The medical charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres, has told the BBC that cases of sexual violence in Haiti have tripled in the last four years. One in five victims are under the age of eighteen. With gangs now controlling nearly all of the capital, Port au Prince, violence and insecurity are worsening. So far this year, more than four thousand people have been killed. A BBC team talking to survivors in the capital found women and children were the most affected by systematic rape, murder and arson.
Also in the programme: an American university agrees to a settlement with the Trump administration; and the death of a global wrestling icon.
(Photo: A damaged house stands after gangs torched homes in a residential area in Furcy, Haiti. CREDIT: REUTERS/Jean Feguens Regala)
Have we found Betelgeuse’s ‘Betelbuddy?’ An astronomical mystery seems to be solved as the long-predicted stellar companion to the bright star Betelgeuse has been detected by a team of researchers led by Steve Howell of the NASA Ames Research Center using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii. Steve discusses this breakthrough alongside astronomer Andrea Dupree of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who has discussed the predictions of this star on previous Science in Action programmes.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the parasite plasmodium that kills more than half a million people each year. George Dimopoulos of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute is using gene editing and gene drive technology to target the parasites as they develop in the guts of mosquito. Can this new method disrupt the malaria parasite life cycle safely and sustainably?
Our gut microbiomes are linked to our brains, but how can the bacteria in our colon communicate with our nervous system? M. Maya Kaelberer of the University of Arizona explains this neurobiotic sense, suggesting that the microbes in our large intestine communicate with specialised sensory cells in the gut. These cells send signals up to our brain and regulate our appetite. So, who really decides when you're hungry? Is it you, or is it your microbiome?
Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Imaan Moin with Alex Mansfield
Production Coordinator: Jana Bennet-Holesworth
(Image: Betelgeuse and Its Stellar Companion in Orion. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA Image Processing: M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab))
Good news about the state-of-the-art treatment facility in Ghana for cleft lip patients
And as the number of billionaires on the continent rises, we ask - are billionaires good or bad for Africa?
Why are violence and insecurity on the increase in Haiti despite the presence of an international force?. Does the Kenyan contingent have adequate resources?
Presenter : Richard Kagoe
Producers: Alfonso Daniels, Yvette Twagiramariya, Sunita Nahar and Tom Kavanagh
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Technical Producer: Frank McWeeny
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
Thailand seals border with Cambodia after clashes leave at least 12 people dead. Also: a deadly plane crash in eastern Russia, and how many steps should you take each day to stay healthy?
The BBC has gained rare access to the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, where gangs now control 90% of the city. The police there are outnumbered and outgunned, government authority has all but collapsed, and ordinary Haitians are trapped in a daily struggle for survival. In the past six months, more than 4,000 people have been killed. We have a special report.
Also on the programme: Thailand and Cambodia trade airstrikes and artillery fire in a deadly escalation of a border dispute; and do you really need to do 10,000 steps a day to be healthy?
(Photo: Gang members on the streets of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Credit: BBC/ Phil Pendlebury)
The World Health Organization has demanded full access for aid into Gaza as well as a ceasefire, describing the situation there as "man-made mass starvation". Also: gaps in our knowledge of ancient Rome could be filled by AI.
The World Health Organisation's chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has demanded full access for aid into Gaza as well as a ceasefire, describing the situation there as "man-made mass starvation". We speak to a doctor in Gaza City and to a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister's office.
Also in the programme: the International Court of Justice clears the way for countries to sue each other over climate change; and what's behind the rise in bars dedicated to women's sport?
(Picture: Gazans react as they ask for food at a charity kitchen in Gaza City, July 14, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa)
The city of Goma in the conflict-hit east of the Democratic Republic of Congo was seized by the M23 armed group earlier this year after intense fighting with government forces. How has the city changed after six months under the group’s control?
After retired police officers in Nigeria held demonstrations earlier this week calling for better pensions, we look at wider pension provision and ask if young Nigerians see pension planning as a secure path to protecting their retirement?
And could there be a new type of diabetes that accounts for the rising number of cases among young people in Africa.
Presenter: Richard Kagoe
Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Sunita Nahar and Nyasha Michelle in London. Blessing Aderogba in Lagos.
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
Dozens of aid agencies accuse Israel of withholding food and say mass starvation in Gaza is spreading. Also: Donald Trump secures a trade deal with Japan, and a couple reunite with their love letters - 60 years later.
