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Best of the BBC
When the prime minister calls
London seniors Joyce and Ted Hawkes were quite surprised when Downing Street called in 1997 to ask whether Britain’s new prime minister Tony Blair and his wife could come by for a cup of tea. They relived the moment with the host of the BBC’s PM program, Eddie Mair.
Fallujah doctors report rise in birth defects
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Download MP3Doctors in the Iraqi city of Fallujah are reporting a high level of birth defects, with some blaming weapons used by the US after the Iraq invasion. BBC world affairs editor John Simpson (pictured) visited a new, US-funded hospital in Fallujah where pediatrician Samira al-Ani told him that she was seeing as many as two or three cases a day, mainly cardiac defects. Download MP3
Actor George Takei remembers his internment
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The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour led, on February 19th, 1942, to Executive Order 9066 being issued by President Roosevelt. It consigned over 100,000 Japanese-Americans to internment camps. Star Trek actor and Japanese-American George Takei was just four-years-old when he, along with his parents and siblings, was removed from the family home. BBC World Service programme Witness interviewed Takei about the experience. Download MP3
Nelson Mandela’s long walk to freedom
It has been 20 years since the South African authorities agreed to free Nelson Mandela – the man who would lead the struggle to end the country’s policy of racial segregation, and create a multi-racial democracy. In this audio slideshow, using the BBC archives, you can see how he left behind his cell of 27 years, to become South Africa’s first black president.
Hero Pilot: ‘I thought I was going to die’
In his first media interview, the pilot of a British Airways jet which crash landed at London’s Heathrow airport two years ago has described the moment he thought would die. Captain Peter Burkill’s jet plane lost power in the final seconds of its approach to land. Captain Burkill describes how in the space of five seconds his prediction for the imminent hard-landing changed from 100% casualties to 50%. In the event, there was only one serious injury, and Captain Burkill and his crew were hailed as heroes.
Your World, Your Way – BBC users show off video skills
Michael Schmacke’s fast animation through the center of Berlin is art of the BBC World Service MyWorld project. The film is one of many short videos being submitted by World Service users to share the things that matter to them. Michael shot his film with a digital SLR camera – he describes it as “a point of view which only could be developed by the cold war, an abstract building of childish arguments. Just like the film…”
Pakistan Earthquake – Four Years On
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In fall 2005, tens of thousands of people were killed in a massive earthquake which struck northern Pakistan. Then, as in the more recent quake in Haiti, international agencies launched massive aid progams to help the survivors. As the focus of media attention now begins to shift away from Haiti, the BBC’s Aleem Maqbool has returned to Muzzafarabad, where he’s found that reconstructing homes and rebuilding lives has been a slow process in the years since the TV cameras moved on. Download MP3
Taking A Stand – Lockerbie bombing
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Last week we highlighted an excellent radio interview with Michael Semple talking about being expelled from Afghanistan. He was interviewed by Fergal Keane as part of Radio 4’s Taking A Stand series. We thought the latest program was equally compelling. Keane talks with Jim Swire, who has waged a long campaign to expose those he believes were responsible for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, in which his daughter died. Download MP3
Ugandan witch doctors sacrifice children
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The secret shrine of a witch doctor, body parts, dead children – these are the horrific details revealed in this documentary on an apparent rise in human sacrifice in Uganda. People there believe that human body parts will appease evil spirits. In this Best of the BBC, Tim Whewell travels to Uganda to investigate. Please note this program contains disturbing accounts throughout Download MP3‘I boarded a plane with an aerosol can’
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After the foiled attempt on Christmas Day to bring down transatlantic flight 253 bound for Detroit, there have been many calls for better safety measures. More careful screening of passengers and their belongings passing through airports was immediately implemented. But as this BBC report from Colette Hume shows, security is still not exactly where it should be. Download MP3
Death and denial in Nigeria
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A harrowing report has been filed by Caroline Duffield, the BBC’s correspondent in Lagos, Nigeria. The bodies of young men are literally piling up in a hospital in the town of Enugu, and have been for months, it has been alleged. Nigerian police say the men, many of whom are untraceable, were thiefs and armed robbers. But the family members of some who can be identified are disputing the claims. Download MP3
World AIDS Day Posters
In this audio slideshow from BBC News, you can see the subtle and shocking ways that health campaigners have used images to raise HIV/AIDS awareness across the world. The posters use various methods, from humorous to blunt messages, to convey to observers why the message remains so important more than two decades after the virus was discovered.
Baroque and Roll: Townshend on Purcell
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One very British musician on the virtues of another. Though neither, you might think, would have much in common. Pete Townsend of The Who sets the record straight, explaining how and why, throughout his career, he’s been influenced by the classical composer Henry Purcell. Download MP3
Best of the BBC: Maternal mortality worldwide
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Over half a million women die each year from complications during pregnancy, delivery or shortly afterward. To address the problem, the UN Population Fund is holding a high level maternal health meeting in Ethiopia. One of the Millennium Development Goals is to reduce maternal mortality by 75% by 2015. So which countries of the world are rising to the challenge and which are showing little evidence of improvement? The BBC has been looking at the situation for women giving birth in different countries. Listen to Lyse Doucet’s report from Afghanistan.Download MP3
Far right politician on BBC
One story is dominating the British media today – and the BBC itself is at the heart of it. There’s huge controversy about the BBC’s decision to invite a far right politician onto its flagship political discussion show, ‘Question Time’. This ‘Best of the BBC’ post enables you to follow the controversy in Britain.
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