasons.

Also in the programme: A new US senate report surrounding the Boeing 737 Max and how a surgeon who trains doctors in warzones is having to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic.

(Picture: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announces new restrictions. Credit: EPA/FILIPPO ATTILI)


SAT 14:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tpjt8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 14:06 Sportsworld (w172x3lkgvxd2gl)
Live Sporting Action

Sportsworld brings you live Premier League commentary as Southampton take on Manchester City at St Mary's Stadium.

Lee James is joined by former Manchester City midfielder Michael Johnson, Tottenham goalkeeper Becky Spencer and Reading and Ghana full-back Andy Yiadom to discuss all the big talking points.

We'll have reaction to the early game between Crystal Palace and Liverpool and we'll keep you up to date with the Women's Super League and football across the rest of Europe.

Elsewhere, after the shortest offseason in history, we look ahead to the 2020/21 NBA season starting next week and discuss whether the LA Lakers can defend their title after ending a 10-year wait to win the Championship.

We'll have the latest from day three of the first men's Test match between Australia and India in Adelaide, we'll look ahead to the world super-middleweight title fight between Mexico's Saul Canelo Alvarez and Britain's Callum Smith, and we'll hear an interview with American world-record holding swimmer Caeleb Dressel.

Photo: Southampton manager Ralph Hassenhuttl & Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola (Getty Images)


SAT 18:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tq0ss)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bkn2z8s6x)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 18:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q12xfdd25)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:32 Mayday (w3ct1cxb)
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 More or Less (w3ct0pyf)
The economics of a Covid Christmas

Tim Harford asks economist Joel Waldfogel how Covid 19 could affect spending at Christmas this year. They discuss the usual bump in sales and gift giving. The author of ‘Scroogenomics’ usually argues that presents are rarely as valued by the recipient compared to something they might buy for themselves. But what should people do this year?


SAT 19:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tq4jx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 19:06 The History Hour (w3cszkpz)
The birth of Bangladesh

How Pakistan's first democratic elections in 1970 led to war, the break up of Pakistan and the creation of a new country, Bangladesh. Also Gibraltar under Spanish blockade plus refugees from Namibia’s war of independence, Britain’s first reality TV family and Bing Crosby’s White Christmas.

Photo East Pakistan 1971 The flag of Bangladesh is raised at the Awami League headquarters. Credit Getty Images


SAT 20:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tq891)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 20:06 The Arts Hour (w3cszk3x)
Granite Noir Crime Writing Festival

It’s a Crime Special in this week’s The Arts Hour, as Nikki Bedi talks to some of the big names taking part in Granite Noir, the crime writing festival that takes place annually in Aberdeen, Scotland.

We hear from Sara Paretsky, who revolutionised the US crime fiction scene when her Private Eye, V. I. Warshawski transformed the role of women from victims to investigators.

Dorothy Koomson is Britain’s biggest selling black female author of adult fiction. She tells us why she doesn’t write sequels, but chooses instead to create new characters each time she starts a new novel.

Helen Fitzgerald is known for her emotional thrillers. She grew up in small town Australia and has returned to her roots for her latest novel Ash Mountain.

Scottish writer and Granite Noir Ambassador Stuart MacBride explains why he chose the backdrop of Scottish Independence for his novel All That’s Dead, the importance of comedy in his works and why he’s needed a glossary of Scottish terms for both readers and editors of his books.

Sif Sigmarsdóttir is an Icelandic writer of young adult fiction. Her latest book, The Sharp Edge of a Snowflake, explores the dark side of social media, inspired by the Me Too movement and the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

And we speak to one of Granite Noir’s programmers Lee Randall and Jane Spiers, chief executive of Aberdeen Performing Arts.


(Photo: Granite Noir Crime Writing Festival venue Her Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen, Scotland. Credit: Aberdeen Performing Arts)


SAT 21:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tqd15)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z33qbdknr)
UK pandemic rules tightened over new strain of coronavirus

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson scraps the planned loosening of restrictions for Christmas as a new variant of the Covid-19 virus spreads rapidly in London and Southeast England. We hear about the new strain from a Cambridge University virologist. But will British people, disappointed by the sudden cancellation of their celebrations, obey the rules? A pollster and a psychologist give us their thoughts.

Also in the programme: the UN is on alert as political faultlines crack open in the Central African Republic; and a look at the Berlin restaurant offering free meals to the homeless.

(Picture: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses news conference on new Covid-19 restrictions. Credit: Toby Melville/PA Wire)


SAT 22:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tqhs9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79r6cclys4)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 22:20 Sports News (w172x3fmth997qz)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


SAT 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q12xfdw1p)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct1cw9)
Black Jesus

The identity and colour of Jesus – and why it matters - has taken on a new significance in this year of protest and change. Seeing Jesus as a darker skinned Palestinian rather than blonde European is both historically accurate and theologically important, but it’s not a new idea.

James Cone, the influential US theologian released ‘A Black Theology of Liberation’ 50 years ago this year – and formally developed a radical new way of exploring the message of Christianity. While people often say it’s a ‘white man’s religion’, Cone emphasised Jesus’ identity as black, on the side of the oppressed, and Christianity as a religion of liberation.
Robert Beckford, one of the UK’s prominent black theologians, wants to explore the impact Black Theology has had, the implications for the church and whether seeing Jesus as black is having a revival due to the influence of black lives matter. In this programme Robert speaks to key theologians who studied under Cone; Professor Dwight Hopkins and the Very Reverend Kelly Brown Douglas about the social context and significance of Cone’s work. He hears from Rev Otis Moss III from a Chicago based church which lives out black theology, and Pastor Jonathan Jackson in the UK. Robert goes on to explore how young Christians are readdressing Jesus’ identity in the UK with Chine McDonald and has a discussion about embracing the Black Jesus with Clare Williams, Shermara Fletcher and Joel Brown. Plus he’ll hear from American artist and iconographer Mark Doox about the depiction of a black Christ in Christian art.

Producer: Miriam Williamson

(Picture: ‘The Holy Face' by Mark Doox)


SAT 23:00 BBC News (w172x5p6n5tqmjf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 23:06 Business Weekly (w3ct0spn)
Big trouble for Big Tech?

Regulatory bodies around the world are looking to tighten the rules that govern the digital world. Concerned by issues relating to both the web content and the business conduct of some of the big technology companies, legislators from the US to the EU are trying to re-write the digital laws. We look at what this could mean in practice for Silicon Valley. We also look at dry ice – how it works and the important role it will carry out in the distribution of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, as well as the possible implications that could have for the drinks industry. Plus while Zoom business meetings are all the rage now, how long before virtual reality take them to the next level? And we discuss the joy of traditional Christmas correspondence and find out why young people are starting to send greetings cards again. Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.

(Image: Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft logos on a smartphone & laptop screen, Getty Images)