And thousands injured by two huge explosions in the lebanese capital beirut. Many people are still missing, believed trapped under rubble. The blasts were so powerful they caused extensive damage to buildings over much of the city. The lebanese Prime Minister has blamed a confiscated haul of thousands of tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate. He has promised those responsible will be held accountable. Lebanon was already facing huge economic and political difficulties, along with the covid 19 pandemic. The bbc has obtained rare footage from inside chinas secretive system of mass incarceration, which detains up to a million Muslim Uighurs in the far Western Region of xinjiang. In a self shot video, a formerfashion model can be seen handcuffed to a bed. His relatives say hes been detained for so called re education and nothing has been heard from him since. Doctors in england, Northern Ireland and wales are being told they shouldnt
prescribe common painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen or opioids to patients with chronic pain a condition which is not caused by an injury or other medical condition. The advice from the National Institute of health and care excellence says giving them to those suffering chronic pain could do more harm than good. Our health correspondent, lauren moss has more. When nicki was in her 20s, she was prescribed codeine for pain in her knee. But the short term relief the medication gave her slowly spiralled into a deep dependency that took over the mother of twos life for more than a decade. In the end, there was no pattern. Whatever was there, i would take. It wasnt even about the knee pain any more. At its worst, how bad was it . As my body became more tolerant, i would take more. Thats, id say, when i hit rock bottom,
was when i was just void of any emotion. I didnt care about anything. I didnt care about myself, didnt care about what i looked like, didnt care about myjob. Ididnt care on a day to day basis. Chronic pain like nickis isnt caused by an injury or medical condition. Now, guidelines suggest painkillers ranging from paracetamol and ibuprofen, to opioids like codeine shouldnt be prescribed as they cause serious side effects, including stomach and liver problems, and are highly addictive. Let me straighten you up. Other therapies, such as counselling, acupuncture and exercise programmes are being recommended instead. The overprescribing of opioids is a particular issue. It has happened because there has been a lack of really good alternatives for managing pain. Its often a bit of a last chance when a patients pain isnt controlled. What we find is that when people take them long term, it doesnt actually work and doesnt have the beneficial effect they would like. Chronic pain affects just under 28 million adults in the uk. More than half of patients are also suffering with depression. 5. 5 Million People were prescribed opioid relief in one year alone in england, prompting concerns hundreds of thousands of people could be getting hooked. It needs to go further, where other medication with non addictive qualities need to be put in there, and recommended. I think cbt, acupuncture, mindfulness, anything without medication that you can go and treat somebody, then you are looking at the whole person as an individual, instead of one size fits all. Nicki has been in recovery for nine years and now helps others overcome addiction. Shes welcomed the guidelines but says the Services Must be there to refer people onto. A Public Consultation on the proposal will close in september, and will be finalised next year. Lauren moss, bbc news. Now its time for witness history. Hello, and welcome to witness history with me, razia iqbal, here at the Royal Academy in london. Today we will hear from five people who have lived through incredible moments in history. Coming up the woman who defied the salvadoran government over the murder of six priests. The town that was poisoned by asbestos. And the agricultural scientist who helped save a billion lives. But first, of all of the revolutions that swept across Eastern Europe just over 30 years ago, the overthrow of nicolae ceausescu and his wife elena in romania was the bloodiest. The uprising began in the western city of timisoara, where a local pastor, laszlo tokes, took a stand against the authorities. The unrest started in timisoara, in transylvania, following the arrest
of pastor laszlo tokes. Laszlo tokes, who was an outspoken critic of the government, refused to leave when the secret police came to arrest him. Several hundred churchgoers gathered to stop them. I did not want to become a revolutionary. But step by step, my attitude was radicalised because we had to speak out. He was a stalinist type dictator. The romanian system became more and more cruel. We were under total control by the securitate, the romanian secret service. The church became a centre of peaceful opposition. I did not make politics. I only tried to express that we must obey god, rather than men. It wasnt just that he was a gifted preacher, he was the first man they had ever known who was prepared
to stand up and challenge the ceausescu dictatorship and its deadly security network. People began to gather around my church. Looking out through my windows, on the large crowd, sincerely to say i was frightened of the probable consequences of their brave demonstration. I remember people began to sing patriotic songs, to shout against the regime. Liberty, liberty down with ceausescu the army were very cruel, very violent. About 50 people were killed in a day. That was the Bloodiest Day in timisoara. Men sing. In very short time, the demonstrations enlargened into the neighbouring cities. Nicolae ceausescu is fighting for his political life in the only way he knows how the violent suppression of any kind of protest. In the morning of the 17th of december, we were taken by the securitate in a very brutal way. It was clear for us that we are to be executed or imprisoned. My wife was pregnant with our second child, which later on was born. I think it was our angel in that time, and protected us when we were prepared for the worst. Romanians went on an anti ceausescu rampage as the armyjoined the revolution. Thanks to god, we had a little radio apparatus, and we were informed
that the ceausescu couple is on the run. Translation romanian brothers, we come here to the Romanian Broadcasting Company to tell you that the dictator has fallen to let you know that the country is free with an angry rooftop mob closing in on them, the ceausescus panicked and made their escape by helicopter. It was a wonder, and we considered it a gift of god on christmas for the people. That was the most joyful day in our full life. Singing. Laszlo tokes on the romanian revolution of 1989. Next, a story of identity, loyalty and betrayal. In the 1950s and 60s, the french colony of algeria in north africa was battling for independence but some algerian muslims chose to fight on the side of france. They were called the harkis. When france lost the war in 1962, it abandoned its former colony and in post independence algeria, thousands of harkis faced brutal prosecution for siding with the former colonial ruler. Serge carel was one and he has been telling witness history about his ordeal. Translation the harkis were local forces, on the side of the french army in algerias independence war. We gave everything for france,
but what we didnt know was that france would abandon us. News reel as tension rises in french north africa, france arms her algerian supporters for defence against rebel raids. The prefect of oran province, monsieur lambert, personally hands out weapons to muslims recruits at nadroma, where hundreds are being enrolled daily. Translation i was about 17. 5, 18 years old at the time. You had to choose between france and the fln rebels. My father had been in the french army and had fought in world war i. My brothers were also in the french army. So i chose france. I was proud of what we did, proud of serving france. We were always sent out in front of the french troops. If there was an attack, the harkis would be the first to die. We had to get rid of the fln fighters who were terrorising the population. We always knew at that one day algeria would gain its independence. What general de gaulle should have done was take all the harkis and their families to safety in france. But when independence was declared in 1962, the french disarmed the harkis and left us defenceless. The fln took advantage of this and began to round us all up. They took me to a barracks, where there were about 50 other harkis prisoners. There was blood everywhere. They stripped me naked and started torturing me with electric shocks. Each time a new group of soldiers came on shift, they began again. The same thing every day. The fln even made us dig our own graves. Some people were thrown in alive, some were thrown into the river and the jackals did the rest. I was arrested onjuly 8th, 1962 and i escaped on september 10th 1962. It took me a long time to feel
welcome here in france. I decided to change my name and convert to catholicism. I wanted to make a fresh start. I could say that i was born under a lucky star and that i am lucky. But not all the harkis were so lucky, and that is the fault of france. Serge carel, an algerian muslim, who fought on the side of the colonial power france in the war for algerian independence. Now to australia, and a tale of environmental devastation. The town of wittenoom, in Western Australia, emerged in the 1940s and 50s around a profitable blue Asbestos Mine. Asbestos, a natural fire retardant, was in high demand. But in wittenoom, people were unaware that raw asbestos could be lethal. Thousands died, and the town is now almost completely abandoned. Bronwen duke grew up there. People were warned, but they didnt take it seriously until people started to die. I lost both parents, both grandparents, my brother, three uncles, about four cousins that i can think of and thats just the immediate family in my world. I was born in 1958 in the far north of Western Australia in the pilbara, in a little town called wittenoom. The blue Asbestos Mine was the genesis of the town. Asbestos is a naturalfibre that is encased in rocks. They would extract the asbestos out of the mine, and the mill would actually then bag it
and ready for shipment, and it was sent to all places around the world for the various things that they use asbestos for. Newsreel fireresisting, sound insulating product known as asbestos is a piece of rock. The practical uses of asbestos are very numerous. At least 18,000 articles are made of it, ranging from packing for steam engines and linings for friction surfaces, to bulkheads for aeroplanes. There were a lot of immigrants that came into australia after the second world war. And a lot of them were just looking forjobs, and there werejobs to be had in wittenoom. My dad was one of them. He was the jack of all trades. He used to drive the bus to take the guys from town to the mine every day. My mum and her sisters all met their husbands up there. It had all of the elements of a normal country town. They used to have race days, and there would be balls, and all sorts of social activities that everyone was involved in. But my parents werent aware of the dangers at all. I dont think a lot of the people in town were aware of the dangers. Asbestos fibres get into the lungs and those fibres can cause asbestosis or mesothelioma. It encases the lung in cancer and prevents it from breathing. In wittenoom, asbestos wasnt confined to the mine. Asbestos was used in gardens, it was used on driveways, it was used up on the roads. It was literally everywhere. If you went out to play, as all small children do, youre playing in asbestos. One of the flying doctors flew into town and said, as soon he got there, he said, we have to close this, this has to stop. Well, the mine was very profitable, so it was decided that that wasnt the case. It was 1966 before they actually closed the mine. But people had started to die. We left when my dad got sick. We now know in actual fact that he had asbestosis at that time. Its almost like having an asthma attack where you cant breathe and youre fighting to catch your breath. My mum and my brother died from mesothelioma. Theres just hundreds of people from wittenoom, that i know of, that have gone with mesothelioma or asbestosis. None of my family thats in their photo are alive. Theyre all gone. Every one of them. Theres no compensation for taking away your parents. Oryourfamily. Theres no justice in that at all. Nothing. Money does not bring them back. Money doesnt compensate for their death, or what you miss. Bronwen duke on the devastating legacy of asbestos in one Western Australian town. Remember, you can watch witness history every month on the bbc news channel, or you can catch up on all our films, along with more than 1,000 radio programmes in our online archive. Just Search Online for bbc witness history. Now to central america, and the civil war in el salvador. Throughout the 1980s, left wing rebels were fighting the us backed government. In 1989, government soldiers dragged six jesuit priests from their beds and murdered them. It changed the course of the war. The salvadoran government tried to blame the killings on the rebels. But one brave woman stood up to the authorities, providing important testimony that contradicted the official version. Lucia cerna told her story to witness history. The priests funeral took place at the university
where they were murdered. They were el salvadors leading left wing intellectuals. Thousands came to mourn, not just for the dead men, but because theyd symbolise for the hope that el salvador might on day become a country where power came from the ballot box and not from the barrel of a gun. Translation the priests were always on the side of the poor. Thats how they were. It still hurts to remember them and to remember what happened. I will keep telling this story until my dying days. I can never forget it. The Government Troops are fighting the biggest guerilla offensive since 1981. The rebels appear to have moved into the capital in force and have held position for more than 12 hours. Translation there were
soldiers and rebels shooting all over the place. We couldnt go out, and food and water were running low. I was very nervous. I worked as a cleaner at the jesuit university. I called one of the priests, and asked if we could come and shelter on the campus with my husband and daughter. He said, yes, of course, come. It all happened just after midnight. We were woken up by the sound of gunfire near the entrance to the university. I got up and went to an open window to look out. I could see the shadows of men by the entrance to the rooms where the priests slept. They were soldiers. I heard one of the priests calling out, that it was an injustice. A disgrace. Then i heard shouting, and more shooting. After that, there wasjust silence. The killing that has caused the greatest outrage is the murder of the six catholic priests dragged from their beds and shot yesterday morning. Translation the government said it was the guerrillas who had killed them. But i said no, it was the army, and that id seen the soldiers. They did not like me saying that. After that, i was taken, with my husband and daughter, to the airport and put on a plane. The jesuits said that they could not protect me in el salvador. I guess that i was there for a reason that night. Another person might have kept quiet and not spoken out. But as god says, you have to do something in this life, and i did something. Lucia cerna, on speaking out against the El Salvadoran government. Our final story is about a man whose work is said to help save a billion people from hunger and famine. In 1970, the american scientist Norman Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering work developing disease resistant crops. At the time, famine and malnutrition were claiming millions of lives across the world. Dr borlaugs work meant countries like india were able to become self sufficient. Witness history hears from his friend, ronnie coffman. If the field is uniform, you get a general picture of what it is likely to yield. The man who fed the world. Norman borlaug, praised for saving more lives than anyone in human history. We were in the field, hard at work, and we looked up and saw a car. And dr borlaug said whoa, that looks like margaret. Margaret was his wife. And she gets out, she says norman, you won the nobel prize. He didnt really believe it. He comes back, and we go back to work. Obviously i am personally honoured beyond all dreams by this election, but the obligations imposed by the honours are far greater than the honour itself. He grew up on a farm in iowa, coming of age during the great depression. He saw a lot of breadlines, a lot of people out of work. He saw a lot of poverty. I think that set him on his career to do something that would benefit society. He started his work in mexico in the 1960s, developing high yielding disease resistant wheat that boosted harvests in became known as the green revolution. He was trained as a plant pathologist, trying to protect plants from diseases, and specifically, to do something about the rust disease which was wiping out the crop in mexico. What is rust disease . Its a fungus, its carried in the wind. It is the worst plant disease in the world, so he set about to develop rust resistant wheat varieties. I was in my 20s at the time, he was in his 50s, but i had trouble keeping up with him. There are those who now say that food is not the problem, i say it will be a continuing problem. News india is especially concerned. Over half its population extremely vulnerable to famine. India didnt have a chance of feeding their population. Tens of millions of people were dying from hunger, and malnutrition, so it was considered at the time a hopeless situation. The green revolution essentially eliminated famine. This did not necessarily solve all the problems of hunger, but it gave india a chance. His techniques did attract critics. The plants, it was said, were too reliant on chemicals, the farming too intensive. Butjust imagine in the absence of the green revolution what might have happened large numbers of hungry people, an environmental disaster. The figure that was always used was that dr borlaug saved a billion lives, and i think
its probably true. Ronnie coffman, remembering hiss mentor dr Norman Borlaug and his revolutionary work to create new grains. His. That is all from witness history this month here at the Royal Academy. We will be back next month, with more firsthand accounts of extraordinary moments in history. But for now, from me, and the rest of the witness history team, goodbye. Hello there. Were holding onto this north west, south east divide. Certainly on tuesday it was the case, with many southern and eastern parts of england seeing plenty
of dry, bright, warm and sunny weather. But it was a very different story further north. We had outbreaks of rain in Northern Ireland, northern england, and for scotland it really was a soaking wet day. Now, this weather front responsible for it will sink a little bit further southwards into central areas to start wednesday, but weve got another front which will move into Western Areas later in the day. This first front will start to migrate northwards again through the morning, taking the patchy rain with it. This next weather front will push across the irish sea, into parts of wales and western england, the odd heavier burst mixed in there. And then further north west, it will be rather cloudy with spots of drizzle at times. A blustery day to come, particularly in england and wales. But once again, well stay dry with some brightness across england, the top temperatures 25 27 degrees. Also fairly warm across aberdeenshire, with some brightness there. Now, through wednesday night it stays rather cloudy with further outbreaks of rain pushing on in towards the north sea. But i think that will leave a legacy of clouds and clear spells and once again its going to be quite a warm and humid night to come. Now, this weather front really
started out as we head on into thursday. You can see it fade out there in response to this building area of High Pressure over the near continent, and thats going to be the theme as we end the week with High Pressure starting to dominate. So that weather front as it fizzles out, it will take any showers with it, the cloud should start to break up, but as we start to pick up warm and southerly winds, i think it will be a dry day for many of us with variable cloud and sunny spells. And warmer, too, temperatures reaching the low 20s further north, the high 20s across the south east. As we head on into friday, we could see a little bit of rain returning to Western Areas, some of it could be heavy. But for the bulk of the country, central, southern and eastern areas, its going to be a very warm or even a hot day with plenty of sunshine. So again, low 20s in the north and west, 30 to maybe 3a degrees in the south east. So feeling quite hot again. As we move into the weekend, looks like another area of High Pressure will build in across the uk and will settle things down, so it should be drier even further north and west, too. And again, another hot day across the south east on saturday, signs of it starting to cool down a little bit as we head on into sunday. This is bbc news. My names mike embley with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. A massive blast in the lebanese capital beirut leaves almost 80 people dead and thousands injured. The explosion sent shockwaves across the city. Translation i dont know what happened. I was fishing. I heard there was a fire. I turned and started to head home. I heard something explode and then this happened. The lebanese Prime Minister says a confiscated haul of Ammonium Nitrate caused the devastating blasts he promises those responsible would be held accountable. In china, a formerfashion model handcuffed to his bed for so called reeducation. Rare footage of the uighur ethnic minorities held
comparemela.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.