5 Live News Specials

5 Live listeners tell us how they are feeling as COP26 gets underway in Glasgow.The UK is hosting the climate change summit amid mounting concern among scientists that countries are not doing enough to limit the emissions of greenhouse gases, which have caused average global temperatures to rise.The 2015 Paris climate conference called for average temperatures to rise by well below 2C, and preferably only 1.5C, when compared to pre-industrial averages.World leaders have started arriving at the venue in the city - which has officially become United Nations territory - ahead of the summit's opening at midday. Later, they will make statements setting out what their countries are doing on climate change.

In the second part of 5 Live’s ‘Word Matters’ series you’ll hear personal stories from those affected by poor literacy and how being given access to learning is benefitting their lives, including those in prison or serving in the military.

On Tuesday 11 September 2001 suicide attackers seized US passenger jets and crashed them into two New York skyscrapers, killing thousands of people.The attack remains one of the most traumatic events of the century, not only for Americans but also for the world.For Brian Leavey, it was the day he lost his father. Joseph Leavey was one of the 343 fire fighters who died on the day. Brian was 16 at the time. 20 years on, Brian tells 5 Live's Nihal Arthanayake about how he dealt with his father's death, reflects on his bravery, and explains how he now supports other fatherless children and victims of terrorism.

Fatima travelled from London to Kabul on a family emergency just before the Taliban took over Afghanistan. Now she is trapped with her elderly mother and disabled brother, hiding in a friends house in the Afghan capital. Afraid the Taliban will kill her, she is desperate to get out and return to the UK.This interview was originally broadcast on 5 Live's Stephen Nolan programme and is part of the 'Voices of Afghanistan' mini-series.

Obaidullah, who lives in Afghanistan, thinks his country must engage with the Taliban and will not leave his home. Obaidullah Baheer is a lecturer at a University in Afghanistan. He believes the only way forward for his country is to talk to the Taliban and forge a future for his country. The Taliban have taken over Afghanistan and are in the process of setting up a government. Obaidullah Baheer is a lecturer at a University in the capital Kabul. He believes the only way to secure the future of Afghanistan is to engage in dialogue with the Taliban. Here he tells Stephen Nolan about his father, who he says was tortured by the CIA, and explains that he has no intention of leaving his homeland.This interview was originally broadcast on 5 Live's Stephen Nolan and is part of the 'Voices of Afghanistan' mini-series.

Arefa and her sister escaped Afghanistan from Kabul airport before American forces withdrew from the country. Although she and her sister were “physically” safe in the UK, mentally she was “not in a good state” knowing other family members and friends remained in Kabul. She speaks to 5 Live’s Naga Munchetty about leaving her old life behind, her hopes for studying International Human Rights Law, and why he is still haunted by a desperate call she received from a mother whose 14-year-old daughter had been taken as a wife by Taliban fighters. This interview was originally broadcast on Naga Munchetty’s 5 Live show and is part of the 'Voices of Afghanistan' mini-series.

Peymana Assad came to Britain as a child refugee and went on to become the first person of Afghan origin to be elected to UK office. She had spent the month visiting family and friends in Kabul when news of the Taliban takeover broke. Speaking to 5 Live’s Colin Murray, she describes the terrifying journey to the airport, after a panicked neighbour warned her if she did not leave immediately, she would not be able to leave. Along the way, she was told by a shopkeeper: “If the Taliban catch you, they will kill you. You better start running faster.”This interview was originally broadcast on Colin Murray’s 5 Live show and is part of the 'Voices of Afghanistan' mini-series.

Siyar Sirat is an Afghan journalist based in Kabul at TOLO news. After an “unimaginable” five days of waiting, Siyar and his family had just made it through the gates and into Kabul airport when he spoke to 5 Live’s Tony Livesey. Siyar describes the pain of having to leave his extended family and colleagues behind, and the ordeal his family faced trying to get to the airport to escape. This interview was originally broadcast on 5 Live Drive and is part of the 'Voices of Afghanistan' mini-series.

They were born into a world where homosexuality was a criminal offence. They lived through the AIDs pandemic and saw friends and lovers die. So how does it feel to now grow old in the LGBT+ community?5 Live’s Nihal Arthanayake talks to Chris, Bernard and Penny about their experiences of getting older within the LGBT+ community.

BBC presenter Naga Munchetty hears from women who have experienced pain during medical procedures.She also opens up about her own “traumatic experience” of having an IUD, known commonly as the ‘coil’, fitted. The programme also hears from Dawn Harper, from Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies, who has fitted many IUDs and says “most women don’t experience” pain like Naga’s. She explains how local anaesthetics can be used.

Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, uses her profile to raise awareness of rape in warfare. She speaks to 5 Live’s Naga Munchetty about the work and how it affects her. She also talks openly about grieving for the Duke of Edinburgh and how she has survived lockdown life.

In a special programme, 5 Live hears from people across the UK as they tell their stories about struggling to read and write.To find out more about our project on adult literacy, go to http://bbc.co.uk/wordmatters

An Israeli teen and a young Palestinian talk to each other. Tamar, 17 from Israel and Mohammed, 20, who lives in Gaza spoke to 5 Live’s Stephen Nolan and each other about their view of the conflict and their hopes for peace. Tamar, who had never spoken to someone from Palestine before said: "we’re all human at the end of the day", she went on to say "if the people talk to each other we can maybe find a solution we can maybe end this conflict”. Mohammed, who had also never spoken to an Israeli admitted, “She changes the image that I have about Israeli people… because from what I see Israeli soldiers are always bombing us”. This conversation first went out on BBC Radio 5 Live Stephen Nolan on 15 May, 2021.

A former military drone pilot says he has been left with PTSD after being put at risk of "psychological harm" for years on end while viewing "utterly horrific" things on screen. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Adrian Chiles, ‘Rob’ (not his real name) also said he became suicidal due to the way the armed forces dealt with his request for mental help. Rob was a member of 13 Squadron until 2017, a specialist team within the Royal Air Force which operate unmanned drone aircraft from a military base in the UK. The Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, or Reaper, was first used by the UK in Afghanistan in 2008 for surveillance, and later fitted with weapons. By March 2015 the UK had carried out some 70 drone strikes against so-called Islamic State (IS) targets in Iraq.The MOD issued this statement, ‘‘We do not recognise the allegations made with respect to the working environment on our Reaper Squadrons. The RAF actively manages Reaper Force crews to ensure that their workload is manageable, sustainable and balanced, al

As we approach the anniversary of the first UK lockdown, 5 Live listeners share their stories about their final days of 'normal life. Nicky Campbell hears from people around the UK who lost relatives, found family and long to see their new-born grandchildren.

Tony Livesey and Anna Foster take a detailed look at the many issues around the safety of women after the death of Sarah Everard. Her disappearance, the debate surrounding the policing of vigils to remember her and how we move forward to make women feel safer are all discussed. If you are affected by any issues in this podcast, you can find support and advice on the BBC's Action Line website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/

Nicky Campbell asks do you feel safe going about your business? The investigation into Sarah Everard's disappearance has left us talking more about women's safety.If you are affected by any issues in this podcast, you can find support and advice on the BBC's Action Line website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/

Naga Munchetty speaks to Dame Barbara Woodward, Britain's permanent representative to the United Nations, about what it’s like to negotiate with hostage-takers, her view on Harry and Meghan’s interview and whether they serve up those chocolates at ambassadors’ parties.

Nicky Campbell asks if it's time to have a proper conversation about our mental health after the Meghan and Harry interview and the reaction to it?If you are affected by any issues in this podcast, you can find support and advice on the BBC's Action Line website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/

5 Live's Naga Munchetty has been speaking to Col, Marie and Thelma (not their real names), who have 12 children in the care system. They've been helped by projects run by Pause charity which works with women who have had multiple children taken away. The women agree to take a long-acting contraceptive and get intensive help for their own problems.If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can find support and advice at bbc.co.uk/actionline.