BBC OS Conversations: Three months after the fall of Assad

Deep in the jungles of Bangladesh, a small group of women secretly practise army-style drills. This small team, made exclusively of female village residents, are fighting a global economic force - the world’s insatiable appetite for shrimp. The BBC's Faarea Masud investigates as the demand for shrimp is destroying the land the women have farmed for centuries, and they are willing to do everything they can to protect it from the illegal intensive farming which renders their farmland rapidly unusable. With allegations of payments made to corrupt officials to turn a blind eye, and with little financial clout themselves, the women have taken matters into their own hands in the battle with the global shrimp industry.

12 Juli 202227min

Less than three years after winning a landslide victory, the UK’s Conservative party Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned. It follows a series of political scandals, election defeats and his own party’s loss of trust and confidence in his leadership. During his time in office, Johnson had to deal with a number of unexpected global situations: a pandemic, the economic fallout of war in Ukraine and the ongoing cost of living crisis. But it was questions about his character that brought him down and scandals such as ‘Partygate’ where he attended group gatherings at 10 Downing Street, during lockdowns. Two journalists in Belgium and France discuss Boris Johnson’s reputation abroad and the reaction of European leaders with host James Reynolds.

9 Juli 202224min

How would you cope it you were at the centre of a war? In March 2022, the BBC told the stories of four young women whose lives were changed forever by war in Ukraine. They were not soldiers, activists or politicians. They were civilians, not used to war or how to deal with it. They kept audio diaries that told a raw truth about loss, hope and even love. Some packed up and left with their children while others remained in the eye of the storm. Among them, a language teacher in Kyiv called Alexandra who did not know if her parents were still alive in the besieged city of Mariupol. Mari, a model and dancer, who was caught up in shelling in Chernihiv. And Yulia, who gave birth as bombs rained down on Kharkhiv. But what’s happened to them since? Assignment tries to trace them, to discover how their lives have changed in four months of war.(Photo Credit: Mari Margun)

7 Juli 202226min

The city of Macapá is in the middle of a river archipelago with around 50 villages and 14,000 inhabitants, where the Amazon meets the Atlantic Ocean. Some of these communities are almost impossible to reach, with dense mangroves and fluctuating water levels making the journey dangerous. For a long time, conflicts were resolved by local leaders, from theft, to land disputes, to rape. The machete was often the quickest recourse to justice. Judge Sueli Pini visited Macapá 20 years ago. Seeing the problem, she founded a system that’s unique in the world, the “floating court.”

5 Juli 202227min

It is being described as the deadliest human smuggling incident in US history after more than 50 men, women and children were found dead in an abandoned truck in San Antonio, Texas, in the United States. The temperature inside was close to 40 degrees Celsius - more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. One police chief called it a “crime against humanity”. The incident has once again provoked discussion about those who risk their lives to fulfil their dream of getting into America. Host James Reynolds hears conversations with Latinos in Texas, talking about their experiences of growing up within two cultures.

2 Juli 202223min

When President Abiy Ahmed came to power in Ethiopia he was seen as a reformer who was heralding a new era of hope. In 2019 he was even awarded the Nobel Peace prize. But less than a year later he ordered a military offensive against regional forces in Tigray in the north of the country. He said he did so in response to an attack on a military base housing government troops there. It’s a conflict that has been characterised by an almost constant media blackout in Tigray. In the absence of detailed reporting, rumour, denial and misinformation has been rife. But a few dedicated journalists have been working hard to get at the truth. Chloe Hadjimatheou hears from one of them as she tries to unpick fact from fiction in Ethiopia’s information war. Produced and presented by Chloe Hadjimatheou Editor Penny Murphy Studio mix by Neil Churchill Production coordinators Iona Hammond and Gemma Ashman

30 Juni 202226min

Thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing to Israel – joining a million-plus former Soviets who have already moved to this Middle Eastern nation, with profound consequences for both Israel and the region. Tim Samuels investigates this very modern ‘exodus’ of Jews, once again running from Eastern Europe, a journey so many of their ancestors made before. He meets Ukrainian refugees in a Tel Aviv immigration hotel trying to start a new life for themselves after fleeing from the horrors of the conflict, but also finding themselves sharing the same facilities as Russians who have left their country too for Israel.Music featured: Stefan Wesolowski – Love Immortal Onion - Dune Both tracks from the compilation: W snach widzę spokojny Wschód / In my dreams I see a peaceful East, digital album by Various Artists. Published by Palma Foundation.

28 Juni 202227min

Back in February, when Russian forces began their invasion of Ukraine, their tanks were heading towards Kyiv. The Russians retreated before making it to the centre of the city, but left devastation in every area that had been fought over in those weeks. In a café in Kyiv, the BBC’s correspondent Joe Inwood met up those now living and working in the city to hear how it is changing and recoverin. The District One Foundation is a 1000-strong team of volunteers dedicated to helping restore damaged homes, schools and hospitals, and give whatever support they can to people returning to live in the city. The work is challenging, but they say it’s energised them and given them a sense of great positivity. He also talks to, two photographers and an artist who how their day to day work has changed, but their art can be put to essential use on social media and beyond, informing the rest of the world about the war and how life is in Ukraine.

25 Juni 202224min