SATURDAY 18 MARCH 2023

SAT 00:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7bbw0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 00:06 The Real Story (w3ct33qd)
Is the asylum system broken?

Millions of people around the world are on the move today in search of a safe and better life. It’s estimated over 100 million people were displaced last year. Over 30 million are refugees and 5 million are asylum seekers. The UN body for refugees says 72% of the refugees originate from just five countries: Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine, Afghanistan and South Sudan. These refugees are often fleeing persecution, conflict, violence, natural disasters and human rights violations. They make the dangerous journey across land and sea to seek asylum in other countries. Over the years, thousands have died or gone missing in the the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe. While, with help from the UNHCR and host countries, many get legal status and are settled, thousands are held in processing centres and camps, often for years. We discuss problems with the current international asylum system and ask what would a fair global asylum system could look like?

Owen Bennett Jones is joined by:

Gerald Knaus - the founding chairman of German think tank The European Stability Initiative.

Jeff Crisp - former head of policy development and evaluation at the UNHCR.

Dr Ashwini Vasanthakumar - author of The Ethics of Exile: A Political Theory of Diaspora. She writes on the ethics and politics of migration.

Also featuring:

Ahmed - a migrant, an asylum seeker and a refugee, who fled Syria in 2015 and is now settled in the UK>

Alexander Downer - Australia's former foreign minister.

Ylenja Lucaselli - A member of the Italian Parliament for Fratelli d'Italia.

(Photo: The number of people crossing the English Channel has risen in recent years. Credit: PA)

Producer: Rozita Riazati and Rumella Dasgupta.


SAT 01:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7bgm4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 01:06 Business Matters (w172ydqcsnnbcjh)
Global share markets unconvinced by support to rescue banks

Half a trillion dollars have been wiped from the value of bank shares around the world as financial shocks dived this week.

The fallout is ongoing after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) spreads through global markets.

The authorities are stepping in to get the situation under control, but some deposit holders are still feeling nervous.

For now, many analysts say they think the shock will be contained.

(Picture: Silicon Valley Bank Collapse. Picture Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 02:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7blc8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:06 The Newsroom (w172yl8758l9xzn)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv0ymn)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:32 Stumped (w3ct3722)
Firooza Afghan: ‘Let us represent Afghanistan’

We speak to Afghanistan women’s cricketer Firooza Afghan who fled the country following the takeover of the Taliban in 2021 and now resides in Melbourne, Australia. The 18-year-old, says the team have not yet received any support from the International Cricket Council and hopes that they will take action to enable them to represent Afghanistan from their base in Australia.

After scoring his first Test century since November 2019, is Virat Kohli finally returning to form? The former India captain has scored over 100 in the main three formats of the game in the last six months, having endured a century drought in the three years prior. Alison Mitchell, Charu Sharma and Jim Maxwell praise his performance in India’s final series match with Australia and look ahead to the World Test Championship final between the two sides in June.

Plus, are New Zealand rivalling England to be Test cricket’s great entertainers? Within the last month, New Zealand have beaten England by a single run and edged past Sri Lanka on the last ball of the match, in two of the greatest ever finishes to a Test match.

Photo: Afghan girls celebrate after a cricket match at a school in Herat on September 2, 2013.(Credit: AFP via Getty Images)


SAT 03:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7bq3d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 03:06 The Fifth Floor (w3ct380p)
Aid, politics and Syria’s earthquake

February's earthquake spanned the Turkey-Syria border and refocused international attention on the complicated geopolitics of northern Syria. We hear how the earthquake aid operation presented both challenges and opportunities to the different groups controlling Syria, from the government in Damascus to the rebel leaders of Idlib province. With BBC Monitoring jihadi expert Mina al-Lami and BBC Middle East correspondent Lina Sinjab.

The handwritten newspaper of Bangladesh
Since 2019, a handwritten newspaper has been published by a group of day labourers in southern Bangladesh. It aims to inspire others with stories of ordinary villagers who have overcome struggles and hardships, as BBC Bengali's Nagib Bahar reports.

Venezuela: 10 years after the death of Hugo Chavez
Venezuelans have been marking the tenth anniversary of the death of former president Hugo Chavez, one of the most controversial, charismatic and influential politicians in Latin American history. As a child, teenager and then young reporter, BBC Mundo’s Jorge Perez witnessed some of the key moments of Chavez’s rule.

Searching for gems of hope
For four decades local people have been mining semi-precious stones in the mountainous Chumar Bakhoor area of Gilgit-Baltistan in northern Pakistan. BBC Urdu’s Musa Yawari travelled into the mountains to meet the miners as they brave hazardous conditions hoping to make their fortunes.

(Photo: A man in Idlib province carrying the body of a child after the Turkey-Syria earthquake. Credit: Mohammed Al-Rifai/AFP via Getty images)


SAT 03:50 Witness History (w3ct3bxy)
Iraq War: US security guards killed my son

It has been 20 years since the start of the Iraq War.

On 16 September 2007, private security guards employed by the American firm Blackwater opened fire on civilians in Baghdad's Nisour Square. Seventeen Iraqis were killed, and another 20 injured.

The Blackwater guards, who were escorting a convoy from the American embassy, claimed that they had come under attack from insurgents, but eye-witnesses and Iraqi officials quickly dismissed that version of events.

Mohammed Kinani's nine year old son, Ali, was one of the victims.

In this programme, first broadcast in 2020, Mohammed shares his story with Mike Lanchin.

(Photo: An Iraqi looks at a burnt car on the site where Blackwater guards opened fire on civilians in Baghdad. Credit: Ali Yussef/AFP via Getty Images)


SAT 04:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7btvj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 04:06 The Real Story (w3ct33qd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:06 today]


SAT 05:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7byln)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:06 The Newsroom (w172yl8758lb971)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv19w1)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:32 Dear Daughter (w3ct585c)
Healing letters

The 'Queen of Letters', Isabel Allende, on writing, processing grief and a full garage. The best-selling author wrote to her late daughter, Paula, when she was in a coma. She then turned the letters into a book. She says writing “allowed me to understand what had happened and deal with it”. Isabel has a garage full of her daily correspondence with her own mother. Her novels include The House of the Spirits, City of the Beasts and Eva Luna.
Letter writer: Isabel Allende
Isabel is reading an extract from her book Paula.
Please send Namulanta your letter. Go to www.bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter and click on “Send us your letters”.
#DearDaughter


SAT 05:50 More or Less (w3ct3k64)
Silicon Valley Bank: A very modern bank run

After the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank sent jitters through the financial system, Duncan Weldon explains how it’s just the latest in the long history of bank runs.

He talks to financial analyst and former banking regulator Dan Davies - author of Lying for Money - to understand how bank runs happen, and what the repercussions of this very modern bank run might be for the global financial system.

Presenter: Duncan Weldon
Producer: Nathan Gower
Programme co-ordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross
Sound engineer: Neva Missirian
Editor: Richard Vadon

(Photo credit: Reuters)


SAT 06:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7c2bs)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 06:06 Weekend (w172ykwyhwfydq0)
Putin faces international arrest warrant

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over war crime allegations.

They allege he is responsible for war crimes and focus on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia. Moscow has denied the allegations and labelled the warrants as "outrageous". We find out what consequences this could have for Russia, politically and diplomatically?

Joining Audrey Brown to discuss all this and more are Bel Trew, the international correspondent for the UK's Independent newspaper, and Carne Ross, writer and former diplomat.

(Photo: Vladimir Putin chairing a meeting on 17 March 2023. Credit: Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik/Reuters)


SAT 07:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7c62x)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 07:06 Weekend (w172ykwyhwfyjg4)
President Putin: A wanted man

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes. We hear from the court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.

Also in the programme: On the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, which triggered a long insurgency and much bloodshed, we discuss the war and its aftermath.

Joining Audrey Brown to discuss all this and more are Bel Trew, the international correspondent for the UK's Independent newspaper, and Carne Ross, writer and former diplomat.

(Photo: International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan in the town of Vyshhorod, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, February 28, 2023. Credit: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo)


SAT 08:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7c9v1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:06 Weekend (w172ykwyhwfyn68)
Estonia pushes for more arms for Ukraine

As President Zelensky continues his calls for military aid, EU ministers prepare to meet to discuss sending more arms and ammunition to Ukraine. Estonia has started the ball rolling on a joint plan of action to restock Ukraine’s dwindling ammunition supplies. We speak to Estonia’s Defence Minister, Hanno Pevkur, about the scheme.

Also on the programme: The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin, accusing him of ordering the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia; and talks take place between Serbia and Kosovo to try to resolve a decades-old conflict.

Joining Audrey Brown to discuss all this and more are Bel Trew, the international correspondent for the UK's Independent newspaper, and Carne Ross, writer and former diplomat.

(Image: Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur speaks during a news conference in Tallinn Credit: REUTERS/Ints Kalnins)


SAT 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv1p3f)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:32 The Conversation (w3ct37nb)
Women in Hollywood: Who runs the film industry?

There is an impressive list of female creatives on this year's Oscar nominees list – actors, producers, costume designers - but no female directors. In fact, in the Academy’s 94-year-history, only seven women have ever been nominated. Why is that? And what is getting in the way of achieving gender parity in filmmaking? Kim Chakanetsa travels to the heart of Hollywood to find out more.

Keri Putnam is a film executive and producer and the founder of Putnam Pictures. She served for 11 years as the CEO of the Sundance Institute which runs the Sundance Film Festival. Prior to that worked as a senior executive at Miramax and HBO. She is also the co-founder of Re-frame, an organisation providing mentorship and training to help women making it into the industry, and served 3 terms on the Women in Film Board of directors.

Stephanie Allain is a film Producer and writer and the newly-elected co-President of the Producers Guild of America, the first woman of colour to serve as PGA president. Stephanie was one of the original ReFrame ambassadors and served 3 terms on the WIF Board of Directors including 9 years as Vice President. Stephanie was also the first Black woman to produce the Academy Awards in 2020. She runs her own company, Homegrown Pictures, which focuses on creating content by and about women and people of colour.

Producers: Alice Gioia, Jane Thurlow, Hetal Bapodra
Sound recording: Devin Pinckard
Production assistant: Abbie Bulbulian

(Image: (L) Stephanie Allain (R) Keri Putnam. Credit: Devin Pinckard)


SAT 09:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7cfl5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct418y)
Asian Americans

Everything Everywhere All at Once ensured it was a historic night at the Oscars. And in doing so it put a spotlight on Asian Americans.

The film, which centres around a fictional family of Asian Americans, received seven awards with Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh becoming the first Asian woman to win the best actress Oscar.

In her acceptance speech she said: "For all the little boys and girls who look like me, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities…”

Host Catherine Byaruhanga hears stories from Asian Americans, including three actors who discuss attitudes and prejudice towards them in the film industry.

Ke Huy Quan became the first actor from Vietnam to get an Oscar in the best supporting actor category. “My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp,” he said. “Somehow I ended up on Hollywood’s biggest stage...This is the American dream!”

We hear from a family who can relate to those words. Originally from Vietnam, they now live in the US. In the mid-1970s, they decided to escape by boat in search of a safer life. They recall being robbed at sea during a perilous journey with their three year old daughter.

“One of the pirates took hold of her and said he would take her as his daughter,” said Hung Ti Nguyen. “I was on my knees begging him… somehow, at the last minute, he took a look at me and gave me back my daughter.”

(Photo: Danh Nguyen, Hung Ti Nguyen, Thuc Doan Nguyen in the 1980s. Credit: Faith Pearson)


SAT 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv1svk)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:32 Pick of the World (w3ct41y7)
The most remote museum on Earth?

The refugees facing yet more homelessness in Bangladesh, plus a visit to a museum at the end of the world - and do good-looking people earn more money?


SAT 09:50 Over to You (w3ct35tp)
How sports programming was knocked off air

Why did Sportsworld fail to make it to air last Saturday ? We explain. Plus, the team behind the Global News Podcast have come up with a show called The Happy Pod. Listeners tell us if this is good news and the programme’s production team explain the thinking behind it.

Presenter: Rajan Datar
Producer: Howard Shannon
A Whistledown production for BBC World Service


SAT 10:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7ckb9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 10:06 Sportshour (w3ct363q)
"Everyone dies, but not everyone lives. I want to really live after surviving."

Jerry Schemmel is the voice of baseball’s Colorado Rockies. As a renowned play by play radio announcer for the MLB, Jerry is warming up for a new season that will see him travel all over the USA. Travelling was part of his role when he was working for the Continental Basketball Association back in July 1989 when he got on United Airlines Flight 232 to Chicago… But the plane never arrived, in fact it crashed killing over 100 people. Jerry tells Caroline Barker his remarkable story of survival, loss and heroism. After escaping the plane, Jerry returned to the wreckage to rescue an 11-month-old baby, but could do nothing to help his best friend Jay Ramsdell, who he had been traveling with.

Shaunagh Brown recently hung up her boots having been part of the hugely successful England rugby team. Now retired she tells us she’s never been so busy! Not only is she coaching in the Cayman Islands but offering her views on the England men’s team, previewing the Women’s 6 Nations and why now is the right time for the creation of a Women's Lions team. Shaunagh also has a great story of resilience, and overcoming harsh environments. She grew up as a mixed-race child from a single-parent family in Peckham in South London and rugby was not a sport she even considered. She only started playing professionally after representing England in athletics at the Commonwealth Games

When Marie-Claude Molnar headed out on her bike one sunny morning in 2005, she had no idea her life would change forever. She was hit by a lorry doing over 100 km per hour and was lucky to be alive, her goal of representing Canada on the international stage over. Marie-Claude not only recovered, but realised her dream by winning a medal at the Paracycling in London 2012. What followed that was a glittering career which only ended recently, and only after multiple world titles. Now Marie-Claude is turning her energy to another of her passions. The environment. She tells us about her new career, and why everyone should think about getting on their bike!!


Photo: An engine and debris sit in a corn field after United Airlines Flight 232 crashed and broke into pieces July 19, 1989, while attempting to make an emergency landing at the Sioux City Gateway Airport. Of the 296 people on board, 111 were killed in the crash leaving 185 survivors. The flight was going from Denver to Chicago. Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images


SAT 11:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7cp2f)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:06 The Newsroom (w172yl8758lc0pt)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv21bt)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:32 The Climate Question (w3ct3kkd)
Can investors change an oil company from within?

Some oil and gas giants are being pushed by shareholders to adopt more climate friendly strategies.

An environmental law charity is suing the directors of a global oil company, arguing their climate strategy is not adequate to meet current targets, supported by other shareholders. Elsewhere, a group of investors in another fossil fuel giant, recently unseated multiple board members in an effort to force a change of direction.

How effective is this form of activism?

Presenter Paul Connolly is joined by:
Chris James, Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Engine No.1, US
Camila Domonoske, NPR journalist, US
Tariq Fancy, former Global Chief Investment officer for Sustainable Investing at BlackRock, Canada
Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com
Producers: Ben Cooper and Mora Morrison
Researcher: Matt Toulson
Production Coordinator: Siobhan Reed and Sophie Hill
Series Producer: Alex Lewis
Editor: China Collins
Sound Engineer: James Beard and Rod Farquhar


SAT 12:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7cstk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 12:06 The Documentary (w3ct57k5)
Iraq War: A choice of horrors

In the aftermath of the disastrous war in Iraq, the lesson seemed clear: the West should never intervene in foreign conflicts. But then came the Syrian civil war, and the invasion of Ukraine, and the withdrawal from Afghanistan. So 20 years on, Caroline Wyatt – who has reported from Iraq, Afghanistan and Russia – takes us back to the choice of horrors the West faced in 2003, and examines how the legacy of that fateful decision shapes foreign policy today, for good or ill.

(Photo: Iraqis hit the head of a former Saddam Hussein statue with their shoes following the Friday prayer in Al-Sader City, formerly Saddam City, Iraq, 26 December 2003. Credit: Jamal Nasrallah/EPA-EFE/Rex/Shutterstock)


SAT 13:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7cxkp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 13:06 Newshour (w172yfchw20gghz)
Imran Khan supporters clash with police outside Pakistan court

We go to Pakistan where former PM Imran Khan faces corruption charges in court in Islamabad. There have been clashes between his supporters and the police.

Also on the programme: one of Russia's most decorated writers, Mikhail Shishkin, gives us his reaction to the ICC's arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin; and the actor Sam Neill has revealed he has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma and is receiving chemotherapy.


(Photo: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Lahore, Pakistan March 17, 2023. CREDIT: REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro)


SAT 14:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7d19t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 14:06 Sportsworld (w172ygk7zlfdqbl)
Live Sporting Action

Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur will the main focus of Sportsworld this Saturday. Lee James will be joined by former Premier League goalkeeper Brad Friedel and Wales striker Helen Ward. We’ll have updates from three Premier League games that kick off at 3pm and we’ll look ahead to the FA Cup quarter final between Manchester City and Burnley. Lee will also be speaking to Lewes FC’s Emily Kraft ahead of their Women’s FA Cup quarter final against Manchester United. Plus we’ll have the latest from the final round of matches at the Men’s 6 Nations, Indian Wells Tennis finals, chat about the title and relegations battles in La Liga and UFC 286 between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman.


SAT 18:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7dj9b)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:06 The Newsroom (w172yl8758lcvxq)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 18:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv2wkq)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:32 Dear Daughter (w3ct585c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:32 today]


SAT 18:50 Sporting Witness (w3ct36h0)
Ammo Baba: Iraq's footballing hero

Ammo Baba was a beloved player, whose heading ability was legendary and who scored Iraq's first ever international goal. As a coach, Ammo Baba won many regional trophies for the Iraqi team and stood up to Saddam Hussein's sadistic son, Uday.

In 2009, thousands of Iraqis gathered at the National Football Stadium to attend the funeral of the player and coach, Emmanuel Baba Dawud, better known as Ammo Baba.

His brother, Banwal Baba Dawud, spoke to Ashley Byrne in 2016. The programme is a Made In Manchester Production.

(Picture: Ammos Baba's funeral. Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 19:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7dn1g)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 19:06 World Book Club (w3ct57k6)
World Book Cafe: Paris

World Book Café travels to Paris to meet some of the French capital’s newest writers. Authors Mahir Guven, Blandine Rinkel, Laurent Petitmangin and Capucine Delattre discuss taking on the literary establishment and finding new ways to express themselves. Like many places in the world, questions of equality, diversity and freedom of expression are top of the agenda in France. But it is complicated; the ideal of universalism - meaning every citizen is considered to be the same regardless of class or ethnicity - is at the heart of the French republic. Does this 'universalism' leave space for the 21st Century desire to celebrate difference, and how can writing help reconcile these complex ideas?

Image: The skyline of Paris, 9 December 2022 (Credit: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)


SAT 20:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7drsl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 20:06 The Arts Hour (w3ct391m)
On Tour in Nairobi

Nikki Bedi is on stage in Kenya’s vibrant capital with artists who are drawing on the myths, histories and traditions of Kenya to shape new ideas for the future.

There is live music performance by Savara Mudigi and Polycarp Otieno, from Kenya’s top Afropop band Sauti Sol, and by rapper and entrepreneur Muthoni Drummer Queen.

In the Culture Cab, actor Sheila Munyiva shows Nikki the Bomas of Kenya centre, where school children learn about the country’s forty five different communities.

Filmmaker and game designer Andrew Kaggia, reveals the inspirations for his 3D animated feature ‘ Terastorm’.

There is a stand-up comedy set from Doug Mutai and audience members join discussion on Afrofuturism, Afrosurrealism and Afrobubblegum and the position of the LGBTQI community on Nairobi.


SAT 21:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7dwjq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 21:06 Newshour (w172yfchw20hfh0)
Donald Trump claims arrest imminent

Is former US President Donald Trump about to be arrested? He claims he is - posting on social media that he's heard leaked reports that he will be indicted. The Manhattan district attorney’s office has been investigating alleged "hush-money" payments made to adult movie actress Stormy Daniels. We hear from the Associated Press’s National Political Reporter Michelle Price.

Also in the programme: the Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia – a key focus of the ICC indictment of Russian president Vladimir Putin. And actor Sam Neil on his Non-Hodgkins's lymphoma diagnosis.

(Photo: A message on 18 March 2023 on the Truth Social account of former US President Donald Trump reads that he expects to be arrested on Tuesday 21 March as prosecutors consider charges over hush money payments to a porn star, and calls on his supporters to protest. Credit: Social Media via Reuters)


SAT 22:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7f08v)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:06 The Newsroom (w172yrxc9sy40bf)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 22:20 Sports News (w172yghm34723b4)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


SAT 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv3ck7)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:32 The Cultural Frontline (w3ct37sx)
Reclaim and resist: Canada's indigenous musicians

The myriad of indigenous communities in Canada share a painful history. But today, Canada’s indigenous artists are using music, from rock to round dance, to interrogate still-felt horrors, to heal, and to share stories, culture and languages that were violently suppressed for decades.

In Toronto, the traditional territory of the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and many other nations, we meet Jeremy Dutcher. His debut album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, is sung entirely in the language of his Wolastoq community, and is a mix of opera, pop melodies and piano.

In the city of London, the traditional territory of peoples such as the Attawandaron and Anishinaabeg, Anishinaabe musician Adam Sturgeon puts healing at the forefront of his bands Status/Non-Status and Ombiigizi's artistic vision.

Further west, in Winnipeg, lives composer Melody McKiver. They are an assistant professor of Indigenous Music at the University of Manitoba, where they are putting together courses to educate students on indigenous history, through the lens of music. They are a member of the Obishikokaang First Nation.
Even further west, in the Treaty 6 territory of Alberta, lives Fawn Wood. A Plains Cree and Salish Tribes traditional singer, Fawn is one of the first female indigenous musicians to use a hand drum in her music.

Producer: Sasha Edye-Lindner
A Just Radio production for BBC World Service

(Photo: GasS. Credit: Matthew Wiewel)


SAT 23:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7f40z)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 23:06 Music Life (w3ct30lc)
Singing for the rain to come, with Ana Moura, Pedro Mafama, Herlander and Pongo

Ana Moura, Pedro Mafama, Herlander and Pongo discuss celebrating music that is tied to its place of origin, moving away from home to carve out a musical career, and discovering the happy parts of their song writing.

Ana Moura is a fado singer born in Santarem, Portugal to an Angolan mother and Portuguese father. Introduced to fado music at a young age by her parents, she’s performed the traditional Portuguese music all over the world, including collaborations with legends such as Mick Jagger and Prince. Her latest album, Casa Guilhermina, came out in 2022 and is a tribute to her grandmother.

Singer and producer Pedro Mafama's multifaceted sound draws from Portuguese aesthetics, as well as the African and Islamic past of the country.

Herlander is a producer, composer, and singer who’s been making waves in Lisbon’s underground music scene, and lighting up venues across the city with his playful yet experimental sound.

Angolan-Portuguese singer, dancer and pioneer of Kuduro music Pongo has previously featured as a guest on Music Life. She performed with Buraka Som Sistema for two years before releasing her first EP Baia in 2018, and released her full length album Sakidila in April last year.

SUNDAY 19 MARCH 2023

SUN 00:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7f7s3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 00:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct418y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:06 on Saturday]


SUN 00:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv3m1h)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 00:32 Dear Daughter (w3ct585c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:32 on Saturday]


SUN 00:50 More or Less (w3ct3k64)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:50 on Saturday]


SUN 01:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7fcj7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 01:06 The Science Hour (w3ct3b0n)
Return of Cyclone Freddy

34 days after it first formed at the far end of the Indian Ocean, record-breaking Cyclone Freddy made a repeat landfall on Mozambique as well as passing over Malawi, causing extensive damage and loss of life. Climate scientists Liz Stephens and Izidine Pinto join Roland to give an update on the destruction and explain how Cyclone Freddy kept going for an exceptionally long time.

At the Third International Human Genome Summit in London last week, Professor Katsuhiko Hayashi announced he had created baby mice from eggs formed by male mouse cells. Dr Nitzan Gonen explains the underlying science, whilst Professor Hank Greely discusses the ethics and future prospects.

And from one rodent story to another, SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in brown rats scurrying around New York sewers. Dr Thomas DeLiberto from the US Department of Agriculture gives Roland the details.

When imagining a robot, a hard-edged, boxy, humanoid figure may spring to mind. But that is about to change.

CrowdScience presenter Alex Lathbridge is on a mission to meet the robots that bend the rules of conventionality. Inspired by how creatures like us have evolved to move, some roboticists are looking to nature to design the next generation of machines. And that means making them softer. But just how soft can a robot really be?

Join Alex as he goes on a wild adventure to answer this question from listener Sarah. He begins his quest at the ‘Hello, Robot’ Exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany to define what a robot actually is. Amelie Klein, the exhibition curator, states anything can be a robot as long as three specific criteria are met (including a cute cuddly baby seal). With this in mind, Alex meets Professor Andrew Conn from the Bristol Robotics Lab who demonstrates how soft materials like rubber are perfect contenders for machine design as they are tough to break and - importantly for our listener’s question - bendy.

Alex is then thrown into a world of robots that completely change his idea of what machines are. He is shown how conventionally ‘hard’ machines are being modified with touches of softness to totally upgrade what they can do, including flexible ‘muscles’ for robot skeletons and silicon-joined human-like hands at the Soft Robotics Lab run by Professor Robert Katzschmann at ETH Zurich. He is then introduced to robots that are completely soft. Based on natural structures like elephant trunks and slithering snakes, these designs give robots completely new functions, such as the ability to delicately pick fruit and assist with search and rescue operations after earthquakes. Finally, Alex is presented with the idea that, in the future, a robot could be made of materials that are so soft, no trace of machine would remain after its use...

Image credit: Jack McBrams/Getty Images

Producer: Roland Pease
Assistant Producer: Sophie Ormiston


SUN 02:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7fh8c)
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SUN 02:06 The Newsroom (w172yl8758ldtwr)
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SUN 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv3vjr)
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SUN 02:32 Health Check (w3ct32xw)
Obesity drug: New hope for weight loss?

“Diet and exercise” has been the weight-loss mantra for decades but a drug designed for diabetes patients could now offer hope to people who are obese, at a time when researchers are warning that half of the world’s population are expected to be overweight or obese by 2035. One of the first to have injections of Semaglutide in the UK was Jan, who has battled with her weight since childhood. Once the medication took effect she lost four stone and said her hunger disappeared.

Professor Stephen O’Rahilly from the University of Cambridge, explains how the drug mimics our body’s natural appetite signalling but its effects disappear once you stop the weekly injections. Family doctor Margaret McCartney says it might help some who are obese but warns that it has also gained a reputation as a “Hollywood skinny drug", reflecting some of society’s ideas about beauty and celebrity culture.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Paula McGrath

(Photo: A jogger running around Clifton Downs, Bristol. Credit: Ben Birchall/PA)


SUN 03:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7fm0h)
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SUN 03:06 The Documentary (w3ct57k5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Saturday]


SUN 04:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7fqrm)
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SUN 04:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3ct32bt)
Protests in Georgia

Pascale Harter introduces stories from Georgia, South Africa, Egypt, and Japan.

In Tbilisi, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest a draft law, which many saw as an attack on press freedom and civil society. The law would require media and non-governmental organisations receiving more than 20 per cent of their funding from outside Georgia to register as a 'foreign agent'. Critics say a similar law in Russia has been used to stifle dissent, and the fact this new law was proposed in Georgia is a sign of Russian influence. But most Georgians want to see their country build closer ties with the European Union, says Rayhan Demytrie.

In South Africa, years of power cuts have seen South Africa's once celebrated national power company become the butt of jokes. But the daily outages are hitting the country's already struggling economy. Ed Habershon reveals how people adapt when the traffic lights stop working.

Egypt has seen a far-reaching campaign against dissidents, which has now extended to those living overseas. And although Egyptian authorities claim to tolerate foreign journalists, they are often subjected to arbitrary restrictions - as Edmund Bower discovered on a reporting assignment in the southern city of Aswan.

Japan struggles with diversity and female representation in both its commercial and political spheres. Shaimaa Khalil met the first female mayor of one of Tokyo’s largest districts and hears how she is trying to break through the barriers of tradition to ensure women are seen and heard.

Producer: Louise Hidalgo
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

(Photo by David Mdzinarishvili/ Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)


SUN 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv4310)
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SUN 04:32 The Cultural Frontline (w3ct37sx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:32 on Saturday]


SUN 05:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7fvhr)
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SUN 05:06 The Newsroom (w172yl8758lf644)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv46s4)
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SUN 05:32 The Documentary (w3ct55yf)
Somebody is watching me

Since 2020, when the so-called Nth Room scandal revealed how women and children were lured and blackmailed to make explicit videos for distribution through chatrooms, the lucrative online sexual exploitation of women and children has mushroomed. Despite government promises and wide-ranging police investigations the perpetrators are going unchallenged. Figures released in 2022 show that over 38% of South Korean women have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, and that digital sex crime is increasing year on year.

Sojeong Lee investigates why women in South Korea are so especially vulnerable to online abuse and exploitation and why so little has been achieved by government and police. How have the country’s economic and social characteristics led to this hotbed of digital sex crime? And beyond the borders of South Korea if this shocking level of cybersex crime could spread to the rest of the global online community, what could be done to prevent it?

Presenter: Sojeong Lee
Producer: Amanda Hargreaves

(Photo: A person taking a photo of another person in the street with a mobile phone. Credit: Sojeong Lee)


SUN 06:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7fz7w)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 06:06 Weekend (w172ykwyhwg19m3)
North Korea tests ballistic missile

North Korea is accused of firing a short-range ballistic missile into the sea off the coast of the Korean peninsula.

The Japanese Ministry of Defence and the South Korean Military said the missile was launched shortly after 11am local time. The test coincides with the largest joint military exercises between the US and South Korea in years.

Also on the programme: Vladimir Putin visits the city of Mariupol, according to Russian state media. If confirmed, it would be the president’s first visit to a newly occupied Ukrainian territory. Takeover talks between Credit Suisse and UBS, which could see the troubled bank taken over by its rival.

Joining Audrey Brown to discuss all this and more are journalist Joana Ramiro and Henry Chu, Deputy News Editor of the LA Times.

(Image: People watch the news of a North Korean missile launch at a station in Seoul, South KoreaCredit: JEON HEON-KYUN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


SUN 07:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7g300)
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SUN 07:06 Weekend (w172ykwyhwg1fc7)
Putin visits Mariupol

Russian state media report that Vladimir Putin this morning visited the occupied city of Mariupol, now in ruins after months of shelling by Russian artillery. It’s the Russian President’s first visit to a newly occupied Ukrainian city.

Also on the programme: Egyptians feel the pinch ahead of Ramadan amid rampant inflation; and veteran journalist Gary Younge joins us to talk about his latest book, Dispatches from the Diaspora, looking back on his 30 year reporting career.

Joining Audrey Brown to discuss all this and more are journalist Joana Ramiro and Henry Chu, Deputy News Editor of the LA Times.

(Image: Putin visits visit a children's arts-and-crafts centre in Sevastopol. Credit: SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


SUN 08:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7g6r4)
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SUN 08:06 Weekend (w172ykwyhwg1k3c)
Credit Suisse in rescue talks

Talks are taking place between Credit Suisse and UBS which could see the troubled bank taken over by its larger rival. An emergency bailout of more than 50 billion US dollars by the Swiss government this week failed to prevent the slide in its share price. Could Credit Suisse be on the brink of collapse?

Also on the programme: Monday marks 20 years since the invasion of Iraq by the US and its coalition allies. We look back on the last two decades with the International Crisis Group’s Lahib Higel; and a 67 million year-old Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton goes up for auction in Switzerland.

Joining Audrey Brown to discuss all this and more are journalist Joana Ramiro and Henry Chu, Deputy News Editor of the LA Times.

(Image: Logos of Credit Suisse and UBS on buildings in Zurich Credit: MICHAEL BUHOLZER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


SUN 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv4l0j)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 08:32 The Food Chain (w3ct38pb)
How to photograph food

Anyone who has taken a photo of their plate in a restaurant knows how hard it is to make food look good on camera.

An industry is dedicated to advertising food products on TV, online and in print. What does it take to make a burger look delicious, desirable and realistic? And, most importantly, is any of the food in adverts real?

In this programme, Ruth Alexander meets a food stylist, a food photographer, and a director of food commercials, who share their industry’s tips and tricks. She’s joined by stylist Claire Ferrandi Smythe in Johannesburg, South Africa, photographer Sue Atkinson in London, United Kingdom and food commercials director Steve Giralt in New York, United States, who has made a name for himself with flying food and robots.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: A hand lifting a slice from a pizza with cheese, peppers, mushrooms and meat. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)


SUN 09:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7gbh8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 09:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3ct32bt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


SUN 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv4prn)
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SUN 09:32 Outlook (w3ct41fy)
Discovering my grandfather’s secret Nazi past

Growing up, Julie Lindahl felt a sense of shame hung over her family, but had no idea why. Her father’s dying words confirmed she needed answers. And so began a seven year search for information. She started at the German Federal Archives where she was handed a file that exposed her grandfather’s Nazi past. Her findings sent her on a life-changing journey to track down and make amends with people who had fallen victim to her grandfather’s brutality. (This episode was first broadcast in August 2020)

Presenter: Andrea Kennedy
Producer: Mariana Des Forges

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

(Photo: Julie Lindahl aged three with her grandfather in Brazil Credit: Julie Lindahl)


SUN 10:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7gg7d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 10:06 People Fixing The World (w3ct3j3v)
Stopping harassment on public transport

Harassment and violence on public transport is a global issue. We look at initiatives aiming to make commuting safer.

In Indonesia, we take a ride on the Pink Bus which serves only female passengers. The city has one the most dangerous transportations systems in the world for women, with high levels of harassment. The scheme hopes to provide them with a safer journey.

And in Germany, we look at a new kind of CCTV that uses artificial intelligence to spot aggressive situations in real-time that’s soon to be trialled on trains in Germany. The company behind the technology says it could transform safety on the railways.

Presenter: Myra Anubi
Reporter: Farhana Haider
Indonesia reporter: Nicky Widadio
Series producer: Tom Colls
Sound mix: Neva Missirian
Editor: Richard Vadon

Email: peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk
Image: The pink bus (Getty Images)


SUN 10:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv4ths)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 10:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct424r)
An instrument speaking to the infinite

The organ has always been a vehicle for truly cosmic ideas - for atheists and believers alike. Acclaimed Latvian organist Iveta Apkalna explores the idea that the instrument is simply a vehicle for Christian worship digging deeper into how the organ conveys ideas of the infinite and the microscopic, the existential and the personal, of celebration, grief and joy.

Presenter: Iveta Apkalna
Producer: Steven Rajam
An Overcoat Media production for BBC World Service

(Photo: Pipe organ by Nikolaus Moll in the Innsbruck Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of St. James in Innsbruck, Austria. Credit: Getty Images)


SUN 11:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7gkzj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 11:06 The Newsroom (w172yl8758lfxlx)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv4y7x)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 11:32 The Documentary (w3ct59q8)
The boat smugglers

The recent rise in migrant boat crossings between France the UK is being fuelled, in part, by the more sophisticated methods gangs are using to source the boats

Last year, reporter Sue Mitchell and former British soldier and aid worker Rob Lawrie were alongside Border Force officials as they seized all manner of dinghies used in the crossings. Today that haul looks very different; the makeshift supply has been replaced by a sophisticated business which sees boats manufactured in Turkey and transported across Europe to the beaches of France.

This streamlined supply chain is big business and it has enabled the gangs to rapidly expand the trade; bigger boats made specifically for these crossings are mass manufactured in Turkey and shipped straight into the hands of smugglers. It is a complicated dodging of laws as they are transported across Europe, with authorities slow to react. And it promises to thwart whatever deals are secured between Britain and France to intercept the Chanel crossings themselves.

Presenter/producer: Sue Mitchell
Editor: Philip Sellars

(Photo: A group of more than 40 migrants run on the beach with an inflatable dinghy, as they leave France to cross the English Channel. Credit: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)


SUN 12:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7gpqn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 12:06 World Book Club (w3ct57k6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:06 on Saturday]


SUN 13:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7gtgs)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 13:06 Newshour (w172yfchw20kcf2)
President Putin visits occupied Mariupol

President Putin has been to Mariupol - thought to be his first visit to Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia since the invasion a year ago. Also on the programme: emergency talks are continuing in Switzerland in an attempt to rescue the troubled bank, Credit Suisse, before the opening of financial markets on Monday; and a Tyrannosaurus Rex goes up for auction.

(Photo: Russian President Putin visits Crimea on ninth anniversary of Russia"s annexation 18/03/2023 European Pressphoto Agency)


SUN 14:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7gy6x)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 14:06 The Forum (w3ct38tv)
Alexander the Great or not so great?

From Persia to India to Greece – they called him The Great – that is Alexander the Great. Also known as Alexander III of Macedon, he was one of the most successful military leaders of all time. Undefeated by the time of his death in 323 BCE, he is still a go-to figure when people want to define an empire builder. But how should we view this often cruel and destructive militarist today in the light of current world events? And, despite his brutality, like his ransacking of the beautiful capital city of Persepolis, is there a more progressive side to Alexander, his desire for cultural assimilation for instance, that explains why he became an inspiration not just to nationalists and imperialists but also to writers, poets, and the gay community?

To discuss the relevance of Alexander the Great today, Rana Mitter is joined by James Romm, Professor of Classics at Bard College in New York state whose latest book is Demetrius: Sacker of Cities, the failed but would-be successor to Alexander the Great; Dr Haila Manteghi from the University of Münster in Germany who’s the author of Alexander the Great in the Persian tradition; Ali Ansari, Professor of Iranian History at the University of St Andrews in the UK; and Meg Finlayson, a specialist on the evolution of the queer Alexander, from the University of Durham in the UK.

Produced by Anne Khazam for the BBC World Service.

(Photo: The Alexander mosaic, a Roman floor mosaic from Pompei that dates from circa 100 BCE. Credit: Simone Crespiatico via Getty images)


SUN 14:50 Over to You (w3ct35tp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:50 on Saturday]


SUN 15:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7h1z1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 15:06 Sportsworld (w172ygk7zlfhqzt)
Live Sporting Action

Former Cameroon defender Sebastien Bassong joins Sunday Sportsworld to look ahead to our Premier League commentary game between his old club Tottenham and West Ham, and with the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup on the horizon, we examine how preparations are going for the leading contenders.

Plus, we look ahead to a busy year of athletics, and bring you the latest from the Women’s T20 cricket World Cup.

Photo: Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison and West Ham United's Angelo Ogbonna during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium. (Credit: CameraSport via Getty Images)


SUN 19:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7hjyk)
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SUN 19:06 The Newsroom (w172yl8758lgwky)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv5x6y)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 19:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct424r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:32 today]


SUN 20:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7hnpp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 20:06 The History Hour (w3ct39mp)
The Invasion of Iraq

A compilation of stories marking the 20th anniversary of the American led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

Caroline Hawley, who was the Baghdad correspondent for the BBC at the time, speaks to Max Pearson about reporting on Iraq.

Contributors:

Lubna Naji - schoolgirl in Baghdad when the war broke out.
Yasir Dhannoon - became a refugee when he fled Iraq.
General Vincent Brooks - first revealed the playing cards to help US troops identify the most-wanted members of Saddam Hussein's government.
Muwafaq al Rubaie - was asked to help to identify Saddam Hussein after he was captured.
Banwal Baba Dawud - brother to Ammo Baba.

(Photo: US Marines help Iraqis take down a Saddam Hussein statue in Baghdad. Credit: RAMZI HAIDAR/AFP via Getty Images)


SUN 21:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7hsft)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 21:06 Newshour (w172yfchw20lbd3)
Putin's Mariupol visit condemned by Ukraine

Ukraine has condemned President Vladimir Putin's visit to the occupied city of Mariupol. It was the first time the Russian leader had been to a newly-occupied Russian territory in Ukraine, since ordering the invasion last year. Newshour spoke to Ukraine's prosecutor general, Andriy Kostin, about the visit.

Also in the programme: UBS agrees to rescue deal for Credit Suisse; and an accountant investigating high-level corruption, has been shot dead in South Africa.

(Picture: Russia's President, Vladimir Putin. Credit: Reuters)


SUN 22:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7hx5y)
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SUN 22:06 The Newsroom (w172yrxc9sy6x7j)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 22:20 Sports News (w172yghm3475077)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


SUN 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv68gb)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 22:32 Outlook (w3ct41fy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:32 today]


SUN 23:00 BBC News (w172ykqlrw7j0y2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 23:06 Tech Tent (w3ct4kj9)
ChatGPT: Where will we use AI chatbots next?

With more announcements about AI chatbot GPT4, we hear how it will be further integrated into Microsoft and speak to Duolingo about how they hope it will help users learn languages. We also explore the fallout in India and South Africa from the US failure of Silicon Valley Bank and our Tech Reporter, Alasdair Keane, speaks to Alpine F1’s Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon on how tech and data is keeping pace with Formula 1 innovation.


(Image: Getty/NurPhoto)


SUN 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrf6lv6d6g)
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SUN 23:32 Pick of the World (w3ct41y7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:32 on Saturday]


SUN 23:50 Over to You (w3ct35tp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:50 on Saturday]

MONDAY 20 MARCH 2023

MON 00:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jmzyc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 00:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3ct32bt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 on Sunday]


MON 00:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4bc6r)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 00:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct424r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:32 on Sunday]


MON 01:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jn3ph)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 01:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwmg9w)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 01:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4bgyw)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 01:32 The Documentary (w3ct59zj)
Happy News

This week, how a computer data centre could heat pools around the globe, Michelle Yeoh's Oscar win, Paris Opera appoints Guillaume Diop as its first black Dancer Etoile ballet dancer, and a robotic elephant helping to improve animal rights in India.

(Photo: French Dancer Etoile of the Paris Opera Ballet Guillaume Diop, during a photo session, Paris, 17 March, 2023. Credit: Joel Saget/ AFP/Getty Images)


MON 02:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jn7fm)
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MON 02:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwml20)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4blq0)
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MON 02:32 The Climate Question (w3ct3kkf)
Can artificial intelligence help farmers adapt to the effects of climate change?

The effects of climate change on weather patterns around the world, including seasonal temperatures and rainfalls, are being felt keenly in agriculture – with shifting seasons and varying yields undermining years of habit-formed knowledge and process. Technology experts are helping farmers, including in some of the world’s poorest regions, adapt to the new food production landscape through the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, and machine learning.

Presenters Sophie Eastaugh and Luke Jones are joined by:
Ranveer Chandra, Managing Director for Research for Industry and the CTO of Agri-Food at Microsoft
Himanshu Gupta, Co-founder and CEO of ClimateAI
Dr Claudia Ringler, Deputy Director of Environment and Production Technology Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute
Reporter: Shuriah Niazi, speaking to members of a Farmer Producer Organization, working with ITC Foods.

Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com

Producer: Ben Cooper
Researchers: Matt Toulson and Laura Cain
Production co-ordinator: Siobhan Reed and Sophie Hill
Series Producer: Alex Lewis
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Sound Engineer: James Beard


MON 03:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jnc5r)
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MON 03:06 Tech Tent (w3ct4kj9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:06 on Sunday]


MON 03:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4bqg4)
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MON 03:32 Pick of the World (w3ct41y7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:32 on Saturday]


MON 03:50 Over to You (w3ct35tp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:50 on Saturday]


MON 04:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jngxw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 04:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwmtk8)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4bv68)
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MON 04:32 The Conversation (w3ct37nc)
Women in F1

Kim Chakanetsa meets two women who work on the world’s fastest cars.

Bernadette Collins is a strategy engineer from Northern Ireland. She worked for the Aston Martin Formula One team and with McLaren. She is currently a freelance engineer working on projects where she brings the lessons from F1 to other industries as well as continuing to work within the Formula One field.

Lisa Veltman is a Dutch design engineer working with Scuderia AlphaTauri, an Italian Formula One racing team and constructor. She previously worked with the French team Alpine.

Produced by Hetal Bapodra, Alice Gioia, Jane Thurlow.

(Image: (L) Lisa Veltman, credit Patricio Barroso. (R) Bernadette Collins, credit Glenn Dunbar.)


MON 05:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jnlp0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 05:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4hp7bf)
China's Xi in Russia to meet president Putin

Chinese President Xi is going to Russia to meet President Putin - we take a look at what we can expect from the two leaders.

We speak to our business reporter Mariko Oi about the forced takeover of one of the world's biggest banks, Credit Suisse, and the reactivation of a key emergency measure by the world's major central banks.

And what's being called 'the most comprehensive assessment yet' of climate change is set to be released by United Nations scientists


MON 06:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jnqf4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 06:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4hpc2k)
Xi and Putin talks: China's President heads to Moscow

China's President Xi Jinping is headed to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. We look at whether war-neutral China can convince Russia to end its war on Ukraine.

A historic climate change report is set to be published today - we find out how governments plan to implement it.

And today marks the 20th anniversary of America's illegal invasion of Iraq. We return to the streets of the country to find out the extent to which the invasion changed it.


MON 07:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jnv58)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 07:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4hpgtp)
Xi in Moscow: Chinese premier heads for talks with Putin

President Xi of China is visiting Russia, on his first trip to the country since the invasion of Ukraine, in what is being seen as a boost to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

A new climate change report is due out that will form the basis of future government policies around the world - and though the summary's dire, the good news is we have the solutions to beat global warming.

And on the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, we look at how the US and UK-led war changed the political landscape in the Middle East and created an insurgency that fought the coalition forces for the next decade.


MON 08:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jnyxd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 08:06 HARDtalk (w3ct32mw)
James Daunt: Is the books industry a place where creativity and diversity truly thrive?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the hugely successful bookseller James Daunt. From Waterstones to Barnes & Noble he has fought off ebooks and online retail to revive bricks and mortar bookstores. But is the books industry a place where creativity and diversity truly thrive?

(Photo: James Daunt in the Hardtalk studio)


MON 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4cb5s)
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MON 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct30yp)
Antibiotics: How to fix a broken market

Antibiotics stopped providing big gains for pharmaceutical companies decades ago, but as bacteria become more resistant to drugs, the world needs new classes of antibiotics to be discovered if we want to prevent the next global health crisis.

Dr Tina Joshi, Associate Professor of Molecular Microbiology at the University of Plymouth explains that it’s more likely antimicrobial resistance will kill large numbers of human beings before climate change does. Kasim Kutay, CEO of the investment fund Novo Holdings tells us that for big pharma companies, antibiotics are seen as a contribution to society rather than an investment that can provide a profit.

How can firms be convinced to invest in an unprofitable product? We hear how Netflix might provide a good model and we explore research in Phages - a bacteria specialised in eating other bacteria. Phages are being championed by some as a potential substitute for antibiotics. One patient in Minnesota tells us Phages saved his life.

Presenter / producer: Stefania Gozzer
Image: Dr Tina Joshi; Credit: Lloyd Russell


MON 08:50 Witness History (w3ct3c07)
Kieu Chinh: A real Hollywood story

In 1974, legendary Vietnamese actress Kieu Chinh found herself on a farm in Canada cleaning up after chicken.

She had narrowly escaped the fall of Saigon and a jail sentence in Singapore but Kieu was determined to get back to doing what she loved... making movies.

How would she do it?

Well, it involved Hollywood stars Burt Reynolds, William Holden and Tippi Hedren!

Kieu tells Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty of her cinematic survival.

(Picture: Kieu Chinh and Tippi Hedren. Credit: Getty Images)


MON 09:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jp2nj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 09:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwnf8x)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4cfxx)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 09:32 The Climate Question (w3ct3kkf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


MON 10:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jp6dn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 10:06 The Cultural Frontline (w3ct37sx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:32 on Saturday]


MON 10:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4ckp1)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 10:32 Dear Daughter (w3ct585c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:32 on Saturday]


MON 10:50 More or Less (w3ct3k64)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:50 on Saturday]


MON 11:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jpb4s)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 11:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwnns5)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4cpf5)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 11:32 The Conversation (w3ct37nc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


MON 12:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jpfwx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 12:06 Outlook (w3ct34pr)
Why I help girls leave gangs

Trouble at home led teenage Cherie Johnson to crime. But when she gave birth to her daughter at the age of 17, it changed her world in more ways than she could have imagined. Cherie went from drug dealing and robbery in London to become a trailblazing entrepreneur, working with police and helping other young women to leave gangs and start a new life.

Presenter: India Rakusen
Producers: Maryam Maruf and Jenna Adae

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

(Photo: Cherie Johnson. Credit: Leeon Jones)


MON 12:50 Witness History (w3ct3c07)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


MON 13:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jpkn1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 13:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwnx8f)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4cxxf)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 13:32 CrowdScience (w3ct3j8c)
Can robots be soft?

When imagining a robot, a hard-edged, boxy, humanoid figure may spring to mind. But that is about to change.

CrowdScience presenter Alex Lathbridge is on a mission to meet the robots that bend the rules of conventionality. Inspired by how creatures like us have evolved to move, some roboticists are looking to nature to design the next generation of machines. And that means making them softer. But just how soft can a robot really be?

Join Alex as he goes on a wild adventure to answer this question from listener Sarah. He begins his quest at the ‘Hello, Robot’ Exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany to define what a robot actually is. Amelie Klein, the exhibition curator, states anything can be a robot as long as three specific criteria are met (including a cute cuddly baby seal). With this in mind, Alex meets Professor Andrew Conn from the Bristol Robotics Lab who demonstrates how soft materials like rubber are perfect contenders for machine design as they are tough to break and - importantly for our listener’s question - bendy.

Alex is then thrown into a world of robots that completely change his idea of what machines are. He is shown how conventionally ‘hard’ machines are being modified with touches of softness to totally upgrade what they can do, including flexible ‘muscles’ for robot skeletons and silicon-joined human-like hands at the Soft Robotics Lab run by Professor Robert Katzschmann at ETH Zurich. He is then introduced to robots that are completely soft. Based on natural structures like elephant trunks and slithering snakes, these designs give robots completely new functions, such as the ability to delicately pick fruit and assist with search and rescue operations after earthquakes. Finally, Alex is presented with the idea that, in the future, a robot could be made of materials that are so soft, no trace of machine would remain after its use...

Presenter: Alex Lathbridge
Producer: Julia Ravey

(Image: RoBoa in action on a rooftop in Zurich. Credit: Julia Ravey)


MON 14:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jppd5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 14:06 Newshour (w172yfcj7b9s7bg)
Chinese leader arrives in Moscow

It's Xi Jinping's first visit since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year - we'll discuss the symbolism of the trip; also, European banking shares have fallen after an emergency takeover of the failing bank Credit Suisse, by its larger Swiss rival, UBS; and on the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, our Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen speaks to those whose lives were turned upside-down.


(Photo: Russian matryoshka dolls with portraits of the Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sold on a street souvenir shop in downtown Moscow. Credit: Yuri Kochetkov/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


MON 15:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jpt49)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 15:06 HARDtalk (w3ct32mw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


MON 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4d5dp)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 15:32 World Business Report (w3ct3g0t)
Why has Credit Suisse been taken over?

Banking stocks remain under pressure in London and across Europe today after the takeover of Credit Suisse by rival Swiss bank UBS failed to calm markets.

Will Bain talks to companies affected and financial experts about the implications for the global financial system.

(Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images.)


MON 16:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jpxwf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 16:06 BBC OS (w172yg230mw4b7h)
UN Climate Report

UN chief Antonio Guterres says a major new report on climate change is a "survival guide for humanity". But at a meeting in Switzerland to agree their findings, climate scientists have warned a key global temperature goal will likely be missed. We put listener questions to our Climate Correspondent Justin Rowlatt.

At least one person has been shot dead as police crack down on demonstrators in Kenya's capital, Nairobi. Ferdinand Omondi joins the show from Nairobi to explain more.

Andy Verity, our Economics Reporter joins us to explain what's been happening with two European banks: UBS and Credit Suisse. Credit Suisse was bought by rival UBS in a Swiss government-backed deal on Sunday. It follows worries about the global financial system after two smaller US banks failed in recent weeks.

It's 20 years since the US and allied forces invaded Iraq - toppling Saddam Hussein's regime. The US claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and was a threat to international peace - but most countries refused to support military action against it. Two women who grew up under Saddam Hussein and have since left Iraq tell us about their experiences in the country.

Kerry Allen is our China Media Analyst and joins us in the studio as China's President Xi Jinping is in Moscow for a two-day visit and talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

And we hear voice messages from Finns and members of other countries who have been revealed to be in the top ten happiest countries in the World Happiness Report.

(Photo: Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change met in Switzerland where glaciers are melting. Credit: Getty)


MON 17:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jq1mk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 17:06 BBC OS (w172yg230mw4fzm)
Iraq War: 20 years on

On 20 March 2003, US and allied forces invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein's regime. The US said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and was a threat to international peace, but most countries refused to support military action against it. We hear from two Iraqi women who've left their country for safety - Balsam Mustafa and Yalda Al-Ani, on what those twenty years have meant for them.

UN chief Antonio Guterres says a major new report on climate change is a "survival guide for humanity". But at a meeting in Switzerland to agree their findings, climate scientists have warned a key global temperature goal will likely be missed. We put listener questions to our Climate Correspondent Justin Rowlatt.

Will Ross, our Africa Regional Editor, talk us through the story of a French journalist and an American aid worker have both been released after being held by Islamist militants.

And we hear voice messages from Finnish people and members of other countries who have been revealed to be in the top ten happiest countries in the World Happiness Report.

(Photo: A soldier papers over a picture of President Saddam Hussein. Credit: Getty Images)


MON 18:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jq5cp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 18:06 Outlook (w3ct34pr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


MON 18:50 Witness History (w3ct3c07)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


MON 19:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jq93t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 19:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwpmr6)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4dnd6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct4l83)
2023/03/20 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 (w172ykqm44jqdvy)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 20:06 The Climate Question (w3ct3kkf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


MON 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4ds4b)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 20:32 Discovery (w3ct59q9)
Judith Bunbury: Unearthing the secrets of Ancient Egypt

Think Sahara Desert, think intense heat and drought. We see the Sahara as an unrelenting, frazzling, white place. But geo-archaeologist Dr Judith Bunbury says in the not so distant past, the region looked more like a safari park.

In the more recent New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, from around 3500 years ago (the time of some of Egypt’s most famous kings like Ahmose I, Thutmose III, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun and queens like Hatshepsut) core samples shows evidence of rainfall, huge lakes, springs, trees, birds, hares and even gazelle, very different from today.

By combining geology with archaeology, Dr Bunbury, from the department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge and Senior Tutor at St Edmund’s College, tells Jim al-Khalili that evidence of how people adapted to their ever-changing landscape is buried in the mud, dust and sedimentary samples beneath these ancient sites, waiting to be discovered.

The geo-archaeological research by Judith and her team, has helped to demonstrate that the building of the temples at Karnak near Luxor, added to by each of the Pharaohs, was completely dependent on the mighty Nile, a river which, over millennia, has wriggled and writhed, creating new land on one bank as it consumes land on another. Buildings and monuments were adapted and extended as the river constantly changed course.


MON 21:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jqjm2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 21:06 Newshour (w172yfcj7b9t2kc)
UN climate report warns of disaster

The UN's International Panel on Climate Change says the world is on the brink of irrevocable damage, with global warming above 1.5 degrees Celsius now certain without drastic action. Also in the programme; a senior US figure involved in the invasion of Iraq expresses regret for his government's poor planning. And an iconic Indian cola brand attempts a comeback.

(Picture: File image of a power station. Credit: Getty Creative)


MON 22:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jqnc6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 22:06 The Newsroom (w172yrxcp27fnds)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 22:20 Sports News (w172yghmgdjcrdh)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


MON 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4f0ml)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct3g32)
Sri Lanka's $2.9bn bailout by IMF

Sri Lanka has secured a $2.9bn bailout from the International Monetary Fund as it faces its worst economic and social crisis since independence.

A day after UBS Bank brought Credit Suisse out of financial trouble uncertainty in the markets have calmed down. The former finance Minister of Canada Joe Oliver gives his take on if politicians can have much influence on a financial crisis...

China's leader Xi Jinping showed the importance of close relations between Russia and China at a dinner hosted by Vladimir Putin on Monday. This comes days after an international court called for the Russian president's arrest for war crimes in Ukraine

(PICTURE: People wait in a line to buy petrol at a Ceylon Ceypetco fuel station on a main road n Colombo, Sri Lanka. Picture Credit: Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte)


MON 23:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jqs3b)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 23:06 HARDtalk (w3ct32mw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


MON 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4f4cq)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 23:32 The Conversation (w3ct37nc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]

TUESDAY 21 MARCH 2023

TUE 00:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jqwvg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 00:06 The History Hour (w3ct39mp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:06 on Sunday]


TUE 01:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jr0ll)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 01:06 Business Matters (w172ydqd4xyqxhy)
Sri Lanka secures a $2.9bn bailout by the IMF

The IMF have agreed on a $2.9bn bailout for Sri Lanka to help the country restructure its debts. This comes as it faces its worst economic crisis since independence.

China's leader Xi Jinping showed the importance of close relations between Russia and China at a dinner hosted by Vladimir Putin on Monday. This comes days after an international court called for the Russian president's arrest for war crimes in Ukraine.

The failure of financial institutions is a serious problem with human costs, but to some people it is also something to remember. There is a market in financial souvenirs and memorabilia and that has happened with Credit Suisse. Madison Darbyshire is a US investments reporter for the Financial Times in New York and has been writing about this phenomenon.


TUE 02:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jr4bq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 02:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwqgz3)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4fhm3)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 02:32 The Documentary (w3ct59qb)
Can technology save democracy?

The storming of the Brazilian Parliament and Congress by the supporters of the former president Jair Bolsonaro came almost two years to the day that Donald Trump’s supporters did the same in the United States.

And the two events shared another similarity; both sets of supporters were egged-on by social media posts, and mobilised by private messages on apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. They are examples of how technology is being used to erode democracy – but can it also be used to strengthen it?

In Nigeria, activists are using apps to hold politicians to account. In Taiwan, parliament is turning social-media algorithms on their head to engage citizens. Estonia has gone further, putting practically all government functions online. David Baker talks to people at the forefront of this revolution in civic tech and asks, can technology save democracy?

Presenter: David Baker
Producer: Ravi Naik

(Photo: Bolsonaro supporters storm the National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, 08 January 2023. Credit: Andre Borges/EPA-EFE/Rex/Shutterstock)


TUE 03:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jr82v)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 03:06 Outlook (w3ct34pr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Monday]


TUE 03:50 Witness History (w3ct3c07)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Monday]


TUE 04:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jrctz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 04:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwqqgc)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4fr3c)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 04:32 In the Studio (w3ct3jkf)
Sofi Oksanen: Crafting a new novel

Author Sofi Oksanen shares with Olga Smirnova how she begins a new novel. Olga witnesses how Sofi painstakingly gathers details for the lives of her characters, from choosing the colour of their nail varnish, to the perfumes they prefer, and the difference in the smell of Estonian and Soviet women.

Olga visits Sofi’s writing studio in a bohemian quarter of Helsinki where they both listen to the silence which is so important for Sofi to write. We discover why sometimes kneading dough and chopping carrots or onions can help the process.

Having an Estonian heritage, Sofi is fascinated by Soviet history. The theme of war in Ukraine is never far from Olga's conversations with Sofi as they discuss how it impacts upon the writing process.

Produced and presented by Olga Smirnova
Exec Producer: Rebecca Armstrong for the BBC World Service


TUE 05:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jrhl3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 05:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4hs47j)
Protests in France over pension reforms

Our top story this morning: Protests break out across France after President Emmanuel Macron's government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote over deeply unpopular pension reforms. We hear from protesters.

Sri Lanka has secured a vital multi-billion dollar bailout from the International Monetary Fund after suffering financial, economic and political crises. We cross live to the island.

Venezuela's oil minister has resigned after several executives at the state oil firm were arrested in connection with corruption allegations. Human rights groups say the moves are politically motivated. What is behind this crackdown? We find out.


TUE 06:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jrmb7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 06:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4hs7zn)
Xi in Russia: Putin hosts Chinese president for second day of talks

Today marks the second day of China's President Xi Jinping's state visit to Russia. Ahead of their meeting, Russian President's Vladimir Putin has indicated that he was open to discussing China's plan to end the war in Ukraine. We hear how likely this is.

We find out about unprecedented protests in Israel against proposed judicial reform that seem to have forced the hand of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has announced a postponement of some of the bills but a constitutional showdown still looms. Which bills and why? We cross live to Tel Aviv.

Staying with protests - in France spontaneous demonstrations have broken out after the government's narrow victory in a vote of no confidence. More than 100 people were arrested in protests over pension reform.


TUE 07:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jrr2c)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 07:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4hscqs)
French protests: 100 arrested, tear gas fired

Coming up: France's President Macron may have narrowly survived a no-confidence motion over his plan to raise the pension age, however, late night and countrywide demonstrations show that his troubles aren't over yet. We hear why.

"Welcome my dear friend"- that's how President Xi of China was received by his Russian counterpart. We look what they've been doing together.

And finally, schools all over Afghanistan are opening for a new year but not for young girls in the country. We find out how girls are helping themselves and each other to secure an education.


TUE 08:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jrvth)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 08:06 People Fixing The World (w3ct3j3w)
The people fixing childcare

A good childcare system is essential in most modern economies. Yet in many countries, childcare is only available to the wealthy, and the burden of care falls disproportionately on women - effectively barring them from the workforce.

People often point to Scandinavian countries as the gold standard in childcare, but in other corners of the world people are working with women and communities to set up affordable childcare solutions - enabling mothers at the bottom of the income scale get back into the workforce and helping children get a head start.

We travel to Burkina Faso to visit a project that brings mobile childcare to parents working as outdoor manual labourers – to benefit both the economy, children's safety and ensuring future generation get access to education. And we visit Nairobi’s informal settlements, where one company is breathing new life into existing childcare centres.

Presenter: Myra Anubi
Producer/Reporter: Lizzy McNeill
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Sound Mix: Gareth Jones
Editor: Penny Murphy

Email: peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk
Image: Childcare in Kenya (Credit: Daniel Macharia, Kidogo)


TUE 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4g72w)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct317q)
Afrobeats: A multi-million dollar industry

Arguably the fastest growing music genre in the world, Afrobeats artists are playing to sold out crowds in the most coveted venues across the globe.

What started as an umbrella term in London, UK, to encapsulate pop music of African extraction has become a major force in pop culture.

But is Afrobeats able to emerge as a major economic force within the continent and can it leverage on its global appeal to boost other sectors including fashion and the arts?

We hear from the pioneers like Abass Tijani, one of the very first DJs to play Afrobeats in UK clubs and Ayo Shonaiya who created the first TV show featuring musicians from Nigeria and Ghana.

We also hear from Weird MC and Paul Play Dairo – two artists whose experimentation of sound in the mid-1990s contributed immensely to the growth and appeal of the genre.

Produced and presented by Peter MacJob.

(Image: Burna Boy performing at the NBA All Star game 2023. Credit: Getty Images)


TUE 08:50 Witness History (w3ct3c4r)
Alcatraz: The strangest escape

In June 1962 three prisoners escaped from the maximum security US jail on the island of Alcatraz.

They achieved this using a homemade raft, papier-mâché and... spoons.

In 2013, Ashley Byrne spoke to Jolene Babyak who was living on the island at the time.

A Made in Manchester production for BBC World Service.


(Picture: Alcatraz. Credit: Getty Images)


TUE 09:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jrzkm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 09:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwrb60)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4gbv0)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 09:32 The Documentary (w3ct59qb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


TUE 10:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44js39r)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 10:06 The Arts Hour (w3ct391m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:06 on Saturday]


TUE 11:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44js71w)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 11:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwrkp8)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4glb8)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 11:32 In the Studio (w3ct3jkf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


TUE 12:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jsbt0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 12:06 Outlook (w3ct3549)
Learning about life by studying the bones of the dead

When Alexa Hagerty was a teenager she had a brush with death, but it was only after her father died that she began to study end of life practices and care. Her research took her into funeral rites and rituals, and then into forensic exhumations and finally into the mass graves of 'disappeared' people in Guatemala and Argentina. It was there that she learned to study human remains in order to document, identify and ultimately seek justice for the dead. She spoke to Outlook's India Rakusen.

Latvian piano builder, David Klavins, makes giant pianos. They are often so tall that anyone who wishes to play them has to climb a staircase in order to reach the keys. He told Outlook about his creations in June 2019.

Presenter: India Rakusen
Producer: Andrea Kennedy

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

(Photo: Alexa Hagerty working. Credit: Courtesy of Alexa Hagerty)


TUE 12:50 Witness History (w3ct3c4r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


TUE 13:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jsgk4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 13:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwrt5j)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4gttj)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 13:32 Discovery (w3ct59q9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Monday]


TUE 14:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jsl98)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 14:06 Newshour (w172yfcj7b9w47k)
Newshour special broadcast from the West Bank

As Israel's parliament votes to allow Israelis back into four settlements evacuated years ago, we'll hear from Tim Franks in the occupied West Bank. Also on the programme, Russia's president Vladimir Putin has been discussing the war in Ukraine with the Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is visiting Moscow; and, an Indonesian court has agreed to allow a lawsuit brought by parents of children who died after being given tainted cough syrup.

(Photo: More than 140 settler outposts have been set up without Israeli government approval since the 1990s Credit: Reuters)


TUE 15:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jsq1d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 15:06 People Fixing The World (w3ct3j3w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


TUE 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4h29s)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 15:32 World Business Report (w3ct3g9v)
Sri Lanka IMF bailout: How will it help the country?

The IMF has approved a $3bn bailout package for Sri Lanka. The nation's foreign minister pledged to reconstruct its state-owned enterprises and their national airline but it seems like there is still a long road ahead for the island in South Asia, after receiving multiple blows from the pandemic, increasing energy prices, tax cuts and skyrocketing inflation.

WBR’s Ed Butler is in Colombo, the nation’s capital, and joins Will Bain in our studio to discuss what is coming next for some 22 million Sri Lankans.

(Picture: An ice-cream vendor waiting for customers at Galle Face Beach in Columbo, Sri Lanka. Credit: AFP via Getty Images)


TUE 16:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jstsj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 16:06 BBC OS (w172yg230mw774l)
China and Russia talks continue

China's President Xi Jinping and Russia's President Vladimir Putin have begun a second day of talks. What does Russia want from the visit? What does Ukraine make of it? Our BBC Russian and BBC Chinese correspondents give us their analysis.

We continue our conversations with Iraqi people about the 20th anniversary of the Iraq war. Today we hear from young Iraqis living in the country who’ve only ever known conflict.

And police in India's Punjab are searching for a Sikh separatist leader who has been on the run since Saturday. We get the latest from our reporter.

(Photo: Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a welcome ceremony before the Russia - China talks in narrow format at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 21 March 2023. Credit: Sergey Karpuhin/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)


TUE 17:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jsyjn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 17:06 BBC OS (w172yg230mw7bwq)
Life for Iraq's youth

We continue our conversations with Iraqi people about the 20th anniversary of the Iraq war. Today we hear from young Iraqis living in the country who’ve only ever known conflict.

China's President Xi Jinping and Russia's President Vladimir Putin have begun a second day of talks. What does Russia want from the visit? What does Ukraine make of it? Our BBC Russian and BBC Chinese correspondents give us their analysis.

And we hear from people in Paris where the bins are overflowing after a strike by waste collectors. Rubbish is sitting abandoned on the streets of the French capital.

(Photo: Iraqis hit the head of a Saddam Hussein statue with their shoes following the Friday prayer in Al-Sader City, formerly Saddam City, Iraq, 26 December 2003. Credit: Jamal Nasrallah/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


TUE 18:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jt28s)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 18:06 Outlook (w3ct3549)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


TUE 18:50 Witness History (w3ct3c4r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


TUE 19:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jt60x)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 19:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwsjn9)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4hk99)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct4ldm)
2023/03/21 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 (w172ykqm44jt9s1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 20:06 The Documentary (w3ct59qb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


TUE 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4hp1f)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 20:32 Digital Planet (w3ct31zw)
3D printed food – what’s cooking?

Could 3D-printing be serving us up a tasty food revolution, or is it the ultimate in gimmicky processed foods taking us yet further away from natural eating? In the kitchen, a 3D-printer builds up customised tasty treats like exotic cheesecakes, layer by layer, using edible pastes, gels and liquids. The results look delicious, and delicate, and can be tweaked to suit the individual’s specific nutritional needs. The latest possibilities are one of the main courses in the latest issue of npj Science of Food. One of the article’s authors is Dr Jonathan Blutinger worked at the Creative Machines Lab at Columbia University in New York where the research was carried out.

Jimmy Wales on AI and its impact on Wikipedia
In our second interview with Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales, Gareth asks about the balkanisation of the internet and how ChatGPT and other AI tech could impact Wikipedia. 

Bollywood and the multiverse
India is now officially the most populated country in the world and everything there is measured in huge numbers. Take film, for example. With nearly two thousand films made each year in over 20 regional languages, India produces the most films worldwide. And Bollywood is just a part of it. This year marks 110 years since the first Indian feature movie was made - ‘Raja Harishchandra’, a silent movie by legendary Dadasaheb Phalke. Since then Indian film has come a long way, winning an Oscar in two categories at the Academy Awards this year. Our reporter Snezana Curcic recently went to Mumbai, the city where it all started. She’s explored how digitalisation has disrupted and affected the industry and Indian film audiences in recent years.


Pod EXTRA:
A make-up applying app for the visually impaired
How would you feel about applying make-up for a date or an important meeting without the aid of a mirror? Well, if you're blind or visually impaired, that's effectively a situation you might find yourself in on a regular basis. But now it seems help could be at hand. A new app called the Voice Enabled Makeup Assistant has been developed by the International cosmetics company Estee Lauder. So will it help if you're a blind dater, or is it all just lip service. Our reporter, Fern Lulham takes up the story.


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

Studio Manager: Giles Aspen
Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz

(Image: 3D-printed cheesecake using edible food inks, including peanut butter, Nutella, and strawberry. Credit: Jonathan Blutinger/Columbia Engineering)


TUE 21:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jtfj5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 21:06 Newshour (w172yfcj7b9wzgg)
Court mulls possible indictment of Trump

A New York court investigating ex-president Donald Trump over allegations he paid hush money to a pornographic actress is poised to release its decision.

Also in the programme: Tim Franks reports from the West Bank; and Yusuf / Cat Stevens.

(Picture: Demonstrators shout and hold up signs outside New York Criminal Court in advance of a potential Indictment of former President Donald Trump in New York. Credit: Peter Foley/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


TUE 22:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jtk89)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 22:06 The Newsroom (w172yrxcp27jk9w)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 22:20 Sports News (w172yghmgdjgn9l)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


TUE 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4hxjp)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct3gd3)
Russia looks to China for an agreement on a new gas pipeline

Russia is looking to sign an agreement with China to build a new pipeline through Siberia. Moscow put forward the idea many years ago, but it has gained urgency as it turns to China to replace Europe as its main gas customer. Google is rolling out it’s AI Chat Bard. It can access up-to-date information from the internet and has a "Google it" button which accesses search. Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims is about to get underway. Dates are one fruit that is much sought after to break the fast and we hear from an Egyptian company that exports the fruit across the world.

Presenter Roger Hearing brings you up to date with the main global business stories.

(Picture: An employee in branded jacket walks past a part of Gazprom"s Power Of Siberia gas pipeline Credit: Reuters)


TUE 23:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jtp0f)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 23:06 People Fixing The World (w3ct3j3w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


TUE 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4j18t)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 23:32 In the Studio (w3ct3jkf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]

WEDNESDAY 22 MARCH 2023

WED 00:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jtsrk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 00:06 The Arts Hour (w3ct391m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:06 on Saturday]


WED 01:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jtxhp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 01:06 Business Matters (w172ydqd4xyttf1)
Russia wants to build a new gas pipeline with China

Russia wants to sign an agreement with China to build a new pipeline through Siberia. The idea was put forward many years ago, but it has gained urgency as it wants China to replace Europe as its main gas customer. Google is rolling out it’s AI Chat Bard. It can access up-to-date information from the internet and has a "Google it" button which accesses search. The month of fasting for Muslims, Ramadan, is about to get underway. Dates are one fruit that is much sought after to break the fast and we hear from an Egyptian company that exports the fruit across the world.


Presenter Roger Hearing discusses global business news with Colin Peacock a producer and presenter of Mediawatch, on Radio New Zealand based in Wellington, and Hayley Woodin the executive editor of the Canada based website and publication Business in Vancouver.

(Picture: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrive for a signing ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow. Credit: Reuters)


WED 02:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jv17t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 02:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwtcw6)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4jdj6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 02:32 The Documentary (w3ct59r0)
Blind faith: Do genetic eye disease ‘treatments' work?

BBC journalist Ramadan Younes investigates the world of genetic eye disease ‘treatments’, where some practitioners claim to cure the incurable. Living with his own visual impairment, Ramadan sets out to explore how clinics around the world, from Sudan to Gaza and from Russia to the United States, target predominantly Arab patients by advertising, selling and conducting procedures that are at best ineffective and can at worst cause total blindness.

Presenter: Ramadan Younes
Edited for radio: Matt Pintus and Nicky Edwards
Editor: Clare Fordham

(Photo: Ahmed Farouq, who paid for treatment in Miami that was still on trial. Credit: BBC Arabic)


WED 03:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jv4zy)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 03:06 Outlook (w3ct3549)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Tuesday]


WED 03:50 Witness History (w3ct3c4r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Tuesday]


WED 04:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jv8r2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 04:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwtmcg)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4jn0g)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 04:32 The Documentary (w3ct59qc)
Soul Music

Sunshine on Leith

Sunshine on Leith was released in the UK in 1988 but didn't become the big hit the Scottish band The Proclaimers had hoped for. However it has endured and become an anthem of love and a celebration of life. It is the song played at Hibs Football Club matches and has come to symbolise the sense of community felt by supporters. Margaret Alcorn recalls how she and her husband were involved in the Hibs Supporters Club organising and taking part in social events for local people in Leith. When their club came under threat from a merger with rival Edinburgh team Hearts she and her husband worked tirelessly to preserve it. Craig and Charlie Reid played a benefit concert for the Club. Sunshine on Leith became the song that expressed the emotions of the fans during that time and has remained the song they still sing at the football ground. When her husband passed away the song played at his funeral was Sunshine on Leith.
Musician Ross Wilson grew up in Leith and is also a passionate Hibs Supporter. The feelings of comfort and solidarity he experiences at home games led him to create his own version of the song which he performed with a choir to celebrate one of his favourite songs that reminds him of home and that he calls true soul music.
Melinda Tetley's family would always sing Proclaimers songs at home in Edinburgh while her three children were growing up. But when her teenage son fell ill with leukaemia Sunshine on Leith took on a special significance for them culminating in a spontaneous joyful singalong on a walk along a lochside.
The human rights lawyer Clive Stafford-Smith is a big fan of The Proclaimers and remembers seeing them perform Sunshine on Leith in New Orleans just days after 9/11 to an audience of exactly eight people - half of whom were the prosecuting team in a Death Row murder case he was defending. And musicologist Dave Robb who toured with The Proclaimers explains the song's lasting emotional appeal and spiritual beauty.


WED 05:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jvdh6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 05:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4hw14m)
UN: global water shortages mean 'imminent risk' of crisis

Ahead of the first global water summit in more than four decades, the United Nations says that water shortages around the world are creating an "imminent risk" of a crisis.

The United States, a long-time Israel ally, criticises the Israeli parliament for waving through a new law permitting the expansion of settlements, in a move it calls "provocative" - we hear from the occupied West Bank.

And Sweden's defence minister joins us on Newsday, with the country's application to join the Western military alliance NATO being being held up by another group member, Turkey.


WED 06:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jvj7b)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 06:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4hw4wr)
Water shortages: UN conference aims for solutions

Billions of people around the world are without access to safe drinking water - the United Nations is hosting a three-day conference with water experts and policy makers to try and find solutions.

A new report has found that more women in the US die during childbirth than in any other developed country, with black women most affected. We take a look.

And the former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to appear before the British parliament today to answer allegations that he misled the House about parties that broke restrictions during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.


WED 07:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jvmzg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 07:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4hw8mw)
UN warning: act now to prevent water crisis

Billions of people around the world are without access to safe drinking water, a problem compounded by climate warming - but experts say urgency can help drive solutions.

The US criticises long-time ally Israel for allowing Israeli citizens back into settlements built on private Palestinian land which were evacuated in 2005.

And Japan has made history by beating the USA in the World Baseball Classic in Miami.


WED 08:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jvrql)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 08:06 HARDtalk (w3ct32sd)
Evgeny Popov: Are cracks appearing at the Kremlin?

Stephen Sackur speaks to Russian MP and pro-Kremlin TV host Evgeny Popov. The Ukraine invasion is beset with problems and Putin faces war crimes charges. Are cracks appearing?


WED 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4k3zz)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct31d7)
Chatbots and business

AI chatbots are everywhere at the moment - but how are they being used by business? Business Daily presenter Rick Kelsey heads to one of the world's financial hubs, Canary Wharf in London, to find out how this technology is changing jobs.

Sarah Kunst, the managing director of Cleo Capital, which invests in tech companies in San Francisco, tells us how some start-ups are using AI bots to deep search the internet, but also about her concerns with misinformation.

Chante Venter is from Wise Move, a removal firm in South Africa. She has recently started using the chatbot for communication with customers and says that it's helping her team enjoy their work more. Rochelle Garrad from Chards, a coin and bullion dealer in Blackpool in the north west of England, talks about how chatbots can create content like blogs and YouTube scripts very quickly, but sometimes less accurately.

Producer / presenter: Rick Kelsey
Image


WED 08:50 Witness History (w3ct3c70)
DDLJ: India’s longest running movie

In 1995, Bollywood film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was released to critical acclaim.

It premiered at the Maratha Mandir cinema in Mumbai. It's been screened there every day since then for the past 27 years, stopping only briefly because of the Covid pandemic, and has become the longest-running film in Indian cinema history.

Actress Kajol starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan; following its release, they became superstars overnight. Kajol, who played Simran in the film, spoke to Reena Stanton-Sharma about her memories of shooting the iconic movie.

(Photo: Kajol (r) in Hindi film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Credit: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP via Getty Images)


WED 09:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jvwgq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 09:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwv733)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4k7r3)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 09:32 The Documentary (w3ct59r0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


WED 10:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jw06v)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 10:06 The Documentary (w3ct57k5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Saturday]


WED 11:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jw3yz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 11:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwvglc)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4kh7c)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 11:32 The Documentary (w3ct59qc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


WED 12:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jw7q3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 12:06 Outlook (w3ct3y9w)
The indigenous singer-songwriter who was ahead of her time

Buffy Sainte-Marie has never been afraid to speak her mind. She became a huge part of the 60s folk music scene in America and carved out new ground with her protest songs about the Vietnam war and the rights of indigenous people. She also wrote some of the best-known love songs in the world, becoming the first indigenous person ever to win an Oscar for the song Up Where We Belong in 1982. An artist and educator, she had a regular spot on Sesame street where again she made history by being the first person to breastfeed on TV.

The archive clips you heard came from CBC and Sesame Workshop.

Presenter: India Rakusen
Producer: June Christie

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

(Photo: Buffy Sainte-Marie. Credit: Matt Barnes)


WED 12:50 Witness History (w3ct3c70)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


WED 13:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jwcg7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 13:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwvq2m)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4kqqm)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 13:32 Digital Planet (w3ct31zw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Tuesday]


WED 14:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jwh6c)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 14:06 Newshour (w172yfcj7b9z14n)
Uganda to make identifying as LGBT illegal

Rights groups in Uganda have expressed concern about a new draft law which would make it a crime for people to identify as LGBT. Also on the programme, the UN has warned of a looming global water crisis because of pollution and excessive consumption, ahead of its first big conference on the subject in decades; and we hear from one of the first women who joined the London Stock Exchange, fifty years ago.

(Photo: Uganda considers bill to criminalize identifying as LGBTQ in Kampala 21/03/2023 Reuters)


WED 15:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jwlyh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 15:06 HARDtalk (w3ct32sd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


WED 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4kz6w)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 15:32 World Business Report (w3ct3ggc)
All eyes on the US Federal Reserve

The US Federal Reserve will decided on whether to raise interest rate as they struggle to stabilise prices due to the rising cost of living. The collapse of two regional banks this months has highlighted their risks.

Ukraine has reached an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to secure more than 15 billion dollars worth of loans to help support the country's economy.

In Somalia as Ramadan begins, Muslims who usually break a dawn-to-dusk fast with lavish family meals, are now stressed to secure even the most basic diets due to rising food costs.

(Picture: Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell holds a news conference. Credit: Reuters.)


WED 16:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jwqpm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 16:06 BBC OS (w172yg230mwb41p)
Being LGBT in Africa

We explore what it's like to be LGBT in different countries across Africa. On Tuesday Uganda's parliament passed a bill criminalising anyone identifying as gay, lesbian or transgender. Our correspondent Patience Atuhaire is in the Ugandan capital Kampala to talk us through the story. We also hear the account of a gay man in his early 20s talking about being outed and harassed for being gay in Uganda.

Meanwhile Kenyan authorities have also launched a crackdown on what it described as the ‘infiltration of LGBTQ agenda in schools.’ Over 30 countries in Africa still crimalise same-sex relations. We bring together three people who identify themselves as LGBT who live in different parts of the continent to hear their experiences.

The United Nations has published a report saying that by 2025 two-thirds of the world's population may be facing water shortages. The UN is also holding its water conference in New York today. We speak to Richard Connor, a UNESCO specialist on water use and the editor in chief of the World Water Development Report, which is published by the UNESCO. We also hear messages from people in different parts of the world for their thoughts on what access to water is like where they live.

Baseball fans in Japan have been celebrating after the country beat the USA 3-2 in the final of the 2023 World Baseball. Some baseball fans send us their messages.

And we hear from the BBC's Steven McIntosh about one of the most hotly anticipated season returns to TV - Succession, for which glowing reviews have already been released.


WED 17:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jwvfr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 17:06 BBC OS (w172yg230mwb7st)
UN global water report

The world is "blindly travelling a dangerous path" of "vampiric overconsumption and overdevelopment", a report by the United Nations says. Its publication comes before the first major UN water summit since 1977.Thousands of delegates will attend the three-day gathering in New York which begins on Wednesday. We speak to Richard Connor, a UNESCO specialist on water use and the editor in chief of the World Water Development Report, which is published by the UNESCO. We also hear messages from people in different parts of the world for their thoughts on what access to water is like where they live.

We explore what it's like to be LGBT in different countries across Africa. On Tuesday Uganda's parliament passed a bill criminalising anyone identifying as gay, lesbian or transgender. Our correspondent Patience Atuhaire is in the Ugandan capital Kampala to talk us through the story. We also hear the account of a gay man in his early 20s talking about being outed and harassed for being gay in Uganda.

Meanwhile Kenyan authorities have also launched a crackdown on what it described as the ‘infiltration of LGBTQ agenda in schools.’ Over 30 countries in Africa still criminalise same-sex relations. We bring together three people who identify themselves as LGBT who live in different parts of the continent to hear their experiences.

The former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing questioning by a committee of MPs on whether he intentionally misled Parliament over these lockdown parties - our correspondent Rob Watson gives us the latest.

(Photo Two people using water hoses to water the area. Credit: Getty)


WED 18:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jwz5w)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 18:06 Outlook (w3ct3y9w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


WED 18:50 Witness History (w3ct3c70)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


WED 19:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jx2y0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 19:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwwfkd)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4lg6d)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct4lgw)
2023/03/22 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 (w172ykqm44jx6p4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 20:06 The Documentary (w3ct59r0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


WED 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4lkyj)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 20:32 Health Check (w3ct32xx)
How giving babies peanut butter could cut allergy

Babies, peanut butter and allergies; Psychologist Professor Elaine Fox on how to navigate change; how changing the clocks twice a year affects our health and why misophonia, the strong reaction to sounds of other people breathing, yawning or chewing, could be more common than we thought.

Image Credit: Mohd Hafiez Mohd Razali / EyeEm


WED 21:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jxbf8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 21:06 Newshour (w172yfcj7b9zwck)
UN issues dire warning over water

The UN opened its first conference on water security in almost half a century on Wednesday with a plea to governments to better manage one of humanity's shared resources. Co-chairwoman of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, Mariana Mazzucato tells Newshour about the scale of the problem.

Also in the programme: Judicial reforms in Israel; and the life-giving molecule found on an asteroid.

(Photo: Haider Jalil, 10, fills a water tank from a truck outside his family home in the village of Al-Bouzayyat which sits on the bank of a former canal which has dried up, in Diwaniya, Iraq. Credit: REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani/File Photo)


WED 22:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jxg5d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 22:06 The Newsroom (w172yrxcp27mg6z)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 22:20 Sports News (w172yghmgdjkk6p)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


WED 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4ltfs)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct3gjm)
The Fed raises rates again

For the ninth time in a row, the US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates, up by 0.25%. Announcing the rise Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said the Fed is focused on tackling inflation. Roger Hearing gets reaction from both Wall Street and Main Street to the news.

Argentina's economy expanded in the fourth-quarter of 2022, despite inflation of 102% in the country. We hear what's behind the economic growth in the face of huge pressures.

And we get the latest from Florida, where the world's first launch of a 3D printed rocket is due to take place.

(Picture: A trader reacts as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is seen delivering remarks on a screen, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., March 22, 2023. Cedit: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)


WED 23:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jxkxj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 23:06 HARDtalk (w3ct32sd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


WED 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4ly5x)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 23:32 The Documentary (w3ct59qc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]

THURSDAY 23 MARCH 2023

THU 00:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jxpnn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 00:06 The Documentary (w3ct57k5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Saturday]


THU 01:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jxtds)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 01:06 Business Matters (w172ydqd4xyxqb4)
The US sees a 9th rate rise in a row

The US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates by 0.25%, bringing their benchmark interest rate to the 4.75%-5.00% range. The Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the US banking system was strong and resilient, as he announced the latest rate rise.

Presenter Roger Hearing discusses this and other global business news with Işın Eliçin, a senior media professional working at Medyascope in Istanbul, and Simon Littlewood, founder of ACG Growth Delivered in Singapore.

(Picture: Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell takes questions from the news media while holding a news conference after the Fed raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) on interest rate policy in Washington, U.S., March 22, 2023. Credit: REUTERS/Leah Millis)


THU 02:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jxy4x)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 02:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwx8s9)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4m9f9)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 02:32 Assignment (w3ct3053)
Killer drug: Fentanyl in the US

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is destroying lives all over the United States. Manufactured illegally and at a huge profit by drug cartels in Mexico, it is smuggled across the border into southern California and Arizona. The director at one entry point on the border acknowledges that they are looking for needles in a haystack. And she says that the drug organisations have more money than they do.

In the second of a two-part series, Assignment crosses into the US from Mexico to examine the devastation that this lethal drug has left in its wake in San Diego County.

Presenter/producer: Linda Pressly
Producer: Tim Mansel

(Photo: The wall between the US and Mexico from the Mexican side. The city of San Diego is in the distance. Credit: Tim Mansel).


THU 03:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jy1x1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 03:06 Outlook (w3ct3y9w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Wednesday]


THU 03:50 Witness History (w3ct3c70)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Wednesday]


THU 04:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jy5n5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 04:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwxj8k)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4mjxk)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 04:32 The Food Chain (w3ct38pc)
What do medics really eat?

Long days, unsociable hours, a hectic and pressurised workload – the working environment for health care staff is full of challenges. Maintaining a healthy diet in those conditions is tough.

Two shift workers talk honestly about what they eat on the job, and get advice from a dietician.

Ruth Alexander speaks to Scott Christmas, who’s on his eighth year of overnight shifts, to Tom Gibbons, a paramedic, and to Dr Linia Patel, dietician and performance nutritionist.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: A pair of hands holding a stethoscope and an apple. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Producer: Elisabeth Mahy


THU 05:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jy9d9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 05:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4hyy1q)
TikTok head to appear before US senators

Tiktok's US future is at stake as the social media giant's boss prepares to be grilled by US lawmakers - we hear from a senator.
The United States warns Uganda of economic repercussions if a bill threatening sexual minorities with long jail terms becomes a law.
And eight celebrities, including Lindsay Lohan and Jake Paul, have been accused of participating in an illegal crypto scheme.


THU 06:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jyf4f)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 06:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4hz1sv)
Is TikTok's future in the US at stake?

The head of TikTok faces the US Congress in what could decide its future there.
Israelis continue their 11th week of protests against a proposed judicial reform - we get the latest live from there.
And Britain defends sending depleted uranium shells to Ukraine after President Putin warns that Russia would be "forced to react" - we ask how credible is this threat?


THU 07:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jyjwk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 07:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4hz5jz)
Is TikTok's future in the US at stake?

TikTok's US future is at stake as its boss faces Congress showdown - we hear from the United States.
Australia's Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, unveils the proposed question for a constitution vote to include indigenous voices.
President Macron refuses to give way as pension protests in France escalate - we hear from a trade union member.


THU 08:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jynmp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 08:06 The Inquiry (w3ct39vh)
Will Putin be prosecuted for war crimes in Ukraine?

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

He is accused of forcibly deporting children from Ukraine to Russia after the invasion last year.

The Kremlin does not recognise the jurisdiction of the ICC and denies war crimes.

But is this a symbolic move and is it realistic that Putin will actually be arrested and stand trial?

This week on The Inquiry we’re asking, will Putin be prosecuted for war crimes in Ukraine?

Contributors:
Klaus Rackwitz, Director of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy
Patrycja Grzebyk, Professor at the University of Warsaw
Rachel Denber, Deputy director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch
Gerry Simpson, Professor of Law at the London School of Economics

Presented by Tanya Beckett
Produced by Louise Clarke-Rowbotham
Edited by Tara McDermott
Mixed by Richard Hannaford


THU 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4n0x2)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct3136)
Venezuela: 10 years on

Ten years ago this month, in March 2013, Venezuela’s charismatic socialist leader Hugo Chavez died and current president Nicolas Maduro took over.

In the decade since, the South American nation suffered an extraordinary economic collapse – the economy shrunk by two thirds, inflation hit six digits, the government chopped 11 zeros off the bank notes, oil production slumped and millions of people fled abroad to escape economic hardship.

We talk to Venezuelans who lived through that collapse, from a shopkeeper who went bankrupt to a university professor whose salary in the local currency, bolivars, is worth just 25 US dollars a month.

We also ask if the worst is over and what the future holds for this once wealthy nation – a founding member of Opec that sits on some of the world’s largest oil reserves.

Producer and presented by Gideon Long
Additional reporting: Vanessa Silva in Caracas

(Image: A Venezuelan man holding a Chavez/Maduro balloon. Credit: Getty Images)


THU 08:50 Witness History (w3ct3c2h)
The man who lived in an airport

In 1988, Mehran Karimi Nasseri, from Iran, flew into Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris intending to transfer onto a flight to London.

But he wasn’t allowed to board, as he didn’t have a passport.

Caught in diplomatic limbo, he ended up staying at the airport for 18 years.

Rachel Naylor speaks to his biographer, Andrew Donkin, who spent nearly three weeks with him at his ‘home’, in the departures lounge of Terminal 1.

(Photo: Mehran Karimi Nasseri on his red bench at the airport in 2004. Credit: Eric Fougere via Getty Images)


THU 09:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jysct)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 09:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwy406)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4n4n6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 09:32 Assignment (w3ct3053)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


THU 10:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jyx3y)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 10:06 The Forum (w3ct38tw)
The dam builders

The Hoover Dam in the US, the Aswan Dam in Egypt and the recently opened, and sumptuously named, Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam. Since modern times, huge mega dams like these to tame rivers, create water storage and hydropower, have become a symbol of nationhood used to create national pride and bolster political power, from the Cold War to today. Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, called dams the temples of modern India. But dams have also been highly controversial, displacing rural populations, disrupting local ecology and more recently it’s been shown that dams can increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere. So why are so many countries like China still highly involved in dam building, and will they need to change tack in the future? And, could the humble beaver offer a solution?

To discuss the past, present, and future of dam building, Rajan Datar is joined by Nikita Sud, Professor of the Politics of Development at Oxford University; Donald C. Jackson the Cornelia F. Hugel Professor of History at La Fayette University in the US and author of many books on the history of dam building, including Building the Ultimate Dam: John S. Eastwood and the Control of Water in the West; and Dr Majed Akhter, a political geographer who is senior lecturer in Geography at King’s College London. With the contribution of Dr Emily Fairfax, an ecohydrologist with an expertise in beaver activity and beaver dams from California State university Channel Islands in the US.

Produced by Anne Khazam for the BBC World Service.

(Photo: The Hoover Dam on the Colorado River straddling Nevada and Arizona at dawn. Credit: Sean Pavone via Getty Images)


THU 10:50 Sporting Witness (w3ct36h1)
First women's Six Nations Rugby Championship

Nathalie Amiel was a star of French rugby for more than fifteen years, from when she started playing internationally aged 15.

She was part of the French team which won the Five Nations, as well as the European Championship four times. The 2002 season was her final one, she finished off her career winning the first ever women's Six Nations Championship.

Nathalie has been speaking to Laura Jones.

(Photo: Nathalie Amiel playing for France. Credit: Nathalie Amiel)


THU 11:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jz0w2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 11:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwychg)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4nd4g)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 11:32 The Food Chain (w3ct38pc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


THU 12:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jz4m6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 12:06 Outlook (w3ct34xj)
A Syrian tale of two chocolate factories

Every week, Tareq Hadhad's father would bring his new chocolate inventions home for his children to taste. Being the son of a Syrian chocolatier had its perks... but when war reached their home city of Damascus, life became dangerous and Tareq and his family had to flee the country, taking their expertise in chocolate with them to build a new life.

Presenter: India Rakusen
Producer: May Cameron

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

(Photo: Tareq Hadhad. Credit: Applehead Studio)


THU 12:50 Witness History (w3ct3c2h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


THU 13:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jz8cb)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 13:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwylzq)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4nmmq)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 13:32 Health Check (w3ct32xx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Wednesday]


THU 14:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jzd3g)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 14:06 Newshour (w172yfcj7bb1y1r)
Protests as Israel's parliament limits judicial power

Israelis are holding demonstrations across the country in the latest mass protest against moves by the government to overhaul the judicial system.

The law would make it more difficult for courts to remove a prime minister deemed unfit for office.

We'll hear from a former prime minister who tells us he believes the government is looking increasingly isolated.

Also in the programme: The boss of TikTok prepares to testify before Congress in the US about the company's links to the Chinese Communist Party; and is Germany trying to derail an EU ban on petrol and diesel vehicles from 2035?

(Photo shows demonstrators attending a "Day of Shutdown" protest in Tel Aviv, Israel on 23 March 2023. Credit: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)


THU 15:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jzhvl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 15:06 The Inquiry (w3ct39vh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


THU 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4nw3z)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 15:32 World Business Report (w3ct3g5b)
TikTok's CEO gives evidence to the US Congress

TikTok's boss Shou Zi Chew faced a grilling by the US Congress over the safety of the social media app. TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance and there are fears that the owners will share data with the Chinese government. The video hosting service has 150 million US users.

The European Commission has drafted a plan to allow the sales of new cars with internal combustion engines after 2035 if they run only on climate neutral e-fuels. This means carmakers could keep selling combustion engine vehicles after 2035, the date when a planned EU law is set to ban the sale of new CO2-emitting cars.

It is the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and its comes as cost of living has gone up around the world with food, fuel and gas prices up. Millions of Muslims around the world who are fasting are feeling the pinch of inflation.

(Picture: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing. Credit: EPA-EFE)


THU 16:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jzmlq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 16:06 BBC OS (w172yg230mwf0ys)
TikTok faces Congress

We'll hear reaction from the US as Congress grills TikTok's CEO over data privacy concerns and the safety of users. Our cyber reporter and correspondent in the US will be in conversation.

LGBT Africans who were forced to flee their home country in fear tell us about what life is like for them. It’s as Uganda’s parliament has passed a bill that may see people who identify as gay, lesbian or queer imprisoned for life.

And we hear from the BBC's Jane Corbin who has just returned from Taiwan. There's growing international concern that China may invade the island state, which Beijing claims is a Chinese breakaway territory.

(Picture: TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew testifies before a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing. Credit: Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)


THU 17:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jzrbv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 17:06 BBC OS (w172yg230mwf4px)
Ukraine war: The front line

The Ukrainian army has continued to lose ground to Russian forces in and around Bakhmut but further south continuing attacks by Russian tanks and armoured vehicles have resulted in heavy losses for Moscow’s forces with almost nothing to show for it. Our correspondent Quentin Sommerville and camera journalist Darren Conway have been in the town of Velyka Novosilka in Ukraine.

We hear from professional female football players as many of them have taken to Twitter to complain about their computer generated images in the first women only FIFA football video game. Many of them look entirely unlike their real counterparts.

Our North America Tech Correspondent James Clayton answers audience questions about the Tik Tok hearing at a US Congressional committee hearing.

(Photo: Ukrainian soldiers of the Paratroopers' of 80th brigade take cover as they fire a mortar shell at a frontline position near Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine March 16, 2023. Credit: Violeta Santos Moura TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/Reuters)


THU 18:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jzw2z)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 18:06 Outlook (w3ct34xj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


THU 18:50 Witness History (w3ct3c2h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


THU 19:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44jzzv3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 19:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjwzbgh)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4pc3h)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct4lbc)
2023/03/23 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 (w172ykqm44k03l7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 20:06 Assignment (w3ct3053)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


THU 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4pgvm)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 20:32 Science In Action (w3ct36bj)
Animals at the Wuhan Market

DNA has revealed potential animal COVID carriers at the Wuhan market, but what does that tell us about the start of the pandemic? Roland talks to two of the experts behind the new analysis: Dr Florence Débarre and Professor Eddie Holmes.

Also, we look into Europe’s grand new space ambitions. ESA director general Josef Aschbacher gives Roland the details of the space agency’s out-of-this-world plans.

And Beethoven's last DNA: a hairy story of his family and genetic afflictions. Dr Tristan Begg shares how the composer’s tresses unlocked new information about his life and death.

Image credit: Eddie Holmes

Producer: Roland Pease
Assistant producer: Sophie Ormiston


THU 21:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k07bc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 21:06 Newshour (w172yfcj7bb2s8n)
US politicians grill TikTok boss

The chief executive of TikTok has been defending the Chinese-owned video-sharing app in the face of hostile questioning at a US Congressional committee hearing. Shou Zi Chew denied TikTok is a national security risk and played down the company's connection to China. He insisted data would never be given to the Chinese Communist Party, but did accept that data is currently accessible to staff in China. The committee chair Cathy Rodgers described TikTok as a weapon of the Chinese Communist Party that ought to be banned. Members of Congress also accused TikTok of delivering harmful content to young people.

Also in the programme: A former Israeli Prime Minister tells Newshour that the government's plans for judicial reform have created the biggest crisis since the creation of Israel; and we report from the southern front of the war in Ukraine.

(Photo: TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew testifies before a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing as lawmakers scrutinise the Chinese-owned video-sharing app. Credit: Reuters Evelyn Hockstein)


THU 22:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k0c2h)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 22:06 The Newsroom (w172yrxcp27qc42)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 22:20 Sports News (w172yghmgdjng3s)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


THU 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4pqbw)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct3g7l)
TikTok's CEO plays down ties with China in US Congress grilling

The Chinese app's boss, Shou Zi Chew, tried to defend the firm during a hostile questioning from the US House Committee on Energy and Commerce. We analyse what we learnt about TikTok from the hearing.

(Picture: TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew. Picture credit: Reuters)


THU 23:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k0gtm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 23:06 The Inquiry (w3ct39vh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


THU 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4pv30)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 23:32 The Food Chain (w3ct38pc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]

FRIDAY 24 MARCH 2023

FRI 00:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k0lkr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 00:06 The Forum (w3ct38tw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:06 on Thursday]


FRI 00:50 Sporting Witness (w3ct36h1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:50 on Thursday]


FRI 01:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k0q9w)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 01:06 Business Matters (w172ydqd4xz0m77)
TikTok's CEO faces hours of hostile questioning before US Congress

The Chinese app's boss, Shou Zi Chew, tried to defend the app from accusations that could lead to its ban in the US. We listen to what was said in the hearing and we discuss the future of TikTok.

(Picture: Shou Zi Chew. Picture credit: Reuters)


FRI 02:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k0v20)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 02:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjx05pd)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4q6bd)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 02:32 World Football (w3ct3hrl)
The final goodbye

In the last weekly edition of the programme, presenter Mani Djazmi, Heather O'Reilly and Pat Nevin reflect on 22 years of World Football.


FRI 03:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k0yt4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 03:06 Outlook (w3ct34xj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Thursday]


FRI 03:50 Witness History (w3ct3c2h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Thursday]


FRI 04:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k12k8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 04:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjx0f5n)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4qftn)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 04:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct424s)
My hijab or my sport

It took Salimata Sylla three hours to get to the away fixture she was due to play with her basketball team mates from the Parisian suburb of Aubervilliers. But it was only a few minutes before the match started that she learned she was going to sit the game out on the bench.

Despite playing for more than 10 years in the French Championship, the federation that controls her sport decided to apply the rule that forbids female basketball players from wearing the hijab.

Her coach describes her as the backbone of the team and an ambassador for the sport. She has been a face of basketball for many big brands on social media. And the hijab she wears is sold by mainstream sportswear manufacturers.

Salimata’s ban is the latest in country where the right to wear a hijab has long divided opinion. But in her case, it raises an interesting dilemma for France.

While domestic sporting federations enforce their ban on the hijab, their international counterparts have no such ban in place. So what will happen, Salimata wonders, when the Olympics come to Paris next year?

Reporter Claire Jones goes to Paris to meet Salimata to find out how she can resolve her wish to express her Muslim faith by wearing a hijab with her desire to play the sport she loves.

Presenter: Claire Jones
Producer: Helen Lee and Rob Cave
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno


FRI 05:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k169d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 05:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4j1tyt)
Ukraine: we have a special report amid Russian shelling

We report from the frontline of the war in Ukraine - and we'll look at the impact Russia's invasion is having on the health system in the country too.

Do Kwon - the fugitive crypto currency boss behind the $40bn collapse of the terraUSD and Luna tokens - has been arrested in Montenegro.

And bruising, damaging, relentless: TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew faced more than four hours of questioning at a US congressional hearing - so has the social media giant escaped unscathed?


FRI 06:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k1b1j)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 06:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4j1ypy)
A BBC team reports from the frontline in Ukraine's war with Russia

This morning we start with an exclusive report from Ukraine’s frontline in Donetsk in the east of the country - and we go to the capital Kyiv to get the latest from there also.

Lebanon is hit with high electricity prices as power cuts affect business and everyday life - we hear from someone who is trying to make it work.

And we report on the arrest of Do Kwon - the fugitive crypto currency boss behind the $40bn collapse of the terraUSD and Luna tokens, who has been located in Montenegro.


FRI 07:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k1fsn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 07:06 Newsday (w172yf91x4j22g2)
The Ukraine-Russia frontline, as witnessed by a BBC team

Our top story: Russia's invasion of Ukraine rumbles on amid huge concerns over the widespread destruction of health facilities - meanwhile within Russia a father risks losing his daughter after anti-war posts on social media.

We head to France where protests over plans to raise the retirement age targeted some iconic buildings.

The US state of Utah has passed new laws limiting access to TikTok and Instagram for minors - we hear why the move is likely to be challenged on freedom of speech grounds.


FRI 08:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k1kjs)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 08:06 HARDtalk (w3ct32mc)
Barbara Chase-Riboud: Monuments and controversy

Zeinab Badawi speaks to American artist and writer Barbara Chase-Riboud at the Serpentine Galleries in London. Over a career spanning seven decades, Chase-Riboud has explored public memory and commemorative forms, as well as shone a light on historical perspectives that have been overlooked or neglected. Her work raises fascinating questions about how society deals with public monuments of controversial figures from the past.


FRI 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4qxt5)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct30t5)
The business of returning treasures

David Reid delves into the debate around the repatriation of problematic art and treasures. He visits one museum in the north-west of England attempting to decolonise its collection by returning thousands of items to the countries and communities they were taken from.

In this episode we meet curators like Dr Njabulo Chipangura, from Manchester Museum, who says the best way to guarantee the future of collections is to give parts of them away. Also, Professor Kim A. Wagner from the University of London tells us the story of the skull of Alum Bheg, which he would dearly like to return to India.

Is this ultimately the right way to treat problematic artefacts and treasures? Or could this movement end up destroying hard to acquire expertise and render Museums meaningless and economically unviable?

Producer/presenter: David Reid

(Photo: The skull of Alum Bheg: Credit: Kim Wagner)


FRI 08:50 Witness History (w3ct3bxz)
Keiko: Freeing 'Free Willy'

In 1998, Keiko became the first ever killer whale to be released back into the wild after a life of captivity.

Keiko shot to fame as the star of the 1993 Hollywood blockbuster, Free Willy.

A multimillion dollar campaign to free Keiko began following the success of the movie and he was flown back to his native country, Iceland.

Dave Phillips was in charge of making it all happen. He has been sharing his memories with Matt Pintus.

(Photo: Keiko in Iceland. Credit: Getty Images)


FRI 09:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k1p8x)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 09:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjx10x9)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4r1k9)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 09:32 Tech Tent (w3ct4kjb)
Putting Google's AI chatbot Bard to the test

The search giant is rolling out its challenger in the artificial intelligence arms race, competing against the Microsoft-backed Chat GPT. We take it for a spin, while also looking into the issue of internet shutdowns following a government-backed communications blackout in the state of Punjab in India.

Image credit: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters


FRI 10:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k1t11)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 10:06 The Real Story (w3ct33qf)
Imran Khan and Pakistan's political turmoil

Clashes this week between police and supporters of former cricketer-turned-Prime Minister, Imran Khan, show once again the deep divisions within Pakistani politics.

Mr Khan was ousted as prime minister last April in a no-confidence vote but has kept up pressure on his successor, Mr Sharif, with demonstrations calling for early elections and blaming him for an assassination attempt - an accusation the government denies. Mr Khan faces multiple court cases, including terrorism charges, but has cited a variety of reasons for not showing up to hearings.

Meanwhile Pakistan is in the middle of one of the worst economic crises ever seen. The country is awaiting a much-needed bailout package of $1.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund - a loan that has been delayed over issues related to fiscal policy. The security situation is also deteriorating with a spate of deadly attacks on police, linked to the Pakistan Taliban.

So what, if anything, might resolve the political stand-off? What impact does ongoing instability have on Pakistan’s economic situation and could this all play into the hands of Pakistan’s Taliban? How much support does Imran Khan really have from the military - or could the army’s longstanding hold on Pakistan finally be challenged?

Owen Bennett-Jones is joined by:

General Muhammad Haroon Aslam is a retired army general. He was a Corps Commander in the Pakistani army and served in the military for 40 years

Hammad Azhar was the former finance minister for Imran Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

Atika Rehman is the London correspondent of Dawn newspaper

Also featuring:

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, senator for the The Pakistan Muslim League, part of the ruling coalition, and a former prime minister
Shuja Nawaz, Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington
Kharrim Husain, business and economy journalist based in Karachi
Ahmed Rashid, journalist and author of Descent into Chaos and Pakistan on the Brink

(Photo: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks with Reuters during an interview in Lahore, Pakistan 17 March, 2023. Credit: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)


FRI 11:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k1xs5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 11:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjx18dk)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4r91k)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 11:32 World Football (w3ct3hrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


FRI 12:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k21j9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 12:06 The Fifth Floor (w3ct380q)
The Fifth Floor in São Paulo

With big political changes in Brazil after a divisive election which brought in a new president, Faranak Amidi is in the country's largest city São Paulo to look at the stories being covered by the BBC journalists based there.

The heart of São Paulo: Avenida Paulista
Leticia Mori takes us to the famous Avenida Paulista, built for the rich of São Paulo and now home to many businesses and banks. It hosts street markets and live performances every Sunday, and has also been the site of many protests and demonstrations.

A country the size of a continent
Journalists Vitor Tavares, Camilla Mota, Ian Alves and Ligia Guimarães give us an idea of the vastness of Brazil with a quick introduction to their home towns.

Divided Brazil
We discuss the divisions which seem to touch all parts of life in Brazil - with João Fellet, Thais Carrança and Ian Alves. What's it been like reporting on such a polarised country, and has the new presidency brought any signs of change?

My favourite neighbourhood: Liberdade
We rejoin Leticia Mori in the Liberdade neighbourhood of São Paulo, home to the city's Japanese community. Leticia tells us about her own Japanese heritage and what this area tells us about the complex history of Brazil.

Brazil, the melting pot
Brazil has one of the most diverse and mixed populations in the world, and São Paulo is its most diverse city. Camilla Mota, Mariana Alvim and Felipe Souza tell us what it means to be Brazilian, and discuss the stereotypes they're sometimes faced with.

(Photo: A man shows the Brazilian flag in Avenida Paulista, São Paulo. Credit: Mauro Horita/Getty Images)


FRI 12:50 Witness History (w3ct3bxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


FRI 13:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k258f)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 13:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjx1hwt)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4rjjt)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 13:32 Science In Action (w3ct36bj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Thursday]


FRI 14:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k290k)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 14:06 Newshour (w172yfcj7bb4tyv)
Anger in France over pension reforms

Several French cities saw violence on the sidelines of Thursday's largely peaceful protests that attracted more than a million people.

King Charles III's state visit to France has been postponed, after a request by President Emmanuel Macron. The Elysée Palace said the decision was taken jointly.

The entrance to the town hall in Bordeaux was set alight, but the deputy mayor of the city tells us she supports the sentiments of the protesters.

Also in the programme: Why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed judicial reforms are "illegal" according to the nation's attorney general; and we'll hear from our correspondent on the frontline in Ukraine's Donbas region.

(Photo shows a broken billboard with graffiti reading "useless Macron" after clashes during protests over French government's pension reform in Paris, France. Credit: Yves Herman)


FRI 15:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k2drp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 15:06 HARDtalk (w3ct32mc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


FRI 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4rs12)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 15:32 World Business Report (w3ct3fw9)
Europe's banking woes

Our presenter Will Bain we be taking a look at Europe's Banking situation as Deutsche Banks shares fell by 14% and other banks are struggling. We will be hearing from the former head of the European Central Bank Peter Hahn on what he thinks is going wrong.

The China Development Forum returns for the first time in person since before the pandemic. The event is usually attended by foreign representatives from across the world, however this year some US companies won't be attending.

Popular TV show Succession is back on our screens. People absolutely love the show but what is it about boardroom drama that keeps us wanting more, we find out from a TV expert.

(Picture: Economy graph: red down arrow, cash euro banknotes and stock exchange board. Credit: Getty Images.)


FRI 16:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k2jht)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 16:06 BBC OS (w172yg230mwhxvw)
Top Gear production halted

The BBC says it has halted the latest series of Top Gear after presenter Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff was hurt in an accident while filming. We explain what happened and hear reaction from Top Gear fans from around the world.

Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel continues his visits to European capitals – today to London -- amid growing turmoil at home. We have the latest from our correspondent.

Since the devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey, we’ve been hearing about one family’s struggles to find permanent shelter. Karim, his wife Imran and their 7-year old daughter Nada share what’s happened since they spoke to us a couple of weeks ago.

The BBC has paused its decision to close the BBC Singers, after "a number of organisations" came forward to offer alternative funding. Our music correspondent joins us to explain the decision and we hear reaction from one of the conductors who signed the petition to save the BBC Singers.

(Photo: Artist Take Over for Xmas with the Top Gear presenters Paddy McGuinnes, Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris photographed for Radio 1 on the 28th November 2019)


FRI 17:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k2n7y)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 17:06 BBC OS (w172yg230mwj1m0)
US-Canada deal on asylum seekers

The US and Canada have reached a deal to reject asylum seekers at unofficial border crossings. Large numbers of migrants have been making unsanctioned crossings via Roxham Road at the US-Canada border. Our reporter explains.

Since the devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey, we’ve been hearing about one family’s struggles to find permanent shelter. Karim, his wife Imran and their 7-year old daughter Nada share what’s happened since they spoke to us a couple of weeks ago.

We talk about Utah's new legislation that limits children's access to social media.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has continued his visits to European capitals – today to London -- amid growing turmoil at home. Our Diplomatic Correspondent Paul Adams explains.


(Photo: U.S. President Joe Biden walks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as he attends a welcome ceremony in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada March 24, 2023. Credit: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)


FRI 18:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k2s02)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 18:06 The Fifth Floor (w3ct380q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


FRI 18:50 Witness History (w3ct3bxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


FRI 19:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k2wr6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 19:06 The Newsroom (w172yl87jjx27cl)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4s80l)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct4l5v)
2023/03/24 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 (w172ykqm44k30hb)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 20:06 Tech Tent (w3ct4kjb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:32 today]


FRI 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4scrq)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 20:32 CrowdScience (w3ct3j8d)
Why do some people have panic attacks?

Sweating, nausea, chest pain and shortness of breath sound like the physical symptoms of a heart attack. For about 4% of the world’s population, they are also symptoms of an underdiagnosed condition that can leave sufferers curled in a ball and screaming on the floor. A CrowdScience listener wants to know why humans have panic attacks.

Host Marnie Chesterton brings on board an expert co-presenter, novelist Tim Clare, to talk us through the hows and whys. Tim suffered from crippling panic attacks for over a decade. He decided enough was enough and has combed through the scientific literature, using himself as a guinea pig, to see what helped. Anxiety can be a useful sensation, helping you to detect and avoid dangers before they happen. But when that morphs into debilitatingly unpleasant symptoms, or an internal monologue saying “that’ll go badly, best to not leave the house,” something has gone wrong. Together, Tim and Marnie explore what’s going on in the brains of those whose threat circuit is faulty.

Dr Oliva Remes, a mental health researcher at the University of Cambridge explains how common panic attacks are, and how they often present.

Dr Bonnie Furzer at the University of Western Australia explains how exercise can help. Tim takes a dip to demonstrate how cold water, and the cold shock response can help.

Dr Rebecca Taugher at the University of Iowa explains how scientists induce a panic attack in the lab, how she has been a guinea pig and why patient SM, without an amygdala, the brain’s so-called ‘fear-centre,’ could still be given a panic attack in the lab, just by inhaling extra amounts of carbon dioxide.

Professor Alexander Shackman from the University of Maryland points out that the science will come so much further when researchers look at a genuine cross-section of the population, rather than focussing on those in educational establishments (easier to study) who often don’t experience panic attacks.

PHOTO CREDIT: Woman hyperventilating into paperbag
Credit: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images


FRI 21:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k347g)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 21:06 Newshour (w172yfcj7bb5p5r)
Rahul Gandhi disqualified from India's parliament

Opposition parties in India have accused the government of stifling democracy after Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from parliament over a defamation conviction. But a supporter of Prime Minister Modi tells us that it's a legal, not a political, matter.


Also on the programme, Rwanda has said it will release the jailed dissident Paul Rusesabagina, whose life inspired a Hollywood film about the 1994 genocide. And Utah has now become the first American state to require parental permission for anyone under eighteen to use social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook. We will be joined by the governor of the state.

(Picture: Rahul Gandhi Credit: Getty)


FRI 22:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k37zl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 22:06 The Newsroom (w172yrxcp27t815)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 22:20 Sports News (w172yghmgdjrc0w)
BBC Sport brings you all the latest stories and results from around the world.


FRI 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4sm7z)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct3fyk)
First broadcast 24/03/2023 22:32 GMT

The latest business and finance news from around the world, on the BBC.


FRI 23:00 BBC News (w172ykqm44k3cqq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 23:06 HARDtalk (w3ct32mc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


FRI 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172ykrfkw4sr03)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 23:32 World Football (w3ct3hrl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]