Since last September, 68-year-old Laila Soueif has been on hunger strike. Laila is the mother of Alaa Abdel Fattah, a British national imprisoned in Egypt for the best part of 12 years. He is one of Egypt's highest profile pro-democracy political prisoners who was due to have been released in late 2024.

The refusal of the Egyptian authorities to free this peaceful activist triggered Laila's act of maternal determination.

Presented by Michael Segalov Produced by Michael Segalov and Andrea Rangecroft A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 (photo: Misan Harriman)

The move comes days after its leader and presidential candidate was arrested and charged with treason.

The crime lord was hiding in a forest, authorities say, after dozens were kidnapped from a village.

About one million voters are set to pick their next president from a list of eight hopefuls.

Intense rivalries between supporters of Arsenal, and other English football clubs, has led to deaths in the East African nation.

Police say four armed and masked men abducted the pastor in his car on Thursday evening.

On the track, Eedris Abdulkareem urges the leader's son to tell his father about everyday hardships.

With the vice-president under arrest there are concerns a political rift could spiral into conflict.

Saturday's election marks a major test for a coup leader who wants the democratic stamp of approval.

Lobna Yakout's son Zayn was taken by her abusive ex-husband while she was living in Egypt.

“The horror! The horror!”

Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ - the inspiration for Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Apocalypse Now’ - is one of the most celebrated literary works of all time, though now increasingly contentious. Based on Conrad’s own terrible journey into the Congo in 1890, and the horrors he beheld there while it was under the sway of King Leopold of Belgium’s monstrous regime, the novella, published in 1899, delves into man’s capacity for evil - the primal beast lurking beneath the surface of all humans - and has long stood as the preeminent cultural representation of European colonialism. It tells the story of Mr Kurtz, a great ivory trader who has disappeared deep into the African interior, and appears to have lost his mind, having penetrated some terrifying, ancient truth. Initially, Conrad’s disturbing account was viewed as the ultimate attack on imperialism, though aspects of the novella have also invited accusations of racism and imperialism, in part owed to Conrad’s own sympathy for Empire. So what is the truth at the heart of 'Heart of Darkness'? And who was Joseph Conrad himself? What horrors did he behold to have inspired such a poignant account of the nightmares within and without…?

_______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Editor: Jack Meek Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

He has been holding rallies nationwide saying October's elections cannot go ahead without reforms.

Pilot lost control after bird in cardboard box slid off a passenger's knee and knocked controls, aviation authority finds.

A play critical of the government was initially disqualified from the competition under unclear circumstances.

Sudan's government alleges that the UAE is arming its civil war opponents, which it denies.

This is the first payment under a deal aimed at helping Zimbabwe mend its relations with the West.

Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema swaps his uniform for a suit in a bid for electoral success.

The jihadist group has recently staged several deadly attacks and even seized control of some districts.

Details of the repatriation are not known but it comes amid talks about a mineral deal between the two countries.

In December 2011, Leymah Gbowee was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her role in helping to end the devastating civil war in Liberia.

She had mobilised thousands of women to take part in daily, non-violent public protests calling for peace – which pressurised ruthless President Charles Taylor into meeting them.

When he agreed to peace talks, a delegation from The Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace followed Taylor to Ghana. When talks stalled, they barricaded the room, refusing to let anyone leave until a peace deal was reached.

Within weeks, after continued pressure from the US and other West African nations, the former warlord had resigned and gone into exile.

Jacqueline Paine speaks to Leymah about her pivotal role in securing peace for Liberia.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Leymah Gbowee with fellow activists. Credit: Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Images)