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  With the cost of Government debt hitting its highest for many decades across the world, we explore how the world became so dependent on bonds, those IOUs from governments and firms that helped build the modern economy. Bonds are often dismissed as a dull corner of finance, but behind the scenes they have played a central role in major economic dramas around the world. We hear about their history, how they have shaped companies and countries, and why some fear the bond market could trigger the ne...

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  British Psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead, who has spent a lifetime working with violence perpetrators, visits Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang rehabilitation in the world. It offers, training, education, therapy and other services, was set up by a Jesuit Priest, Father Gregory Boyle. It was his response to the so-called “decade of death,” in the late 1980s, as his neighbourhood was terrorised by gang violence. Today, 40 years on, it has been called one of the most successful gang...

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  For International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (October 13th), we're finding out how technology can help prevent disasters, save lives and help rescuers. In Argentina, we’ll meet Franco Rodríguez Viau whose family friends lost their home in a fire, inspiring him to find a way of tracking wildfires. He was just a teenager when he began developing an app that combines NASA satellite imagery with other data sources to identify and intercept fires before they become unmanageable. Meanwhile in...

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  Electoral battle lines are being drawn and redrawn in the United States right now, as Republicans and Democrats up the ante in an electoral redistricting war that many fear is undermining democracy. BBC North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher looks at how a once-a-decade act of political admin has turned into a rolling process of political partisanship, as parties compete to redraw voting districts, as they try to lock in near-guaranteed majorities. We look at the recent US Supreme Court rul...

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  From historic buildings linked to emancipation to tiny village chapels, Jamaica is home to the world’s highest density of churches. The Caribbean Island faced a profound spiritual crisis after Hurricane Melissa devastated many of the 1600 sacred spaces where people gathered to worship. Journalist and presenter Nick Davis, who has returned to his family's roots and now lives on the island, takes us on an emotional journey back to Black River and Lacovia, in the heart of the hardest-hit areas....

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  The President of Cornell University says it "must do better" after a woman alleged she was drugged and raped by a group of men at a fraternity – or frat – house. Fraternities are all-male social organisations where the students live, study and socialise, and many are known for their parties. But they are also controversial and have been criticised for elitism and dangerous initiation rituals, referred to as hazing. “There’s a lot of forced drinking to get guys into a state of severe in...

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  Two rivers helped build civilisation. Now they are at the centre of a geopolitical struggle that casts a shadow over the future of the Middle East. For centuries, the Tigris and Euphrates carried goods, armies and ideas, shaping some of history's greatest empires. But today, a toxic mix of climate change, outdated irrigation methods and conflicting national interests is pushing these rivers to the brink. As Turkey’s vast dam projects reduce downstream flows, Iraq is being forced into negotia...

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  A brand new season of the BBC’s space podcast explores the story of the revolutionary Hubble Space Telescope and the tiny flaw that almost destroyed the dream. This is the first episode in the season, to listen to more just search 13 Minutes wherever you get your BBC podcasts. In this episode, our view of the universe could be transformed by one of the most ambitious scientific instruments ever built but a terrible disaster strikes Nasa. After decades of meticulous planning, will the Hubble Spac...

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  Birth rates are falling across much of the world, raising questions about the future of ageing populations and economies. We look at why people are having fewer children, from the financial pressures facing couples in the US to changing social attitudes. We also examine government efforts to reverse the trend, including Finland's generous family support system and Hungary's costly incentives for larger families. BBC World Service - The Documentary Podcast, Why are birth rates falling acr...

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  Hungary under Viktor Orban was a model for the populist right the world over. But in April 2026 he and the party he led, Fidesz, was decisively defeated in an election that brought an end to his 16 years in power. In the six months since the election some of what Viktor Orban had institutionalised has been rolled back. The state-funded media is no longer under government control. Hungary has a new president, a former judge who had been peremptorily swept from office under the previous government...

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  We travel to the Italian island of Sicily to see how Palermo residents are fighting back against the influence of the mafia. Presenter Myra Anubi meets people from the charity Addiopizzo, which encourages residents to stop paying protection money known as "pizzo." Meanwhile we visit a neighbourhood regeneration scheme which encourages young people to get involved and resist the temptation of joining the mafia. BBC World Service - The Documentary Podcast, Breaking the code of silence

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  Sean Allsop has had insomnia for much of his adult life and now sees it as a problem he wants to understand. He explores what countries are doing to tackle poor sleep and he examines the financial strain sleepless nights place on a nation. At home in the UK, he visits the first helpline dedicated to poor sleepers, joining a call as staff help people find answers and navigate the often confusing world of sleep advice. He also spends a night at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterd...

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  After 23 years in the US military left him broken, Native Hawaiian park ranger Keoni Kaholoaʻā finds healing in Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and in Pele, the elemental deity who lives within. Kīlauea, on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, sometimes erupts as often as every few weeks. New land is still being constantly made. For Native Hawaiians, this is not geology, this is Pele, the volcano deity, elemental force of fire and creation and a living ancestor whose presence is fel...

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  Two cases in recent weeks have reignited debate around capital punishment in the United States after the failed attempt to execute Christa Pike and controversy over – now abandoned – plans to live-stream another execution. We bring together three people who have witnessed prisoners being put to death to share their experiences. Retired Ghanaian army officer, Captain Budu Koomson says, “It has an eerie feeling of finality that something has been forever done and cannot be undone.” We also hear fr...

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  Why are millions of Afghans pushed into circular migration? BBC World Service - The Documentary Podcast, Afghan refugees: The exodus

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  Rising anti-migrant sentiments in Iran and Pakistan BBC World Service - The Documentary Podcast, Afghan refugees: Life in exile

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  What reality awaits refugees returning to Afghanistan? BBC World Service - The Documentary Podcast, Afghan refugees: Back to zero

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  A network of Russians say they are secretly fighting their own country. They claim armed resistance to stop Russia winning in Ukraine is the best way to undermine Putin’s regime. BBC Eye investigates. Presenter: Monica Garnsey Reporter: Marcin Mamon BBC World Service - The Documentary Podcast, Shadowmen: Russians working with Ukraine

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  China's latest trade data show another huge surplus, putting the country on course for what could be a record $1.5 trillion trade surplus this year. In the first of two episodes examining China's export machine, we look at the country's massive solar panel industry. We hear from the so-called Sun King, Dr Jerry Shi, China's first solar billionaire, about the rise of solar power in China. Ed Butler also examines how solar power and other green technologies have helped drive the gl...

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  Journalist and author Paul Kenyon investigates rising suspicions over China’s presence in the UK. From shadow policing operations, to spies and the infiltration of universities and public bodies, Beijing is being accused by the UK’s domestic intelligence agency of posing a threat to national security. Yet, less than a decade ago, China and the UK had a flourishing relationship. So what has changed? BBC World Service - The Documentary Podcast, China and the UK: After the golden era

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  @BBCRD@social.bbc @BBC_News_Labs@social.bbc The origin of most the problems is TRADE, fix it and most of wasted time of patching trade created problems will diminish, so we would have more time in creating beautiful and useful things- trade-free products and services.

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  Forty years ago, the world’s worst nuclear accident took place at Chernobyl, in what was then the Soviet Union. When news of the disaster began to emerge beyond the Iron Curtain, one of those paying close attention was Adi Roche in Ireland. At the time, Adi was working as a peace educator, teaching about nuclear weapons and Cold War tensions. She went on to found Chernobyl Children International, which became one of the most significant and sustained humanitarian responses to the disaster. Over...

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  Panagrinėkime, ką kiekvienam iš mūsų reiškia vadovavimas ar pagalba. Ar tai nereiškia individualių sunkumų, skausmų ir kančių išsprendimo? Jei esi dvasinis mokytojas ar gydytojas, aš ateinu pas tave tam, kad man parodytum laimingą gyvenimo kelią arba išgydytum ligą. Mes ieškome gyvenimo būdo iš nušvitusio žmogaus, o žinių ar informacijos — iš išsilavinusiojo. Mes norime pasiekti, norime būti sėkmingi, norime būti laimingi, todėl ieškome gyvenimo modelio, kuris padėtų mums pasiekti tai, ko trokšt...

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  Earlier this month, a volcanic eruption, which sent a plume of ash some 10km into the sky, killed three people hiking up Mount Dukono in Indonesia. The tourists had climbed the mountain despite official warnings. It is the latest incident in recent years where tourists have been killed visiting an active volcano. We explore the attraction of volcanoes, as well as hearing about the extreme danger they can pose to visitors and those living nearby. “I think it’s good in life to maybe do something t...

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  Mes turėjome gausybę vedimo ir nurodymų. Kiekvienas laikraštis, kiekvienas žurnalas, kiekvienas pamokslininkas, kiekvienas kunigas visame pasaulyje mus veda, sako mums, ką daryti, ko nedaryti, galvoti taip, negalvoti anaip, atsiduoti, neklausyti jo, nes jis reakcionierius, klausyti manęs... Mes nuolat esame vedami, formuojami, lipdomi — sąmoningai ar nesąmoningai. Čia mes nieko nevedame; mes esame tarsi du draugai, kartu besikalbantys apie dalykus. Tai visiškai kas kita. Ir vedimas trukdo supra...

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  'Virtual farewells' have become a trend on Russian social media. AI generated videos, depicting soldiers who have been killed in the war and paid for by their families, are being produced by AI artists. They show fantastical scenes of soldiers ascending to heaven; portrayals of their family members as guardian angels hovering over the front line; or sometimes little boys imagining a heroic future fighting in Putin's war in Ukraine. Liza Fokht of BBC Russian has been following the tre...

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  The story of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s rise and fall has been gripping France. There are allegations of a secret pact with a dictator and unexplained meetings between figures close to government and a known terrorist. And so much cash that party workers do not know what to do with it. The former French President was jailed last year for conspiring to fund his 2007 election campaign with money from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He is currently appealing his sentence -...

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  Žmogus turi būti laisvas tam, kad visiškai taptų šviesa pačiam sau. Šviesa pačiam sau! Šios šviesos negali suteikti kitas, taip pat negali jos užsidegti nuo kito žvakės. Jei užsidegi ją nuo kito žvakės, tai tėra žvakė; ją galima užpūsti. From This Light in Oneself #Krishnamurti #Meditation #phylosophy #mind #day143 #lt

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  Negalite priklausyti nuo nieko. Negalite gauti šviesos iš kito, kad ir kas jis būtų — Dievas, gelbėtojai ar Budos — jos negalima perduoti kitam; žmogus turi visiškai ir pilnai būti šviesa pats sau. Tai nereiškia savanaudiškos ar egocentriškos veiklos; priešingai, būti šviesa pačiam sau reiškia taip visiškai suprasti save, kad tame supratime nebūtų jokio iškraipymo to, kas esi. From Questioning Krishnamurti #Krishnamurti #Meditation #phylosophy #mind #day144 #lt

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  New Year’s Eve in Sydney is more than the 12 o’clock show. It is an event that takes over an entire city. Fireworks are launched from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, there are barges positioned across the Harbour, there are rooftops around the city with pyrotechnics, as well as lighting projections on the boats on the harbour, Luna Park and the bridge pylons. It is a year in the planning and one family has been designing the fireworks for this spectacular night for the last...