The Documentary Podcast

We assess the damage to independent journalism globally by cuts to USAGM and USAID, described as “the chainsaw approach” of the Trump administration. The defunding of Voice of America, RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) and its multiple language services has been decried as “a gift to dictators”. Although these cuts are being disputed in court, they could have long-lasting implications for audiences around the world. Can the harm be undone?Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg Contributors: Pascal Fletcher, Samia Hosny, Margaryta Maliukova, Andrey Vladov, Tom Lam, Sarbas Nazari, Moses Rono

What do Ukrainian soldiers eat on the frontline? And what's the latest meme trending on Ukrainians' TikTok channels? Zhenya Shidlovska from the BBC Ukrainian social media team will talk about the stories they've been covering, and how she adapted her presenting style to connect with a younger audience. Plus, is Brazilian chocolate getting worse? With Mariana Schreiber from BBC Brasil. And the lioness that woke a family up in the middle of the night, with Gopal Kateshiya reporting for BBC Gujarati.Prestented by Irena Taranyuk Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia(Photo: Irena Taranyuk)

What is it like to grow up and live in one of the most disputed regions on Earth? After 26 tourists were killed by militants in Indian-administered Kashmir last month, many feared that the series of cross-border clashes between India and Pakistan would lead to a wider conflict. We hear from three Kashmiri women who now live abroad but still have family and close connections with Kashmir. We also speak to two people living either side of the de facto border, known as the line of control, who find common ground in their conversation.

Malcolm X is one of the most iconic and complex figures of the 20th Century. Known globally for his fiery speeches and radical advocacy for Black empowerment, he was often portrayed as a fierce separatist and controversial figure during his years with the Nation of Islam. But his life was marked by constant growth, questioning, and evolution. In The Hajj, his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964, Malcolm X witnessed a community of Muslims from every background – rich and poor, Black and White – united in worship. Through his powerful Letter from Hajj, written during that journey, we explore a spiritual awakening that would help reframe his message from one of separation to one of global solidarity, inclusion, and human rights. Presented by his daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz to mark 60 years since Malcolm X’s assassination and 100 years since his birth.

Autistic people have been thought to all lack empathy by both science and society for decades. But after receiving an extremely low empathy score as part of a recent autism assessment, science journalist Sue Nelson decided to confront these damaging stereotypes and question the experts who work in this area. Sue’s investigation reveals latest research shows the opposite of the commonly held stereotype. Instead of the majority of autistic people having low to no empathy, a trait commonly associated with psychopaths, many autistic people have been shown to have heightened empathy for others. Guests include Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, a pioneer in the field who originated the EQ (Empathy Quotient) test widely used in autism assessments, and a team of autistic researchers investigating the newly recognised phenomenon of autistic ‘hyper-empathy’.

At the start of 2025, a chat appeared on the encrypted messaging app Telegram. It was named Are We Dating The Same Girl? At first only a few hundred people joined. Soon that was thousands, and its content went from details of young women’s dating history, to revenge porn - sexually explicit videos and images. BBC Trending traces the Telegram group’s origins back to Are We Dating the Same Guy? groups on Facebook. But how did they first come about? Why are they seen as an important safety tool for some and something that has ruined lives for others? And how did the idea spread to Telegram, with serious consequences?

Thirteen million Syrians - half the population - left their homes during their country's 13-year civil war. Seven million were internally displaced. Six million fled abroad. Bringing them home is perhaps the biggest challenge facing Syria's new rulers. But many can’t return, because their homes are in ruins, and jobs and essential services are lacking. Tim Whewell follows a variety of returnees back to Homs, Syria’s third city, which saw some of the worst destruction of the war. A private charity organises convoys of families wanting to return from camps in the north of the country. But once returnees like Fatima Hazzoura get back, they're left to cope on their own. Some who came back earlier have managed to repair their homes. But others find their houses are just empty, burnt-out shells. Meanwhile, some in Homs who stayed throughout the war - members of the Alawite minority, whose neighbourhoods remained intact - are thinking of leaving now, fearful that the new government of former Islamist rebels will not protect them. And Homs people who made new lives abroad are hesitant to return permanently while the situation is so unstable, and the economy still crippled by international sanctions. Can the fabric of an ancient and diverse city be rebuilt? Tim finds grief and fear among the ruins - but also laughter, and flashes of Homs's famous humour.

Luke Black is a Serbian singer-songwriter who represented his country at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023, the world’s largest live music event, with an audience of over 160 million. Performing his song Samo Mi Se Spava, his set and choreography, with its special effect giant robot, were inspired by the video games he loves. Now based in London, he is redeveloping those ideas from video games and hero films to create a new collection of songs. He tells the BBC's Andrea Kidd why he is going darker with these new songs and how the recent student protests in Serbia have inspired him to write an unusually lyrical ballad. He also talks about his experiences at the Eurovision Song Contest and readjusting to life and work afterwards.

In the last few decades western militaries have been training more women for combat than ever, yet female recruitment and retention is stalling. But with warfare changing, new technologies and new threats, women soldiers are a vital resource. Victoria Hollingsworth talks with different women around the world, some on the frontline and others about to go, and explores the motivations and the challenges they face. Many have families and find juggling these two lives very hard and with little support. Away from the frontline many have faced sexism and worse from their own colleagues.

Natalya Filonova is a former kindergarten teacher, a mother, a grandmother. But she’s also an activist and in 2022 she was arrested during a demonstration against the war in Ukraine. Nina Nazarova from BBC Russian has been trying to find out what happened to her. Plus, how a homeless bumblebee brought a community together, with Joao Fellet from BBC Brasil.Prestented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia and Caroline Ferguson(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

After 19 months of war, Israel says it is preparing to expand its military campaign in Gaza. The aim is to defeat and dismantle Hamas, regarded as a terrorist organisation by many countries and bring home the remaining 59 hostages. They have been held in captivity since Hamas gunmen attacked Israel on 7 October, 2023. There have been several strikes on Gaza within the last week alone, with reports of dozens of people killed and wounded. We hear from women and men in the Palestinian territory about the bombings, the food shortages and their fears for another looming crisis ahead. Aid agencies have warned that, since Israel cut off humanitarian aid on 2 March, after the collapse of a two-month ceasefire, mass starvation is imminent.

Throughout his life as a theologian, Christian minister and cosmologist, Prof David Wilkinson has been asking - what does God do when I pray? The question became acutely personal after his wife, Alison, developed first ME and then crippling rheumatoid arthritis. As everyone prayed for her recovery, but no healing appeared to come for many years, the couple and their children felt their faith come into sharp focus. For their children, now both working for the Church, there was a profound crisis of faith which left them unable to pray. For David, anger and confusion that his wife, also a minister of a growing church, was left in pain and unable to walk, let alone lead her church. Naomi Wellings meets a family whose faith was shaken, but ultimately strengthened.

Every Nigerian child has the constitutional right to free and compulsory primary education, and free secondary education, yet there remains a huge gap between that law and the reality. One in every five of the world’s out-of-school children lives in Nigeria. In a nation with one of the world’s youngest populations, this lack of access to education could potentially cost the country its future. Its government recently acknowledged that there are 10.5 million children not being educated. It’s a complex picture which includes underfunding, a lack of skilled teachers - and an issue of safety. BBC Africa journalist Yemisi Adegoke hears from parents and students at the sharp end of this crisis and asks the difficult questions to those in power.

In the days before the presidential elections, influencers watched comments and content pour across TikTok in support of obscure far-right independent candidate Calin Georgescu. Georgescu’s victory was annulled and he has been banned from running in May's elections. Influencers at the heart of the story explain how it happened and demand answers.

How is a new Pope chosen? How long could the conclave last? In a special edition of the Global News Podcast, the BBC’s Religion Editor Aleem Maqbool answers listener questions on the conclave at the Vatican.

Not that long ago many church-going Americans saw Russia as a godless place, an “evil empire” in the words of Ronald Reagan. But in President Trump’s second term, US-Russia relations have been turned on their head. The White House sided with the Kremlin at the United Nations, voting against a resolution to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine.This seismic shift is also being felt in parishes across America. Increasing numbers of US Catholics and Protestants are embracing Eastern Orthodoxy. Many converts disillusioned by the showbiz elements in many megachurches, say they are drawn to a faith with enduring traditions. Some, uneasy with social and demographic change, believe the churches they were raised in have lost their authority by going “woke” – shorthand for supporting equal marriage, female clergy, pro-choice, Black Lives Matter and other liberal issues.Some converts have hundreds of thousands of followers online, and push Kremlin narratives that Russia is the world's last bastion of true Christianity - a few of the most radical have even emigrated there. Lucy Ash has been to Texas – one of the most religious states in the US – to meet some new converts.

In Dhaka, Bangladesh, artist Bishwajit Goswami creates a powerful new installation that captures the spirit of his homeland’s rivers, lifelines darkened by pollution, yet still full of energy, beauty, and memory. Reporter Sahar Zand follows Bishwajit as he prepares for a major international exhibition in Paris. From his artist-led rooftop community space in a former tannery, to the crowded, chaotic riverbanks of Dhaka, Sahar traces the origins of a deeply personal artwork shaped by conversations, rituals, and found materials gathered along the river’s edge.

Presenter Elaine Chong speaks to trailblazing Taiwanese artists about exploring history and politics through their work. She hears from the producer Hsin-Mei Cheng of TV series Zero Day in which a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan plays out over 10 episodes. Heavy metal frontman and former politician Freddy Lim explains why he thinks Taiwanese culture is distinctive and how he uses his music to explore his country's and family's history. Award-winning author Yang Shuang-zi and translator Lin King discuss how the historical novel Taiwanese Travelogue, set in the 1930s, resonates with the contemporary Taiwan. And the winner of Ru Paul's Drag Race 2024, Nymphia Wind, explains how Taiwanese culture influences her drag style.

At least 30 million children are out of school in the Middle East and North Africa, with many displaced by conflict in Sudan and Gaza. Today we’ll hear from Hanan Razek and Georgina Pearce, who are part of the team behind Dars Arabic, the BBC show that aims to connect these children with learning tools. Plus, BBC Arabic Xtra's Saif Rebai tells us about the teacher who travels 40km to reach a remote community in the Libyan desert, and Anil Kumar reports for BBC Telugu on the Indian school with just one student. We'll also learn how to say 'Once upon a time' in Turkish, Bengali, Korean and Kazakh, with Osman Kaytazoglu,Shahnewaj Rocky, Yuna Ku and Nurlibek Ukubaev. Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia, Hannah Dean and Caroline Ferguson(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

***Contains upsetting content about suicide*** Hundreds of parents who believe social media played a part in the death of their children gathered in New York recently. Standing outside the offices of Meta, owners of Facebook and Instagram, they had a simple demand. Protect our children. Showing incredible bravery, three mothers who have lost their sons tell us about their boys and what happened to them. If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.org In the UK a list of organisations that can help is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Following the death of Pope Francis, Catholics around the world look to Rome and the Vatican as the Church prepares to elect its next leader. But what do Catholics around the world hope to see in their future pontiff? Colm Flynn is in Rome to speak to Catholics gathered from different corners of the globe. From pilgrims in St Peter's Square to others from the US and Africa, Colm explores the diverse expectations, aspirations, and concerns they hold for their new spiritual leader.

In January a boat carrying migrants across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe was miraculously rescued by a fishing trawler after two weeks lost at sea. At least 20 people died from starvation, dehydration and hypothermia. Many of those on the boat - Pakistani men - were promised safe, legal routes to Europe by the smugglers but that was far from their reality. BBC Trending tracks the digital footprint of one of the suspected smugglers wanted for deaths on this very migrant boat. On TikTok, trivial videos depict his lifestyle - one of money, nice restaurants and a lot of travel. But these videos reveal much more about the smuggler’s operations. Presenter/producer: Reha Kansara and Shruti Menon Producer: Mohammad Zubair Khan

Increasing numbers of Israeli people are moving to the nearby island of Cyprus. Sky high property prices, disillusion with domestic politics and security concerns following the Hamas attacks of 7th October have led several thousand families to leave. They’re building on a rich history of Cypriot hospitality towards Jews. But in Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus, huge luxury developments built by Israeli companies are causing controversy.

In 2020, the Canadian writer Madeleine Thien was working on her next novel, the follow-up to her prize-winning 2016 book Do Not Say We Have Nothing. But it was difficult to find the internal peace and privacy to begin again, especially after being catapulted into the public eye by the previous novel’s success. Paul Kobrak followed her over several months as she created the first drafts of the new novel. It is a process which moves from Berlin to Brooklyn and finally to Portugal's capital city Lisbon. Five years later, the novel, called The Book of Records, is being published.

A bonus episode from Good Bad Billionaire - the award-winning podcast from the BBC World Service. You can find more episodes by searching for ‘Good Bad Billionaire’ wherever you get your BBC podcasts.Minecraft is the most successful computer game ever. It's sold 300 million copies, built an active community of fans and there's now even a Minecraft movie. So how did one man - Markus Persson - create it all by himself, before selling it for billions?BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng find out how a high school dropout, obsessed with Lego and gaming, became a computer game hero. The Swedish programmer, known by the nickname Notch, built a virtual 3D world where, with the help of a pickaxe, players could harness their creativity to build almost anything, one block at a time. Persson founded the video game development company Mojang Studios, before selling it to Microsoft, but then came a spectacular downfall.Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast exploring the lives of the super-rich and famous, tracking their wealth, philanthropy, business ethics and success. There are leaders who made their money in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and in high street fashion. From iconic celebrities and CEOs to titans of technology, the podcast unravels tales of fortune, power, economics, ambition and moral responsibility, before inviting you to make up your own mind: are they good, bad or just another billionaire?

According to the World Health Organisation, 77% of Nigerian women have used skin-lightening creams. When BBC Hausa’s Madina Maishanu decided to look into this, she uncovered an even more worrying trend: mothers using potentially harmful products on their babies. Madina spoke to the campaigners trying to stop these practices. Plus, how human activities and climate change are threatening shea trees in Uganda with Njoroge Muigai from BBC Africa. Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

Mark Lowen in Rome brings people together to share their memories of the Pope, who died on Easter Monday. In our conversations, Mark hears from Catholics in Argentina, including one of Pope Francis’ friends who knew him when he was a priest in Buenos Aires. We also bring together three people from Northern Ireland who had a private audience with the Pope, and three women who describe how he changed their lives. Mark sits down with Iraqi-American Pilgrims in a café just outside the Vatican to chat about what the Pope meant to them.

A bonus episode from Dear Daughter - the award-winning podcast from the BBC World Service. You can find more episodes by searching for ‘Dear Daughter’ wherever you get your BBC podcasts.Bridgerton actor Adjoa Andoh joins Namulanta in the studio to share the letter she’s written to her three children. She tells them the importance of trusting their bodies and following their instincts - a life philosophy which has sometimes led her into some unexpected situations, especially while pregnant…Dear Daughter is a podcast all about love, life, family, and raising children. It is the brainchild of Namulanta Kombo, a mother on a quest to create a ‘handbook to life’ for her daughter, through the advice of parents from all over the world.Each episode, a guest reads a letter they’ve written to their children (or their future children, or the children they never had) with the advice, life lessons, and personal stories they’d like to pass on.Expect extraordinary true stories, inspirational advice for parents, and moving accounts of families, relationships and raising daughters.

Members of the new age Anastasia movement espouse strong family values, farm small plots of land and try to educate their own children outside the public school system. Originating in Russia, the quasi-religious group has now spread to Germany, where there are more than a dozen Anastasia rural settlements. But are they more than just a harmless fringe group? Reporter Johannes Dell returns to his native Germany to discover what the group stands for. He speaks to a former Anastasia member and to a German journalist who spent two years tracking the group. A government intelligence officer tells him why three German states have designated the group as extremist.

To mark Earth Day, we bring you remarkable stories of the history of the environmental movement, told by the people who were there. Selected from the BBC’s Witness History program, we hear about the major moments that changed our understanding of the planet we live on.

Following the death of Pope Francis, Edward Stourton looks at the life and legacy of the spiritual leader of more than a billion Catholics worldwide. He was elected at a time of crisis for his Church, but quickly transformed its reputation. He urged Christians to be less judgemental and more welcoming of gay and divorced people. And as the first Pope of Latin American identity and from the southern hemisphere, he put the poor at the heart of the Church’s mission, speaking up for migrants and refugees and those worst hit by the impact of climate change. Edward Stourton speaks to people inside and outside the Catholic Church, including those who worked closely with him.

A cancelled election, a cancelled candidate and a divided country – is Romania’s democracy under threat?Last December the country’s Constitutional Court cancelled the presidential election two days before the final vote, citing outside interference, with the nationalist pro-Putin candidate, Calin Georgescu, riding high in the polls. TikTok sensation and portraying himself as an outsider, Georgescu’s anti-EU and anti-NATO message resonated with an unhappy electorate. His sudden success was unprecedented, as was the cancelation of a European democratic election.The political establishment claim that cyberwarfare and Russian interference gave them no choice. Georgescu has now been eliminated from May’s Presidential re-run.Historian Tessa Dunlop asks how this happened, why it matters and what next for this strategically important country on the eastern edge of the EU and NATO?

Amin Gulgee defies easy categorisation: he’s a metal sculptor, a curator, and one of Pakistan’s most innovative and cherished artists, the beating heart of his home city of Karachi’s creative scene. His metalwork is as dramatic and eccentric as Amin is. He’s in your face, uncompromising, a living and breathing performance piece.Amin also comes from a prestigious family: his father, Ismail Gulgee, was one of Pakistan’s most famous modernists, creating abstract paintings that have been exhibited across the globe, and even sketching heads of state like Reagan and Gaddafi. In 2007, Ismail and Amin’s mother Zaro were tragically murdered by their driver. It was Amin who found their bodies, in their house which adjoins his own studio and gallery. Much of Amin’s work since has been an attempt to come to terms and heal from this most tragic of events.Presenter Harry Stott meets Amin on location in his Karachi studio-cum-gallery-cum-home, as he prepares to open a new museum of his father’s work – the ‘most momentous’ thing he has ever attempted. We listen in as Amin shows us the calligraphy adorned doors which he has created for the museum’s entrance. We go inside his studio to hear about his creative process more widely. And we hear Amin come to terms with the tragedy of his parents’ death and the solace that he finds in his workshop.Amidst the tumult of this momentous museum opening in the already tumultuous city of Karachi, this episode of In the Studio attempts to understand how Amin’s two year process of creation, curation and healing will change his creative process for the years to come.Presenter & Producer: Harry Stott Co-producer & Fixer: Adam Fahy-Majeed Exec Producer: Sandra Ferrari Sound Design & Engineering: Alan Leer, Lizzy AndrewsA Message Heard ProductionImage: Amin Gulgee (Credit: Humayun Memon)

In China today, looking good is seen as key to career success. With beauty videos promoting extreme weight-loss flooding social media, beauty apps making booking surgery click of a button away, China’s cosmetic surgery industry is booming. But the surge in demand has led to a shortage of qualified practitioners and licensed clinics. Hundreds of accidents are happening inside Chinese clinics every day. We talk to young women pressured into cosmetic procedures and expose the surgeon behind one of China’s most notorious botched surgeries. Presenter: Natalia Zuo Produce: Ly Truong Editors: Rebecca Henschke and Monica Garnsey Mixed by Gareth JonesThis episode includes a clip from The Most Beautiful You in the World (世界上最动听的你), aired on WeTV.

There are over 90,000 hi-definition CCTV cameras in Kabul, watching everyone’s movements. What are the Taliban using this footage for? BBC Afghan Services' journalist Mahjooba Nowrouzi was granted exclusive access into the country’s top security control room. Plus, BBC Mundo's William Márquez on the history of Charles Darwin's house, and Mayuresh Konnur Gopal reports for BBC Marathi on the geological and historical relevance of India's Lonar Crater Lake.Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

The issue of colourism was highlighted in a recent BBC news report about a Nigerian woman who bleached the skin of her six young children leaving them with discoloured skin, burns and scars. It is a form of racism where light skin is more highly valued than dark skin amongst people of the same ethnic group. In our conversations, we hear from women who share experiences of colourism in India including Chandana who has faced colourism from an early age. We also bring together two black women who work in the fashion and beauty industry, where appearance is everything. Beauty journalist, Ateh, shares her experiences of colourism with Nyakim, a Sudanese-American model known as Queen of the Dark after her naturally dark skin tone.

Sacred Harp pioneer and former punk frontman, Tim Eriksen, takes us into the hair-raising sound of shape note singing, an American choral tradition experiencing a resurgence across the US and in Europe. All people and all faiths are welcome. As a new edition of the songbook approaches publication, Tim explores why this music is drawing more singers and how it is managing to remain inclusive despite increasing political polarisation in the wider culture. Sacred Harp is sung a cappella in four-part harmony, a non-performative music where everyone takes a turn to lead and groups gather anywhere from churches to community centres and pubs. But how have recent political divides affected the community and how can it continue to remain an inclusive space?

Built around a game of braille Scrabble, Emma Tracey presents a celebration of braille, 200 years after it was invented. Emma, who’s been blind since birth, talks to others who love the six tiny dots: Geerat Vermeij, one of the world’s leading experts in molluscs; Yetnebersh Nigussie, an Ethiopian lawyer, who describes her blindness as "a lottery I won at the age of five"; Sheri Wells-Jensen, a linguistics professor who’s been a linguistic consultant on Star Trek and is on the US advisory board for messaging extra-terrestrial intelligence; Japanese concert pianist, Nobuyuki Tsujii, who learnt to play using braille music; and Emma's friend and Scrabble partner, Ellie. And there’s a chance encounter with the most famous braille user of them all, Stevie Wonder. But can braille survive with the ever-increasing supply of tech that allows blind people to listen to, rather than feel, information? Presenter: Emma Tracey Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound design: Steve Brooke Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Olympique Lyonnais is the most successful club in women’s football, dominating Europe over the last 15 years winning eight Champions League titles. Only Barcelona have recently been able to compete. Lyon's success is the vision of club president Jean-Michel Aulas who wanted to create an iconic team, with the best players, but in the case of Aulas he also promised to ensure both male and female players were treated equally. This included the first mixed football training academy. In Olympique Lyonnais: The Champions League trailblazers we find out the story of how the French club raised the standard of women’s football, going behind the scenes with striker and Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg, Chelsea and England defender Lucy Bronze and France and Lyon captain Wendie Renard who have all witnessed huge success and then change with Europe’s elite catching up. Now South Korean born businesswoman Michele Kang has taken over the the French giants, with big ambitions for the club. Photo: Players of Olympique Lyonnais celebrate after winning during the UEFA Women's Champions League final match between FC Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais at Juventus Stadium on May 21, 2022 in Turin, Italy. (Credit: Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)

Māori in New Zealand have been resisting moves by the current right-of-centre government to abolish certain indigenous-specific rights aimed at combatting disadvantage.In a 9-day hikoi or march of defiance they walked from the top of New Zealand down to the capital Wellington, joined by non-Māori supporters - all opposed to the changes. A separate Māori Health Authority has been dismantled, for example. It was set up by the previous centre-left government to tackle health inequalities that mean indigenous people live seven years less than other New Zealanders. Māori also come bottom in statistics for employment, housing and education, and are highly overrepresented in prison.Most divisive though, a new law proposal about the principles of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi - New Zealand’s founding document, sought to do away with what has been a form of affirmative action, and instead treat everyone the same, regardless of heritage.Some feel this is all necessary to achieve proper equality. Others feel that Māori progress will be undone and inequality or inequity entrenched.

For 60 years, New York composer Steve Reich has been one of classical music’s most celebrated revolutionaries. Pioneering minimalism in the 1960s, a musical style based on repetition and shifting rhythms, his strange experiments with cassette tape led to orchestral masterpieces – now performed around the world. His career has not only helped define the latest era of classical music, but had an enormous influence on pop, rock and electronica. He has helped shape 20th Century music in a way few can claim to match. To mark 60 years since his first major piece,1965’s It’s Gonna Rain, he takes Alastair Shuttleworth through the process and stories behind some of his greatest works, including Clapping Music, Different Trains and City Life. He also reflects on his legacy, his plans for the future and what, at the age of 88, still inspires him to compose

On 8 May 1945 Britain, the US and many other countries were rejoicing. Germany had surrendered, and World War Two was over, at least in Europe. Yet it was not a day of celebration for everyone - for the vanquished Germans, it marked the end of bombings and of Nazi rule. But it was also a time of deprivation and chaos, fear and soul-searching. Millions of ethnic Germans had fled their homes to escape the approaching Red Army. Lore Wolfson Windemuth, whose own father grew up under Nazi rule, unearths the stories of six ordinary Germans who lived through that extraordinary time.

On his first day as president, Donald Trump signed an executive order shutting down the asylum system at the US-Mexico border. He also promised huge changes to the US immigration system, including arrests and mass deportations of undocumented migrants. Santiago Vanegas from BBC Mundo has been following a group of Venezuelans who are trying to go back to their home country, undertaking a dangerous journey through Central America. Plus, Gopal Kateshiya visits some Kutchi bhungas, traditional mud houses that not only help people stay cool, they can also save lives during an earthquake. His piece was published on BBC Gujarati. Presented by Faranak Amidi Produced by Alice Gioia and Hannah Dean(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

Donald Trump’s decision to slap tariffs on global trade has sent the world reeling. Stock markets have tanked. Gloomy economists have hit the airwaves. Governments, their backs against the wall, have responded with either stoic resignation or threats of revenge. But it’s business owners who find themselves at the centre of the storm. Steve in Boston, USA, runs a company whose flagship product contains three Chinese parts. He’s concerned about the effect tariffs will have on his business and others at home. We also hear from business owners in Lesotho, India, Italy and Germany covering industries ranging from steel and spices to cheese and beer.

On 4 September 2024, the town of Winder in the US state of Georgia became the latest scene of a school mass shooting. Two students and two teachers were killed. The suspect was 14 years old. The deadly attack at Apalachee High School left a community torn apart by guns and brought together in grief. In each of the previous four years there have been more than 600 mass shootings in the United States - almost two a day on average. Edward Stourton has been to Georgia to visit the church community attached to the high school, as they try to make sense of the violence in their hometown. He meets Pastor Frank Burnat and his pastoral team, who are ministering to a community in which both God and guns are a part of everyday life.

***This programme contains descriptions of genocide and violence against children*** Fifty years ago the fall of Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, to the Khmer Rouge sparked a modern-day genocide that saw millions murdered in just four years. Today, a group that was almost entirely destroyed in the bloodshed is working both in person and online to heal the wounds that are still keenly felt. Religious practice was effectively outlawed under the Khmer Rouge and Buddhist monks were viciously targeted by the regime. By the time the genocide came to an end all but 3,000, of the country's 60,000 monks had been murdered. Now, still seen as the heart of Cambodian society, they re being mobilised to spread a message of non-violence across the country.

In South East Asia, cinema attendances are growing, thanks to a renewed interest in local product. For instance, the Thai movie How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, broke box office records this year. We hear from director Pat Boonnitipat about the reasons why he believes his film touched the hearts of so many people. The same is true in Vietnam. Last year the country produced its biggest national and international hit Mai, which also became a social media sensation. Historian Tuyet Van Huynh explains why the film’s star and director Tran Thanh is a phenomenon in his own right. Indonesian director Eugene Panji reveals why his country’s movie industry is also booming, so much so that they are running out of studio space to keep up with the demand. This edition of The Cultural Frontline was recorded before the Myanmar earthquake that also affected parts of Thailand.

When mysterious orb-like lights were recorded in the sky above Koge, a small port town in Denmark, the UFO scene took notice. But it wasn't just believers who wanted to know what these unidentified flying objects were.Danish police and the Danish security services describe the objects as large drones - similar to the ones seen on the USA's East Coast before Christmas. But no-one can say who is flying them, or why. Could it be the Russians?Lucy Proctor meets the people involved in Denmark's unique UFO scene and tries to find out what these drone sightings mean.

Contemporary classical music composer Anna Clyne is one of the most performed and in demand composers in the world.For her next commission, she is working on a new concerto for the St Louis Symphony Orchestra in Missouri, US. The piece is called PALETTE, and will feature seven movements related to seven colours: plum, amber, lava, ebony, teal, tangerine and emerald green.Anna will be working with her Grammy-winning audio engineer, sound artist and designer husband Jody Elff on the composition, using their Augmented Orchestra to electronically manipulate the sound of the orchestra in real time during live performances. It's part of their challenge to expand the sound of the acoustic orchestral world while pushing the boundaries of contemporary classical music. Anna will also be painting seven pictures as part of the creative process, inspired by her music, to add to the audience's experience of the work.

President Trump has upended the international order to promote his “America First” agenda. He has thrown countries and their leaders around the world off balance with his radical departure from decades-old United States foreign policy. With so many changes going in different and sometimes seemingly opposing directions, Jamie Coomarasamy tries to get behind what’s driving the President’s agenda, and looks at how the world is adjusting to a new reality.