World at One

In a series of pieces, Manveen Rana has been investigating the relationship between political power in South Africa, a London-based PR firm, and one of the country's richest families.

As the President faces a vote of no confidence, what links Jacob Zuma, the Gupta Brothers and Bell Pottinger Public Relations? And, with anger at corruption spilling over from the streets to parliament, has Nelson Mandela's rainbow nation been put in ...

Until recently, South Africa was hailed as one of the so-called BRICS - the developing economies, growing at such a rate of knots, they were soon to join the economic premier league. Not anymore.

Next week, President Jacob Zuma faces a vote of no confidence, fuelled by accusations of financial corruption on a gargantuan scale.

One of the principal businesses to have been roped into the scandals are the Gupta brothers, a family whos...

It is 23 years since the birth of South Africa's Rainbow Nation and it stands at a watershed. Its President, Jacob Zuma, is facing a vote of no confidence in parliament next week, which could see him kicked out of office in a country increasingly angry at his conspicuous enrichment, while the poorest get poorer.

At issue is the President's relationship with one of South Africa's richest families, the Gupta brothers.

In the second of...

The PR firm Bell Pottinger has often courted controversy with its choice of clients; they represented the Paralympian Oscar Pistorius after he was charged with murder, Asma al-Assad the Syrian first lady, and the Pinochet Foundation, whilst the former Chilean dictator was being detained in Britain.

But the latest crisis the company faces could be the most challenging yet - they stand charged of fomenting racial tensions in the tind...

Despite decades of research, 99% of clinical trials on new drugs for Alzheimer's disease have failed, meaning there is still no cure. But scientists believe it is not the drugs which do not work, it is the trials.

To test the theory, work is about to begin on the world's biggest and most in-depth study to find the earliest signs of Alzheimer's in people.

Scientists believe that if the drugs were used earlier, before the clinical symp...

Sir John Major has said he is "wary" and "dubious" about Theresa May striking a deal with the DUP to give her government a majority.

The former Conservative prime minister, who was one of the architects of the peace process in Northern Ireland, told the World at One the peace process in Northern Ireland was "fragile" and "under stress" and said there was a danger the UK government wouldn't be seen as impartial if it was "locked in...

With polling day less than a week away, heated arguments are bound to be happening in homes around the country.

Our election family are used to that. They are the Groves and are from Rowley Regis, near Dudley in the Midlands, and their cousins, the Stevens live nearby.

In the third episode of her series, our reporter Becky Milligan has joined the family for a night out playing bingo at the local social club. It's also the first time...

As a foreign correspondent Hugh Sykes usually reports from abroad, from Iraq, Turkey, Germany, Pakistan.

But ahead of the general election on June 8th, he was given an interesting assignment - to visit three former industrial areas in the UK, to find out how they are changing and what undercurrents may be at play in the lead up to polling day. So here are his 'Election reflections' from Teesside, the former Yorkshire coalfields a...

John Sutherland was a high flier who joined the police in the early 1980s.

At the height of his career he was appointed borough commander in Southwark in London, with its share of murders and violence. He was also a trained hostage negotiator.

In 2013 he realised he could not cope anymore and has now written a memoir called Blue detailing his experience.

He spoke to our reporter Becky Milligan.

(Photo: John Sutherland. Credit: Zac ...

Over the coming weeks our reporter Becky Milligan will be talking to The World at One family from the Midlands about the issues affecting them which have been raised in the general election campaign.

Some families vote the same way, this family doesn't.

In this second report Becky meets Imogen's boyfriend Kierten, who like her is a first time voter. She also meets Imogen's cousin Ashley, who is a long distance lorry driver, and will ...

It is 50 years since the law that decriminalised homosexuality was passed. John Browne, who was the chief executive of the energy company BP between 1995 and 2007, kept his sexuality secret for the first 50 years of his life. After being outed by the Daily Mail in 2007 he became the first person, leading a major publicly-traded company, to acknowledge that he is gay. But he later stepped down after revelations about his homosexua...

It's been 50 years since the Sexual Offences Act 1967 was passed in England and Wales. The act was to amend the law and decriminalise homosexual acts in private between two men.

In a time where public opinion of homosexuality was viewed negatively and MP's "were afraid of voting it in parliament for fear it would lose their seats,” David Owen supported the bill in a speech addressing the House of Commons on December 19th 1966.

The f...

To mark 50 years since the Sexual Offences Act in 1967 decriminalised private homosexual acts, Becky Milligan spoke to George Montague.

Like many homosexual men of his generation, George got married, had children and kept his gay relationships secret. In 1974 he was convicted of gross indecency with a man - the law was repealed in 2004.

The 93-year-old, who has fought for an apology for his conviction, finally received one from the H...