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True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives

True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives.

Outlook: Rocket Builder, Greek Hero, Activist

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24/05/2015

Rocket Builder, Greek Hero, Activist

BBC World Service - Outlook, Rocket Builder, Greek Hero, Activist

Kenyan Rocket Builder, Greek who Saved Drowning Migrants, Murdered Activist

A Kenyan shopkeeper with a passion for rockets; the man who saved 20 migrants from drowning; Mahenaz Mahmud, mother of murdered Pakistani activist Sabeen

Mahenaz Mehmud is a teacher from Pakistan, and less than a month ago, she saw her daughter, Sabeen, murdered in front of her eyes. Forty year old Sabeen was a passionate supporter of free speech, and ran a café in Karachi called T2F where people would meet to discuss politics, society, issues, and rights. She had just finished chairing a panel discussion about Balochistan, a province where separatists have fought a bitter insurgency for years, and it was as Sabeen and Mahenaz were driving home when a gunman fired several shots at Sabeen. Her murder was the latest in a series of attacks on liberal activists, and outraged many. Mahenaz speaks publicly for the first time about her daughter's murder, Sabeen's more private side - and her unusual take on life. 

Antonis Deligiorgis has been given an award for bravery after he saved twenty migrants from drowning off the coast of the island of Rhodes. The Greek Army sergeant went back into the sea repeatedly after the boat which was carrying 93 people hit rocks and began to capsize. A photograph of him rescuing a young Eritrean woman was shown around the world. Antonis told Matthew Bannister when he first realised something was wrong. 

Twenty seven year old Eugene Awimbo is a shopkeeper from Kenya. But since his teenage years, Eugene has been using his spare cash to fund his hobby -  rocket building. Eugene has built rockets that are several metres tall and he's aiming to get one into orbit. Eugene joined us from our Nairobi studio. 

Four years after the tsunami hit the north-east coast of Japan killing thousands of people, one man is still searching for his wife's remains. He's even learned to dive to help with his quest. Yuko Takamatsu worked for a bank and was in her office when the wave struck. Her husband Yasuo and the couple's two children survived, while Yuko is presumed to have died. Outlook reporter Hiromi Tanoue went to visit Yasuo at his home in Onagawa.

Last time the rock band U2 went on the road back in 2009, the massive production grossed over half a billion pounds - more than any other rock tour ever. Now they're at it again, but this time they've gone back to basics. They're aiming to remind fans that for all their money and celebrity U2 are still four guys who grew up in the suburbs of Dublin. The band's lead singer Bono talked to the BBC's Kirsty Lang.

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