After introducing democracy to Maldives, the lowest-lying region in the world, President Mohamed Nasheed fights to prevent his homeland from disappearing under the sea. Farah Faizal, former High Commissioner to Maldives, introduces the film and updates us on the current situation post-President Nasheed who was forced to resign after a military coup in February 2012.
How One Reporter Became an Enemy of the Brutal New Russia is a brilliant, haunting account of the insidious methods used by a resurgent Kremlin against its so-called enemies – human rights workers, Western diplomats, journalists and opposition activists.
Maldives was the first country to experience the Arab Spring with a new democracy in place in 2008. A military coup in Feb 2012 deposed the President Mohamed Nasheed. What are the lessons here ensuring the Arab Spring becomes an Arab Summer? Former High Commissioner Farah Faizal and the ex- President's advisor Mark Lynas discuss.
A discussion about Minimizing the Harms of Legal and Illegal Drugs for individuals and society. The neuropsychopharmacologist was fired from the ACMD by Home Secretary Alan Johnson for analysing the relative drug harms. He is joined by the Ambassador of Colombia, whose President Santos publicly aired the possibility of legalization in January at Hay Festival Cartagena, and the Mexican writer Álvaro Enrigue.
As part of a global series of events celebrating UK-India relations an unprecedentedly superstarry Bollywood cast gather to discuss perceptions and cultural visions of C21st India with the writer and the BBC World anchor.
The Newsweek journalist left London in June 2009 to cover Iran’s presidential election, believing he’d return to his pregnant fiancée, Paola, in just a few days. In fact he would spend the next three months in Iran’s most notorious prison, enduring brutal interrogation sessions while terrible threats were made to his family.
The distinguished author of The File and Facts Are Subversive introduces the ten founding principles of his new global Free Speech project and demonstrates its international reach with Google's Free Speech advisor.
Hidden Stories from Women of Afghanistan is a poignant celebration of human resilience under unimaginable duress. At the time of going to press the UK and US Allies are currently talking to the Taliban.
The outspoken Chinese cult novelist builds on his now famous ‘In my country’ Oslo speech, talking about the harder realities behind the economic miracle. Chaired by Rosie Boycott. (Subtitles with consecutive translation for Q&A)
Should an individual’s carbon emissions be limited to 2 tonnes per year by 2050? This is the internationally agreed safe limit in order to prevent potentially catastrophic climate change. But how should these limits be shared out? How could limits be policed? Do governments have any rights to impose limits on citizens? Or should we just take the risk and adapt to the impacts? Join our panel of sixth formers for a debate. Chaired by Andy Fryers.
In 1971 the author was kept prisoner for three months in the Cambodian jungle. His Khymer Rouge captor, Comrade Duch, eventually had him freed but later became one of Pol Pot’s most infamous henchmen, who personally oversaw the detention, systematic torture and execution of more than 16,000 detainees. Bizot covered Duch’s show trial, which ended in 2010, and spent time with him in prison, trying to unearth whatever humanity Duch had left. If he was going to talk to anyone, it was Bizot, whom he still referred to as his ‘friend’.
Rethinking the ways we support young people in society
Event 285 • •
Venue: Sky Arts Studio
The race is on to re-engage young people in building an inclusive, healthier, more equal and economically viable society. But changing times need fresh thinking and new solutions. It is essential that we find new, more effective approaches to engage young people in meaningful and relevant ways and enable their participation in building a more resilient society. This is set to be a lively panel debate as our panel of experts from a range of backgrounds explore the radical ways in which we can support young people to address the social challenges that they and future generations face. Chaired byMartyn Lewis.
Speakers Martyn Lewis (Chairman of YouthNet and NCVO), Shaun Bailey (Youth worker and Conservative politician) Simon Milner (Policy Director, Facebook), Emma MulQueeny (Rewired State & Young Rewired State), Josh Cope (Youth participation worker, UK Youth), Dan Sutch (Head of Development Research, Nominet Trust)
The point man leads the patrol into battle, the first to face ambushes, hidden bombs and snipers. In 2007 and 2008, 20-year-old Kenny Meighan was the longest-serving point man in Helmand province. But returning to his hometown in Essex, where prospects are bleak and his father still suffers from the nightmares of his own war experience, Kenny's struggle is far from over.
The peerless commentator on India examines the economic boom, corruption, poverty, diversity and cricket in the world’s largest democracy. Chaired by Oliver Balch, author of India Rising - Tales From a Changing Nation.
The author of McMafia explores three fundamental threats facing us in the C21st: cyber-crime, cyber-warfare and cyber-industrial espionage. Governments and the private sector are losing billions of dollars fighting an ever-morphing, super-smart new breed of criminal.
Mathematics has had a surprising part to play in a number of recent theatre productions. The mathematician and broadcaster will talk about his experiences working with theatre company Complicité on A Disappearing Number and his explorations of bringing maths to the stage in a recent collaboration with actress Victoria Gould.
