logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2019
28m 33s

A Sorry Century

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Television footage from Idlib in northern Syria continues to provide distressing evidence of civilian suffering. But the world's leading nations are unwilling or unable to intercede. Jeremy Bowen recalls his visits to the region in former, peaceful times but sees no end to the current violence.

The protesters have been on the streets of Hong Kong for several months, their fury with their government undiminished. But what are they saying in Beijing, the real centre of power? Celia Hatton says they're preparing death by a thousand cuts.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Somalia since the outbreak of civil war in the early 1990s. But a few brave souls have been going back to try and start the rebuilding process. Andrew Harding made friends with one of them several years ago, a man who became the mayor of Mogadishu.

In Nicaragua it's now 40 years since the Sandinista movement overthrew a hated dictatorship. The man in charge then, Daniel Ortega, is still in charge now. But the movement is now accused of adopting the same autocratic methods of the government it replaced. Will Grant has been talking to opposition figures recently released from prison.

In St Petersburg there's a row over the literary legacy of one of the city's best-known writers, Vladimir Nabokov. Chloe Arnold has been meeting those on each side of the argument

Up next
Mar 7
Iran Special: The Regional Fallout
After the US-Israel attacks on Iran, surrounding countries have quickly been drawn into the war following retaliatory strikes by Iran. We hear from Turkey, Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus.The US-Israel attacks on Iran hit major cities across the country, destroying civilian buildings ... Show More
28m 44s
Feb 28
Mexico's deadly drug cartel feud
Kate Adie introduces stories on Mexico's cartel war, President Trump's State of the Union address, the Russian soldiers escaping the front-line, and a slow boat journey in Benin.Mexico was rocked by a violent rampage this week, after the drug lord, El Mencho, died following a fir ... Show More
28m 24s
Feb 21
Ukraine: Four years of war
Kate Adie introduces stories from Ukraine, Iran, the United States and India.February marks four years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Around 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in that time and a large number are considered officially missing. ... Show More
28m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2022
Ethiopia: an end to the fighting
The BBC’s Addis Ababa correspondent Kalkidan Yibeltal tells us about the agreement just reached between the Ethiopian government and officials from the Tigray region, to stop fighting and to allow unhindered humanitarian access. He also reflects on the challenges of reporting the ... Show More
41m 38s
Jul 2021
Bonus Episode: Ten Years of South Sudanese Statehood (from the Crisis Group podcast Hold Your Fire!)
This week marks the tenth anniversary of South Sudan’s independence, much-celebrated at the time but now eclipsed by the brutal civil war that followed. The conflict, which saw the army split along ethnic lines, killed an estimated 400,000 people and displaced a third of the coun ... Show More
40m 9s
Sep 2023
‘Dam of death’: How a Libyan city was washed away
Rescuers are calling for more body bags to be sent to a Libyan city hit by catastrophic flooding - as fears of waterborne diseases grow. More than 11,300 people are known to have died - and this could reach up to 20,000, with a further 10,100 missing. Meanwhile, attempts to coord ... Show More
20m 23s
Feb 2024
Ep26. Was Alexei Navalny a Martyr for Democracy?
In the days following Navalny’s murder, Western leaders have made all too predictable speeches and issued all too predictable condemnations. But as of yet, very little concrete action has been taken to respond to the murder of Russia’s most prominent opposition politician. The We ... Show More
58m 43s
Apr 2019
A Revolution in Sudan
<p>Some truly remarkable events are unfolding in Sudan, where protesters have secured the ouster of longtime ruler Omar al Bashir. After nearly thirty years as an authoritarian president and dictator, he was deposed in coup on April 11.</p> <p>But the protesters have <em>not</em> ... Show More
35m 24s