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Mattan: Injustice of a Hanged Man

BBC Sounds

Mahmood Mattan came to the UK from Somalia to seek a better life.

He met and fell in love with a local woman from Cardiff. But in the 1950s, their mixed marriage was frowned upon.

And that racial hostility simmered away in Mahmood’s life, and probably played a part in his death.

He was arrested, convicted and hanged for the murder of shopkeeper Lily Volpert.

His execution took place 70 years ago – and it would take decades for his name to be cleared.

And even today, the repercussions of that miscarriage of justice are still being felt.

Power Lines: From Ukraine to the World Message Heard

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed the world.

The war’s significance in the 21st century is unparalleled: its reverberations can be felt not just in Kyiv and Moscow, but from Beijing to Washington DC.

But how did this country come to play such a significant role in geopolitical events?

What does it mean to be a citizen of Ukraine, a country whose enemies claim has no right to exist?

What role does it play in the contentious struggle between the world’s old and new power structures?

What is the war’s impact on global food security, and could cutting the Russian energy lifeline rewrite the global economic order? Is the war bringing about the fall of global oligarchies?

And what does Russia’s possible terrorist status mean for the future of international relations?