Father mourns child killed in Channel crossing

Hello. Last week, Andrew Harding reported on what he saw on the northern coast of France - people scrambling to get on an inflatable boat, hoping to cross the Channel to reach the UK. Five people died in the stampede, including a seven-year old girl named Sara. Today we're hearing from Sara's grieving father, Ahmed. From BBC World Service, Stephanie Hegarty writes about her colleagues working in exile, and why their number is increasing. More news is coming from Saudi Arabia, Russia and Ghana.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

A spike in journalists in exile

BBC Pashto's Shazia Haya used to report from Afghanistan. Credit: BBC

The number of BBC World Service journalists working in exile is estimated to have nearly doubled, to 310, since 2020. Many face jail sentences, death threats and harassment, both on and offline.

What has changed since 2020?

When the Taliban took control in Afghanistan in August 2021, the BBC pulled most of its team out of the country. Female staff were no longer allowed to work, while their male colleagues also faced threats. In 2022, after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia introduced a new censorship law, meaning anyone criticising the war could be prosecuted. BBC Russian has moved its Moscow team to Latvia.

What is it like for an exiled journalist?

Ten BBC Persian staff recently learned they had been sentenced to a year in prison in their absence. "I watch my back," says BBC Persian correspondent Jiyar Gol. He hasn't been to Iran since 2007. When he enters a room now, he says he looks for an escape route. Since his wife died of cancer four years ago, he has become more cautious. "If something happened to me, what will happen to my daughter? That's something that's really in the back of my mind all the time," he says.

What's the broader situation like?

Jodie Ginsburg, from the Committee to Protect Journalists, says the number of exiled journalists it offers financial and legal support to has increased by 225% in the past three years. "We've got near record number of journalists in jail, the killing of journalists has reached a high not seen since 2015," she adds.

THE BIG PICTURE

Russia flaunts its captured Western tanks

This US-manufactured Abrams tank captured during fighting in Ukraine drew big crowds in Moscow. Credit: BBC

An open-air exhibition has opened in Victory Park, Moscow's complex dedicated to the Soviet Union's World War Two campaigns. But on display this time are Western vehicles captured during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Steve Rosenberg walks us through the rows of tanks - and Moscow's ulterior motives.

And finally... in Ghana

Looted artefacts from the Asante kingdom are on display in Ghana, 150 years after British colonisers took them. The Victoria & Albert Museum is lending 17 pieces while 15 are from the British Museum, on a three-year loan that could be extended. Take a look at the exhibition.