What’s the real impact of the ethnic pay gap?

The average student debt after a three year degree course in England is £50,000. It’s a large sum that can be off-putting when you hear tales of jobless graduates and self-made entrepreneurs. Student debt is lower in Wales and Northern Ireland and less still in Scotland where you don’t pay fees, but even here student debt has doubled in the last decade.In this episode we speak to Natalie Olah. She’s written a book - based on her experience at university and after - called ‘Steal As Much As You Can’. It’s a sort of self-help guide aimed at people from less well-off backgrounds navigating higher education and professional life.We also speak to Chris Havergal, news editor at the Times Higher Education Supplement, about the options young people have as students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland get their A Level results this week, as do those studying level 3 BTEC qualifications.Producer: Duncan Barber Mixed by Weidong Lin Editor: John Shields

14 Aug 201920min

The financier Jeffrey Epstein was in a Manhattan prison awaiting trial for sex trafficking when he was found dead in his cell last weekend. The multi-millionaire moved in the richest social circles with people like Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew. But with his death, apparently by suicide, how much can we really know? And will his victims ever find justice? Nada Tawfik, the BBC reporter in New York following the case, tells us the details of Epstein’s life and crimes. And we hear from Spencer Kuvin, an attorney who represented some of Epstein’s victims. Producers: Harriet Noble and Jessica Beck Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

13 Aug 201923min

Last week Championship side Derby County announced Wayne Rooney, the former England captain, would be joining the team as a player-coach on a reported £100,000-a-week contract and will wear the number 32. Derby also secured a “record-breaking sponsorship” deal with the online casino 32Red. The news has raised questions about football’s links to gambling at a time when the industry is booming and smartphones have made it easier to place bets than ever before. So, is the transfer more than just a savvy football deal? BBC 5Live reporter Katie Shanahan tells us about the two teams — Huddersfield and Derby — who collaborated with betting firms this summer. We also speak to sport finance expert Dr Dan Plumley about how much the gambling industry contributes, and comedian Lloyd Griffith about what a healthier relationship between football and the bookies could look like. Producers: Alicia Burrell and Duncan Barber. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: John Shields. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem visit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/

12 Aug 201919min

Cyntoia Brown was 16 when she was jailed for life for murder. This week she walked free after the Governor of Tennessee granted her clemency. She was backed by a number of powerful celebrities including Kim Kardashian who used social media to highlight her case as part of a campaign to get young black Americans out of unfair jail sentences. We speak to Samantha Schmidt from the Washington Post about the details of the case. We also hear from Kevin Sharp, former judge who went to the White House with Kim Kardashian. Producers: Philly Beaumont, Jessica Beck Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

9 Aug 201920min

“There is no plan for no deal because we are going to get a great deal.” That’s what Boris Johnson, then Foreign Secretary, said in July 2017. A no-deal Brexit was once a fringe idea, but it’s now what Johnson’s government is working towards to fulfil his pledge to leave the EU by the end of October.So has no deal become inevitable? Daniel Kraemer has been working on this for the last four months in the BBC’s Westminster newsroom. He tells us how Brexit has come down to a political showdown between two middle aged Conservative politicians called Dominic – one working towards no deal and the other trying to stop it. We also hear about the emotional appeal of no deal from Fintan O’Toole, the Irish journalist and author of ‘Heroic Failure: Brexit and the Politics of Pain’. Producer: Duncan Barber. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: John Shields.

8 Aug 201921min

Boris Johnson’s government is “turbo-charging” plans for leaving the EU without a deal at the end of October. People are asking each other if we’re going to have enough food, whether they should be stockpiling tins and if it’s going to cost more money. Companies are stockpiling ingredients and today supermarkets have asked the government to change the law so they can work together to stop stuff running out after 31 October. David Gregory-Kumar tells us lamb farmers are particularly worried that a new tariff on exports could lead to a mass cull of Brexit lambs. We also speak to Daniel Saladino about what fresh tomatoes tell us about the intricate food system we’ve built, and in what way we rely on Europe for the sunshine, the labour and even the bees that fertilise our food.

7 Aug 201921min

The World Health Organisation predicts that by 2025 half of the world’s population will live in water-stressed areas. This means the demand for water will be more than the supply. This is already happening in Chennai. The Indian city with more than five million people has been having a water crisis since June. The taps have run dry and experts say there’s no end in sight.Rajini Vaidyanathan has been reporting from Chennai for the BBC. She tells us what it’s like for the residents to live without water. Meera Subramanian is a journalist and author who has written about India’s climate crisis in her book, ‘A River Runs Again.’ She explains that living during a water shortage is far more common than we think.

6 Aug 201916min

Two mass shootings in 24 hours have shocked America: the first in El Paso, Texas and the other in Dayton, Ohio. 29 people have lost their lives. The El Paso shooter opened fire in a Walmart store only a few miles from the Mexican border. Police are treating the attack as domestic terrorism after finding an anti-immigrant “manifesto” on 8chan - a forum that promotes freedom of speech.We speak to Michael Wendling from BBC Trending about how 8chan came to be taken offline. The BBC’s security correspondent Gordon Corera tells us why the security services are finding it tough to police white supremacist violence.Producers: Seren Jones, Philly Beaumont Mixed by Nico Raufast Editor: John Shields

5 Aug 201921min