Episodes
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...
Published 10/20/23
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...
Published 10/13/23
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...
Published 10/06/23
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. ...
Published 09/29/23
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...
Published 09/22/23
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...
Published 09/15/23
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...
Published 09/08/23
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...
Published 09/01/23
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...
Published 08/25/23
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...
Published 08/18/23
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...
Published 08/11/23
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...
Published 08/04/23
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...
Published 07/28/23
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...
Published 07/21/23
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...
Published 07/14/23
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...
Published 07/07/23
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...
Published 06/30/23
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...
Published 06/23/23
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...
Published 06/16/23
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...
Published 06/09/23
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...
Published 06/02/23
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...
Published 05/26/23
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...
Published 05/19/23
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...
Published 05/12/23
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,...
Published 05/05/23