A religious leader in Mandalay says the situation is dire following Myanmar's earthquake. Also: shock Le Pen verdict rocks French far right; Nasa's Butch and Suni adapt to life back on Earth.
Global News Podcast - French far-right leader, Le Pen, banned from politics for five years
France's Marine Le Pen is barred from running in the next French presidential election. Also: Myanmar's junta say at least 2,000 people died in Friday’s earthquake, and UK hosts illegal migration summit.
Focus on Africa - Stranded: Exposing the UK’s immigration scammers
A BBC investigation has found the UK visa system is being undermined by scammers who are swindling migrants out of thousands of pounds, by promising them jobs in Britain which often do not exist. We hear more from the BBC Africa Eye reporter.
Why is Kenya risking the wrath of Serbia, considered to be an ally, by recognising Kosovo and its claim to independence from Serbia?
And why is Ghana's Chief Justice facing renewed efforts to remove her from office?
Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Sunita Nahar, Amie Liebowitz and Nyasha Michelle in London. Daniel Dadzie in Accra, and Frenny Jowi in Nairobi Technical Producer: Gabriel O'Regan Senior Journalist: Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
Good Bad Billionaire - John de Mol: Big Brother’s daddy
By reinventing reality TV, John de Mol changed television history and made a billion dollars. He’s the father of Big Brother and the man behind The Voice, Deal or No Deal and Fear Factor. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng explain how the Dutch TV producer became a media tycoon, after using his showbiz connections to break into pirate radio, then TV. He went on to found one of the biggest production companies in the world: Endemol.
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?
Global News Podcast - Trump ‘very angry’ with Putin over Ukraine
President Trump shifts his tone towards Russia, criticising President Putin. Also: the Red Cross is “outraged” after eight of its medics were killed by Israeli fire in Gaza, and the use of a more ethical AI in Hollywood.
Global News Podcast - Myanmar earthquake deaths surpass 1600
The search for survivors continues in Myanmar as the number of deaths rises to more than 1600. The UN pleads for the Burmese military to stop attacking rebels. Also: Mexico tackles its country's obesity problem.
Global News Podcast - The Happy Pod: Football while fasting — Egypt’s Ramadan pastime
Millions gather each year on Egypt's streets for football tournaments during Ramadan. Also: money-saving beavers, one of the UK's largest Iron Age discoveries and darts helping children in South Africa learn maths.
CrowdScience - Where in the world will I weigh least?
Host Anand Jagatia tackles gravity - a fundamental force of the universe yet also an everyday mystery that has baffled several listeners. Can you outrun it? Or at least use it to get fitter? If it varies, does that mean that you weigh less, depending on where on earth you stand? And if it’s the force of attraction between any objects with mass, are you technically more attractive after eating a massive cake?
Professor Claudia de Rham from Imperial College London explains the basics of gravity, while we discover the best place on earth to weight ourselves, with Professor Paddy Regan from Surrey University and NPL Fellow in Nuclear and Radiation Science and Metrology.
Anand takes a very fast spin on a special chair to experience extra gravity, thanks to Professor Floris Wuyts from the University of Antwerp, Kings College London and Minister of Science of Asgardia.
And finally, we talk to an expert lined up at the other end of a hypothetical hole through the earth: Professor Richard Easther from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. What would happen if we fell straight through the earth?
CrowdScience finds gravity a force to be reckoned with.
Presenter: Anand Jagatia Producer: Marnie Chesterton Editor: Cathy Edwards Production Co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano and Jana Bennett-Holesworth Studio Manager: Jackie Margerum and Duncan Hannant Photo: Anand Jagatia experiencing extra g-force
Focus on Africa - Is South Sudan edging back to civil war?
The UN warns that tensions and use of forbidden weapons are pushing South Sudan to the brink of another civil war
Why is the army in the DR Congo unable to defend its citizens and territory?
As Uganda's high court rules that names of landmarks and roads in the capital should be 'decolonised'- one lawyer begs to disagree
Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya, Sunita Nahar, Patricia Whitehorne and Bella Hassan Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
Unexpected Elements - Don’t be a fool!
April 1st is notorious across the globe. Renowned for being a day of practical jokes. And it’s no different here on the BBC World Service.
Mischievous elephants, the secret to fool's gold and one of the biggest scientific hoaxes in scientific history.
From the Magic Circle to the Magic Lab, the psychology underpinning why we humans are so delightfully easy to trick with Professor Gustav Kuhn.
And a question sent in from one of you: if two people eat the same thing for breakfast, does the same thing come out the other end of both of them?
Prepare for a prank or two on Unexpected Elements.
Or as they say in Finland, ‘Aprillia, syö silliä, juo kuravettä päälle’, which translates to ‘April trick, eat herring, drink muddy water afterwards!’
Presenters: Caroline Steel with Camilla Mota and Phillys Mwatee Producers: Harrison Lewis, Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, William Hornbrook and Imaan Moin