Category: World
Service
Date: 06.10.2004
Printable version
With Afghanistan's
first modern presidential election scheduled to take place on Saturday
9 October, 91Èȱ¬ World Service is carrying a series of special reports
from the country which it has broadcast to for the past 60 years.
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"People die of curable diseases because they simply aren't getting
any medical treatment. Even here in Mazar, we just don't have the facilities
that we used to have before. People used to come to Mazar from remote
areas in the north, but now our doctors here can't even treat simple
things like broken arms and legs, because we don't have any supplies
or equipment."
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"We don't have enough educated people in Afghanistan. Literacy
is one of the most serious problems facing
our country. We are suffering from illiteracy as well as war. We haven't
seen any improvements in education since the fall of the Taliban. All
our educational facilities and equipment have been destroyed. We need
to rebuild our schools and universities."
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These snapshots of ordinary life in northern Afghanistan
are part of a week of extensive coverage of Afghanistan which will be
broadcast across 91Èȱ¬ World Service news programmes as Afghans prepare
to take part in the first election since the fall of the Taliban.
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91Èȱ¬ World Service will broadcast special reports and
interviews from around the country including reports on Afghanistan's
presidential candidates, the plight of women in Afghanistan and the
security situation.
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Presenter Lyse Doucet is anchoring coverage
from Kabul and linking up with other 91Èȱ¬ correspondents across the country.
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Afghanistan's appetite for news was stimulated by two
decades of war and many Afghans still turn to the radio for news and
rely on 91Èȱ¬ World Service for accuracy and impartiality.
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91Èȱ¬ World Service's Persian and Pashtu services have
special programming for the election.
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On polling day (9 October) the language services will
broadcast a seven-and-a-half hour live transmission with reports from
Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, Herat, Khost and Jalalabad as well
as Pakistan and Iran.
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Special reports from Afghanistan will be broadcast in
English on Newshour, The World Today and World Briefing.
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Broadcast Times (UK time)
Newshour
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Monday–Friday 14.00, 21.00, Saturdays|Sundays
13.00, 21.00
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The World Today
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Monday–Friday 06.00, 07.00, 23.00 Saturdays|Sundays
06.00, 07.00, 23.00
World Briefing
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Monday–Friday 05.00, 11.00, 16.00, 18.00, 22.00
Saturdays|Sundays 05.00, 08.00, 18.00
Notes to Editors
1. bbc.co.uk/worldservice contains extensive, interactive news services
available in English, Persian, Arabic, Chinese Russian and Spanish with
audio streaming available in 43 languages. It also contains detailed
information about World Service broadcasts, schedules and frequencies
in all languages.
2. In the UK, World Service is available on 648 MW in Southern England.
In addition via digital radio, digital satellite (Astra satellite, channel
865). Freeview (channel 80) and overnight on 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4.
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