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The Thought Show: Live 8 the G8 and Making Poverty History

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Live 8 the G8 and Making Poverty History

23/07/2015

BBC World Service - The Thought Show, Live 8 the G8 and Making Poverty History

How have the poorest countries have fared in the decade since the Gleneagles agreement?

How the poorest countries have fared since Gleneagles, why a mobile phone theft triggered racial violence, and the  why we choke under pressure?

It is ten years since some of the world’s richest nations agreed in Gleneagles, Scotland, to  improve trade with developing nations, increase aid, and to wipe the debt of some of the poorest countries. The agreement followed Live 8’s Make Poverty History. Wesley Stephenson and the More or Less team look at what has been achieved.

BBC Trending finds out why the arrest of two men  from the ethnic Malay majority for allegedly stealing a mobile phone triggered what some are calling a ‘riot’ in Kuala Lumpur, fuelled by a furore on social media. We also hear how a semicolon is being used as a symbol of support for those dealing with mental health issues, and look into the role of amateur mental health advice blogs. Ged Flynn, from suicide prevention charity Papyrus, discusses the pros and cons of sites run by untrained volunteers.

In the Why Factor, the writer and Olympian Matthew Syed recalls how he blew it big time at the Sydney 2000 games. Despite being a GB medal prospect in table tennis, he was thrashed by an opponent he had beaten many times before. He choked. Ever since, he has been keen to understand why sometimes the brain robs an individual of their ability at the vital moment.

(Image: Fans at Live Earth Sydney. Credit: Getty Images)

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