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Boston Calling: Turning Point

Turning Point

23/01/2016 GMT

BBC World Service - Boston Calling, Turning Point

French comedian Gad Elmaleh leaves fame, fortune and French behind

If you live in the French-speaking world, you've probably heard of Gad Elmaleh. He's a Moroccan-French comedian whose sell-out shows fill arena-sized venues. But Elmaleh recently left all that behind to pursue a stand-up career in the US. He tells us about the jokes that got lost in translation. Then: the famed Ringling Brothers circus will be phasing out the use of elephants in its shows. We find out why and hear how the move might reverberate around the globe. 

Also: a transgender US soldier tells us why her superiors insist she is called ‘Sir’. We learn about a medical breakthrough that could be key to stopping one of the planet’s deadliest infections: cryptococcal meningitis. And, we have look at the alarmingly high rate of infant mortality in the United States. Plus, three Mexican women blazing a trail in the red-hot mezcal industry.

Image: The comedian and actor Gad Elmaleh. (Credit: Caroline Lessire)

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