Author: BBC World Service

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Focus on Africa - Unfarmed land leaves millions staring at hunger in Sudan

More than half the population in Sudan - nearly 26 million people - face acute hunger as the ongoing war hinders agricultural production. The UN agency for Food and Agriculture (FAO) says it is trying to provide seed to farmers to help grow food.

Who are Nigeria's ghost workers who are costing the economy millions of dollars? And will a new government plan succeed in exposing them and crackdown on the problem?

And a Congolese entomologist says protein-rich insects are the food of the future.

Presenter :Audrey Brown Producers: Bella Hassan in London, Frenny Jowi in Nairobi and Blessing Aderogba in Lagos. Technical Producer: Jack Graysmark Senior Journalist: Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

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Focus on Africa - Can Ghana afford to pay striking civil servants?

All through Ghana civil servants have been on strike following the government's failure to honour a pledge to raise their pay. Can their grievances be addressed?

We meet a doctor who carries out operations to reverse female genital mutilation.

And why are Somalis being forced to remove bodies from a graveyard in Mogadishu?

Presenter :Audrey Brown Producers: Joseph Keen, Patricia Whitehorne and Bella Hassan in London. Frenny Jowi and Susan Gachuhi in Nairobi Technical Producer: Jack Graysmark Senior Journalist: Paul Bakibinga Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

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Focus on Africa - Why land routes through Africa are more dangerous for migrants than Mediterranean crossings

Refugees and migrants taking land routes across Africa to get to the Mediterranean and Europe, face extreme violence, abuse and exploitation, with far more believed to be dying there than at sea, a UN-backed report says.

Plus, why is Tanzania struggling with a huge shortage of university professors?

And how the Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay made history at the gruelling Tour de France.

Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Joseph Keen, Bella Hassan, and Nyasha Michelle in London. Charles Gitonga in Nairobi Technical Producer: Nick Randell Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

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Focus on Africa - Why land routes through Africa are more dangerous for migrants than Mediterranean crossings

Refugees and migrants taking land routes across Africa to get to the Mediterranean and Europe, face extreme violence, abuse and exploitation, with far more believed to be dying there than at sea, a UN-backed report says.

Plus, why is Tanzania struggling with a huge shortage of university professors?

And how the Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay made history at the gruelling Tour de France.

Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Joseph Keen, Bella Hassan, and Nyasha Michelle in London. Charles Gitonga in Nairobi Technical Producer: Nick Randell Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

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Focus on Africa - What can the breakaway confederation do without Ecowas?

The West African regional grouping Ecowas has warned that it risks disintegration and worsened insecurity after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formed a breakaway confederation. Can the three landlocked countries go it alone?

Can your social media presence be inherited after you die?

And a new look at how electronic waste can be recycled in Ghana

Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Joseph Keen, Bella Hassan, Yvette Twagiramariya and Nyasha Michelle in London. Susan Gachuhi and Charles Gitonga in Nairobi. Technical Producer: Nick Randell Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

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Global News Podcast - The Happy Pod: How kindness made a dream come true

Imagine bumping into a stranger who has the power and kindness to make your dreams come true. Listener Uta tells us how her chance meeting with Harry led to a place at the University she'd thought was out of reach -- and changed her life forever. They talk about why you should take a chance on strangers and always be willing to help others. Also: We hear from the inspiring young woman helping farmers boost their crops in Kenya using artificial intelligence. Why K-pop stars New Jeans are guiding people around a museum in Europe. The Indonesian women playing heavy metal in hijabs to break down stereotypes. Scientists find lifelong learning isn't reserved for humans -- chimps can do it too. And the world's first school exam in skateboarding.

Our weekly collection of positive stories and happy news from around the world.

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World Book Club - Kevin Kwan: Crazy Rich Asians

Kevin Kwan discusses his internationally best-selling novel, Crazy Rich Asians, with readers from around the world.

Chinese-American academic Rachel Chu lives a modest and happy life with her boyfriend and fellow academic Nick. But when Nick invites her home to Singapore to meet the family, everything changes – starting with the first class flights.

Saturated with wildly wealthy and deliciously dysfunctional super-elites, this ironic and funny rom-com makes a perfect escapist summer read.

(Photo: Kevin Kwan is seen in midtown on 24 August, 2023, New York City. Credit: Raymond Hall/Getty Images)

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CrowdScience - How does a snake climb a tree?

Snakes are often seen as slithery, slimy and scary. But these intriguing non-legged creatures have made CrowdScience listener Okello from Uganda wonder how they move – more specifically, he wants to know how they climb trees so easily, and so fast.

Presenter Caroline Steel meets snake expert Mark O’Shea to investigate the ingenious methods different snakes use to scale a tree trunk, and gets a demonstration from a very agreeable corn snake at a zoo.

Snake movement isn’t just your typical S-shaped slithering: these reptiles move in a remarkably diverse range of ways. Melissa Miller from the University of Florida explains all the range of motion snakes can employ to effectively travel along the ground as well as at height.

Caroline witnesses this in action as we pay a steamy visit to the Everglades National Park in Florida, USA, tracking pythons across the vast swamps there. We find out why understanding these pythons’ movement is vitally important for conserving the local ecosystem.

Contributors: Dr Melissa Miller, Research Assistant Scientist, University of Florida Brandon Welty, Wildlife Biologist, University of Florida Prof Mark O’Shea MBE, Professor of Herpetology, University of Wolverhampton

Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Hannah Fisher Editor: Cathy Edwards Production Co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano Studio Manager: Neva Missirian

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Focus on Africa - Can Burkina Faso’s military government counter deadly jihadist attacks?

Burkina Faso's military is facing increased pressure after reports of a recent spate of  the deadly attacks of soldiers by jihadist fighters.  The Junta government lead by Ibrahim Traore ,has kept mum about this incidents.

Why are soldiers deserting the army in the Democratic Republic of Congo? 25 soldiers have been sentenced to death for running away from battle with the M23 militia group.

And members of Kenya’s LGBTQ community call for greater freedoms

Presenter:Audrey Brown Producers: Bella Hassan, Nyasha Michelle, Claudia Efemini and Joseph Keen in London. Susan Gachuhi in Nairobi Senior Producer: Karnie Sharp Technical Producer: Craig Kingham Editors:Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

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Unexpected Elements - Mushroom magic

In Australia, more than six people were hospitalised suffering from hallucinations and persistent vomiting. The thing they all had in common? They ate a specific brand of hemp-infused mushroom gummies, which have since been recalled.

But why take mushroom supplements in the first place? Social media claims fungi harnesses the power to unlock your hidden potential, to increase concentration and reduce stress. This week’s panel looks into the evidence. Will these claims crumble under scrutiny?

Professor David Nutt pulls magic mushrooms out of the magicians hat to expose its secrets. These recreational drugs are classified as a psychedelic, causing users to hallucinate. Find out what hallucinations are and why David believes this shroom, illegal in much of the world, could become a key ingredient in medicinal treatments sometime soon.

Also, the first chemist on record, how touch screens can tell the difference between your finger and an inanimate object, and why some songs get stuck between your ears.

Presenter: Alex Lathbridge Panellists: Christine Yohannes and Godfred Boafo Producers: Harrison Lewis, Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, Noa Dowling and Florian Bohr