Weekend Break

Bonus podcast episode: this week's Newhour Extra podcast. Given the troubles that Kenya and many other African countries have had with elections, Owen Bennett Jones and a panel of experts discuss whether democracy is working for Africa. The Weekend Break podcast feed has come to an end.

(Photo of voter's marked finger in Kenyan election by Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images)

The Dawn Chorus: why do birds do it? Also the sport of Tower Running: Athlete Mark Bourne has just made it up 91 floors in just over 11 minutes.

Presenter Julian Worricker with guests Erica Wagner and Colleen Graffy.

The new book questioning stereotypes around Muslim women. And how a Chinese author discovered her grandmother's early life as a prostitute. Presenter Anu Anand discusses these topics with guests Jenny Kleeman, British author and documentary film-maker and Stefanie Bolzen, London and UK correspondent for Germany's Die Welt newspaper.

Why lunch hours are mainly a thing of the past for office workers. And a new book which presents a history of squatting - the occupation of unused properties - in the West. Presenter Julian Worricker discusses these topics with guests, Catherine Mayer, journalist, author and co-founder of the Women's Equality Party in the UK and Victoria Rubadiri, Kenyan television reporter and presenter for the NTV channel.

An ongoing study tracks the English-language words that are no longer being spoken in the UK. And a new documentary film about an Iraqi male nurse trapped by the fight against so-called Islamic State. Presenter Paul Henley discusses these topics with guests Dayo Forster, Gambian-born financial consultant and novelist based in the UK and Gareth McLean, British writer and journalist.

The technique that's been proven to help us super-size our powers of memory. And why the distinctive smells of a city could be an important factor in dealing with air pollution. Presenter Julian Worricker discusses these topics with guests Lisa Millar, London bureau chief for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Gad Shimron, Israeli author, journalist and former Mossad intelligence service agent.

"Have You Got a Job Yet?" Questions Parents Ask by the Shanghai Rainbow Chamber Singers, and the London Symphony Orchestra on food, sounds and performing in Hanoi. Presenter: Anu Anand with guests Kat Arney and Oliver McTernan.