Afghan girls given a sporting chance

Autistic people have been thought to all lack empathy by both science and society for decades. But after receiving an extremely low empathy score as part of a recent autism assessment, science journalist Sue Nelson decided to confront these damaging stereotypes and question the experts who work in this area. Sue’s investigation reveals latest research shows the opposite of the commonly held stereotype. Instead of the majority of autistic people having low to no empathy, a trait commonly associated with psychopaths, many autistic people have been shown to have heightened empathy for others. Guests include Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, a pioneer in the field who originated the EQ (Empathy Quotient) test widely used in autism assessments, and a team of autistic researchers investigating the newly recognised phenomenon of autistic ‘hyper-empathy’.

15 Touko 202528min

At the start of 2025, a chat appeared on the encrypted messaging app Telegram. It was named Are We Dating The Same Girl? At first only a few hundred people joined. Soon that was thousands, and its content went from details of young women’s dating history, to revenge porn - sexually explicit videos and images. BBC Trending traces the Telegram group’s origins back to Are We Dating the Same Guy? groups on Facebook. But how did they first come about? Why are they seen as an important safety tool for some and something that has ruined lives for others? And how did the idea spread to Telegram, with serious consequences?

14 Touko 202518min

Thirteen million Syrians - half the population - left their homes during their country's 13-year civil war. Seven million were internally displaced. Six million fled abroad. Bringing them home is perhaps the biggest challenge facing Syria's new rulers. But many can’t return, because their homes are in ruins, and jobs and essential services are lacking. Tim Whewell follows a variety of returnees back to Homs, Syria’s third city, which saw some of the worst destruction of the war. A private charity organises convoys of families wanting to return from camps in the north of the country. But once returnees like Fatima Hazzoura get back, they're left to cope on their own. Some who came back earlier have managed to repair their homes. But others find their houses are just empty, burnt-out shells. Meanwhile, some in Homs who stayed throughout the war - members of the Alawite minority, whose neighbourhoods remained intact - are thinking of leaving now, fearful that the new government of former Islamist rebels will not protect them. And Homs people who made new lives abroad are hesitant to return permanently while the situation is so unstable, and the economy still crippled by international sanctions. Can the fabric of an ancient and diverse city be rebuilt? Tim finds grief and fear among the ruins - but also laughter, and flashes of Homs's famous humour.

13 Touko 202527min

Luke Black is a Serbian singer-songwriter who represented his country at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023, the world’s largest live music event, with an audience of over 160 million. Performing his song Samo Mi Se Spava, his set and choreography, with its special effect giant robot, were inspired by the video games he loves. Now based in London, he is redeveloping those ideas from video games and hero films to create a new collection of songs. He tells the BBC's Andrea Kidd why he is going darker with these new songs and how the recent student protests in Serbia have inspired him to write an unusually lyrical ballad. He also talks about his experiences at the Eurovision Song Contest and readjusting to life and work afterwards.

12 Touko 202526min

In the last few decades western militaries have been training more women for combat than ever, yet female recruitment and retention is stalling. But with warfare changing, new technologies and new threats, women soldiers are a vital resource. Victoria Hollingsworth talks with different women around the world, some on the frontline and others about to go, and explores the motivations and the challenges they face. Many have families and find juggling these two lives very hard and with little support. Away from the frontline many have faced sexism and worse from their own colleagues.

11 Touko 202549min

Natalya Filonova is a former kindergarten teacher, a mother, a grandmother. But she’s also an activist and in 2022 she was arrested during a demonstration against the war in Ukraine. Nina Nazarova from BBC Russian has been trying to find out what happened to her. Plus, how a homeless bumblebee brought a community together, with Joao Fellet from BBC Brasil.Prestented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

10 Touko 202524min

After 19 months of war, Israel says it is preparing to expand its military campaign in Gaza. The aim is to defeat and dismantle Hamas, regarded as a terrorist organisation by many countries and bring home the remaining 59 hostages. They have been held in captivity since Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on 7 October, 2023. There have been several strikes on Gaza within the last week alone, with reports of dozens of people killed and wounded. We hear from women and men in the Palestinian territory about the bombings, the food shortages and their fears for another looming crisis ahead. Aid agencies have warned that, since Israel cut off humanitarian aid on 2 March, after the collapse of a two-month ceasefire, mass starvation is imminent.

10 Touko 202523min

Throughout his life as a theologian, Christian minister and cosmologist, Prof David Wilkinson has been asking - what does God do when I pray? The question became acutely personal after his wife, Alison, developed first ME and then crippling rheumatoid arthritis. As everyone prayed for her recovery, but no healing appeared to come for many years, the couple and their children felt their faith come into sharp focus. For their children, now both working for the Church, there was a profound crisis of faith which left them unable to pray. For David, anger and confusion that his wife, also a minister of a growing church, was left in pain and unable to walk, let alone lead her church. Naomi Wellings meets a family whose faith was shaken, but ultimately strengthened.

9 Touko 202526min