Podcasts about Oxfam

25 years ago, Africa had zero billionaires. Today, it has 23, and the four richest have as much wealth as 750 million Africans combined. But how is this concentration of wealth taxing Africa's poorest people? Eddy Micah Jr. talks to Kwesi Obeng reseracher at Oxfam, Africa and DW's Olisa Chukwuma in Lagos

Arjun Bhattarai is the President of the NGO Federation of Nepal, representing over 6,000 civil society organizations nationwide. A seasoned activist and policy advocate, he co-led the landmark Nepal Country Inequality Report 2025 with Oxfam. His work centers on civic freedom, inclusive governance, and social justice. Internationally, he amplifies Nepal's civil society voice in forums like the UN and GCAP.

Israel's War in Gaza is the focus of this to episode of the "DMZ America" podcast with political cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right). There have been some major developments in the war over the last week: •  French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly this September, becoming the first G7 nation to do so. •  The Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists' union said that its reporters in Gaza are starving to death due to Israel's aid blockade, with some, like photographer Bashar, too weak to work. AFP, alongside BBC, AP, and Reuters, issued a statement noting that Gaza's journalists face dire hunger. •  Doctors in Gaza, such as those at Nasser Hospital and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, are fainting from hunger while treating malnourished patients, with the UN reporting a massive spike in severe malnutrition cases in children under five. Images of skeletal Gazan children are going viral. •  France's foreign ministry stated that the famine in Gaza is Israel's fault, joining the UK and Germany in demanding an immediate end to the “humanitarian catastrophe.” •  Over 100 aid organizations, including MSF and Oxfam, reported that their staff, including doctors and aid workers, are “wasting away” due to starvation, with 900,000 children facing hunger. •  Ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain stalled. •  Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called its bombing of an iconic Catholic church a “mistake.”Scott and Ted are best friends who pride themselves on finding common ground despite the fact that they're on opposite sides of the political divide. But agreement has been elusive on Gaza. Scott is an ardent supporter of Israel whereas Ted is a harsh critic of what he calls genocide.Get ready for a thoughtful yet passionate argument about the crisis in the Middle East.Support the showThe DMZ America Podcast is recorded weekly by political cartoonists Ted Rall and Scott Stantis. Twitter/X: @scottstantis and @tedrallWeb: Rall.com

Israel's War in Gaza is the focus of this to episode of the "DMZ America" podcast with political cartoonists Ted Rall (from the Left) and Scott Stantis (from the Right). There have been some major developments in the war over the last week: •  French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly this September, becoming the first G7 nation to do so. •  The Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists' union said that its reporters in Gaza are starving to death due to Israel's aid blockade, with some, like photographer Bashar, too weak to work. AFP, alongside BBC, AP, and Reuters, issued a statement noting that Gaza's journalists face dire hunger. •  Doctors in Gaza, such as those at Nasser Hospital and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, are fainting from hunger while treating malnourished patients, with the UN reporting a massive spike in severe malnutrition cases in children under five. Images of skeletal Gazan children are going viral. •  France's foreign ministry stated that the famine in Gaza is Israel's fault, joining the UK and Germany in demanding an immediate end to the “humanitarian catastrophe.” •  Over 100 aid organizations, including MSF and Oxfam, reported that their staff, including doctors and aid workers, are “wasting away” due to starvation, with 900,000 children facing hunger. •  Ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain stalled. •  Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called its bombing of an iconic Catholic church a “mistake.”Scott and Ted are best friends who pride themselves on finding common ground despite the fact that they're on opposite sides of the political divide. But agreement has been elusive on Gaza. Scott is an ardent supporter of Israel whereas Ted is a harsh critic of what he calls genocide.Get ready for a thoughtful yet passionate argument about the crisis in the Middle East.Support the showThe DMZ America Podcast is recorded weekly by political cartoonists Ted Rall and Scott Stantis. Twitter/X: @scottstantis and @tedrallWeb: Rall.com

Heftige Reaktionen aus Israel und den USA auf Macron │ Paris erklärt Grund für Anerkennung Palästinas als Staat │ Deutschland lehnt kurzfristige Anerkennung ab │ Arabische Staaten loben Initiative aus Paris │ Bundesregierung fordert Waffenstillstand und mehr Hilfe für Gaza │ UNICEF meldet 80 verhungerte Kinder im Gazastreifen │ Russland sieht kaum Chancen auf Gipfeltreffen Putin und Selenskyj im August │ Proteste gegen Korruption in der Ukraine gehen weiter │ Russland verschärft Internetzensur

More than 100 international aid organisations and human rights groups are warning of mass starvation in Gaza and pressing for governments to take action. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam are among the signatories of a joint statement that says their colleagues and the people they serve are "wasting away". Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies into the territory, rejected the organisations' statement and accused them of "serving the propaganda of Hamas". Yolande Knell is the BBC's Middle East correspondent in Jerusalem and joined Kylie Pentelow for more on the situation there.Dame Imelda Staunton, of Vera Drake and Harry Potter fame, and her daughter Bessie Carter, of Bridgerton fame, are starring as mother and daughter in Mrs Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw, currently in the West End. The play explores the morals of earning money from prostitution. They join Kylie to talk about the relevance of the play today, and tell us what's it like acting on stage together for the first time in their careers.  Yasmin Khan is an award-winning food and travel writer. Her fusion of recipes and reportage combines the cuisines of the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean and her new book, Sabzi: Fresh Vegetarian Recipes for Everyday, is her first meat-free cookbook. It was born out of overcoming the struggles of early motherhood and breastfeeding in particular. She tells Kylie about finding solace in the sustenance and soothing properties of the Iranian food she grew up on and adapting it for health and climate-conscious modern living.Cyber flashing is when a stranger sends an unsolicited explicit image or video. When musician Anna Downes was sent naked photos and videos by a man called Ben Gunnery last year, she reported it to the police, who took a statement but were very slow to take it any further. In May, he was found guilty of intentionally sending the images to cause alarm, distress and humiliation and earlier this week Gunnery was given a two-year community order, including 150 hours of unpaid work. If he re-offends he'll be sent to prison. Anna Downes joins Kylie along with Nicola Goodwin from BBC Midlands Investigations team.Producer: Corinna Jones Presenter: Kylie Pentelow

US Senator Mark Kelly has called on Israel to stop attacking Palestinians seeking food and aid in Gaza. “Israel must stop these attacks on people seeking aid,” he posted on X, stressing that children are starving. His appeal comes as medical sources report at least 85 Palestinians killed in fresh Israeli strikes. More than 100 aid groups, including MSF, Oxfam, and Save the Children, are sounding the alarm on “mass starvation” in Gaza. They say aid warehouses are full but blocked from reaching desperate families. The coalition is calling for an immediate ceasefire, opening of all land crossings, and free UN-led aid deliveries. Their warning coincides with a US envoy's European trip to discuss a potential truce and aid corridor. The Syrian government has deployed buses to evacuate families trapped in unrest-hit Sweida. State media showed convoys entering the southern province to transport civilians to safety. Violence has displaced thousands, with neighbouring Daraa province reporting a steady influx of fleeing families. The US has announced it will leave UNESCO for the third time, effective December 31, 2026. Washington cited the agency's admission of Palestine and what it called a “globalist, ideological agenda” at odds with its “America First” policy. A State Department spokesperson said continued membership is “not in the national interest.” The move marks another sharp break in US engagement with international institutions. Türkiye has showcased its first hypersonic missile, the Tayfun Block-4, at the IDEF 2025 defence fair in Istanbul. Roketsan, the developer, also unveiled six other advanced systems at the event. The Tayfun Block-4, weighing over seven tonnes, can destroy high-value targets like air defence systems and command centres from long distances. Officials say the missile marks a major leap for Türkiye's defence industry and long-range strike capabilities.

Vor Beginn der dritten Runde direkter Gespräche zwischen der Ukraine und Russland in Istanbul hat Moskau erneut die Erwartungen gedämpft. Die Gespräche würden "sehr schwierig", so Kreml-Sprecher Peskow. │ Das Bundeskabinett hat einen Gesetzentwurf beschlossen, mit dem die Beschaffung von Rüstungsgütern vereinfacht und beschleunigt werden soll. │ Angesichts der verheerenden humanitären Lage im Gazastreifen haben mehr als hundert Hilfsorganisationen vor einer Massenhungersnot gewarnt.

We look at global container shipping volumes to assess how tariffs are reshaping trade flows. Two former U.S. Fed chairs, Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen, issue a rare warning about political pressure on the central bank — could it damage America's economic credibility? In Japan, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces fresh economic headwinds after losing control of both houses of parliament. And in the UK, we visit an Oxfam bookshop in Hove where a donation from Nick Cave is turning rare books into hot sellers.

Katika bara lenye watu zaidi ya bilioni 1.4, ni watu wanne tu wanaomiliki utajiri zaidi ya nusu ya watu wote. Kulingana na ripoti mpya ya Oxfam, ukosefu huu wa usawa unaostua sio tu takwimu - ni ishara ya wazi ya ukosefu wa haki za kiuchumi uliokita mizizi, mifumo iliyovunjika na kukosekana kwa fursa. Kujadili haya yote nimewaalika Johnson Denge mtaalamu wa uchumi akiwa Nairobi na Apronius Mbilinyi yeye ni mtaalamu wa masuala ya Kodi akiwa Tanzania.

Katika bara lenye watu zaidi ya bilioni 1.4, ni watu wanne tu wanaomiliki utajiri zaidi ya nusu ya watu wote. Kulingana na ripoti mpya ya Oxfam, ukosefu huu wa usawa unaostua sio tu takwimu - ni ishara ya wazi ya ukosefu wa haki za kiuchumi uliokita mizizi, mifumo iliyovunjika na kukosekana kwa fursa. Kujadili haya yote nimewaalika Johnson Denge mtaalamu wa uchumi akiwa Nairobi na Apronius Mbilinyi yeye ni mtaalamu wa masuala ya Kodi akiwa Tanzania.

Qasem Budair tiene 30 años y el pasado 7 de julio leyó su tesis ante el tribunal por videoconferencia. No está permitido en la Universidad del País Vasco, donde la ha hecho y presentado, pero no podía salir de su ciudad Tulkarem, en Cisjordania. "me siento en peligro de ser arrestado por mi doctorado y mi trabajo con Oxfam. Pero no estoy asustado. Si algo me pasa a mí será por defender nuestro derecho a la vida y a la educación. Mi objetivo es continuar los estudios y aumentar mis conocimientos. Es mi forma de resistencia."

(02:00): Rubio og Lavrov har haft en "ligefrem" samtale. Medvirkende: Matias Seidelin, forsvars- og sikkerhedspolitisk seniorkorrespondent på OLFI (16:00): Vaccinekritisk læge: Jeg har aldrig været til fare for patienterne. Medvirkende: Jesper Mehlsen, tidl. speciallæge (30:00): Oxfam analyse peger på rigdomme i Afrika - Enhedslisten vil fortsat hæve ulandsbistanden. Medvirkende: Trine Pertou Mach, udenrigsordfører for Enhedslisten Værter: Anne Phillipsen & Kasper HarboeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Frances Wilson has written biographies of Dorothy Wordsworth, Thomas De Quincey, D.H. Lawrence, and, most recently, Muriel Spark. I thought Electric Spark was excellent. In my review, I wrote: “Wilson has done far more than string the facts together. She has created a strange and vivid portrait of one of the most curious of twentieth century novelists.” In this interview, we covered questions like why Thomas De Quincey is more widely read, why D.H. Lawrence's best books aren't his novels, Frances's conversion to spookiness, what she thinks about a whole range of modern biographers, literature and parasocial relationships, Elizabeth Bowen, George Meredith, and plenty about Muriel Spark.Here are two brief extracts. There is a full transcript below.Henry: De Quincey and Lawrence were the people you wrote about before Muriel Spark, and even though they seem like three very different people, but in their own way, they're all a little bit mad, aren't they?Frances: Yes, that is, I think, something that they have in common. It's something that I'm drawn to. I like writing about difficult people. I don't think I could write about anyone who wasn't difficult. I like difficult people in general. I like the fact that they pose a puzzle and they're hard to crack, and that their difficulty is laid out in their work and as a code. I like tackling really, really stubborn personalities as well. Yes, they were all a bit mad. The madness was what fuelled their journeys without doubt.Henry: This must make it very hard as a biographer. Is there always a code to be cracked, or are you sometimes dealing with someone who is slippery and protean and uncrackable?And.Henry: People listening will be able to tell that Spark is a very spooky person in several different ways. She had what I suppose we would call spiritual beliefs to do with ghosts and other sorts of things. You had a sort of conversion of your own while writing this book, didn't you?Frances: Yes, I did. [laughs] Every time I write a biography, I become very, very, very immersed in who I'm writing about. I learned this from Richard Holmes, who I see as a method biographer. He Footsteps his subjects. He becomes his subjects. I think I recognized when I first read Holmes's Coleridge, when I was a student, that this was how I also wanted to live. I wanted to live inside the minds of the people that I wrote about, because it was very preferable to live inside my own mind. Why not live inside the mind of someone really, really exciting, one with genius?What I felt with Spark wasn't so much that I was immersed by-- I wasn't immersed by her. I felt actually possessed by her. I think this is the Spark effect. I think a lot of her friends felt like this. I think that her lovers possibly felt like this. There is an extraordinary force to her character, which absolutely lives on, even though she's dead, but only recently dead. The conversion I felt, I think, was that I have always been a very enlightenment thinker, very rational, very scientific, very Freudian in my approach to-- I will acknowledge the unconscious but no more.By the time I finished with Spark, I'm pure woo-woo now.TranscriptHenry: Today, I am talking to Frances Wilson. Frances is a biographer. Her latest book, Electric Spark, is a biography of the novelist Muriel Spark, but she has also written about Dorothy Wordsworth, Thomas De Quincey, DH Lawrence and others. Frances, welcome.Frances Wilson: Thank you so much for having me on.Henry: Why don't more people read Thomas De Quincey's work?Frances: [laughs] Oh, God. We're going right into the deep end.[laughter]Frances: I think because there's too much of it. When I chose to write about Thomas De Quincey, I just followed one thread in his writing because Thomas De Quincey was an addict. One of the things he was addicted to was writing. He wrote far, far, far too much. He was a professional hack. He was a transcendental hack, if you like, because all of his writing he did while on opium, which made the sentences too long and too high and very, very hard to read.When I wrote about him, I just followed his interest in murder. He was fascinated by murder as a fine art. The title of one of his best essays is On Murder as One of the Fine Arts. I was also interested in his relationship with Wordsworth. I twinned those together, which meant cutting out about 97% of the rest of his work. I think people do read his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater. I think that's a cult text. It was the memoir, if you want to call it a memoir, that kick-started the whole pharmaceutical memoir business on drugs.It was also the first addict's memoir and the first recovery memoir, and I'd say also the first misery memoir. He's very much at the root of English literary culture. We're all De Quincey-an without knowing it, is my argument.Henry: Oh, no, I fully agree. That's what surprises me, that they don't read him more often.Frances: I know it's a shame, isn't it? Of all the Romantic Circle, he's the one who's the most exciting to read. Also, Lamb is wonderfully exciting to read as well, but Lamb's a tiny little bit more grounded than De Quincey, who was literally not grounded. He's floating in an opium haze above you.[laughter]Henry: What I liked about your book was the way you emphasized the book addiction, not just the opium addiction. It is shocking the way he piled up chests full of books and notebooks, and couldn't get into the room because there were too many books in there. He was [crosstalk].Frances: Yes. He had this in common with Muriel Spark. He was a hoarder, but in a much more chaotic way than Spark, because, as you say, he piled up rooms with papers and books until he couldn't get into the room, and so just rented another room. He was someone who had no money at all. The no money he had went on paying rent for rooms, storing what we would be giving to Oxfam, or putting in the recycling bin. Then he'd forget that he was paying rent on all these rooms filled with his mountains of paper. The man was chaos.Henry: What is D.H. Lawrence's best book?Frances: Oh, my argument about Lawrence is that we've gone very badly wrong in our reading of him, in seeing him primarily as a novelist and only secondarily as an essayist and critic and short story writer, and poet. This is because of F.R. Leavis writing that celebration of him called D.H. Lawrence: Novelist, because novels are not the best of Lawrence. I think the best of his novels is absolutely, without doubt, Sons and Lovers. I think we should put the novels in the margins and put in the centre, the poems, travel writing.Absolutely at the centre of the centre should be his studies in classic American literature. His criticism was- We still haven't come to terms with it. It was so good. We haven't heard all of Lawrence's various voices yet. When Lawrence was writing, contemporaries didn't think of Lawrence as a novelist at all. It was anyone's guess what he was going to come out with next. Sometimes it was a novel [laughs] and it was usually a rant about-- sometimes it was a prophecy. Posterity has not treated Lawrence well in any way, but I think where we've been most savage to him is in marginalizing his best writing.Henry: The short fiction is truly extraordinary.Frances: Isn't it?Henry: I always thought Lawrence was someone I didn't want to read, and then I read the short fiction, and I was just obsessed.Frances: It's because in the short fiction, he doesn't have time to go wrong. I think brevity was his perfect length. Give him too much space, and you know he's going to get on his soapbox and start ranting, start mansplaining. He was a terrible mansplainer. Mansplaining his versions of what had gone wrong in the world. It is like a drunk at the end of a too-long dinner party, and you really want to just bundle him out. Give him only a tiny bit of space, and he comes out with the perfection that is his writing.Henry: De Quincey and Lawrence were the people you wrote about before Muriel Spark, and even though they seem like three very different people, but in their own way, they're all a little bit mad, aren't they?Frances: Yes, that is, I think, something that they have in common. It's something that I'm drawn to. I like writing about difficult people. I don't think I could write about anyone who wasn't difficult. I like difficult people in general. I like the fact that they pose a puzzle and they're hard to crack, and that their difficulty is laid out in their work and as a code. I like tackling really, really stubborn personalities as well. Yes, they were all a bit mad. The madness was what fuelled their journeys without doubt.Henry: This must make it very hard as a biographer. Is there always a code to be cracked, or are you sometimes dealing with someone who is slippery and protean and uncrackable?Frances: I think that the way I approach biography is that there is a code to crack, but I'm not necessarily concerned with whether I crack it or not. I think it's just recognizing that there's a hell of a lot going on in the writing and that, in certain cases and not in every case at all, the best way of exploring the psyche of the writer and the complexity of the life is through the writing, which is a argument for psycho biography, which isn't something I necessarily would argue for, because it can be very, very crude.I think with the writers I choose, there is no option. Muriel Spark argued for this as well. She said in her own work as a biographer, which was really very, very strong. She was a biographer before she became a novelist. She thought hard about biography and absolutely in advance of anyone else who thought about biography, she said, "Of course, the only way we can approach the minds of writers is through their work, and the writer's life is encoded in the concerns of their work."When I was writing about Muriel Spark, I followed, as much as I could, to the letter, her own theories of biography, believing that that was part of the code that she left. She said very, very strong and very definitive things about what biography was about and how to write a biography. I tried to follow those rules.Henry: Can we play a little game where I say the names of some biographers and you tell me what you think of them?Frances: Oh my goodness. Okay.Henry: We're not trying to get you into trouble. We just want some quick opinions. A.N. Wilson.Frances: I think he's wonderful as a biographer. I think he's unzipped and he's enthusiastic and he's unpredictable and he's often off the rails. I think his Goethe biography-- Have you read the Goethe biography?Henry: Yes, I thought that was great.Frances: It's just great, isn't it? It's so exciting. I like the way that when he writes about someone, it's almost as if he's memorized the whole of their work.Henry: Yes.Frances: You don't imagine him sitting at a desk piled with books and having to score through his marginalia. It sits in his head, and he just pours it down on a page. I'm always excited by an A.N. Wilson biography. He is one of the few biographers who I would read regardless of who the subject was.Henry: Yes.Frances: I just want to read him.Henry: He does have good range.Frances: He absolutely does have good range.Henry: Selina Hastings.Frances: I was thinking about Selina Hastings this morning, funnily enough, because I had been talking to people over the weekend about her Sybil Bedford biography and why that hadn't lifted. She wrote a very excitingly good life of Nancy Mitford and then a very unexcitingly not good life of Sybil Bedford. I was interested in why the Sybil Bedford simply hadn't worked. I met people this weekend who were saying the same thing, that she was a very good biographer who had just failed [laughs] to give us anything about Sybil Bedford.I think what went wrong in that biography was that she just could not give us her opinions. It's as if she just withdrew from her subject as if she was writing a Wikipedia entry. There were no opinions at all. What the friends I was talking to said was that she just fell out with her subject during the book. That's what happened. She stopped being interested in her. She fell out with her and therefore couldn't be bothered. That's what went wrong.Henry: Interesting. I think her Evelyn Waugh biography is superb.Frances: Yes, I absolutely agree. She was on fire until this last one.Henry: That's one of the best books on Waugh, I think.Frances: Yes.Henry: Absolutely magical.Frances: I also remember, it's a very rare thing, of reading a review of it by Hilary Mantel saying that she had not read a biography that had been as good, ever, as Selina Hastings' on Evelyn Waugh. My goodness, that's high praise, isn't it?Henry: Yes, it is. It is. I'm always trying to push that book on people. Richard Holmes.Frances: He's my favourite. He's the reason that I'm a biographer at all. I think his Coleridge, especially the first volume of the two-volume Coleridge, is one of the great books. It left me breathless when I read it. It was devastating. I also think that his Johnson and Savage book is one of the great books. I love Footsteps as well, his account of the books he didn't write in Footsteps. I think he has a strange magic. When Muriel Spark talked about certain writers and critics having a sixth literary sense, which meant that they tuned into language and thought in a way that the rest of us don't, I think that Richard Holmes does have that. I think he absolutely has it in relation to Coleridge. I'm longing for his Tennyson to come out.Henry: Oh, I know. I know.Frances: Oh, I just can't wait. I'm holding off on reading Tennyson until I've got Holmes to help me read him. Yes, he is quite extraordinary.Henry: I would have given my finger to write the Johnson and Savage book.Frances: Yes, I know. I agree. How often do you return to it?Henry: Oh, all the time. All the time.Frances: Me too.Henry: Michael Holroyd.Frances: Oh, that's interesting, Michael Holroyd, because I think he's one of the great unreads. I think he's in this strange position of being known as a greatest living biographer, but nobody's read him on Augustus John. [laughs] I haven't read his biographies cover to cover because they're too long and it's not in my subject area, but I do look in them, and they're novelistic in their wit and complexity. His sentences are very, very, very entertaining, and there's a lot of freight in each paragraph. I hope that he keeps selling.I love his essays as well, and also, I think that he has been a wonderful ambassador for biography. He's very, very supportive of younger biographers, which not every biographer is, but I know he's been very supportive of younger biographers and is incredibly approachable.Henry: Let's do a few Muriel Spark questions. Why was the Book of Job so important to Muriel Spark?Frances: I think she liked it because it was rogue, because it was the only book of the Bible that wasn't based on any evidence, it wasn't based on any truth. It was a fictional book, and she liked fiction sitting in the middle of fact. That was one of her main things, as all Spark lovers know. She liked the fact that there was this work of pure imagination and extraordinarily powerful imagination sitting in the middle of the Old Testament, and also, she thought it was an absolutely magnificent poem.She saw herself primarily as a poet, and she responded to it as a poem, which, of course, it is. Also, she liked God in it. She described Him as the Incredible Hulk [laughs] and she liked His boastfulness. She enjoyed, as I do, difficult personalities, and she liked the fact that God had such an incredibly difficult personality. She liked the fact that God boasted and boasted and boasted, "I made this and I made that," to Job, but also I think she liked the fact that you hear God's voice.She was much more interested in voices than she was in faces. The fact that God's voice comes out of the burning bush, I think it was an image for her of early radio, this voice speaking, and she liked the fact that what the voice said was tricksy and touchy and impossibly arrogant. He gives Moses all these instructions to lead the Israelites, and Moses says, "But who shall I say sent me? Who are you?" He says, "I am who I am." [laughs] She thought that was completely wonderful. She quotes that all the time about herself. She says, "I know it's a bit large quoting God, but I am who I am." [laughs]Henry: That disembodied voice is very important to her fiction.Frances: Yes.Henry: It's the telephone in Memento Mori.Frances: Yes.Henry: Also, to some extent, tell me what you think of this, the narrator often acts like that.Frances: Like this disembodied voice?Henry: Yes, like you're supposed to feel like you're not quite sure who's telling you this or where you're being told it from. That's why it gets, like in The Ballad of Peckham Rye or something, very weird.Frances: Yes. I'm waiting for the PhD on Muriel Sparks' narrators. Maybe it's being done as we speak, but she's very, very interested in narrators and the difference between first-person and third-person. She was very keen on not having warm narrators, to put it mildly. She makes a strong argument throughout her work for the absence of the seductive narrative. Her narratives are, as we know, unbelievably seductive, but not because we are being flattered as readers and not because the narrator makes herself or himself pretty. The narrator says what they feel like saying, withholds most of what you would like them to say, plays with us, like in a Spark expression, describing her ideal narrator like a cat with a bird [laughs].Henry: I like that. Could she have been a novelist if she had not become a Catholic?Frances: No, she couldn't. The two things happened at the same time. I wonder, actually, whether she became a Catholic in order to become a novelist. It wasn't that becoming a novelist was an accidental effect of being a Catholic. The conversion was, I think, from being a biographer to a novelist rather than from being an Anglican to a Catholic. What happened is a tremendous interest. I think it's the most interesting moment in any life that I've ever written about is the moment of Sparks' conversion because it did break her life in two.She converted when she was in her mid-30s, and several things happened at once. She converted to Catholicism, she became a Catholic, she became a novelist, but she also had this breakdown. The breakdown was very much part of that conversion package. The breakdown was brought on, she says, by taking Dexys. There was slimming pills, amphetamines. She wanted to lose weight. She put on weight very easily, and her weight went up and down throughout her life.She wanted to take these diet pills, but I think she was also taking the pills because she needed to do all-nighters, because she never, ever, ever stopped working. She was addicted to writing, but also she was impoverished and she had to sell her work, and she worked all night. She was in a rush to get her writing done because she'd wasted so much of her life in her early 20s, in a bad marriage trapped in Africa. She needed to buy herself time. She was on these pills, which have terrible side effects, one of which is hallucinations.I think there were other reasons for her breakdown as well. She was very, very sensitive and I think psychologically fragile. Her mother lived in a state of mental fragility, too. She had a crash when she finished her book. She became depressed. Of course, a breakdown isn't the same as depression, but what happened to her in her breakdown was a paranoid attack rather than a breakdown. She didn't crack into nothing and then have to rebuild herself. She just became very paranoid. That paranoia was always there.Again, it's what's exciting about her writing. She was drawn to paranoia in other writers. She liked Cardinal Newman's paranoia. She liked Charlotte Brontë's paranoia, and she had paranoia. During her paranoid attack, she felt very, very interestingly, because nothing that happened in her life was not interesting, that T.S. Eliot was sending her coded messages. He was encoding these messages in his play, The Confidential Clerk, in the program notes to the play, but also in the blurbs he wrote for Faber and Faber, where he was an editor. These messages were very malign and they were encoded in anagrams.The word lived, for example, became devil. I wonder whether one of the things that happened during her breakdown wasn't that she discovered God, but that she met the devil. I don't think that that's unusual as a conversion experience. In fact, the only conversion experience she ever describes, you'll remember, is in The Girls of Slender Means, when she's describing Nicholas Farrington's conversion. That's the only conversion experience she ever describes. She says that his conversion is when he sees one of the girls leaving the burning building, holding a Schiaparelli dress. Suddenly, he's converted because he's seen a vision of evil.She says, "Conversion can be as a result of a recognition of evil, rather than a recognition of good." I think that what might have happened in this big cocktail of things that happened to her during her breakdown/conversion, is that a writer whom she had idolized, T.S. Eliot, who taught her everything that she needed to know about the impersonality of art. Her narrative coldness comes from Eliot, who thought that emotions had no place in art because they were messy, and art should be clean.I think a writer whom she had idolized, she suddenly felt was her enemy because she was converting from his church, because he was an Anglo-Catholic. He was a high Anglican, and she was leaving Anglo-Catholicism to go through the Rubicon, to cross the Rubicon into Catholicism. She felt very strongly that that is something he would not have approved of.Henry: She's also leaving poetry to become a prose writer.Frances: She was leaving his world of poetry. That's absolutely right.Henry: This is a very curious parallel because the same thing exactly happens to De Quincey with his worship of Wordsworth.Frances: You're right.Henry: They have the same obsessive mania. Then this, as you say, not quite a breakdown, but a kind of explosive mania in the break. De Quincey goes out and destroys that mossy hut or whatever it is in the orchard, doesn't he?Frances: Yes, that disgusting hut in the orchard. Yes, you're completely right. What fascinated me about De Quincey, and this was at the heart of the De Quincey book, was how he had been guided his whole life by Wordsworth. He discovered Wordsworth as a boy when he read We Are Seven, that very creepy poem about a little girl sitting on her sibling's grave, describing the sibling as still alive. For De Quincey, who had lost his very adored sister, he felt that Wordsworth had seen into his soul and that Wordsworth was his mentor and his lodestar.He worshipped Wordsworth as someone who understood him and stalked Wordsworth, pursued and stalked him. When he met him, what he discovered was a man without any redeeming qualities at all. He thought he was a dry monster, but it didn't stop him loving the work. In fact, he loved the work more and more. What threw De Quincey completely was that there was such a difference between Wordsworth, the man who had no genius, and Wordsworth, the poet who had nothing but.Eliot described it, the difference between the man who suffers and the mind which creates. What De Quincey was trying to deal with was the fact that he adulated the work, but was absolutely appalled by the man. Yes, you're right, this same experience happened to spark when she began to feel that T.S. Eliot, whom she had never met, was a malign person, but the work was still not only of immense importance to her, but the work had formed her.Henry: You see the Wasteland all over her own work and the shared Dante obsession.Frances: Yes.Henry: It's remarkably strong. She got to the point of thinking that T.S. Eliot was breaking into her house.Frances: Yes. As I said, she had this paranoid imagination, but also what fired her imagination and what repeated itself again and again in the imaginative scenarios that recur in her fiction and nonfiction is the idea of the intruder. It was the image of someone rifling around in cupboards, drawers, looking at manuscripts. This image, you first find it in a piece she wrote about finding herself completely coincidentally, staying the night during the war in the poet Louis MacNeice's house. She didn't know it was Louis MacNeice's house, but he was a poet who was very, very important to her.Spark's coming back from visiting her parents in Edinburgh in 1944. She gets talking to an au pair on the train. By the time they pull into Houston, there's an air raid, and the au pair says, "Come and spend the night at mine. My employers are away and they live nearby in St. John's Wood." Spark goes to this house and sees it's packed with books and papers, and she's fascinated by the quality of the material she finds there.She looks in all the books. She goes into the attic, and she looks at all the papers, and she asks the au pair whose house it is, and the au pair said, "Oh, he's a professor called Professor Louis MacNeice." Spark had just been reading Whitney. He's one of her favourite poets. She retells this story four times in four different forms, as non-fiction, as fiction, as a broadcast, as reflections, but the image that keeps coming back, what she can't get rid of, is the idea of herself as snooping around in this poet's study.She describes herself, in one of the versions, as trying to draw from his papers his power as a writer. She says she sniffs his pens, she puts her hands over his papers, telling herself, "I must become a writer. I must become a writer." Then she makes this weird anonymous phone call. She loved the phone because it was the most strange form of electrical device. She makes a weird anonymous phone call to an agent, saying, "I'm ringing from Louis MacNeice's house, would you like to see my manuscript?" She doesn't give her name, and the agent says yes.Now I don't believe this phone call took place. I think it's part of Sparks' imagination. This idea of someone snooping around in someone else's room was very, very powerful to her. Then she transposed it in her paranoid attack about T.S. Eliot. She transposed the image that Eliot was now in her house, but not going through her papers, but going through her food cupboards. [laughs] In her food cupboards, all she actually had was baked beans because she was a terrible cook. Part of her unwellness at that point was malnutrition. No, she thought that T.S. Eliot was spying on her. She was obsessed with spies. Spies, snoopers, blackmailers.Henry: T.S. Eliot is Stealing My Baked Beans would have been a very good title for a memoir.Frances: It actually would, wouldn't it?Henry: Yes, it'd be great.[laughter]Henry: People listening will be able to tell that Spark is a very spooky person in several different ways. She had what I suppose we would call spiritual beliefs to do with ghosts and other sorts of things. You had a sort of conversion of your own while writing this book, didn't you?Frances: Yes, I did. [laughs] Every time I write a biography, I become very, very, very immersed in who I'm writing about. I learned this from Richard Holmes, who I see as a method biographer. He Footsteps his subjects. He becomes his subjects. I think I recognized when I first read Holmes's Coleridge, when I was a student, that this was how I also wanted to live. I wanted to live inside the minds of the people that I wrote about, because it was very preferable to live inside my own mind. Why not live inside the mind of someone really, really exciting, one with genius?What I felt with Spark wasn't so much that I was immersed by-- I wasn't immersed by her. I felt actually possessed by her. I think this is the Spark effect. I think a lot of her friends felt like this. I think that her lovers possibly felt like this. There is an extraordinary force to her character, which absolutely lives on, even though she's dead, but only recently dead. The conversion I felt, I think, was that I have always been a very enlightenment thinker, very rational, very scientific, very Freudian in my approach to-- I will acknowledge the unconscious but no more.By the time I finished with Spark, I'm pure woo-woo now. Anything can happen. This is one of the reasons Spark was attracted to Catholicism because anything can happen, because it legitimizes the supernatural. I felt so strongly that the supernatural experiences that Spark had were real, that what Spark was describing as the spookiness of our own life were things that actually happened.One of the things I found very, very unsettling about her was that everything that happened to her, she had written about first. She didn't describe her experiences in retrospect. She described them as in foresight. For example, her first single authored published book, because she wrote for a while in collaboration with her lover, Derek Stanford, but her first single authored book was a biography of Mary Shelley.Henry: Great book.Frances: An absolutely wonderful book, which really should be better than any of the other Mary Shelley biographies. She completely got to Mary Shelley. Everything she described in Mary Shelley's life would then happen to Spark. For example, she described Mary Shelley as having her love letters sold. Her lover sold Mary Shelley's love letters, and Mary Shelley was then blackmailed by the person who bought them. This happened to Spark. She described Mary Shelley's closest friends all becoming incredibly jealous of her literary talent. This happened to Spark. She described trusting people who betrayed her. This happened to Spark.Spark was the first person to write about Frankenstein seriously, to treat Frankenstein as a masterpiece rather than as a one-off weird novel that is actually just the screenplay for a Hammer Horror film. This was 1951, remember. Everything she described in Frankenstein as its power is a hybrid text, described the powerful hybrid text that she would later write about. What fascinated her in Frankenstein was the relationship between the creator and the monster, and which one was the monster. This is exactly the story of her own life. I think where she is. She was really interested in art monsters and in the fact that the only powerful writers out there, the only writers who make a dent, are monsters.If you're not a monster, you're just not competing. I think Spark has always spoken about as having a monster-like quality. She says at the end of one of her short stories, Bang-bang You're Dead, "Am I an intellectual woman, or am I a monster?" It's the question that is frequently asked of Spark. I think she worked so hard to monsterize herself. Again, she learnt this from Elliot. She learnt her coldness from Elliot. She learnt indifference from Elliot. There's a very good letter where she's writing to a friend, Shirley Hazzard, in New York.It's after she discovers that her lover, Derek Stanford, has sold her love letters, 70 love letters, which describe two very, very painfully raw, very tender love letters. She describes to Shirley Hazzard this terrible betrayal. She says, "But, I'm over it. I'm over it now. Now I'm just going to be indifferent." She's telling herself to just be indifferent about this. You watch her tutoring herself into the indifference that she needed in order to become the artist that she knew she was.Henry: Is this why she's attracted to mediocrities, because she can possess them and monsterize them, and they're good feeding for her artistic programme?Frances: Her attraction to mediocrities is completely baffling, and it makes writing her biography, a comedy, because the men she was surrounded by were so speck-like. Saw themselves as so important, but were, in fact, so speck-like that you have to laugh, and it was one after another after another. I'd never come across, in my life, so many men I'd never heard of. This was the literary world that she was surrounded by. It's odd, I don't know whether, at the time, she knew how mediocre these mediocrities were.She certainly recognised it in her novels where they're all put together into one corporate personality called the pisseur de copie in A Far Cry from Kensington, where every single literary mediocrity is in that critic who she describes as pissing and vomiting out copy. With Derek Stanford, who was obviously no one's ever heard of now, because he wrote nothing that was memorable, he was her partner from the end of the 40s until-- They ceased their sexual relationship when she started to be interested in becoming a Catholic in 1953, but she was devoted to him up until 1958. She seemed to be completely incapable of recognising that she had the genius and he had none.Her letters to him deferred to him, all the time, as having literary powers that she hadn't got, as having insights that she hadn't got, he's better read than she was. She was such an amazingly good critic. Why could she not see when she looked at his baggy, bad prose that it wasn't good enough? She rated him so highly. When she was co-authoring books with him, which was how she started her literary career, they would occasionally write alternative sentences. Some of her sentences are always absolutely-- they're sharp, lean, sparkling, and witty, and his are way too long and really baggy and they don't say anything. Obviously, you can see that she's irritated by it.She still doesn't say, "Look, I'm going now." It was only when she became a novelist that she said, "I want my mind to myself." She puts, "I want my mind to myself." She didn't want to be in a double act with him. Doubles were important to her. She didn't want to be in a double act with him anymore. He obviously had bought into her adulation of him and hadn't recognised that she had this terrifying power as a writer. It was now his turn to have the breakdown. Spark had the mental breakdown in 1950, '45. When her first novel came out in 1957, it was Stanford who had the breakdown because he couldn't take on board who she was as a novelist.What he didn't know about her as a novelist was her comic sense, how that would fuel the fiction, but also, he didn't recognize because he reviewed her books badly. He didn't recognise that the woman who had been so tender, vulnerable, and loving with him could be this novelist who had nothing to say about tenderness or love. In his reviews, he says, "Why are her characters so cold?" because he thought that she should be writing from the core of her as a human being rather than the core of her as an intellect.Henry: What are her best novels?Frances: Every one I read, I think this has to be the best.[laughter]This is particularly the case in the early novels, where I'm dazzled by The Comforters and think there cannot have been a better first novel of the 20th century or even the 21st century so far. The Comforters. Then read Robinson, her second novel, and think, "Oh God, no, that is her best novel. Then Memento Mori, I think, "Actually, that must be the best novel of the 20th century." [laughs] Then you move on to The Ballad of Peckham Rye, I think, "No, that's even better."The novels landed. It's one of the strange things about her; it took her so long to become a novelist. When she had become one, the novels just landed. Once in one year, two novels landed. In 1959, she had, it was The Bachelors and The Ballad of Peckham Rye, both just completely extraordinary. The novels had been the storing up, and then they just fell on the page. They're different, but samey. They're samey in as much as they're very, very, very clever. They're clever about Catholicism, and they have the same narrative wit. My God, do the plots work in different ways. She was wonderful at plots. She was a great plotter. She liked plots in both senses of the world.She liked the idea of plotting against someone, also laying a plot. She was, at the same time, absolutely horrified by being caught inside someone's plot. That's what The Comforters is about, a young writer called Caroline Rose, who has a breakdown, it's a dramatisation of Sparks' own breakdown, who has a breakdown, and believes that she is caught inside someone else's story. She is a typewriter repeating all of her thoughts. Typewriter and a chorus repeating all of her thoughts.What people say about The Comforters is that Caroline Rose thought she is a heroine of a novel who finds herself trapped in a novel. Actually, if you read what Caroline Rose says in the novel, she doesn't think she's trapped in a novel; she thinks she's trapped in a biography. "There is a typewriter typing the story of our lives," she says to her boyfriend. "Of our lives." Muriel Sparks' first book was about being trapped in a biography, which is, of course, what she brought on herself when she decided to trap herself in a biography. [laughs]Henry: I think I would vote for Loitering with Intent, The Girls of Slender Means as my favourites. I can see that Memento Mori is a good book, but I don't love it, actually.Frances: Really? Interesting. Okay. I completely agree with you about-- I think Loitering with Intent is my overall favourite. Don't you find every time you read it, it's a different book? There are about 12 books I've discovered so far in that book. She loved books inside books, but every time I read it, I think, "Oh my God, it's changed shape again. It's a shape-shifting novel."Henry: We all now need the Frances Wilson essay about the 12 books inside Loitering with Intent.Frances: I know.[laughter]Henry: A few more general questions to close. Did Thomas De Quincey waste his talents?Frances: I wouldn't have said so. I think that's because every single day of his life, he was on opium.Henry: I think the argument is a combination of too much opium and also too much magazine work and not enough "real serious" philosophy, big poems, whatever.Frances: I think the best of his work went into Blackwood's, so the magazine work. When he was taken on by Blackwood's, the razor-sharp Edinburgh magazine, then the best of his work took place. I think that had he only written the murder essays, that would have been enough for me, On Murder as a Fine Art.That was enough. I don't need any more of De Quincey. I think Confessions of an English Opium-Eater is also enough in as much as it's the great memoir of addiction. We don't need any more memoirs of addiction, just read that. It's not just a memoir of being addicted to opium. It's about being addicted to what's what. It's about being a super fan and addicted to writing. He was addicted to everything. If he was in AA now, they'd say, apparently, there are 12 addictions, he had all of them. [laughs]Henry: Yes. People talk a lot about parasocial relationships online, where you read someone online or you follow them, and you have this strange idea in your head that you know them in some way, even though they're just this disembodied online person. You sometimes see people say, "Oh, we should understand this more." I think, "Well, read the history of literature, parasocial relationships everywhere."Frances: That's completely true. I hadn't heard that term before. The history of literature, a parasocial relationship. That's your next book.Henry: There we go. I think what I want from De Quincey is more about Shakespeare, because I think the Macbeth essay is superb.Frances: Absolutely brilliant. On Knocking at the Gate in Macbeth.Henry: Yes, and then you think, "Wait, where's the rest of this book? There should be an essay about every play."Frances: That's an absolutely brilliant example of microhistory, isn't it? Just taking a moment in a play, just the knocking at the gate, the morning after the murders, and blowing that moment up, so it becomes the whole play. Oh, my God, it's good. You're right.Henry: It's so good. What is, I think, "important about it", is that in the 20th century, critics started saying or scholars started saying a lot, "We can't just look at the words on the page. We've got to think about the dramaturgy. We've got to really, really think about how it plays out." De Quincey was an absolute master of that. It's really brilliant.Frances: Yes.Henry: What's your favourite modern novel or novelist?Frances: Oh, Hilary Mantel, without doubt, I think. I think we were lucky enough to live alongside a great, great, great novelist. I think the Wolf Hall trilogy is absolutely the greatest piece of narrative fiction that's come out of the 21st century. I also love her. I love her work as an essayist. I love her. She's spooky like Spark. She was inspired.Henry: Yes, she is. Yes.Frances: She learnt a lot of her cunning from Spark, I think. She's written a very spooky memoir. In fact, the only women novelists who acknowledge Spark as their influencer are Ali Smith and Hilary Mantel, although you can see Spark in William Boyd all the time. I think we're pretty lucky to live alongside William Boyd as well. Looking for real, real greatness, I think there's no one to compare with Mantel. Do you agree?Henry: I don't like the third volume of the trilogy.Frances: Okay. Right.Henry: Yes, in general, I do agree. Yes. I think some people don't like historical fiction for a variety of reasons. It may take some time for her to get it. I think she's acknowledged as being really good. I don't know that she's yet acknowledged at the level that you're saying.Frances: Yes.Henry: I think that will take a little bit longer. Maybe as and when there's a biography that will help with that, which I'm sure there will be a biography.Frances: I think they need to wait. I do think it's important to wait for a reputation to settle before starting the biography. Her biography will be very interesting because she married the same man twice. Her growth as a novelist was so extraordinary. Spark, she spent time in Africa. She had this terrible, terrible illness. She knew something. I think what I love about Mantel is, as with Spark, she knew something. She knew something, and she didn't quite know what it was that she knew. She had to write because of this knowledge. When you read her, you know that she's on a different level of understanding.Henry: You specialise in slightly neglected figures of English literature. Who else among the canonical writers deserves a bit more attention?Frances: Oh, that's interesting. I love minor characters. I think Spark was very witty about describing herself as a minor novelist or a writer of minor novels when she was evidently major. She always saw the comedy in being a minor. All the minor writers interest me. Elizabeth Bowen, Henry Green. No, they have heard Elizabeth Bowen has been treated well by Hermione Lee and Henry Green has been treated well by Jeremy Treglown.Why are they not up there yet? They're so much better than most of their contemporaries. I am mystified and fascinated by why it is that the most powerful writers tend to be kicked into the long grass. It's dazzling. When you read a Henry Green novel, you think, "But this is what it's all about. He's understood everything about what the novel can do. Why has no one heard of him?"Henry: I think Elizabeth Bowen's problem is that she's so concise, dense, and well-structured, and everything really plays its part in the pattern of the whole that it's not breezy reading.Frances: No, it's absolutely not.Henry: I think that probably holds her back in some way, even though when I have pushed it on people, most of the time they've said, "Gosh, she's a genius."Frances: Yes.Henry: It's not an easy genius. Whereas Dickens, the pages sort of fly along, something like that.Frances: Yes. One of the really interesting things about Spark is that she really, really is easy reading. At the same time, there's so much freight in those books. There's so much intellectual weight and so many games being played. There's so many books inside the books. Yet you can just read them for the pleasure. You can just read them for the plot. You can read one in an afternoon and think that you've been lost inside a book for 10 years. You don't get that from Elizabeth Bowen. That's true. The novels, you feel the weight, don't you?Henry: Yes.Frances: She's Jamesian. She's more Jamesian, I think, than Spark is.Henry: Something like A World of Love, it requires quite a lot of you.Frances: Yes, it does. Yes, it's not bedtime reading.Henry: No, exactly.Frances: Sitting up in a library.Henry: Yes. Now, you mentioned James. You're a Henry James expert.Frances: I did my PhD on Henry James.Henry: Yes. Will you ever write about him?Frances: I have, actually. Just a little plug. I've just done a selection of James's short stories, three volumes, which are coming out, I think, later this year for Riverrun with a separate introduction for each volume. I think that's all the writing I'm going to do on James. When I was an academic, I did some academic essays on him for collections and things. No, I've never felt, ever, ready to write on James because he's too complicated. I can only take tiny, tiny bits of James and home in on them.Henry: He's a great one for trying to crack the code.Frances: He really is. In fact, I was struck all the way through writing Electric Spark by James's understanding of the comedy of biography, which is described in the figure in the carpet. Remember that wonderful story where there's a writer called Verica who explains to a young critic that none of the critics have understood what his work's about. Everything that's written about him, it's fine, but it's absolutely missed his main point, his beautiful point. He said that in order to understand what the work's about, you have to look for The Figure in the Carpet. It's The Figure in the CarpetIt's the string on which my pearls are strung. A couple of critics become completely obsessed with looking for this Figure in the Carpet. Of course, Spark loved James's short stories. You feel James's short stories playing inside her own short stories. I think that one of the games she left for her biographers was the idea of The Figure in the Carpet. Go on, find it then. Find it. [laughs] The string on which my pearls are strung.Henry: Why did you leave academia? We should say that you did this before it became the thing that everyone's doing.Frances: Is everyone leaving now?Henry: A lot of people are leaving now.Frances: Oh, I didn't know. I was ahead of the curve. I left 20 years ago because I wasn't able to write the books I wanted to write. I left when I'd written two books as an academic. My first was Literary Seductions, and my second was a biography of a blackmailing courtesan called Harriet Wilson, and the book was called The Courtesan's Revenge. My department was sniffy about the books because they were published by Faber and not by OUP, and suggested that somehow I was lowering the tone of the department.This is what things were like 20 years ago. Then I got a contract to write The Ballad of Dorothy Wordsworth, my third book, again with Faber. I didn't want to write the book with my head of department in the back of my mind saying, "Make this into an academic tome and put footnotes in." I decided then that I would leave, and I left very suddenly. Now, I said I'm leaving sort of now, and I've got books to write, and felt completely liberated. Then for The Ballad of Dorothy Wordsworth, I decided not to have footnotes. It's the only book I've ever written without footnotes, simply as a celebration of no longer being in academia.Then the things I loved about being in academia, I loved teaching, and I loved being immersed in literature, but I really couldn't be around colleagues and couldn't be around the ridiculous rules of what was seen as okay. In fact, the university I left, then asked me to come back on a 0.5 basis when they realised that it was now fashionable to have someone who was a trade author. They asked me to come back, which I did not want to do. I wanted to spend days where I didn't see people rather than days where I had to talk to colleagues all the time. I think that academia is very unhappy. The department I was in was incredibly unhappy.Since then, I took up a job very briefly in another English department where I taught creative writing part-time. That was also incredibly unhappy. I don't know whether other French departments or engineering departments are happier places than English departments, but English departments are the most unhappy places I think I've ever seen.[laughter]Henry: What do you admire about the work of George Meredith?Frances: Oh, I love George Meredith. [laughs] Yes. I think Modern Love, his first novel, Modern Love, in a strange sonnet form, where it's not 14 lines, but 16 lines. By the time you get to the bottom two lines, the novel, the sonnet has become hysterical. Modern Love hasn't been properly recognised. It's an account of the breakdown of his marriage. His wife, who was the daughter of the romantic, minor novelist, Thomas Love Peacock. His wife had an affair with the artist who painted the famous Death of Chatterton. Meredith was the model for Chatterton, the dead poet in his purple silks, with his hand falling on the ground. There's a lot of mythology around Meredith.I think, as with Elizabeth Bowen and Henry Green, he's difficult. He's difficult. The other week, I tried to reread Diana of the Crossways, which was a really important novel, and I still love it. I really recognise that it's not an easy read. He doesn't try, in any way, to seduce his readers. They absolutely have to crawl inside each book to sit inside his mind and see the world as he's seeing it.Henry: Can you tell us what you will do next?Frances: At the moment, I'm testing some ideas out. I feel, at the end of every biography, you need a writer. You need to cleanse your palate. Otherwise, there's a danger of writing the same book again. I need this time, I think, to write about, to move century and move genders. I want to go back, I think, to the 19th century. I want to write about a male writer for a moment, and possibly not a novelist as well, because after being immersed in Muriel Sparks' novels, no other novel is going to seem good enough. I'm testing 19th-century men who didn't write novels, and it will probably be a minor character.Henry: Whatever it is, I look forward to reading it. Frances Wilson, thank you very much.Frances: Thank you so much, Henry. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.commonreader.co.uk/subscribe

TUTAMÉIA participa de coletiva à imprensa internacional concedida por representantes de organizações humanitárias que atuam em Gaza e dão seu testemunho direto sobre a situação atual na Palestina. Moderada por Belinda Goldsmith, diretora global de comunicação da Save the Children, a mesa redonda teve as participações de Chris McIntosh, consultora da Oxfam em Gaza, Amjad Shawa, diretor da Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO), Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, coordenador da Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) em Gaza, Rachael Cummings, diretora da Save the Children, Fady Abed, responsável pela comunicação da MedGlobal emGaza, Budour Hassan, pesquisadora da Amnesty International em Israel e na Palestina, baseada em Ramalla, e Elvina Pothelet, consultora sênior do International Humanitarian Law Centre. Leia sobre as questões legais da ocupação aqui: https://www.diakonia.se/ihl/news/a-le... e saiba mais sobre a situação do uso da fome como arma de guerra neste relatório: https://en.pngoportal.org/post/3905/S.... Inscreva-se no TUTAMÉIA TV e visite o site TUTAMÉIA, https://tutameia.jor.br, serviço jornalístico criado por Eleonora de Lucena e Rodolfo Lucena.Acesse este link para entrar no grupo AMIG@S DO TUTAMÉIA, exclusivo para divulgação e distribuição de nossa produção jornalística: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Dn10GmZP6fV...

AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports international charities, including Oxfam and Amnesty, are urging the disbandment of an Israeli and U.S.-backed aid mechanism in Gaza.

1-Striscia di Gaza. La fame è usata come arma di guerra. Il giornale Haaretz dà la parola ai soldati israeliani. Le testimonianze raccolte confermano le denunce delle Ong. ( Martina Stefanoni) 2-Nucleare iraniano: Donald Trump gioca la carta degli incentivi per rilanciare i negoziati. ( Nima Bahlevi, Alfredo Somoza) 3-Gran Bretagna. Più welfare meno armi. Il premier Starmer fa marcia indietro sui tagli ai sussidi dopo la rivolta dei deputati laburisti. ( Daniele Fisichella) 4-Allarme disuguaglianza. Negli ultimi dieci anni la ricchezza dell'1% più ricco è aumentata di circa 34 mila dollari. Il rapporto Oxfam alla vigilia della Conferenza sul finanziamento dello sviluppo di Siviglia. ( Giulio Maria Piantadosi) 5-Cervelli in fuga dall'oscurantismo. Marsiglia ha accolto ieri primi ricercatori americani. ( Francesco Giorgini) 6-Massive Attack. Concerti oltre i confini della musica. La recensione di Pier Giorgio Pardo.

It's been an extraordinary week in the news. The bombing of Iran's nuclear sites left the world holding its breath – what comes next? Because SOMETHING will come next. Then a ceasefire was called, or was it, and that's the end of it – bombing for peace really does work apparently. Regardless, we've never had a US President like Trump, so who knows what's going to happen, but the world is certainly heating up, in more ways than one. However, before we get stuck into the news, we are going to talk soil health and food security, one of the most important issues of our time – but you wouldn't know it based on media coverage! We're already feeling the impacts with the cost of food, but what happens when food is not only more expensive, but the shelves are empty? How do we address it? What's happening now and what needs to happen?We are delighted to welcome Katie Critchlow, the co-founder and co-CEO of Re-Genus, which delivers a range of natural, regenerative fertilisers, growing media and natural crop nutrition, bringing life back to soils and boosting the health and resilience of crops. Cathy has more than 20 years' experience in impact leadership and green innovation, including eight in the c-suite of cutting-edge green start-ups, and diverse experience in corporate and NGO leadership roles. We are excited to hear what she has to say. Then it will be back to the news. In Europe, NATO has been in full swing, and the language of diplomacy has been incredibly sycophantic. The Great Leader of the US is being acknowledged for ending the nuclear threat from Iran and allies have (mostly) made a commitment to increase defence spending to 5% - but not until 2035, and guess who won't be alive then? No doubt about it, the language of diplomacy has entered a new era, but there's a deeper message in that. It's a surreal time, where the only thing that appears to have been obliterated is the truth, with the politicization of intelligence a huge threat to all of us. But that's not the only news – we'll talk about the diplomatic dance going on between India and Pakistan, Thailand could be on its way to another coup, and Oxfam's latest report states the wealth of the world's 3,000 billionaires surged by $6.5tn in real terms over the past decade. Bezos/Sánchez wedding is so in-tune with our times, no? Come and join us Friday 27th June 2025, 8am UK, 9am EU, 2pm TH, 3pm SG, 5pm AEST. Streaming across various locations. The Sh*t Show is a Livestream happening every Friday, where Andrea T Edwards, Dr. David Ko, Richard Busellato and Joe Augustin, as well as special guests, discuss the world's most pressing issues across all angles of the polycrisis, working to make sense of the extremely challenging and complex times we are all going through, plus what we can do about it. Help us move the needle so we can change the name of the show to something more genteel when (or if) it is no longer a sh*t show. #TheShitShow #UncommonCourageTo get in touch with me, all of my contact details are here https://linktr.ee/andreatedwards My book Uncommon Courage, an invitation, is here https://mybook.to/UncommonCourage My book 18 Steps to an All-Star LinkedIn Profile, is here https://mybook.to/18stepstoanallstar

C dans l'air du 26 juin 2025 - Orages, canicule: un été à risque?Arbres arrachés, routes inondées, toitures abimées ou envolées, pylônes tordus par la violence des rafales… Le réveil est brutal ce jeudi matin dans de nombreuses communes du pays, balayées dans la nuit par des orages d'une rare intensité.Le bilan est lourd : deux morts — un adolescent de 12 ans, tué par la chute d'un arbre à Picquebos, près de Montauban, et un homme de 59 ans, conducteur de quad, en Mayenne —, dix-sept blessés, 100 000 foyers privés d'électricité. Les dégâts matériels sont innombrables.Pourtant, l'événement avait été anticipé. Météo-France avait placé une cinquantaine de départements en vigilance orange, mercredi, pour orages ou canicule. Mais l'alerte n'a pas suffi à prévenir les drames. Et une fois les vents tombés, une autre tempête s'annonce : celle des démarches, des déclarations de sinistres, des indemnisations, et pour certains, de la répétition infernale des catastrophes.Inondations, sécheresses, canicules, gels tardifs… Les épisodes climatiques extrêmes se succèdent à un rythme alarmant. La France, qui se réchauffe plus vite que la moyenne mondiale — +1,7 °C depuis 1900 en métropole —, n'est plus un simple témoin du changement climatique, mais en subit déjà de plein fouet les conséquences.Face à cette réalité, plusieurs ONG (Greenpeace, Notre Affaire à Tous, Oxfam) et onze citoyens sinistrés ont décidé de passer à l'action. Ils ont annoncé un recours devant le Conseil d'État pour contraindre l'État à renforcer son Plan national d'adaptation au changement climatique (PNACC-3), jugé largement insuffisant.Pas question de demander de l'argent : ils exigent des actes. Des mesures concrètes, ambitieuses, à la hauteur des enjeux, alors que les reculs environnementaux se multiplient depuis le début de l'année, en France comme ailleurs.Les plaignants dénoncent un État qui manque à ses obligations. Parmi eux : des agriculteurs aux champs noyés, des familles dont les maisons se fissurent, des habitants privés d'eau, des personnes vulnérables écrasées par les vagues de chaleur.Le gouvernement, lui, assure avoir anticipé les évolutions à venir, avec un PNACC-3 qui vise à préparer infrastructures, transports et agriculture à un monde plus chaud de 4 °C d'ici 2100. Mais pour les requérants, ce plan est trop tardif, trop timide, trop éloigné de l'urgence.LES EXPERTS :- François GEMENNE - Professeur à HEC, président du conseil scientifique - Fondation pour la nature et l'homme- Nicolas BERROD - Journaliste au service Futurs, santé-médecine et climat Le Parisien - Aujourd'hui en France- Olivier MOUSTACAKIS - Directeur général d'Assurland.com- CHLOÉ NABÉDIAN - Journaliste spécialiste des questions climatiques PRÉSENTATION : Caroline Roux - Axel de Tarlé - REDIFFUSION : du lundi au vendredi vers 23h40.PRODUCTION DES PODCASTS: Jean-Christophe ThiéfineRÉALISATION : Nicolas Ferraro, Bruno Piney, Franck Broqua, Alexandre Langeard, Corentin Son, Benoît LemoinePRODUCTION : France Télévisions / Maximal ProductionsRetrouvez C DANS L'AIR sur internet & les réseaux :INTERNET : francetv.frFACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/Cdanslairf5TWITTER : https://twitter.com/cdanslairINSTAGRAM : https://www.instagram.com/cdanslair/

Gaza - území o třetinu menší než Praha, kde žije o milion víc lidí. Přesněji řečeno živoří. Obyvatelé palestinské enklávy mezi Izraelem a Egyptem trpí už několik měsíců hladem a množí se případy střelby do Palestinců, kteří se seběhli pro potravinovou pomoc. Kontroverze provází i nový způsob její distribuce. Jak se v hladovějící Gaze žije?Host: Fidaa Alaraj - koordinátorka humanitární pomoci z mezinárodní charitativní organizace OxfamČlánek a další informace najdete na webu Seznam ZprávySledujte nás na sociálních sítích X, Instagram, Threads nebo Bluesky. Náměty a připomínky nám můžete psát na e-mail zaminutusest@sz.cz

Fidaa Alaraj, Gender Advisor with Oxfam's Global Humanitarian Team in Gaza, describes the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza City.

(02:00): Danske medier ramt af Hamas-kritiske annoncer fra Israels regering. Medvirkende: Stig Møller Christensen, Kommerciel direktør hos TV 2. (15:00): I Bulgarien protesteres der med indførelsen af euroen. Medvirkende: Rune Møller Stahl er politisk økonom og senioranalytiker hos Oxfam. (32:00): ”Vi sætter de unges sikkerhed på spil, hvis vi tillader debat om Israel-Palæstina ved skolevalget”. Medvirkende: Katrine Evelyn Jensen, forbundsformand for DSU. (41:00): Forsvaret præsenterer ny mobiliseringsstyrke. Medvirkende: Kasper Junge Wester, forsvarsjournalist og tidligere medvært på Frontlinjen på RADIO IIII. Værter: Anne Phillipsen og Kasper Harboe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com Alex Evans is the founder and Executive Director of Larger Us - a community of change-makers seeking to bridge divides and bring people together. Alex has previously worked as a think tank researcher, as a special adviser to two cabinet ministers, in the UN Secretary-General's office and as a consultant for organisations from Oxfam to the US National Intelligence Council.It's given Alex a perspective on just how bad things can be in the world. Many have described our era as a ‘polycrisis' or ‘permacrisis', as climate change, war, technology, immigration and the rise of extremism threaten to destabilise the world.So how do we deal with 24 hour doom-scrolling? And how can Christian faith speak to a world where everything seems to be falling apart?Last year Alex began a Substack titled 'The Good Apocalypse Guide' about how we can survive and thrive to unlock a 'breakthrough' rather than 'breakdown' future.Alex joins Belle and Justin as they attempt to re-enchant… the end of the world.For Alex Evans: https://goodapocalypse.substack.com/ For Re-Enchanting: https://www.seenandunseen.com/podcast There's more to life than the world we can see. Re-Enchanting is a podcast from Seen & Unseen recorded at Lambeth Palace Library, the home of the Centre for Cultural Witness. Justin Brierley and Belle Tindall engage faith and spirituality with leading figures in science, history, politics, art and education. Can our culture be re-enchanted by the vision of Christianity?If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kleidung, Geschirr, Spielzeug – Oxfam ist vielen durch seine Second-Hand-Läden bekannt. Oxfam-Geschäftsführerin Serap Altinisik berichtet in der Redezeit, was sie antreibt. Moderation: Julia Schöning Von WDR 5.

(01:00): Glade Moderater: Knap hver fjerde dansker vil melde sig frivilligt til at forsvare Danmark. Medvirkende: Peter Have, forsvarsordfører for Moderaterne. (12:00): Ligestillingsdebattør Allan Schmidt om DR-dokumentar: Dobbeltmoralsk¨. Medvirkende: Allan Schmidt, ligestillingsdebattør. (30:00): Oxfam-generaldirektør afviser, at ny Palæstina-kampagne kalder den enkelte dansker medskyldig i krigsforbrydelser. Medvirkende: Lars Koch, generaldirektør i udviklingsorganisationen Oxfam Danmark. (41:00): Elon Musk stopper som medarbejder i Trump-administrationen. Medvirkende: Mads Dalgaard Madsen, USA-Analytiker. Vært: Anne Philipsen See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    It's a trend that's been advancing at a breakneck clip for years now, but according to a new report from the global nonprofit OxFam, the vast and immoral inequality that dominates the U.S. economy has reached truly stunning levels. As the report notes, over the past year, the richest ten Americans increased their […]

Clemence Lagouardat, Head of Response for Oxfam in Gaza, details what it's like on the ground in Gaza with more aid trucks entering the enclave.

Global hunger has hit a new high. The United Nations says nearly 300 million people faced acute hunger last year. And the outlook for 2025 is bleak due to wars and cuts in aid. So which countries are experiencing the worst of the global food crisis? And who are the most vulnerable? In this episode: Chris Gunness, Former Director, Communications, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine and the Near East. Elise Nalbandian, Regional Advocacy and Campaign Manager, Oxfam, Africa. Sara Hayat - Specialist in Climate Change Law and Policy. Host: Adrian Finighan Connect with us:@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

You can go to my sponsor https://aura.com/heretics to try 14 days for free. That's enough time for Aura to start scrubbing your personal info off these data broker sites, without you lifting a finger. In this explosive interview, Rosie Millard, former chair of BBC Children in Need and renowned journalist, opens up about the shocking reasons behind her resignation. From disturbing revelations about LGBT Youth Scotland to internal hypocrisy, cowardice, and failures of due diligence at the BBC, Rosie speaks out for the first time about what really happened. We also tackle the Jimmy Savile charity scandal, the Oxfam debacle, gender ideology, brain tumour recovery and the cultural crisis gripping British institutions. SPONSORS: Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/HERETICS  Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at https://mintmobile.com/heretics  Set up your online dream biz on https://shopify.co.uk/glassbox This is a must-watch conversation for anyone concerned about safeguarding, charity accountability, free speech, and institutional failure.

In dieser besonderen Folge ist Serap Altinisik zu Gast – eine starke Stimme für Frauenrechte, soziale Gerechtigkeit und internationale Solidarität. Mit viel Herz und Offenheit erzählt sie von ihrem Weg zur Geschäftsführerin von Oxfam Deutschland, ihren politischen Überzeugungen und den Träumen, die sie antreiben. Serap spricht darüber, was es bedeutet, als Frau Verantwortung zu übernehmen – und warum es so wichtig ist, niemals an der eigenen Kraft zu zweifeln. Eine Folge, die Mut macht und verbindet. Eine Produktion von MAKIKO* für die Viva Equality gemeinnützige UG Gastgeber: Julius Bertram Mitarbeit: Tilman Perez

The Israeli blockage of Gaza is now in its third month. Since early March, no food, water, shelter or medication has been allowed into the embattled territory and aid groups warn of a worsening humanitarian crisis. Laura Barrón-López speaks with Ghada Alhaddad, who works for Oxfam inside Gaza, about the latest conditions on the ground. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The Israeli blockage of Gaza is now in its third month. Since early March, no food, water, shelter or medication has been allowed into the embattled territory and aid groups warn of a worsening humanitarian crisis. Laura Barrón-López speaks with Ghada Alhaddad, who works for Oxfam inside Gaza, about the latest conditions on the ground. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution labels the AfD as extremist, The Lebanese army dismantles 90% of Hezbollah border infrastructure, Croatia's parliament passes a new law targeting war-era cemeteries, President Trump unveils a $163B “skinny budget,” Donald Trump vows to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status, The Trump administration explores deporting migrants to Libya and Rwanda, 1,120 are arrested in a federal-state immigration operation in Florida, Tsunami alerts are issued after a 7.4M earthquake strikes offshore Chile, An Australian shipbuilder launches the world's largest electric ship, and Oxfam reports that CEO pay has increased by 50% since 2019. Sources: www.verity.news

Ghada Alhaddad, Media and Commnications Officer at Oxfam, discusses the ongoing siege in Gaza which is blocking aid from entering.

1- “ A Gaza, un incubo senza fine “. L'allarme lanciato oggi da Oxfam di fronte ad uno dei momenti più drammatici dal 7 ottobre 2023. ( Paolo Pezzati – OXFAM) 2-” consegnate gli ostaggi, dimettetevi dal potere “ Attacco senza precedenti di Abu Mazen contro la leadership di Hamas. Il presidente dell'ANP ha accusato il movimento islamista di aver dato a Israele il pretesto per radere al suolo la Striscia. ( Laura Silvia Battaglia) 3-Ucraina. Nuove pressioni degli Stati Uniti sul Zelensky. Il punto di Esteri con Lorenzo Cremonesi. 4-Diario americano. L'ennesimo Dietrofront di Donald Trump dopo il crollo dei mercati: ora promette che non licenzierà più il presidente della Federal Reserv Jerome Powell. ( Roberto Festa) 5--Romanzo a fumetti: La forza degli eroi il Graphic novel di David Sala. ( Luisa Nannipieri)

À Goma, le directeur de l'ONG internationale OXFAM pour le Congo lance un cri d'alarme : « Si Donald Trump ne rouvre pas l'USAID pour le Congo-Kinshasa, quatre millions de personnes vont être en situation de détresse et de nombreux enfants vont mourir de maladie et de malnutrition ». Autre fléau à venir, une épidémie de choléra. Cinq cents cas sont déjà signalés dans la capitale du Nord-Kivu. Le docteur Manenji Mangundu est le directeur d'OXFAM pour la RDC. Actuellement en mission dans l'Est du pays, en ligne de Goma, il répond aux questions de Christophe Boisbouvier. RFI : Manenji Mangundu, vous êtes à Goma. Deux mois après la décision de Donald Trump, est-ce que vous en sentez déjà les premiers effets sur le terrain ?Manenji Mangundu : oui, on est à Goma. Après la fin du financement de l'USAID, on réalise véritablement comment la population est dans le besoin. La situation est très précaire, parce que la population n'a pas accès à l'eau. C'est difficile d'accéder aux soins et aux médicaments. Les hôpitaux étaient financés par le Bureau Humanitaire d'Assistance, GHA, qui fait partie de l'USAID. Les populations souffrent de la pénurie de nourriture, ce qui inquiète énormément. La progression du taux de malnutrition inquiète beaucoup les femmes par rapport à leurs enfants qui sont très mal nourris. L'autre chose, c'est le choléra. L'absence d'eau potable provoque des cas de choléra qui sont en nette augmentation. Par exemple, on a presque 500 cas de choléra à Goma. Cela nous inquiète beaucoup.Quelle était jusqu'à présent la contribution de l'USAID pour nourrir toutes ces populations ?Leur contribution, c'était 70% du financement total pour l'œuvre humanitaire. C'est-à- dire, 900 millions de dollars américains étaient financés par l'USAID.900 millions de dollars américains par an ?Oui, par an.Et si le gel de l'USAID devient définitif, est-ce qu'il y a des personnes au Nord-Kivu, au Sud-Kivu qui vont être en danger de mort ? Oui. On constate déjà des cas de morts. Il y a beaucoup d'enfants qui sont mal nourris, mais ils n'accèdent pas aux médicaments. Ils n'accèdent pas à la nourriture, ils n'accèdent pas à l'eau potable, ils sont en train de mourir. Mais maintenant, tu vois, avec les difficultés d'accéder à certains villages, il est même difficile d'avoir les statistiques. Mais beaucoup d'enfants sont en train de mourir.À lire aussiEst de la RDC: «Plus de 900 corps ont été enterrés par la Croix-Rouge et le CICR»Et ces enfants qui meurent, c'est dans la ville de Goma ou bien dans la montagne autour de Goma ?Certains, c'est dans la ville de Goma et d'autres autour de Goma. Il y a beaucoup d'endroits comme dans la zone de Masisi, la zone de Mweso et la zone de Minova vers Akalé au Sud-Kivu. Il y a aussi la zone de Rutshuru.Quelle est la situation, docteur, dans les hôpitaux de Goma ?Il y a beaucoup de malades qui sont là ! Il y a beaucoup de gens qui sont en train de chercher les médicaments.Jusqu'à présent, de nombreux malades du SIDA recevaient des antirétroviraux grâce à la Fondation Bill Clinton, qui était financée par l'USAID. Est-ce que beaucoup de gens risquent aujourd'hui de mourir du SIDA faute de traitements ?Oui, je pense que les gens courent ce risque. Parce que si le financement venait à être suspendu pour les médicaments du sida, s'ils ne peuvent pas y accéder, ils vont mourir.Est-ce que vous pouvez évaluer le nombre de personnes qui risquent de mourir de faim et de maladie si l'USAID reste suspendue ?Avec les financements humanitaires, ce sont 6,5 millions de personnes qui étaient assistées.Six millions et demi ?Oui. Maintenant, si on regarde, 70% du financement, c'était l'USAID. C'est-à- dire, 70% des 6,5 millions de personnes sont à risque.Elles sont directement impactées, ce qui fait plus de 4 millions de personnes, c'est ça ?Oui.Donc, vous estimez que, dans l'Est de la RDC, au moins 4 millions de personnes risquent d'être impactées par la suspension de l'USAID, c'est ça ?Affirmatif.Alors, c'est à la fin du mois de janvier que le président Trump a annoncé la suspension de l'USAID pour 3 mois, c'est-à-dire jusqu'à la fin du mois d'avril. Est-ce que vous avez l'espoir que cette aide reprenne, ou est-ce qu'aujourd'hui, vous êtes désespéré, est-ce que vous n'y croyez plus ?Nous, on l'espère. Parce qu'on est en train de passer le message pour dire que vraiment la population a besoin de l'aide. Et vraiment, si on ne peut pas les aider, c'est comme si on était en train de les laisser mourir. Ils n'ont pas accès à l'eau potable, or, ils ont besoin de ça. Et tous les malades, avec lesquels on a discuté, souffrent des épidémies de choléra, de Mpox, et peut-être d'Ebola. S'ils n'accèdent pas à l'eau potable, c'est un problème. C'est le moment de vraiment appuyer la population. Parce que c'était d'abord la guerre qui les a impactées et maintenant, c'est la suspension des autres financements qui a amené un très gros impact. Si on avait seulement la guerre et la disponibilité des financements, ce serait un peu mieux.Non seulement il y a la guerre, mais en plus, il y a la rupture de l'aide américaine ?Exact.Et pour les populations, c'est terrible ?Oui.À lire aussiÀ la Une: Goma coupée du monde

Oxfam has teamed up with An Post for a new scheme where you can use the national postal service to pick up your donated clothes and other goods, for free! But, how does it all work?Joining Seán to discuss is Mark Sweeney, Donated Goods Strategy Manager for Oxfam Ireland…

Caroline Lucas was elected as the first ever MP for the Green Party and served as their leader three times. Having completed a PhD in English, worked for Oxfam, and been involved in local Green Party politics, she went on to serve in the European Parliament for a decade. In 2010, she was elected to Parliament as the MP for Brighton Pavilion and, during her 14 years in Westminster, the Green Party went from 0.9% of the national vote to 6.4%. Although she stepped down, a record 4 Green Party MPs were elected at the 2024 election. On the podcast - the 150th episode of Women With Balls - Caroline tells Katy Balls about growing up with different politics to her Conservative-voting parents, why her views on nuclear weapons haven't changed, and whether the left can be patriotic. She also talks about being a peer of Nigel Farage in Brussels, what it's like being the sole parliamentary party representative, and why she never considered joining the Labour Party. She argues that there is a political urgency for the left to discuss ‘Englishness', as outlined in her bestselling book Another England: How To Reclaim Our National Story, which is available now in paperback.  Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Trump envoy Steve Witkoff dismisses Starmer plan for Ukraine Grassroots anger tests Nigel Farages grip on Reform UK Newspaper headlines Reeves to wield axe on Civil Service and boxing says bye George End of hedonism Why Britain turned its back on clubbing Oxfam staff shocked as Bible donated in Chelmsford sells for 56k British TV industry is in crisis, says Wolf Hall director Peter Kosminsky Pet owners in shock after dogs seized for XL bully checks The man with a mind reading chip in his brain, thanks to Elon Musk Pope Francis to be discharged from hospital on Sunday Rachel Reeves confirms accepting free Sabrina Carpenter tickets

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Civil Service told by government to slash running costs by 15 Ex US attorney for Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber found dead Fraud experts brought in over student loan allegations Rachel Reeves confirms accepting free Sabrina Carpenter tickets Oxfam staff shocked as Bible donated in Chelmsford sells for 56k Turkish President Erdogans main rival Ekrem Imamoglu jailed A deal in the desert US and Ukraine meet ahead of Russia ceasefire talks Radio 1 DJ and presenter Andy Peebles dies aged 76 Million Dollar Secret, and The Sims rival InZoi Whats coming up this week Princess Beatrice describes daughters premature birth as humbling

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Grassroots anger tests Nigel Farages grip on Reform UK End of hedonism Why Britain turned its back on clubbing Pet owners in shock after dogs seized for XL bully checks Pope Francis to be discharged from hospital on Sunday Newspaper headlines Reeves to wield axe on Civil Service and boxing says bye George The man with a mind reading chip in his brain, thanks to Elon Musk British TV industry is in crisis, says Wolf Hall director Peter Kosminsky Rachel Reeves confirms accepting free Sabrina Carpenter tickets Oxfam staff shocked as Bible donated in Chelmsford sells for 56k Trump envoy Steve Witkoff dismisses Starmer plan for Ukraine

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Princess Beatrice describes daughters premature birth as humbling Fraud experts brought in over student loan allegations Million Dollar Secret, and The Sims rival InZoi Whats coming up this week Turkish President Erdogans main rival Ekrem Imamoglu jailed Ex US attorney for Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber found dead Radio 1 DJ and presenter Andy Peebles dies aged 76 Rachel Reeves confirms accepting free Sabrina Carpenter tickets A deal in the desert US and Ukraine meet ahead of Russia ceasefire talks Civil Service told by government to slash running costs by 15 Oxfam staff shocked as Bible donated in Chelmsford sells for 56k

Morse code transcription: vvv vvv Princess Beatrice describes daughters premature birth as humbling Fraud experts brought in over student loan allegations Civil Service told by government to slash running costs by 15 A deal in the desert US and Ukraine meet ahead of Russia ceasefire talks Rachel Reeves confirms accepting free Sabrina Carpenter tickets Ex US attorney for Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber found dead Oxfam staff shocked as Bible donated in Chelmsford sells for 56k Turkish President Erdogans main rival Ekrem Imamoglu jailed Radio 1 DJ and presenter Andy Peebles dies aged 76 Million Dollar Secret, and The Sims rival InZoi Whats coming up this week

Caroline Lucas was elected as the first ever MP for the Green Party and served as their leader three times. Having completed a PhD in English, worked for Oxfam, and been involved in local Green Party politics, she went on to serve in the European Parliament for a decade. In 2010, she was elected to Parliament as the MP for Brighton Pavilion and, during her 14 years in Westminster, the Green Party went from 0.9% of the national vote to 6.4%. Although she stepped down, a record 4 Green Party MPs were elected at the 2024 election. On the podcast - the 150th episode of Women With Balls - Caroline tells Katy Balls about growing up with different politics to her Conservative-voting parents, why her views on nuclear weapons haven't changed, and whether the left can be patriotic. She also talks about being a peer of Nigel Farage in Brussels, what it's like being the sole parliamentary party representative, and why she never considered joining the Labour Party. She argues that there is a political urgency for the left to discuss ‘Englishness', as outlined in her bestselling book Another England: How To Reclaim Our National Story, which is available now in paperback.  Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

Silicon Valley's biggest power players traded in their hoodies for suits and ties this week as they sat front and center to watch Donald Trump take the oath of office again.Seated in front of the incoming cabinet were Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Google's Sundar Pichai, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and Trump confidant and leader of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk. Apple CEO Tim Cook, Sam Altman from OpenAI, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew also looked on.For an industry once skeptical of Trump, this dramatic transformation in political allegiance portends changes for the country — and the world. From the relaxing of hate speech rules on Meta platforms to the mere hourslong ban of TikTok to the billions of government dollars being pledged to build data centers to power AI, it is still only the beginning of this realignment.On this week's episode of The Intercept Briefing, Justin Hendrix, the CEO and editor of Tech Policy Press, and Intercept political reporter Jessica Washington dissect this shift. “Three of the individuals seated in front of the Cabinet are estimated by Oxfam in its latest report on wealth inequality are on track to potentially become trillionaires in the next just handful of years: Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk,” says Hendrix. “Musk is estimated to be the first trillionaire on the planet, possibly as early as 2027.”Washington says there's more at stake than just personal wealth. “These are people who view themselves as world-shapers, as people who create reality in a lot of ways. Aligning themselves with Trump and with power in this way is not just about their financial interests, it's about pushing their vision of the world.”To hear more of this conversation, check out this week's episode of The Intercept Briefing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Danny and Derek plug into the mainframe. This week: in Gaza, the ceasefire takes effect (0:37), allowing a surge of humanitarian aid (3:51), the latter being partly facilitated by Hamas's police force back in power (5:50). Meanwhile, an agreement on the second phase of the ceasefire remains to be seen (7:56); the IDF launches a new operation in the West Bank (14:38); negotiations between the government and SDF continue in Syria (17:11); Turkey hints at a possible thaw with the Kurdish PKK (20:13); Afghan refugees who'd already been granted asylum are stranded after Trump's executive order (24:54); China brokers a new ceasefire in Myanmar (27:49); M23 makes a new advance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (29:31); Trump threatens myriad economic penalties against Russia if it doesn't end the war in Ukraine (31:42); NATO's defense spending might be on the rise (34:19); Colombia breaks off peace talks with the ELN (37:48); Mexico and Honduras react to Trump's deportation plans (40:10); Oxfam releases a new report on the rise in inequality (42:44); and Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders only a few days into taking office (44:44).     Subscribe now at Supporting Cast! Be sure to listen to our post-election special with Alexander Aviña on Trump's plans regarding immigrants and deportations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's American Prestige news roundup: in Gaza, the ceasefire takes effect (0:37), allowing a surge of humanitarian aid (3:51), the latter being partly facilitated by Hamas's police force back in power (5:50). Meanwhile, an agreement on the second phase of the ceasefire remains to be seen (7:56); the IDF launches a new operation in the West Bank (14:38); negotiations between the government and SDF continue in Syria (17:11); Turkey hints at a possible thaw with the Kurdish PKK (20:13); Afghan refugees who'd already been granted asylum are stranded after Trump's executive order (24:54); China brokers a new ceasefire in Myanmar (27:49); M23 makes a new advance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (29:31); Trump threatens myriad economic penalties against Russia if it doesn't end the war in Ukraine (31:42); NATO's defense spending might be on the rise (34:19); Colombia breaks off peace talks with the ELN (37:48); Mexico and Honduras react to Trump's deportation plans (40:10); Oxfam releases a new report on the rise in inequality (42:44); and Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders only a few days into taking office (44:44).    Be sure to listen to our post-election special with Alexander Aviña on Trump's plans regarding immigrants and deportations.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

From the BBC World Service: Let’s talk about the billionaire boom. Billionaire wealth surged by a staggering $2 trillion last year. That's three times faster than the year before, according to a new report from Oxfam – which was just released as world leaders and business elites gather for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. We’ll unpack. Plus, TikTok is back after a weekend of uncertainty.

From the BBC World Service: Let’s talk about the billionaire boom. Billionaire wealth surged by a staggering $2 trillion last year. That's three times faster than the year before, according to a new report from Oxfam – which was just released as world leaders and business elites gather for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. We’ll unpack. Plus, TikTok is back after a weekend of uncertainty.

Durante los últimos años, una pequeña isla del Caribe panameño ha estado en la mira de organizaciones, gobiernos y activistas de todo el mundo. Su nombre es Gardi Sugdub, y se dice que su población es la primera desplazada por el cambio climático en Latinoamérica. Pero para sus habitantes… las cosas son mucho más complicadas.  Este episodio fue realizado gracias al apoyo de Oxfam en América Latina y el Caribe, una organización internacional que trabaja para combatir la desigualdad y la pobreza, promoviendo la justicia económica, social y de género. En nuestro sitio web puedes encontrar una transcripción del episodio. Or you can also check this English translation.♥ Aquí estamos y no nos vamos. Hoy, más que nunca, confirmamos nuestro compromiso contigo: narrar con el mejor periodismo que podamos América Latina y las comunidades latinas de Estados Unidos. Ayúdanos a hacerlo uniéndote a Deambulantes, nuestras membresías. Hemos logrado mucho, pero aún quedan muchas historias por contar.★ Si no quieres perderte ningún episodio, suscríbete a nuestro boletín y recibe todos los martes un correo. Además, los viernes te enviaremos cinco recomendaciones inspiradoras del equipo para el fin de semana. ✓ ¿Nos escuchas para mejorar tu español? Tenemos algo extra para ti: prueba nuestra app Jiveworld, diseñada para estudiantes intermedios de la lengua que quieren aprender con nuestros episodios. For the past few years, a small island off of Panama's Caribbean coast has been in the spotlight, attracting attention from various organizations, governments, and activists worldwide. Its name is Gardi Sugdub, and its population is said to be the first displaced by climate change in Latin America. But for its inhabitants…things are much more complicated. This episode was made possible with the support of Oxfam in Latin America and the Caribbean, an international organization working to combat inequality and poverty by promoting economic, social, and gender justice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.