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Confessions of a Gamer

Letter from Kampala; Video war games; Life in the freezer; Burma 88; and an anatomy of a music festival

A fresh look at the week's global news from across the World Service's 27 language sections, with presenter David Amanor.

Letter from Kampala
Ugandan MPs have passed a controversial bill limiting public protests. Police approval will now be required if three or more people want to gather to discuss political issues - which could make meeting friends for a chat quite a complex operation. Catherine Byaruhanga reports.

War games
Patriotism, profits, and plenty of adrenalin - what lies behind the appeal of video war games? And with the lines blurred between fantasy and reality, should Iran, and Japan be worried by the latest gaming titles like Battlefield Three and Glorious Mission? Zhuang Chen of 91热爆 Chinese, Hossein Sharif of the Persian Service and 91热爆 Mundo's David Cuen get on their consoles.

Life in the freezer
Antartica is the coldest place in the world - the lowest temperature recorded was minus 89C. 91热爆 Mundo's Anahi Aradas reflects on what it's like to be a reporter on the cusp of the south pole.

Burma 88
The Burmese Service this week has been marking 25 years since "8888" - the start of Burma's pro-democracy movement in August 1988. At the time, Thin Htar Swe was in London, a new recruit to 91热爆 Burmese; Yee Yee Aung was teaching at a university when the protests against the military government began; and Soe Win Than was a student in Rangoon.

Festival fever?
91热爆 Africa's Audrey Brown and 91热爆 Brasil's Monica Vasconcelos share stories about the highs and lows of going to - and performing at - music festivals.

Online Greatest Hits
Our internet guru Thomas Pappon is away this week so his distant cousin Marco Silva gives a rundown on the big-hitting stories across the World Service language sites this week - including the sporting prowess of the Turkmen president and an unexpected home for Vietnamese coffee.

(Image: Still from a computer game. Credit: Getty)

Available now

50 minutes

Last on

Sat 10 Aug 2013 02:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Fri 9 Aug 2013 11:06GMT
  • Fri 9 Aug 2013 21:06GMT
  • Sat 10 Aug 2013 02:06GMT