Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

09/05/2012

A CIA insider foiled the al-Qaeda underwear bomb plot, nine men are convicted of abusing girls, author of Where the Wild Things Are dies aged 83, Angry Birds make lots of cash.

Rhod Sharp with stories from around the world.

As nine men are convicted of abusing girls in Greater Manchester, we try to find out how widespread the crime is. Anne Marie Carrie from Barnado's says they deal with children of all ages and in every social group. She tells us the children are given mobile phones as gifts, which the men then use to control and manipulate their lives.

Reports from the USA suggest that a CIA agent infiltrated the al-Qaeda Yemen cell to get hold of the new underpants bomb and take it back to America. Michael Scheuer, the former chief of the CIA's Bin Laden unit, tells u he thinks the reports are likely to be accurate. He thinks the insider will now have to hide for the rest of his life, but he will be well paid for his troubles.

There have been calls for much tougher measures to combat America's obesity crisis, including changes to the way towns are built and even a soda tax. Christine Economos from the Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts University in Massachusetts says that zoning laws may need to change too, so that people and cycle more often.

Maurice Sendak, the author of Where the Wild Things Are, has died aged 83. We speak to Geri Diorio, who works at the library in Maurice Sendak's home town of Ridgefield in Connecticut. She says that, although kids loved him, he didn't visit the library but donated books for their shelves.

And Angry Birds are getting very rich. Rovio Entertainment, the company behind the game, has been valued at more than five billion pounds. Technology expert Asif Khan tells us that throwing birds at egg-stealing pigs is something that many of us find hard to resist.

4 hours

Last on

Wed 9 May 2012 01:00

Broadcast

  • Wed 9 May 2012 01:00

World Football Phone-In

Expert answers to your questions in World Football

5 live Science

The hottest science news, stories and analysis with Dr Karl

Let's Talk About Tech

Technology, gaming and web news