Diving With a Purpose

Featuring extraordinarily rare recordings, historian Shirli Gilbert presents this new history of life and music under Nazi tyranny. This episode focuses on music-making in the camps and ghettos of Nazi Europe, including stories of music at Sachsenhausen, Vilna and Auschwitz. This includes a wealth of different styles, from Yiddish Tango and rousing camp anthems, to partisan songs and string quartets. Contributors include Lloica Czackis, Krzysztof Kulisiewicz, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch,

29 Tammi 202250min

There is much international focus on the possibility of a Russian military invasion of its neighbour Ukraine. US President Joe Biden has spoken of “enormous consequences” if that did happen, warning it would “change the world”. Russia has an estimated 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine but has said it does not want war. While world leaders talk, host Ben James guides us through the discussions among six women in the two countries. In Ukraine, the BBC’s James Reynolds hears from three women in the capital Kyiv about the prospect of war. They include a Olena, a volunteer sniper since 2014 and a professional servicewoman for five years, who is once more prepared to fight for her country.

29 Tammi 202223min

The cost of food and fuel has risen globally. The pandemic has played some part in it but there are other reasons too. Ros Atkins examines what’s behind the rise in the price of goods and services.

29 Tammi 20229min

Can we learn to let go of negative thoughts that are bringing us down? Sometimes it can feel as if nothing in life is going the way it should and we judge ourselves for not doing better. Judy is from Thailand and lives in Japan. Her sister has to look after their elderly mother in Thailand alone and Judy is unhappy with herself for not having built a ‘successful’ career in Japan. She speaks to writer and teacher Gary Zukav. He suggests that, even though it sometimes doesn't feel like it, there might be a way to move beyond the control of these negative and damaging feelings.

29 Tammi 202218min

The high stakes cat and mouse game between police and darknet drug dealers. Police in the UK say they are finally turning the tide on drug dealers selling on the darknet – a secretive part of the internet which has been described as like “online shopping for drugs.” The UK’s National Crime Agency says recent international takedowns of so called dark markets and arrests in multiple countries are a result of new techniques in cyber policing that is giving them the upper hand. However, BBC research suggests that police around the world have an uphill struggle on their hands as many dealers - known as vendors - have survived multiple market place collapses by operating across many different darknet sites. The programme explores the major role played by UK dealers in the global business which is estimated to be worth more than a billion dollars a year. The BBC’s cyber reporter Joe Tidy and BBC data journalist Alison Benjamin journey into this hidden world to speak to vendors and buyers and uncover secrets of the trade. Reporter: Joe Tidy Producer: Paul Grant Editor: Maggie Latham (Image: An ecstasy pill bought on the darknet, being tested at a lab in the UK. Credit: BBC)

27 Tammi 202227min

In Zambia, smoking is on the rise. One woman wants to change that. BBC global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar follows the story of Brenda Chitindi in her efforts to get tobacco control on the agenda. As tobacco production and consumption increase in Zambia, Brenda and others are campaigning for the introduction of a Tobacco Control Bill to the nation's legislature. It is a campaign they have been fighting for over a decade. With a new government elected in 2021, could this be the moment for change?

25 Tammi 202227min

"Lama", a student in Afghanistan who fears for her safety since the Taliban takeover, speaks to the country's former education minister Rangina Hamidi, who fled to the United States, and to former US Secretary of State and campaigner for women's rights Hillary Clinton.A co-production by BBC and Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and SecurityPresenter: Suzanne Kianpour Produced by Philip Reevell for BBC World Service

23 Tammi 202223min

There is a common misconception that music under the Nazis was either ‘Degenerate Music’ to be suppressed or propaganda music that was officially sanctioned. Historian Shirli Gilbert shows that there was a wealth of different music-making during this period, including secret sessions by Jewish musicians and others, that managed to evade official scrutiny. In this first episode, she explores the music of the Jewish Culture League, as well as the work of Lukraphon and Semer, two Jewish record labels active at this time.

22 Tammi 202250min