votes are being counted in mexico in the biggest election in the country's history. more than 21,000 seats are being contested for mayors, state legislators and the entire lower house of congress, where the party of president 0brador is hoping to retain its two—thirds majority. israeli forces have fired stun grenades as they released two palestinians who campaigned against the threatened eviction of families in the sheikh jarrah neighbourhood of occupied east jerusalem. twins muna and mohammed al kurd were detained on sunday morning. they have used social media to bring the issue to public attention. meghan markle and prince harry have announced they've had their second child — a baby girl who they've named after queen elizabeth and princess diana. lilibet diana mountbatten—windsor was born on friday morning in santa barbara, california, where the duke and duchess of sussex now live.

now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. much has been said and written about covid—19. by politicians, scientists and healthcare professionals across the world. but what about the voices of those hit hard by the disease, the patients for whom it was very nearly a death sentence? i guessed today is one of them, a hugely successful writer and educator, michael rosen, whose three memoir is dark, sad, uplifting and funny, all at once. how does he find the poetic in a pandemic?

michael rosen, in your london home, welcome to hardtalk. thanks for having me, stephen. thanks for having me, stephen. thank you. it is a great pleasure to have you, not least because i am very well aware that not so very long ago you went through a ghastly near death experience, thanks to covid—i9. it clearly has not sucked your creative juices but why on earth would you want to revisit that dark period by writing about it? i revisit that dark period by writing about it?- revisit that dark period by writing about it? i think it is a matter— writing about it? i think it is a matter of— writing about it? i think it is a matter of compulsion, - a matter of compulsion, stephen. i think that anybody who is in the arts, you find that whatever medium you work in, you need to express yourself through it so if i was a painter or a dancer or a musician, abi would have expressed my feelings about

what happened through those media but because i'm a writer, i found that after i came out of hospital, that's after three months in hospital and a couple of weeks before that being very ill, the first thing i wanted to do was put some words down on the page. 0ne to do was put some words down on the page. one word after another, one line after another, one line after another, just finding out what had happened, what i thought about what had happened, and how i felt at that very moment that i was sitting there with a pen in my hand.— pen in my hand. very interesting _ pen in my hand. very interesting that - pen in my hand. very interesting that you | pen in my hand. very. interesting that you put pen in my hand. very- interesting that you put it that way, finding out what had happened, because for a significant number of days you had no idea what was happening to you— you were unconscious, in induced coma. i guess you have had to retrace that time through dock is, nurses, your own close family, who sort of told you what they were going through and by extension what you are going through —— doctors. you are going through -- doctore— you are going through -- doctors. , ., , ., doctors. exactly, iwas in that induced coma _ doctors. exactly, iwas in that induced coma for— doctors. exactly, iwas in that induced coma for 40 days. . doctors. exactly, i was in that. induced coma for 40 days. and induced coma for a0 days. and so we talk about being unconscious and conscious as if

they are two very different things, when i piece it together, there's the period for maybe the next ten days where i was coming out of that coma and then another whole period where i can see now, looking back on it, my mind was woozy and i did not know what was going on and even if i thought i did know what was going on, i think quite quickly forgot it so my wife emma would say to me "you were in a coma" and i would go "yes!" as if i understood it and a day later, i would say to her "what did you say and when was this?" and basically it was all of april and a good chunk of money so it kind of disappeared. you have —— a good chunk of may. you -- a good chunk of may. you have written _ -- a good chunk of may. you have written very _ —— a good chunk of may. you have written very medically —— very movingly about death before when you lost your son eddie when i believe he was 18 and he then wrote a book about that experience. but when this was your own death that you are confronting, did it in some ways surprise you, some of the

feelings you had because you were aware does not think the doctor told you as you will put into the coma there was only a 50% chance he would wake up again so did your own feelings about death surprise you? yes. i mean, about death surprise you? yes. i mean. at _ about death surprise you? yes. i mean, at that _ about death surprise you? yes. i mean, at that stage, - about death surprise you? yes. i mean, at that stage, you - i mean, at that stage, you reminded me that the doctor did say that, he said we're going to put you to sleep and i asked him whether i would wake up and he said well, you have a 50—50 chance. and i said and if i don't, if you don't put me to sleep. he said zero. and i remember thinking at that moment, i welcome a 50—50, that's quite a good, well, that's quite a good, well, that's not bad odds, is it, really? because i think i was so lightheaded with the lack of oxygen in my body. so at that moment, i did not think about death, ijust thought moment, i did not think about death, i just thought well, moment, i did not think about death, ijust thought well, i stand a good chance of waking up. very good! let's do it! i mean, it's quite comical, really. when i look back on it i feel a really. when i look back on it ifeel a kind of strange really. when i look back on it i feel a kind of strange chill really that it was really touch and go. and that's how it turned out, in actualfact. a2%

of my intensive care ward did actually die while i was in there so it was 58—a2. but afterwards, as i was coming to realise what had happened, i did indeed, ithought realise what had happened, i did indeed, i thought about eddie and i thought about my mum and dad and i thought what do i know about death? what do any of us know about it? and that states, that medium state of not being dead and sort of not being alive, well, kind of a live, i did think about that, yes, a lot. a live, i did think about that, yes. a lot-— yes, a lot. did spirituality come into _ yes, a lot. did spirituality come into it? _ yes, a lot. did spirituality come into it? did - yes, a lot. did spirituality come into it? did you - yes, a lot. did spirituality| come into it? did you sort yes, a lot. did spirituality i come into it? did you sort of perhaps feel more than you might have expected, a higher power or anything beyond yourself? h0 power or anything beyond yourself?— power or anything beyond ourself? ., ., ., ., ., yourself? no no, not at all, not at any _ yourself? no no, not at all, not at any point. _ yourself? no no, not at all, not at any point. so, - yourself? no no, not at all, not at any point. so, if- yourself? no no, not at all, not at any point. so, if i, i yourself? no no, not at all, not at any point. so, if i, if| not at any point. so, if i, if you like, interpret spirituality as thinking about the thing, the spirit, if you like, inside us that keeps us alive, we could be technical about hearts and brains and

blood circulation and so on, but the sense of will and purpose, then yes, i didn't think a lot about that. but i never thought about, as you put it, a kind of being or a power outside of myself, no. i never did think along those lines. that's not in my belief system and it did not come to me at any point. i did have very strange dreams and i did well on mythology. but that's slightly different.- on mythology. but that's slightly different. yeah, i want to come _ slightly different. yeah, i want to come back - slightly different. yeah, i want to come back to - slightly different. yeah, i l want to come back to your belief systems, later, michael, in this conversation but for now, i want to keep you back in the spring of 2020, in the hospital, and as you say in this sort of half world, not quite living, not dead. at that particular time, you were very isolated because it was the pandemic, you could not see loved ones, they could not visit you and you are very reliant on the doctors and nurses and you again, you have reflect a lot on that and on

their role in your saving of life, basically, and it also resonates with things you've written before about the british national health service?— british national health service? . british national health service? , ., service? yes, indeed. i mean, it occurred _ service? yes, indeed. i mean, it occurred to _ service? yes, indeed. i mean, it occurred to me, _ service? yes, indeed. i mean, it occurred to me, as - service? yes, indeed. i mean, it occurred to me, as i - service? yes, indeed. i mean, it occurred to me, as i was - it occurred to me, as i was sort of coming out of this thing and trying to understand what had happened and the way in which nurses were treating me right then and there that i was conscious of, and in particular looking at what's called a patient diary. i can lift it up there so you can see it. and you can see it is just an exercise book and it has patient diary typed on the front. this is what nurses wrote to me after their night shift or indeed after the day shift or indeed after the day shift and they would write it in the form of letters to you, michael, hello michael, and signed off wholly or whoever. this is so moving because they are describing what they are doing and quite technical terms about suctioning my secretions and things like that, but at the same time full of personal

detail and saying how we are rooting for you and we want you to do this and one nurse says how she knows i support arsenal football club and she supports a club called derby and i'd turn away and another one says how my arms have been flailing around in the bed. and all the time, wishing me well, you know? almost compelling me to get better. even though i'm completely unconscious. and i started to think about this and i thought they were using all of their knowledge and skills and everything, all of their training, everything they have been trained to do, but they are going the extra mile, they are going the extra mile, they are doing something that we as parents do when we have six children and we give them the medicines that we give them and we strike them and we sing to them and we talk to them —— sick children —— stroke. they were saying we were holding your hand. why? because of the level of care. whatever worked. and i began to think they were behaving like parents and then

i said but then my parents someone left with this incredible feeling. michael, if ou incredible feeling. michael, if you would. — incredible feeling. michael, if you would. i'd _ incredible feeling. michael, if you would, i'd like _ incredible feeling. michael, if you would, i'd like you - incredible feeling. michael, if you would, i'd like you to - incredible feeling. michael, if| you would, i'd like you to read one particular poem because of course, you are a poet and a writer and there is one poem he wrote long before the pandemic at the world, it's called these other hands and it was written to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the creation of the nhs i think back in 2008 but people right around the world would love to hear this short poem because it captures something very important about the way in which healthcare workers give of themselves to keep people like you and your condition alive at the worst of times. would you read it for us? . times. would you read it for us? , ., ., , , times. would you read it for us? , ., ., ,, us? these other hands but touch us? these other hands but touch us first, fill— us? these other hands but touch us first, fill your _ us? these other hands but touch us first, fill your head, _ us? these other hands but touch us first, fill your head, find - us first, fill your head, find the pulse, and make your bed. these other hands that tap your back, test the skin, hold your arm, will the bin. change the bulb, fix the drip, pour the

drug, replace your hip. these other hands that fill the bath, mop the floor, flick the switch, sue the saw. burn the swabs, give us a jab, throughout sharp's, designed the lab. —— throughout sharp's. and these are the hands that stop the leaks, empty the pan, wipe the pipes, carry the can. clamp the veins, make the cast, log the dose and touch us last. hmm. touch us last, that's quite a last line. what do you feel you have lost, michael, as a result of this terrible experience you went through because it is pretty much a year ago now but i know physically you describe yourself as recovering rather than recovered. what have you lost, both physically and may

be mentally as well?- be mentally as well? well, physically. _ be mentally as well? well, physically. i've _ be mentally as well? well, physically, i've lost - be mentally as well? well, physically, i've lost most i be mentally as well? well, | physically, i've lost most of the site in this i, my left eye. it's fogged. and most of the hearing in my left ear. because one of the things that covid does is it mucks around with our circulation and blood systems so i got micro bleeds in my brain as well as blood clots in my lungs. so i've lost that. i've lost most of the feeling in my toes. i have numb toes. and the other things i've lost is my sense of balance. i do suffer from dizziness or vertigo, whatever you want to call it. so i have to kind of accommodate that so that covers the physical side, one year on. and a bit of exhaustion, every now and then i thought ofjust flake out, as we say, sometimes and just lie down on the sofa and just lie down on the sofa and go to sleep for half—an—hour. but mentally, i guess i've lost things like a certain kind of frivolity, a certain kind of frivolity, a

certain kind of maybe a bit of my sense of humour? i don't know. . , ., my sense of humour? i don't know. ., , ., my sense of humour? i don't know. ., . know. have you lost confidence, michael, do _ know. have you lost confidence, michael, do you _ know. have you lost confidence, michael, do you think? - know. have you lost confidence, michael, do you think? yes, - know. have you lost confidence, michael, do you think? yes, i i michael, do you think? yes, i think a bit. — michael, do you think? yes, i think a bit, but _ michael, do you think? yes, i think a bit, but is _ michael, do you think? yes, i think a bit, but is partly - michael, do you think? yes, i think a bit, but is partly the i think a bit, but is partly the balance thing. the balance is very disturbing because you walk across the room and suddenly you think the wall is coming towards you all the floor is coming towards you and even though your head is saying no, it isn't, sort of feels like that, you know, so whoa! and it sort of locks me because in my other life, i do sometimes do performances in schools and theatres for children mostly. and that involves standing about and sometimes running about, waving my arms about, and i don't think i'd have the confidence to do that without thinking i might fall over and cause ——of course the children might find that very funny because it is a pratfall, as we find it in the business, but i would think no, i don't need to do that, so yes, ifeela bit i don't need to do that, so yes, ifeel a bit edgy i don't need to do that, so yes, i feel a bit edgy about it. ~ ., yes, i feel a bit edgy about it. . ., ., yes, i feel a bit edgy about it. what about anger? because ou have it. what about anger? because you have commented - it. what about anger? because you have commented quite - it. what about anger? because you have commented quite a i it. what about anger? because l you have commented quite a lot in the last few weeks and

months, yourfeelings in the last few weeks and months, your feelings about the way that the british government handled the british covid crisis. does angerfuel handled the british covid crisis. does anger fuel you right now?— crisis. does anger fuel you riiht now? , , right now? yes, partly. there is some anger. _ right now? yes, partly. there is some anger. so, _ right now? yes, partly. there is some anger. so, you - right now? yes, partly. there| is some anger. so, you know, right now? yes, partly. there i is some anger. so, you know, as you try to sort of tease out the various elements that i feel, some of it is distress and some of it is sadness and some of it is regret, there is anger in there too and i don't think that the government behaved properly at the very time i was getting the infection. i think they were basically working on a kind of no policy principle which has been called heard immunity without vaccination so people were meeting, there were spreaders, as they called them —— herd. football matches and so on. pop concerts. and no restrictions in schools, where i was visiting. i visited arsenal football club twice with full, packed ground. just in the period where i must�*ve

got ill and i even came into the bbc did or programme. with no restrictions on the doors or anything like that. so there was no sense in those first two weeks in march in this country that there was anything particular to worry about. there was the talk about washing hands but no idea of social distancing, no idea of closing down any of these mass spreading events and i believe the atletico madrid fans came in from spain to i think to liverpool, if i'm right, right in the time as well so this is all very worrying and it has not been unpicked yet. tut, not been unpicked yet. a pandemic is a collective experience, in many ways. are just wonder what you think it has taught us about the cohesion, the bonds that bind a society like that in britain? i felt, severaltimes, society like that in britain? i felt, several times, that some of those bonds had been broken. i felt, of those bonds had been broken. ifelt, even before i got el and just as i was getting ill

that there was a sense that if this illness was largely affecting attacking and indeed killing people over the age of 70 that somehow or other this mattered less than if it was attacking people under the age of 70. �* ., , . ., attacking people under the age of70.�* .,, . ., ., of 70. and to be clear, you are over 70? _ of 70. and to be clear, you are over 70? yes _ of 70. and to be clear, you are over 70? yes indeed, - of 70. and to be clear, you are over 70? yes indeed, i - of 70. and to be clear, you are over 70? yes indeed, i was - of 70. and to be clear, you are over 70? yes indeed, i was 73| over 70? yes indeed, i was 73 when i got _ over 70? yes indeed, i was 73 when i got el— over 70? yes indeed, i was 73 when i got el and _ over 70? yes indeed, i was 73 when i got el and i'm - over 70? yes indeed, i was 73 when i got el and i'm 75 - over 70? yes indeed, i was 73 when i got el and i'm 75 now, | when i got el and i'm 75 now, so i head this, in a variety of ways are perceived as either by comments that you just heard people saying well i'm young or somebody saying, well, it does only seem to be, only, that keyword, only seem to be affect being older people, old people. and indeed i head and interchange with a journalist who is quite famous in this country who, when she was rather delightedly leaping on the fact there was a report that some people had what we call long covid, post covid syndrome, what i have got in other words, saying that there descriptions were lowered and she was rather pleased about this, so i said on one social

media platform, oh yes, i wasn't really ill, i was just hiding under the table and she replied yes, we know you were ill, michael, but you are 7a, or 73. and i thought, what is but about being 7a? we are just this "but", whether these words come from in describing older people so i felt alarmed by that and they still feel alarmed by it. you talk about the bonds. welcome one of the most sacred bonds in society goes from the cradle to the grave which is sort of what i was suggesting in the poem that i've read, we bind ourselves together and a day and a life of an eight—year—old is no less valid than a day in the life of a five—year—old or a 20—year—old. a five-year-old or a 20-year-old. a five-year-old or a 20- ear-old. ., ,, a five-year-old or a 20- ear-old. . ~ ., 20-year-old. thankfully you are still writing. _ 20-year-old. thankfully you are still writing, you _ 20-year-old. thankfully you are still writing, you are _ 20-year-old. thankfully you are still writing, you are still- still writing, you are still writing children's fiction, you are well known across the world for having written one of the most popular kids books of all

time, we are going on a bear hunt, which the last time you checked i think it sold more than 8 million copies. you have had time to reflect on something that you have written about and talked about a lot which is, you feel that the education system is failing to inject enough sort of fun and engagement with books amongst today's generation of kids. words and books are your lifeblood and themes you feel that school is failing to make words and books accessible and fun for kids. why and what can be done about it?— fun for kids. why and what can be done about it? well, i think that in this _ be done about it? well, i think that in this country, _ that in this country, particularly in england, that particularly in england, that part of the united kingdom, there been an overemphasis on testing and the kind of testing as summits of testing, the testing that comes at the end of a period of study and it is high stakes testing, in other

words it is government run and centralised and then it is used in order to grade schools in a league table. this put enormous pressure on teachers and then in turn on the students, whether they are six —year—olds, eight —year—olds, 11 —year—olds or when the real big blow comes at 16, and what this does it have an effect of narrowing the curriculum, forcing teachers, largely against their will, to teach to the test, so this squeezes out a lot of what i at call open interpretation, in the subjects that i'm interested in, open interpretation, forms of free thinking and indeed invention, so interpretation, investigation, i find are so interpretation, investigation, ifind are being squeezed. teachers are doing brilliantly and wonderfully in finding ways so that their lives and their work is not restricted in the way that i have just described, restricted in the way that i havejust described, but restricted in the way that i have just described, but it is a struggle... 50 have just described, but it is a struggle---_ have just described, but it is a struggle... so you are kind of suggesting. _

a struggle... so you are kind of suggesting, what, - a struggle... so you are kind i of suggesting, what, education has become far too utilitarian? all about test, the mechanics of passing and regular assessments, but i wonder if there is something else going on as well which is not about schools and teaching but the way in which we live our lives? we see two and three —year—olds now who have become used to swiping with their fingers on screens. with the primary school kids who have smart phones. could that be something to do with the fact children aren't engaging with books, perhaps, in the way that they used to? it perhaps, in the way that they used to? . ., , perhaps, in the way that they usedto? , a ._ used to? it could be. actually, the description _ used to? it could be. actually, the description you _ used to? it could be. actually, the description you have - used to? it could be. actually, the description you have just i the description you have just given, i've seen toddlers in their buggies with phones and looking at things in one sort or another. there is a very strange thing going on culturally speaking which is we are giving children a level of autonomy, we could argue how much it is but even so, handing them things like screens and playing with them and so on at the very same moment as classrooms are in a sense being asked, whether they do it or not is another matter, but being asked to close down and

being asked to close down and be much more going back to forms of instruction that i was familiar with in the 19505 of teacher talking, passing on information, demanding that these students immediately absorb it and then immediately produce results in forms of prete5t5 before the real test, and all this is a form of, a5 and all this is a form of, as i've said before, a form of summative te5ting. i'm totally in favour of children being assessed but there are other a55e55ed but there are other ways of doing it, what we call formative a55e55ment, where what we do is engage with students in order to find out what they know, what they don't know, as part of a process that you do as you go along. aha, know, as part of a process that you do as you go along.- you do as you go along. a final thou:ht, you do as you go along. a final thought. that _ you do as you go along. a final thought, that is _ you do as you go along. a final thought, that is prompted - you do as you go along. a final thought, that is prompted by l thought, that is prompted by something that you wrote about just a short time ago. you described how an old friend asked you if you see the world differently now and i think your response then was yes but i'm not quite sure how. well, you've probably had a few more weeks and months to think about it. can you now say how you see

the world differently after your experiences of the last 18 months? it your experiences of the last 18 months? . , your experiences of the last 18 months? , , , ., , months? it feels very unstable. i will say that. _ months? it feels very unstable. i will say that, and _ months? it feels very unstable. i will say that, and it _ months? it feels very unstable. i will say that, and it feels - i will say that, and it feels unstable in the way in which people have taken up many conspiracy theories, both about this pandemic, look at the words that have been invented, scamdemic. funny in its own way, but it wasn't funny for me. a witty neologi5m. is not feel5 unstable in that way, and it feels unstable in the way of, how are we're going to put this back together again? this country voted to separate itself off from europe. we don't know the consequences of that and people are very, very divided. you only need to go into social media and the fury that appears there with the name—calling and more than that, fury with two sides of a line that sometimes you think, what are we arguing about?

that's an interesting thought. ha5 everything you went through, including the near death experience, has it made you feel more or less passionate about your political beliefs? about your own thought belief5? about your own thought of, identity? becau5e you've written so much about your jewishness, your socialism. do you feel more engaged today or has this experience led you to back off a little bit and feel a bit mellower and like you want to focus on family, friends and a bit less on the world outside.— friends and a bit less on the world outside. interesting. it is an interesting _ world outside. interesting. it is an interesting balance. - is an interesting balance. 0bviously is an interesting balance. obviously i had to retreat into myself in order to get better, so since i was ill i had to spend time thinking about what exercise and my going to do, 5hall exercise and my going to do, shall i left this medicine. it is both trivial and terribly important to that moment, but they also have spent the last 20 years researching a bit of invisible history of my own invi5ible history of my own family, a lot of eastern european due5 will know of

disappearances and disappeared stories from family so why have spent a lot of time doing that and dwelling on how the holocaust impacted on my family, so it is both personal and social and political, so that has been something that i have also returned to and i'm very pleased to say that the village where my father's uncle was arrested i5 village where my father's uncle was arrested is going to commemorate him probably by naming the local park after him and ifind that naming the local park after him and i find that very, naming the local park after him and ifind that very, very moving. it is very difficult for france to acknowledge what happened, of course, i'm not saying that in any st mary way —— 5neery way, and to risk digging up the past, it is rather a wonderful thing. i just think at the end, people around the world will want to know that covid has not undermined your whim5y, your imagination, yourfun and your

desire to keep writing, can you just confirm all of that? i confirm it 100%. a book coming up confirm it 100%. a book coming up soon called rigatoni the pasta cat, how about that? would expect nothing less from you! michael rosen, thank you for being on hardtalk.- for being on hardtalk. thank ou, for being on hardtalk. thank you. stephen- _ hello there. last week was the first week ofjune but it was also half term and the weather could not have been better. we quite literally had 5un5hine topping and tailing the country — as you can see by this weather watch picture sent in, from fife, all the way down to cornwall, not a cloud in the sky, light wind5, lots of sunshine. the warmth peaked on wednesday and in fact it was the warmest

day of the year so far across scotland, northern ireland, wales and also into england. 0ur week ahead will be a little bit more mixed, unfortunately. particularly into the far north and west as we see weather front5 ju5t toppling in across an area of high pressure. that's going to bring some cloud and increasing, strengthening wind at well at times, and this further south in the east will keep warmer, drier and sunnier weather. so let's take a look in a little more detail then. monday morning, it starts off a little on the cloudy side with some mist and fog 5hrouding the coast. that will thin and break, we'll see some 5un5hine developing but into the afternoon, we could have a few sharp shower5, particularly to the east of the pennines, some of these heavy and thundery. temperatures widely high teens, low 205, just that little bit cooler into the far north and east.

now, as we move into tuesday, high—pre55ure cling5 on across england and wales. across the top of that high, we'll start to see some weather front5 pushing in. the winds will start to increase, will have a little bit of showery rain in northern ireland in the western fringes of scotland. and generally a little more cloud into scotland. sheltered eastern areas should keep some sun and highs of 20 degrees, but we could see 22 cel5ius, 72 fahrenheit acro55 southeast england. as we move out of tuesday into wednesday, more of the same, really. if anything, the isobars squeeze together and the winds are set to increase. some of the rain could be heavy along west facing slopes and there'll be more cloud generally pushing acro55 northern england, wales and down into the south—west. the best of the sunshine on wednesday into the south—east, but because the wind direction is coming from south—westerly, it's going to be quite a humid feel to the day. temperatures widely into the low to mid 205 to the south, a little bit cooler further north. thursday into friday look5 likely to see a good deal of dry weather. but again, always the warmest of the weather down to the south.

that's it, take care.

this is bbc news. i'm sally bundock with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. fear5 the end of lockdown may be delayed in england as the delta variant of coronavirus proves to be more infectious. thailand begins an ambitious vaccination programme with the country in the middle of a severe covid outbreak. votes are counted in mexico's biggest election, marred by deadly violence and seen as a referendum on president 0brador. and the buffer goe5 and the buffer goes to... michaela coel. and i may reward you: we talk to michaela coel, the big winner at the british