Heart and Soul: Becoming a Buddhist Bhikshuni in Bhutan
In 2022 the kingdom of Bhutan ordained 144 women in an unprecedented ceremony. Among them was Emma Slade, also known as Lopen Ani Pema Deki, from Kent in the UK. She was the only Western woman to take part. Emma’s faith has been a part of her life since she was held at gunpoint and robbed in Indonesia in 1997. She studied in Bhutan and set up a charity that supports children with special needs in the country. She talks to Julia Paul about life as a bhikshuni in the UK and Bhutan, her memories of taking part in the historic mass ordination and what it means for Buddhist nuns in Bhutan and other countries.
28 Feb 26min
Flight of the vulture
With their fearsome talons, acid poo and a penchant for rotting carcasses, the vulture has long been shouldered with associations of death, and dishonour. This taboo often puts them bottom of the list for conservation projects. Conservationist Sacha Dench visits three different vulture species, each with an extraordinary story of persecution and survival. In India, vulture populations collapsed by 99.9%, the sharpest decline of any animal ever recorded. Debbie Pain and Chris Bowden describe the urgent international collaborative effort that brought them back from the very brink of extinction. In South Africa, the White Backed Vulture has become collateral damage in the ongoing war between poachers and game-keepers. Finally, in Guinea-Bissau, vultures are the victim of cultural practices which see their bodies as having magical properties.
27 Feb 26min
BBC Trending: Can Community Notes clean up your feed?
Meta has decided to abandon the use of independent fact-checkers on Facebook and Instagram in the United States, citing concerns that fact-checkers have become too politically biased. Instead, the company seems to be following X’s lead by shifting to a Community Notes-style system, where users rather than professional fact-checkers and experts correct inaccurate information. But will it lead to more free speech and fewer errors? Or does it open the door for misinformation to spread more easily? How well are social media users equipped to discern fact from fiction?
26 Feb 19min
Assignment: Road wars - cycling in Paris
On 15 Oct 2024, a 27-year-old cyclist was killed in a bike lane in Paris. His name was Paul Varry. He was run over by a car after an argument with a driver. What happened to Paul was extreme, but it resonated with many Parisians. For Paris is undergoing a cycling revolution. The city has created a vast network of bike lanes, introduced new restrictions for cars. The number of cyclists has soared. But there have also been conflicts, as cars, bikes and pedestrians try to navigate the new balance of power. So is Paris’s plan working? Is this transformation the future for other major cities? Anna Holligan goes to Paris for Assignment, to find out.
25 Feb 28min
In the Studio: Mohammad Barrangi
Iranian-born artist and former Paralympian, Mohammad Barrangi, creates intricate, dreamlike worlds where myth and reality collide. His bold, layered works, murals, prints, and 3D sculptures, fuse Persian aesthetics, ancient symbols, and surreal hybrid creatures, often blending women and animals into fantastical forms. Born without the use of his left arm, Barrangi has developed a distinctive printmaking technique, working on the floor and stabilizing his materials with his feet. For his latest project, The Last Rain in Wonderland, Barrangi shifts his focus to the global climate crisis, weaving the stories of displaced communities and endangered animals in southern Iran into his visually striking work. Sahar Zand follows Barrangi’s journey as he prepares for a major exhibition at Nottingham Exchange. Through vivid imagery and intricate textures, his work becomes a reflection on migration, memory, and fragile landscapes.
24 Feb 26min
Life in occupied Ukraine
Russia’s land grab playbook aimed at erasing local identity and russifying “liberated” territories. Three years into the full scale invasion of Ukraine, we ask what life is like in areas under Russian control. We look at “ripe for russification” Crimea, which was annexed 11 years ago, Moscow’s subsequent efforts to assert itself in the separatist East, and the Kremlin’s challenges in subjugating parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. As time passes, the uncertainty over the future of what Ukraine calls “temporarily occupied territories” grows bigger.
23 Feb 59min
The Fifth Floor: Syria after Assad
In December 2024, rebel forces took control in Syria, and former President Bashar al-Assad fled the country. What's happened since? Salma Khattab from BBC Arabic has just come back from Syria and she'll share what she's seen on the ground.Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)
22 Feb 11min
BBC OS Conversations: Ukraine and three years of war
The past week has seen talks between the United States and Russia – without Ukraine. This was followed by what seems to be a deepening rift between US President Trump and Ukrainian leader President Zelensky. Meanwhile, the war on the ground grinds on and Russia continues to bombard Ukraine with drones and missiles. We bring together three people who we first met on the programme shortly after the full-scale invasion of the country in 2022. We also hear from two women involved in a project to rebuild Ukraine to the sound of rave. Darka explains. “Instead of dancing to the music of the DJ, they’re actually building the house or clearing up the debris.”
22 Feb 24min
