Drill, baby, drill!

After winning the Spanish Civil War in 1939, Franco's dictatorship began. During the war, he acquired St Teresa of Avila's severed hand and kept it for spiritual guidance, it was returned when he died in 1975.The hand was initially stolen by General Franco's opposition from a convent in Ronda, but Franco’s nationalist soldiers took it for themselves when they won the Battle of Malaga.Sister Jennifer is the Mother Superior of the Church of Our Lady of Mercy, Ronda, where the hand is kept on display for people to see.She tells Johnny I’Anson who St Teresa was, why her hand was cut off, and what made the relic special.(Photo: Monument of Saint Teresa of Avila, Spain. Credit: Digicomphoto/Getty Images)

11 Apr 20249min

When Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream was stolen in 1994, an undercover operation was launched to get it back.Thirty years on from its recovery, hear from the art detective at the centre of the story.In 2013, Charley Hill told Lucy Burns how his task saw him take on a fake identity, rub shoulders with criminals and encounter the Thai kickboxing champion of Scandinavia.(Photo: The Scream on display in Oslo in 2008, after being stolen for a second time. Credit: Scanpix Norway/AFP/Getty Images)

10 Apr 20249min

Lake Karla supported hundreds of families in Thessaly, providing fish for all of the region and beyond. Christos and Ioanna Kotsikas grew up on the shores of the wetland and have mixed memories of the lake. They too lived off its fish, but they were also victims of its floods. The lake was drained by the Greek Government in 1962, destroying a vital ecosystem. In 2023, when torrential rain poured over Thessaly, the lake was restored – but the region was devastated.Christos and Ioanna Kotsikas speak to Maria Margaronis.(Photo: Lake Karla. Credit: Maria Margaronis)Music: “Platani apo to Metsovo,” used by permission of ERT, the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation.

9 Apr 20248min

In July 2010, two bombs went off at a rugby club in Uganda's capital Kampala. It was where hundreds had gathered to watch the football World Cup final.The attack killed 74 people and injured 85 others.The militant Islamist group al-Shabab staged the attack, as revenge for Uganda's efforts to fight it in Somalia.Kuddzu Isaac, who witnessed the explosions, tells George Crafer the graphic details of what he saw.(Photo: The moment after the blasts, survivors look on in shock. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

8 Apr 20248min

A bonus episode from the Amazing Sport Stories podcast – The Black 14. Sport, racism and protests are about to change the lives of “the Black 14” American footballers. It’s 1969 in the United States. They’ve arrived on scholarships at the University of Wyoming to play for its Cowboys American football team. It was a predominantly white college. The team is treated like a second religion. Then, the players make a decision to take a stand against racism in a game against another university. This is episode one of a four-part season from the Amazing Sport Stories podcast. Content warning: This episode contains lived experiences which involve the use of strong racist language

6 Apr 202432min

Sweden’s most beloved pastry is the cinnamon bun and every year on 4 October, locals celebrate the sweet, spiced snacks.The country’s first official Cinnamon Bun Day (or Kanelbullens dag in Swedish) took place in 1999.The woman behind the idea, Kaeth Gardestedt, tells Maddy Savage how the Swedish public embraced the event and turned it into a huge annual tradition.A PodLit production for BBC World Service(Photo: Traditional Swedish cinnamon buns. Credit: Natasha Breen/Getty Images)

5 Apr 20249min

In the 1990s, Bluetooth was invented in a lab in Lund, Sweden.The technology is used today to wirelessly connect accessories such as mice, keyboards, speakers and headphones to desktops, laptops and mobile phones.It’s named after Harald Bluetooth, a Viking king who was said to have blue teeth.Sven Mattisson, one of the brains behind the technology, tells Gill Kearsley how the name Bluetooth came about following some drinks after a conference.(Photo: A mobile phone with the Bluetooth logo. Credit: Westend61 via Getty images)

4 Apr 202410min

Fifty years ago Sweden became the first country in the world to offer paid parental leave that was gender neutral.The state granted mothers and fathers 180 days that they could divide between them however they saw fit.The pioneering policy was designed to promote gender equality, but it wasn’t an instant success.Later governments decided to increase the number of leave days available and ring-fenced some specifically for each parent.Maddy Savage went to meet Per Edlund who was one of the first fathers in his town, Katrineholm, to embrace the new benefit.A Bespoken Media production for the BBC World Service.(Photo: Per Edlund with his youngest daughter Märta Edlund. Credit: Maddy Savage)

3 Apr 20249min