drums. sitting halfway between the scottish mainland and norway, the shetland islands have a unique combination of cultures, and today, the sleepy town of lerwick is facing an invasion from a long dormant foe the vikings. cheering. so, this is up helly aa. it s one of a number of viking festivals that take place in shetland every year, and this one, in lerwick, is the biggest. up helly aa is best known for its night time procession. almost 1,000 people carry flaming torches through the streets, then set fire to a replica viking ship. the day begins with a march through the town, a march through the town, led by the jarl squad, a group of around 60 locals, kitted out in an elaborate viking garb. i mean, this is serious stuff. yeah. who makes these? almost all of it was done in shetland. there was a design committee. what kind of money are we talking for an individual kit? the viking heritage of shetland is something that most shetlanders are incredibly proud of. the viking h
and new columnist at the times, and for the first half of our programme, professor peter hotez is with us, expert in molecular virology and microbiology at the baylor college of medicine. what we ve known for some time about the uk s response to the covid pandemic is that the protective ring the government claimed to have thrown around care homes wasn t very protective at all. between march 2020 and april 2021, some 39,000 people died in care homes from covid. the public inquiry, which is still to begin, will examine whether more could have been done. in the interim, some of the evidence the panel will consider is now being tested in the court of public opinion. the reporter isabelle 0akshott, who co authored a book with matt hancock, has now shared with the telegraph 100,000 whatsapp messages which the former health secretary had shared with government officials. the goal of 100,000 tests per day by the end of this month. in one message, from april 14th 2020, mr hancock te
hello, and welcome to morocco and the historic city that s sometimes known as the country s cultural capital, fez. from its medinas and mosques to its madrassas, fez is steeped in cultural heritage so much so that the medina of fez is listed as a world heritage site. mind blowing! absolutely incredible. this is the attarine madrasa. it goes back to the 14th century, and it is perhaps the best example of what they call zellij. zellij is a style of mosaic tile work made from individually hand chiselled pieces that is found all across morocco, as well as parts of tunisia, algeria and southern spain. the detail tiny, tiny detail. the art form dates back over 1,000 years, but the more intricate and colourful designs, which have become synonymous with moroccan architecture, were developed in the 14th century. despite its mixed origins and geographical spread, experts like fouad believe that zellij is a vital part of his country s history and culture. authorities here have long
hello, welcome to the programme. it is nato s expansion eastwards that has infuriated vladimir putin. the kremlin is deeply suspicious of europe s intentions, they don t like western liberal philosophy, and in spite of all evidence to the contrary, they firmly believe it is the united states that is to blame for the situation in ukraine. that paranoia underpins their wharped justification for this war and the more widely held belief in russia that the principal danger to the state is external and ideological, rather than internal and structural. and if you doubt that, then take a listen to sergei lavrov, the foreign minister, describing today the threat in the most extraordinary terms. what is going on in ukraine now is a result of many years of preparation by the united states and their satellite states for the beginning of the global hybrid war against the russian federation. nobody tries to conceal it. they are waging a war against our country with the same task the fin
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