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From Our Own Correspondent

Afghanistan: peace or more pain?

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.41.3K Ratings

🗓️ 4 July 2020

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In Afghanistan, there’s growing concern over a wave of attacks against human rights activists, moderate clerics, aid workers and others. For a young educated generation of Afghans, one death in particular has sparked anguish and anxiety over where their country is heading, despite imminent peace talks, as Lyse Doucet reports. In Russia, a controversial national vote on constitutional reform this week has given President Putin the right to run for two more terms when the current one runs out. He's been in power for twenty years already, and could now rule till 2036. What do voters make of this? Sarah Rainsford has been following the election. In Spain, much of life is returning to normal after the coronavirus lockdown, but not yet in the world of bullfighting. Matadors languish at home, bulls chew the cud, and the future of bullfighting hangs in the balance, not just because of social distancing, but politics too. as Guy Hedgecoe reports from Madrid. In the US July 4th is Independence Day, marking the moment when the country broke free from Britain in 1776. But for African Americans, final liberation from slavery only came on the 19th June 1865, in Texas, two and a half years after slavery was abolished in the rest of the country. And now Juneteenth is a celebration rivalling that of the Fourth of July, for African Americans like Emma Sapong. The Democratic Republic of Congo marked the 60th anniversary of its independence from Belgium this week. And the Belgian king Philippe took the opportunity to offer his “deepest regrets” for his country’s colonial abuses, when millions of Africans died. The most brutal period was under King Leopold the Second, Kevin Connolly has been taking a closer look at this history. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Transcript

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0:00.0

BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.

0:04.6

Good morning.

0:05.7

Today you have the top job, you'd like to hang on to it.

0:09.2

Yes, we're in Russia, where President Putin can now reckon to stay in power for another 16 years.

0:17.2

In America, it's the 4th of July Independence Day, but many African Americans prefer to celebrate Juneteenth the anniversary of the end of slavery.

0:29.0

Increased unemployment threatens many countries at the moment, including Spain and its matidores with

0:36.2

bulls out the grass, and colonial history in Belgium with King Leopold looming large.

0:44.0

First to Afghanistan, where there seems no end to the violence, regardless of the peace talks expected

0:50.1

to resume at the end of the month. Human rights activists, moderate clerics and aid workers

0:56.3

are among the targets. A depressing state of affairs for a young and educated generation

1:02.2

of Afghans, says Le's Doucette.

1:05.0

The working day began as it always does,

1:08.0

not long after the sun rose over the jagged zigzag of mountain sheltering cobble.

1:13.2

24 year old Fatima Khalil left home, lunch bag in hand,

1:17.8

a meal made by her mother and an apple.

1:20.4

She was on her way to the office of Afghanistan's independent human rights

1:23.8

commission with Javid Foulade, the driver with a big smile and even bigger heart

1:29.0

helping the Commission to work in the toughest of areas.

1:33.4

En route the Commission's chair Sharazard Akbar sent Fatima a message on their WhatsApp group.

1:39.3

Fatima, could you please send the UN Security Council speech to our partners so they're informed

1:44.8

about our advocacy?

1:46.6

Fatima, even at her young age, had important responsibilities, taking care of the Commission's

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