Beyond Today

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Can India become a better place for women? Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

The biggest democratic event in the history of the world is under way in India with hundreds of millions of people voting in the country’s general election. We’ll find out on the 23rd of May whether the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been re-elected. He’s a polarising figure, loved and loathed in equal measure, who plays on his machismo. Women have had the vote since India gained Independence but last year the country was rated the most dangerous place for women in a controversial survey. Now for the first time they are being treated as a real constituency. We speak to Poonam Joshni, a women’s rights activist, and to Divya Arya, the women’s affairs correspondent for the BBC in Delhi.

Produced by: Jaja Muhammad, Seren Jones and Philly Beaumont Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields.

Are we being duped by the multi-level millionaires? Apr 29, 2019

Show notes

The multi-level marketing phenomenon is sweeping across social media as influencers post job adverts offering the chance of six figure incomes, cars and holidays in return for selling products online. More than 400,000 people in the UK are already signed up. We speak to BBC journalists Ellie Flynn and Jennifer Shaw about the darker side behind the enticing Instagram posts amid accusations of illegal pyramid selling, systematic targeting of vulnerable people by recruiters and even brainwashing. We also hear from Lindsay, who hoped selling makeup would help her cover the bills while she struggled to find full-time work.

Producers: Duncan Barber and Lucy Hancock. Editor: John Shields. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast.

What is justice in the age of Trump? Apr 26, 2019

Show notes

On our Friday episodes we like to do something a bit different and speak to one person about their take on something we’re interested in. Today it’s Preet Bharara, who used to be one of the top public lawyers in the US. He had a reputation as a crusading prosecutor - taking down the mafia and big fraudsters - and there are hit TV shows based on his work. Following the publication of the Mueller report on Russia’s role in the 2016 election, he spoke to us about how the law, truth and justice are changing under the Trump administration.

Producer: Harriet Noble Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

What does Sri Lanka tell us about the future of Islamic State? Apr 25, 2019

Show notes

On Easter Sunday six suicide bombings struck churches and hotels across Sri Lanka – killing more than 350 people and injuring hundreds. Since then Islamic State has claimed responsibility, while people in Sri Lanka have been kept in the dark after a social media black-out. We talk to Rajini Vaidyanathan, who has been reporting from Sri Lanka for the BBC, and Mina Al-Lami from BBC monitoring, who has been looking at what supporters of IS have been saying online

Producer: Philly Beaumont Mixed by: Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

Can we save the planet and still keep our stuff? Apr 24, 2019

Show notes

The online fast fashion retailer Boohoo has revealed a 48% rise in their revenues, a sign that our appetite for cheap stuff is as big as ever. Meanwhile climate change activists Extinction Rebellion are preparing to march through the heart of London’s City protesting against what they call a ‘toxic financial system’ that’s built on greed. So just how much does consumer culture impact the environment and what can we do about it? We speak to podcaster and comedian Stevie Martin and BBC correspondent Justin Rowlatt. You can see Stevie’s show ‘Hot Content’ at the Edinburgh Fringe Underbelly, Bristo Square.

Lyra McKee: what did she want us to know? Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

Lyra Mckee was killed at a riot in Londonderry last week. She was 29 and an acclaimed journalist who wrote about the Troubles and campaigned for LGBT rights. Since then the dissident republican group the New IRA have claimed responsibility for her death and apologised to her family. Her funeral on Wednesday is expected to be attended by thousands of people. We speak to three people connected to Lyra: Leona O’Neill was there the night she was killed, Aoife Moore grew up on the estate in Derry where she died, and Professor Siobhan O’Neill from Ulster University worked with Lyra researching trauma. They tell us what Lyra McKee would want us to know about Northern Ireland.

Produced by: Philly Beaumont Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields.

Why would your mattress spy on you? Apr 18, 2019

Show notes

We all have our own conspiracy theories about who is listening to us through the internet. We probably have considered the idea that Facebook and Google control our lives – but these aren’t necessarily conspiracies. How might we have given the internet giants permission to spy on us? What connects a political scandal like Cambridge Analytica to Alexa and Google Maps? Matthew meets Shoshana Zuboff, who has been investigating this for years, to hear her theory that ties everything together. She calls it surveillance capitalism and she came to the studio to tell us why we should all be more aware of it.

Should you get sacked for posting what you believe? Apr 17, 2019

Show notes

Australian Rugby has sacked one of its biggest stars. Israel Folau has won 73 caps and was expected to play at this year’s World Cup in Japan. He’s now in trouble – although he’s appealing – after posting on social media that “hell awaits” gay people. Folau is a committed Christian who describes himself as “living for Jesus Christ”. Should he have been sacked for his religious beliefs? We talk to Jack Murley who hosts the LGBT Sports Podcast and also Harriet Bradshaw, a BBC journalist who has made a film about young people trying to live a gay and Christian life.

Producer: Philly Beaumont, Duncan Barber Mixed by: Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields.

What should we think about Julian Assange? Apr 16, 2019

Show notes

When Wikileaks released classified documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2010, it and its founder Julian Assange became world famous. Many people see him as a hero, calling out the powerful and confronting them with their crimes. But the US government has accused him of stealing state secrets and hacking into its computers, and over the years rape allegations – which he denies - and Wikileaks’ actions around the 2016 US election have painted Assange as an increasingly complex figure. BBC producer Katie Silver joins us to trace the story of Julian Assange, and to try and work out what we should think about him.

Producer: Harriet Noble Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

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Why would you stab someone? Part 2 Apr 15, 2019

Show notes

On 4th March we heard from former gang member Jay about why he’d never leave the house without carrying a knife.

Jay has since been asked to make a Radio 4 documentary investigating the solutions to knife crime.

For the programme he met a trauma surgeon, a police commander and a local mayor. He also had a long conversation with a man called Callum, who is from Glasgow. Glasgow used to be the murder capital of Europe, but now that’s changed and the city’s seen as a model for how to stop violence. Callum got caught up in a lot of violence and was stabbed nine times in one attack.

This episode is the conversation the two of them had for Jay’s documentary, in which Jay asked Callum about how he moved away from violence.

You can find Jay’s documentary “My Name Is... Jay” on BBC Sounds. It was produced by Gaetan Portal.

Producers: Heidi Pett and Duncan Barber Editor: John Shields Mixed by Weidong Lin

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