Roundup

Empire (70th of 90) -- The Second Boer War [audio 15min]

In 1886 gold was discovered in Witwatesrand in the Transvaal. Constitutionally, British rights in the Transvaal were contained in the Pretoria Agreement and were limited to foreign affairs. The British consideration was what would happen when the Boers became rich? Could they threaten Britain's other interests in Africa and might the Germans help the Boers? "This Sceptred Isle: Empire" is a narrative history of the British Empire from Ireland in the 12th century to the independence of

19 May - On This Day [multiple clips]

Video and audio from the BBC news archive, WWII and 1950-2004, include 1980: Nine dead after Mount St Helens eruption; 1986: South African raids wreck peace bid; 1974: Giscard d'Estaing voted French president.

FBI Swarms Farm in Search for Jimmy Hoffa's Body [audio 4min]

Federal agents in Milford Township, Mich., a western Detroit suburb, are digging up a horse farm searching for any sign of the remains of former union leader Jimmy Hoffa. Hoffa disappeared in 1975. The farm is known as a place where organized crime figures used to hang out. Agents secured a search warrant to search the farm -- the first federal warrant in the case for more than 10 years. FBI officials have not commented on the current effort to find the former Teamsters boss. But the search is b

Thirty Years Later, Search for Hoffa Resumes [audio 4min]

The FBI is searching a Michigan horse farm for clues about the disappearance of labor leader Jimmy Hoffa. Since Hoffa vanished in 1975, theories about his fate have multiplied. The most famous is that he was murdered and buried in a New Jersey football stadium. Noah Adams talks to David Shepardson of The Detroit News about the renewed search for Hoffa.

Experts Discuss the Sudan Crisis [audio 39min]

Journalist Nicholas Kristof and Sudan expert John Prendergast talk about the continuing crisis in the Sudanese region of Darfur in Africa. Kristof recently won the Pulitzer prize for his New York Times commentary on Darfur. Prendergast is special adviser to the president of the International Crisis Group. He has 20 years of experience resolving conflict in Africa, and shaping U.S. foreign policy toward the region. Prendergast has traveled with celebrities Angelina Jolie and Don Cheadle, w

Empire (69th of 90) -- The First Boer War [audio 15min]

There were two Boer Wars. The first was more a rebellion than a war. It started in December 1880 and was over four months later. The second Boer War (1899 to 1902) is the one most remembered. But the first Boer War when Afrikaans farmers, the Boers, rebelled in the Transvaal, should not be ignored. "This Sceptred Isle: Empire" is a narrative history of the British Empire from Ireland in the 12th century to the independence of India in the 20th, told in 90 programmes written by historia

18 May - On This Day [multiple clips]

Video and audio from the BBC news archive, WWII and 1950-2004, include 1944: Monte Cassino falls to the Allies; 1991: Sharman becomes first Briton in space; 1950: US and Europe agree Nato aims; 1964: Mods and Rockers jailed after seaside riots.

Is Democracy Coming to an End in the USA? [audio 12min @16:07]

With American neoliberals placing the market above everything else, and neoconservatives viewing morality as their primary concern, the inevitable collisions between the two manifest themselves in ways which stretch from the furore surrounding Janet Jackson's 'wardrobe malfunction' at the Super Bowl to corporate scandals and disgraced CEOs. Laurie Taylor is joined by Wendy Brown, Professor of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, who presents the case that democracy is in danger

'Nat King Cole Show' Challenged TV's Race Line [audio 9min]

The Nat King Cole Show debuted in 1956, making singer and jazz pianist Nat"King" Cole the first black man to host a nationally televised variety program. The singer and pianist struggled for a year to keep his pioneering variety show on the air, but corporate sponsorship proved elusive. ~Website offers audio clips.

A Trove of Stolen Treasure [audio 38min]

Looters in Italy dig up ancient treasures and sell them to the highest bidder. Some pieces make their way to the world's biggest museums. Author Peter Watson's new book The Medici Conspiracy examines the network behind the trade. Guests: Peter Watson, author of The Medici Conspiracy: The Illicit Journey of Looted Antiquities, from Italy's Tomb Raiders to the World's Greatest Museums [visit website for excerpt]; Peter Frammolino, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times; James

What Is Right? [audio 45min]

The second of a pair of debates exploring the apparently relentless trend of politics towards the centre and asking whether right wing ideologies still have any role in mainstream British political life. Recorded before an audience at the Conservative Think Tank, Policy Exchange, the editor of The Spectator, Matthew D'Ancona, asks a panel of self-proclaimed right wing idealogues and Conservative Party modernisers, including Lord Tebbit and Theresa May, if anything remains of the Right.

Soyinka Weighs in on Nigeria's Political History [audio 6min]

Nigerian author Wole Soyinka talks about his new memoir with Renee Montagne. It is an intimate look into Nigeria's political turmoil in the last half century.

Church Committee Counsel Frederick Schwarz on Corporate Involvement in Government Spying [video/audio 59min]

In the 1970s, the Church Committee, led by Senator Frank Church, conducted a major investigation of the country’s intelligence agencies. During its investigation the Church Committee uncovered that several major corporations helped the NSA spy on Americans in a secretive program known as Project Shamrock. Frederick Schwarz, who served as chief counsel to the Church Committee, joins us to look at the similarities with the current NSA spy scandal.

Pentagon Releases 9/11 Security Video [video 1min]

The Pentagon on Tuesday released the first video images of American Airlines Flight 77 crashing into the military headquarters building and killing 189 people in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The images, recorded by Pentagon security cameras outside the building, were made public in response to a December 2004 Freedom of Information Act request by Judicial Watch, a public interest group. Some still images from the video had previously been leaked and publicly circulated, but this was the

John Stuart Mill: The Utility Man [audio 30min]

John Stuart Mill who was born on 20th May 1806, was reading ancient Greek at the age of 3, Latin at 8 and (unsurprisingly) having a nervous breakdown at 20. He fell in love with Harriet, who was married, wrote highly important works On Liberty and Utilitarianism, became an MP and was a major political reformer. Peter Cave, through his own life as a philosopher and follower of Mill's Utilitarianism - acting for the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people - considers how

Opus Dei: Fact vs Fiction [audio 24min]

If you're one of the 40 million people who have now read the novel The Da Vinci Code, you might be forgiven for thinking the Catholic group Opus Dei is a murderous secretive cult. And yet this group supposedly counts presidents and politicians among its 85,000 members. So what is fact and what is fiction? Sarah Montague talks to Opus Dei's UK spokesman, Jack Valero.

Empire (68th of 90) -- Battle of Obdurman [audio 15min]

The Battle of Omdurman started at first light on 2 September 1898. British, Egyptian and Sudanese troops under Sir Horatio Hebert Kitchener, later Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, defeated the Mahdist army that had ruled a large part of Egyptian Sudan since the Mahdi's rebellion in 1881. The army still talks of brigadier general Hector Macdonald, who ignored Kitchener's orders and saved the day. Kitchener trusted him to do both. If he had not? "This Sceptred Isle: Empire" is a narrative h

17 May -- On This Day [multiple clips]

Video and audio from the BBC news archive, WWII and 1950-2004, include 1943: RAF raid smashes German dams; 1974: Dublin and Monaghan bomb kills 23; 1960: East-West summit in tatters after spy plane row; 1978: Charlie Chaplin's stolen body found; 2000: First Britons reach North Pole unaided; 1955: Eden takes to the airwaves.

Reaching Out to Young Scholars from Muslim Nations [audio 5min]

The World's Katy Clark tells us about an academic program run by the State Department that brings university students from the Muslim world to the United States to teach them about life in America. The hope is that they'll go back to their homes in places like Syria, Iraq, and the West Bank with a greater understanding of Americans.

50 Years of Eurovision [audio 60min]

"50 Years of Eurovision" is presented by Roland Rivron and Sandie Shaw and takes a look at the cultural phenomenon that is Eurovision.