This episode has been edited to correct an editorial error
Gabon's military government recently announced that the presidential elections will be held on the 12th of April. It's a key step to re-establish civilian rule following a coup in August 2023. How significant is this?
Also Dutch authorities say one of Europe's most-wanted fugitives has been living in Sierra Leone. Who is he and what do we know so far?
And what does the new passport issued by the Alliance of Sahel States mean?
Presenter: Blessing Aderogba in Lagos
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Producers: Bella Hassan and Yvette Twagiramariya in London
Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp
Uganda’s Supreme Court recently ruled that trying civilians in military courts is unconstitutional. Human rights groups welcomed the decision as a major step in protecting the right to a fair trial, but the government criticized the move. Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni said his government would continue to prosecute civilians in military tribunals, despite the ruling. We hear analysis of this.
Also the government in Botswana has struck a new deal with the diamond mining giant De Beers. What's the deal and how does Botswana benefit?
And Langa, the old game from Nigeria, gets a new lease of life!
Presenter: Blessing Aderogba
Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya and Bella Hassan in London
Technical Producer: Francesca Dunne
Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
President Donald Trump has said he will cut all future funding to South Africa over allegations that it was confiscating land. South Africa's President Ramaphosa says that is not true.
Concerns that the conflict in eastern DR Congo could spread deadly diseases.
And what is are the reasons behind Namibia's high unemployment.
Presenter: Blessing Aderogba
Producers: Frenny Jowi and Charles Gitonga in Nairobi with Victor Sylver and Nyasha Michelle in London.
Senior Producer :Paul Bakibinga
Technical Producer: Francesca Dunne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
A year after first being declared a billionaire, Taylor Swift’s rarely been out of the headlines or the charts. The pop superstar’s Eras tour finally came to an end, and she’s been continuing to break records. Good Bad Billionaire will be back with a new season in March, but until then, here’s a quick update on what Taylor’s been up to and another chance to hear a classic episode from the archives. Zing Tsjeng and Simon Jack uncover the huge public feuds and private legal battles that made the most famous woman in the world. She can change the economy, but is Taylor Swift good, bad, or just another billionaire?
We meet security guard Armia Khalil, whose kindness to a visitor led to his sculpture being exhibited at New York's Met Museum. Also: new hope for Parkinson's; beer that's good for you; and Bhutan welcomes Ed Sheeran.
Novelist Meg Rosoff joins Harriett Gilbert to answer listeners' questions about one of her best-loved novels, How I Live Now.
It is the story of Daisy, an American teenager shipped off to live with her aunt and cousins in England. What is at first an idyllic escape into English countryside life is shattered at the onset of War, when England is suddenly occupied by an unknown enemy. Daisy finds herself struggling to survive and keep her new family safe as they face violence, fear and starvation, while at the same time experiencing her first love, with her own cousin - Edmond.
Beautiful, brutal, and laced with Daisy’s razor-sharp, jaded teenage humour, this is a book that brings readers into a world that feels incredibly, terrifyingly real, and will likely stay in your memory for years to come.
(Photo: Meg Rosoff. Credit: Glora Hamlyn/Penguin Books)
Smartwatches are increasingly popular and many of us use these wearable devices to monitor our performance and improve our fitness. But how reliable is the data they collect, and can they actually make us healthier?
CrowdScience listener Caitlin from Malawi is a big fan of her smartwatch. Her husband Fayaz, however, is much more sceptical of its accuracy, and has asked us to investigate. We meet up with them both at the gym, where Caitlin and presenter Caroline Steel put their fitness trackers – and themselves – to the test.
We visit public health researchers Dr Cailbhe Doherty and Rory Lambe, who investigate the accuracy of wearable consumer devices, at University College Dublin. Caroline again pushes herself to the limit to see how her smartwatch results measure up to those from gold standard laboratory equipment.
But is it crucial for smartwatches to be accurate? If they get us off the couch, is that what makes the difference to our health? Health behaviour expert Dr Ty Ferguson from the University of South Australia has studied this very question. And finally, how does quantifying our every move affect the way we think about ourselves and how we live? Professor Deborah Lupton from UNSW Sydney, shares some insights.
Presenter: Caroline Steel
Producers: Jo Glanville and Sophie Ormiston
Editor: Cathy Edwards
Technical producer: Sarah Hockley
Production co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano
Who is Osama Najim, the Libyan suspect wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes?
What is the reason behind the high-level diplomatic spat between Rwanda and South Africa over the fighting in DR Congo?
Plus, why Kenya is putting its nuclear program on hold
Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers: Bella Hassan, Amie Liebowitz and Yvette Twagiramariya in London with Frenny Jowi in Nairobi.
Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga
Technical Producer: Jack Graysmark
Editors. Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
Celebrations for the Lunar New Year kicked off on 29th January, and this year is the Year of the Snake.
We start things off by discussing the purpose of some mysterious serpent markings on the banks of the Orinoco River.
Next, we find out about the origins of snake oil, before digging into the psychology of why we trust snake-like people.
Plus, herpetologist Dr Mark O’Shea tells us all about his work identifying snakes, and what happened when he got bitten.
That, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenters: Marnie Chesterton, with Chhavi Sachdev and Christine Yohannes.
Producers: Dan Welsh, with Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, William Hornbrook and Imaan Moin.
Nasa's OSIRIS-REx mission to collect a sample from an asteroid has been a great success. Asteroid Bennu's sample yields a watery pool of history, thanks to an international team of scientists including the London Natural History Museum's Sarah Russell.
Also, in a week of tumultuous changes to federal funding and programmes, we hear from some US scientists affected and concerned by Executive Orders from the White House. Betsy Southwood, formerly of the Environmental Protection Agency, is worried not just about the government employees’ careers, but the environment itself and the whole of environmental science in the US and the world. Chrystal Starbird runs a lab at the University of North Carolina and is worried about the fate of grants aimed at diversifying scientific expertise, but also that some grant schemes are getting erroneously included in the anti-DEI clampdown. And Lawrence Gostin is an eminent health lawyer, proud of the NIH and all it has achieved.
Presenter: Roland Pease
Producer: Alex Mansfield
Production co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
