SATURDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2021

SAT 00:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzfbfv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 00:06 The Real Story (w3cszcpb)
Has Covid rolled back democratic rights?

Countries around the world are using the coronavirus pandemic to 'crush dissent and silence independent reporting' according to the UN chief Antonio Guterres. He says some nations are using restrictions meant to halt the spread of Covid-19 to weaken political opposition. Governments say a tighter grip over freedom of expression is essential to curb disinformation and confusion at a time when societies are under lockdown. Countries with authoritarian tendencies aren't the only ones under fire - the criticisms are being leveled at governments with well-established democracies too. So what are governments trying to get away with under the cover of Covid? How have the changes taken away democratic rights, and can the trends be reversed? Ritula Shah and a panel of guests discuss dissent in the time of Covid.


SAT 01:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzfg5z)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 01:06 Business Matters (w172x1986vb6p8w)
US house set to approve $1.9 trillion stimulus

The US House of Representatives prepares to pass President Biden's $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package to help provide support during the Covid-19 Pandemic, we speak to the Wall Street Jounal's Kristina Peterson about what new measures the bill includes. US Treasury Secretary holds talks on global digital tax reforms with her counterparts at the G20, we're joined by the FT's Washington Bureau Chief James Politi to discuss whether this will finally end the trans-Atlantic deadlock.

Also in the programme, three decades after the cult classic Eddie Murphy film Coming to America was released, a sequel will be screened on Amazon Prime from next week. We ask South African actor Nomzamo Mbatha, who stars in the new production, how the west's portrayal of Africa has changed since the 80s. Plus Pokemon hits 25, we find out just how the creature collecting game has kept everyone catching 'em all for so long

The BBC's Fergus Nicoll is joined by Radio New Zealand's Colin Peacock in Auckland.

(Picture: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds a press conference. Picture credit: EPA.)


SAT 02:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzfky3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3csz9qx)
Afghanistan hopes - and despairs

Under the terms of a deal made with the Taliban in Doha in 2020, the US agreed to start pulling its troops out of Afghanistan over the next two months. There were hopes that nearly four decades of war could be ended. But in recent months, the level of lethal violence in Afghanistan has risen - and civilians, judges, journalists, as well as police, Afghan and US soldiers, have all been targeted. The Taliban deny responsibility for the gun and bomb attacks which have been shaking Afghanistan's cities, particularly Kabul, almost every day. Many people - particularly the educated and the young - despair of making a better country, and are now desperate to leave, seeing no chance for peace. Yet when the BBC's Lyse Doucet recently interviewed the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani recently, she found him resolute - and still insistent that there's room for optimism.

Pascale Harter introduces this and other insights, impressions and analysis from writers around the world.

The mass protests in Myanmar against the recent military coup have used wit and solidarity, as well as public anger - from meme-heavy placards to elaborate costume - to call people together, despite the dangers of facing down the junta. On the streets of Yangon, Ben Dunnant has seen Burmese citizens of many different generations, professions and religions uniting to demand a return to democracy, the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the end of full control by the armed forces.

And Stephen McConnell reveals what it was really like to be part of the press pack shadowing the World Health Organisation's team of scientists around the Chinese city of Wuhan. The experts were visiting to try and uncover the truth about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. How much were they really allowed to discover - and how much evidence was their investigation allowed to see?



Image: An Afghan boy kisses the national flag. Credit: European Pressphoto Agency-EFE/Hedayatullah Amid)


SAT 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q4qll3y6h)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:32 Stumped (w3cszhkl)
'Catches win matches but tashes win Ashes'

We discuss the pitch, umpiring decisions and England's fragile batting line up in the third test match between India and England.

Plus the first game of this summer's inaugural Hundred competition will be a women's match, so we look at how the profile of women's cricket is being raised.

And Cricket the Musical! We are joined by writer and star of the show Denis Carnahan.

Photo: Dennis Lillee of Australia poses for a photo during the Beach Cricket Tri-Nations match. (Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 03:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzfpp7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 03:06 The Fifth Floor (w3cszjjg)
Somalia's election impasse

Somalia currently has a president in name only. President Mohamed Abdulahi Mohamed, who’s also known by his nickname Farmajo, should have ended his term of office on 8 February. But the parliamentary elections to begin the process of choosing a new president are yet to take place. It's a tense situation, and opposition protests last week in Mogadishu saw gunfire, with more protests planned. BBC Africa's Bella Sheegow in Mogadishu and BBC Monitoring's Ibrahim Aydid in Nairobi explain what's been happening.

Sri Lanka’s star of ‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire’
A Muslim teenager in Sri Lanka has become a household name after her star performance in the local version of the tv show ‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire’. Shukra Munawwar won the hearts of the audience, at a time of strong anti-Muslim rhetoric from some parts of society. Shirly Upul Kumara of BBC Sinhala went to meet her at her home in southern Sri Lanka.

Iranian kohl
BBC’s Nassim Hatam explores the history of kohl, or sormeh in Farsi, the black eye make-up that's been worn by Iranian women for millennia.

My Friend from a Care Home
Russia’s care homes house thousands of people behind high fences and closed doors. But the Covid-19 pandemic has provided a unique chance for a few residents to leave their institutions and start learning to live independently. In her BBC Russian documentary, Zlata Onufrieva follows Nina’s progress, as she adjusts to life outside with the help of her friend Arina.

Floods in southern Thailand
BBC Thai's Issariya Praithongyaem shares the story of the fruit farmers in Thailand’s Muslim south who lost thousands of dollars’ worth of crops due to floods caused by water released from a hydroelectric dam.


Image: Supporters of different opposition presidential candidates demonstrate in Mogadishu in February 2021
Credit: Photo by AFP via Getty Images


SAT 03:50 Witness History (w3cszmwb)
Banning landmines

In March 1999, the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel landmines became part of international law. Over 80% of countries have signed the treaty, which was the culmination of a five-year campaign and which has saved hundreds of thousands of lives around the world. Louise Hidalgo has been talking to Jody Williams, who co-ordinated the campaign and was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work.

Picture: Jody Williams at the signing of the Ottawa Treaty, alongside dignitaries including then United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. (Credit: Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images)


SAT 04:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzftfc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 04:06 The Real Story (w3cszcpb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:06 today]


SAT 05:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzfy5h)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct19zb)
Coronavirus: Venezuela's hospitals

Venezuela’s hospitals are dealing with a pandemic at a time when the country is already in an economic crisis. Many hospitals don’t have running water and there are shortages of oxygen and other medical supplies to treat Covid patients. Two doctors in the capital Caracas share their stories with host Nuala McGovern.

In the United States, more than 500,000 lives have now been lost due to Covid-19. A reverend and deacon from a baptist church in New York, at one point the epicentre of the disease, reflect on how their community is coping almost a year after the pandemic was first declared.

Plus, three nightclub workers in Beirut, Warsaw and London discuss their fears for the industry’s survival despite the rollout of vaccines.

(Photo: A Venezuelan health worker prepares to vaccinate a colleague with Russia"s Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus disease at a hospital in Caracas, Venezuela February 22, 2021. Credit: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)


SAT 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q4qll49fw)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:32 Mayday (w3ct1cxn)
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 05:50 Ros Atkins on ... (w3ct24jh)
Facebook's global power and influence

After a series of damaging scandals, many critics believe the social media giant has become too powerful and should be broken up. This week, Ros Atkins will consider Facebook's influence in Myanmar, its role in the storming of the Capitol building in Washington, and its decision to temporarily ban news in Australia.

(Photo: Facebook chairman Mark Zuckerberg testifies at a joint senate committee hearing in Washington DC. Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)


SAT 06:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzg1xm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 06:06 Weekend (w172x7db57bdf6b)
US sanctions Saudis

The White House has imposed sanctions on Saudi Arabia, following revelations on the role of its Crown Prince in the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. We get reaction from the expert who led a UN investigation into Mr Khashoggi's death.

Also, 317 schoolgirls have been abducted from a boarding school in northern Nigeria, in the latest kidnapping of students in the country.

And after a high-speed car crash in California, will Tiger Woods ever play again?

Joining Celia Hatton to discuss these and other issues are Julie Norman, a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at University College London, and John Nilsson-Wright, a specialist on the Korean peninsula, Japan and East Asia at Cambridge University and the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

(Photo: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi; Credit: EPA/ANDY RAIN)


SAT 07:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzg5nr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 07:06 Weekend (w172x7db57bdjyg)
Sanctions against Saudi nationals

The White House has imposed sanctions on Saudi Arabia, following revelations on the role of its Crown Prince in the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. We get reaction from the expert who led a UN investigation into Mr Khashoggi's death.

Also, why Greece wants the European Union to adopt vaccine passports.

And the Chinese court ruling that puts a price on domestic housework.

Joining Celia Hatton to discuss these and other issues are Julie Norman, a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at University College London, and John Nilsson-Wright, a specialist on the Korean peninsula, Japan and East Asia at Cambridge University and the Royal Institute of International Affairs. (Photo: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi; Credit: Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS )


SAT 08:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzg9dw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:06 Weekend (w172x7db57bdnpl)
Biden imposes sanctions on Saudis

Joe Biden says the US will hold Saudi Arabia accountable for human rights abuses, following revelations on the role of its Crown Prince in the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. We get reaction from the Saudis and ask what it means for Washington's relationship with a key ally.

Also, as leaders of the world's wealthiest nations prepare to descend on a southern English town for this year's G7 summit - what issues will be top of their agenda?

Joining Celia Hatton to discuss these and other issues are Julie Norman, a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at University College London, and John Nilsson-Wright, a specialist on the Korean peninsula, Japan and East Asia at Cambridge University and the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

(Photo: Saudi Arabia"s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; Credit: Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo)


SAT 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q4qll4np8)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:32 When Katty Met Carlos (w3ct21m0)
Have Native Americans been let down?

At the height of the pandemic, Native Americans were dying of Covid at twice the rate of white Americans. Huge inequalities have been highlighted, not just in terms of health, but also housing, education and wealth. Twenty-three percent of Native Americans live below the poverty line, compared to 10 percent of white Americans, and Native Americans are 19 times more likely to live without running water in their home. But there’s some good news too. If confirmed, Deb Haaland will make history as the first Native American in a cabinet secretary role. She’ll be the Secretary of the Interior, which oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Could this historic appointment change the fate of Native Americans today?

There’s a lot of history to undo. Jonodev Chaudhuri, ambassador for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, explains how his mother was forced to go to a boarding school where she was forbidden from speaking her native language, and her arm was broken by her teachers. The poor education she received didn’t set her up well in life. He says the federal government has broken promises made in treaties to safeguard the health, education and safety of his people in return for their land.

Amber Crotty, a tribal council delegate in the Navajo Nation in Arizona, tells how her tribe were left out of agreements over who had the right to the water that ran through their land, so today they can’t lawfully use it. One-third of her nation live without running water in their homes, and there are just 13 grocery stores on the 71,000 sq km reservation, meaning they have to drive for hours to buy food. She’s working hard to get her citizens vaccinated against Covid, and says the tide is now starting to turn. She hopes having a Native American head up the Department of the Interior, which oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, will help address many inequalities they face.


SAT 09:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzgf50)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct19zb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:06 today]


SAT 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q4qll4sfd)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:32 I'm Not A Monster (w3ct1z6c)
I'm Not a Monster

2: Read Between the Lines

A man who says he’s a people smuggler offers to help the family, while a drive around a suburb in Indiana reveals their past. Sam’s father adds a new twist on who his daughter really is.

This episode includes descriptions of violence and some upsetting moments involving children.

CREDITS:
Reporter: Josh Baker
Written by: Josh Baker and Joe Kent
Producers: Joe Kent and Max Green
Production assistant: Lucie Sullivan
Mixed by Tom Brignell
Composer: Sam Slater
Series Editor: Emma Rippon

Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Editor: Jason Phipps

ARCHIVE:
Fox News: ISIS uses purported American boy in latest propaganda video (August 2017)
CBS News: ISIS claims boy in propaganda video is American (August 2017)

“I’m Not a Monster” is a collaboration between BBC Panorama and FRONTLINE (PBS) and is a BBC Radio Current Affairs production for BBC Sounds.


SAT 09:50 Over to You (w3cszf5q)
The pressures of reporting from Myanmar

With events in Myanmar hitting global headlines, we speak to the BBC’s correspondent in the country about the challenges - just how do you deliver accurate reporting from a closed country under military control? Plus we’re always eager to learn about your everyday lives and listening habits, there’s an-other in our regular series How I Hear.

Presenter: Rajan Datar
Producer: Howard Shannon


SAT 10:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzgjx4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 10:06 Sportshour (w172x3c93zmzbpv)
How Inclusive is Football?

As part of LGBT+ History Month, Sportshour presenter Caroline Barker is joined by a panel of guests from the football community to discuss how inclusive, or not, the sport really is and what can and is being done to address those areas where it falls short.

We’ll also hear from Caitlin Rooskrantz, the first person of colour to be selected for South Africa’s Olympic gymnastics team. As part of Black History Month across the BBC World Service, Caitlin describes her route into the sport and why – on the day of what would have been her Olympic final last summer – she performed a routine that was streamed across the country.

As the Great Britain men’s basketball team celebrates a rare success – qualifying for the EuroBasket finals – Caroline speaks to Teddy Okereafor. Teddy reflects on equalling the team’s record for consecutive appearances, a mark which had stood for 45 years. He discusses the lows and the current highs of the team, as well as how a walk through a Newham park with his Mother set him on course for everything that’s happened since, and his Mum – Natasha Hart – on the pathway to an MBE.

Photo: A banner of former footballer Justin Fashanu is seen draped across the seats at Carrow Road, Norwich City's home ground. (Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 11:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzgnn8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bp8s41f2d)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q4qll50xn)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:32 Comedians Vs. The News (w3ct21mh)
Dr Jason Leong and Eline Van der Velden

Brilliant comedians from around the world join Jess Salomon and Eman El- Husseini to take on the headlines.

This week Jess and Eman are joined by Malaysian star stand-up Dr Jason Leong and Dutch comedian Eline Van der Velden. They’ll be finding out why there’s never a dull day when it comes to Malaysian politics and asking if the Dutch are skating on thin ice.

Join Comedians vs The News for the funniest take on the global headlines you’ve heard this week.

The programme first broadcast on 26th February has been updated due to sensitive content.


SAT 12:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzgsdd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 12:06 Music Life (w3csz6v8)
A million ways to make a song with Eliza Shaddad and This Is the Kit

Eliza Shaddad is joined by Oddisee, Gaidaa and This Is the Kit's Kate Stables to discuss working from home, where they now record, and how factors such as politics and heritage feed into the creative system.

Eliza Shaddad is a singer songwriter whose debut album Future came out in 2018, which she described as her “sonic journal”.

Oddisee is a Sudanese-American rapper and producer based in Brooklyn, originally from Washington DC. His first release was a collaboration with DJ Jazzy Jeff in 2002, and since then he has released a series of acclaimed mixtapes, EPs and albums, as well as founding the rap trio Diamond District.

Gaidaa is a Sudanese Dutch artist who grew up between Sudan and Eindhoven in Holland. Her debut EP Overture came out last year, firmly establishing her as a rising star in the spheres of neo-soul and R&B.

And Kate Stables is the creative force behind the band This Is The Kit. Their songs are said to “untangle emotional knots and weave remarkable stories”, and the band’s latest album Off Off On came out on Rough Trade last October.


SAT 13:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzgx4j)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 13:06 Newshour (w172x2z6rdh52s3)
UN investigator criticises Khashoggi report

Agnes Callamard, the woman who led the UN's investigation into the murder of the Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi, has criticised the US decision not to impose sanctions on the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Newshour hears from Saudi analyst Ali Shehabi.

Also in the programme: Amnesty International has verified eyewitness accounts of a massacre in Aksum in Ethiopia's Tigray region last November; and Cornwall prepares for the G7.

(Picture: A demonstrator holds a poster with a picture of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi outside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul. Credit: Reuters)


SAT 14:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzh0wn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 14:06 Sportsworld (w172x3lp3k25kjz)
Live Sporting Action

Sportsworld brings you live Premier League commentary, as West Bromwich Albion host Brighton and Hove Albion. Joining Lee James on the Sportsworld team will be former West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker, former Liverpool manager Vicky Jepson and former Wolves and Nigeria midfielder Seyi Olofinjana.

We’ll also be asking what next for Tiger Woods, after he was involved in a car accident? And as it’s LGBT+ month, we will be discussing whether sport has become more open to LGBTQ athletes.

Photo: Tariq Lamptey of Brighton and Hove Albion battles for possession with Grady Diangana of West Bromwich Albion. (Credit: Pool/Getty Images)


SAT 18:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzhhw5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:06 The Newsroom (w172x7bp8s42899)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 18:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q4qll5w4k)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:32 When Katty Met Carlos (w3ct21m0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:32 today]


SAT 19:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzhmm9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 19:06 The Evidence (w3ct2cbb)
Coronavirus: The Evidence

Keeping out Covid-19

From flight bans, entry bans, compulsory quarantine and virus testing, most countries have introduced travel restrictions in an effort to control the spread of the virus. But for a virus that knows no borders, do cross border health measures actually work?

Claudia Hammond and her panel of global experts answer listeners’ questions and discuss the very latest science about the use of border controls in this pandemic.

The countries we can all learn from, researchers say, include Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea. Their border policies are said to be consistent and crucially, integrated with strong domestic public health measures.

So while we wait for vaccinations, it seems an international vaccination passport will be rolled out very soon, maybe as early as Spring. A digital passport – a golden ticket to travel – could give privileged access to those who have been inoculated. But what are the ethical and scientific concerns of such a move?

The panel with the answers include Kelley Lee, Professor of Public Health at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada who is leading an international project to assess cross border health measures, Pandemics and Borders, Dr Voo Teck Chuan, Assistant Professor at the University of Singapore Centre for Biomedical Ethics and a member of the WHO Working Group on Ethics and Covid-19, Dr Birger Forsberg, Associate Professor of International Health at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and senior physician and health planner at the regional health authority of Stockholm and Marc Lipsitch, Professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Director of the Centre for Communicable Disease Dynamics in the USA.

Produced by: Fiona Hill, Samara Linton and Maria Simons
Editor: Deborah Cohen
Technical Support: Sarah Hockley

Picture: Giving passport and certificate of covid-19 vaccination on border control, Credit: ArtistGNDphotography/Getty Images


SAT 20:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzhrcf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 20:06 The Arts Hour (w3cszk47)
Actor Daniel Kaluuya

On this week’s Arts Hour, Nikki Bedi speaks to film critic Leila Latif and filmmaker Fernando Frias de la Parra about about his film I’m No Longer Here, Mexico’s entry for this year’s Oscars.

We’ll also hear from actor Daniel Kaluuya who reveals how an opera coach helped him prepare for his role as American activist Fred Hampton in Judas and The Black Messiah.

Actor and writer Ethan Hawke explains why he’s finally allowing his fiction to mirror his own life.

We’ll hear how Parv Kaur, the UK’s first female dhol player, broke into the male-dominated world of bhangra music.

Danish director Thomas Vinterberg speaks candidly about the tragedy which overshadowed his latest film Another Round.

British director Paul Greengrass on what it was like directing Tom Hanks in his movie News of The World.

And we hear a beautiful Guyanese lullaby from singer Sabihya.


(Photo: actor Daniel Kaluuya. Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage)


SAT 21:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzhw3k)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 21:06 Newshour (w172x2z6rdh61r4)
Spate of kidnappings prompts school closures in Nigeria

Police in Nigeria have launched a search and rescue operation for 317 girls kidnapped from a school in the state of Zamfara. The operation comes as 42 people kidnapped from a boarding school in a similar incident last week in Niger state were released. Also: it’s day three of the conference of American political conservatives, known as CPAC, where former secretary of state Mike Pompeo has been speaking; and we’ll hear about the life of one of the leading champions of America's movement of so-called 'beat poets’.

(Photo: A team of security experts tour the JSS Jangebe school, a day after over 300 schoolgirls were abducted. Credit: Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde).


SAT 22:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzhzvp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:06 The Newsroom (w172x79vv1jdfvj)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 22:20 Sports News (w172x3frg5g2qtc)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


SAT 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172x5q4qll6c42)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct20d2)
The Right Thing: Saving the man who shot me

Mike Wooldridge tells the story of Rais Bhuiyan, who In his 20s, traded a job in the Bangladeshi Air Force for a life in the US. He was working at a petrol station. A man with baseball cap walked in and pointed a double-barrelled shotgun at him. Rais offered all the money in the till to him, but the attacker asked him where he was from. Rais was confused, and said ‘Excuse me?’, but as he spoke, he was shot. He said it felt like a million bees stinging his face. He fell to the floor and started reciting from the Koran, begging God not to take him that day.

White supremacist Mark Stroman’s attack left Bhuiyan partially blind, and two other men died during Stroman’s killing spree. In court Stroman said he had intended to target Muslims in revenge for the 9/11 attacks. Stroman was found guilty and received the death penalty, but Bhuiyan forgave his attacker and campaigned against the execution, saying that his faith told him that saving one life was like saving the whole of mankind.

As well as Rais, we hear from his friends, those who worked alongside him to save Mark Stroman, and the brother-in-law of one of the other victims, Waqar Hussein.

(Photo: Rais Bhuiyan. Credit: WFFA ABC Channel 8, Dallas)


SAT 23:00 BBC News (w172x5pb8vzj3lt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 23:06 Business Weekly (w3ct0spz)
How important are vaccine passports?

As the global Covid-19 vaccination drive slowly gathers pace - on Business Weekly we’ll be looking at whether vaccine passports will help us return to life as we once knew it. While the travel industry is keen to use them, scientists warn that not only will they not work properly but they could pose serious ethical dilemmas. We’ll also hear from the people scooping facemasks out of the ocean - who are warning that Covid-19 has caused a pandemic of plastic waste. In the effort to save the planet from climate change, US President Joe Biden has promised to reduce the US’s carbon emissions. We’ll hear from the American coal workers who are worried for their jobs. Also, the pandemic has thrown the global wedding industry into disarray. We’ll meet the couples who got married during the pandemic in really quite extraordinary circumstances. And we’ll look at the history of hairstyles in the workplace.

Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Szu Ping Chan.

Picture: A close-up of an ampoule and syringe needle (Credit: Getty).