The story of Abdelrahman and the oud

Pascale Harter introduces stories from Gaza, Jordan, Bangladesh, Spain and Ukraine.

11-year-old Abdelrahman lost his leg after he was injured during an Israeli attack in Gaza. He was selected to travel to Jordan for hospital treatment, to be fitted with a new prosthetic limb. Fergal Keane met him while he was undergoing treatment there - and learning to play the traditional Middle Eastern musical instrument, the oud.

The former prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, was sentenced to death this week for crimes against humanity. She was tried by a special tribunal which accused her of having given orders to use lethal force during anti-government protests last year, which led to hundreds of deaths. Arunoday Mukharji was in Dhaka, when the verdict was announced.

It's been 50 years since the death of Spain's dictator Francisco Franco, yet his legacy still divides the country. On both the political left and right, there are accusations that the other side has used the rituals and sites of burials from the Civil War period and beyond for political ends. Linda Pressly recently met the dictator’s great-grandson in Madrid.

In recent weeks, Russian troops have advanced in Ukraine's east, while Russian strikes on cities across the country have spiked. Ukraine's postal services, rail network and energy grid have all been attached. Also among the targets are the country’s nuclear power plants – with Europe’s largest located in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia. Vitaliy Shevchenko recounts a recent discovery he made about his own childhood home there.

Producer: Polly Hope
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison