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Diplomats from Moscow and Washington agree to press ahead with negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine. The talks, which are taking place in Saudi Arabia, are underscored by the absence of any Ukrainian representative. We talk about the latest diplomatic developments and the role of sanctions in the conflict.Also on the programme: we hear from the patients in Nigeria who are affected by cuts in USAID's HIV care; and Britain's new National Poetry Centre.(Photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attending a press conference after negotiations with US officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Credit: Shutterstock)
Donald Trump has announced that talks to end the war in Ukraine will start immediately. The US President had 'a lengthy and highly productive' phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a call to Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky. We hear from a former NATO Deputy Secretary General and a Ukrainian MP about the path going forward.Also in our programme: is the United States in the midst of a constitutional crisis? And we hear about a historic raid targetting the Sicilian mafia.(Photo: US President Trump Welcomes Released Russian Prisoner Mark Fogel. Credit: Shutterstock)
The French prime minister Francois Bayrou has praised the courage of Gisèle Pelicot, following a mass rape trial in which her ex-husband and fifty other defendants were found guilty. Dominique Pelicot was jailed for twenty years for organising the repeated drugging and rape of his former wife by dozens of strangers over a decade. Also in the programme, President Macron of France in Mayotte vows to rebuild the cyclone hit territory; and we hear from Angelina Jollie who plays the diva, Maria Callas.(Photo: Gisele Pelicot with her grandson, after the end of the trial in Avignon. Credit: Shutterstock)
In 1961, Brojen Das, a swimmer from the Ganges Delta, set a new world record for swimming from France to England. It was his sixth attempt. The achievement earned him an audience with the Queen and made him a hero in what is now Bangladesh. Farhana Haider spoke to his daughter, Sanghita Pal, in 2016.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: Brojen Das completing his Channel challenge. Credit: Shutterstock)
Large opposition rallies in Venezuela, as opposition leader Maria Machado calls for the details of the presidential elections - which the opposition claim President Nicholas Maduro lost – to be published. Also in the programme; Indian doctors strike to protest the murder of a woman colleague; and a new play sheds light on the life of the rock icon, Janis Joplin.(Photo: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Machado greeting her supporters in a rally in Caracas. Credit: Shutterstock)
Mass protests in Venezuela as Maduro's win is disputed as he faces more challenges even among his former supporters. Also in the programme: Israel says it targeted a Hezbollah commander in a Beirut strike, it says he was responsible for Saturday's deadly attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; and the Turkish parliament passes a law to rid the streets of stray dogs.(Picture: Supporters of the Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia in Caracas. Credit: Shutterstock)
Tension in Lebanon as Israel vows to strike Hezbollah following Saturday's deadly attack on the Golan Heights. Also in the programme: President Biden proposes an overhaul of the Supreme Court; Venezuela's president, Nicholas Maduro claims victory; and could Zambia honour its commitments for free primary and secondary education?(Photo: Empty hall in Rafik Hariri International Airport as airlines cancel their flights to Lebanon. Credit: Shutterstock)
JD Vance is Donald Trump's running mate, we speak to his university roommate and explore how Vance went from a never-Trumper to his running mate. Also on the programme: Kenyan police arrest a man who says he killed 42 women; and the remote mountain-top rainforest in Mozambique, now a conservation area.(Photo: JD Vance walking with his wife in the Republican national Convention. Credit: Shutterstock)
Joe Biden has promised to stay on as Democratic presidential candidate despite making several faux pas at the recent NATO summit, including introducing President Zelensky as Putin. Also on the programme: the president of Colombia has called on the UN to make cocaine legal. He believes it will help bring peace to his country, which has battled an armed conflict for 60 years. And, do narcissists become more agreeable as they get older?(Photo: Joe Biden has faced accusations of being too old to run for US President. Credit: Shutterstock)
The Indian Prime Minister says his third term is a historic feat, but his majority has been greatly reduced. Also on the programme, President Biden issues new measures against asylum seekers; the first TV debate ahead of the British elections; and the three boys in North Dakota who found a dinosaur.(Photo: Jubilant Modi supporters outside BJP HQ in Delhi. Credit: Shutterstock)
It's 30 years since John Aldridge made headlines for all the wrong reasons during a World Cup match between Ireland and Mexico. The Irish striker lost his temper with a match official, after not being allowed to take to the field as a substitute. Ireland were losing the match 2-0 and needed a goal.Aldridge and his manager, Jack Charlton, were pictured on television broadcasts around the world shouting expletives.Both were punished after the game, but when Aldridge finally was allowed on the pitch, he scored a goal to give Ireland a chance to get back into the game.He shares his memories of that day with Alan Hamilton. This episode is narrated by Tricia Penrose.A Moon Road Production for BBC World Service.(Photo: John Aldridge shouting at FIFA official. Credit: Shutterstock)
The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel must immediately halt its military operation in Rafah. The United Nations' highest court has also ordered Israel to re-open the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Rafah to let in aid. We speak to a legal expert about the importance of these rulings and we get the reaction from Israel and Gaza.Also in our programme: one of Britain's greatest miscarriages of justice is finally put right with the quashing of hundreds of convictions; and what does Artificial Intelligence hold for Hollywood's animal stars?(Photo: International Court of Justice President Nawaf Salam stands during an ICJ ruling on the situation in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. Credit: Shutterstock)
A Greek court has dropped charges against nine Egyptian men accused of responsibility for a shipwreck in the Mediterranean last year in which hundreds of migrants drowned. Also in the programme: Israeli medics say Palestinian detainees are routinely shackled to hospital beds, treatment they say is dehumanising; and how the war in Ukraine is changing the habits of a rare eagle. (Photo: Suspects greeting each other after case was dropped by Greek court in Kalamata. Credit: Shutterstock)
The US has confirmed that it suspended an arms shipment to Israel as its operation in Rafah intensifies.Also in the programme: our Berlin correspondent investigates Germany's strengthening far-right; and the ancient rock found by a lockdown gardener in Britain. (Picture: Destroyed houses and mosque between Khan Younis and Rafah. Credit: Shutterstock)
Israel vows to continue attacks in Rafah as the UN chief warns of worsening humanitarian situation; also in the programme, Stormy Daniels appears at Trump's hush money trial; Putin begins his fifth term in office; and Sir Owl, the Nepalese man dedicated to conserving owls. (Photo: Smoke in Rafah following and Israeli attack. Credit: Shutterstock)
US to deliver more arms to Ukraine after Congress approved multi-billion dollars aid package to Kyiv; also in the programme we look into claims of mass graves in Gaza; why have Tesla's profit's dropped?; and a lost Klimt painting goes on auction in Vienna.(Photo: Ukraine supporter holding American and Ukrainian flags outside Congress. Credit: Shutterstock)
Germany summons Russian ambassador over arrest of two men suspected of spying for Moscow. We'll ask if Russian espionage activities are spreading across Europe. Also in the programme, Washington reimposes partial sanctions on Venezuela; the animals in David Bowie's music, but should nature get the royalties?(Photo: Exterior of Russian embassy in Berlin; Credit: Shutterstock)
A major bridge in the US city of Baltimore has collapsed after being struck by a container ship. Rescuers are now searching for people in the River Patapsco, which the Francis Scott Key Bridge used to stand over. We get the latest from our correspondent at the scene and hear from a local café owner. Also in the programme: We hear from a resident in Gaza where the fighting continues despite a UN security council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire; and might climate change spell the end of the traditional British pint?(Photo: Baltimore bridge collapses after being hit by cargo ship. Credit: Shutterstock)
Provisional results from the presidential election in Senegal are showing that the opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye is leading the race for office. The BBC's James Copnall has the latest from Dakar.Also on the programme: 'ghost' matter and how scientists have come up with an experiment they hope will help prove its existence; and Jasmin Paris, the first woman to complete one of the world's toughest marathons, says she did it for 'women worldwide'.Pic : Supporters of Diomaye Faye rally in Dakar as presidential election results are tallied. Credit : Shutterstock)
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Jehad Mheisen is the latest of a series of Hamas commanders killed in the course of the Israeli offensive against Gaza. The two Hamas leaders accused of coordinating the attacks on October 7th are still presumed alive. Also on the programme: We hear from Palestinian surgeon Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah on the latest conditions at the biggest medical facility in the Gaza strip, and the US State Department official who resigned in protest at Washington sending billions of dollars of arms to Israel. (Image: A Palestinian inspects the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli air strike in Gaza City. Credit: Shutterstock.)
Without any warning the largest Chinese banks cut both mortgage and deposit rates. We ask Carlos Casanova, Senior Economist at UBP if this the stimulus needed to revive confidence and spending.image Credit: Shutterstock
Could Greece have done more to prevent a migrant boat from sinking? We ask a Greece's government official who says they offered help, but they didn't have the authority. He also says the European Union should do more. Also in the programme: The US Deportment of Justice report into George Floyd's death says officers routinely used racial discrimination and excessive force; African leaders head from Ukraine to Russia; 15,000 flee Sudan to Chad; and the ocean racers testing microplastics. Photo: Survivors of the migrant boat in the Greek city of Kalamata. Credit: Shutterstock.
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In 1982, a Japanese businessman unveiled one of the tallest statues in the world called the World Peace Giant Kannon in Awaji Island, Japan. At 100 metres tall, the statue was visible from all across the island. Despite healthy visitor numbers when it first opened, the statue fell into disrepair and locals believed it was haunted. Emily Finch speaks to local resident Yusuke Natsukawa about the impact of the statue on the island, and Goro Otsubo who visited the statue in 2002. A Whistledown production for BBC World Service. (Picture: Awaji Kannon. Credit: Shutterstock)
Officials said at least 12 were children, including a baby and young twins. It's feared the casualty figure could rise as it's not clear how many people were on the vessel which sank off the coast of southern Italy. Also on the programme, the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have announced their joint commitment to take immediate steps to end a surge in violence. And controversy on the Indian edition of Masterchef, is it really OK to allow one guest to cook with paneer when everyone else has to cook with fish? (Picture: Rescued migrants in Italy. Credit: Shutterstock)
Defiant Putin insists Russia is not the aggressor, blames the West for the war in Ukraine and suspends Russia's participation in the START treaty; also in the programme reactions to Putin's speech and a senior polish official on Warsaw's determination to send fighter jets to Ukraine. (Photo: President Putin. Credit: Shutterstock)
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Three killed in gun attack at Kurdish centre in Paris; also in the programme the arctic cold sweeping North America; and oil giant Shell agrees to pay 15 million dollars in compensation to Nigerian farmers. (Photo: Policeman on motorbike facing Kurdish protesters in Paris. Credit: Shutterstock)
Argentina win the football World Cup in Qatar. Also in the programme: delegates at the UN biodiversity conference COP 15 discuss a draft framework agreement; and the German girls' choir that is changing a thousand-year-old tradition. (Photo: Lionel Messi holding the trophy surrounded by teammates and Argentine football supporters after winning the 2022 World Cup. Credit: Shutterstock)
Long: Rare protests in 10 Chinese cities, dissenters demand an end to zero-Covid policy; Also in the programme a Somali junior minister escapes an al-Shabab attack in Mogadishu; and the brothers behind the Turkish Bayraktar drones. (Photo: Chinese protesters in Hong Kong holding blank white papers. Credit: Shutterstock)
COP 27 starts in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh with climate funding for adaptation on top of the agenda. Also in the programme, the Latino vote in the US midterms; and the British-Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Souif on her imprisoned nephew the political dissident Alaa Abd el-Fattah who is serving a five years sentence in an Egyptian prison. (Photo: Climate protester holding banner outside COP27 venue in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Credit: Shutterstock)
Ahead of COP 27, climate finance remains a major challenge; Also in the programme air pollution in Delhi forces schools to close - and some people are leaving the city in search of cleaner air; and what effect will evangelical voters have on the outcome of midterm elections in the US? (Photo: Egypt makes final preparations ahead of Cop27. Credit: Shutterstock)
Greensill Capital was a UK based finance firm and a darling of investors which made its money by lending to businesses. It went into administration in March 2021, leaving investors facing billions in losses. What went wrong with Greensill? Why did leading politicians like former British Prime Minister David Cameron get involved? And what does it teach us about the way modern entrepreneurs, like Australian-born Lex Greensill, try and promote themselves? Ed Butler speaks to Duncan Mavin, a financial journalist who followed the downfall of Greensill – he's written a book about what happened. Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: James Graham (Image: Lex Greensill. Credit: Shutterstock)
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The next presidential elections in the Philippines' is shaping up to be a clash of clans. Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of current President Rodrigo Duterte is running for Vice-President with Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as her running mate. The decision has revealed the faultlines in the Duterte political dynasty. How will it impact the trajectory of the elections? Philippines' political analyst Andrea Chloe Wong gives some insights. Credit: Shutterstock.com
In August 1990 following the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein's invasion of neighbouring Kuwait hundreds of foreign nationals were held hostage by the Iraqi government. Among them were the Rahims, a British Muslim family who had been in Iraq on a religious pilgrimage. Sameer Rahim has been speaking to Farhana Haider about his time as Saddam's prisoner. Image: Saddam Hussein with western hostages, Iraq 1990 Credit: Shutterstock
The year 2030 was set by the UN as the world's deadline for halting the spread of HIV, stopping Aids deaths, and having the first generation since 1980 born and raised completely free from infection. But at last month's 22nd International Aids conference the mood was less optimistic. Deaths from the disease, having stabilised, are now beginning to increase, with some people fearing the disease is now poised to add massively to its global death toll. As global funding for Aids decreases, and drug resistant strains of HIV rise, this week's Inquiry asks, could we see another Aids pandemic? (image: HIV and Aids activists in Amsterdam, Netherlands take part in the protest march Towards Zero Together. Credit: Shutterstock)
Teenagers are an alien species. Well, that's not exactly the conclusion of Sarah-Jayne Blakemore's research, but it's a crude summary. Professor Blakemore is a leading neuroscientist who studies the teenage brain. When humans enter adolescence their brains, as well as their bodies, go through a period of transformation. And, during this period their behaviour alters. They become more risk-taking for example, and more acutely conscious of how they're perceived by others. Professor Blakemore even has an explanation for why they can't get out of bed. Presenter David Edmonds Producer Ben Cooper (Image: Parent with Teenager, Credit: Shutterstock)
Just like in the TV show Sex and the City, female friendships tend to be uniquely close – women talk often and share a lot. But this level of intimacy can make the relationships susceptible to serious and even terminal breakdown. As friendships increasingly take place through social media, Nastaran Tavakoli-Far looks at why new technology can be a mixed blessing for female friendship by exaggerating existing vulnerabilities yet enabling increased connectedness. She also learns why it's a particular problem for teenagers as well as how a mutual admiration of One Direction can be the bedrock of a good friendship. (Photo: Three Female Friends. Credit: Shutterstock)
Why do people go to their school reunion? Caz Graham goes to a 50th anniversary school reunion in the North of England where she meets people who are encountering friends who have not seen each other for years. She hears how the event prompts their memories of school days from the 1960s and also what they have done in the years since leaving school. Caz explores the strength of feelings that school day memories produce and finds out from experts why these enduring memories draw people back to reunions. She hears from Professor Vered Vinitsky Seroussi about the importance of being able to recount what has happened in our lives to those who were our first friends during school days. The benefits of attending a school reunion are explained by Professor Jerome Short. School reunions happen around the world and can start just a few years after leaving school – Jen Bilik has attended four reunions, starting with the tenth anniversary and explains how her attitude towards them changed over the subsequent years. She explains how attending a school reunion is a way of taking part in a longitudinal study of our lives. (Image: School Reunion. Credit: Shutterstock)
Are we all racist? Harvard professor Mahzarin Banaji is the architect of what is arguably psychology's most influential experiment. It's called the Implicit Association Test (the IAT) and it has been taken millions and millions of times. It purports to be a measure of our unconscious bias towards various groups – e.g. blacks, women, the old or the disabled. Most people taking the IAT do exhibit some kind of bias. That leads to two questions – how worried should we be at these implicit attitudes, and what could be done about them? Presented by David Edmonds (Image: Question marks, Credit: Shutterstock)
In June 1982, the Israeli ambassador to the UK, Shlomo Argov, was shot and critically injured by a Palestinian gunman outside the Dorchester Hotel in London. The attack was the trigger for the start of the devastating war in Lebanon just days later. Simon Watts talks to Shlomo Argov's son, Gideon Argov.(Photo: Shlomo Argov. Credit: Shutterstock)
There are 33 ways to dispel a mistress according to one of China's top love detectives. An unusual new industry has taken hold in some of the country's top cities. It is called "mistress-dispelling", and it involves hired operatives doing what it takes to separate cheating husbands from their mistresses. With the surge in super-affluent families in China, there has also been an apparent upsurge in the number of men choosing to keep a concubine. And for wives who see divorce as a humiliating option, almost no expense is sometimes spared in seeing off the rival. Ed Butler meets some of these private detectives and "marriage counsellors", heads off on a mistress "stake-out", and asks whether this is all a symptom of a deeper crisis in gender relations in China. Producer: Ed Butler. (Photo: Asian woman with red lipstick and finger showing hush silence sign, isolated on white background Credit: Shutterstock)
On 12 December 2015, a man's body was found by a moorland track on Saddleworth Moor in northern England. He had nothing on him showing his identity. No-one knew who he was. And he had died from a rare kind of poisoning. Who was this man? Where did he come from? Why has nobody reported him missing? Their biggest lead was brought to the mortuary within the body itself. It was inside his left leg. And it's a clue which took the inquiry to Pakistan. Police believe he took his own life but did he travel nearly 4000 miles to die in this particular place? Image: Saddleworth Moor, Credit: Shutterstock
In the aftermath of 9/11, the United States approved ‘enhanced' interrogation methods that have been condemned as torture. The most notorious was controlled drowning, known as waterboarding. For Assignment, Hilary Andersson hears from those who approved, ran and suffered the programme in secret CIA prisons around the world. And she experiences some of the techniques herself. Does harsh interrogation yield reliable intelligence in the fight against terror? And what impact has the interrogation programme had on on-going conflicts – did it fuel support for ISIS? Produced by Linda Pressly(Photo: A man sits in a prison cell. Credit: Shutterstock)
In the aftermath of 9/11, the United States approved ‘enhanced' interrogation methods that have been condemned as torture. The most notorious was controlled drowning, known as waterboarding. For Assignment, Hilary Andersson hears from those who approved, ran and suffered the programme in secret CIA prisons around the world. And she experiences some of the techniques herself. Does harsh interrogation yield reliable intelligence in the fight against terror? And what impact has the interrogation programme had on on-going conflicts – did it fuel support for ISIS? Produced by Linda Pressly (Photo: A man sits in a prison cell. Credit: Shutterstock)
Billions of dollars are pouring into the latest investor craze - artificial intelligence. But serious scientists like Stephen Hawking have warned that full AI could spell the end of the human race. How seriously should we take the warnings that ever-smarter computers could turn on us? Our expert witnesses explain the threat, the opportunities and how we might avoid being turned into paperclips. (Photo: An artificial intelligence concept illustration. Credit: Shutterstock)