SATURDAY 18 JANUARY 2025

SAT 00:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzrmcv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 00:06 Unexpected Elements (w3ct5q31)
Circles, circumferences and Covid

After the comic malfunctions of a self-driving car, which drove its passenger/prisoner in endless circles, Unexpected Elements rounds its attention on the humble circle.

Explore how one man calculated the circumference of the Earth 2,000 years before GPS was invented, then be spellbound by the Magic Circle and the mysterious woman who broke into it. And as we hit the five-year anniversary of the Covid pandemic, we take a look at the cycle of infection and mutation, before asking, 'why don’t we have one antiviral pill that kills them all?'

We’re joined by evolutionary psychologist Professor Robin Dunbar, who calculated Dunbar’s number; that is, the maximum number of folks you can hold onto in your circle of friends... five? 500? 5,000? Robin reveals how many REAL friends science says you can have.

Presenters: Marnie Chesterton, with Camilla Mota and Phillys Mwatee
Producers: Harrison Lewis, with Alice Lipscombe-Southwell and William Hornbrook


SAT 01:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzrr3z)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 01:06 Business Matters (w172zbfx1cb308v)
US Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban law

The US Supreme Court has upheld a law that bans TikTok in the US unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, sells the platform by this Sunday.

A cold snap in Washington, DC, means Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday will now be held indoors instead of on the steps of the Capitol. Also, Argentina has reported a fiscal surplus for the first time in sixteen years, as a result of comprehensive budget cuts implemented by President Javier Milei.

We will look at how immigration is a high-profile public policy issue in many countries, including the United States. So, how does Trump's MAGA movement, which favours a huge cut in the numbers of people receiving work visas, affect the tech sector in Silicon Valley?

Throughout the program We will be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world: Jyoti Malhotra, editor in chief of The Tribune—she's in Chandigarh, India—and Ralph Silva from the Silva Research Network is in Toronto, Canada.


SAT 02:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzrvw3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqqqtyk28f)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlg74h)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:32 Stumped (w3ct5whw)
Should teams boycott Afghanistan at the ICC Champions Trophy?

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma are joined by Zimbabwe’s first black cricketer, Henry Olonga, as we ask whether boycotts work in cricket?

It’s in light of political pressure on England and South Africa to pull out of their matches against Afghanistan’s men at next month's ICC Champions Trophy. It's due to the Taliban regime's oppression of women, which includes a ban on playing sport. Olonga, alongside Andy Flower, took a stand against Robert Mugabe’s regime by wearing a black armband in the 2003 World Cup game against Namibia. It was to symbolise "the death of democracy" in the country.

Henry's been living in exile from Zimbabwe ever since and told the programme the current situation has echoes of 2003 and that the International Cricket Council and international Governments should be the ones making the decision not to play, rather than the players.

We also talk to Australia Ashes winner now commentator, Mel Jones, on the role she played on getting many of those women out of the country when the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Mel’s also been involved in organising the team’s exhibition match which will be played ahead of the opening day of the Women’s Ashes Test in Melbourne later this month.

Photo: Groundmen hold a large national flag of Afghanistan on the eve of the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match between India and Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on October 10, 2023. Credit: (AFP via Getty Images)


SAT 03:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzrzm7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 03:06 Outlook (w3ct699z)
Outlook Mixtape: In pursuit of beauty

Sean Ronayne was an outsider who found solace in the natural world, earning himself the nickname "Nature Boy." His journey to record the songs of all 200 native bird species in Ireland not only connected him with a community of appreciative nature enthusiasts, both in Ireland and online, but also helped him gain a new acceptance of himself and his way of being in the world.

One day in 2024, Welsh journalist Andrew Lloyd was checking who had viewed his most recent Instagram story when he saw something strange: himself. More specifically, an Instagram profile using photos of his face but under a different name. Eventually, he managed to get in contact with the fraudster and discover why his likeness had been stolen.

As a child, Paolo Pirjanian fled Iran as a refugee. However, upon trying to make a new life in Denmark, he encountered racism, which made it difficult for him to fit in. A chance to get his own computer and write code set him on a path to develop robots—first to explore distant planets for NASA, and later he created personalised robots to help vulnerable children make sense of the world.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Tommy Dixon

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Cassette tape. Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 03:50 Witness History (w3ct5yfr)
Drum: Africa’s revolutionary magazine

Drum was considered to be the first African lifestyle magazine with a readership of 40,000 in its 1950s heyday. It was first printed in South Africa in 1951 and became a voice of resistance during Apartheid.

Drum hit newsstands in 12 countries across the continent after former World War Two pilot Jim Bailey bought the publication after the first two editions flopped. Jim changed the focus by telling African stories by African writers and shining a spotlight on music, culture and life in the illegal drinking joints known as shebeens.

Black writers including Henry Nxumalo, known as Mr Drum, were credited with revolutionising journalism and literature in South Africa. Reena Stanton-Sharma speaks to Jim's son Prospero Bailey.




Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: The Drum Office in 1954. Credit: Jurgen Schadeberg from The Schadeberg Collection)


SAT 04:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzs3cc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 04:06 Unexpected Elements (w3ct5q31)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:06 today]


SAT 05:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzs73h)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqqqtykfht)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlglcw)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:32 Amazing Sport Stories (w3ct7hmm)
Running for change

"The audacity!" Roberta 'Bobbi' Gibb had just received a nine-word slap to the face: "Women are not physiologically capable of running a marathon." That was the reply she received when she applied to enter the Boston Marathon. She crumpled the letter and threw it on the floor. Bobbi knew she’d be running the race - whether they let her or not.

This is the story of one woman’s battle against derogatory sideswipes and archaic attitudes, and how far she went to remove the barriers that kept women from running practically every marathon in the world.

Audio scenes have been re-created.


SAT 05:50 More or Less (w3ct5trc)
Can redheads handle 25% more pain than brunettes?

What has the colour of your hair got to do with your capacity to withstand pain?

We investigate the claim, which regularly circulates on social media, that natural redheads are 25% tougher than their brunette peers.

Pain expert Jeff Mogil explains how it all comes down to something called MC1R.

Presenter: Charlotte McDonald
Producer: Lizzy McNeill
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound Mix: Bob Nettles


SAT 06:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzsbvm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 06:06 Weekend (w172zcxdnrlrlrg)
Israeli minsters vote to approve ceasefire deal

Following 15 months of war the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has been approved by the Israeli cabinet, clearing the way for the first hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be exchanged. We hear from Sari Bash, the Programme Director of Human Rights Watch in the Occupied West bank, about which Palestinian prisoners are due to be released.

Also on the programme: we take a look at Biden’s legacy as he prepares to end his presidency; and we speak to a producer on Mulholland Drive about working with cinema icon David Lynch who died this week.

Joining Krupa Padhy to discuss all this and more are Shashank Joshi, the defence editor of The Economist magazine, and Lina Khatib in the studio in London, associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the UK foreign affairs thinktank, Chatham House.

(Photo: A woman walks past a mural reading 'Bring Them Home Now' calling for the release of Israeli hostages, who were abducted by militants during the 07 October 2023 Hamas attacks, in Kfar Saba, Israel, 17 January 2025. Photo by ABIR SULTAN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


SAT 07:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzsglr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 07:06 Weekend (w172zcxdnrlrqhl)
Gaza ceasefire to begin on Sunday morning

Mediators in Qatar have announced it will start at 8:30am local time. It comes after Israel’s government formally approved the ceasefire hostage deal late on Friday.

Also on the programme: we ask how Ukraine will be impacted by Donald Trump’s presidency; and we hear from the author of a novel touted as the Palestinian-American Sex and the City, which has just been released in the US.

Joining Krupa Padhy to discuss all this and more are Shashank Joshi, the defence editor of The Economist magazine, and Lina Khatib, associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the UK foreign affairs thinktank, Chatham House.

(Photo: Palestinian boys drag an object past the rubble of houses destroyed in previous Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on January 16, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled)


SAT 08:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzslbw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:06 Weekend (w172zcxdnrlrv7q)
Israeli government divided on ceasefire deal

Far right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has said he will resign in protest to the deal’s approval, and far right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said he will quit if the war doesn’t resume in six weeks - at the end of the deal's first phase. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gives us his analysis of the agreement.

Also on the programme: we hear from Adam Ma’anit, the cousin of Tsachi Idan, who has been named on the list of 33 hostages set to be released in the first phase of the deal; and we’ll head to an exhibition at London’s Barbican showcasing emo culture.

Joining Krupa Padhy to discuss all this and more are Shashank Joshi, the defence editor of The Economist magazine, and Lina Khatib, associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the UK foreign affairs thinktank, Chatham House.

(Photo: Israel’s Security Cabinet meet on January 17, 2025 to approve the ceasefire deal at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. Credit: Koby Gideon/Israeli Government Press Office)


SAT 09:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzsq30)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct5rct)
Living through the Los Angeles fires

Vast areas of Los Angeles have been destroyed since these fires began on 7 January. Thousands of homes and businesses have been lost, and tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate.

In our conversations we hear from Kelly, who had just minutes to gather a few possessions before her home was destroyed, and DJ describes seeing a nearby hillside glowing, the sky lit by flames, as he and his family fled.

We are joined by Teddy whose family had to abandon their house and lost their restaurant – a familiar LA landmark – in the fire. “We landed in an Airbnb down in Mar Vista with our sons and grandkids,” she tells us. “Looking around the room, I just went okay, what matters is in this room, all the rest…well it’s okay.”

Two firefighters from Los Angeles County Fire Department share their experiences of co-ordinating the response to the fires and explain why they are so difficult to put out.

We also hear from Mendy and his father-in-law Dovid, both rabbis based in Topanga to the west of the city. Although they had to evacuate their homes, they saved religious scrolls and have been providing essential supplies to those who are still there.

Host: Luke Jones
BBC producers: Iqra Farooq, Virginia Kelly and Isabella Bull
Boffin Media producer: Richard Hollingham

An EcoAudio certified Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team

(Photo: Paula Tapia hugs Katja Schmolka, who lost her home in the Palisades Fire, in Los Angeles, California, US, 10 January, 2025. Credit: David Ryder/Reuters)


SAT 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlh2cd)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:32 Pick of the World (w3ct5v1q)
The man who ran a marathon every day for a year

The man who ran a marathon every day for the whole of 2024. Plus, the women in Nigeria fighting knife crime with spoons, a beautiful Malaysian instrument saved from extinction - and a really big question: are we getting any closer to a cancer vaccine?


SAT 09:50 Over to You (w3ct5tty)
Does the whole world laugh at the same jokes?

The Arts Hour’s annual comedy special aired at New Year but how well does comedy translate to a global audience, a listener asks of the show's team.
Plus, how a listener in Australia would like to hear more impartial commentators and fewer politicians on World Questions.

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


SAT 10:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzstv4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 10:06 Sportshour (w3ct5qbw)
Chelsea Green: Queen of the ring

For a long time, professional wrestling was the domain of men. Stars like The Undertaker and The Rock ruled the ring and our TV screens, but now it's the women of WWE who are making just as big an impact. Whilst a debate over what part wresting is a sport, or just entertainment, what can't be denied is the supreme fitness these athletes achieve in pursuit of their art, and the love they receive from millions and millions of fans all over the world. Newly crowned WWE's Women's champion Chelsea Green told Sportshour's Katie Smith about the subtle but important difference between Chelsea the person and Chelsea the persona in the ring, and how she's 'empowered' by starring in a male dominated world.

Some people enjoy life on the edge and for highliners it’s an edge they cross – quite literally. Highlining involves walking on a line (think slack lining but higher up) anchored at two points high above a gap such as between mountains, buildings or bridges, while harnessed to a back-up safety line. It is both spectacular to see and do, but on the face of it incredibly dangerous. Scottish highliner Owen Hope tells us what life on the line is like and how any risks are minimized by a strict safety routine.

Sport stars are busy people, always on the go but sometimes they make exceptional efforts to speak to you even when they have other things going on... This was definitely the case when I caught up with double Olympic sailing gold medallist Martine Grael! Martine was making the long trip from her home in Brazil to New Zealand ahead of the first SailGP race of 2025. As well as this being the first time Brazil have had a boat in the championship, Martine has become the first female 'driver' to lead a team in the competition's history. So although going through the airport is not an ideal setting to talk about her status as a pioneer, we did it anyway!


Photo: Chelsea Green acknowledges the crowd during SmackDown at Amalie Arena on December 27, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Credit: WWE/Getty Images)


SAT 11:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzsyl8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqqqtyl4zl)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlh9vn)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:32 Health Check (w3ct5t9t)
The toll of wildfires on health

With extensive wildfires in Los Angeles, we look at the longer-term health impacts of wildfires and why there is still a risk to health after a fire is extinguished.

A global commission has called for an overhaul of how obesity is diagnosed, suggesting more measures for practitioners to help distinguish between different types of obesity and improve individualized care for each patient.

In Guatemala, reporter Jane Chambers takes us along to a local project supporting residents to transition away from ultra-processed food and towards more traditional eating habits.

Also on the show, in light of 2024 surpassing global climate warming limits of 1.5°C we find out how climate change is impacting HIV prevention and care. Plus, how abortion patients in the UK demonstrate shifting contraception choices, with a rise in ‘natural’ fertility options.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Katie Tomsett & Jack Lee


SAT 12:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzt2bd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 12:06 The Documentary (w3ct7lcc)
Paths of return: A special homecoming to Sierra Leone

In Freetown, Sierra Leone, we join a group of African-Americans who have all taken a DNA test and discovered their ancestors came from this West African country, before they were trafficked to the US and enslaved.

Over their two week trip, they explore the bustling city of Freetown - a very different experience to the USA. Yet it has a vibrancy and welcoming spirit which takes the group by surprise.

They travel to remote villages where their ancestors may have lived. Here they are each adopted by a local family and given a traditional name according to the ethnic group indicated in their DNA test. We hear from the families about what they are getting out of this unusual partnership.

The group take a boat trip to Bunce Island, where they find the ruins of a slave fort where men, women and children were held captive in appalling conditions. Sierra Leoneans were highly skilled at rice cultivation, a talent sought out by plantation owners in South Carolina and Georgia who enslaved Africans to work the land.

Sierra Leone was the first African country to grant citizenship based on DNA test results. The group has come hoping to receive citizenship and a passport, but things do not work out as planned.

We meet other returnees who have come back to Sierra Leone to make a difference. And the young Sierra Leonan tour guides who are helping the African-Americans to reconnect with their lost history.

Producer: Victoria Ferran
A Just Radio production for the BBC World Service

(Photo: African-Americans travel to Bunce Island, Sierra Leone, and find the ruins of a slave fort. Credit: Sheku Koroma)


SAT 13:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzt62j)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 13:06 Newshour (w172zb9b90jr1kh)
Gaza ceasefire to begin on Sunday morning

Israel's cabinet has ratified a deal with Hamas, paving the way for fighting in Gaza to stop on Sunday.

Also on the programme: an Indian court has convicted a man for the rape and murder of a female doctor in a Kolkata hospital last year, in a case that sparked protests across the country; and scientists are searching the ocean depths for a mysterious phenomenon known as "dark oxygen".

(Photo: Palestinians gather to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen before a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel takes effect in Khan Younis. Credit: Reuters)


SAT 14:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzt9tn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 14:06 Sportsworld (w172zbn8dn4jly3)
Live Sporting Action

The Premier League returns with full commentary of Brentford against league leaders Liverpool. We’ll also keep you across all the other Premier League action. The former Tottenham, Newcastle and Cameroon defender Sébastien Bassong and the former Liverpool, Everton and England striker Natasha Dowie will be alongside Lee James.

We’ll talk the restart of the Women’s Super League after the winter break and a big game at the top of Serie A.

Away from football, the Sportsworld team will preview the NFL Divisional playoffs, be live at golf’s Dubai Desert Classic and the Australian Open as we reach the midpoint of tennis’ first Grand Slam of the year.

Image: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool scores his team's third goal during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Liverpool FC at Gtech Community Stadium on February 17, 2024 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)


SAT 18:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrztst5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqqqtym06h)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 18:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlj52k)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:32 Amazing Sport Stories (w3ct7hmm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:32 today]


SAT 18:50 Sporting Witness (w3ct5wfm)
The Ice Mile

In 2009, Ram Barkai, a swimmer from Cape Town, in South Africa, broke the world record for the longest swim in freezing cold water.

He completed the endurance feat wearing only a cap, goggles and standard swimming costume.

Delighted with his achievement, he had a ‘Mandela moment’ and began promoting a new extreme sport which he called ice swimming. Within a few short months, the ice mile was born.

Ram tells Hunter Charlton about the brutal challenge. An Ember production.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.

Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.

(Photo: Ram Barkai diving into Queen Maud Land, Antarctica in 2008. Credit: Patrick Woodhead)


SAT 19:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrztxk9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 19:06 The Evidence (w3ct6qzl)
The burning problem in women's health

More than half of all women around the world will develop a urinary tract infection at some point in their lives. For most, the infection will be mild, but for some, it can be quite serious, moving into the kidneys and even leading to sepsis if not properly treated.

However, there is still widespread debate over the best way to treat UTIs. With a panel of experts, Claudia Hammond delves into the latest evidence on why UTIs are such a persistent and common health problem, the current discussion around the best methods for treatment, and looks into what the future might hold for this burning problem in women’s health.

(Photo: Female toilet sign, legs crossed urgent need to urinate. Credit: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)


SAT 20:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzv19f)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 20:06 The Arts Hour (w3ct5qkn)
Somali director Mo Harawe

Nikki Bedi and cultural critic Zing Tsjeng discuss Oscar winning actor Nicole Kidman’s mission to working with female directors and her latest film Babygirl.

Filmmaker Robert Eggers and actors Lily Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult take us behind the scenes of Nosferatu.

The Argentinian Prima Ballerina Marianela Nunez reveals her backstage rituals and ballet shoe preparation.

And writer, director and actor Jesse Eisenberg discusses the tone of his Oscar-touted film A Real Pain.

There’s music from Jorja Smith

And Somali director Mo Harawe talks about his film The Village Next to Paradise.

(Photo: The Village Next to Paradise; Credit: FreibeuterFilm)


SAT 21:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzv51k)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 21:06 Newshour (w172zb9b90js0jj)
Netanyahu says Israel 'reserves right to return to war'

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says his country reserved the right to go back to war in Gaza if the negotiations for a second phase of the ceasefire are fruitless.

Also on the programme: pro-Trump and anti-Trump demonstrators are making their feelings known across the US before his inauguration; and a content creator explains the impact that a TikTok ban had in India and how that could reflect in the US.

(Photo: Families of hostages rally in Tel Aviv, Israel. Credit: ATEF SAFADI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


SAT 22:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzv8sp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqqqtymh60)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hljn22)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:32 This Is Africa (w3ct5y64)
Elow'n

Elow’n is a singer-songwriter and rapper from Ivory Coast, who came to fame as a member of the rap group Kiff No Beat. With hits like Approchez Regardez featuring the late DJ Arafat, Kiff No Beat ushered in a new wave of Ivorian rap, or "Rap Ivoire".

Kiff No Beat made a comeback in 2024, releasing C Komen which has now racked up a million and a half plays on Spotify and, as Elow'n tells TIA, the group plans to release a new album soon.

Elow’n launched his solo career in 2020, and last year he released an album and at least six new music videos. Somehow he intends to make time this year to revive his side hustle as a tattoo designer.


SAT 23:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzvdjt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 23:06 The Documentary (w3ct7m5n)
Licence to operate a space object

Since humans have been on earth, the sky at night has caused many to gaze upwards in astonishment. Beyond its beauty, celestial navigation guided humans across the seas, forming new trade routes and civilisations. The constellations also signalled when winter or summer was approaching so people would know when to sow their crops.

But for decades, the night sky has been changing dramatically. Thousands of satellites now blink in amongst the stars and planets, doubling in number in the past few years largely due to the existence of companies like SpaceX. As objects continue to be launched into space with sparse environmental regulations in place, astrophotographer Monika Deviat asks: what do we stand to lose?

With contributions from astronomer Radmila Topalović, astronomy professor and knowledge holder of the Euahlayi nation Ghillar, behavioural ecologist Cecilia Nilsson and lighting project manager at the Sea Turtle Conservancy, Rachel Tighe.

Presenter: Monika Deviat
Producer: Sasha Edye-Lindner
A Reduced Listening production for BBC World Service

(Photo: Monika's self portrait with the rising Milky Way on a mountain ridge in Waterton Lakes National Park, an international Dark Sky Park in Alberta, Canada. Credit: Monika Deviat Photography)


SAT 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hljrt6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 23:32 Assignment (w3ct5mty)
The Gambia: When migrants are forced to go home

Each year young people from the tiny West African nation of The Gambia try to reach Europe through “The Backway” - a costly, perilous journey over land and sea.

Many do not make it. In recent years, the EU has done deals with several North African nations to clamp down on irregular migration. Though human rights groups say the treatment of migrants can be brutal - allegations the authorities deny. But each year thousands of African migrants say they have no choice but to return home.

It can be a struggle to return. Some are traumatised by their experience and face stigma for having failed to reach Europe. Others are already planning to try again.

For Assignment, Alex Last travels to The Gambia to find out what happens to migrants who've risked everything to get to Europe, but end up back home.

Reporter: Alex Last
Producer: Ellie House
Local producer: Frederic Tendeng
Sound mix: David Crackles
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Series editor: Penny Murphy

(Photo: Alagie came home to The Gambia after failing to reach Europe by boat from North Africa. Credit: Alex Last)

SUNDAY 19 JANUARY 2025

SUN 00:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzvj8y)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 00:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct5rct)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:06 on Saturday]


SUN 00:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hljwkb)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 00:32 Amazing Sport Stories (w3ct7hmm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:32 on Saturday]


SUN 00:50 Sporting Witness (w3ct5wfm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:50 on Saturday]


SUN 01:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzvn12)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 01:06 The Inquiry (w3ct5xjh)
Is fake alcohol a global threat?

Drinks with toxic ingredients have been linked to deaths and poisonings in Turkey, Laos and India in 2024.

Fake alcohol is unrecorded and unregulated alcohol that hasn’t been registered in official statistics for sales, production or trade. The range of unrecorded alcohol includes alcohol smuggled across borders, counterfeit alcohol and homemade brew.

This week of The Inquiry we look at how toxic and widespread fake alcohol is. What are the health risks of drinking contaminated alcohol? Bootleg alcohol is big business for criminals, are governments doing enough to combat the illicit alcohol trade?

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier

Producer: Vicky Carter
Researcher: Katie Morgan
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey
Technical producer: Toby James
Editor: Tara McDermott

Contributors:
Dr. Monica Swahn, alcohol epidemiologist and professor at the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services at Kennesaw State University in the USA, currently based in Uganda.
Dr Dirk Lachenmeier, food chemist and toxicologist, director of department of plant-based foods at CVUA Karlsruhe, an official control laboratory, Germany.
Piotr Stryszowski, senior economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and head of the Working Party on Countering Illicit Trade (WP-CIT), France.
Jeff Hardy, Director General of Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade, USA.


SUN 01:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlk09g)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 01:32 The Fifth Floor (w3ct69jr)
IVF and me

When BBC Mundo journalist Ana Maria Roura found out she couldn't get pregnant, she decided to turn the camera on herself and document her struggle to become a parent through in vitro fertilisation, or IVF. Her documentary, Infertile, is available in Spanish and in English. Plus, the science of super-centenarians, with BBC World Service journalist Fernando Duarte.

Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)


SUN 02:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzvrs6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqqqtymz5j)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlk41l)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 02:32 Health Check (w3ct5t9t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:32 on Saturday]


SUN 03:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzvwjb)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 03:06 The Documentary (w3ct7lcc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Saturday]


SUN 04:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzw08g)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 04:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3ct5sjy)
Escaping the fires in Los Angeles

Pascale Harter introduces stories from the USA, Canada, Cambodia and Nigeria.

The wildfires in LA have left some neighbourhoods almost entirely burned to the ground, and thousands of families counting their losses. While reporting on the blazes, David Willis was alerted that his own home was in the path of the flames and subject to an evacuation order.

Justin Trudeau was once a poster boy for progressive politics around the world. More recently, he's faced criticism from within his own Liberal Party, mockery in the Canadian press and harsh words from Canadian voters. Neal Razzell traces how the nation fell out of love with its Prime Minister.

The dazzling ancient temple complex of Angkor Wat is a jewel of Cambodia's cultural heritage and draws millions of visitors each year. But many local villagers say that government plans to protect and develop the site mean they've been pressured to abandon their homes - often for bleak and unsuitable conditions elsewhere. Jill McGivering talks to some of the people claiming Cambodian authorities have driven them out.

Lagos might be a vibrant megacity, but not many people would call it a hotspot for nature. But on a recent visit to Nigeria, Kirsty Lang met one man who's set up a green haven there: a sanctuary for wildlife, built from recycled materials, that tries to educate schoolchildren about the environment and rescue endangered animals from the city's wet markets.

Producer: Polly Hope
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison

(Image: Firefighting planes and helicopters drop water over flames in Mandeville Canyon during the January 2025 Pacific Palisades fire in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)


SUN 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlkcjv)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 04:32 Trending (w3ct5y9r)
Passport bros

Dating in Medellín, Colombia is being promoted to foreign men on YouTube, TikTok and other social media platforms. Lots of the videos – in English and Spanish - contain misogynistic language and suggest that the local women are both accessible and easy.
These videos are part of a wider trend of “passport bros” many of whom are American men, seeking life abroad in places marketed by content creators as being good for meeting women.
In theory, adult men going to meet adult women isn't a problem, but Medellin has a huge problem with sexual exploitation. It’s often nicknamed by the press as ‘the world’s biggest brothel’. Since the pandemic the city has introduced curfews for underage girls in some neighbourhoods while NGOs there are working against the issue. BBC Trending investigates the impact of passport bros in Colombia’s second biggest city.
Presenter: Phoebe Hopson
Producer: Jonathan Griffin
Editor: Flora Carmichael


SUN 04:50 Sporting Witness (w3ct5wfm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:50 on Saturday]


SUN 05:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzw40l)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 05:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqqqtynbdx)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlkh8z)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 05:32 The Documentary (w3ct7m5n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:06 on Saturday]


SUN 06:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzw7rq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 06:06 Weekend (w172zcxdnrlvhnk)
Gaza ceasefire delayed

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Gaza ceasefire will not go ahead until Hamas provides the names of the first hostages it plans to release. The agreement was due to come into effect at 08:30 am local time. We hear from Stephen Brisley, whose brother-in-law Eli Sharabi, was on the list of 33 hostages due to be released in the first phase of the truce deal.

Also on the programme: On President Biden’s last day in office we reflect on what went wrong for his party in the last election with Democratic congresswoman Norma Torres; and an animated Latvian film about climate change has appeared as a surprise frontrunner for the Oscars.

Joining Krupa Padhy to discuss all this and more in the studio in London are Jenny Kleeman, a journalist and author, and Chietigj Bajpaee, a senior research fellow for South Asia at the UK based think tank Chatham House.

(Photo: Israeli military vehicles take position inside the Gaza Strip, before the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was due to take place, as seen from Israel, January 19, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Amir Cohen)


SUN 07:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzwchv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 07:06 Weekend (w172zcxdnrlvmdp)
Plumes of smoke seen above Gaza

It seems Israeli strikes are continuing in Gaza, with images showing clouds of smoke rising above the north of the territory. Earlier an Israeli military spokesman told reporters fighting would continue until Hamas held up its end of the ceasefire deal and published the names of the first hostages it planned to release.

Also on the programme: we hear how Donald Trump’s presidency, and a possible 25% levy on imports, will affect Canada; and research suggests that office tea breaks are becoming less frequent, despite them being good for both your mental and physical health.

Joining Krupa Padhy to discuss all this and more in the studio in London are Jenny Kleeman, a journalist and author, and Chietigj Bajpaee, a senior research fellow for South Asia at the UK based think tank Chatham House.

(Photo: Smoke rises after an explosion in northern Gaza, before a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was supposed to take effect, as seen from Israel, January 19, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Amir Cohen)


SUN 08:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzwh7z)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 08:06 Weekend (w172zcxdnrlvr4t)
Hamas publishes names of three hostages they say will be released on Sunday

This list has been the key stumbling block behind Israel’s delay of the Gaza ceasefire. The three women the militant group says it will release first are Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher.

Also on the programme: we hear from the participants of an anti-Trump rally in Washington DC on the eve of the President-elect's inauguration; and TikTok has gone offline in the US, hours before a new law banning the platform was due to come into effect.

Joining Krupa Padhy to discuss all this and more in the studio in London are Jenny Kleeman, a journalist and author, and Chietigj Bajpaee, a senior research fellow for South Asia at the UK based think tank Chatham House.

(Photo: A woman holds a picture of British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari in March 2024 in Tel Aviv. Damari is one of the three female hostages named by Hamas to be released today. Credit: REUTERS/Tomer Appelbaum)


SUN 09:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzwm03)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 09:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3ct5sjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


SUN 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlkz8h)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 09:32 The Food Chain (w3ct5xp0)
Should we eat less rice?

Rice is the main staple for over half the world’s population.

The crop has problems though – it is vulnerable to climate change, whether that’s drought or flooding. It’s also a crop that contributes to climate change, as it uses more water than other grain crops and is frequently grown in flooded conditions. Rice production is also a big source of methane emissions.

In this programme Ruth Alexander hears about the possible solutions to these problems. Dr Yvonne Pinto, Director General of the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines talks about their work developing new varieties of rice, and new more sustainable farming techniques.

One rice company trialling these techniques is Tilda in the UK. General Manager Jean-Philippe Laborde explains what difference it’s made to water and fertiliser use as well as methane emissions.

Given the problems with rice, should we just eat less of it?

Jakob Klein, anthropologist at SOAS University of London explains the Chinese government’s attempts to convince people to eat more potato as a staple food.

And we talk about the cultural importance of rice with listeners in the Philippines and Bangladesh.

If you’d like to contact the programme email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: a steaming bowl of rice with chopsticks above it holding a mouthful of white rice grains. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)


SUN 10:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzwqr7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 10:06 The Documentary (w3ct7lc4)
Child soldiers and capoeira

In the city of Goma, Congolese journalist Ruth Omar looks at how former child soldiers are being rehabilitated using capoeira, the Brazilian martial art.

Since the start of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, child soldiers have been recruited to fight, some as young as 14. After they are demobilised from armed groups, many suffer from mental health disorders like anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The demobilised child soldiers are housed in transit centres while they wait to be reunited with their families. While they wait, Social Capoeira is one of the therapies offered to them. It is a form of capoeira where the fighting is non-contact and dialogue, and wellbeing are prioritised. It allows the child soldiers to gain some peace.

Ruth explores the impact of this unique approach. She learns how capoeira creates a community or family for the returning child soldiers and how this helps them reintegrate into society. And we hear from people in Goma who have helped child soldiers in their own unique ways.

Contributors: Faustin Busimba, CAJED; Flavio Soares, Gingando pela Paz; Elvis Muderhwa, HEAL Africa; Aimable Diago, CAJED.

Presenter: Ruth Omar
Producer: Jill Achineku
A Whistledown production for the BBC World Service

(Image credit: Ruth Omar)


SUN 10:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hll30m)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 10:32 The Fifth Floor (w3ct69jr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 01:32 today]


SUN 11:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzwvhc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqqqtyp1wp)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hll6rr)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 11:32 Trending (w3ct5y9r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


SUN 11:50 More or Less (w3ct5trc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:50 on Saturday]


SUN 12:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzwz7h)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 12:06 The Evidence (w3ct6qzl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:06 on Saturday]


SUN 13:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzx2zm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 13:06 Newshour (w172zb9b90jtygl)
Gaza ceasefire after 470 days of war

Four hours into the truce, we hear from Gaza, where thousands of displaced people have already begun heading back to their homes. We also speak to a doctor preparing to receive some of the first Israeli hostages due to be released.

Also on the programme: hundreds of supporters of the arrested South Korean President have stormed a court building, after his detention was prolonged; and a lost concert of the jazz great - Ella Fitzgerald - finally sees the light of day.

(Photo: Displaced Palestinians with their belongings in a vehicle, make their way past rubble as they attempt to return to their homes following a delay in the ceasefire. Credit: REUTERS/Khalil Ramzi)


SUN 14:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzx6qr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 14:06 The Climate Question (w3ct5wsx)
Could ancient rice seeds help fight climate change?

How farmers and scientists in eastern India are using ancient rice seeds to fight flooding, increasing soil salinity and drought.

The BBC’s William Kremer tells Graihagh Jackson about his visit to the Sundarbans in West Bengal, where cyclones and rising sea levels have devastated crops, and meets the rice growers drawing on the skills of their forefathers, to feed their families. Graihagh also gets a global overview from Dr Rafal Gutaker, rice expert at Kew Gardens, London.

And if you'd like to hear more about rice, the BBC World Service's Food Chain programme has just made a show about the climate impacts of the crop. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct5xp0

Reporter in India: William Kremer
Production Team: Diane Richardson, Graihagh Jackson, Octavia Woodward
Sound Mix: Neil Churchill and Tom Brignell
Editor: Simon Watts

If you have a question for the team, email: TheClimateQuestion@BBC.com or WhatsApp: +44 8000 321 721


SUN 14:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlll04)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 14:32 The Coming Storm (w3ct7mdg)
Inauguration

America through the looking glass - enter a world where nothing is as it seems.


SUN 15:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzxbgw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 15:06 Sportsworld (w172zbn8dn4mmlb)
Live Sporting Action

Delyth Lloyd presents full commentary from Portman Road as Premier League champions Manchester City visit Ipswich. Find out if City can get their faltering title challenge back on track against a side fighting against relegation. There will also be updates from the day’s three other Premier League games, including Manchester United against Brighton.

Italian football expert Mina Rzouki is this week’s guest on EuroStars, as the team looks at all the big football stories across Europe.

Away from football, there will be the latest from the Australian Open tennis, golf’s Dubai Desert Classic and the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

Image: Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City celebrates with teammate Savinho after scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Ipswich Town FC at Etihad Stadium on August 24, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)


SUN 19:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzxtgd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 19:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqqqtyq0vq)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlm5qs)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 19:32 In the Studio (w3ct5tlv)
Madame Gandhi

Kiran Gandhi, AKA Madame Gandhi, is an American artist, activist and producer who originally started out as a percussionist for popular British artist MIA, and American electronic music duo Thievery Corporation. She holds a masters degree in Music Science Technology at Stanford University and is on a mission to find innovative ways of using music to motivate and inspire people to care about climate change.

In 2022 she was invited to go to Antarctic to record the sounds of the icy continent with her own microphones, before going into the studio to create sounds from melting glaciers and loud gentoo penguins. The resulting project was a sample pack made in partnership with Sound MANA, as well as a track released called In Purpose, released with nature credited as an artist through Brian Eno’s Earth Percent foundation, directing music royalties towards conservation efforts.

Tom Raine follows her journey recording brand new sounds, this time in the North Pole, where she’ll hope to record everything from glaucous gulls, black-leg kittiwakes to common guillemots, as well as arctic foxes, seals and if we’re lucky, some polar bears. We’ll then return to her studio in London to see exactly how Kiran sculpts these sounds into hi-hats, kicks, snare drums, bass tones, and more - as well as hearing her thesis on how nature music can encourage people to care about climate change.

Image: Madame Gandhi (Credit: Lindsey Byrnes)


SUN 20:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzxy6j)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 20:06 Unexpected Elements (w3ct5q31)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:06 on Saturday]


SUN 21:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzy1yn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 21:06 Newshour (w172zb9b90jvxfm)
First Hostages Return to Israel as Palestinians Await Prisoners

Doctors in Tel Aviv say the three women hostages released by Hamas as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel are in a stable condition, while in the occupied West Bank, crowds have gathered outside Ofer Prison to see the first 90 Palestinian prisoners freed in exchange for the 3 Israelis.

Also in the programme: On his final full day in office what will President Biden's legacy be? And we look ahead to Donald Trump’s inauguration.

(Photo: Released Romi Gonen embraces loved ones at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, after being held in Gaza since the deadly 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas. Credit: Maayan Toaf/GPO/Handout via Reuters)


SUN 22:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzy5ps)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqqqtyqd33)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlmjz5)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 22:32 The Fifth Floor (w3ct69jr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 01:32 today]


SUN 23:00 BBC News (w172zgfjtrzy9fx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 23:06 The Climate Question (w3ct5wsx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:06 today]


SUN 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggc8hlmnq9)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 23:32 Pick of the World (w3ct5v1q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:32 on Saturday]


SUN 23:50 Over to You (w3ct5tty)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:50 on Saturday]

MONDAY 20 JANUARY 2025

MON 00:00 BBC News (w172zgfk61928g6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 00:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3ct5sjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 on Sunday]


MON 00:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwrmql)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 00:32 Trending (w3ct5y9r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 on Sunday]


MON 00:50 More or Less (w3ct5trc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:50 on Saturday]


MON 01:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6192d6b)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 01:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr337vlln)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 01:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwrrgq)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 01:32 Discovery (w3ct5rnv)
Uncharted: Love Bytes

A mathematician searching for love discovers that relationships aren’t always as simple as equations—are his calculations the issue, or is there something deeper at play? Meanwhile, at an engineering conference, a young researcher’s seemingly minor mistake uncovers a scandal of epic proportions. Can numbers find love or unveil problems? From personal dilemmas to professional revelations, this episode dives into the unexpected ways numbers can change lives.


MON 02:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6192hyg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr337vqbs)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwrw6v)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 02:32 CrowdScience (w3ct5rjb)
Which animal has the biggest carbon footprint?

Carbon footprints are a measure of how much we each contribute to the greenhouse gases that warm the Earth’s atmosphere. The global average of carbon dioxide emissions is nearly 5 tonnes per person per year, although it can be triple that in certain countries.

But one CrowdScience listener in Ghana is wondering about the bigger picture. After all, humans aren’t the only species on this planet. So which other animal has the biggest carbon footprint?

CrowdScience presenters Caroline Steel and Marnie Chesterton are on the case, examining and arguing over the animal that deserves the top spot for this title.

Caroline, a vegan, points to the cow as the top contender, since the livestock sector produces 14.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions, and cows, whether as meat or dairy animals, are responsible for the majority of that. The team look at initiatives around the world to be more efficient with each animal out there. But maybe it’s time to put another sector in the spotlight? Pets. We love our dogs and cats but do their meat-based diets win them a place on the podium?

From most loved to most detested, we look at the role that key pests play in upsetting the carbon budget. Could a small beetle with a large appetite for greenery be an unusual winner, thanks to the trees these pests destroy over their lifetimes?

Is the biggest offender a carbon footprint, hoofprint, pawprint, or clawprint?

Presenters: Caroline Steel and Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Marnie Chesterton
Editor: Cathy Edwards
Production co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano
Technical producers: Sarah Hockley and Donald MacDonald


MON 03:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6192mpl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 03:06 The Documentary (w3ct7lc4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:06 on Sunday]


MON 03:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwrzyz)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 03:32 Pick of the World (w3ct5v1q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:32 on Saturday]


MON 03:50 Over to You (w3ct5tty)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:50 on Saturday]


MON 04:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6192rfq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 04:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr337vyv1)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrws3q3)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 04:32 The Conversation (w3ct5x0q)
What’s it like to be a private chef?

If you're planning a big celebration, the idea of having someone else handle all the cooking might feel like a dream...but for some it's a worthwhile indulgence. Hiring a private chef means enjoying delicious, personalised food with minimal effort in the comfort of your own home. Ella Al-Shamahi speaks to two private chefs from India and France who create unforgettable culinary experiences.

Indian award-winning chef Abhilasha Chandak decided to become a private chef after moving to London three years ago. She gained fame in 2016 by competing in the Indian version of Masterchef and getting to the final. Abhilasha has cooked for a whole range of clients, including Bollywood celebrities.

Ella Aflalo is a French private chef and cookbook author based in Paris with experience in Michelin-starred kitchens. She now curates bespoke culinary experiences inspired by her travels, art and fashion. Previously, Ella founded the restaurant Yima, the name a blend of the Hebrew and Arabic word for ‘mum’. It won the Michelin Bib Gourmand, a reward given to restaurants serving high-quality food at affordable prices.


Produced by Emily Naylor


(Image: (L) Abhilasha Chandak courtesy Abhilasha Chandak. (R) Ella Aflalo credit Chloé Bruhat.)


MON 05:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6192w5v)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 05:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fhwzvf)
Ninety Palestinian prisoners freed

Ninety Palestinians have been released from an Israeli prison in the occupied West Bank under the Gaza ceasefire deal. We hear from our correspondent who was there as it happened, in the middle of the night.

Earlier, three Israeli hostages were released by Hamas after 15 months of captivity and have been reunited with their families. Hundreds of aid trucks have crossed into Gaza with much-needed supplies. We speak to the United Nations aid agency in the Gaza Strip.

Later on Monday, Donald Trump will be sworn in as US president, who has said he will sign close to 100 executive orders within hours of re-entering the White House. One of those orders is expected to allow the video sharing app TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese firm, to continue operating in the US, despite a law demanding it be sold or shut down.

And the death of a Swedish-Somali journalist who had investigated Al-Shabaab in Somalia.

(Photo: Freed Palestinian prisoners, 20 January, 2025; Credit: Mussa Qawasma/Reuters)


MON 06:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6192zxz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 06:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fhx3lk)
Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal in effect

Ninety Palestinian detainees have been freed from an Israeli prison in the first phase of the long awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Their release followed the freeing of three female Israeli hostages that had been held by Hamas. We'll be hearing from Israelis and Palestinians as the pause in fighting continues to hold. With three Israeli hostages released and some Palestinian prisoners freed, we'll look at how the first morning since the ceasefire deal is shaping up.

And in just a matter of hours, Donald Trump will be back in the White House At a victory rally with his supporters on the eve of his inauguration the president-elect promised to sign executive orders in what he said would be a move with 'historic speed and strength." We'll be speaking to our chief international correspondent on the incoming administration of Mr Trump, as well as the tensions in the Middle East.

(Photo: Bus carrying released Palestinian prisoners, Ramallah, 20 January 2025; Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


MON 07:00 BBC News (w172zgfk61933p3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 07:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fhx7bp)
Ninety Palestinian detainees released

Ninety Palestinian prisoners and detainees have been freed from Israeli jails as part of Israel’s ceasefire deal with Hamas. Their release came hours after three female Israeli hostages were set free by the militant group. We hear from the lead UN children's agency and from the spokesperson of the Israeli prime minister's office.

When Donald Trump enters the White House he returns to power having made big gains with young voters, especially with men. But how has he won them over?

(Photo: Freed Palestinian prisoner Nidaa Zaghebi is greeted by her daughters, 20 January, 2025. Credit: Raneen Sawafta/Reuters)


MON 08:00 BBC News (w172zgfk61937f7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 08:06 HARDtalk (w3ct5szq)
Anne Enright: Changing Ireland

Stephen Sackur speaks to Anne Enright, the Irish novelist whose fiction digs deep into the dynamics of family, motherhood, and sexuality. In the course of her long writing career, just how much has Ireland changed?


MON 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwslpm)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct5z7n)
Guatemala's circular migration

We are in the Central American country of Guatemala to hear how temporary work permits to the United States are changing some Guatemalan’s lives.

We find out how this circular migration is benefiting both businesses in the US, and the economy back home in Guatemala.

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

Presenter/producer: Jane Chambers

(Photo: Sandra Noemi Bucu Saz in her plot of land that she rents with her family in Guatemala. Credit: Jane Chambers)


MON 08:50 Witness History (w3ct5yj1)
Hunting the Unabomber

During a 17-year bombing campaign, an elusive terrorist known as the Unabomber killed three and injured 23 Americans.

In 1995, he contacted The New York Times and The Washington Post promising to stop his terror attacks if they published his 35,000-word manifesto. The document explained his aim: to dismantle modern industrial society.

On the advice of the FBI and the Attorney General, the newspapers published the manifesto, which led to the Unabomber’s downfall.

Dr Kathleen Puckett was an FBI agent who uncovered his identity. She speaks to Ben Henderson.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Theodore 'Ted' Kaczynski in custody. Credit: Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)


MON 09:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6193c5c)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 09:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr337wkkp)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwsqfr)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 09:32 CrowdScience (w3ct5rjb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


MON 10:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6193gxh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 10:06 The History Hour (w3ct5n2y)
World War Two on film and Africa's landmark lifestyle magazine

Josephine McDermott sits in for Max Pearson presenting a collection of the week’s Witness History episodes.

We hear from the author who stumbled across the story of Oskar Schindler while shopping for a briefcase in Beverly Hills.

Our guest is Dr Anne-Marie Scholz, from the University of Bremen in Germany, who reflects on the impact of dramatizations of World War Two.

We also hear about the start of Drum magazine, credited with giving black African writers a voice in the time of Apartheid.

The devastation of the earthquake in the port city of Kobe, Japan, is recalled by a child survivor.

Plus, the New Deal created by President Franklin D Roosevelt to drag the United States from the Depression of the 1930s.

Finally, the family intervention of American former First Lady Betty Ford, which led to the world-famous rehabilitation clinic being started.


Contributors:

Thomas Keneally – author of Schindler’s Ark.

Dr Anne-Marie Scholz - author of From Fidelity to History: Film Adaptations as Cultural Events in the 20th Century.

Prospero Bailey - son of Jim Bailey on the origins of Drum magazine.

Kiho Park – survivor of the 1995 Kobe earthquake.

Adam Cohen – expert on Roosevelt's New Deal.

Susan Ford Bales – daughter of Betty Ford.

(Photo: Nazi SS troops in Germany. Credit: Getty Images)


MON 11:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6193lnm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr337wt1y)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwsyy0)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 11:32 The Global Story (w3ct6dmg)
Inside the White House on inauguration day

As oaths and speeches ring out across Capitol Hill on inauguration day, we take you inside the White House where unseen junior staffers are scrambling to prepare for four years in office. And we ask whether Donald Trump’s second term, armed with a Republican-controlled Congress, is set to be more effective than his first.

Jonny Dymond speaks with Katie Johnson, President Barack Obama’s former personal assistant, about what it was like to enter the White House on inauguration day in 2009. Jonny also speaks with Courtney Subramanian about how Donald Trump's second presidential term might differ to his first.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory.

Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Producers: Laurie Kalus, Tom Kavanagh and Kate Eagleton-Etheridge

Sound engineer: Dafydd Evans

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins

(Picture: White House. Credit: BBC)


MON 12:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6193qdr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 12:06 Outlook (w3ct5nr9)
Stolen as a baby, I called my abductor ‘Mom’

On the night of December 15th, 1997, a fire broke out in the home of Luz Cuevas and Pedro Vera, a couple living in Philadelphia with their two young sons and their ten-day-old daughter, Delimar. She was asleep upstairs. In the aftermath, the fire was declared the result of faulty wiring. No trace of baby Delimar was ever found — she was presumed dead; “completely consumed by the fire”, according to the medical examiner’s report.

Naturally, her parents were devastated, but there would be no closure because this was just the start of Delimar's story. In circumstances almost too extraordinary to believe, Delimar was alive and being raised only 20 kilometres or so across town. She had been renamed Aaliyah, and lived with Carolyn, a woman she thought was her mother.

Delimar has made a documentary about her extraordinary experience called Back From the Dead: Who Kidnapped Me?

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Thomas Harding Assinder

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707


MON 12:50 Witness History (w3ct5yj1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


MON 13:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6193v4w)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 13:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr337x1k6)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwt6f8)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 13:32 The Conversation (w3ct5x0q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


MON 14:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6193yx0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 14:06 Newshour (w172zb9bn8v1tcz)
Trump inauguration: preparations ramp up

Preparations ramp up for the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as 47th president of the United States. We hear from our correspondents across Washington D.C., and speak to the singer performing the national anthem in today’s ceremony, and to a member of Donald Trump’s transition team.

Also in the programme: on day two of the ceasefire in Gaza, we hear from released Israeli hostages and released Palestinian detainees, And as much-needed aid finally enters the Strip, why has it taken so long to get there?

(IMAGE: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump pose for a photo with U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on inauguration day of Donald Trump's second presidential term in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2025 / CREDIT: Reuters / Carlos Barria)


MON 15:00 BBC News (w172zgfk61942n4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 15:06 HARDtalk (w3ct5szq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


MON 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwtfxj)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 15:32 World Business Report (w3ct5zz7)
Washington gears up for Trump's inauguration

Crowds of supporters brave the freezing cold in Washington to catch a glimpse of Donald Trump being sworn in as US President for a second time. He's promised to sign dozens of executive orders on his first day in office to push through his agenda and undo that of President Biden.

Will Bain also hears about the global mood around the new president’s arrival – as many leaders gather at the World Economic Forum in Davos in Switzerland.


MON 16:00 BBC News (w172zgfk61946d8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 16:06 BBC OS (w172zbjhchcrvgm)
Inauguration of Donald Trump

We broadcast from Washington bringing live the events of the inauguration in the US Capitol. The ceremony, traditionally held outside the US Capitol, has been moved indoors due to a forecast of freezing temperatures with a wind chill of -13C (9F). Earlier Donald Trump and his family attended a church service in the capital.

Officials from the incoming administration say they'll include declaring a “national emergency” at the US-Mexico border and ordering the resumption of construction of the border wall.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern in Washington.

(Photo: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump pose for a photo with U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on inauguration day of Donald Trump's second presidential term in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2025. Credit: Carlos Barria/Reuters)


MON 17:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6194b4d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 17:06 BBC OS (w172zbjhchcrz6r)
Inauguration of Donald Trump

Donald Trump has been sworn in as America's 47th president and JD Vance as his vice-president. Donald Trump is only the second US president ever to serve two non-consecutive terms. We are live in Washington bringing the key moments of the ceremony.

Sub-zero temperatures means the inauguration is being held inside the Capitol building but thousands have been queueing to take their seats in an arena where they can watch on livestream and where he'll visit later on.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern.

(Photo: Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th US President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, USA, 20 January 2025.
US Presidential Inauguration 2025, Washington, USA - 20 Jan 2025. Credit: SAUL LOEB/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


MON 18:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6194fwj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 18:06 BBC OS (w172zbjhchcs2yw)
What the world expects from Trump presidency

Donald Trump has been inaugurated as US president at the Capitol, and is expected to start signing executive orders to promote his radical agenda. We bring the key events of the inauguration ceremony. Sub-zero temperatures meant the inauguration was held inside the Capitol building.

We connect with our correspondents across the US and globally to help understand what President Trump means for people around the world, and what we might expect from the next four years of his presidency.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern.

(Photo: US Presidential Inauguration 2025, Washington, USA - 20 Jan 2025. Credit: KEVIN LAMARQUE/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


MON 19:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6194kmn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 19:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr337xs0z)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwtxx1)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct5w4m)
2025/01/20 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 (w172zgfk6194pcs)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 20:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3ct5sjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 on Sunday]


MON 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwv1n5)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 20:32 Discovery (w3ct5rnw)
Uncharted: The Grain of Truth

Amid the desperation of war-starved Netherlands, a doctor defies conventional wisdom to save gravely ill children, uncovering a treatment that sparks both hope and controversy. Years later, in 1967, a young female researcher detects a strange, pulsing signal—could it be mundane interference or evidence of alien life? From lifesaving breakthroughs to cosmic discoveries, this story celebrates the determination of pioneers who challenge convention and pursue truth against the odds.


MON 21:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6194t3x)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 21:06 Newshour (w172zb9bn8v2nlw)
Donald Trump becomes US president

In this special Newshour edition: Donald Trump says a "golden age" has begun for America after he was sworn in as president for a second time. He criticised his predecessor, Joe Biden, and set out a series of executive orders to be signed today. They included the declaration of a state of emergency on the US Mexico border and designating drug cartels foreign terrorist organisations. He says he'll also declare a "national energy emergency", encouraging the extraction of fossil fuels.

(Photo: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office as Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump look on during inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. Chip Somodevilla/Pool via REUTERS)


MON 22:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6194xw1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr337y48c)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwv94f)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct601h)
Donald Trump was sworn in as US president - what's next?

Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States and emphasized in his speech: trade, tariffs and transformation. We find out what does it mean for the global economy.

We hear from Chris Campbell, the former US Treasury Assistant Secretary during Donald Trump's first term.

And we hear the reaction on the political fallout between Mexico and Canada from local business owners.

You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!


MON 23:00 BBC News (w172zgfk61951m5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 23:06 HARDtalk (w3ct5szq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


MON 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwvdwk)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 23:32 The Conversation (w3ct5x0q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]

TUESDAY 21 JANUARY 2025

TUE 00:00 BBC News (w172zgfk61955c9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 00:06 The History Hour (w3ct5n2y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:06 on Monday]


TUE 01:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619593f)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 01:06 Business Matters (w172zbfxdmmhk89)
Donald Trump was sworn in as US president - what's next?

Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States and mentioned in his speech emphasised: trade, tariffs and transformation. We find out what does it mean for the global economy.

We hear from Chris Campbell, the former US Treasury Assistant Secretary during Donald Trump's first term. And we hear the reaction on the political fallout between Mexico and Canada from local business owners.

You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!


TUE 02:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6195dvk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr337ym7w)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwvs3y)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 02:32 Assignment (w3ct5mtz)
Death marches: Uncovering the truth beneath the soil

How a town in Poland – once in Germany - is discovering its troubling past.

Eighty years ago Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi extermination camp. Over 1.1 million people, mainly Jews, were murdered there. However, there is an aspect of those terrible days which is less well known and which 80 years later is still being uncovered and still resonating: the death marches.

As Soviet troops approached, in January 1945, SS soldiers at Auschwitz-Birkenau forced some 60,000 prisoners to march west, in freezing temperatures. Weak with hunger and disease, those who fell behind were shot.

This is the story of how eight decades on the search for the truth behind one of those death marches is being uncovered. For years the history of a death march passing through the once proud German community of Schönwald was hidden.

It is also the story of how descendants of the original inhabitants of Schönwald are having to confront the role some of their relatives may have played in the Nazi project, and how today’s Polish inhabitants of the town, which is now called Bojków, are grappling with what happened on their streets.
Amie Liebowitz’s own great-grandmother was murdered Auschwitz-Birkenau, while her great-aunt was rescued by the Soviet forces. She speaks to those on both sides – German and Polish – who are uncovering this history.

Presenter: Amie Liebowitz
Producer: John Murphy
Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy

(Image: Auschwitz concentration camp - 60,000 prisoners from Auschwitz-Birkenau were forced onto death marches. Credit: Amie Liebowitz/BBC)
(Archive of Gita Stein from USC Shoah Foundation, 1995)


TUE 03:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6195jlp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 03:06 Outlook (w3ct5nr9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Monday]


TUE 03:50 Witness History (w3ct5yj1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Monday]


TUE 04:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6195nbt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 04:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr337yvr4)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrww0m6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 04:32 In the Studio (w3ct5tlw)
Michael Visocchi: A sculpture for South Georgia

In his studio, an old schoolroom in the Scottish Highlands, sculptor Michael Visocchi is working on Commensalis, a huge work that will be installed thousands of miles away, in Grytviken, an abandoned whaling station on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. From 1904 to 1966 thousands of whales were slaughtered and butchered here. Whaling ships brought rats, which predated the seabirds, driving species to near- extinction. But now, with whaling ended and the rats eradicated, whales are returning, seal and bird populations are recovering. South Georgia is an ecology in recovery.

Whaling ships and equipment were taken to Grytviken and harboured there. Now it looks like an industrial scrapyard; ships rust on the shore, huge tanks decay behind. Millions of leftover rivets remain.

Visocchi was struck by the similarity of shape of these rivets and the bumps of the barnacles on the bodies of living whales. The barnacles exist in a relationship between individuals of two species in which one obtains benefits from the other without either harming or benefiting the latter. This is known as commensalism, and gives Visocchi’s installation its name. Commensalis will comprise large steel ‘tables’ which echo the shape and rust colour of the
oil tanks. The tables, one for each species of whale that was taken, are dotted with patterns of polished rivets that represent the slaughtered whales.

We hear recordings Visocchi made on two visits to the remote island, the first for inspiration, the second to work out how to create and install the work among the seals and penguins. In his studio and a fabrication workshop so many miles away he talks to presenter Julian May as he works on this project which is challenging in so many ways – theoretically, technically, in time (three years so far) and even morally. South Georgia has no permanent population,
so is a public artwork appropriate? South Georgia has been sullied by people going there and leaving stuff behind. Isn’t, actually, Visocchi doing the same?

Presenter and Producer: Julian May


TUE 05:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6195s2y)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 05:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fhzwrj)
Donald Trump begins second term

Donald Trump, the newly-sworn in 47th president of the United States, has begun his second term in office with a flurry of executive orders after taking the oath in Washington DC. He has announced an emergency over immigration at the country's southern border, which frees up federal funding and allows the military to be deployed. We'll speak to a Mexican-American who is in favour of the new crackdown, and to a migrant rights campaigner.

President Trump also said he would exploit America's oil and gas reserves, and is pulling the US out of the landmark climate deal, the Paris Agreement. He
has also pardoned around fifteen-hundred of his supporters arrested for the storming the US Capitol building four years ago. Many could be released from prison within hours.

In other news, Colombia's president has declared a state of emergency after dozens were killed during spiralling violence between rebel groups.

In Sudan, there's hope food aid will arrive in the war-torn city of Wad Madani.

Mozambique's freshly sworn-in President Daniel Chapo tells the BBC his government is working to unite the country, after hundreds died in protests following his election in October.

(Photo: Donald Trump attends the Commander in Chief Ball, January 20, 2025; Credit: Reuters)


TUE 06:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6195wv2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 06:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fj00hn)
President Trump signs swathe of executive orders

A few hours into his second term as US president, Donald Trump hit the ground running signing a spate of executive orders, including declaring a national emergency on the southern border with Mexico. We'll be speaking to supporters and opponents. President Trump also withdrew from a major climate deal - the Paris Agreement.

We'll also gauge how the second coming of President Trump is being viewed around the world.

A state of emergency is declared in an area in Colombia where spiralling violence between rebel groups has killed dozens of people.

(Photo: President Trump signs numerous executive orders, 20 Jan 2025; Credit: Reuters)


TUE 07:00 BBC News (w172zgfk61960l6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 07:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fj047s)
Donald Trump signs first orders of presidency

Donald Trump, the newly-sworn in 47th president of the United States, has begun his second term in office with a swathe of executive orders, including one declaring a national emergency on the US-Mexico border as part of a wider crackdown on illegal immigration. He also pardoned more than a thousand of the people behind the attack of the US Capitol four years ago. We'll hear from our correspondent in Washington DC.

The forgotten history of Nazi death marches and extermination camps is unearthed by residents of a Polish village eight decades on.

And we'll speak to Mozambique's main opposition leader on what lies ahead for his movement and the country after hundreds died in protests following last October's disputed election.

(Photo: Donald Trump signs documents as he issues executive orders, January 20, 2025; Credit: Reuters)


TUE 08:00 BBC News (w172zgfk61964bb)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 08:06 The Documentary (w3ct7lc5)
Prison of the mind

In many countries around the world, prison populations are bursting at the seams. However, in some Northern European countries, prisons are closing and re-offending rates are down, which many have attributed to a novel approach to justice - taking a mental-health first approach. Jenny Okolo, a forensic occupational therapist, seeks to determine whether global prison systems could benefit from a similar approach and whether the solution is as simple as it seems.

Presenter: Jenny Okolo
Producer: Ray Sang and James Tindale
Editor: Phil Smith
A Reduced Listening production for BBC World Service

(Photo: An inmate at Rodjan farm, an open prison functioning as a farm in the city of Mariestad, 300km south-west of Stockholm. Credit: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images)


TUE 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwwhlq)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct5zjp)
Saudi Arabia's Hollywood dream

Today we’re in Jeddah, looking at how Saudi Arabia went from a Kingdom where cinemas were banned to a rising star in the film industry.

We hear from Saudis revelling in new-found freedoms and foreign filmmakers lured in by cash incentives.

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

Presented and produced by Emily Wither

(Picture: US actor Johnny Depp poses for a picture with a fan on the red carpet of the awards ceremony of the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, December 2024. Credit: Getty Images)


TUE 08:50 Witness History (w3ct5ynk)
Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway

In 1995, an obscure Japanese religion launched a chemical attack on the Tokyo metro.

Members of the doomsday cult, which called itself Aum Shinrikyo, dropped plastic bags containing sarin liquid on the floors of five different trains and then pierced them. As the liquid evaporated, passengers began inhaling the deadly fumes. Thirteen people were killed and thousands more injured.

One of the passengers affected that day was Atsushi Asakahara. He spoke to Chloe Hadjimatheou in 2012.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Sarin attack. Credit: Getty Images)


TUE 09:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619682g)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 09:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr337zggs)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwwmbv)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 09:32 Assignment (w3ct5mtz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


TUE 10:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6196ctl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 10:06 The Arts Hour (w3ct5qkn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:06 on Saturday]


TUE 11:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6196hkq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr337zpz1)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwwvv3)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 11:32 The Global Story (w3ct6fc1)
President Trump is back

Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th US president. In his inaugural speech he promised to put America first and said "the golden age of America begins right now". The ceremony, held inside the Capitol building because of freezing temperatures in Washington, saw Mr Trump flanked by his family, political allies, and the billionaires running Silicon Valley’s biggest tech firms.

Mr Trump said he would immediately begin a review of trade policies - and that new tariffs would bring in massive amounts of money to enrich Americans at other countries' expense. He repeated threats to take over the Panama Canal - claiming that China had taken control of the waterway.

The Global Story has teamed up with other BBC podcasts to dissect Trump's speech. Jonny Dymond is joined by James Cook and Chris Mason from Newscast, Anthony Zurcher and Marianna Spring from Americast, and Victoria Derbyshire from Ukrainecast.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Producers: Richard Moran, Jack Maclaren, Teodora Agarici and Shiler Mahmoudi

Sound engineer: Ricardo McCarthy

Assistant editors: Sergi Forcada Freixas and Chris Gray

Senior news editors: China Collins and Sam Bonham

(Photo: Donald Trump during his inauguration as 47th US president. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


TUE 12:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6196m9v)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 12:06 Outlook (w3ct5p5v)
The desert architect who brought back a river

Aziza Chaouni was the first Moroccan to study architecture at Harvard. She dreamed of creating the kind of dramatic glass and metal structures that were winning awards for architectural superstars, But her university professor and mentor sent her on a different mission – to create buildings and designs to help her home city of Fez. So Aziza decided on a project to restore the heavily-polluted and stinking river that runs through the ancient medina. It seemed a far cry from her original ambitions. But an epic journey across the Sahara Desert convinced her that the innovative engineering of water, sand and mud – rather than steel, glass and concrete – were her true calling.

There used to be half a million Northern Woolly Spider Monkeys – or Muriqui – in Brazil. But today just 900 are left. Reporter Gibby Zobel travelled to a nature reserve in the state of Minas Gerais to find out more about the monkeys and the man who devoted his life to protecting them. This interview was first broadcast on 14th July 2020.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707


TUE 12:50 Witness History (w3ct5ynk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


TUE 13:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6196r1z)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 13:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr337zyg9)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwx3bc)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 13:32 In the Studio (w3ct5tlw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


TUE 14:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6196vt3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 14:06 Newshour (w172zb9bn8v4q92)
President Trump begins his first full day back in the White House

President Trump begins his first full day back in the White House, having signed a flurry of executive orders and making other policy announcements immediately after his inauguration on Monday. The new president also issued pardons or commutations for more than 1,500 people convicted or charged in connection with the Capitol riots four years ago.

Also in the programme: another dramatic day in South Korean politics as the impeached president appears in court; and Israel launches a major offensive in Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

(IMAGE: US President Donald Trump signs numerous executive orders, including pardons for defendants from the January 6th riots and a delay on the TikTok ban, on the first day of his presidency in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 January 2025 / CREDIT: Jim Lo Scalzo/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


TUE 15:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6196zk7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 15:06 The Documentary (w3ct7lc5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


TUE 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwxbtm)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 15:32 World Business Report (w3ct6088)
President Trump begins first full day in office with deportations, climate and energy at the top of the agenda

President Trump, in his first hours back in office, has issued a flurry of executive orders on everything from immigration and climate and energy. Will Bain hears about his plans to also introduce tariffs, specifically mentioning Mexico and Canada.

In Nigeria, the cost of making phone calls, being online, and sending messages is set to increase by up to 50% after the country's regulator approved a significant increase in tariffs. The president of The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) tells us why.


TUE 16:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619739c)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 16:06 BBC OS (w172zbjhchcvrcq)
President Trump: What's first on his agenda?

President Donald Trump begins his first full day back in the White House after signing dozens of executive orders following his inauguration on Monday. He started the process of withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization and Paris climate deal. He has also declared a national emergency at the southern border. We hear reaction from the US and around the world.

We speak to Gazans after the first full of peace in Gaza, following the start of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

And Turkish authorities say the death toll of a fire at a hotel in a ski resort has climbed to over 60 people. We speak to the BBC's Turkish service to find out more.

Presenter: Andrew Peach.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump signs documents as he issues executive orders and pardons for January 6 defendants in the Oval Office at the White House on Inauguration Day in Washington. Credit: REUTERS/Carlos Barria)


TUE 17:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619771h)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 17:06 BBC OS (w172zbjhchcvw3v)
President Trump: Your questions answered

President Donald Trump has signed dozens of executive orders ahead of his first full day back in the White House. So what will his next steps be on climate, health and deportations? We'll answer all your questions with our correspondents in the US and around the world.

We hear from Gazans as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continues to hold for a third day.

And we'll get reaction from Nigeria where the cost of making phone calls and being online is rising by up to 50%.

Presenter: Andrew Peach.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump reacts after being sworn in on the day of his Presidential Inauguration at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/Pool)


TUE 18:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6197bsm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 18:06 Outlook (w3ct5p5v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


TUE 18:50 Witness History (w3ct5ynk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


TUE 19:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6197gjr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 19:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3380ny2)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwxtt4)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct5w94)
2025/01/21 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 (w172zgfk6197l8w)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 20:06 Assignment (w3ct5mtz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


TUE 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwxyk8)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 20:32 Tech Life (w3ct5wnf)
VPNs and India

In this edition we're trying to find out why some popular security and privacy services - known as VPNs - are disappearing from app stores in India.

Also on this week's Tech Life, we speak to the team behind a super-lightweight plane, powered by the sun's rays, that could be used like a steerable satellite.

And does talk of artificial intelligence make you worried about your job, or make you wonder what the future might hold ? Don't worry, it's not all gloom ! We hear from a historian who is taking a very long view of AI.

We’re always keen to hear from you. You can email us: techlife@bbc.co.uk, or send us a text message or voice note on Whatsapp: +44 330 1230 320.

Presenter: Zoe Kleinman
Producer: Tom Quinn
Editor: Monica Soriano

(Image: An illustration of Internet access via a VPN. A shield with the inscription VPN and a globe. Credit: Getty Images)


TUE 21:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6197q10)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 21:06 Newshour (w172zb9bn8v5khz)
US pulls out of World Health Organization

In his first 24 hours back in office, US President Donald Trump has signed a range of executive orders, one of which removes the US from the World Health Organization. He claims the agency mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside other global health crises. We hear from the WHO and a Republican congressman about what this withdrawal means for the public body’s funding.

Also in the programme: we speak to one of 1,500 people now pardoned after the January 6 Capitol attack; and over to Japan, where a new device is helping pianists play faster.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump signs numerous executive orders, 20th January 2025. Credit: Jim Lo Scalzo/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


TUE 22:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6197ts4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr338115g)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwy61j)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct60bj)
Trump unveiled billions of dollars to build AI infrastructure in the US

The US president Donald Trump unveiled billions of dollars of private investment in a massive new artificial intelligence infrastructure venture backed by OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle.

We look at the immigration restrictions from the US president and find out how will it affect businesses and the economy.

Also, we talk about the US bonds market.

And we hear from Devina Gupta about cola wars in India.

You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!


TUE 23:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6197yj8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 23:06 The Documentary (w3ct7lc5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


TUE 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwy9sn)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 23:32 In the Studio (w3ct5tlw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]

WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2025

WED 00:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619828d)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 00:06 The Arts Hour (w3ct5qkn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:06 on Saturday]


WED 01:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619860j)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 01:06 Business Matters (w172zbfxdmmlg5d)
Trump unveiled billions of dollars to build AI infrastructure in the US

The US president Donald Trump unveiled billions of dollars of private investment in a massive new artificial intelligence infrastructure venture backed by OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle.

We look at the immigration restrictions from the US president and find out how will it affect businesses and the economy.

Also, we talk about the US bonds market.

And we hear from Devina Gupta about cola wars in India.

You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!


WED 02:00 BBC News (w172zgfk61989rn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3381j4z)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwyp11)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 02:32 The Climate Question (w3ct5wsx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:06 on Sunday]


WED 03:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6198fhs)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 03:06 Outlook (w3ct5p5v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Tuesday]


WED 03:50 Witness History (w3ct5ynk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Tuesday]


WED 04:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6198k7x)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 04:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3381rn7)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwyxj9)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 04:32 Good Bad Billionaire (w3ct6xkw)
Tiger Woods: Golf’s ‘golden boy’

Golfing superstardom made him incredibly rich. Personal disasters nearly took it all away. How did Tiger Woods go from a child golfing prodigy to the world’s highest paid athlete for a whole decade? BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng explain how one of the greatest golfers of all time broke barriers in his sport, winning 15 major golf championships and 82 PGA Tour events. He’s an inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame, won the Masters five times, the PGA Championship four times and both the Open and the US Open three times, as well as helping the US win the Ryder Cup. High-profile sponsorship deals and business ventures made him a billionaire, but then came affairs, car crashes and scandal. Simon and Zing track the spectacular rise of this global sporting superstar, then decide if they think he’s good, bad, or just another billionaire.


WED 05:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6198p01)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 05:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fj2snm)
President Trump defends pardoning Capitol riots people

Mentions of the FBI's investigation into the 6 January riot at the Capitol - the biggest probe in its history - appear to have been scrubbed from the agency's website.

Donald Trump also announced a five hundred billion dollar investment in AI infrastructure -- describing it as the biggest project of its kind in history.

The death toll in Israel’s military operation in Jenin in the occupied West Bank has risen to ten.

(Pic: People embrace and sing songs to celebrate after people are released from the DC Central Detention Facility; Credit: Reuters)


WED 06:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6198sr5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 06:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fj2xdr)
Donald Trump announces the formation of AI 'Stargate'

Standing next to major tech executives Sam Altman and Larry Ellison, and Japanese tech tycoon Masayoshi Son, Donald Trump announced the formation of Stargate, a US-based artificial intelligence company.

At least 10 Palestinians have been killed and 35 others injured during a major Israeli military operation in the city of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry. We get the latest from there.

A report from our correspondent on how the war in Ukraine is putting its health system under unprecedented pressure.

(Pic: US President Donald Trump (L) gives remarks on artificial intelligence (AI) Infrastructure; Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


WED 07:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6198xh9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 07:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fj314w)
Trump: AI investment the biggest project in history

Donald Trump has announced a five hundred billion dollar investment in AI infrastructure, describing it as the biggest project of its kind in history. Sam Altman, who leads the company behind ChatGPT, said new AI technology could cure diseases at an unprecedented rate.

Nine Palestinians have been killed and 35 injured by Israeli forces during a major operation in Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

(Pic: US President Donald Trump arrives to give remarks on artificial intelligence (AI); Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


WED 08:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619917f)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 08:06 HARDtalk (w3ct5t5b)
Ehud Olmert: This war must end now

Stephen Sackur speaks to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. He is a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and says only territorial compromise can save Israel from a grim future. But is his simply a voice in the political wilderness?


WED 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwzdht)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct5zp6)
India's cola wars

For decades, two multi-national giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi, have been competing for one of the world’s biggest consumer markets. Now they face tough competition from Asia’s richest man. Mukesh Ambani’s company, Reliance Retail, has launched its own cola brand - Campa Cola.

With its vast retail network and aggressive pricing strategy, we find out how this has intensified the so called 'cola wars' in the country.

Producer/presenter: Devina Gupta

(Image: A group of young people drinking soft drinks at a bowling alley. Credit: Getty Images)


WED 08:50 Witness History (w3ct5yqt)
The murder of Maurizio Gucci

On 27 March 1995, fashion heir Maurizio Gucci was shot dead outside his office in Milan, Italy.

Five people, including his ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani, and her clairvoyant, were jailed in connection with his murder.

The media called it the 'trial of the century'.

Rachel Naylor speaks to Carmine Gallo, the police officer who cracked the case.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Carmine Gallo arresting Patrizia Reggiani, who's wearing his jacket, in 1997. Credit: PA)


WED 09:00 BBC News (w172zgfk61994zk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 09:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3382ccw)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwzj7y)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 09:32 The Climate Question (w3ct5wsx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:06 on Sunday]


WED 10:00 BBC News (w172zgfk61998qp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 10:06 The Documentary (w3ct7lcc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Saturday]


WED 11:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6199dgt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3382lw4)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrwzrr6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 11:32 The Global Story (w3ct6drz)
How Trump 2.0 could reshape the Middle East

It's a moment of change in the Middle East. A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and Hezbollah in retreat in Lebanon. Iran and its proxies are weakened and Syria has slipped from its grasp. Now, with President Trump officially installed in the White House, what impact might his presidency have on the region? Will he forge new ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia? And what about his rocky relationship with Iran? To discuss, Jonny Dymond is joined by the BBC’s security correspondent Frank Gardner.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Producers: Alice Aylett Roberts, Laurie Kalus and Eleanor Sly

Sound engineers: Hannah Montgomery and Jonny Baker

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins


WED 12:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6199j6y)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 12:06 Outlook (w3ct5pdm)
War was my comfort zone, until I had to walk away

Chris Booth found war reporting thrilling, he covered conflicts from Chechnya to Iraq, and felt a strong sense of purpose as he was able to reveal to wide audiences events governments would have preferred to hide.

He took risks, was often exposed to danger directly, but became uncomfortable with the moral ambiguity of reporting on the victims of war.

He says decisions he took haunt him to this day, and he found it difficult to adjust to life after he left the war zones.

There was a serious impact on his mental health, but he took action, deciding not to see himself as damaged by the experience and says he is now at his happiest in life.

Presenter: Asya Foukes
Producer: Julian Siddle

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707


WED 12:50 Witness History (w3ct5yqt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


WED 13:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6199mz2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 13:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3382vcd)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx007g)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 13:32 Good Bad Billionaire (w3ct6xkw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


WED 14:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6199rq6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 14:06 Newshour (w172zb9bn8v7m65)
Trump pardons Ross Ulbricht, founder of dark web marketplace Silk Road

President Trump has issued a full and unconditional pardon to Ross Ulbricht, who founded the dark web marketplace, Silk Road. The site sold illegal drugs, stolen passports and hacking equipment using Bitcoin. Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison a decade ago. Newshour gets reaction from former federal judge John E. Jones III.

Also in the programme: Iraq's new child marriage law; and are footballers more intelligent than we think?

(Picture: Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Trump attends the Libertarian Party's national convention, in Washington. Credit: Reuters)


WED 15:00 BBC News (w172zgfk6199wgb)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 15:06 HARDtalk (w3ct5t5b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


WED 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx07qq)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 15:32 World Business Report (w3ct60ds)
Miami's Republican mayor discusses Trump's climate policy

Upon taking office, President Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, which is considered the world's most important effort to combat rising global temperatures. We'll hear from Miami's Republican mayor, whose views are in contrast to those of Trump.

Kenya’s government has approved sweeping reforms to state-owned enterprises, merging some companies, and dissolving others.

Asia’s richest man has launched a cola brand to rival Coca-Cola and PepsiCo in India.


WED 16:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619b06g)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 16:06 BBC OS (w172zbjhchcyn8t)
President Trump's plan to impose tariffs

Sticking to one of his election promises, Donald Trump says he is considering imposing a 10% tariff on imports of Chinese-made goods as soon as 1 February. We speak to our business correspondent in New York about what this could mean globally and for the US economy.

We speak to the BBC's China Global Unit about the reaction in China.

President Trump has also told President Putin to make Ukraine deal "now" or face tariffs and sanctions. It comes as Western officials say about 1,000 North Korean troops have been killed so far in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a major incursion last year. Our security correspondent gives details.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has stopped fighting in Gaza for now but over in the occupied West Bank, Israeli security forces are continuing what they call a major counterterrorism operation. We have the latest on today's developments.

We also hear from a resident in Gaza, and we bring together three Israelis for their reflections on the ceasefire deal and what they expect to happen next.

Presenter: Luke Jones.

(Photo: US President-Elect Donald J. Trump plans tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, Los Angeles, USA - 03 Dec 2024. Credit: ALLISON DINNER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


WED 17:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619b3yl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 17:06 BBC OS (w172zbjhchcys0y)
President Trump cancels refugee travel to US

All refugees' travel to the US is being suspended, following an executive order from Donald Trump. We have the latest on President Trump's policy announcements.

We bring together three Israelis for their reflections on the Gaza ceasefire deal and what they expect to happen next.

The Nepalese government says it's increasing the permit fees for climbing Mount Everest by more than 35%. We explain why and hear from residents in Nepal.

The Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny is dominating charts around the world with Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, which has sparked an outpouring of nostalgia, love and celebration of Puerto Rican culture. We speak to the co-founder of the Bad Bunny Syllabus Project and get reaction from Puerto Rico.

Presenter: Luke Jones.

(Photo: President Donald Trump holds former United States President Joe Biden's letter on the day he signs documents as he issues executive orders and pardons for January 6 defendants in the Oval Office at the White House on Inauguration Day in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2025. Credit: Carlos Barria/File Photo/Reuters)


WED 18:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619b7pq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 18:06 Outlook (w3ct5pdm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


WED 18:50 Witness History (w3ct5yqt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


WED 19:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619bcfv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 19:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3383kv5)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx0qq7)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct5wcd)
2025/01/22 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 (w172zgfk619bh5z)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 20:06 The Climate Question (w3ct5wsx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:06 on Sunday]


WED 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx0vgc)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 20:32 Health Check (w3ct5t9v)
A WHO without the United States

As President Trump signals his intention to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, what could the global health ramifications be?
Also on the show, Meta moves from an independent fact-checking program to community notes: How will this affect health misinformation across the company’s platforms? A new rapid test that could help diagnose Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic fever brings hope to an oft neglected disease, and what would be the mental health effect of living in space long-term?

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins


WED 21:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619bly3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 21:06 Newshour (w172zb9bn8v8gf2)
Might Israel try to annex the occupied West Bank?

Speaking at the World Economic Forum today in Davos, Switzerland, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there’s a possibility that Israel could try to annex the occupied West Bank – part of the occupied Palestinian territories. He claims Israel might feel emboldened by recent military successes. Meanwhile, the Palestinian health ministry says 10 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 40 have been injured in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. We hear from a political analyst about the likelihood of an Israeli annexation.

Also in the programme: Branch of Rupert Murdoch’s news empire issues an apology to Prince Harry for “unlawful” investigations of his private life; and the new clothing line for people with disabilities.

(Photo: Israeli soldiers run to take position in Jenin camp during the second day of an Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, 22nd January 2025. Credit: Alaa Badarneh/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


WED 22:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619bqp7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3383y2k)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx12ym)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct60h1)
Donald Trump threatens more sanctions on Russia

A threat from Donald Trump to Russia - make a deal over Ukraine or face even fiercer sanctions. But how much fiercer can they get?

Syria tells the world it's open for investment after the end of the Assad regime.

And last year's winner of the Noble prize for Economics tells Roger Hearing about the future of the US economy under Donald Trump.

You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!


WED 23:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619bvfc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 23:06 HARDtalk (w3ct5t5b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


WED 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx16pr)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 23:32 Good Bad Billionaire (w3ct6xkw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]

THURSDAY 23 JANUARY 2025

THU 00:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619bz5h)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 00:06 The Documentary (w3ct7lcc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Saturday]


THU 01:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619c2xm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 01:06 Business Matters (w172zbfxdmmpc2h)
Musk criticizes Trump’s $500 billion AI plan

Elon Musk has made a rare break with the US president Donald Trump, criticizing the AI joint venture dubbed "Stargate" that was announced earlier this week.

How the new immigration order will affect farmers in the US?

Syria tells the world it's open for investment after the end of the Assad regime.

And last year's winner of the Noble prize for Economics tells Roger Hearing about the future of the US economy under Donald Trump.

You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!


THU 02:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619c6nr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3384f22)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx1ky4)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 02:32 The Documentary (w3ct7m34)
Songs from Auschwitz

Professor Shirli Gilbert explores the story of Krystyna Żywulska. Imprisoned in Auschwitz, Żywulska turned to poetry and music, creating some of the most remarkable songs of this tragic era.

Born in Poland in 1914, Jewish political prisoner Krystyna Żywulska was sent to Auschwitz in 1943. There she was given a very unusual job. She worked at the Effektenkammer, the storage facility for the personal items confiscated from arriving prisoners. This role turned out to be a gift. It gave Żywulska the space and shelter to secretly compose many poems and songs of resistance and optimism, which quickly became popular and spread throughout the camp. She also put on musical events, in secret, to raise the spirits of other Auschwitz inmates.

Professor Shirli Gilbert speaks to Żywulska’s son and to Holocaust historians to explore this remarkable story.

Presenter: Professor Shirli Gilbert
Producer: Tom Woolfenden
A Loftus Media Production

(Photo: A family photo of Krystyna Żywulska. Credit: Tadeusz Andrzejewski)


THU 03:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619cbdw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 03:06 Outlook (w3ct5pdm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Wednesday]


THU 03:50 Witness History (w3ct5yqt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Wednesday]


THU 04:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619cg50)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 04:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3384nkb)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx1tfd)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 04:32 The Food Chain (w3ct5xp1)
Is anyone following dietary guidelines?

Around 100 countries have official dietary guidelines, and more are on their way. But who is following them?

Ruth Alexander asks how realistic healthy-eating advice is as she explores how official recommendations are developed, what they’re trying to achieve, and the obstacles standing in our way.

We hear from Fatima Hachem, Senior Nutrition Officer at the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, about how her team offers support to countries designing dietary guidelines.

Chiza Kunwenda, senior lecturer in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Zambia, tells us how he and a team of others drew up the latest dietary guidelines for Zambia and other countries in Africa.

In Argentina, as well as advice, the government has issued black octagonal warning labels on foods high in salt sugar, saturated fats and calories. Are people taking notice?

And can people around the world afford to eat according to guidelines? Dr Anna Herforth co-directed the Food prices for Nutrition project at Tufts University in the United States, tells us what she found. We also hear from shoppers at a community food outlet in the North West of England, about how cost is barrier to healthy eating.


(Image: a plate of food showing suggested dietary guidelines. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

If you’d like to contact the programme, email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk.

Producers: Hannah Bewley and Izzy Greenfield.


THU 05:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619ckx4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 05:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fj5pkq)
Trump orders 1,500 troops to the southern border

The ground troops will not be involved in "law enforcement", according to a senior military official. They will initially be used to build physical barriers and other "border missions".

Meanwhile, all refugee travel to the US is being suspended, following a separate order, one of several signed by Trump in the first few days of his presidency

Hundreds of same sex couples are tying the knot in Thailand on the day a law allowing same sex marriage comes into force.

(Pic: Migrants dressed in camouflage walk south of the U.S.-Mexico border; Credit: Reuters)


THU 06:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619cpn8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 06:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fj5t9v)
Trump administration moves to crack down on immigration

A senior military official tells BBC's US partner, CBS News, that 1,000 army personnel and 500 marines will move to San Diego in California and El Paso in Texas.

What's next for US-EU trade as President Trump promises tariffs on goods from Europe? We speak to a top politician in the European Parliament's International Trade Committee.

There are also negotiations between the European Union and the UK when it comes to trade - the bloc's commissioner says EU could consider allowing the UK to join a pan-European customs scheme which lets dozens of non EU countries engage in tariff-free trade with the bloc - we have all the details in our business.

(Pic: U.S. President Donald Trump signs documents as he issues executive orders; Credit: Reuters)


THU 07:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619ctdd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 07:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fj5y1z)
Choppers, planes and troops to be sent to US border

The Acting Defence Secretary, Robert Salesses says President Trump has ordered him to support Homeland Security in taking complete operational control of the southern border.

President Trump has also given his first interview since taking office, speaking to an old friend at the Fox News cable channel.

Israel continues what it calls a counter-terrorism operation in West bank.

And a BBC investigation uncovers how psychiatric hospitals are being used to silence China’s critics.

(Pic: U.S. Customs and Border Protection walk along the Rio Grande River; Credit: Reuters)


THU 08:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619cy4j)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 08:06 The Inquiry (w3ct5xjj)
What next for Syria?

In December 2024, the decades-old Assad regime in Syria fell following 13 years of brutal civil war.

The Islamist rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, seized power in the capital Damascus, having co-ordinated a lightning offensive along with other opposition forces across the country.

This week on The Inquiry, we examine how recent events led to the current situation, who the main players are vying for control, and the many challenges facing both the new government and the Syrian people.

Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Ben Cooper
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey
Technical producer: Toby James
Editor: Tara McDermott

Contributors:

Tim Eaton, Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House

Dr Rahaf Aldoughli, Middle East and North African Studies at Lancaster University

David Schenker, Director of the Arab politics programme at the Washington

Natasha Hall, Middle East programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies


THU 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx29dx)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct5zd5)
Are social scientists good for boardrooms?

A 2020 Academy of Social Sciences report found that sociologists, economists and philosophers help companies improve productivity, enhance problem-solving and heighten social impact.

So it makes sense that businesses would want social scientists involved in strategy and decision making.

But how does it work in practice? Are there conflicts between hard commercial realities and ‘softer’ social issues, and how do companies resolve these?

We speak to Dr Melissa Cefkin, an anthropologist and former chief scientist at the Nissan Research Centre in Silicon Valley, about how she combined social science and the corporate world.

And we find out if the trend is a uniquely western, or even Californian, phenomenon.

Producer: Izzy Greenfield
Presenter: Gareth Mitchell

(Image: A group of women in a boardroom. Credit: Getty Images)


THU 08:50 Witness History (w3ct5yl9)
Replacing the Panchen Lama

On 29 November 1995, Tibetan Buddhist leaders attended a secret ceremony in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. They were present to witness the choice of the next Panchen Lama, a position in Tibetan Buddhism second in importance to the Dalai Lama.

They were met by Chinese armed guards, sent to ensure Chinese influence over the choice of Panchen Lama. The Dalai Lama's choice of Panchen Lama had been kidnapped and disappeared six months earlier.

Arjia Rinpoche, a senior Tibetan Lama, was at the ceremony. He speaks to Alex Strangwayes-Booth.

This is a CTVC production.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Arjia Rinpoche in 2008. Credit: Mira Oberman/AFP via Getty Images)


THU 09:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619d1wn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 09:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr338588z)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx2f51)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 09:32 The Documentary (w3ct7m34)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


THU 10:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619d5ms)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 10:06 The Explanation (w3ct6pmt)
The Media Show: Prince Harry’s legal victory and TikTok’s future

Prince Harry has settled his legal battle against Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers, securing a formal apology and substantial damages. Joshua Rozenberg, legal affairs commentator and journalist, explains the allegations, which included claims that private investigators used illegal methods to obtain information. Chris Huhne, former cabinet minister, reflects on his own experience.

The future of TikTok in the US faces uncertainty following remarks by President Trump, who proposed a potential deal involving US entities. Jake Kanter, Investigations Editor at Deadline, assesses the political dynamics behind this issue.

Media ethics are under scrutiny after the release of Israeli hostages by Hamas. Freelance journalist Noga Tarnopolsky critiques both the orchestration of the event by Hamas and how the Israeli government reported it and used footage of the hostages reuniting with their families.

Presenter: Katie Razzall
Producer: Simon Richardson
Assistant producer: Lucy Wai


THU 10:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx2jx5)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 10:32 The Documentary (w3ct7mwl)
Extreme Weather

We find out about the extreme weather events that are happening around the world. We speak to experts from the weather, climate, tech, and disinformation teams to ask how we can better predict and possibly prevent them.

Presenter Alex Ritson


THU 11:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619d9cx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3385hs7)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx2nn9)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 11:32 The Global Story (w3ct6dv7)
Have we already found the fountain of youth?

For centuries, people have pursued the dream of eternal youth. It might seem like the stuff of myth or science fiction, but researchers have been making fascinating progress in understanding what happens in our bodies as we age. There’s optimism that we might soon be able to use drugs to slow down or even reverse how we age, extending the number of years we live healthy, productive lives. What’s more, some of us might be taking these drugs already.

On today’s episode, Lucy Hockings speaks to Dr Andrew Steele, author of ‘Ageless: The new science of getting older without getting old’ to find out whether we might drink from the fountain of youth in our lifetime.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Producers: Richard Moran and Tom Kavanagh

Sound engineer: Annie Smith

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins


THU 12:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619df41)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 12:06 Outlook (w3ct5nz2)
How Hollywood got behind my Afghan resistance film

Afghan Sahra Mani found triumph in the most unexpected of ways, despite beginning life on the margins. Sahra grew up scrapping for an education and watching her young friends married off. Novels like Jane Eyre and her camera, a treasured gift from her mother, gave her a creative lifeline. She came to London to chase her dreams and study at university, eventually becoming an award-winning, internationally-recognised documentary filmmaker. Sahra went on to work as a university professor in Kabul.

In August 2021 Sahra was abroad, visiting her dying mother. On the same night Sahra said her final goodbye, the Taliban captured her beloved city. Unable to return, Sahra channelled her sorrow by helping women stuck under their harsh new reality. She began collecting footage of Afghan women resisting Taliban rule. Things felt bleak and that’s when Hollywood star Jennifer Lawrence reached out to ask if she could support her to make a film. Soon Malala Yousafzai joined them and an alliance was formed. Their film Bread and Roses can be watched on Apple TV.

Presenter: Sophia Smith Galer
Producer: Sarah Kendal

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp 44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Malala Yousafzai, Jennifer Lawrence, Justine Ciarrocchi and Sahra Mani at the premiere of their documentary Bread and Roses. Credit: Getty Images)


THU 12:50 Witness History (w3ct5yl9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


THU 13:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619djw5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 13:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3385r8h)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx2x4k)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 13:32 The Food Chain (w3ct5xp1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


THU 14:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619dnm9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 14:06 Newshour (w172zb9bn8vbj38)
Trump considers sending 10,000 troops to US-Mexico border

Is President Trump is planning to send 10,000 troops to the southern border? An internal memo suggests he is. We’ll ask what exactly they will be doing.
The US president has already ordered 1,500 troops to the border to install barriers - a military source says they won't be involved in "law enforcement".

Also on the programme: Our correspondent is in Jenin in the West Bank amid a major Israeli offensive; and how comedy is helping Ukrainians get through the war.

(Photo: Migrants remain stranded at the El Chaparral border port in Tijuana, Mexico, 20 January 2025. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


THU 15:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619dscf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 15:06 The Inquiry (w3ct5xjj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


THU 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx34mt)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 15:32 World Business Report (w3ct603r)
How will tariffs hurt global trade collaborations?

The US President Donald Trump will speak remotely at the World Economic Forum happening in Davos, Switzerland, delivering his first major speech to global business and political leaders, but questions over what he will, and will not be doing during his second term in office have been dominating conversations between delegates.

The European Union obtained more of its electricity from solar power than from coal for the first time over the last year.

And the Nepalese government has decided to increase the cost of climbing permits during the peak season from $11 thousand to $15 thousand.


THU 16:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619dx3k)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 16:06 BBC OS (w172zbjhchd1k5x)
ICC prosecutor seeks arrest of Taliban leaders

The top prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) says he will seek arrest warrants against senior leaders of the Taliban government in Afghanistan over the persecution of women and girls. We get the latest from the Hague and from the BBC's Afghan Service, and we get reaction from Afghan women.

Donald Trump is delivering one of the first major speeches of his presidency. It comes after the head of the World Trade Organization warned that tit-for-tat trade wars could have devastating consequences for global growth. We speak to the BBC's economics editor.

An internal government memo suggests the Trump administration is looking to send up to 10,000 more troops to the Mexican border to stop migrants entering the US. Mexican politicians say troops are not a solution. We speak to journalists on both sides of the Mexico-US border.

With 13 nominations, Emilia Pérez has become the most nominated foreign film in Oscar history. We have the latest from our entertainment reporter.

Presenter: Luke Jones.

(Photo: Taliban new leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada is seen in an undated photograph, posted on a Taliban twitter feed on May 25, 2016, and identified separately by several Taliban officials, who declined be named. Credit: Social Media/File Photo)


THU 17:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619f0vp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 17:06 BBC OS (w172zbjhchd1ny1)
New wildfire erupts in Los Angeles County

A new, fast-moving wildfire has erupted in Los Angeles County, prompting tens of thousands of people to evacuate a region already reeling from the most destructive fires in its history. We have the latest from Los Angeles and speak to those who were affected by the previous fires.

The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court says he'll seek arrest warrants against the Supreme Leader and Chief Justice of the Taliban in Afghanistan over the persecution of women and girls. The BBC's Hague correspondent explains.

An internal government memo suggests the Trump administration is looking to send up to 10,000 more troops to the Mexican border to stop migrants entering the US. Mexican politicians say troops are not a solution. We speak to journalists on both sides of the Mexico-US border.

Since the ceasefire came into effect last Sunday team of rescuers have been fanning out across the Gaza Strip to search for the dead. With the help of trusted local journalists in Gaza, Fergal Keane in Jerusalem reports on the search for the missing.


Presenter: Luke Jones.

(Photo: Firefighters work as the Hughes Fire burns in Castaic Lake, California, U.S. January 22, 2025. Credit: David Swanson/Reuters)


THU 18:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619f4lt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 18:06 Outlook (w3ct5nz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


THU 18:50 Witness History (w3ct5yl9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


THU 19:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619f8by)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 19:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3386gr8)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx3mmb)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct5w6w)
2025/01/23 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 (w172zgfk619fd32)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 20:06 The Documentary (w3ct7m34)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


THU 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx3rcg)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 20:32 Science In Action (w3ct5vf1)
Arctic carbon starting to flip

Thirty per cent of the Arctic is switching from carbon sink to carbon source. But could future fertilizer be made deep underground using less resources? Also, how and perhaps why globally 2024 had the highest number of fatal landslides in over 20 years, and an unexpected sound from space prompts a re-evaluation of how the earth’s magnetic field interacts with the environment around it.

Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Alex Mansfield
Production co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

(Photo: Magnificent icebergs. Credit: MB Photography/Getty Images)


THU 21:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619fhv6)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 21:06 Newshour (w172zb9bn8vccb5)
Mexicans prepare for deportations from the US

US President Donald Trump is promising to deport millions of undocumented migrants, many of them back to Mexico. We hear about preparations in one border city for thousands of repatriations. There are worries about the impact that might have.

Also in the programme: how stand-up comedy is helping Ukrainians deal with the trauma of war; and as this year's Oscar nominations are announced - we talk to a director who has just been nominated for his first ever film.

(Photo: Migrants being deported across the Paso del Norte international border bridge, after US President Donald Trump promised a mass deportation operation. January 23, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez)


THU 22:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619fmlb)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3386tzn)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx3zvq)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct6060)
How will Donald Trump's vision for the US economy affect its closest trading partners?

How will Donald Trump's vision for the US economy affect its closest trading partners?

We hear about what's been discussed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and discuss what the US's protectionist policies mean for the Republic of Ireland's new government.

While a $7bn deal has been reached to compensate those devastated by the US opioid epidemic, we find out whether those that cause it will ever really pay the price?

And the Nepalese government has decided to increase the cost of climbing permits during the peak season from $11 thousand to $15 thousand. But how much should you be charged to climb the world's highest mountain?

The latest business and finance news from around the world, on the BBC.


THU 23:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619frbg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 23:06 The Inquiry (w3ct5xjj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


THU 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx43lv)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 23:32 The Food Chain (w3ct5xp1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]

FRIDAY 24 JANUARY 2025

FRI 00:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619fw2l)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 00:06 The Explanation (w3ct6pmt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:06 on Thursday]


FRI 00:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx47bz)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 00:32 Unspun World with John Simpson (w3ct5yc8)
What's behind the growing tensions between China and Taiwan?

John Simpson is in Taiwan for a special episode of Unspun World where he reflects on the extraordinary rollercoaster of Chinese politics over the last 60 years.

With the BBC experts in the region, John examines the growing tensions between Taiwan and China and explores how China may deal with Trump 2.0 as the US President once again takes office.


FRI 01:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619fztq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 01:06 Business Matters (w172zbfxdmms7zl)
Trump: Build factories in the US or face steep new trade tariffs

The US president Donald Trump has given the World Economic Forum in Davos his view of the global economy.

Roger Hearing discusses the vision set out for the US economy to the assembled leaders at the summit in Switzerland, and we hear what US trade tariffs could mean for the Republic of Ireland's new government.

Elsewhere, is Japan's central bank about to raise interest rates? Will the new $7bn compensation deal to those devastated by the US opioid epidemic see those who caused it really pay the price? And how much should you be charged to climb the world's highest mountain?

Global business news, with live guests and contributions from Asia and the USA.


FRI 02:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619g3kv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr33879z5)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx4gv7)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 02:32 Tech Life (w3ct5wnf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Tuesday]


FRI 03:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619g79z)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 03:06 Outlook (w3ct5nz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Thursday]


FRI 03:50 Witness History (w3ct5yl9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Thursday]


FRI 04:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619gc23)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 04:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3387kgf)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx4qbh)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 04:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct5tf1)
Glorifying God through wine

When Father Père Basile was 12 years of age, he started thinking of a religious life. But it never crossed his mind that he would someday be living in a cloistered abbey in the south of France producing wine.

The monastery is the site of the oldest papal vineyard in the world, dating back to the 14th Century. When Pope Clement V moved the papal capital from Rome to Avignon in France, his palace needed a steady stream of wine and so the vineyard was planted in Le Barroux.

Abandoned for decades, the monks restarted the vineyard to produce a new wine called Via Caritatis (Through Charity) a number of years ago. They wanted to bring business back to the area where small winemaking families have been struggling to survive.

Presenter Colm Flynn travels to the south of France to meet Fr Père Basile, and hears his amazing story of growing up as the the son of world-travelling French foreign ministry workers, and turning his back on that to pursue a deeper calling in life.

Producer/presenter: Colm Flynn
Series producer: Rajeev Gupta and Robert Cave
Editor: Dan Tierney
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno


FRI 05:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619ggt7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 05:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fj8lgt)
Trump: Immediately repel and remove undocumented migrants

Trump's border czar Tom Homan has also repeatedly warned that undocumented people caught up in raids of criminals who are without documentation will be deported too.

A federal judge in the US temporarily blocks President Trump's order to end automatic citizenship for children born on American soil.

Hundreds of residents are leaving the town of Jenin, which has been the site of an Israeli military operation this week. Jenin's governor said the Israeli military has ordered people to evacuate the refugee camp there.

(Pic: A U.S. Border Patrol agent directs migrants on the day of the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump; Credit: Reuters)


FRI 06:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619glkc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 06:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fj8q6y)
Trump signs more orders on third day as US president

After pardoning more than 1,500 people convicted over their roles in the Capitol riots of 6 January 2021, Trump signed further pardons, this time for anti-abortion activists.

We speak to a Congressman who was there when the riots happened.

We've got a special report from the BBC's Fergal Keane and colleagues in Gaza on the harrowing search for an estimated 10,000 people in the rubble of the Strip, with the smell of death radiating from the ruins

We're going to head to Lebanon too, where Israel is now asking for more time to withdraw its troops. We'll speak to a former advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister

(Pic: U.S. President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order on AI, in the Oval Office; Credit: Reuters)


FRI 07:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619gq9h)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 07:06 Newsday (w172zbkg5fj8tz2)
Trump plans to reach out to North Korean leader

If Trump wants to restart these talks with North Korea, there is no guarantee its leader Kim Jong Un would agree this time. And it is unlikely he would sit down on the same terms.

We'll be hearing from a Congressman who witnessed first hand the events of January 6th and President Trump's pardons of the rioters

Israel's security chief says focus is switching to West Bank. We go live there to get reactions.

An Injured Djokovic booed off after quitting Melbourne semi-final.

(Pic: U.S. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the demilitarized zone; Credit: Reuters)


FRI 08:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619gv1m)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 08:06 HARDtalk (w3ct5sw9)
Mouaz Moustafa: Will Syrians get justice?

Stephen Sackur speaks to Mouaz Moustafa, founder of the US-based Syrian Emergency Task Force. He campaigned to bring the Assad regime to justice for its crimes. Now power is in new hands, will Syrians get justice for the dark past and freedom for a better future?


FRI 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx56b0)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct5z34)
Business Daily meets: Peter Moore

We hear how his British accent and 'scouse cockiness' led him from physical education teacher in the UK, to a sportswear executive in the US.

And how a career change in his 40s led Peter Moore to a job offer he couldn't refuse, as CEO of the football club he'd supported since childhood, Liverpool FC.

Produced and presented by Matt Lines

(Image: Peter Moore and Virgil van Dijk with the FIFA Club World Cup in Doha, Qatar on 21 December 2019. Credit: Getty Images)


FRI 08:50 Witness History (w3ct5yfs)
The launch of Windows 95

In August 1995, Microsoft released a new operating system - Windows 95 – following one of the computer industry’s biggest and most expensive marketing campaigns.

Queues formed outside shops at midnight as people around the world waited to be among the first to buy it.

The new software was designed to be more user friendly, easier to understand and aimed at ordinary people not professional programmers. Connecting to the internet would also be more straightforward.

More than 40 million CD Rom copies were sold in the first year, introducing a boom in personal home computing.

Sarah Leary who demonstrated the software on launch day – alongside Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and US talk show host Jay Leno – talks to Jane Wilkinson.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Bill Gates at the Windows 95 launch. Credit: Bill Nation/Sygma via Getty Images)


FRI 09:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619gysr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 09:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3388562)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx5b24)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 09:32 Science In Action (w3ct5vf1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Thursday]


FRI 10:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619h2jw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 10:06 Unexpected Elements (w3ct5q32)
Keep it clean

The Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela is currently underway in India. As part of the event, millions of pilgrims will take a cleansing dip in the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.

Inspired by this headline, we splash into a whole bathtub of stories about the science of cleaning.

We find out why it’s so important to prevent contamination of other planets and moons, and how space scientists keep things clean.

Next up, we discover how our brains clear out harmful toxins while we snooze.

And is there any truth in the saying, ‘tidy house, tidy mind’?

Finally, Marnie ponders whether it’s possible to be too clean, or if being a bit grubby is okay.

Presenters: Marnie Chesterton, with Affelia Wibisono and Andrada Fiscutean
Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, with Dan Welsh, William Hornbrook and Imaan Moin


FRI 11:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619h690)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3388dpb)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx5kkd)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 11:32 The Global Story (w3ct6dxh)
Thailand: The first same-sex marriages in Asia's LGBT haven

On Thursday, Thailand's long-awaited same-sex marriage law came into effect, with more than a thousand couples thought to have officially tied the knot already. The legislation comes after years of campaigning, and at a moment when a public yearning for change is being increasingly felt on the political stage. Characterised by its conservative establishment and royalist military, Thailand has nonetheless developed a reputation as a haven for LGBTQ+ people in Asia, and has now become the largest country on the continent to legally enshrine equal marriage rights.

On today's episode, Lucy Hockings is joined by Ruchaya 'Rayya' Nillakan, after she and her wife were officially married along with more than a hundred other couples at a mass celebration in a luxury Bangkok shopping mall. Also there was the BBC's South East Asia correspondent, Jonathan Head, who explains how this landmark moment came about, and considers why the majority of Thailand's Asian neighbours are yet to follow suit.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

Producers: Laurie Kalus, Tom Kavanagh, and Mhairi MacKenzie

Sound engineer: Dafydd Evans

Assistant editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas

Senior news editor: China Collins


FRI 12:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619hb14)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 12:06 Outlook (w3ct69b0)
Outlook Mixtape: A lost cello and a mother and child reunion

On the night of December 15th, 1997, a fire broke out in the home of Luz Cuevas and Pedro Vera, a couple living in Philadelphia with their two young sons and their ten-day-old daughter, Delimar. She was asleep upstairs. In the aftermath, no trace of baby Delimar was found — presumed dead. But in circumstances almost too extraordinary to believe, Delimar was alive and being raised only 20 kilometres or so across town. She had been renamed Aaliyah, and lived with Carolyn, a woman she thought was her mother.

Born under the rule of Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi, the novelist Hisham Matar spent much of his childhood in hiding. Hisham’s family had been forced to flee when threats were made against his father, a prominent critic of the regime. Now four decades on, he reflects on how the turbulence of his upbringing has shaped his life and work.

There used to be half a million Northern Woolly Spider Monkeys – or Muriqui – in Brazil. But today just 900 are left. Reporter Gibby Zobel travelled to a nature reserve in the state of Minas Gerais to find out more about the monkeys and the man who devoted his life to protecting them. This interview was first broadcast in 2020.

When Christine Walevska was given a rare, one-eight-size Bernardel cello at the age of eight, she fell in love with it immediately and it set her on a path to become an internationally renowned concert cellist. The tiny cello, given to her by her father, had an intriguing label on the inside… it said, “Pour la petite Comtesse Marie 1934”. This label would prove crucial after the cello was stolen from Christine’s father’s shop in 1978. It led – 36 years later – to Christine receiving an email from the Breshears family in California. They had been searching for a rare child-sized cello for their gifted daughter Starla and had finally found one. Was it Christine’s beloved Bernardel? The story of a rare cello, its theft and how it shaped the dreams of two talented girls. This was first broadcast in 2020.

Presenter: Asya Fouks

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Cassette tape. Credit: Getty Images)


FRI 12:50 Witness History (w3ct5yfs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


FRI 13:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619hfs8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 13:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3388n5l)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx5t1n)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 13:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct5tf1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


FRI 14:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619hkjd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 14:06 Newshour (w172zb9bn8vff0c)
Gaza ceasefire: Israel waits for hostage names

As Israelis wait to find out which hostages will be released next, Gazans are returning to destroyed, unrecognisable neighbourhoods.

Hamas is expected to hand over to Israel the names of four hostages to be released on Saturday under the Gaza ceasefire deal. They will be freed in exchange for 180 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

Also in the programme: Donald Trump promises to declassify documents on JFK’s assassination; how climate change is affecting education; and Ed Sheeran becomes the first Western artist to perform in Bhutan.

(Photo shows a woman praying in in Tel Aviv, Israel on 19 January 2025. Credit: Abir Sultan/EPA)


FRI 15:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619hp8j)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 15:06 HARDtalk (w3ct5sw9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


FRI 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx61jx)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 15:32 World Business Report (w3ct5ztq)
How is the energy industry responding to Trump’s new policies?

The Trump administration in the United States is leading to a significant shift in policy and financial investment in companies involved in the global energy transition. We are discussing how this potentially will have an impact on energy and how industry might respond.

South Africa is grappling with severe water shortages, particularly in Johannesburg, due to inadequate resource management and infrastructure failure. The crisis poses an existential threat to the economy.

And former Liverpool CEO Peter Moore discusses his career in sportswear, gaming, and running a global football club.


FRI 16:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619ht0n)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 16:06 BBC OS (w172zbjhchd4g30)
Investigation into IDF attack on Lebanon apartment block

A BBC investigation into the deadliest single Israeli attack in the recent conflict with Hezbollah has found evidence that almost all of the seventy-three people killed were Lebanese civilians. We hear from relatives of the victims and speak to our reporter who has been investigating.

Hamas has named four hostages to be released on Saturday under the Gaza ceasefire deal. It says they are soldiers Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag.

In his first public comments since Donald Trump's return to the White House, President Putin has said he's ready for talks on ending his war against Ukraine. We speak to our colleague with BBC Russian.

We hear from two migrants in the US who could be affected by President Trump’s immigration policies.

A journalists' union in Pakistan has called for a nationwide protest next week over legislation aimed at regulating social media. We hear reaction from Pakistan and explain the proposal.

Presenter: Luke Jones.

(Photo: Four-year-old Hawraa with her cousins - all three were killed in the attack. Credit: Fares family)


FRI 17:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619hxrs)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 17:06 BBC OS (w172zbjhchd4kv4)
Hamas names next Israeli hostages set to be released

Hamas has published the names of four female Israeli soldiers who will be freed as part of the ongoing Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag will be released on Saturday. We speak to our correspondent in Jerusalem about the hostages and what's expected this weekend.

We speak to our correspondent ahead of Donald Trump's visit to the city today.

We hear from two migrants in the US who could be affected by President Trump’s immigration policies.

M23 rebels in eastern Congo have killed the military governor of North Kivu, as they continue their advance on the regional capital, Goma. We speak to our reporter in the capital Kinshasa.

Presenter: Luke Jones.

(Photo: Israeli hostage, Naama Levy, a soldier who was seized from her army base in southern Israel during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, is pictured in this undated handout photo. Credit: Courtesy of Bring Them Home Now/Handout via REUTERS)


FRI 18:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619j1hx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 18:06 Outlook (w3ct69b0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


FRI 18:50 Witness History (w3ct5yfs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


FRI 19:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619j581)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 19:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3389cnc)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx6jjf)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct5w2c)
2025/01/24 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 (w172zgfk619j905)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 20:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct5rcv)
The first days of the Gaza ceasefire

This week we have witnessed the first Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being released following the signing of the ceasefire deal. More exchanges are expected over the coming weeks.

Meanwhile some displaced people in Gaza have begun returning to see what is left of their communities, and convoys of lorries have started delivering humanitarian aid.

In our conversations, we hear from both sides of the conflict. While many welcome the end to the fighting, there is recognition of the trauma caused and uncertainty about whether the ceasefire can hold.

“We are still in the midst of the trauma,” Udi in Israel tells us. “What needs to happen is that both peoples need to create a new narrative for the future.

“I need time to cry, I need time for silence, I need time to even relax,” says Asma, an English teacher displaced in a refugee camp in central Gaza. “I don’t know how long this time will be, but I thank God that I’m still alive.”

We also bring together three aid workers on the scale of the challenge ahead, with so much of the territory in ruins.

Host: Luke Jones
BBC producers: Isabella Bull, Angela Sheeran, Luke Hastings and Laura Cress
Boffin Media producer: Richard Hollingham

An EcoAudio certified Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.

(Photo: Palestinians look at damaged Israeli military vehicles left behind by Israeli forces, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, January 22, 2025. Credit: Hatem Khaled/Reuters)


FRI 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx6n8k)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 20:32 CrowdScience (w3ct5rjc)
How high can birds fly?

While watching a feisty cockatoo chase after a hawk, CrowdScience listener Alison saw the hawk catch a thermal and rise effortlessly into the sky. The cockatoo gave chase, but the hawk climbed higher and higher until it became just a tiny speck, barely visible to the naked eye.

And that got Alison thinking: just how high can birds go? Are there altitude limits for our feathered friends? Could a cockatoo, a sparrow, or even a duck reach such dizzying heights if they really put their wings to it?

Presenter Alex Lathbridge sets out to investigate. Biologist Catherine Ivy reveals that life above the clouds isn’t easy. At high altitudes, the air is thinner, oxygen is scarce, and wings don’t generate as much lift. But some bird species have evolved incredible adaptations to overcome these challenges.

Among them: bar-headed geese, renowned for their daring flights over the world’s tallest mountains. Physiologist Lucy Hawkes delves into how these geese defy the odds with their remarkable physiology, revealing the surprising discoveries she made while putting some of them on a treadmill.

From super-powered hearts to clever lungs, we uncover the secrets behind nature’s impressive aviators.

Presenter: Alex Lathbridge
Producers: Ilan Goodman and Jeremy Grange
Editor: Cathy Edwards
Production co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano
Technical producer: Sarah Hockley


FRI 21:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619jdr9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 21:06 Newshour (w172zb9bn8vg878)
Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.


FRI 22:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619jjhf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zbqr3389qwr)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx6wrt)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct5zwz)
First broadcast 24/01/2025 22:32 GMT

The latest business and finance news from around the world, on the BBC.


FRI 23:00 BBC News (w172zgfk619jn7k)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 23:06 HARDtalk (w3ct5sw9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


FRI 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172zggcmrx70hy)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 23:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct5tf1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]