Don't log off: Keeping going
In Melbourne, Jaswinder describes the epic road trip he made with his fellow members of Sikh Volunteers Australia, to bring healthy food to the victims of severe flooding more than 1000km from their base. Karma is a tour guide through the majestic mountains of Bhutan where he leads treks lasting up to 27 days - but health issues are placing Karma's business in jeopardy. Nearly two years on from the explosion which devastated the city of Beirut, Lebanon is enveloped in an acute economic crisis and Paloma's mum has been telling her to leave. Using social media, Alan Dein connects with people around the world, to hear stories of hope and support, whether in peaceful or unsettled times.
15 Juni 202227min
The night Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons
It was a night of intense negotiation which would change the world order as Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons. Thousands of nuclear arms had been left on Ukrainian soil after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But in the years that followed, Ukraine made the decision to denuclearise. Clive Myrie examines what was at stake in Budapest in 1994, how the deal was finally reached and how it went on to shape the world we face today.
14 Juni 202227min
Messages for those lost in Ukraine
As the battles continue, following the Russian forces’ attack on Ukraine, we share memories from a few of the thousands of people who have lost friends, family, and colleagues during the war. We have been receiving audio messages for people from all walks of life: a toymaker, a photographer, a city mayor, an engineer, soldiers and journalists. They include one from Tatyana, whose younger brother joined the army to defend his country eight years ago. He died in Mariupol at the age of 34. Gregory, a journalist, pays tribute to a much-loved colleague, Vera, who died in a missile attack on her apartment.
11 Juni 202223min
Evacuated to Russia
More than a million Ukrainian civilians from Mariupol and other war-ravaged towns in the east of the country have been transported over the border into the territory of their country’s enemy, Russia. The authorities there have dispersed them into a chain of “temporary accommodation centres” across Russia, some of them thousands of miles from Ukraine. Russia claims it’s rescued the refugees – and says some want to build new lives with Russian citizenship in places as far away as Vladivostok, on the Pacific Ocean. But many of the Ukrainians are trying to avoid or leave the accommodation centres, and get out of Russia – and they’re being helped by a network of volunteers inside and outside the country. Ukraine says many of the “evacuees” have been forcibly deported to Russia against their will – and they’re being subjected to a form of slavery in sealed camps. Tim Whewell talks to refugees in Russia – and others who’ve managed to leave the country – to try to find out what’s really going on.
9 Juni 202226min
Don't log off: A different way
An ecological retreat on the edge of the Amazonian rainforest, which has the area's indigenous people as its nearest neighbours. A self declared independent artist's republic in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius with its own flag, currency and constitution. A peace loving community in New Zealand where everyone shares their money and children can safely roam free. Then there is the Argentinian family which travelled the world by vintage car on a journey that lasted for more than 22 years. Alan Dein connects with people around the world who are reaching further, dreaming deeper and seeking a different path in life.
8 Juni 202227min
Inside the Kim regime
Have you ever wondered what life is like at the very top of the North Korean regime? Thae Yong-ho was once the Deputy Ambassador of North Korea to the United Kingdom until he defected with his family in 2016. Yong-Ho gives a first-hand account of how and why he risked everything to escape London's North Korean Embassy for a new life in South Korea.
7 Juni 202227min
The interview: Tina Brown
Award-winning writer and magazine editor Tina Brown has spent decades chronicling the British royal family. BBC special correspondent Katty Kay meets her.
5 Juni 202223min
The rising cost of living: Fuel
Lebanon has been in an economic crisis for almost three years. Beirut is still recovering from an explosion of stored chemicals in 2020, which killed more than 200 people and displaced around 300,000 citizens. Three women talk about how fuel shortages are affecting lives when not everyone can afford to pay the increased cost of energy. Host Karnie Sharp and the OS team also hear from two protestors in Sri Lanka about dealing with power cuts, and if they believe the recent change of government will improve the situation there. As the rising cost of living hits some of the most vulnerable particularly hard, two people in the UK share their experiences: writer and recovering alcoholic Sam Thomas, and Jenny Holden, who has a form of chronic arthritis as well as the long-term health condition fibromyalgia, which causes body pain that gets a lot worse in the cold, and means paying higher fuel bills is becoming increasingly difficult.
4 Juni 202224min
