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3 Sept

Archive: Empress Dowager Cixi

Misha Glenny delves in to the In Our Time archive to select ten episodes for listeners to revisit. His fifth choice, first released in May 2024, is the Empress Dowager Cixi, the woman who, for almost fifty years, was the most powerful figure in the Chinese court. Cixi (1835-1908) started out at court as one of the Emperor's many concubines, yet was the only one who gave him a son to succeed him and who also possessed great political skill and ambition. When their son became emperor he was still a young child and Cixi ruled first through him and then, following his death, through another child emperor. This was a time of rapid change in China, when western powers and Japan humiliated the forces of the Qing empire time after time, and Cixi had the chance to push forward the modernising reforms the country needed to thrive. However, when she found those reforms conflicted with her own interests or those of the Qing dynasty, she was arguably obstructive or too slow to act and she has been personally blamed for some of those many humiliations even when the fault lay elsewhere. With Yangwen Zheng Professor of Chinese History at the University of Manchester Rana Mitter The S.T. Lee Professor of US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School And Ronald Po Associate Professor in the Department of International History at London School of Economics and Visiting Professor at Leiden University Producer: Simon Tillotson In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production Reading list: Pearl S. Buck, Imperial Woman: The Story of the Last Empress of China (first published 1956; Open Road Media, 2013) Katharine A. Carl, With the Empress Dowager (first published 1906; General Books LLC, 2009) Jung Chang, Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China (Jonathan Cape, 2013) Princess Der Ling, Old Buddha (first published 1929; Kessinger Publishing, 2007) Joseph W. Esherick, The Origins of the Boxer Uprising (University of California Press, 1987) John K. Fairbank and Merle Goldman, China: A New History (Harvard University Press, 2006) Peter Gue Zarrow and Rebecca Karl (eds.), Rethinking the 1898 Reform Period: Political and Cultural Change in Late Qing China (Harvard University Press, 2002) Grant Hayter-Menzies, Imperial Masquerade: The Legend of Princess Der Ling (Hong Kong University Press, 2008) Keith Laidler, The Last Empress: The She-Dragon of China (Wiley, 2003) Keith McMahon, Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Song to Qing (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020) Anchee Min, The Last Empress (Bloomsbury, 2011) Ying-Chen Peng, Artful Subversion: Empress Dowager Cixi’s Image Making (Yale University Press, 2023). Sarah Pike Conger, Letters from China: with Particular Reference to the Empress Dowager and the Women of China (first published 1910; Forgotten Books, 2024) Stephen Platt, Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age (Atlantic Books, 2019) Liang Qichao (trans. Peter Zarrow), Thoughts From the Ice-Drinker's Studio: Essays on China and the World (Penguin Classics, 2023) Sterling Seagrave, Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China (Vintage, 1993) Jonathan D. Spence, The Search for Modern China (first published 1991; W. W. Norton & Company, 2001) X. L. Woo, Empress Dowager Cixi: China's Last Dynasty and the Long Reign of a Formidable Concubine (Algora Publishing, 2003)
2 days ago

Merz: Germany faces a "tectonic shift" after AfD victory

Friedrich Merz says the decisive win in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt by the far-right Alternative for Germany, AfD, signals the need for a major reckoning. The AfD's national co-leader, Alice Weidel, says it's aiming to win at least forty per cent in the next general election. Also: the funeral of the Bosnian Serb war criminal, General Ratko Mladić, has gone ahead in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, where some people consider him a national hero. The Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, has warned of a "dangerous escalation" by Israel after women and children were killed in an air strike on a residential building in southern Lebanon. A new film about the most important weather forecast in British history, which gave the go-ahead for D-Day on the sixth June 1944, is released in the UK. And the BBC speaks to the 13-year-old who has written a symphony warning about the challenges posed by artificial intelligence. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: Description: German Chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader Friedrich Merz attends a press conference the day after the Saxony-Anhalt state elections in Berlin, Germany, September 7, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Axel Schmidt
5 days ago

The People Have Spoken Ep3. British Maple Syrup

It's time for the people to speak. Taking on the headlines, Ian Smith is joined by Cody Dahler and Ayoade Bamgboye, and together with the audience, they solve the biggest problems facing the world right now. What party trick would you use to bring about world peace? How can we make Trump and Carney bury the hatchet? And can you do a Kermit impression? Written by Ian Smith, Angela Channell, Mike Shephard and Ruth Husko Production Coordinator: Asha Osborne-Grinter and Giulia Mazzu Sound Editing: David Thomas Executive Producer: Richard Morris Recorded at the Backyard Comedy Club Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.
1 day ago

Israel hits back at sanctions on settlers

The Israeli government takes retaliatory action after Britain, France and Canada impose sanctions on illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has announced countermeasures including shutting the UK's consulate in East Jerusalem. Also: fighting between US and Iranian forces flares again with the Americans striking Iranian oil tankers and Tehran targeting a US military base. Newly released files show that toxic air quality was being recorded in Manhattan soon after the 9/11 attacks even as officials played down health risks to the public. A global survey finds a dramatic decline in teenagers' performance at school in the digital era. British scientists are developing a screening test that can show whether a patient has a brain tumour by analysing their tears. And fans celebrate as the legendary TV show, Star Trek, turns sixty. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: Israeli minister of foreign affairs Gideon Saar speaks at a news conference in Jerusalem, after the UK and other countries announce sanctions on settlements in the occupied West Bank. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock
6 days ago

Funerals held for Palestinian teenagers killed in occupied West Bank

Funerals have been held for two Palestinian teenagers killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the village of Al-Mughayyir in the occupied West Bank. Israel's military said its forces had fired at instigators of a "violent riot". The deaths come amid a recent surge in settler violence and mounting criticism of the IDF's role in attacks. Also: Argentina's President Milei threatens sanctions against oil companies working off the Falkland Islands or Las Malvinas. The UN warns of immense challenges reaching isolated Himalayan communties devastated by the Nepal-Tibet flash floods. A US jury is deadlocked in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. The success of a genetically modified pig kidney transplant offers new hope to those on dialysis. And Amelia Dimoldenberg ends "Chicken Shop Date". The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: Mourners attend the funeral of Khalil Abu Aliya and Omar Mohammed Naasan in the West Bank village of Al-Mughayyir Credit: Atef Safadi - EPA/Shutterstock.
Season 11, Episode 6

The Darkest Web: 6. My brother, the abuser

The time has come to arrest Alisa’s brother, Staton Grubert. Thirty armed agents commando crawl up a dirt track to his trailer in Texas. Staton has no idea that his time is up. Will Alisa finally get closure? And in a state in the South West, Greg is reunited with Lucy, the girl who had been abused for six years. This podcast includes some upsetting scenes and discussions of child sexual abuse. For further information on the issues raised in the programme, contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support go to bbc.co.uk/actionline. Reporter and Presenter: Sam Piranty Writer and Producer: Annabel Deas Script advice: Matt Willis Sound design: Neil Churchill Composer: Rob Lewis Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel The Darkest Web is a BBC Eye production for the BBC World Service.
2 Sept

European leaders denounce Moscow over attacks

The heads of Nato and the European Commission have warned that Russia is growing increasingly reckless and vowed to respond to a "new normal". Moscow has accused Germany of planting evidence, after German authorities said Russia was behind an attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport. The Nato and EU chiefs said their support for Ukraine was unwavering amid rising hybrid threats, calling the Leipzig incident "part of a broader pattern of increasingly dangerous incidents". Also, Iran and the US exchange air strikes as Tehran calls deaths at wedding celebration a war crime. Washington denies targeting civilians. The man accused of murdering conservative activist Charlie Kirk pleads not guilty, as judge clears way for death penalty trial. A simple at-home urine test can detect more than nine in 10 cases of bladder cancer, potentially sparing thousands of patients from invasive exams. American service members on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrive in Thailand after a record 250 days without a port stop. The prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong pleads guilty to foreign collusion. Ariana Grande bids fans a tearful farewell at her final world tour show before stepping back from public life. (Photo: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels Credit: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Reuters) Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.
1 Sept

Six million refugees being forced back to Afghanistan

Afghans in Pakistan and Iran face an uncertain future under the Taliban amid a huge deportation drive. We have a report from the Torkham crossing, known as "zero point". Millions of Afghans have fled across the borders to Pakistan for decades. Also, we hear from the Taliban foreign minister who has called on western countries to develop closer diplomatic and economic ties with Afghanistan. Israel says it's captured a senior member of Hamas in Gaza - as Palestinian medics say two children and a woman were killed. Norway's King Haakon pledges an oath of allegiance to the constitution as his father lies in state. A Russian drone and missile barrage kills at least 12 in the capital of Ukraine. Researchers say cancer treatment in mornings could double survival time. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: Afghan returnees deported from Pakistan arriving at the Torkham crossing Credit: AFP via Getty
Season 1, Episode 13

The Abercrombie Guys: 12. Mike Jeffries to stand trial

Updating you on Mike Jeffries' time in a prison hospital and the latest legal developments. What has been revealed in court, and when is the trial scheduled to take place? Host Rianna Croxford is joined by Business Insider’s Laura Italiano to dig into the details of Mike Jeffries’ time in a federal medical facility in North Carolina, the subsequent court hearings, and why it has taken nearly three years for a trial to be scheduled. What’s next for Mike Jeffries, Matthew Smith and Jim Jacobson as they remain under house arrest? World of Secrets: The Abercrombie Guys investigated sexual exploitation claims against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie and Fitch. This episode contains strong language. Presenter: Rianna Croxford Producer: Ruth Evans Editor: Ed Campbell and Richard Fenton-Smith
31 Aug

Iran says two killed after US attack on Larak Island

Iran and the US exchange fire for the first time in a month. The US said it destroyed two Iranian launchers on a small island in the Strait of Hormuz as they were preparing to deploy sea-mine rockets. Iranian state media later said Iran had responded with ballistic missile strikes on two US-operated airbases in Jordan. Also: As teams from Nepal, India and China work to reach people trapped by Wednesday's flash floods in the Himalayas, Chinese police say they've taken action against ten people for allegedly exaggerating the numbers of dead. In Korea the leader of the controversial Unification Church, otherwise known as The Moonies, has been sentenced to two years in prison. Han Hak-ja was found guilty of bribing South Korea's former first lady - the wife of the now ousted Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol - by giving her two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace worth nearly $60,000. And, scientists at a university in Australia are rearing an echidna hoping that the rare, egg laying mammal will help them answer fundamental questions about the evolution of pregnancy in other mammals. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 31, 2026. Credit: Reuters

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

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Daily News
A world-class seminar, every week. In Our Time explores the ideas, people and discoveries that have shaped our world, spanning history, philosophy, religion, science, literature, art and culture. On Thursdays, hear brand-new episodes hosted by Misha Glenny and leading academics. On Mondays, discover Misha's Archive Picks: classic conversations from the In Our Time archive, originally presented by Melvyn Bragg. Recent episodes have featured topics as wide-ranging as the Roman Arena, Handel's Messiah, John Keats, On Liberty and the Mariana Trench, bringing expert insight to pivotal events, influential thinkers and remarkable discoveries. Throughout the archive, you can hear discussions on historical figures such as Marie Antoinette, Nefertiti, Mary Wollstonecraft, Karl Marx and Albert Einstein; explore great works of literature such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the poetry of John Donne; uncover the stories behind cultural masterpieces including Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel; or journey from Jupiter and the death of stars, to the theories of Plato and Aristotle. In Our Time celebrates the pursuit of knowledge and the enduring power of ideas.

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History
Global investigations from the BBC. Gripping stories from around the world – delve into a World of Secrets. Latest season: DNA detectives track down the British soldiers who fathered children in Kenya then disappeared. The mothers and children were left without support. We join the quest for justice. Also, previously on World of Secrets: The Darkest Web: Two US special agents infiltrate the dark web to rescue children. With access to the elite global team who hunt down people creating and trading in child sexual abuse materials. Death in Dubai: A woman falls from a tower block and her name starts trending. But behind the online rumours lies an even darker reality. And The Abercrombie Guys: Investigating sexual exploitation claims against the former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch. Please note, some of the images being used for World of Secrets seasons are for illustrative purposes only and the people depicted are models.

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Documentary
Topical comedy from the sharpest satirical minds in the business. Listen first on BBC Sounds, every Friday. Is the news driving you up the wall? You’re not alone. Let the comedians take the strain and work out what’s been funny this week. Features BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz, Dead Ringers, The Naked Week and Too Long; Didn’t Read. Listen on BBC Sounds, seven days earlier than anywhere else, and subscribe to make sure that you don’t miss an episode.

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Comedy
Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.

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Society & Culture
When you’re born into a powerful business dynasty, what comes first: the family or the firm? Inheritance explores the family dynasties behind some of the biggest names in global business. Many brands are controlled by families through the generations. But who gets the top job? And how do they hold onto power? In this brand-new 10-part series from the BBC World Service, we look behind closed doors- inside the billion-dollar deals and the family power struggles that shape global empires.

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Documentary

The BBC offers a curated selection of the BBC’s best podcasts, ranging across global news, true crime, pop culture, science, history and sports. The BBC has been producing award-winning audio for a century, and our trusted global news has made us a household name for just as long. Now, the BBC allows listeners to connect with whatever audio content their ears desire. Stay up to date with what’s happening across the world with The Global Story and Global News Podcast. Immerse yourself in thrilling true-crime investigations such as World of Secrets, Stalked, Believe in Magic and The Missing Cryptoqueen. There are podcasts for history, science, and culture fans with series such as In Our Time, You’re Dead to Me and The Infinite Monkey Cage. If you're outside the UK, you can subscribe to BBC Podcasts Premium for ad-free listening and new exclusives every month.

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Archive: Empress Dowager Cixi

Merz: Germany faces a "tectonic shift" after AfD victory

The People Have Spoken Ep3. British Maple Syrup

Israel hits back at sanctions on settlers

Funerals held for Palestinian teenagers killed in occupied West Bank

The Darkest Web: 6. My brother, the abuser

European leaders denounce Moscow over attacks

Six million refugees being forced back to Afghanistan

The Abercrombie Guys: 12. Mike Jeffries to stand trial

Iran says two killed after US attack on Larak Island

Get exclusive episodes, early access, and more

Examining the numbers behind Andy Burnham’s ‘Manchester Miracle’

Does a full moon make crime rates go up?

The messy history behind the modern calendar

Silly Studies: The Pre-Series Teaser

Update from Jean and Geoff

MYW: Great Yarmouth’s Bootlace Killer

Former F1 boss on Ferrari's electric gamble

MYW: Stoke’s Boy Buried Twice

Series 1: Update

Stephen Hawking

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