पडकास्ट
BBC World Service
४०१ एपिसोड · en
Faranak Amidi takes a fresh look at the stories of the week with journalists from our 40 language sections.
२०२४ अप्रिल १३ · २७ मिनेट
What is it like to work in Jerusalem right now? BBC journalist Shaina Oppenheimer shares her experience of living in Israel and monitoring the conflicting narratives published on Israeli and Palestinian media. Plus, BBC Mundo's Alicia Hernandez explains why Equatorial Guinea is the only African country which has Spanish as one of its official languages and shares the unusual local Spanish words she discovered. Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia For future episodes of The Fifth Floor, you can now listen every week on The Documentary podcast. Just search for The Documentary, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. (Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
२०२४ अप्रिल ६ · २७ मिनेट
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It’s a period of prayer, celebrations and community gatherings and Muslims worldwide observe it by fasting from dawn to sunset. As this year’s Ramadan draws to a close, Faranak Amidi is joined by three BBC World Service colleagues who share their personal experiences and the stories that made headlines in their countries during this year’s celebrations. Asif Farooqi, Aalia Farzan and Deena Easa have been looking at how conflict, natural disasters and the cost-of-living crisis are impacting people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Gaza. Plus... Ramadan cricket, why do people want to get married during the Holy Month, and the TV series that everyone’s talking about. Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson (Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
२०२४ मार्च २९ · ४१ मिनेट
After an election held just days after his release from prison, Bassirou Diomaye Faye is set to become Senegal's next president, and at 44, the youngest in the country’s history. From Dakar, the BBC's Khadidiatou Cissé and Thomas Naadi tell us more about the new Senegalese leader. Banksy's new neighbour BBC Mundo's Carlos Serrano shares his experience of finding himself at the centre of a big news story, after a Banksy mural was painted outside his apartment. Kashmiri carpet weavers In Indian-administered Kashmir, an ancient code called 'talim' was traditionally used to pass on complex patterns to carpet weavers. BBC India's Priti Gupta reports on how computers and AI are changing this, and the impact on the traditional carpet industry. Brazil’s forest-friendly rubber tappers The growing interest in sustainable ways of exploiting the Amazon rainforest has created new opportunities for Brazil's traditional rubber tappers, who can get enhanced payments for preserving the areas where they work. Julia Carneiro reported for BBC Brasil on how the scheme works. The Big Korean Dictionary The Korean language has been diverging between North and South Korea since the peninsula was divided. To keep track of the changes, an inter-Korean dictionary project was set up in 2005, with linguists from both sides. But worsening relations mean the project was suspended in 2015, as BBC Korean's Seonwook Lee reports. Come with us! The Fifth Floor is moving and we would love it if you can join us. You can now find all our episodes on The Documentary, the home of original, global storytelling, from the BBC World Service. Search for The Documentary, wherever you found this podcast, and don’t forget to subscribe or follow. (Photo: Bassirou Diomaye Faye. Credit: Getty)
२०२४ मार्च २२ · ४१ मिनेट
As a new school year starts in Afghanistan, 330,000 more girls will be excluded from secondary education, one of the ways in which women and girls are increasingly confined to their homes under the Taliban regime. In light of this, BBC Media Action is running the Women’s Voice radio project, training women to make programmes for other women on vital topics like health, work and education. Getti Sediqi is one of the trainers in Kabul. Isabel, the giant armadillo The giant armadillo, found only in Latin America, has been called a "ghost species" because it's so rarely seen. But thanks to one particular armadillo in Brazil, called Isabel by researchers, many discoveries have now been made, as BBC Brasil’s Giulia Granchi reports. Haji Firouz: Nowruz controversy in Iran Iran traditionally heralds its New Year with a festive figure known as Haji Firouz. The jester-like character sings and dances through the streets but has become controversial because performers blacken their faces and hands, a practice many find highly offensive. Now the character is being used as a form of protest to highlight the ongoing struggle for women's rights in Iran, as BBC Monitoring's Sarbas Nazari explains. No bidders for Aung San Suu Kyi's iconic house A failed attempt was made this week to auction the lakeside home of the detained Burmese leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. A court had ordered its sale after a long drawn-out legal battle between Suu Kyi and her brother Aung San Oo. BBC Burmese editor Soe Win Than explains the significance of this house, and the possible reasons why no bidders showed up. The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia's money glitch Ethiopia's largest commercial bank is trying to recoup millions of dollars' worth of currency after a 'system problem' allowed customers to withdraw unlimited funds. It's been reported that a large portion of the cash was withdrawn by students as news of the banking glitch spread around universities. Kaleb Moges tells us about developments. (Photo: Nadia Shekib, journalist, producer and news editor at Radio TV Oboor. Credit: BBC Media Action)
२०२४ मार्च १५ · ४१ मिनेट
The war in Gaza is forcing Israeli society to confront a long-standing conflict over who serves in the army. Ultra-Orthodox Jews enjoy an exemption, but many Israelis now say this should end. Both sides took to the streets to protest, while the Israeli Supreme Court hears a case related to this matter, as BBC Arabic’s Michael Shuval reports. Ukraine's Ushanka hat sell off The Ukrainian government plans to auction 40,000 ushanka hats it bought in the early 2000s. The warm winter hats became popular after the 1917 Russian revolution and spread across the Soviet Union for leaders and civilians alike. BBC Ukrainian's Dmytro Vlasov explores the history of the hat, and why they're being sold now. Thailand's cannabis law reversal Thailand’s new government plans to reverse a law decriminalising the recreational use of cannabis which was passed only 18 months ago. BBC Thai’s Tossapol Chaisamritpol explains the societal pressures behind the switch, and met some of the growers who will be affected if the ban goes ahead. China’s looming pension crisis As China’s birthrate declines and a growing number of people reach old age and retirement, the country faces a looming crisis – the labour force will be smaller, and the cost of caring for the elderly will be higher. For BBC Chinese, Chen Yan explores the potential impact on the economy – and, in the words of one expert, on China’s destiny. Observing the 'Day of Silence' and Ramadan in Indonesia Nyepi or 'Day of Silence' is an important Indonesian public holiday, mainly observed in Bali. It's a day reserved for quiet self-reflection, and this year, the Hindu celebration coincided with the first day of Ramadan. BBC Indonesian's Amahl Azwar met some of those making sure the two forms of worship can run smoothly together. (Photo: Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men protest against proposed end to military conscription exemption. Credit: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)
२०२४ मार्च ८ · ४० मिनेट
The Caribbean nation of Haiti is in the grip of gang violence, with armed groups controlling much of the country. The lawlessness came to a head after gangs stormed two jails, freeing thousands of prisoners. Meanwhile Prime Minister Ariel Henry is being prevented from returning after a trip abroad. Luis Fajardo from BBC Monitoring in Miami tells us about the key players in Haiti, and the background to what’s happening. The women saving a river A group of women in Bangladesh have been mobilising to save the Moyur river from land grabbers. They have successfully recovered parts of the river and protected them from pollution. Shahnewaj Rocky of BBC Bangla went to meet them. Women running in Iraq Women competitors in a recent 13-kilometre race in the Iraqi city of Basra were banned just days before it took place. Organisers decided to exclude them after comments by Muslim clerics that the participation of women would 'deprive them of their chastity and honour'. Dima Babilie of BBC Arabic has spoken to women who had been training for the race. Filming the Mayor of Freetown When she took office in 2018, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr was the first democratically elected female mayor of Sierra Leone’s capital city, Freetown. During her successful re-election campaign last year, she was filmed for a BBC Africa Eye documentary, which set out to follow her environmental work, but became a record of a fiercely contested election, as we hear from Africa Eye’s Abdul Brima. Baraye: the protest anthem that Iran has tried to suppress Iranian singer Shervin Hajipour became famous after his song Baraye became widely popular in the country, and went on to win a Grammy award for Best Song for Social Change. He has now received a prison sentence after being charged with "spreading propaganda against the establishment". Taraneh Stone of BBC Persian has been looking into Shervin’s story. (Photo: Tyres on fire near the main prison of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 3, 2024. Credit: Luckenson Jean/AFPTV/AFP)
२०२४ मार्च १ · ४१ मिनेट
The Eagles of the Desert are a group of volunteers who look for migrants who've been reported missing while crossing the hazardous Sonoran Desert from Mexico into the United States. BBC Mundo reporter Valentina Oropeza and cameraman Jose Maria Rodero joined them on a search, and they share their experience of the desert and the work of the volunteers. Policing Uzbekistan's schools Last month, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan told the National Guard to go into schools to tackle truancy. It's a big topic on social media, with some parents upset about the discipline being imposed by the guards. BBC Uzbek's Ibrat Safo has been following developments. Being Hindu in India Identity is an important issue in India’s upcoming elections, and for much of the population, it’s deeply embedded in Hinduism. In a series of interviews across the country, BBC Delhi’s Divya Arya explores the many different ways of being Hindu, including an episode on Dalits, who are at the bottom of the religious caste ladder and have historically experienced inequality and oppression. Cuba and South Korea South Korea has restored diplomatic relations with Cuba, a longstanding ally of North Korea, after 65 years. BBC Korean's Yuna Ku and BBC Mundo's Atahualpa Amerise explain the history and context of the surprise announcement, and what it might mean. (Photo: Volunteer searching in Sonoran desert. Credit: BBC)
२०२४ फेब्रुअरी २३ · ४१ मिनेट
Two years after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, we hear from colleagues in BBC Ukrainian about life in Kyiv. How different is the new normal from their old lives, and how have they adapted? Daria Taradai and Halyna Korba share their stories. Sri Lanka's cashew village Kajugama is famous for its cashew nuts, in fact its name means "cashew village" in Sinhala. Many local women depend on selling cashews to make a living, but the business is in decline and they're struggling to earn enough. BBC Sinhala's Shirly Upul Kumara finds out why. Searching for an identity – Chinese or Indonesian? BBC journalist Trisha Husada has been investigating her own identity as an Indonesian of Chinese descent. In the past, there was pressure on Chinese Indonesians to assimilate, changing their names and abandoning their culture. Trisha tells us what she discovered from talking to friends, relatives and experts about what it means now to be Chinese Indonesian. The women carpenters of the Hunza valley In the Hunza valley in northern Pakistan, there is an all female carpentry workshop. The work they've undertaken includes the renovation of two of Gilgit Baltistan's ancient forts. Nazish Faiz of BBC Urdu met the women to find out how they got into carpentry. (Photo: A mural in Kyiv's Podil neighbourhood. Credit: Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images)
२०२४ फेब्रुअरी १९ · ४१ मिनेट
BBC Arabic's Gaza Lifeline launched 3 months ago to provide life-saving information for citizens forced from their homes by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, and struggling to find the necessities of life. Journalists Karim Moustafa, Amira Dakroury and Marwa Gamal tell us about the information they provide, and the stories they've covered. Kazakhstan’s school headscarf ban There's a dilemma for Muslim schoolgirls in Kazakhstan who want to wear the hijab. It violates the country's school uniform rules, and girls who refuse to take off the hijab have been expelled. BBC Russian's Aisymbat Tokoeva went to Kazakhstan to meet one of these students and her parents to find out more. The death of Alexei Navalny Following reports of the death in prison of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, BBC Russian editor Famil Ismailov explains what’s known about his death, and reminds us about his eventful life and political career. Senegal's election crisis Senegal's reputation as a stable democracy has been called into question after President Macky Sall's decision to delay this month's presidential election until December. Protesters took to the streets, and now the country's top court has ruled that the decision is against the constitution. Beverly Ochieng of BBC Monitoring in Nairobi has been following events. Photo: Palestinian Israel conflict camp. Credit: MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images
२०२४ फेब्रुअरी ९ · ४१ मिनेट
There have been concerns about the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, which was seized by Russian forces in March 2022. Following this week's visit to the plant by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vitaliy Shevchenko of BBC Monitoring explains the findings of the team. The Year of the Dragon At the start of the Year of the Dragon, we look at the importance of the dragon in Chinese culture. We also find out why there's growing pressure to differentiate the Chinese dragon, or "loong", from the Western idea of a dragon. Our guide is Suping from BBC Monitoring. Indian labourers applying for jobs in Israel Israel has been dealing with a labour shortage since it revoked the work permits of thousands of Palestinians after the October 7 attacks. Large-scale recruitment sessions have been organized by the Israeli government in India, and BBC Hindi's Anant Zanane of BBC Hindi met applicants in Lucknow. The Turkish earthquake, one year on BBC Turkish journalist Esra Yalcinalp shares the story of Nurgül Göksu, a woman who lost her son, daughter-in-law and baby granddaughter when their apartment block collapsed, while those around it stayed standing. She hired excavators to recover evidence from the rubble, evidence now being used in prosecutions. The first lady, a pastor, and a designer handbag BBC Korean’s Yuna Ku explains why South Korea has been gripped by the story of a Dior bag given to the president’s wife by a Christian pastor. (Photo: The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Credit: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images)
२०२४ फेब्रुअरी २ · ४१ मिनेट
Electoral symbols are crucial in Pakistani elections, helping illiterate voters find their party on the ballot paper. So when Pakistan's Supreme Court upheld a decision to strip the PTI party of Imran Khan of its cricket bat symbol last week, many cried foul. BBC Urdu editor Asif Farooqi explains the rich history of symbols, and how this relates to Pakistan's forthcoming elections. The 63-year-old Pakistani going back to school BBC Urdu's Azizullah Khan met the 63 year old man in north west Pakistan who’s enrolled in his local primary school after missing out on an education as a boy. Thailand’s iguana village BBC Thai’s Tossapol Chaisamritpol visits the village overrun by iguanas, believed to be the offspring of pets left behind by a family from Bangkok, and now numbering many hundreds. Ukraine's ‘acoustic violence‘ ban So-called ‘acoustic violence’ on public transport has been banned in Ukraine. New legislation prohibits bus drivers from playing music, with passengers now required to wear headphones when playing videos or music on their phones. Ilona Hromiluk from BBC Ukraine has experienced it herself, and explains how the war has hastened this shift. The South Korean family seeking justice for a 1968 killing BBC Korean’s Jungmin Choi tells the story of a South Korean man whose family were killed when North Korean guerrillas attacked his village in 1968. The story is back in the news after his son won a court case holding North Korea responsible, and awarding compensation, though whether this can be enforced remains doubtful. (Photo: In a village outside Lahore, a voter puts his finger print on his ballot. Credit: Gerhard Joren/LightRocket via Getty Images)
२०२४ जनवरी २६ · ४१ मिनेट
This month Iran launched a missile attack into Pakistan's Balochistan region, claiming to target an Iranian anti-regime militant group based there. Days later Pakistan retaliated with missiles it claimed were directed at Baloch-Pakistan militants in Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province. BBC Urdu's Saher Baloch visited the border city of Turbat in Pakistan's Balochistan province to find out what impact this is having on cross border relations, and what these militants want. Chinese students choose Thai universities BBC Thai recently reported that more and more Chinese students are choosing to study in Thai universities, making up 60% of all international students. It's particularly common with private universities, so Thanyaporn Buathong visited Krirk university near Bangkok to find out why. Shamans and Indonesian politics Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world, but many people are also very superstitious. So during elections, many politicians turn to shamans to give them the edge over their opponents, as Hanna Samosir of BBC Indonesian reports. Nigeria's youth curling team A group of Nigerian teenagers known as "The Broomzillas" have made history as the first curling team from Africa to appear at the Winter Youth Olympics which opened in South Korea last week. BBC Africa sports journalist Emmanuel Akindubuwa met the team to find out what obstacles they’d overcome to get there. "Hunting" foreigners A debate emerged in Vietnam about the term and practice of 'hunting foreigners'. Many students seek out English speakers to practice their linguistic skills on, and while many tourists are happy to oblige, others find it intrusive or inappropriate. BBC Vietnamese's Thuong Le explains the debate, while BBC Chinese's Yan Chen remembers his own English hunting days. (Photo: Blue informal fuel trade trucks on Pakistani Balochistan border with Iran. Credit: BBC)
२०२४ जनवरी १९ · ४१ मिनेट
Since the 7th October attacks, BBC Arabic's Michael Shuval has interviewed many of the families of those abducted by Hamas and held captive in Gaza. The families held an event marking 100 days since their abduction, close to the Nova festival site, as part of their campaign to bring their loved ones home. The new Ram temple and the transformation of Ayodhya Next week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fulfil a decades-long Hindu nationalist pledge by opening the Ram Mandir on one of India's most controversial religious sites. Nitin Srivastava of BBC Delhi is from the area and has been covering the event. Ecuador’s war on the drug gangs This week the violence in Ecuador linked to powerful drug gangs saw the murder of a leading prosecutor, following prison escapes, explosions, and even an attack on a TV station. BBC Mundo’s Ana Maria Roura, who’s from Ecuador, explains what the government is up against and how it's responding. Journey to Journalism: BBC Urdu's Nazish Faiz What motivates our language service colleagues to become journalists? We hear from BBC Urdu's Nazish Faiz, who grew up in a conservative family in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. She challenged cultural and family norms to become a journalist, and is now inspiring the next generation of village girls. (Photo: Wall painting highlighting hostages in the Gaza Strip on November 22, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Credit: Amir Levy/Getty Images)
२०२४ जनवरी १२ · ४० मिनेट
A BBC Africa Eye investigation has found evidence of widespread abuse and torture by the late TB Joshua, founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos, which has followers around the world. The team was supported by Nigerian investigative journalist Adejuwon Soyinka, who tells us when the pastor first came to his attention and what he discovered about him. Secret trains and Russian prisoners The disappearance of imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, and his reappearance three weeks later in the so-called 'Polar Wolf' Arctic penal colony, has shed light on Russia's long history of secret trains and penal colonies, as BBC Russian's Oleg Boldyrev reports. Election protests in Serbia: the bigger picture Serbia has seen weeks of protests after alleged voting irregularities during parliamentary and local elections last month, won by the ruling party. President Aleksandar Vučić has rejected calls for an international probe, but the opposition coalition Serbians Against Violence continues to dispute the results, as BBC Serbian's Aleksandar Miladinović explains. Sindh's sibling rappers Two siblings from Sindh in Pakistan have been using rap to tackle taboo topics rarely discussed in their communities, including menstruation, domestic violence and religion. Shumaila Khan of BBC Urdu met them. Presented by Irena Taranyuk. (Photo: Nigerian pastor TB Joshua. Credit: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images)
२०२४ जनवरी ११ · ४१ मिनेट
The BBC’s Gaza correspondent Rushdi Abualouf reported from Gaza for more than 20 years, but last November he and his family left for the safety of Istanbul. He tells us about the challenges of his new life, and the chaos, death and destruction of his final weeks in Gaza, as Israel retaliated for the Hamas cross-border assault of 7 October. The Brazilian bat rediscovered after 100 years A bat discovered in part of Brazil's Atlantic Forest in 2018 has been officially confirmed as a species which hadn't been seen for more than a century. It was originally documented by an English zoologist in 1916. André Biernath of BBC Brasil tells us why its rediscovery is so important in understanding Brazilian biodiversity. Building a future in Mozambique, five years after Cyclone Idai In March 2019, Cyclone Idai made landfall in Mozambique, killing over one and a half thousand people and affecting three million people across three countries. The BBC's Nomsa Maseko travelled to Beira, one of the worst affected areas, soon after it hit, and now she's returned for a documentary called Building a future for cyclone-hit Mozambique. She tells us what she discovered. Taboo-busting women in Indian-administered Kashmir A group of women in Indian-administered Kashmir have joined forces in order to break taboos. BBC Urdu joined them in a visit to a hareesa restaurant, a place usually only frequented by men. Riyaz Masroor tells us why these women formed the group, and what they thought of the hareesa. Presented by Irena Taranyuk. (Photo: The BBC's Rushdi Abualouf reporting from Gaza in November 2023. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ डिसेम्बर २९ · ४१ मिनेट
BBC language service journalists share stories and experiences that lifted their spirits in a year with more than its fair share of tragic news. BBC Russian's Nataliya Zotova explains how an imperious seagull named Agamemnon helped her settle in her new home in Riga, after leaving Russia. BBC Delhi’s Divya Arya tells us about helping an interviewee who had shared her story of surviving domestic violence and living with significant facial burns, to become a guest presenter for BBC Hindi. BBC Afghan's Aalia Farzan tells us about presenting a schools programme for Afghan children, and being able to return home and see her mother again for the first time since she was forced to leave in 2021. BBC Brasil’s Joao Fellet shares the story of the Japanese Brazilian farmers in the Amazonian state of Pará, who have switched from mono-cropping to agroforestry, regrowing a forest of sorts and providing a profitable model for land cleared by logging. And Ethiopian-based journalist Kalkidan Yibeltal shares the experience of travelling to the Simien Mountains in northern Ethiopia and experiencing the therapeutic quiet and stillness of the national park, in a year otherwise devoted to covering conflict. (Photo: Seagull on windowsill in Riga. Credit: Nataliya Zotova, BBC)
२०२३ डिसेम्बर १५ · ४१ मिनेट
Presented by Irena Taranyuk A stalled front line and diplomatic challenges - we look at the pressures on Ukraine with Vitaliy Shevchenko, Russia editor at BBC Monitoring. And Daria Taradai of BBC Ukrainian tells us about the return to Kyiv of hundreds of ancient Scythian treasures from Crimea, which were on loan to a European museum when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Their arrival in Kyiv follows almost 10 years of legal battles with Russia. Pilgrimage to Aksum Thousands of pilgrims recently made their way to Aksum in Ethiopia, for a religious holiday taking place for the first time since the end of the civil war in the northern region of Tigray. Aksum is a holy site for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians who say it is home to the Ark of the Covenant. BBC Tigrinya’s Girmay Gebru, who’s based in the regional capital Mekelle, travelled to Aksum to talk to local people and visitors. HIV and sterilisation: a legal victory in Kenya After a nine-year legal battle, four Kenyan women living with HIV have shared their stories with BBC Africa, of how they were sterilised without informed consent. They have now received compensation, and the recognition that the procedures they went through at a public hospital were carried out because of their HIV status. Health correspondent Dorcas Wangira tells us about meeting them, and the legal significance of this ruling. Lost and found: Indonesia’s rare echidna Pristine forests, crystal clear water, and an ancient species of animal that was believed to be extinct - BBC Indonesian's Famega Syavira travelled to northeastern Papua to report on the rediscovery of Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna. Previously, the only evidence of this rare species of the egg-laying mammal was a dead specimen in a Dutch museum, collected 60 years ago. (Photo: A copy of the Scythian Pectoral exhibited in the Treasury of the National Museum of History of Ukraine. Credit: Pavlo Bahmut/Getty Images)
२०२३ डिसेम्बर ८ · ४० मिनेट
Somalia is struggling with the aftermath of its worst floods for many decades, which have affected more than two million people. Some were already displaced, having lost their livelihoods in the acute drought which preceded the flooding. It’s a big story for BBC Somali, and journalist Fardowsa Hanshi tells us how they’ve been covering it. Being a tourist in Afghanistan Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Afghanistan has seen a reduction in violence. This has opened up the country to both local and foreign tourists. Shoaib Sharifi of BBC Media Action recently took a trip around his native country, and saw it in a way that he never had before. He shares some memorable moments from his journey. North Korean hack It's recently emerged that the notorious North Korean hacking group Andariel has stolen vast amounts of data from South Korea. Around 1.2 terabytes of information was taken from industries including pharmaceutical companies and defence firms as well as universities. Rachel Lee of BBC Korean tells us more about the hacking and how it was discovered. A lifeline for Hong Kong's domestic workers Foreign domestic workers have become indispensable for many families in Hong Kong. However, their physical and mental health are sometimes affected by busy schedules and lack of space and exercise. Now some have found a lifeline, thanks to a personal trainer who offers them free fitness classes. Benny Lu from BBC Chinese went to investigate. Sri Lanka's doctor exodus Huge numbers of doctors and other professionals are leaving Sri Lanka due to the economic situation and escalating taxes. BBC Sinhala's Sampath Dissanayake reports on what led to this crisis and the impact it is having on Sri Lankans. (Photo: Extreme flooding in Somalia. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ डिसेम्बर १ · ४१ मिनेट
A BBC Arabic investigation has revealed that toxic pollutants released during gas flaring are endangering millions more people than previously feared. Flaring - the burning of waste gas during oil drilling - is taking place across the Gulf, including by COP28 hosts, the United Arab Emirates. Reporter Sarah Ibraham tells us what the documentary, Breathless, reveals about how the pollution can spread hundreds of kilometres, affecting air quality across the entire region. Hong Kong city walks Sampson Wong is the author of two books about walks around Hong Kong, and has been promoting the benefits of walking and watching since Covid. Meiqing Guan from BBC Chinese joined him to find out more. Covering the Uttarakhand tunnel rescue It took 17 days to free the 41 workers trapped in a collapsed Himalayan road tunnel in northern India. BBC Hindi’s Anant Zanane was reporting from the scene, and broke the story live on air. The matriarchal herders of Shimshal For the BBC's 100 Women season, BBC Urdu's Farhat Javed trekked to Pakistan’s Shimshal Valley with the Wakhi shepherdesses, a female-led community who have used the wealth from raising livestock at extreme altitudes to build roads, and educate their children. Serbia’s multi-millionaire barber – myth or reality? This year marks the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Nikola Bizumić, the Serbian barber reputed to have moved to London, changed his name to John Smith, and made piles of money from his invention: the hair clipper. BBC Serbian's Nemanja Mitrović has been digging into his mysterious story, particularly what happened to his missing millions. (Photo: Gas flaring in the Rumaila oil field in Southern Iraq. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ नोभेम्बर २४ · ४१ मिनेट
It's seven months since fighting in Sudan erupted between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Peace talks in Saudi Arabia have so far failed to secure a truce, leaving over five million Sudanese internally displaced, and a humanitarian crisis imminent without a ceasefire according to the UN. BBC Arabic's Mohamed Osman was forced to leave his home in Omdurman, but returned to Port Sudan, the country's de facto capital, to report on those made homeless by the war. Kimchi Day in Little Korea This week South Koreans celebrated Kimchi Day in honour of the famous national dish made from tangy and spicy fermented vegetables. And for the first time, this year Kimchi Day was also celebrated in Europe, and more specifically the London suburb of New Malden. BBC Korean's Yuna Ku explains why. The Ukrainian teenager called up by the Russian army Bogdan Yermokhin is a 17-year-old Ukrainian forcefully removed from occupied Ukraine to Russia. He recently received conscription papers from the Russian army, to fight against Ukraine. Nina Nazarova of BBC Russian shares his story. Mumbai’s women cricketers As cricket lovers in India grapple with the disappointment of losing to Australia in the men’s Cricket World Cup, BBC Marathi have been reporting a good news cricket story. Janhavee Moole of BBC Marathi visited a women’s cricket club in Mumbai, which has 300 members, the eldest of whom is 72, and the youngest 9. Argentina's president-elect and the woman he calls "The Boss" Meet Karina, sister of president-elect Javier Milei. She was by his side at every step of his presidential campaign, and presented him to his euphoric supporters when his victory was announced. But what do we know about her? Answers from BBC Mundo’s Fernanda Paul. (Photo: Sudanese IDP camp in Port Sudan where those displaced by war live in makeshift tents. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ नोभेम्बर १७ · ४१ मिनेट
Following the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7th October, conservationists have been using unconventional methods to locate the bodies of the dead. Its civilian Nature and Parks Authority is using tracking devices on rare migratory birds to help locate the missing, passing information on where they stop onto the authorities. It says one eagle has helped recover four bodies, as BBC Arabic’s Michael Shuval reports. Indonesia's village influencers Two young village women in Indonesia have become surprise social media stars for their video posts about simple village life. BBC Indonesian's Trisha Husada spoke to Lika and Nia to find out more about their lives. The life and legacy of Iranian singer 'Golpa' Many Iranians have been mourning the loss of one their most prominent vocalists, Akbar Golpayegani who has died, aged 90. His performances on Tehran's 'Radio Golha Programmes' between 1953 and 1979 helped popularise traditional Persian music, but his career stalled after the Islamic Revolution when, like many artists, he was forced into silence. Faraj Balafkan has been covering the story for BBC Persian. Freeing Luis Díaz Sr: Colombia and the ELN It's a week since the father of Liverpool FC player Luis Díaz was handed over by Colombian guerrilla group the ELN after being held for twelve days. BBC Monitoring in Miami's Luis Fajardo is Colombian, and explains what the story reveals about the difficult situation in Columbia right now. Tree planting in Kenya Kenyan's were granted a special tree-planting holiday on Monday as part of a government initiative to plant 15 billion trees over ten years. BBC Africa journalist Kenneth Mungai spent some time at a site near the river Athi meeting residents involved in the project. (Photo: A white-tailed eagle. Credit: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
२०२३ नोभेम्बर १० · ४१ मिनेट
Presented by Andrea Kennedy BBC Arabic has begun an emergency radio service for Gaza in response to the conflict in the region. Adel Soliman tells us about providing news and information, and also key lifeline advice on access to medical care, food and water. The floating duck farms of Bangladesh Low-lying farmland in north east Bangladesh is flooded every year during the monsoon, and local people used to survive by fishing as well as farming. But climate change and over-fishing have ruined their livelihoods, and, as BBC Bangla's Shahnewaj Rocky found out, many have turned to duck farming instead. Theatre in wartime Russia The war in Ukraine has dealt a severe blow to Russia’s rich theatrical scene. Directors, actors, playwrights, choreographers and musicians have been sacked for opposing the war, and many theatre professionals have left the country. Amaliya Zatari of BBC Russian tells us about the impact. China's Belt and Road, 10 years on Ten years after China unveiled its Belt and Road Initiative, creating energy, industry and transport projects across the world, Chen Yan of BBC Chinese tells us about its successes and failures. We also get the perspective from Central Asia, from Akbarjon Musaev of BBC Monitoring. (Photo: A man holds a portable radio receiver in the southern Gaza Strip on October 31 2023. Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images)
२०२३ नोभेम्बर ३ · ४१ मिनेट
Presented by Irena Taranyuk The intense focus of the world’s media on events in the Middle East has taken attention away from the war in Ukraine. We ask what's the latest on the war, and what important stories are being reported from the region? Answers from Diana Kuryshko of BBC Ukrainian and Vitaliy Shevchenko, Russia editor at BBC Monitoring and co-presenter of Ukrainecast. Factories versus fishermen: the story of Rempang Island A small Indonesian island off Sumatra has been in the news because of a threat to evict local residents to make way for industrial development. Villagers on Rempang Island mostly make a living from fishing, and they have been protesting against the plan. BBC Indonesian's Astudestra Ajengrastri went to Rempang Island to investigate. Pakistan bump shaming Pictures of the cute babies of celebrities are popular on social media in Pakistan. But it seems Pakistanis are not so keen on images of the previous stage: pregnancy. Women have been trolled or banned from the screen for proudly showing their fully-covered baby bumps. BBC Urdu's Shumaila Khan has been asking why this is so shocking. Pre-hispanic Latin America Gender equality, tolerance of same-sex relations, no extreme poverty and sustainable lifestyles: these are all areas in which indigenous cultures in Latin America were ahead of their time, according to research done by BBC Mundo. It's a story which really caught the imagination of the Spanish-speaking audience - reporter Jose Carlos Cueto tells us more. (Photo: A resident is seen after shelling in the Ukrainian frontline city of Avdiivka on October 17, 2023. Credit: Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
२०२३ अक्टोबर २७ · ४८ मिनेट
The Fifth Floor visits the BBC's Seoul Bureau to meet the journalists working for BBC Korean, serving audiences across the whole of the Korean peninsula, with different output for both North and South Korea. Journalists David Oh, Hyunjung Kim and Yuna Ku talk about the stories they've been working on for the domestic audience, from the growing global interest in Korean popular culture to what divides, and unites, Koreans. They also broadcast a daily radio programme to North Korea. Editor Woongbee Lee and journalist Rachel Lee explain how they keep this largely unknown audience informed about worldwide news, as well as stories about their own country unreported by their state broadcasters. And on the first anniversary of the Itaewon Halloween tragedy in which 159 people became trapped in huge crowds and died, unable to breathe, we hear from Jungmin Choi who filmed on the scene in the days after the disaster, and Yuna Ku, who is working on stories to mark the anniversary, about the victims' families' fight for justice. (Photo: Faranak Amidi and BBC Korean editor Woongbee Lee in central Seoul. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ अक्टोबर २० · ४१ मिनेट
With constant new developments in Israel and Gaza, we find out how BBC Monitoring is reporting and analysing news from the heart of the conflict. Joel Greenberg from the team in Jerusalem tells us about the war of words between Israeli and Palestinian media; Kian Sharifi analyses what’s being said on Iranian state media and social media; and Alex Wright has been looking at online jihadist sources to see how they are exploiting the conflict. Feeling the heat in Brazil Parts of Brazil have just come through an intense heatwave and are braced for another – and it’s not even the summer season yet. For BBC Brasil, Julia Braun has been to two contrasting neighbourhoods in Sao Paulo to see how differently the heat is experienced, according to where you live. Dars - the BBC's distance learning for children in Afghanistan As a result of the Taliban exclusion of girls aged over 11 from education in Afghanistan, BBC Afghan decided to bring the classroom to their homes. Dars - which means lessons - is a multi-platform series in Pashto and Dari, and a second season has just been launched. We find out more from producer Mariam Aman. The return from the brink of Kazakhstan's saiga antelope The rare saiga antelope of Kazakhstan has turned into a success story - and caused a headache for farmers. Twenty years ago, numbers were critically low, but a successful rehabilitation programme has led to a population of close to two and a half million. Now the animals are moving onto farmland in search of food, and farmers are complaining. Elbek Daniyarov of BBC Monitoring shares the story. (Photo: A map of the Gaza Strip under a magnifying glass. Credit: Pawel.Gaul/Getty Images)
२०२३ अक्टोबर १३ · ४१ मिनेट
A week after the attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, we look at how some of the BBC’s major language services have been covering the conflict for their audiences, with William Marquez from BBC Mundo, Zubair Ahmed from BBC Delhi and Daniel Dadzie from the Focus on Africa podcast team. Banking and slavery in Brazil Brazil’s oldest bank, the Banco do Brasil, is facing a public inquiry into its alleged involvement in the slave trade during the 19th century. It's been a big story for BBC Brasil, and editor Caio Quero tells us it has started a national debate. Indonesia's disappearing mangroves Indonesia's vast mangrove forests are disappearing, with charcoal made from mangrove wood a valued commodity in China, Europe and Japan. Mangrove logging is illegal, but the number of charcoal furnaces continues to grow, as BBC Indonesian's Astudestra Ajengrastri discovered on a visit to the island of Borneo. (Photo: Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12, 2023. Credit: Ibrahim Hams/AFP via Getty Images)
२०२३ अक्टोबर ६ · ४० मिनेट
Presented by Sana Safi Millions of Afghans living in Pakistan and Iran are facing growing pressure to return to Afghanistan. In Pakistan, around 1.7 million unauthorised Afghan asylum seekers have been ordered to leave by the end of this month. In Iran, the authorities say there are five million Afghans living without legal status, and forced removals are increasing. We hear from BBC Urdu’s Asif Farooqi and BBC Persian’s Zia Shahreyar about the latest developments. Turkish beach towel revolution Fences, fees for sun loungers and private beach clubs are on the rise in Turkey, and in many tourist areas it's becoming increasingly difficult to find a free place to lay your beach towel. But now some locals are protesting, as Mahmut Hamsici of BBC Turkish explains. Celebrating Mahatma Gandhi's iconic loincloth BBC Indian marked the anniversary of Gandhi's birth this week with a story about the history of his iconic loincloth or dhoti, and why he chose to wear it, as Vandana in Delhi explains. Flappy Bird and beyond: Vietnam's gaming industry Vietnam today has become a regional hub for game app development, spurred on by the success of Flappy Bird, which 10 years ago took the world by storm. Thuong Le from BBC Vietnamese is a gaming fan, and tells us about the growth of the homegrown games development industry. Sudan's all-female rap group BBC Arabic's Sarah Magdy took her personal interest in conflict rap to report a story for their culture show about Sudan's first all-female rap group, 249 Gang. (Photo: Afghan families on the road in Pakistan's Khyber district, returning to Afghanistan. Credit: Abdul Majeed/AFP via Getty Images)
२०२३ सेप्टेम्बर २९ · ४१ मिनेट
Last week Venezuela sent 11,000 troops into the notorious Tocorón jail to retake control. For years it's been run by inmates, and was headquarters to the international crime organisation, the "Aragua Train", although its leader, Héctor Guerrero, escaped. BBC Mundo's Valentina Oropeza shares insights into the story and the prison, which boasted a pool, nightclub and even a mini-zoo. Esports at the Asian games The 19th Asian Games kicked off in the Chinese city of Hangzhou last Saturday. Esports made its debut as a medal winning event, and the high price tickets in the space-age stadium rapidly sold out. BBC Chinese Zhijie Shao sheds light on esports, and some of the regional geopolitics also on display. Lebanon's celebration gun deaths An average of 8 people a year are killed in Lebanon by stray bullets from celebratory gunfire, and despite widespread calls to end this deadly ritual, many seem unwilling to leave their guns behind for big events. Carine Torbey of BBC Arabic has been looking into the causes and social significance of this problem. Syrian single mums in Turkey Turkey has the world’s largest refugee population with an estimated 3.3 million Syrians living there. Attitudes to them have shifted, and many now face outright hostility from Turks wanting them gone. BBC Turkish journalist Fundanur Öztürk recently reported on the sexual harassment facing Syrian single mothers in this hostile environment. Gurkhas in the Indian Army For decades, Nepal has allowed its Gurkha soldiers to join the Indian army under a special agreement. The tradition has been passed down through the generations, but since India unilaterally changed its contracts to a short 4 year term the Nepali government has paused recruitment, as the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan explains. (Photo: An armored vehicle drives near the Tocorón prison, Aragua State, Venezuela. Credit: Yuri Cortez/AFP)
२०२३ सेप्टेम्बर २२ · ४१ मिनेट
In the aftermath of the devastating floods in Derna, following the collapse of two dams, we hear from Sara Alhouni, outreach officer for BBC Media Action's platform for Libyan audiences, about their response to the catastrophe and how they are providing lifesaving information for those affected. India or Bharat? Could India be officially renamed “Bharat”? The idea was reported in the press this week after invitations to G20 summit members asked them to join the “President of Bharat”, not India, for dinner. So what is Bharat and why might it replace India? Zubair Ahmed of BBC Delhi explains. Indigenous protests in Argentina Large protests have been taking place in the northern province of Jujuy as indiginous groups oppose lithium mining there. For the BBC Berta Reventós spent a week with protesters in the village of Purmamarca, high up in the Andes mountains, to find out more. Africa Eye: Operation Dudula vigilantes in South Africa South African anti-migrant group, Operation Dudula, has become notorious for targetting people they suspect are foreign nationals, forcing their businesses to close, and evicting tenants from their homes. Ayanda Charlie for BBC Africa Eye gained rare access to members of the country's most-prominent anti-migrant street movement. (Photo: Arabic poster saying “do not go to Derna without coordination” from BBC Media Action. Credit: BBC Media Action for Libya)
२०२३ सेप्टेम्बर १५ · ४० मिनेट
As the world marks the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, we hear from journalist Farzad Seifikaran, who gained an exclusive interview with her mother, Mojgan Eftekhari, for BBC Persian. Farzad, who’s from Mahsa’s home town in Kurdistan, tells us what he learned from Mojgan about the young woman whose death led to protests that shook Iran. Job-hunting in Africa and “full-time children” A growing number of young people in China, especially recent college graduates, are struggling to find jobs. There’s fierce competition in the domestic market, and many of those who succeed in finding work get disillusioned with the long hours and constant pressure. Sylvia Chang from BBC Chinese has been talking to some who’ve opted for different solutions. Vast destruction and vast need: Libya and Morocco Rescue teams in Morocco are still struggling to get help to some of the areas worst affected by last week's earthquake in the Atlas Mountains. Meanwhile more details are emerging of devastation caused by flooding in the Libyan city of Derna. BBC Arabic’s Saida Badri tells us about the challenges of these stories for the news team, and reflects on the aftermath of the Moroccan earthquake. Her own town was affected, and she shares the same Amazigh heritage as the people of the Atlas Mountains. Kim Jong Un's famous train Earlier this week, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travelled on his private train to the Vostochny space centre in Russia's Far East for talks with President Vladimir Putin. BBC Korean's Yuna Ku tells us that the old Soviet-style green train has been the subject of much intrigue over the years, and we also hear from Suping from BBC Monitoring about the late Mao Zedong's passion for train travel. (Photo: Protest sign showing Mahsa Amini at the Iranian consulate on October 24, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey. Credit: Ozan Güzelce/Dia Images via Getty Images)
२०२३ सेप्टेम्बर ८ · ४१ मिनेट
There has been a spate of protests across Syria, with unrest spilling into areas which were previously strongholds of support for President Bashar al-Assad. Anger at poor living conditions has spiralled into calls for political change. Amira Fathalla is a Middle East specialist with BBC Monitoring and she tells us why this is so significant. A new image for millet in Nepal The United Nations is encouraging farmers around the world to plant more millet, and has declared 2023 the International Year of Millets. In Nepal, the crop fell out of favour with some people, being considered a food for the poor. BBC Nepali's Bishnu Pokarel tells us how a growing awareness of its health benefits is transforming its image. Boxing returns to Zanzibar after nearly 60 years Boxing fans in Zanzibar last week witnessed their first tournament on the island in almost six decades. A ban which had been imposed in 1964 was lifted in September last year by the president. BBC Africa's Alfred Lasteck attended the much anticipated tournament. The bloggers selling Russia’s war Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia's pro-war influencers have gained millions of followers on social media. They frequently embed themselves with the Russian army and post footage from the front line, calling on young Russians to enlist. Grigor Atanesian has investigated their activities for the BBC Disinformation Unit. The catacombs of Lima Beneath the streets of the Peruvian capital Lima lies a network of tunnels and crypts, which served as a vast underground cemetery for hundreds of years. Many of these catacombs remain unexplored, but some are open to the public. One recent visitor was BBC Mundo’s Guillermo Olmo. (Photo: People protesting in Syria's southern city of Sweida, September 2023. Credit: Sam Hariri/AFP via Getty Images)
२०२३ सेप्टेम्बर १ · ४१ मिनेट
BBC Urdu’s Azizullah Khan was on the scene soon after last week’s dramatic rescue in northwest Pakistan, when a broken cable car was left dangling hundreds of metres above the ground. He interviewed survivors and local people, and tells us about the harshness of their lives. The rescue put an international spotlight on these remote villages, but will that change anything? Andalusian Spanish BBC Mundo's Alicia Hernandez is from Andalusia in the south of Spain, and she published an online piece about the unique dialect of Spanish spoken there, which differs from the standard form. She explains why it's the basis of the Spanish spoken across Latin America. Chinese shoppers stockpiling salt Consumers in mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong have been panic-buying table salt after Japan began releasing treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima power plant. Martin Yip of BBC Chinese explains why. Lebanon's beauty treatment boom Despite the economic crisis in Lebanon, its cosmetic procedures industry is thriving. The pressure to look good has forced many women to continue costly beauty treatments, with diaspora remittances and visits home keeping the clinics busy. We hear more from BBC Arabic's Carine Torbey. Gold smuggling in Nepal The recent seizure of 60 kilograms of gold at Kathmandu airport has shone light on the scale of smuggling in Nepal’s tightly controlled gold market. It’s a story that hints at corruption and shady dealings in high places. BBC Nepali’s Sanjaya Dhakal has been covering the story. (Photo: Army soldier descends from a helicopter during a rescue mission to recover students stuck in a chairlift in a remote village in Pakistan. Credit: AFP via Getty Images)
२०२३ अगस्ट २५ · ४० मिनेट
Officials in Ethiopia's Tigray region have reported that more than 1,400 have died of starvation since international food aid was suspended a few months ago. Deliveries were halted after reports of widespread theft and corruption, but the impact has been catastrophic for many people living there. BBC Tigrinya’s Girmay Gebru tells us what he's seen in displaced people's camps in the region, where people are forced to beg to survive. ‘With my own eyes’: witnessing historic moments in Azerbaijan A new BBC Azerbaijani series hears from people who witnessed key moments in the country's history. Presenter Vusal Hamzayev tells us about one guest, Alexey Manvelyan, who's BBC Azerbaijani's correspondent in the Armenian capital Yerevan. Alexey recalls the era when Azerbaijan and Armenia were part of the Soviet Union. He, like many Armenians, lived in Azerbaijan, and many Azerbaijanis lived in Armenia. Then war broke out over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh. Africa’s first English slave fort An archaeological dig in Ghana has discovered what is thought to be the first English slave fort in Africa. Parts of the foundations of Fort Kormantine, as well as 17th century artefacts, were discovered beneath the existing Fort Amsterdam, ending decades of speculation. BBC Africa’s Favour Nunoo visited the site and met those making the discoveries. Ecuador votes against oil extraction in the Amazon The Yasuni National Park in Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world and home to the country’s last remaining uncontacted tribes. But the discovery of oil there 20 years ago divided Ecuadorians, with some wanting the park to remain untouched, and others arguing that this oil was vital for economic development. Now a referendum has decided to ban oil extraction. BBC Mundo’s Ana Maria Roura explains why this area and this decision are so unique. Jakarta tops the list of polluted cities Earlier this month, Jakarta was ranked the world's most polluted city. The government has instructed civil servants to work from home, blaming vehicle emissions and global warming, but some experts claim that the power plants which surround the city are to blame. BBC Indonesian's Trisha Husada has been following one of the, literally, hottest topics in the country. (Photo: Tigrayan woman and her children in an IDP camp in Shire. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ अगस्ट १८ · ४१ मिनेट
Since August 2021 when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, an estimated 600,000 Afghans have crossed the border into Pakistan. Pakistan has hosted millions of refugees over the years, but has recently cracked down on undocumented Afghans, who now struggle to find jobs and housing, and to educate their children. BBC Urdu's Nazish Faiz met a teacher who’s set up a free school in Peshawar for Afghan children. K-pop bands with no Koreans Black Swan is the first K-pop girl group with no Korean members. They're from Belgium, the US, Germany and India. Yuna Ku from BBC Korean recently met the group to find out how this came about, and what makes a band K-pop if there are no Koreans. Iran’s Ashuradeh Island: a wildlife sanctuary under threat Ashuradeh Island in the Caspian Sea is a wildlife sanctuary now threatened by plans for tourism development. BBC Persian's Siavash Ardalan tells us about the island, and also the bigger picture of the many threats facing habitats and wildlife in Iran. Caucasus women escaping for a better life Women in Russia's North Caucasus republics of Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan report being denied education, forced into marriage and subjected to FGM in the conservative village communties. Zlata Onufrieva of BBC Russian tells the stories of some who've fled their family homes for a freer life. Elections and the oligarchy in Guatemala Sunday sees the second round of voting in Guatemala's presidential election, following the surprise success of centre left candidate Bernardo Arévalo, who's challenging former first lady Sandra Torres. The election has thrown the spotlight on Guatemala's business elites, who have held enormous power since colonial times. BBC Mundo's Gerardo Lissardy explains their influence.
२०२३ अगस्ट ११ · ४१ मिनेट
July 2023 was world’s hottest month on record, with extreme temperatures and weather patterns making global headlines. We asked colleagues from the language services how they had been covering the story. BBC Arabic's North Africa correspondent Bassam Bounenni reported on the heatwave in Tunisia, and the wildfires that spilled over from Algeria. BBC Korean's Damin Jung shares the stories of South Korea's extreme heat and torrential rains, which led to several deaths and severely disrupted the international Scout Jamboree. And Haider Ahmed reported from Iraq for BBC Arabic about the life of a Baghdad baker, working with temperatures hitting 50C outside and 60C inside. Miami Vice and jai alai Jai alai is the world’s fastest ball game. It originated in the Basque region of Spain, and became synonymous with the ‘Miami vice’ era of drug violence and excess of 1970s and 80s, with packed stadiums hosting millionaires, celebrities, and mobsters. BBC Mundo's Atahualpa Amerise charts the changing fortunes of the game. Sexism and misogyny in Pakistan Sexist attitudes in Pakistan have been in the spotlight after a senior minister called female leaders of the opposition PTI party “trash and leftovers”. For BBC Urdu, Saher Baloch has been reporting on the fierce backlash that followed. Kyiv statue makeover Kyiv’s towering Soviet-era Motherland Monument shows a woman raising a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left. The hammer and sickle emblem that used to be on the shield is being replaced with a tryzub, the three-pronged emblem of Ukraine. BBC Ukrainian’s Irena Taranyuk explains the significance of the tryzub and why this change matters.
२०२३ अगस्ट ४ · ४१ मिनेट
Beirut's devastating port explosion killed more than 200, and injured thousands, but three years on, while neighbourhoods have largely returned to normal the families of victims are still waiting for answers. BBC Arabic's Carine Torbey spoke to three people directly affected by the explosion about their experiences and perspectives. Why being a 'pure vegetarian' got Sudha Murty into trouble Sudha Murty is married to one of the richest men in India and mother-in-law to the British Prime Minister. But she recently sparked debates with comments about vegetarianism on a popular TV food programme, with her claim to being a ‘pure vegetarian’ offending many. From BBC Delhi, Geeta Pandey joins us to explore why vegetarianism can be such a controversial topic in India. Ibrat Safo: finding my Ukrainian nanny When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, BBC journalist Ibrat Safo's first thought was for Natasha, the Ukrainian nanny who had cared for him as a baby in Uzbekistan. He decided to try and find her, and after more than a year, finally tracked her down. Iran's hijab problem Efforts to enforce hijab rules in Iran have stepped up recently, with businesses being shut down, and women convicted of breaking the rules given bizarre sentences by courts, like being compelled to receive psychotherapy, or washing corpses. BBC Monitoring Iranian journalist Sonia has been following the story. Myanmar's new banknote The military regime in Myanmar has just issued a new banknote worth 20,000 kyat, just less than $10. It bears the image of a white elephant, and its issue coincided with the unveiling of an enormous statue of Buddha in the capital Naypyidaw. BBC Burmese editor Soe Win Than explains the significance of the imagery and the timing. (Photo: Lebanese army member by damaged grain silo, Beirut port blast site (August 7, 2020). Credit: Reuters/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo)
२०२३ जुलाई २८ · ४१ मिनेट
It’s been two months since violence in Manipur broke out between the majority Meitei and minority Kuki communities. When a video emerged showing two women being sexually assaulted, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it ‘shamed’ India. BBC Delhi's Divya Arya has covered women’s affairs for many years, and explains how in Manipur, as in many other inter-community conflicts, women’s bodies have become the battlefield. Liang Shi - China's "No.1 Gaokao holdout" China’s Gaokao university entrance exam is notoriously tough, but one man claims to have sat it, and failed, 27 times. Fan Wang of BBC Chinese shares Mr Liang’s story. Nepalis joining the Russian army A growing number of young Nepalese men have enlisted with the Russian army, tempted by offers of good pay and a fast track to citizenship. BBC Nepali’s Swechhya Raut spoke to some of those who have signed up about their experiences. Power cuts and water shortages in South Africa South Africa has been experiencing regular electricity blackouts which in turn have affected water supplies, with some South Africans drilling boreholes on their properties. Pumza Fihlani from BBC Johannesburg explains the long history behind the crisis. Syrian refugees in Turkey Turkey is home to more than 3.3 million Syrians who fled because of war and insecurity. But there's growing pressure on them to go back, with many in the Turkish press and social media arguing that Syria is now safe. Nihan Kalle of BBC Monitoring reports on a popular Turkish travel vlogger whose videos from Syria reinforce this narrative. (Photo: Women protest against sexual violence in India's north-eastern state of Manipur following inter-communal violence and sexual assault. Credit: AFP via Getty Images)
२०२३ जुलाई २१ · ३९ मिनेट
It's three months since the beginning of the conflict in Sudan between the army and the Rapid Support Forces militia, and since the launch of BBC Arabic's Sudan Lifeline radio service. We hear from Mays Baki in London and Zeinab Dabaa in Cairo about the scope of their work and stories they have been covering, from the barber offering free haircuts in Khartoum to the tragic killing of the governor of West Darfur. Eritrea’s cycling star Biniam Girmay Biniam Girmay is attracting world attention as the only black African cyclist competing in this year’s Tour de France. He’s seen as one of the finest talents in the sport, and is a hero at home and across Africa. Fellow Eritrean Habtom Weldeyowhannes from BBC Tigrinya has been following his rise to fame. The Taliban closes beauty salons in Afghanistan Following the Taliban decision to close all hair and beauty salons in Afghanistan, Shekiba Habib of BBC Pashto and Aaliya Farzan of BBC Dari discuss this latest restriction in the lives of women, and share memories of Afghan beauty. (Photo: Sudanese man listening to radio. Credit: Ebrahim Hamid/AFP/Getty Images)
२०२३ जुलाई १४ · ४० मिनेट
BBC Russian editor Famil Ismailov shares his insights into what's been going on between Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and President Vladimir Putin. How vulnerable is Prigozhin after his failed mutiny, and how has his relationship with the president changed? Inter Miami and Messi Why would footballing superstar Lionel Messi, who earlier this year captained Argentina to World Cup victory, sign with a team currently at the bottom of America's Major League Soccer? BBC Mundo's Atahualpa Amerise sheds light on the appeal of his new club Inter Miami for Spanish-speaking followers of the beautiful game. India and the Koh-i-Noor diamond For decades, campaigners in India have called for the repatriation of thousands of precious artefacts taken out of the country by the British, chief among them the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which forms part of the Crown Jewels. Zubair Ahmed from BBC Delhi explains why this is such a hot topic in India at the moment. Tunisia's anti-migrant attacks The killing of a Tunisian man during a brawl between Tunisians and migrants in the port city of Sfax on 3 July triggered a surge of racially motivated attacks. Over recent years, Sfax has seen the arrival of large numbers of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa en route to Europe. BBC Arabic's Bassam Bounenni visited the city to report on the aftermath of the violence. The Serbian love of swearing Language experts who’ve studied Serbian say that it stands out for the richness and creativity of its swearing. It was a topic tastefully tackled by BBC Serbian’s Jovana Georgievski. (Photo: Yevgeny Prigozhin and President Vladimir Putin. Credit: Reuters (L) and SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock (R)
२०२३ जुलाई ७ · ४१ मिनेट
BBC Urdu’s Saher Baloch follows in the dirt tracks of the petrol smugglers bringing fuel from Iran into the border town of Mashkel in Balochistan, and onwards into the markets of Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Vietnam's coffee culture Vietnam’s coffee culture is vibrant and unique, with popular coffee orders that include egg yolk and even fruit. Which may explain why international chains have failed to conquer the market, as BBC Vietnamese's Thuong Le explains. Inside the "Well of Death" The so-called Well of Death is a traditional show at fairs in India, where stunt drivers defy gravity to ride cars and motorbikes around the inner walls of a huge barrel-shaped structure. BBC Delhi’s Anshul Verma watched them in action. Seedlings for healthcare in Madagascar A scheme in Madagascar is giving free healthcare in exchange for tree seedlings, to improve the health of rural communities and fight deforestation. Elphas Lagat of BBC Africa went to Madagascar to see how it works. South Korean fishers and Fukushima The International Atomic Energy Agency this week approved a Japanese plan to start releasing treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. Many in South Korea fear the impact on their fishing industry, and health, as BBC Korean’s Yuna Ku reports. (Photo: Blue Zamyad smuggling truck loaded with petrol cannisters in Pakistan. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ जुन ३० · ४२ मिनेट
Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine-like drug, is causing huge problems around the Middle East, as millions of pills are smuggled out of Syria. BBC News Arabic collaborated with the investigative journalism network OCCRP to find out who's behind the trade. Emir Nader tells us about the direct links they discovered to leading members of the Syrian Armed Forces and President Bashar al-Assad's family. De-Russifying Kazakhstan Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, young people in Kazakhstan have been increasingly reclaiming their roots. There’s growing talk of “decolonisation" in Central Asia’s largest country, whose language and culture were suppressed in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, as BBC Russian’s Nargiza Ryskulova explains. Pakistan floods: natural disaster or human failure? This year's pre-monsoon rains have already caused disruption and deaths in Pakistan. It's brought back worrying memories of last year's catastrophic floods, in which a third of the country was under water. BBC Urdu's Umer Draz Nangiana looked back at the 2022 floods in a series which revisited many of the worst hit areas to assess whether nature, or human failure, was to blame for the devastation. Fake news in Iran A story suggesting that Steven Seagal - US actor and supporter of President Putin - had replaced General Sergei Shoigu as Russian Defence Minister, circulated in some Iranian media this week. And it’s not the first time Iranian media have missed the joke, as Ali Hamedani explains. (Photo: Captagon pills found by border patrol forces. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ जुन २३ · ४० मिनेट
After the capsize of a migrant boat off the Greek coast BBC Arabic's Murad Shishani went to the Greek port of Kalamata to meet relatives hoping to find their loved ones. One man was waiting for news of 30 relatives and acquaintances from the Egyptian district of Sharkia. So why are so many trying to leave this place? Pakistanis were one of the largest groups of migrants on the boat, including many from Pakistan Administered Kashmir. BBC Urdu's Umer Draz Nangiana visited the village of Bundli, home to 28 men on that boat, only 2 of whom survived, to find out what drove them to risk the journey. The Settlers "The Settlers" film shows how Patagonia, in Southern Chile and Argentina, was colonised by Chilean and European settlers, including brutal raids against the indigenous Selk'nam people. BBC Mundo's Paula Molina explains modern Chileans' interest in the Selk’nam, and in this part of their own history. Saving lives after the dam-burst in Russian occupied areas BBC Russian’s Olga Ivshina explains how volunteers working in the Russian occupied areas of Ukraine helped save civilians trapped by the floods using local boats. South Korea's reclusive youth A growing number of young people in South Korea are choosing to withdraw from society. Hyunjung Kim of BBC Korean finds out why, and what the government and former recluses are doing to try and help them. (Photo: Framed photo of missing son believed drowned on migrant ship. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ जुन १६ · ४१ मिनेट
BBC Mundo's correspondent in Bogota, Daniel Pardo, shares the story behind the extraordinary survival of four indigenous children who used ancestral knowledge to stay alive in the Colombian jungle after a plane crash. Their story has sparked a debate about the divide in the country between indigenous and urbanised communities. Indian wrestler protest Since January some of India's top female wrestlers have been protesting, demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, outgoing chief of the Wrestling Federation of India and also a BJP MP. He has been accused of sexual harassment, which he denies. BBC Delhi’s Divya Arya brings us up to date with this week's developments. Brazil, a 'nursery' for Russian spies? BBC Brasil has investigated the strange story of at least three alleged Russian spies who adopted Brazilian identities. Leandro Prazeres tells us why a false Brazilian identity would be ideal cover for agents who need to circulate worldwide without arousing suspicion. Me and my name Egyptian Reem Fatthelbab tells us the story of her name, from her own intervention in choosing her first name, to the family history and meaning contained in her surname, inherited from her great-grandfather. Humans and elephants in conflict in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka is home to thousands of wild elephants, which increasingly come into conflict with humans. Last year, nearly 150 people died in elephant attacks and around 440 elephants were killed. BBC Sinhala’s Shirly Upul Kumara visited an elephant hotspot to see the problem first hand. (Photo: Four children rescued after 40 days in the Amazon jungle. Credit: Colombian Military Forces/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
२०२३ जुन ९ · ४१ मिनेट
The Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have sent anti-narcotics units across the country to destroy this year's opium poppy crop. BBC Afghan's Dawood Azami explains how Afghanistan became the world’s biggest producer of opium, and why this campaign is succeeding after years of failure. Pakistan's Bombay Bakery The Bombay Bakery in Hyderabad, Pakistan has been serving its famous cakes since 1911 and has recently been recommended by the government to become a national heritage site. BBC Urdu’s Riaz Sohail of BBC Urdu is from Hyderabad and shares memories of the bakery. Burying the dead in Sudan In the war-torn Sudanese capital Khartoum, the violence and danger has forced many people to bury their loved ones and neighbours in makeshift graves in the streets and even in homes, as BBC Arabic's Ethar Shalaby reports. Sexual assault for sale A BBC investigation has exposed an online business which sells thousands of videos of men sexually abusing women on trains and buses and in other public spaces across East Asia. Zhaoyin Feng and Shanshan Chen from BBC Eye Investigations tell us how they travelled to Tokyo to track down the man responsible, for the documentary Catching A Pervert. (Photo: Afghan farmers harvest opium poppies. Credit: Noorullah Shirzada/AFP via Getty Images)
२०२३ जुन २ · ४१ मिनेट
BBC Delhi explores the steady rise in female-led households in their documentary "Women in Charge: Is India Changing?" From widows to the growing number of women whose husbands have left home to find work, these women are assuming control of household finances, their children's education and local communities. Divya Arya discusses how this 'mini revolution' is affecting India's traditionally patriarchal society. Vietnam's migrant workers in Taiwan Taiwan relies heavily on legal migrant workers from South East Asia for its economy. A recent film highlighted the tragic death of one illegal migrant, and raised the issue of the lives of these migrant workers in Taiwan. Tran Vo from BBC Vietnamese and Benny Lu from BBC Chinese collaborated to look into the challenges, and sometimes tragedies, faced by these workers. Russians in Serbia Between February and November last year, 140,000 Russians officially moved to Serbia after the invasion of Ukraine. BBC Serbian was keen to find out more about the impact both for the Russians themselves and the local population, as Jovana Georgievski reports. Syria's deadly truffle harvest It was a bumper year for desert truffles in Syria, attracting many to hunt for them in remote areas. But around 250 truffle hunters have died, some from landmines, but most in attacks by gunmen. Alex Wright and Mina Al-Lami from BBC Monitoring have been investigating these deaths. (Photo: Widow and deputy village council head Maan Kanwar in Rajasthan wearing traditional colourful clothing. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ मे २६ · ४१ मिनेट
Violence broke out in the north eastern Indian state of Manipur earlier this month after a rally by indigenous communities protesting against moves to grant tribal status to the state's main ethnic group. Raghvendra Rao of BBC Delhi spoke to people affected by the violence. Cool pavements in Saudi Arabia In Saudi Arabia, a trial project is turning some streets and pavements white. It's called 'Cool Pavements' and is all about reducing the amount of heat given off during the night by traditional black asphalt roads, as BBC Arabic's Nisrine Hatoum reports. Cleopatra Clash Netflix’s “Cleopatra” docudrama sparked international controversy over portraying the legendary ruler as mixed-race. Yassmin Farag from BBC Arabic tells us what we know of the actual heritage of the last Egyptian pharaoh, and why Egyptians are up in arms. Turkish Earthquake: Little Afghanistan BBC Uzbek's Firuz Rahimi visited the Turkish village of Ovakent, which was devastated by February's earthquake. The majority of the population living there are Afghan refugees of Uzbek and Turkman ethnicity who've been arriving since 1982. He heard the stories of those who lost relatives, homes and businesses, and their plans to rebuild. Vietnamese children of US fathers About 100,000 children were born to Vietnamese women and American soldiers during the Vietnam War. Writer Nguyen Phan Que Mai has been helping these children reunite with their American fathers for years. My Hang Tran of BBC Vietnamese interviewed the author about why she wanted to shine a light on this consequence of war. (Photo: Car burned in Manipur, India. Credit: AFP via Getty Images)
२०२३ मे १९ · ४२ मिनेट
BBC Bengali's Shahnewaj Rocky shares the experiences of the fishermen of Teknaf in Bangladesh following Cyclone Mocha. Plus BBC Burmese Editor Soe Win Than shares his reporting team's experience of being in Rakhine State's capital Sittwe as the cyclone made landfall. Thai voters ‘big leaps’ Thai social media has been full of people’s photos of themselves taking big leaps after the election success of the Move Forward party, as BBC Thai’s Tossapol Chaisamritpol explains. LGBT extortion in Nigeria The story behind BBC Africa Eye's investigation into how members of the LGBT community in Nigeria are being targeted by criminal gangs who pose as potential dates on popular apps, only to extort, beat and even kidnap them. Journalist Ian Wafula followed the story. Art, spoons and defecting from North Korea BBC Korean's Damin Jung tells us about North Korean defector Oh Sung-cheol who was a propaganda poster artist in North Korea before defecting to South Korea. (Photo: Aftermath of Cyclone Mocha in Myanmar. Credit: Win Kyaw Thu/BBC Burmese)
२०२३ मे १२ · ४२ मिनेट
BBC Arabic’s Mohamed Osman has reported from Sudan for two decades and is used to covering conflict. But two weeks ago he was forced to flee the capital with his family as he was no longer able to live or work safely. From Cairo he told us about his decision, the journey, and his mixed feelings now that he is safe. Saving one of Brazil's rarest birds Efforts are underway in Brazil to save a rare species of bird which was widely believed to be extinct until 2016, when a dozen of them were discovered by chance. BBC Brasil's Andre Biernath tells us about a project to secure the future of the blue-eyed ground dove. Ukrainian children adapting to life in exile Millions of Ukrainian women and children are living in EU countries after fleeing the war more than a year ago. BBC Ukrainian's Victoria Prisedskaya spoke to mothers in Poland and Germany about the difficulties their children face in adapting to new education systems and environments, and their concerns for their children's future. Press freedom in Vietnam Social media users in Vietnam will soon have to verify their identities, in what the government says is a bid to crack down on online scams. Some feel that this law is an attempt to curb freedom of expression online. In the 2023 World Press Freedom rankings, Vietnam came 178th out of 180, just above North Korea and China. BBC Vietnamese editor Giang Nguyen joins us to discuss further. The Turkish elections through 3 cities Ahead of Turkey's Sunday elections BBC Turkish journalist Esra Yalcinalp tells us about the 3 cities she visited - Bayburt, Trabzon and Antalya - and what light voters in those cities shed on the chances of the main political alliances asking for their votes. (Photo: BBC Arabic's Mohamed Osman crossing the Nile from Sudan to Egypt. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ मे ५ · ४२ मिनेट
This week, BBC Arabic launched an emergency radio service for Sudan, providing information and advice. Editor Adel Soliman tells us how they're putting together information about essential needs like how to obtain fuel, food and support. They also provide a platform for Sudanese people to share news from across the country. Thailand's election jargon Election time always spawns new buzzwords in Thailand. BBC Thai's Tossapol Chaisamritpol shares three from this election's crop: MP draining, landslide, and Big House. Speed dating for single Muslims London recently hosted the biggest ever Muslim speed dating event, organised by the Muzz dating app. More than a thousand people took part, and BBC Arabic's Alma Hassoun went along to explore the challenges some young Muslims face in meeting and socialising with others of their religion. Reporting on Kenya's starvation cult BBC Africa’s Dorcas Wangira has been following the story of Kenyan preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, who’s accused of encouraging his followers to starve themselves to death. Hundreds of bodies have been discovered in an isolated forest area on the Kenyan coast, and Dorcas was one of the first journalists on the scene. Paraguay, Taiwan and China The victory of the ruling Colorado Party in Paraguay’s recent election was also in part a victory for Taiwan: Paraguay remains one of the last Latin American countries retaining full diplomatic ties with Taipei, while the opposition party candidate had promised to follow the growing trend of switching to Beijing. BBC Monitoring's Luis Fajardo in Miami reports on what these ties mean, both for Paraguay, and for China and Taiwan. (Photo: Smoke rises during clashes in Khartoum, Sudan. Credit: Ahmed Satti/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
२०२३ अप्रिल २८ · ४१ मिनेट
High profile artists and cultural figures in both Iran and Russia face punishment and restrictions on their work if they speak out against their governments. Following the protests in Iran, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, artists are increasingly under pressure to toe the political line. With BBC Persian's Parham Ghobadi, and BBC Monitoring's Vitaliy Shevchenko. Couple living the Vietnamese saying dream There’s a Vietnamese phrase that suggests perfect happiness can be found by those who live in a western house, eat Chinese food and marry a Japanese woman. We hear about the couple on Tiktok living the dream, and about the history of this saying, with BBC Vietnamese's Thuong Le. Sudan: brothers divided by war The fighting in Sudan has been a huge story for BBC Arabic. In addition to covering the main headlines they also told the story of two brothers fighting on opposite sides, as Majd Kilani reports. Meeting her pupils for the first time: North Waziristan The village school of Dewagar, North Waziristan, struggled to find a teacher due to the history of instability in the area. In 2020 Seema Mahin, based in Islamabad, became their online teacher, and recently went to meet them in person for the first time, with the help of Farhat Javed of BBC Urdu. (Photo: Iran’s Andiseh magazine shows Mahsa Amini, whose death sparked protests. Credit: Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
२०२३ अप्रिल २१ · ४१ मिनेट
Since the pandemic, reports from Uganda say there has been a 300% increase in pregnancies among girls aged 10-14. Sexual violence has been further fuelled in the north by the legacy of a 20-year insurgency led by notorious warlord Joseph Kony, and cases of sexual abuse of girls as young as three are being reported. For BBC Africa Eye, Paul Bakibinga investigates the true scale of the problem. Russia's online draft Under a new law recently signed by President Vladimir Putin, call-up papers will be served online, which makes avoiding the draft almost impossible. Kateryna Khinkulova of BBC Russian explains the new legislation. Fighting to keep Afghan music alive After they took power in August 2021, the Taliban imposed a total ban on playing and listening to music in public in Afghanistan. Students at the National Institute of Music fled the country, but now they are performing on the international stage in order to keep their music alive. BBC Afghan's Shekiba Habib has been talking to them. The return of Ya Ya the panda to China Ya Ya arrived at Memphis Zoo 20 years ago but will soon make the journey back to her home country. Chinese netizens have been urging her swift return and asking if it's time for China to move on from 'panda diplomacy'. The BBC's Fan Wang has been covering the story. (Photo: Young Ugandan mother carrying baby on her back)
२०२३ अप्रिल १४ · ४२ मिनेट
Since anti-government protests erupted in Iran following the death in police custody last September of Mahsa Amini, at least 30,000 people have been arrested. While most have been released on bail, it's reported that more than a hundred have been sentenced to death or charged with capital offences. BBC Persian's Firouzeh Akbarian tells us about the lawyers who are trying to stop more executions as well as free people from detention. A haunted forest in Serbia's 'Siberia' The Pešter Plateau in south west Serbia is nicknamed Serbia's Siberia because of its long cold winters, which often leave villages cut off by snow. Its extensive grasslands are used for raising sheep and cattle, but Sandra Maksimovic of BBC Serbian discovered an unusual forest which has survived through the centuries, because - according to legend - it's haunted. The Indian communities where women inherit In India's north-eastern state of Meghalaya, many families still follow an age-old system of inheritance, where children take the mother's surname and the ancestral property goes to the youngest daughter. BBC Marathi's Mayuresh Konnur visited Meghalaya and discovered the pressure that modern life is putting on this matrilineal tradition. My father's story - and my country's In 2018, BBC Uzbek journalist Ibrat Safo began recording stories told by his father, Ozod. They were family memories but also revealed a lot about the history of Uzbekistan in the 20th century. When Ozod died earlier this year, Ibrat decided to share some of those 'Dad tapes'. (Photo: Women hold up signs depicting the image of Mahsa Amini, who died while in the custody of Iranian authorities. Credit: SAFIN HAMED/AFP via Getty Images)
२०२३ अप्रिल ७ · ४१ मिनेट
A year ago India evacuated thousands of students, mostly studying medicine, from Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Their arrival home was greeted with great thanks and fanfare, so why have more than a thousand felt compelled to return? BBC Hindi’s Jugal Purohit has been finding out. Chicken poop power A farmer in Kenya has developed an original way of tackling the rising cost of living, using chicken droppings to make biogas which produces electricity for his farm. BBC Africa business journalist Sara Adam went to meet him. The Javanese diaspora in Suriname More than 70,000 people in Suriname, around 15% of the population, are of Javanese ancestry. In the 19th century, Dutch colonisers recruited thousands of Indonesians from Java to work on plantations in Suriname. More than a century later, the Javanese Surinamese still keep their heritage alive. Mohamad Susilo from BBC Indonesian visited Suriname to meet some of them. Reporting Lebanon's financial meltdown The Lebanese lira has been in freefall as the country experiences a financial meltdown. Prices are constantly rising and many people are struggling to survive. For Carine Torbey, the BBC correspondent in Beirut, it’s a story she has to live as well as report. Investigating the ‘pig butchering’ romance scam One of the most successful global online romance scams, known as ‘pig butchering’, is run by criminal gangs in South East Asia. World Service journalist Zhaoyin Feng worked with the BBC Eye Investigation team, travelling from Boston to Phnom Penh to meet victims and former scammers. (Photo: Indian medical students who've returned to Ukraine. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ मार्च ३१ · ४२ मिनेट
BBC Arabic’s recent film ‘Blind Faith’ exposes the clinics offering bogus, and potentially dangerous, treatments to people living with an incurable eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, or RP. The reporter is Ramadan Younes, who's based in Egypt. He also has RP and is visually impaired, and underwent one of these treatments himself. Vietnamese embassy protests in Poland Poland's Vietnamese community has been protesting outside the Vietnamese embassy in Warsaw, and demanding the resignation of the ambassador, over allegations of overcharging and illegal fees for visas and passports. BBC Vietnamese editor Giang Nguyen has been following the story. South Koreans committing to singledom BBC Korean journalist Yuna Ku has been investigating the growing number of Koreans committing to remaining single, some even staging 'non-marriage' ceremonies. She explores how the workplace, and society, are responding. (Photo: BBC Arabic's Ramadan Younes. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ मार्च २४ · ४१ मिनेट
With big political changes in Brazil after a divisive election which brought in a new president, Faranak Amidi is in the country's largest city São Paulo to look at the stories being covered by the BBC journalists based there. The heart of São Paulo: Avenida Paulista Leticia Mori takes us to the famous Avenida Paulista, built for the rich of São Paulo and now home to many businesses and banks. It hosts street markets and live performances every Sunday, and has also been the site of many protests and demonstrations. A country the size of a continent Journalists Vitor Tavares, Camilla Mota, Ian Alves and Ligia Guimarães give us an idea of the vastness of Brazil with a quick introduction to their home towns. Divided Brazil We discuss the divisions which seem to touch all parts of life in Brazil - with João Fellet, Thais Carrança and Ian Alves. What's it been like reporting on such a polarised country, and has the new presidency brought any signs of change? My favourite neighbourhood: Liberdade We rejoin Leticia Mori in the Liberdade neighbourhood of São Paulo, home to the city's Japanese community. Leticia tells us about her own Japanese heritage and what this area tells us about the complex history of Brazil. Brazil, the melting pot Brazil has one of the most diverse and mixed populations in the world, and São Paulo is its most diverse city. Camilla Mota, Mariana Alvim and Felipe Souza tell us what it means to be Brazilian, and discuss the stereotypes they're sometimes faced with. (Photo: A man shows the Brazilian flag in Avenida Paulista, São Paulo. Credit: Mauro Horita/Getty Images)
२०२३ मार्च १७ · ४२ मिनेट
February's earthquake spanned the Turkey-Syria border and refocused international attention on the complicated geopolitics of northern Syria. We hear how the earthquake aid operation presented both challenges and opportunities to the different groups controlling Syria, from the government in Damascus to the rebel leaders of Idlib province. With BBC Monitoring jihadi expert Mina al-Lami and BBC Middle East correspondent Lina Sinjab. The handwritten newspaper of Bangladesh Since 2019, a handwritten newspaper has been published by a group of day labourers in southern Bangladesh. It aims to inspire others with stories of ordinary villagers who have overcome struggles and hardships, as BBC Bengali's Nagib Bahar reports. Venezuela: 10 years after the death of Hugo Chavez Venezuelans have been marking the tenth anniversary of the death of former president Hugo Chavez, one of the most controversial, charismatic and influential politicians in Latin American history. As a child, teenager and then young reporter, BBC Mundo’s Jorge Perez witnessed some of the key moments of Chavez’s rule. Searching for gems of hope For four decades local people have been mining semi-precious stones in the mountainous Chumar Bakhoor area of Gilgit-Baltistan in northern Pakistan. BBC Urdu’s Musa Yawari travelled into the mountains to meet the miners as they brave hazardous conditions hoping to make their fortunes. (Photo: A man in Idlib province carrying the body of a child after the Turkey-Syria earthquake. Credit: Mohammed Al-Rifai/AFP via Getty images)
२०२३ मार्च १० · ४२ मिनेट
We look at the Belarusian regiment of volunteers serving under Ukrainian command in the war against Russia, and explore Ukraine's complex relationship with Belarus, with BBC Monitoring journalist, and Belarusian, Gennadiy Kot. Me and my name BBC Mundo's Atahualpa Amerise reflects on what it’s like to be a Spaniard named after the last Inca emperor. Thai punishment haircuts Historically Thai students have faced humiliating punishment haircuts by teachers for breaking strict rules regarding the length and style of their hair. But last month the authorities revoked the hair regulations. BBC Thai's Tossapol Chaisamritpol visits a school that has adopted more liberal rules, and remembers his own punishment haircuts. Chinese migrants 'walking the line' through South America Benny Lu of BBC Chinese has spoken to some of the growing number of Chinese asylum seekers trying to reach the United States via South America. They call it 'walking the line'. The champion rat catcher of Bangladesh Mohammed Anwar is a champion rat catcher. It started as a hobby to make a bit of pocket money then became a lucrative career. BBC Bengali's Shahnewaj Rocky joined him for a rat catching day out. (Photo: Belarus fighters in Ukraine. Credit: The Kastus Kalinowski Regiment website)
२०२३ मार्च ३ · ४२ मिनेट
There's fear and anger in Iran over a wave of poisonings that have affected hundreds of schoolgirls across the country. Soroush Pakzad from BBC Persian's social media team describes the challenges of investigating the story, and Aalia Farzan from BBC Dari tells us how the cause of similar incidents in Afghanistan a few years back was never established. BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year The sporting achievements of Indian women athletes are being celebrated by the BBC in Delhi this weekend when they announce the winner of their Indian Sportswoman of the Year award for 2022. Journalist Divya Arya has been reporting on the nominees, and tells us about their achievements. Crimea bridge attack: who has been arrested for the explosion? In October last year, sections of Russia's only bridge to Crimea were brought down in a huge blast. Moscow had illegally annexed the region four years earlier. Within days of the explosion, eight people were arrested. BBC Russian's Nina Nazarova has spoken to lawyers and families, and tells us what she discovered. Triumph against the odds Halima Umar Saleh of BBC Hausa shares the inspiring story of how she escaped the threat of an arranged marriage as a teenager and fulfilled her dream of becoming a journalist, in our series celebrating the BBC's 100 years. (Photo: Mothers demanding classes move online. Credit: IRNA)
२०२३ फेब्रुअरी २४ · ४७ मिनेट
Faranak Amidi meets the BBC Russian journalists who relocated from Moscow to the Latvian capital after the invasion of Ukraine. The first anniversary: what's in the news? Editor Sergei Zakin tells us what the news focus has been for his team in the week of the first anniversary of the invasion. The move from Moscow to Riga Bureau chief Andrei Goryanov explains why the difficult decision was taken to move BBC Russian journalists and their families out of Moscow, and why Riga was chosen as their new home. Leaving Russia Seva Boiko, Liza Fokht and Sergei Goryashko share their experiences of the past year. They describe the challenge of leaving homes and family members and building a new life in a new city. We find out how the shared difficulties have brought the team closer together. Riga: my home town For several years, Latvian journalist Oksana Antonenko covered news from the Baltic region for BBC Russian. She tells us what it was like when nearly fifty colleagues arrived from Moscow to set up their new base in her home town. Reporting Russia from outside The move from Moscow to Riga has meant a new way of reporting for many of the BBC Russian team. Misha Poplavsky and Nataliya Zotova tell us how the change has impacted them. And they reflect with Oksana on what the future holds for them, personally and professionally. (Photo: Faranak Amidi with BBC Russian's Oksana Antonenko in front of Riga's historic House of the Blackheads. Credit: BBC)
२०२३ फेब्रुअरी १७ · ४२ मिनेट
Since the start of the war in Ukraine nearly a year ago, thousands of lives have been lost on both sides, and millions of Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes. For BBC Ukrainian, it's been a year of upheaval, with many journalists from Kyiv moving to new hubs in Lviv and Warsaw, and some living apart from family members. We hear how the team have continued to report the war, from editor Marta Shokalo in Warsaw, Daria Taradai in Lviv and Oleg Karpyak in Kyiv. Ukraine war - perspectives from around the world Over the past year, Russia has been building on its already strong ties to many countries around the world, using trade deals, historic loyalties and propaganda. We get perspectives from China, Latin America and Africa from BBC Chinese editor Howard Zhang, Grigor Atanesian from the BBC's Global Disinformation Unit and Luis Fajardo from BBC Monitoring. (Photo: The Ukrainian national flag flies over Kyiv. Credit: Raul Moreno/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
२०२३ फेब्रुअरी १० · ४१ मिनेट
We hear from some of the language service journalists reporting on the catastrophic earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday. Fundanur Öztürk from BBC Turkish travelled to Hatay, one of the worst hit cities, while BBC Arabic's Nisrine Hatoum was on holiday in Turkey at the time and quickly switched to reporting the disaster. Meanwhile her colleague Dina Waqqaf is Syrian, and plans to travel to the earthquake zone in northern Syria. Fear, boredom or nostalgia? Why did so many older Brazilians take part in the January riot? The prevailing age group among the more than 1,000 people arrested for storming government buildings in Brasilia a month ago was between 50 and 59 years old. So why was it this age category specifically who felt motivated to act in this way? Paula Adamo Idoeta of BBC Brasil tells us about her investigation. Not quite the world's tallest man 29-year-old Ghanaian Sulemana Abdul Samed was diagnosed with gigantism a few years ago. BBC Pidgin's Favour Nunoo met him to hear about the difficulties of living with this condition, and to help Sulemana find out exactly how tall he now is. Making change in India BBC Marathi reporters Janhavee Moole, Mayuresh Konnur and Amruta Durve have travelled across the state of Maharashtra to tell the stories of people inspired by the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi to change lives around them. The resulting projects include a women-only bank in a rural town, and a school for city street children who beg at traffic lights. (Photo: A man walks down the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, close to the epicentre. Credit: ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)
२०२३ फेब्रुअरी ३ · ४२ मिनेट
Since the 2021 coup in Myanmar, many Burmese have taken up arms against the military and thousands more have fled. BBC Burmese editor Soe Win Than tells us about life in the country now, and the challenges he and his team face in reporting it. What's in a name? People in Thailand take naming very seriously. BBC Thai's Tossapol Chaisomritpol explains the meanings behind his many names - from birth, through renaming, and onto his nicknames too! Prague's Little Hanoi Vietnamese people are the third largest ethnic community in the Czech Republic. Khue Luu Binh of BBC Vietnamese explains how they came to be such a significant community, and tells us about 'Little Hanoi', a large commercial hub outside Prague. Iran: How your phone can land you in jail An insight into how the Iranian regime is targeting people’s mobile phones to stifle protests and prevent images leaving the country, with BBC Monitoring’s Khosro Isfahani. Triumph against the odds Sarika Singh of BBC Hindi TV shares the inspiring story of rebuilding her career after a life-threatening illness, in our series celebrating the BBC's 100 years. (Photo: Pro-democracy demonstrators in Bangkok, Thailand. Credit: Chaiwat Subprasom/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
२०२३ जनवरी २७ · ४२ मिनेट
Ukraine’s anti-corruption campaign is in the spotlight, with the recent dismissal or resignation of several top officials after a string of corruption scandals. Vitaliy Shevchenko of BBC Monitoring explains how the war with Russia has affected Ukraine’s long-running efforts to deal with corruption. Iraq and the Gulf Cup A recent sports story from Iraq provided a welcome change from conflict and political turmoil, when the country hosted football’s Arabian Gulf Cup for the first time since 1979 - and won the championship. Tragically, there was a crush of fans outside the stadium in Basra before the final, leaving two people dead and many injured. BBC Arabic's Haider Hadi, who’s based in Baghdad, shares his reflections. VDGs return to Indian-administered Kashmir A suspected militant attack in a village in Jammu on New Year's Day propelled Village Defence Groups back into the headlines. The original Village Defence Committees, set up in the 1990s, were disbanded in 2018 following illegal killings and accusations of other human rights abuses, but last August the Indian government announced the reintroduction of armed VDGs. BBC Urdu's Riyaz Masroor spoke to villagers in the latest attack, and the family of a victim from the previous era. Disinformation for sale in Nigeria A BBC investigation has discovered that political parties in Nigeria are secretly paying social media influencers to spread disinformation about their opponents ahead of general elections in February. Fauziyya Tukur of the BBC's disinformation unit in Abuja joins us to explain how this works. A visit to the ‘Little Manhattan’ of Caracas The economic crisis in Venezuela has left much of the population struggling to survive, and more than seven million people have left in search of better lives. But in one neighbourhood of the capital Caracas, there are casinos, restaurants and luxury stores. Norberto Paredes of BBC Mundo tells us about Las Mercedes, nicknamed “Little Manhattan”. (Photo: Ukrainian hryvnia in a yellow envelope. Credit: Victoria Kotlyarchuk/ Getty Images)
२०२३ जनवरी २० · ४२ मिनेट
It's becoming more and more dangerous to speak Belarusian in Belarus, with reports of people being sacked and even arrested for trying to conduct their work in Belarusian. The linguistic clampdown escalated after the 2020 pro-democracy protests against long-term leader Alexander Lukashenko, as BBC Russian journalist, and Belarusian, Tatsiana Yanutsevich reports. Sri Lanka's education crisis In Sri Lanka many parents are having to decide which children to send to school. It’s a consequence of the political and economic crisis and the dramatic rise in the cost of basics like food and transport. Delhi-based BBC Sinhala editor Ishara Danasekara returned to her home country to make this report. Impeachment, protests and deaths: what is happening in Peru? The impeachment and arrest of Peru's former president Pedro Castillo brought thousands onto the streets, demanding new elections and the removal of his successor, Dina Boluarte. Violent clashes with the security forces have left dozens dead and scores injured. BBC Mundo’s Guillermo Olmo explains the background, and why Peru is so deeply divided. South Korea and Ghana – the chocolate connection For chocolate lovers in South Korea, the most familiar brand is probably Ghana. “Ghana” is written prominently on the wrapper but how much do South Koreans know about the country it’s named after? We brought together Bugyeong Jung from BBC Korean and BBC Africa’s Thomas Naadi, who’s Ghanaian to find out. (Photo: 'Belarus is not Russia' placard and woman wrapped in old Belarus flag, at Kyiv rally in solidarity with Belarusian anti-government protest, September 2022. Credit: STR/ NurPhoto via Getty Images)
२०२३ जनवरी १३ · ४१ मिनेट
Why are students in Kenya burning their boarding schools? That was the question that inspired BBC Africa reporter Ashley Lime in the Nairobi bureau to investigate these sometimes deadly arson attacks which escalated after the covid pandemic. She spoke to students, relatives of teenagers who died in the fires and experts to better understand this decades old problem. Russian 'Old New Year' After the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the calendar and date of the official New Year changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian. But some people still choose to celebrate the 'Old New Year' which falls on the 14th January. Julia James of BBC Russian tells us how those Russians celebrate. Brazil: flags and nationalism The design of the Brazilian flag is supposed to represent the unity of the country, but in recent years the flag has become more associated with supporters of the previous president, Jair Bolsonaro. BBC Brasil's Ricardo Senra explains the polarisation of Brazil's flag. Where are pandemic Bali farmers now? Tourism is Bali's main industry so when covid struck many people lost their jobs and returned to their home villages. In Tembok in northern Bali a local scheme sponsored many to go into farming, so what's happened to those 'covid farmers' now tourism's resumed? BBC Indonesian's Valdya Baraputri found out. Afghan women fight for education Since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in August 2021 women's education has been dramatically curtailed. Secondary schools closed to women in March, and in December that ban was extended to university. Aalia Farzan is a journalist for BBC Dari who's been hearing about their experiences of protesting and imprisonment. (Photo: People attend the requiem mass for nine young girls who died in the Moi Girls School dormitory fire, in Nairobi on September 14, 2017. Credit: Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images)
२०२३ जनवरी ६ · ४१ मिनेट
For decades, Ukraine's super-rich oligarchs wielded enormous economic and political power. But in 2021, a new law was introduced to curb their influence, and the war with Russia has cost them billions in lost assets and revenue. Vitaly Shevchenko of BBC Monitoring tells us about the dramatic change in their fortunes. The endangered pink iguanas of the Galapagos Scientists have for the first time discovered a number of baby pink iguanas in the Galapagos Islands. The species is critically endangered with only a few hundred left, and previously only adult pink iguanas had been found. BBC Mundo’s Alejandra Martins tells us more about this discovery. Nigeria's drive to go cashless The Central Bank of Nigeria is implementing a controversial “cashless” policy next week, setting limits on the amount of cash Nigerians can withdraw from banks and ATMs. BBC Africa business reporter Nkechi Ogbonna tells us about the reasons behind the move, and how people are reacting. The new first lady of Brazil Rosângela da Silva, nicknamed Janja, became Brazil’s first lady last Sunday when her husband Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was inaugurated as president. They married last May, just a few months before Lula’s election victory. BBC Brasil’s Leticia Mori has been finding out more about Janja, and the couple's unusual courtship. Indian fables and fairy tales Our colleagues at BBC Indian languages have been sharing their favourite fairy tales and fables, with Siddhanath Ganu of BBC Marathi, Sarika Singh of BBC Hindi, Venkat Prasad G of BBC Telugu, Saranya Nagarajan of BBC Tamil, Brijal Shah of BBC Gujarati and Khushboo Sandhu of BBC Punjabi. (Photo: Shakhtar Donetsk FC owner Rinat Akhmetov carried by the players. Credit: AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)
२०२३ जनवरी ३ · ४२ मिनेट
In a year packed with big news stories, who are the interviewees whose stories have stayed with our language service colleagues? BBC Ukrainian's Zhanna Bezpiatchuk tells the story of the teenager forced to flee his home in Borodianka, who now dreams of becoming a journalist. BBC Pashto's Shazia Haya shares the story of a mother of daughters now denied their secondary school education. Parham Ghobadi from BBC Persian led the coverage of the death in mysterious circumstances of 16-year-old Nika Shakarami during the Iranian protests. Olga Ivshina takes us on a trawl of the BBC Russian inbox where she discovered a plea for help, which she immediatley responded to. BBC Africa's Bella Sheegow explains why reporting on the assassination of female Somali politician Amina Mohamed Abdi had such an impact on her. BBC Indian languages' Nitin Srivastava tells us about a tea picker in Assam whose livelihood is dwindling because of climate change. And BBC Brasil's Nathalia Passarinho remembers her interviews at COP27 in Egypt, where Brazil announced a huge shift in environmental policy. (Photo: Damage of Russian bombing of Borodiansk. Credit: Nicola Marfisi/AGF/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
२०२३ जनवरी ३ · ४१ मिनेट
Last week Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu was sentenced to two years seven months in jail and banned from taking part in politics. It’s not clear if his sentence will be ratified by two higher courts, but his crime was to call Turkey’s election officials ‘fools’ after the rerun 2019 mayoral elections, though many believe it has more to do with next year's presidential elections. BBC Monitoring journalist Dilay Yalcin in Istanbul unpicks the story. Meeting Thailand's leading transgender business mogul Thai transgender businesswoman and transgender advocate Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip has made history as the first trans woman owner of the Miss Universe Organisation. BBC Thai’s Tossapol Chaisamritpol has interviewed her about her ambitions for the pageant, and her own life experiences. Reporting and running BBC Arabic reporter Murad Shishani is often on the road, covering stories from conflict in Gaza to presidential campaigns in Iowa. But wherever he is, he keeps his spirits and energy levels up by running. Murad shares some of those runs with us. Brazil and K-culture If you’re a fan of K-pop or K-dramas you’re not alone. Award-winning films like Parasite, bands like BTS, and Korean dramas like Squid Game are global successes, part of what’s been called Hallyu, or Korean Wave. It's a big wave in Brazil, and BBC Brasil’s Shin Suzuki decided to take a closer look at the appeal of K-culture. We paired him with BBC Korean’s Julie Yoonnyung Lee to fill in the South Korean side of the equation. BBC 100: Triumph against the odds Yetunde Olugbenga of BBC Yoruba starts a new series of stories shared by journalists from our language services who’ve faced big challenges in their lives and careers. They have told their stories in schools in order to encourage and inspire the next generation, as a way of marking the BBC centenary. Yetunde tells us how she overcame sexual harassment from a college lecturer. (Photo: People gather at Saraçhane in support of Ekrem İmamoğlu who has been sentenced to prison. Credit :Hakan Akgun /dia image via Getty Images)
२०२२ डिसेम्बर १६ · ३९ मिनेट
Yevgeny Prigozhin is the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, a role that he denied until September. Andrei Zakharov of BBC Russian has been investigating the story of Mr Prigozhin for many years, and he shares his insights. Qatar cultural exchange As the Arab world's first football World Cup concludes, the BBC's Lina Shaikhouni shares her impressions of the cultural exchanges the event has witnessed, from traditional local dress made up in team colours, to stadiums designed to echo desert tents. New York's migrant crisis New York City has extended the state of emergency declared in October to address an "unprecedented humanitarian crisis" over an influx of migrants. Most of the migrants are Venezuelans who spent months making the difficult journey to reach the United States. BBC Mundo’s Analia Llorente went to New York to find out why the migrants have come to the city. The freed Burmese prisoner and his cats Burmese pro-democracy activist Mya Aye was among thousands of prisoners released a few weeks ago by the military. His return home was welcomed not only by friends and family, but by his 34 cats. BBC Burmese editor Soe Win Than tells us his story. The endangered saffron fields of Kashmir The purple fields of saffron that used to blanket the landscape in Indian-administered Kashmir in the harvest season are under threat. The crop has been affected by climate change and modern farming methods. Riyaz Masroor went to the fields to report for BBC Urdu. (Photo: Yevgeny Prigozhin attends a meeting with foreign investors at Konstantin Palace. Credit: Mikhail Svetlov/ Getty Images)
२०२२ डिसेम्बर ९ · ४२ मिनेट
Hisham Yezza of BBC Monitoring has been observing the impact in the Middle East and North Africa of the war in Ukraine since the invasion nearly ten months ago. He tells us how the war is reported and discussed in the region, and how at a political level, traditional alliances with the West are shifting. A sweet treat that could help the Amazon People from Brazil's Amazon region enjoy many dishes made with the local cupuaçu fruit, but they make less use of the seeds. These can be processed to make "cupulate", which has some similarities to chocolate. BBC Brasil's Monica Vasconcelos tells us how cupulate could help livelihoods and the environment. Preserving Rai dancing Essra Warda is an Algerian American dancer, working to preserve North African women-led dance traditions. Fethi Benaissa from BBC Arabic spoke to her about her love of these dances. Life in Lulu Lulu is a fictitious village in rural South Sudan, the setting for a popular radio drama created by the BBC’s international charity Media Action. For 10 years, it's been tackling a wide range of issues experienced by ordinary people, from violence against women to peace-building. Production manager Zuhur Noah and scriptwriter Kululu Elgebana introduce us to some of the characters and stories. What is 'pancasila'? Indonesia's national ideology, 'pancasila', or 'five principles', has been in the news this week. Parliament approved a revised criminal code, which covers many areas of life - from sex and relationships, to insulting the president or criticising state ideology. Endang Nurdin of BBC Indonesian explains more about the meaning of pancasila. (Photo: Sixth CICA Summit. Credit: Getty Images)
२०२२ डिसेम्बर २ · ४१ मिनेट
A fire in a residential block fire in Urumqi, which killed 10 people, sparked protests among citizens tired of living under China’s strict zero-Covid policy. As well as brave and vocal protests, many have adopted more creative ways to get their voices heard, as BBC Chinese Editor Howard Zhang reports. India street girl update BBC Marathi's Dipali Jagtap won India’s Laadli Award for her report into a footpath-dweller in Mumbai, Asma Shaikha, who struggled to continue her education during the 2021 Covid lockdown. We hear what happened after the report went out. Afrikaans The Hollywood star Charlize Theron recently joked that speaking her mother tongue Afrikaans was ‘not very useful’. Her comments unleashed an online backlash; Afrikaans has long been a contentious subject in the country. Audrey Brown is from BBC Africa and speaks Afrikaans and explains the history and context of the language. The Thai monks suspended for taking methamphetamine A small Buddhist temple in Thailand has been left without any monks after they all failed drugs tests. The BBC's Sucheera Maguire tells us more about this story, and how local villagers are now worried that without the monks, they will not be able to fulfil their usual Buddhist practices. Holiday swindlers and the rise of digital travel scams Social media is tempting people to sample the luxury holiday lifestyle, but what happens when it all goes wrong? Rafael Barifouse of BBC Brasil tells us about his investigation into one Brazilian travel agent, who has left a trail of unhappy clients around the world. (Photo: Two protesters hold up blank pieces of paper during a demonstration in Hong Kong. Credit: Ben Marans/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
२०२२ नोभेम्बर २५ · ४२ मिनेट
On March 6th, huge anti-war demonstrations across Russia led to the arrest of more than 5,000 protesters. Among them were at least 11 women who were taken to Moscow's Brateyevo Police Station, where they were questioned and subjected to verbal and physical abuse, which in some cases amounted to torture. The man overseeing this was an unnamed police officer they nicknamed 'the man in black'. Using a leaked database from a Russian food delivery company, archived social media accounts and old dating profiles, BBC Eye Investigations journalist Vickey Arakelyan tells the story of how they exposed the identity of their torturer. 2022 FIFA World Cup: the view from Qatar The World Cup is underway with plenty of drama on pitch, as well as controversies off. While the developed world has focussed on alleged human rights abuses - as well as the lack of beer – many other nations say this focus is rooted in prejudice, stereotyping and western hypocrisy. But the tournament is also a time of great excitement as the Arab world hosts the World Cup for the first time. BBC Arabic’s Murad Shishani visited the small Gulf nation to capture the view from Qatar. Saving Uganda's symbolic crane The crested or grey-crowned crane is a national symbol of Uganda. But numbers are falling, with only around 20,000 left in the world. The BBC's Patience Atuhaire met communities in the south west of the country who are working to save the birds. (Photo: Screen grab of chat group showing photo of Ivan Ryabov and saying 'found!' Credit: BBC)
२०२२ नोभेम्बर १८ · ४१ मिनेट
President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit this week to Kherson, soon after the Russian withdrawal, prompted lively commentary on Ukrainian social media, and some comparisons with the Russian president. BBC Monitoring's Margaryta Maliukova tells us more. Hell on earth: the Korean Japanese people persuaded to move to North Korea In 1960, Eika Kawasaki left her family in Japan and moved to North Korea. She was one of 90,000 plus Korean Japanese who went to North Korea on a project called ‘paradise on earth’. What they found was the opposite, but they were trapped. Eiko escaped after 4 decades, and BBC Korean’s Jungmin Choi met her on a visit to South Korea to meet other survivors. World Cup 2022: first female referees For the first time ever three female referees will officiate matches at the World Cup. One of them is Rwanda's Salima Mukansanga, as BBC Kinyarwanda's Prudent Nsengiyumva explains. Somaliland oil discovery A group of villagers in the self-declared republic of Somaliland were recently drilling a borehole to improve their water supplies – when they struck oil. Bidhaan Dahir of BBC Somali tells us there's been a lot of excitement about the discovery. The Ukrainians who can’t get their children home from Russia A group of Ukrainian children are stuck in Russia after parents living under Russian occupation accepted an offer to send them to a summer camp on the Black Sea. Before the end of their holiday, their home towns were retaken by Ukrainian forces. BBC Russian’s Nina Nazarova tells us how some parents are still unable to get their children home. (Photo: Ukrainian President Zelensky visits Kherson. Credit: Narciso Contreras/Anadolu Agency Getty Images)
२०२२ नोभेम्बर ११ · ४१ मिनेट
BBC Arabic's Sally Nabil is one of the team in Sharm el-Sheikh reporting on the COP27 climate summit. She tells us how the conference centre and beach resort exist side by side, and why this choice of venue offers so many advantages to the host country, Egypt. COP27: three stories from the language services BBC Swahili's Anne Ngugi visited Kenya's Amboseli national park, where the worst drought in 40 years has left a landscape littered with animal carcases. BBC Bengali's Shahnewaj Rocky met Mahfuz Russell who has restored 23 acres of clear-cut forest in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Six years later, it's lush and green and home to slow loris, civets and birds galore. BBC Arabic's Carine Torbey visited Beirut's first green innovation exhibition, and met two women trying to make a business from turning food waste, which currently ends up in landfill, into biogas for cooking. Hushpuppi: The rise and fall This week the notorious Nigerian online fraudster was jailed in the US for 11 years. He rose to fame flaunting his wealthy lifestyle to his 2.8 million social media followers. BBC Africa’s Princess Abumere explains his rise and fall. Hijab discrimination in Egypt A BBC Arabic undercover reporter “Rana” shares the findings of their investigation into discrimination against some women who choose to wear the hijab, despite laws preventing discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race or class. (Photo: Visitors photograph one another in front of a COP27 sign in Sharm el-Sheikh. Credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
२०२२ नोभेम्बर ४ · ४२ मिनेट
The BBC’s Addis Ababa correspondent Kalkidan Yibeltal tells us about the agreement just reached between the Ethiopian government and officials from the Tigray region, to stop fighting and to allow unhindered humanitarian access. He also reflects on the challenges of reporting the civil war over the last two years. The centenary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb It's 100 years since the discovery of the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, almost intact and full of treasures, nearly 3-and-a-half thousand years after his death. Angy Ghannam of BBC Monitoring in Cairo tells us how the centenary is being marked in Egypt, and what ordinary Egyptians think of their most famous pharaoh. Vietnam's forgotten veterans Thousands of disabled Vietnamese veterans who fought for the South in the war are living in poor conditions without government support. A Catholic priest who is part of a programme which assists them was recently prevented from leaving the country. MyHang Tran of BBC Vietnamese reports on his problems with the authorities, and the plight of the veterans. The impact of the Iran protests on regional neighbours Since the start of protests in Iran, ethnic tensions have been exacerbated both inside the country and with its neighbours. Kurdish and Azerbaijani populations inside Iran are affected, as are relations with Iraqi Kurdistan and Azerbaijan. BBC Azerbaijani editor Könül Khalilova and Jiyar Gol from BBC Persian discuss recent developments. The aftermath of the Indian bridge collapse Roxy Gagdekar of BBC Gujarati has been reporting from Morbi, where the recent collapse of a pedestrian bridge left at least 135 dead. He shares impressions from two of his reports - one from the site of the bridge collapse, the other from a hospital which was visited by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Photo: Redwan Hussein (L), Representative of the Ethiopian government, and Getachew Reda (R), Representative of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), shake hands on a peace agreement between the two parties in Pretoria on November 2, 2022. Credit: Phill Magakoe /AFP/Getty Images)
२०२२ अक्टोबर २८ · ४० मिनेट
Russia is accused of deliberately cutting water supplies to the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, which has been without fresh drinking water since April. A BBC Ukrainian investigation reveals that the supply pipes, which travel through Russian occupied areas, were most likely deliberately sabotaged by Russian forces. Viktoriia Zhuhan explains the evidence behind this claim, and reveals how civilians in Mykolaiv have been managing. Divided Brazil Brazilians go to the polls this weekend to elect their next president. The BBC’s João Fellet has been reflecting on the deep divisions in the country for his podcast series Brasil Partido, or Divided Brazil, and has talked to people across society about the role politics has played in driving them apart. The drought in Somalia As parts of Somalia suffer the worst drought for 40 years, government officials and international agencies are warning of catastrophe unless more help arrives. BBC Africa’s Bella Sheegow, who’s from Mogadishu, tells us about the situation in south west Somalia, where thousands have lost everything and had to flee to camps. Kashmir's cinemas reopen Last month a cinema hall opened in Kashmir – the first since they were all closed having been targeted by insurgents in the 1990s. So why are they opening now, who is going, and will BBC Indian languages' Aamir Peerzada be one of them? (Photo: People line up to collect drinking water in Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine, 23 October 2022.Credit: HANNIBAL HANSCHKE/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
२०२२ अक्टोबर २१ · ४७ मिनेट
The protests in Iran are now the longest and most widespread in the 43 years of the Islamic Republic. What began as a reaction to the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old Kurdish woman, arrested for allegedly violating strict hijab rules, quickly changed into a wider protest against the regime. What's happening in Iran has had a ripple effect for women across the region. To find out more we brought together Selin Girit from BBC Turkish, Mariam Aman from BBC Persian, who's from Afghanistan, and Lina Shaikhouni, a Syrian journalist with the BBC, who has an overview of the Arab region. Eritrea's military call up Military mobilisation has intensified in Eritrea. While the government claims a 'tiny number' of reservists are being called up, the picture on the ground suggests a much larger operation, with door to door searches for draft dodgers, and their families punished for concealment. BBC Tigrinya's Bekit Teklemariam shares their findings with us. The changing portrayal of North Korea in South Korean film Movies about North Korea are not new in South Korea. But over the years, the genre has shifted from hostile anti-communism to more nuanced depictions of the country, including romance and friendship. Hyunjung Kim of BBC Korean charts this evolution. (Photo: Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest in support of Iranian women and against the death of Mahsa Amini, near the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Credit: REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya/File Photo)
२०२२ अक्टोबर १४ · ४२ मिनेट
A BBC investigation has discovered that up to 70% of donations being sent to displaced families in Syria via TikTok was being taken by the social media platform. Families in camps in northern Syria said they only receive a fraction of the donations, as BBC Arabic's Mamdouh Akbiek reports. Bangladesh’s matriarchal Garo people The Garo people are one of the largest of Bangladesh’s indigenous communities. Their traditions are unique, and based on a matriarchal society. Shahnawaz Rocky of BBC Bengali recently visited the Garo people to find out about their culture, which is now under threat. Kenya's divisive curriculum changes A viral video clip showing two Kenyan primary school children killing a chicken caused uproar, and some hilarity, about the country's new school curriculum. From BBC Nairobi, Evelyne Musambi tells us about a new focus on practical skills, and the controversy it is causing. Afghan women at university Women applying to Afghan universities this term have discovered that their course choices have been severely restricted. BBC Afghan’s Sana Safi explains what is known about the changes, and their impact on women. El Kul: bringing Libyans together As Libyans continue to struggle after years of insecurity and hardship, a social media platform run by the BBC's international charity BBC Media Action is trying to bridge the divides. The project began in 2014 and is called El Kul - 'For Everyone'. Editor Libya Idres El Mesmary tells us about the challenges they face. (Photo: A displaced Syrian mother and daughters livestreaming on TikTok. Credit: BBC)
२०२२ अक्टोबर ७ · ४० मिनेट
BBC Russian journalist Olga Ivshina shares the findings of her investigation into the reality of life for soldiers serving in Russia's armies, from crowd-sourcing to buy their own equipment, to why it’s so hard to leave. Iran protest: 'For...’ The lyrics to 'Baraye', which translates as ‘for’ or ‘because’, by Shervin Hajipour were taken from ordinary Iranians posting on social media to explain why they are protesting, each line beginning "for...". BBC Persian's Saba Zavarei explains how the protest song has evolved. Venezuelan migrants in Martha's Vineyard The Republican governor of Florida staged a political stunt to confront politicians far away from the southern border with the reality of uncontrolled migration. They flew 48 undocumented Latin Americans from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, close to Boston, where many liberal and democrat politicians have summer houses. Luis Fajardo has been following the story for BBC Monitoring in Miami. Afghan women chasing their Olympic dreams in Italy BBC Uzbek's Firuz Rahimi, and producer Ivana Scatola, joined five women from Afghanistan’s cycling team who fled the country and are now training in Italy, pursuing their dream to represent their home country in the Olympics. Pakistan floods and the karahi commute Pakistan's catastrophic floods in the past month, have been challenging to report for BBC Urdu. When Rubab Batool saw an intriguing video of locals using karahis - essentially huge cooking vessels - as transport on the floodwaters, she has to use her own creativity to work out how to film it. Presenter: Feranak Amidi Producer: Caroline Ferguson
२०२२ सेप्टेम्बर २३ · ४१ मिनेट
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, died a week ago after being detained by Iran’s so called ‘morality police’, who claimed she was violating the country's strict dress code laws. Witnesses claim she was beaten, while the official explanations claim she had pre-existing health issues. We hear from BBC Persian's Jiyar Gol about his interview with her father Amjad Amini, who has spoken out at great risk to himself and contradicted the official version of events. The women turning rice into wealth in Sierra Leone Many Sierra Leoneans rely on subsistence farming to survive, but a group of single mothers and widows in southern Sierra Leone have formed a farming collective and turned their farm into a highly profitable business, as BBC Africa Women's Affairs journalist Azeezat Olaoluwa reports. The BBC's Disinformation Unit in India This year BBC News India launched a new Disinformation Unit to uncover, analyse and report on the spread of fake news. Jugal Purohit is part of the Delhi-based team, which highlights false information, debunks viral social media content and investigates how and why it spreads. The impact of Lebanon's economic crisis The recent sinking of a boat carrying many Lebanese migrants, which left dozens dead, has highlighted the economic crisis which has left much of the population in despair. People with money are also suffering, as they're unable to withdraw funds from their accounts. Some have even gone to banks armed with guns to try to get hold of their own money. Carine Torbey has been reporting both stories for BBC Arabic. The story behind the Bayraktar drones being used to defend Ukraine At the start of the invasion of Ukraine, videos of Russian vehicles being destroyed in drone strikes travelled round the world. For Ukrainians, the Turkish Bayraktar drones have become a symbol of resistance; they’ve composed songs about them, and named pets and even children after them. BBC Ukrainian’s Dzhafer Umerov interviewed the two brothers behind the drone, Haluk and Selçuk Bayraktar. Photo: Mahsa Amini newspapers. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS (from Elvis)
२०२२ सेप्टेम्बर १६ · ४१ मिनेट
Today we take a global perspective on the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. We hear about some of the affectionate names by which the Queen was known by around the world, from 'Dear Granny' to 'Boss Lady', with BBC Burmese's Soe Win Than, BBC Africa Southern Africa Correspondent Pumza Filhani and BBC Chinese's Vivien Wong. Presenter Irena Taranyuk speaks to language service colleagues about the unique perspectives and relationships their audiences and countries have with the British monarchy, and how this has shaped their coverage. With BBC Chinese Editor Howard Zhang, BBC Vietnamese Editor Giang Nguyen, BBC Thai's Issariya Praithongyaem and Iranian Ali Hamedani. We also explore some of the controversial issues re-ignited by the Queen's death, regarding Britain's post colonial legacy and the future of the Commonwealth. With BBC Monitoring in Nairobi's Beverly Ochieng, BBC Hausa's Fauziyya Tukur, Masud Khan from BBC Bengali. Photo: Global newspapers after Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8th. Credit: Jaber Abdulkhaleg/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
२०२२ सेप्टेम्बर १२ · ३९ मिनेट
Two years ago, Belarusians took to the streets in mass protests after elections in which President Alexander Lukashenko declared a landslide victory. His main opponent was driven into exile, and thousands of protesters were jailed. Some, who have now been released, have told BBC Russian's Tatsiana Yanutsevich about their shock at discovering that Belarusians are no longer hailed as heroes, but seen by many as citizens of an aggressor country. The lake that came from nowhere Lake Rgotsko in eastern Serbia has famously clear water and is popular with holidaymakers. What’s unusual about it is that it just appeared, back in the 1970s, when a sand mine suddenly filled with water. Among recent visitors was Sandra Maksimović from BBC Serbian. Vietnam's banned TikTok reviewers High profile TikTok food reviewers have been banned from some restaurants. It came about after one reviewer posted harsh criticism of a crab stall vendor, leading to some restaurants refusing entry to other famous TikTok reviewers. Bui Thu of BBC Vietnamese has followed the saga. A family reunion, after 32 years BBC Afaan Oromo shares the story of an Ethiopian man who went missing from his family more than three decades ago, after he was forcibly recruited into the army and sent straight to the battlefield. Asili Galgalo explains the twists and turns of Dima Doyo’s life, and the remarkable way in which he finally returned home. The chimpanzee which went viral Kharkiv in Ukraine has suffered relentless bombardment by Russian forces since the start of the invasion. But a very different story came out of the city recently - about a chimpanzee which escaped from the zoo, and was filmed being gently recaptured and then wheeled back to the zoo on a bicycle. BBC Russian's Yevgeniy Kanevsky, who's from Kharkiv, tells us more. (Photo: Belarusian protesters in August 2020. Credit: REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko)
२०२२ सेप्टेम्बर २ · ४३ मिनेट
BBC Urdu’s team of reporters has travelled across Pakistan to report on the impact of the recent floods, which have killed more than 1,200 people and displaced many more. Umer Draz Nangiana went to Rajanpur in southern Punjab to meet the farmers who’ve lost their homes and crops. Egypt gets serious about dominoes In Egypt dominoes is mostly an old-fashioned game played by men in local cafes. But now the Minister of Youth and Sports wants to give it a new image and get Egyptians competing at international level. BBC Arabic’s Aya Hashim, herself a player, attended the country's first national dominoes championship. "Small eating" in South Korea “Mukbang” videos became famous in South Korea with viewers watching hosts eat enormous quantities of food online. But now it's being challenged by “small eating," showing people apparently full after eating only a small bite. So what's behind the change, and is it any healthier? BBC Korean's Yuna Ku finds out. Watermelons in Ukraine Why have watermelons become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance? BBC Monitoring journalist Margaryta Maliukova remembers watermelons from Kherson, and unpicks the watermelon-based social media memes. Colombia's new anti-drugs proposals The newly elected left-wing president of Colombia has proposed an overhaul of the country’s anti-drugs policy, ending the US-supported ‘war on drugs’. Gustavo Petro wants to stop the eradication of coca crops and the extradition to the US of traffickers, as Luis Fajardo of BBC Monitoring explains. American Uzbeks and the American Dream Ibrat Safo of BBC Uzbek has travelled across the United States to make a documentary series about Uzbeks who've made new lives in America. He tells us about the stories and dreams he discovered, from pursuing business success, to finding religious freedom, to becoming the person you want to be. (Photo: Floods in South Punjab Pakistan. Credit: BBC)
२०२२ अगस्ट २६ · ४२ मिनेट
The Russian Foreign Minister recently wrote that Russia had ‘never stained itself with the bloody crimes of colonialism’. It’s not a new theme for Sergei Lavrov but it did surprise many Russian historians. BBC Russian’s Grigor Atanesian wrote an article testing Mr Lavrov’s claims. Rural schools in Azerbaijan A plea by a 13-year-old Azerbaijani schoolgirl has put the spotlight on rural education in the country, with too few schools in some regions and badly maintained buildings. BBC Azerbaijani filmed Zahra walking the 4 kilometre return trip to her classroom, and editor Könül Khalilova shares the story. Military service for K-pop superstars Members of the K-pop band BTS may soon have to complete their military service, but this may not mean they have to stop performing. The band had already been given a 2 year deferral, and parliament is debating radically shortening their service, as Julie Yoonnyung Lee of BBC Korean explains. Five years of the Rohingya crisis BBC Bangla has been marking the fifth anniversary of the Rohingya crisis, which sent more than a million refugees from Myanmar into the Cox's Bazar refugee camp. Journalists Akbar Hossain and Shahnewaj Rocky heard from Rohingya refugees and the local Bengali community about their perspectives. A travelling heart The embalmed heart of Brazil's first emperor, Dom Pedro I, has arrived in the country as part of celebrations for its bicentenary. Dom Pedro is remembered as a hero who led Brazil’s independence from Portugal, but he also allowed slavery to continue. BBC Brasil’s Nathalia Passarinho tells us about the man behind the heart. (Photo: An official of Bukhara Emirate, a Russian protectorate. Credit: Sergey Prokudin-Gorskii/Getty Images)
२०२२ अगस्ट १९ · ४१ मिनेट
In parts of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces, sunflower farmers report having their crops seized. Maria Korenyuk from BBC Ukrainian and Andrei Zakharov from BBC Russian have been investigating who is taking the sunflowers and where they end up. Cool tips for hot work! BBC Persian's Middle East correspondent Nafiseh Kohnavard shares creative solutions to reporting with a mobile phone in Baghdad, when temperatures approach 50°C: just add ice-blocks and a supermarket freezer cabinet. Venezuela's Tren de Aragua criminal gang What began with a few railway workers demanding bribes in Venezuela’s Aragua State has evolved into one of the largest criminal gangs in South America. Tren de Aragua, or Aragua Train, now operates in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Chile, as BBC Mundo's Norberto Paredes reports. The treasures of a sunken Spanish galleon The Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Las Maravillas sank off the Bahamas in 1656, laden with treasure. BBC Monitoring’s Luis Fajardo in Miami tells us about the most recent exploration of the wreck, and explains why so many Spanish ships sank in that area. In search of my mother Widya is a Dutch Indonesian adoptee who, like many, wants to find her birth mother. Ayomi Amindoni and Dwiki Marta of BBC Indonesian traveled with her across Indonesia, uncovering a history of fake documents, false mothers and criminal networks. (Photo: Ukrainian sunflower field. Credit: Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
२०२२ अगस्ट १२ · ४२ मिनेट
Indonesia's famous 'Eternity Glacier' in Papua province is shrinking fast, and experts say it could disappear by 2024. Meanwhile many of the glaciers of the Andes in South America are also on the retreat. Valdya Baraputri of BBC Indonesian and BBC Mundo's Alejandra Martins share this story of climate change in their regions. Black and Arab How are black people across the Arab region affected by racism? For BBC Arabic, Nareeman Dosa reports from Tunisia, the first Arab country to make racial discrimination a criminal offence. Nareeman is a black woman of Sudanese heritage and her documentary, Black and Arab, also led to discoveries about her own identity. India and Pakistan: 75 years after Partition To mark 75 years since India and Pakistan’s independence and the Partition, BBC Hindi and BBC Urdu have collaborated to make a podcast series called Baat Sarhad Paar or Conversations Across The Border. Big names from music, art and literature in both countries discuss their shared culture and how this chapter of history affects people today. Asif Farooqi of BBC Urdu and Rupa Jha from BBC Delhi explore the connections. Goodbye to Bangkok's 'fast and furious' Number 8 bus The buses operating on Bangkok's Number 8 route are famous for their sometimes alarming speed and reckless driving, earning them the nickname 'fast and furious'. But the authorities have decided to remove them from the roads. BBC Thai's Tossapol Chaisamritpol was a frequent traveller on the Number 8 and shares his stories. (Photo: Carstensz Glacier. Credit: Gr8ph1cs via gettyimages)
२०२२ अगस्ट ५ · ४१ मिनेट
What are the victories - and challenges - for women's football around the world? After a video of the England women's victory dance went viral, we hear from Laura Garcia from BBC Mundo and Alma Hassoun from BBC Arabic about how football has empowered women players in their regions. Kashmir, three years on It has been three years since the Indian government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Security forces were deployed, and the region was cut off from most lines of communication. Aamir Peerzada of BBC Indian languages is from Kashmir and was reporting from there at the time. He shares his memories. The Bandit Warlords of Zamfara In northwestern Nigeria, ultra-violent bandit gangs raid villages, attack drivers, abduct schoolchildren and kill anyone who resists. Hausa villagers have formed vigilante militias to defend themselves, but have allegedly killed innocent people. BBC Africa Eye's Yusuf Anka takes us into the heart of Nigeria’s worst security crisis. Human trafficking from Vietnam to Cambodia A new case of modern slavery has been revealed in Cambodia, where Vietnamese people are being lured with the promise of jobs in the gambling industry. Once over the border, their possessions are confiscated and they are made to work long hours and live in sub-human conditions. For BBC Vietnamese, Thu Bui spoke to victims and their rescuers. (Photo: Mary Earp dances on the Press Conference table surrounded by the England team. Credit: Sarah Stier, UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
२०२२ जुलाई २९ · ४२ मिनेट
Women in Iran have been sharing videos of themselves taking off their hijabs in public in protest at the growing pressure regarding the mandatory headscarf. Meanwhile the Iranian parliament may soon approve a bill which will severely restrict pet ownership. Taraneh Stone of BBC Persian and Ali Hamedani discuss why the government seems to be enforcing stricter rules. Reporting Sri Lanka Sri Lanka has experienced months of turmoil with mass protests over the island's economic crisis, leading to the flight of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa earlier this month. His successor Ranil Wickremesinghe has imposed a state of emergency until mid-August. It's been one dramatic development after another for BBC Sinhala's Colombo-based reporters Ranga Sirilal and Shirly Upul Kumara. A Nigerian world record This week Nigerian hurdler Tobi Amusan broke the world record in the women's 100m hurdles, and won the first ever gold medal for Nigeria at the World Athletics Championships. BBC Africa's Peter Okwoche tells us more about her, and what the win means to Nigerians. Drama Queen Drama Queen is a ground-breaking podcast series presented in Hindi and Urdu by the BBC’s Samrah Fatima. It tells the stories of men and women who are accused of being ‘drama queens’ if they speak out about their struggles. Samrah explains why she wanted to tackle the deeply rooted social issues that are common to both India and Pakistan, and show how people have been able to forge new paths for themselves. (Photo: A woman in Islamic dress walks past a shop window. Credit: Morteza Nikoubazi/ NurPhoto via Getty Images)
२०२२ जुलाई २२ · ४४ मिनेट
Around $54.6m was spent on measures to protect President Vladimir Putin from Covid in 2020 and 2021, according to openly available data from Russian state sources. Sergei Goryashko of BBC Russian explains how this money was spent and why the measures seem to be continuing. Afghan women BBC Afghan's Pashto and Dari services have launched a new radio programme. It's called 'Women' and aims to provide information, inspiration and entertainment to Afghan women and girls now mostly confined at home. Presenters Shazia Haya and Aalia Farzan share their motivations, laughter, and memories of mothers back home. Heatwave in Pakistan's Cholistan desert Livestock herders and their flocks in Pakistan's Cholistan desert are used to extreme heat. But this year temperatures of 50 degrees were recorded months earlier than usual, and hundreds of animals have died. BBC Urdu's Umer Draz Nangiana visited farmers in remote villages to hear their stories. Vietnam's hot weather surcharge Consumers are used to companies adding on surcharges for this and that - but the ride hailing and delivery app Grab went just a bit too far for users in Vietnam with its recent hot weather fee. BBC Vietnamese journalist Thuong Le followed the story. A trip to the Belgrade lido Over the summer months, people in the Serbian capital Belgrade can cool off at a beach minutes from the city centre. The much-loved lido is on an island in the River Danube, and Slobodan Maricic recently joined regulars there for BBC Serbian. (Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear March 2020. Credit: Alexey Druzhinin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
२०२२ जुलाई १५ · ४० मिनेट
Artworks taken from collections, museums destroyed: Anastasia Soroka and Grigor Atenasian explore what's been happening to Ukraine's cultural heritage since the war began, in a special BBC Russian report. From Venezuela to Peru Guillermo Olmo is the first BBC Mundo correspondent to be based in Peru. Originally from Spain, he spent a couple of years reporting from Venezuela during a time of protests and economic crisis. So what's it like to shift to a new, quieter country? A Somali perspective on the Mo Farah story The British Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah made headlines this week after revealing that he was illegally brought to the UK as a child. He said he was given the name Mohamed Farah, and made to work as a domestic servant. BBC Somali’s Sidiiq Burmad is based in Somaliland, where Sir Mo was born. Why have so many Jordanians lost faith in their government? A puppet, a prime minister and a pundit – they all feature in a report by BBC Arabic’s Murad Shishani from his home country, Jordan. He was investigating recent survey results showing that trust in the government is the lowest it's been for more than a decade. He tells us what he found out. K-pop's plastic problem In the age of online streaming, K-pop fans still buy multiple physical CDs to get the promotions and merchandise attached to them. But now many are voicing concern about the environmental impact, and demanding a change in the behaviour of bands and fans. BBC Korean's Bugyeong Jung looked into the story. (Photo: Russian journalists remove portrait of Arkhip Kuindzhi, painted by his pupil Grigory Kalmykov, from Mariupul Kuindzhi Art Museum basement. Credit: Screenshot from UNION TV Channel)
२०२२ जुलाई ८ · ४१ मिनेट
It's more than two weeks since a deadly earthquake struck south east Afghanistan, killing more than a thousand people and leaving tens of thousands homeless. Auliya Atrafi from BBC Media Action in Kabul and Aamir Peerzada from BBC Delhi both travelled to the epicentre in Paktika province, and Ali Hamedani tracked down survivors from his base in London. Bolsonaro and Brazil's black women voters Evangelical Christian black women from poor backgrounds played a significant role in the election of Brazil's right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro 4 years ago. BBC Brasil’s Nathalia Passarinho visited cities around the country to find out why they voted for a candidate accused of making racist and sexist comments then, and will they do it again? Cairo houseboats The famous houseboats on the River Nile in the heart of Cairo are being demolished and towed away. The authorities say they are standing in the way of the state's grand development plans, but there has been a campaign to save these iconic floating homes, in which some families have lived for decades. BBC Cairo's Sally Nabil visited the residents to hear their stories. (Photo: Auliya Atrafi of BBC Media Action interviewing an earthquake survivor. Credit: Courtesy BBC Media Action Afghanistan)
२०२२ जुलाई १ · ३५ मिनेट
Since February, thousands of international volunteers have travelled to Ukraine to help in the fight against Russia. We hear about some foreign combatants whose stories have been reported by our language services, with Sunyoung Jeong of BBC Korean, Benny Lu of BBC Chinese and Beverly Ochieng of BBC Monitoring in Nairobi. Lend me a saying Our BBC Indian language service colleagues in Delhi share their favourite sayings, with Siddhanath Ganu of BBC Marathi, Sarika Singh of BBC Hindi, Khushboo Sandhu of BBC Punjabi, Venkat Prasad G of BBC Telugu, Saranya Nagarajan of BBC Tamil and Brijal Shah of BBC Gujarati. A new king for Cameroon's Mankon people For the Mankon community of Cameroon, a king, or fon, never dies, he simply disappears. Fon Angwafor III 'went missing' in May, and the enthronement of the new king took place last month. The BBC's Randy Joe Sa'ah attended the extraordinary ceremony and shares his impressions. (Photo: Taiwanese volunteer fighter Mr Lee in Kyiv. Credit: Daniel Ceng)
२०२२ जुन २४ · ४१ मिनेट
In more than 200 years as a republic, Colombia has never elected a left-wing leader - until now. Gustavo Petro, a former member of the M-19 rebel group, narrowly won in a very polarised election. He said Colombia “voted for change.” BBC Mundo’s Daniel Pardo, who's from Bogota, witnessed the celebrations. North Korean trash Seoul politics professor Kang Dong-wan is fascinated by life inside North Korea, and based his latest research on the vast array of packaging washed up on South Korea’s Five West Sea Islands. BBC Korean’s Jungmin Choi tells us what he discovered there, and what it reveals about life inside the communist state. Russia's lost generals Why are so many Russian generals dying in the Ukraine conflict? At least four have been killed, possibly more, and yet it's usually rare for a general to die in battle. BBC Russian's Olga Ivshina explains what the high casualty rate tells us about the way Russian forces are fighting. The imprisonment of Aung San Suu Kyi The deposed former leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been moved from house arrest to solitary confinement in prison. BBC Burmese editor Soe Win Than tells us what's known about her previous living conditions, and the significance of the junta's decision to put her behind bars. Vietnamese brides China has a huge sex imbalance in its population, with 10% more men than women. This legacy of the one child policy has had a huge impact on neighbouring Vietnam; it's estimated 100,000 Vietnamese women married to Chinese men. Bui Thu from BBC Vietnamese spoke with one woman who married for love about her experiences. (Photo: Gustavo Petro and Francia Marquez. Credit: Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
२०२२ जुन १७ · ४१ मिनेट
BBC reporter Runako Celina tells us about her long search for the origins of a shocking video circulating on Chinese social media in 2020. It showed a group of African children being instructed to chant racist phrases in Chinese. The answers Runako found are in her BBC Africa Eye documentary Racism for Sale. For the love of mangoes! We unleash the Fifth Floor mic in the BBC Delhi bureau where colleagues from the Indian language services share their love of mangoes, especially their local varieties. Thanks to Siddhanath Ganu of BBC Marathi, Sarika Singh of BBC Hindi, Khushboo Sandhu of BBC Punjabi, Brijal Shah of BBC Gujarati, Venkat Prasad G of BBC Telugu and Saranya Nagarajan of BBC Tamil. New words and a culture shift in Ukraine 'Putler', 'Ruscists' and 'Anglo-Saxons': what words can tell us about the cultural shift in Ukraine since the invasion, and why some are 'changing their shoes mid-air', with Vitaliy Shevchenko from BBC Monitoring. Bangladesh container depot blast The devastating explosion at the Sitakunda container depot near Chittagong killed more than 40 people and injured hundreds. BBC Bangla journalist Shahnewaj Rocky is from Chittagong and spoke with firefighters and some of those who rushed to help the victims. Ventriloquist queen American ventriloquist Angelique-Monet became a queen in Nigeria after falling in love with a Nigerian king and marrying him. She lives in Eti-Oni in southern Nigeria where she and her puppet, Milk the Cow, entertain local children with their skills. BBC Africa's Youth News reporter Damilola Oduolowu caught her show. (Photo: A Chinese greeting from African children. Credit: BBC)
२०२२ जुन १० · ४१ मिनेट
The numbers of people living in the most populated country in the world is expected to start falling this year, for the first time since the great famine more than six decades ago. There's concern about what that means for the global economy, but what do people in China think? BBC Chinese editor Howard Zhang explains why the 3-child policy hasn’t worked. Afrocentrism Njoroge Muigai of BBC Nairobi recently visited a Kenyan primary school with a difference; it takes an innovative, Afrocentric approach to learning. Fortune-telling in Thailand BBC Thai has been asking why fortune-tellers are still so widely consulted in Thailand. They interviewed popular fortune-tellers and found out from younger clients why they seek consultations. Sucheera Maguire explains. A visit to Delhi's Lodi Gardens Suhail Haleem of BBC Delhi takes us to the Lodi Gardens to look at Mughal monuments and contemplate India's relationship with its Islamic past and present. My Arab Adolescence BBC Arabic has given young people across the Arab world a platform to talk openly about the challenges they face, including taboo topics around mental health, in a podcast series for teenagers called My Adolescence. Presenter Karima Kouah shares their stories, and tells us what she hopes the series will achieve. (Photo: Chinese babies in cots. Credit: Gong Bo/VCG via Getty Images)
२०२२ जुन ६ · ४१ मिनेट
Natalya is a Russian journalist working for BBC Monitoring, and her husband and colleague, Yuriy, is Ukrainian. They have been evacuated from their home in Kyiv to Lviv. Natalya tells us about the challenges of family life during war, and how she’s given up trying to convince some friends in Russia about what’s really happening. Changing attitudes in India A recent survey of social attitudes in India showed that a large proportion of the population, both men and women, still believe that husbands have the right to beat their wives. Women's affairs editor Geeta Pandey talks us through the findings. Why Germans are migrating to Paraguay Thousands of German migrants have moved to Paraguay, some of them escaping Covid restrictions; others because they are uncomfortable with immigration itself in Germany. BBC Mundo's Mar Pichel travelled to Paraguay to explore the reasons behind this new wave. Goodbye to South Korea's Blue House The Blue House in Seoul has been the seat of power in South Korea for more than 70 years. But the new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, has moved his office to a Defence Ministry complex and opened the Blue House to the public. Julie Yoonnyung Lee of BBC Korean explains the reasons for this decision. Uganda's Batwa people Over 30 years ago, the Batwa people of Uganda were evicted from their ancestral forest home by the government. It was thought they might threaten the gorilla population, vital to Uganda's tourism industry. But the Batwa people have struggled ever since, as BBC Africa's Patience Atuhaire discovered when she went to report on their story. Presenter: David Amanor Producer: Sue Waldram (Photo: Wedding rings. Credit: BBC)
२०२२ मे २७ · ४१ मिनेट
How have the lives of the thousands of Russians living in Ukraine changed since the invasion? BBC Arabic's Heba Bitar met three Russian nationals who told her about their conflicted sense of identity and the practical challenges they are facing. The latest from Bollywood Bollywood watchers Vidit Mehra and Vandana from BBC Delhi discuss the latest headlines. An Indian actor is a jury member at this year's Cannes film festival, two of Bollywood's most famous stars have recently married and it's the thirtieth anniversary of a film that put a civil war on pause. Why battery-powered rickshaws are taking over in Bangladesh Dhaka's notorious traffic jams are very polluting, as well as frustrating and noisy. Now there's a sustainable DIY solution to get around town: battery-powered rickshaws. But as BBC Bangla's Shahnewaj Rocky tells us, there are risks involved. LGBTQ+ rights in Qatar With just months to go before the Fifa World Cup 2022, the authorities in Qatar have assured LGBTQ+ visitors that they will be welcome. But the reality for LGBTQ+ people living in Qatar is very different, as BBC Arabic's Julien Hajj has been finding out. Ukraine’s lost animals As BBC Ukrainian reporter Roman Lebed was about to do a piece to camera, a cat walked into the shot. Roman burst out laughing – for the first time in months. The cat had burnt whiskers and wanted to become his friend. Roman says he’s seen many cats and dogs, often abandoned, in the areas he’s been reporting from. (Photo: Russian man by a memorial in Kyiv for Ukrainian soldiers. Credit: BBC)
२०२२ मे २० · ४७ मिनेट
How do you arrange a wedding in a warzone? According to Ukrainian authorities nearly 4,000 couples tied the knot in the first 10 days after the invasion. BBC Ukrainian's Zhanna Bezpiatchuk has recently come back from Ukraine – where she met a couple who exchanged their vows as twin rockets hit the city of Lviv, in western Ukraine. Videogames in the Arabic world Millions of people around the world play videogames and the industry is getting bigger and bigger. One company is capitalising on this growth. Based in Jordan, their speciality is 'localising' videogames; making them more suitable for Arab audiences. Hossam Fazulla has been covering this story for BBC Arabic. Meet the Nigerian Spiderman Environmentalist Jonathan Olakunle dresses up as a superhero to help clean up the streets and raise awareness about illegal waste dumping. BBC Africa’s Joshua Akinyemi has spent a day with him. Afghan women lawyers Since the Taliban took over in 2021, women have been barred from working in the judiciary system, leaving thousands jobless and at risk. And whilst the Taliban government say women with legal claims can still go to court, some Afghan women say that their cases are better understood by female judges and lawyers. Shazia Haya from BBC Pastho has the story. Bridgerton in India The latest season of the drama Bridgerton has had a mixed reception in India. Set in Georgian London, the series follows the aristrocratic Bridgerton family. The second series introduces an Indian family visiting London to find a match for their youngest daughter. Though popular among Indians it proved controversial - as the BBC’s Meryl Sebastian in Delhi explains. Presenter: Faranak Amidi Producers: Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson, Rebecca Moore, Emily Naylor (Photo: Newly-weds Aliona and Boghdan. Credit: Marek Polaszewski)
२०२२ मे १३ · ४१ मिनेट
The Ukrainian port city of Mariupol has been under attack by the Russians since the first day of the invasion on 24 February. It now lies in ruins, but still Ukrainian fighters are resisting in the Azovstal steelworks. Vitaliy Shevchenko, Russia editor of BBC Monitoring, tells us about the complex history and identity of Mariupol. Reporting Sri Lanka It’s been a week of violent unrest in Sri Lanka, where peaceful protests in the capital turned into riots on Monday after the resignation of prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. For two members of the BBC Sinhala team, it’s a doubly difficult story, having moved from Colombo to Delhi. Editor Ishara Danasekara and her colleague Amanda Abeysooriya tell us about the challenges of reporting from a distance. South Korea's hijabi influencer Sabrina is a young hijab-wearing Malaysian Muslim who loves to dance to K-pop. When she moved to South Korea, she opened a YouTube channel and became a popular influencer. However, not all responses have been positive, as BBC Korean’s Bugyeong Jung found out. My Childhood, My Country A remarkable documentary which follows the life of a young Afghan from the age of 7 to 27 has just won a BAFTA award for Shoaib Sharifi, who runs the Kabul office of the BBC’s international charity, BBC Media Action. It’s called My Childhood, My Country, and Shoaib tells us how he first met its star, Mir Hussain, then recorded his life from child to adult. Presenter: Faranak Amidi Producer: Sue Waldram (Photo: Theatre building destroyed in the Ukraine-Russia conflict in Mariupol, April 25, 2022. Credit: Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko)
२०२२ मे ६ · ४१ मिनेट
Tattoo parlours have switched from hearts and roses to Cossacks and flags as Ukrainians ink their bodies with patriotic tattoos to permanently record what their country is going through. BBC Ukrainian's Anastasiya Gribanova visited a Lviv tattoo parlour to find out the most popular images, and what they mean to citizens and soldiers. Miami's F1 vices Organisers had hoped that Miami's Formula 1 race would give Monte Carlo a run for its money with drivers roaring along the seafront and superyacht-studded marina. So when they didn't get permission they decided to think outside the box - why not fake a marina, yachts and all? BBC Monitoring's Luis Fajardo has been enjoying the drama. A 30 year battle for sewage services A shanty town in Brazil’s richest city, Sao Paulo, has finally won its decades-long campaign to get basic sanitation. Millions of Brazilians live without proper sewage or water services, and Thais Carrança of BBC Brasil visited Favela do Moinho to find what the new services will mean for residents. Real Housewives of Lagos A group of wealthy, glamorous and fun-loving Lagos women are in the spotlight with the latest iteration of the Real Housewives franchise. Keisha Gitari at BBC Lagos tells us about the lives shown on screen, and how the city on the screen compares with the reality for most locals. Why not... dance? That’s the question being posed by the first in a new BBC Arabic series tackling topics that are seldom discussed or culturally contentious. Julien Hajj explains why they chose dance as a topic, and a male belly-dancer as a contributor. (Photo: Ukrainian patriotic tattoo. Credit: BBC)
पछिल्लो १०० एपिसोड देखाइएको।
