Roundup

Brother Roger dies

The 90-year-old founder of the French-based Taizé Christian ecumenical community has been stabbed to death at a prayer service. Brother John, a member of Taizé in France, explains what happened.

Religious leaders should reconcile, not divide

From the Crusades to terrorist attacks, from Ireland to the Middle East, religious conflicts have been a part of human history. But analysts say most holy scriptures teach love and understanding among nations. People are often ready to fight for their faith, unaware that it differs little from the faith of their neighbors. There’s near universal agreement among scholars that while most world religions share common ethics, their rituals and traditions vary from decorating Christmas trees, lightin

Protestant band culture flourishes in Northern Ireland since Good Friday Agreement

Laurie Taylor visits the Kilcluney Protestant Marching Band in County Armagh, near the contested Drumcree site where there has been a stand off between Protestant marchers and Catholic residents since 1998. Contrary to his expectations, Laurie Taylor meets a band whose young members claim cross-sectarian respect and who have recently visited the Republic of Ireland to take part in an international band competition. He also discovers why there has been an apparent flourishing of Protestant band c

What would Stratford-upon-Avon be without Shakespeare?

The modern town of Stratford may have the Bard to thank for its prosperity, but what has the working market town lost in its conversion into a literary shrine? Archaeologist Julian Richards discovers a Medieval street plan behind the fake Elizabethan façades, and weighs up the benefits and the costs of 'Bard-olatry'.Mapping the Town: The programme that uncovers the history of a town through the geographical clues found in its streets. With the help of local experts, archaeol

Reporting the War, 3rd of 5

Lorelei King reads the young Martha Gellhorn's vivid account of her encounter with the Russian Army at the River Elbe in 1945. BBC Paris Correspondent Allan Little selects and introduces some of the best writing from journalists who reported on World War II.

August 17th 1998: Clinton admits Lewinsky affair

President of the United States Bill Clinton has admitted having an inappropriate relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. In a televised address Mr Clinton told the American people that he took full responsibility for his actions. He said: "Indeed I did have a relationship with Ms Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact, it was wrong."

August 17th 1987: Hitler's deputy found dead

Rudolf Hess, who was Adolf Hilter's right-hand man at the start of World War II, has been found dead. The body of Hess, 93, was found in the grounds of Spandau Prison in west Berlin, where he had been held since his conviction in 1946 at the Nuremberg war crimes trial. There are unconfirmed reports that he may have committed suicide.

Geography of Gaza explained by former ambassador

Understanding the geography of Gaza: The Israeli resettlement and movement away from Gaza, is related to geography as well as differences between Israel and Palestinians. Michele Norris talks with a frequent visitor to the region, Ambassador Dennis Ross of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Ross, a Special Middle East Coordinator during the Clinton administration, was involved in peace negotiations during the first Bush administration.

Popsicle stick Viking ship launched on maiden voyage

A replica Viking ship made entirely of Popsicle sticks set sail in Amsterdam harbor in the Netherlands today. But the three builders aren't stopping there. Next, they plan to sail the ship across the Atlantic. Host Lisa Mullins speaks with the man behind this unusual mission, former Hollywood stuntman Robert McDonald.

Richard III & Quasimodo inspire disabled Minnesota storyteller

Acting the swan to overcome the duck: Minnesota storyteller Kevin Kling says developing a "persona" is the best way to beat a disability. Kling found inspiration in Shakespeare's Richard III.

Georgia exonerates maid -- 60 years later

The state of Georgia has issued a posthumous pardon to an African-American woman executed in the electric chair for killing a white man more than 60 years ago. A court sentenced Lena Baker to die following a one-day trial before an all-white, all-male jury. Baker contended the man she killed held her in slavery. Guest: John Cole Vodicka, director of the Prison and Jail Project in Americus, Ga.

Russian Supreme Court rules in favor of Bolsheviks

Russia's Supreme Court overturns a lower court ruling banning the National Bolshevik Party. We look at what the decision means for the Bolsheviks -- and Russian politics as a whole. Guest: Peter Finn, Moscow correspondent for the Washington Post.

Blaenavon in South Wales is a town built on iron

Families had scratched a living mining iron ore in the hills around Blaenavon since Norman times but it was small scale and barely provided a living. But the coming of the industrial revolution changed everything. Thousands came seeking work in the new foundries of South Wales and soon Blaenavon had enough residents to support 48 pubs and 18 chapels and a town was born. Julian Richards travels to Wales to tell the story of the industrial revolution and map the building of Blaenavon.

Reporting the War, 2nd of 5

Kerry Shale reads despatches from Ernie Pyle. Born on a farm in Indiana, he became America's best-known journalist in Europe. BBC Paris Correspondent Allan Little selects and introduces some of the best writing from journalists who reported on World War II.

Biography of Jimi Hendrix, 2nd of 5

Room Full Of Mirrors by Charles R Cross, abridged by Kai Nicholl, read by Rhashan Stone: The story of Jimi Hendrix's short but incredible life, from his troubled childhood to his earliest experiments with the guitar, from his meteoric rise to fame in swinging London to his legendary performances at Monterey and Woodstock.

Media giant John H. Johnson paved the way for black-owned press

On Monday, thousands mourned the death of publishing and entrepreneurial pioneer John H. Johnson. He founded Ebony and Jet magazines and seared the image of the brutalized Emmett Till into the nation's consciousness. We speak with the editor of the Chicago Defender, the nation's only black daily newspaper.

Audio news from Archaeologica

(1) Radar search system explores historic village site below New York's Central Park; Seneca Village is a vanished 19th-century settlement of poor folks -- blacks, Irish immigrants and others -- that existed before the park landscapers arrived in the 1850s. (2) Roman temple excavation continues; 2,000-year-old treasure reached an ignominious end. (3) Research continues on accounting system of the Incas; South American Indian culture apparently used layers of knotted strings as a complicated ledg

August 16th 1977: Rock and roll 'king' Presley dies

Elvis Presley, whose singing and style revolutionized popular music in the 1950s, has died. Presley, 42, was discovered slumped in a bathroom at his mansion in Memphis, Tennessee on Tuesday.He was rushed to the Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Gaza withdrawal explained (38min)

The much-anticipated evacuation of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank begins. We look at this historic moment in Israeli -- and Israeli-Palestinian -- history. Host Neal Conan's guests are Matti Friedman, reporter for the Jerusalem Report; Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; Dennis Ross, author of The Missing Peace: The Inside Story Of The Fight For Midd

Interview with Israeli historian (5min)

Jewish settlers are moving out of Gaza today ahead of Wednesday's deadline. The withdrawal is the first time that Israel has agreed to dismantle settlements on Palestinian land that was seized in the Six-Day War of 1967. Host Lisa Mullins speaks to Michael Oren, an Israeli historian who is also a reserve officer in the Israeli Defense Force. He is helping to coordinate hundreds of foreign journalists who are covering the disengagement from Gaza.