From Our Own Correspondent Podcast

The EU’s vaccination programme has had several setbacks with repeated delays and safety concerns. The commission has blamed pharmaceutical companies for failing to deliver promised jabs, and has tightened export controls. Kevin Connolly reflects on the twists and turns of the vaccine saga – and how history may offer some insight into what happens next. Israel has held its fourth election in two years - yielding yet another inconclusive result. Neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor his challengers secured a governing majority. Some analysts say the stalemate is further alienating Israelis from the political system. Joel Greenberg says the outcome could turn on an unlikely kingmaker. The recent shooting of six Asian Americans in Georgia has highlighted entrenched prejudice in the US. In the last year there has been a spike in reports of attacks and other abuse directed against people of Asian descent. Annie Phrommayon is in San Francisco and reflects on how racist attitudes have become normalised. Germany has gone to great lengths in recent decades to acknowledge its Nazi legacy. But the subject is still highly sensitive. In Berlin, Alexa Dvorson had an improbable conversation born out of a reader's courage to reach out to a stranger--and find out more about her grandfather's past as a Nazi Youth leader. We hear the story of Shirley - from her time as an editor on the Japan Times newspaper to her return to Canada, where, due to her insurance, she had treatment for her deteriorating health. In a cruel twist, the pandemic restrictions separated her from her life partner in the US, and prevented them from being reunited before she died. Hugh Levinson tells the story of what the experience meant for the couple. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

Rules have been tightening for same sex couples in Poland in recent years. Civil unions are not legally recognized and same sex couples are barred from adopting children, but a loophole currently allows applicants to adopt as single parents. Now the government wants to close that loophole. Adam Easton has spoken to the people affected, some of whom are now considering leaving. Lebanon's second city, Tripoli, gained notoriety for its flamboyant anti-government protests in 2019 over the severe economic decline seen across the country. Despite the extreme poverty, and the impact of the pandemic, some of the city's residents are keen to be part of an economic revival, finds Lemma Shehadi. In Taiwan, we hear the stories of couples who were married under the traditional simpua system. The practice, where a family would adopt a pre-adolescent girl as a future bride for their son, eventually phased out in the sixties and seventies, largely due to the economic boom. Sally Howard spoke to some of the men and women who married according to the tradition, with mixed results. On the Greek island of Corfu there's a small haven set on a hill above the main town - a cemetery set in a well-tended garden, where bougainvilleas, orchids and Cyprus trees line the path ... frequented by a few wild tortoises. The long-serving caretaker recently died and is now buried there. But Julia Langdon visited the garden when he was still alive - he took her for a tour. In Canada, the authorities have been encouraging people to look after their physical and mental health during the pandemic by getting outside. In Ottawa, this involves winter hikes and cross country skiing - and river surfing, as Sian Griffiths discovered. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

Hong Kong is seeing a wave of departures amid concerns about the erosion of democratic freedoms. China's national security law, imposed in July last year, has been used to clamp down on dissent prompting many to considering leaving. The UK's visa scheme will allow many Hong Kong residents to start a new life in Britain. Danny Vincent spoke to some of the people preparing to leave the territory. One year ago, New York City was the one of the epicentres of the coronavirus outbreak. Now a massive vaccination effort is underway. Restaurants are allowed to open at half capacity and, helped by the relief package, the city is gradually springing back to life. But some people are wary of the vaccine, says Laura Trevelyan. In Australia allegations of sexual assault in the corridors of power in Canberra are dominating headlines. Tens of thousands of people have protested in the major cities. The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has so far refused to hold an independent inquiry, but the allegations have triggered a public reaction that is gathering pace, says Shaimaa Khalil. Each year, Afghanistan hosts an annual ski challenge, in the mountains of Bamiyan province. Organisers of this event are hoping the region can attract more tourists, despite the on-going threat of violence. They hope for a more peaceful future - and this event has provided much needed respite. Charlie Faulkner went to watch. The Netherlands has long navigated the threat posed by rising water levels. In 1953, a catastrophic flood claimed the lives of more than 1000 people. In response, the Dutch created an advanced network of flood defences. These are now being updated thanks to a new plan to climate-proof the country. Jane Labous reports. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

More than 380 000 people have been killed and over half the population has been uprooted from their homes in Syria's ten-year civil conflict. Residents of the city of Raqqa experienced terror and brutality under the control of so-called Islamic State. Meanwhile airstrikes and shelling destroyed civilian infrastructure and homes. Now the city is trying to rebuild. Leila Molana-Allen met with one of the original protesters , along with those who are working to restore the city. The Venezuelan diaspora stretches from Texas to Brussels to Nairobi, and those within it are now trying to help people back home battling the pandemic and a collapsing economy. Vladimir Hernandez lives in Nairobi, and describes how Venezuelan friends and relatives are issuing pleas for help via messaging apps. The murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall in 2017 on board a Danish submarine shocked the world. It was recently in the spotlight again when a television dramatization of the case, The Investigation, was aired on the BBC and other networks. Maddy Savage reflects on her experience of covering the trial of Kim Wall’s killer. Farming is the backbone of the Indian economy – and the government argues that it can make life better for farmers via a series of free-market reforms. But the plans set off a furious backlash. Minreet Kaur, who lives in the UK, has been hearing why the protests have been so widespread - and so heated. Switzerland’s system of direct democracy is famous for putting decision making firmly in the hands of voters. Gather 100,000 signatures, and you are guaranteed a nationwide vote on an issue. This led to the recent vote to ban face coverings – including the burqa and the niqab. Imogen Foulkes reports. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

Pope Francis' recent visit to Iraq was the first by a pontiff to the country. It was aimed at boosting the moral of the persecuted Christian minority and promoting inter-religious dialogue. Mark Lowen travelled with the papal delegation and witnessed the moment the Pope met the most powerful Shia cleric in Iraq - the Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani. In Mozambique the government is struggling to deal with armed groups whose motives are often unclear. So as reports started coming in, in recent years, of an Islamist insurgency in the far north –– it wasn’t easy to know who the players were. Since 2017 there have been repeated accounts of attacks – and military reprisals – in Cabo Delgado province. Andrew Harding visited the region. Singapore has taken pride in its track and trace technology throughout the pandemic. Now, it is in the midst of a mass vaccination drive and has chosen to prioritise workers in the aviation and maritime industries. Karishma Vaswani went to Singapore’s main airport which has dedicated a whole terminal to the vaccine roll-out. In Liberia, the business of farming sea cucumbers is proving profitable for some. The leathery marine animals are mainly sold to China where they are seen as an edible delicacy. But some species are becoming endangered. Lucinda Rouse met one man who runs a farming business - and watched a haul of sea cucumbers being brought in. The Pacific island of Kiribati is said to be only one of a dozen nations which hasn't reported any Covid cases. Authorities there want to keep it that way. Last year many thousands of sailors from Kiribati were unable to return home before borders were sealed off. Nick Beake met a group who were stranded in Germany. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

Ten years ago a magnitude 9 earthquake struck off the north east coast of Honshu, triggering a devastating tsunami which left 20,000 dead and more than half a million without homes. It also triggered a meltdown at the nuclear plant in Fukushima. There were fears the contamination would spread just as it did with Chernobyl. Rupert Wingfield Hayes revisited the nuclear zone. The mass kidnappings of children in Nigeria have made repeated headlines recently. In the past three months alone there have been four such abductions. This dramatic escalation has led many to conclude that kidnapping children has become a business in Nigeria. Mayeni Jones looks at whether the media is part of the problem. A fresh wave of sex scandals in France is forcing the country to confront widespread sexual abuse and, in particular, incest. There is now a push to reform laws surrounding rape and child abuse and, for the first time in France, to set a legal age of consent. Joanna Robertson reflects on the culture that has tolerated a long-standing problem. We’re in Pakistan where one young man has used the time spent in lockdown there to perfect his impersonation of Charlie Chaplin. He has now taken to the streets in his coat tails and bowler hat – to the alarm and entertainment of those on the streets of Peshawar. Rani Singh watched him. Malta has a rich history spanning thousands of years and influenced by a range of cultures. One of the official languages on the island, Malti, has its roots in Arabic, and, over time fused with the Sicilian dialect of Italian. Juliet Rix reports how the language reflects the history of the island, from the early Arab occupiers to European monarchs. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

Brazil is facing the deadliest point of the pandemic so far – this week posting record death tolls as scientists warn the variant found in the country appears to be more contagious. For Katy Watson, who has been reporting on Brazil's outbreak throughout, it’s a story that’s become personal too. Meanwhile in Europe, some countries are cautiously re-opening. We're Germany, where hairdressers have opened again – and garden centres and bookshops will follow suit from next week, but plans for a wider lifting of restrictions will hinge on keeping rates low. With just six per cent of the country inoculated, scientists are warning a new wave is already underway. Jenny Hill visited a hospital in Dortmund. The small community of Africville in Canada was established by Black settlers more than two centuries ago, many of whom had fled a life of slavery in the US. The vibrant community lived there for generations, until their forcible relocation in the 1960s when authorities demolished the settlement for industrial use. Now, the local mayor wants to give the land back, finds Greg Mercer. In Somalia, there is political impasse due to delayed elections in February. President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed's four year term has officially come to an end but talks on the electoral rules have stalled. Nick Redmayne visited Mogadishu and found the cosmopolitan parts of the city belied a backdrop of uncertainty. And we hear about a life lived under Soviet rule – the recent death of his father-in-law led Martin Vennard to reflect on a remarkable life. Vladimir Davidovich was a scientist and musician whose story spans much of the twentieth century. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

In the South Caucasus, Georgia and Armenia are facing challenging times as political crises in each country have intensified in the past week. In Georgia, the arrest of the opposition leader brought thousands onto the streets in protest. And in neighbouring Armenia, the country’s embattled prime minister accused the army’s generals of an attempting a military coup. Rayhan Demytrie explains the challenges of reporting on both events at the same time. In Peru, a scandal over vaccine distribution has shocked the nation. A local newspaper published a list of the names of hundreds of people who had secretly been inoculated well ahead of the vaccination roll-out: including the former President and several government ministers. Dan Collyns reports on "Vacunagate." In the United States, we follow the story of one woman who chose to forego her long-term job as a teacher in favour of a less predictable, nomadic way of life in her campervan. She is part of a growing community of so-called “van-lifers” in North America who have been depicted in the Golden Globe winning film, Nomadland. Sally Howard follows her story. Iceland has the least Covid restrictions in Europe on business and daily life. Prone to living alongside active volcanoes, citizens of this island in the north Atlantic are used to being kept safe with early warning systems and evacuation procedures. Tira Shubart reports on how Iceland is now getting ready to welcome summer visitors –with certain conditions. And we’re in Romania – home to a vast array of birdlife, brown bears, wolves, wildcats, and lynx. Stephen McGrath meets an ornithologist, and reflects on the wonders of the natural world and the destruction it all faces at the hands of humans. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

New York was hit hard in the pandemic, and more than 29 000 died since the first outbreak there. Residents and workers saw a changed landscape – gone were the tourist throngs, and bustling streets – social distancing signs thinned out the crowds and demarcated the streets. Now the city is re-opening and the soul-searching has begun. But Nick Bryant takes solace that the city will still find its way back to recovery. This week, nurses across Kenya went back to work after a three month strike. Doctors who had also walked off the job in December returned last month. There is widespread relief because many feared industrial action in the middle of a pandemic could cost even more lives…So far Kenya is relatively unscathed by Covid-19. But, as Lucy Ash reports, the death of one young doctor from the virus has stirred outrage and exposed some of the failings in the country’s health system. In Belarus, a journalist is on trial for investigating the death of a protester in another example of the crackdown on independent media in the country. Since mass protests started last August following a general election widely deemed unfair, more than 400 journalists have been detained. Abdujalil Abdurasulov visited the capital Minsk last August and witnessed how brutally the authorities dealt with anyone who dared to challenge the regime. Since the 16th century, French streets have regularly been named in honour of notable people. But only a tiny proportion of them bear the names of women. In 2011 - the authorities in Paris decided to tackle the problem by choosing extraordinary women after which to name its newest streets and transport systems. But, as Joanna Robertson reports from Paris, the process of renaming is proving too slow for feminist groups

Afghanistan has seen a surge in civilian casualties since US-brokered peace talks with the Taliban resumed last year. Ashraf Ghani, the Afghan President, however, still sees reason for optimism, thanks to the new-US administration with whom he hopes to have better relations. Lyse Doucet reflects on Kabul's battle to shake off a violent past. Businesses across Myanmar were closed on Monday as protestors in several cities held a General Strike in protest against the military coup and arrest of their civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Initial hopes for a peaceful resolution are now fading after troops fired live ammunition and tear gas into crowds in recent weeks. But a heavy-handed response is only sharpening the resolve of those on the streets, finds Ben Dunant. In 2014, a small farming village of Kocho in northern Iraq, was the scene of one of the worst massacres carried out by the Islamic State group, killing hundreds of people from the Yazidi ethno-religious minority. This month, 103 of the victims were returned to Kocho for proper burials. Lizzie Porter attended the funeral. In Greenland, a rare earth mining project is dominating the political agenda, with snap elections called for April. The proposed mine has inspired hopes that it could provide the windfall needed to gain full independence from Denmark. But, as Guy Kiddey discovered, on a recent trip,the project is also causing some distress. Every year in February, several towns in the French Riviera hold festivals to celebrate the Mimosa harvest. There are parades in the streets with floral floats, brass bands, and street orchestras And although the usual festivities have been cancelled this year, Christine Finn finds this year’s flowering still offers hope. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

South Africa’s former President, Jacob Zuma failed to appear at a corruption inquiry this week - an inquiry he himself set up when he was in power. But now he has been called to testify, he has accused the judge of carrying out a personal vendetta against him. The case has split the country’s ruling party, the African National Congress. In the eyes of many the former President will always be seen as the legendary liberation hero. Andrew Harding looks at why it’s proving so difficult to hold certain politicians to account in South Africa. We visit Wuhan in China, where, just over a year ago, a whistleblower - Li Wenliang - first drew the world's attention to the severity of the Coronavirus outbreak. A team of international scientists from the World Health Organisation have just returned from their month long visit to the city to try to identify the origins of the virus. China correspondent, Stephen McDonnell followed the motorcade of scientists on their tour and found information about what they learned was hard to come by. Tokyo's Olympics has faced a number of hurdles: last year the Games were postponed for the first time in their 124-year history due to the pandemic; Japan's Olympic chief was recently forced to stand down for making sexist comments and now there is local resistance to pressing ahead with the Games this Summer due to concerns about continued outbreaks finds Rupert Wingfield-Hayes. We visit the Uffizi gallery in Florence for an almost private view of some of the great works of Renaissance Art. Between lockdowns and restrictions, the museum re-opened briefly in January and Julia Buckley managed to steal a visit, without the tourists. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

We visit the tribesmen of Yemen, which has for years been wracked by civil war. The conflict morphed into a proxy war in 2015 after a coalition, led by Saudi Arabia launched attacks on Iranian-backed Houthi Muslim rebels. And as the conflict has raged on, Yemeni civilians face economic hardship and starvation. Some of the country’s tribespeople have stepped up to play the role of peacemaker to try to restore order. Leila Molana -Allen heard about some of the challenges they face when she was a guest at a tribal gathering in the south of the country. For a president to undergo an impeachment process was until recently a somewhat rareified event, but former president Donald Trump has now undergone not one, but two sets of proceedings against him. The latest one examined his role in the storming of the Capitol building on January 6th. In the end, the Senate voted to acquit Donald Trump – and as Anthony Zurcher found, the era of Trump’s influence is by no means a closed chapter for Republicans. Kosovo has been marking the 13th anniversary of its independence from Serbia. And voters have been ringing the changes, facing temperatures of minus 10 degrees Celsius and snow to cast their ballots – awarding a landslide victory for the opposition Self Determination party in last Sunday’s parliamentary election. Guy Delauney reports. Cuba is suffering. Economically the country is in its worst moment since the “Special Period”, a decade of severe austerity and shortages after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Breadlines are once again a common sight across the island. The hard times have prompted the government to undertake long-promised radical economic reforms. As Will Grant reports, the changes mean that even a low-key celebration of a special occasion can be tricky. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

Israel’s health system has been in the spotlight as it races ahead with its coronavirus vaccination programme. More than half of eligible Israelis - about 3.5 million people - have now been fully or partially vaccinated. For our Middle East correspondent Tom Bateman, covering the pandemic meant a return to his beat after a mishap on the streets of Jerusalem, and a vivid episode of his own in hospital. Next, Ireland, which in recent weeks has been caught in the middle of the row between the UK and the European Union over the Northern Irish protocol. The Irish Taoiseach, Michael Martin, called for both parties to “cool it”. But Ireland’s relationship with Brussels has, to date, been a largely positive one. Chris Paige looks back on Ireland’s evolution since it became a republic into a firmly European nation. Thirty years ago an American air strike destroyed an air raid shelter in Baghdad, killing hundreds. The previous August, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had invaded and occupied Kuwait, triggering a huge international response. Jeremy Bowen reflects on US interventions in the region and their bearing on the future. Pangolins are one of the most heavily trafficked species in the world and are now in the frame for being a possible source of the Covid-19 outbreak. In India, they are seen as a delicacy but a conservationist in Maharashtra is finding creative ways to help protect the mammals with a little help from Hindu mythology, says Geetanjali Krishna. We visit Seville, which may soon see the construction of its first new mosque since the 13th century. It’s a bold new initiative that has involved an ex-Premiership footballer, a former male model and an internet crowdfunding campaign, as Oliver Smith reports. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

Ten years ago, former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, was ousted after weeks of protest in Tahrir square in Cairo. Demonstrators proved an unstoppable force despite a brutal crackdown by authorities killing hundreds. But the post-Mubarak era has not heralded a period of greater freedoms. Kevin Connolly, who covered the fall of Mubarak, looks back on the protests in 2011 which have now fallen silent. President Emmanuel Macron has chosen not to impose a further lockdown, instead tightening borders, closing shopping malls and imposing a night-time curfew to keep the virus under control. Mr Macron now has one eye on the looming presidential campaign as two polls this week suggested his lead over the far-right’s Marine Le Pen is narrowing. Hugh Schofield reports from Paris. It's Oscar season again – and Pakistan’s entry in the best foreign film category is making the headlines. The plot centres on the fictional story of a devout Muslim and estate agent whose life is turned upside down when he dances sensually to a song at a wedding. The film has angered a religious group, and the government has postponed its release – indefinitely, says Secunder Kermani. At the beginning of the pandemic, Bulgaria’s authorities moved swiftly to impose stringent lockdowns on the country’s Roma communities. Many Roma settlements are cut off from essential services. In some neighbourhoods, military police barred the exits. As Bulgaria starts to re-open, Jean Mackenzie visits one settlement. On the ski slopes of Lake Tahoe, it’s taboo to mention the pandemic. In the Diamond Lake ski resort, slopes are full of visitors, happy to visit the restaurants – and casinos. It's a different story down the road in California, says Alice Hutton. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

Aung San Suu Kyi was once heralded by many in the west as a valiant campaigner for democratic rights. As civilian leader she looked set to put the country on a new path after years of military dictatorship. But her refusal to acknowledge the army’s ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims damaged her standing abroad. And although her party managed to secure a landslide victory in elections last year, it may prove to have been a pyrrhic one, says Jonathan Head, after the military coup this week. Mexican’s President, Manuel Lopez Obrador, may have had a lucky escape from the worst effects of Covid-19, but the same cannot be said for a vast numbers of his compatriots who are battling to find treatment. The president has now recovered, says Will Grant, but his citizens are still struggling for breath. In a court in Moscow this week, Russia’s opposition leader described President Vladimir Putin as “a poisoner” before he was sentenced to nearly three years in prison. Alexei Navalny’s arrest and sentencing has had an electrifying impact on the opposition movement in the country, as throngs of protestors took to the streets of Moscow, and beyond. Has the Kremlin finally over-played its hand? asks Sarah Rainsford. Our central Europe Correspondent Nick Thorpe has been following the Danube, upriver, from Romania to Germany. On one night, he accompanied a conservation team to go jackal howling among the biggest reed-beds on the planet. South Africa has been battling to control a new variant of Covid, detected in the country last year. More than 45 000 people have died since the beginning of the pandemic. or those who are grieving, the customary burial process has been curtailed. Many are restricted to watching live streams of the funeral, while closest family grieve alone, says Pumza Filhani. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

Six months ago, an explosion, caused by improperly stored ammonium nitrate, ripped through the city of Beirut. As the country struggles to rebuild amid a devastating economic crisis, a stringent lockdown has been imposed. In Tripoli, people are taking to the streets in protest. Leila Molana-Allen reports. San Francisco’s District Attorney is pioneering a new approach to tackling crime, focusing on the root causes with social care and drug therapy, rather than prison. Police unions are not convinced, and it’s not clear whether this novel approach to tackling crime, adopted in other liberal cities, will prove effective, says James Clayton. Last week the head of the Swedish Public Health Agency Johan Carlson admitted catching a bus during rush hour, without wearing a face mask. Carlson’s failure to adhere to the new restrictions hasn’t gone down well with the Swedish public. This has been compounded by a series of other breaches by ministers and public officials. It’s causing the country’s traditionally high levels of trust in authorities to wobble, as Maddy Savage reports from Stockholm. When China introduced economic reforms and began opening out in the 1980s, English language learning began with fervour. It remains popular today, with a proliferation of private English language learning schools across the country, but authorities are now downplaying its importance. Journalist LiJia Zhang once worked in a missile-factory – for her, learning a second language was the key to a new life. The Seychelles has two main industries that drive its economy: tourism and fishing. The fishing industry is struggling amid the pandemic, with fewer visitors, but it's also suffered years of mismanagement says Michelle Jana Chan. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

Brazil is going through a deadly second-wave of Covid-19 – and it’s precipitated the collapse of the health system in– Manaus, the biggest city in the Amazon. The hospitals are overloaded with patients and oxygen supplies have run perilously low. Local and national leaders are now coming under scrutiny for their management of the outbreak. Katy Watson visited Manaus. We hear from Afghanistan, where there has been a recent surge of targeted killings, blamed on the Taliban. Peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have stalled, and the rise in violence is proving a toxic backdrop. Meanwhile, locals are worried that the further US drawdown in troops could herald the Taliban’s return, says Yogita Limaye. We have an insight into the cyber world of online extremists. Meet the team who track the outlandish web of conspiracy theories spun by shadowy groups. They watched the emergence of the group now known as QAnon. In a fiercely divided America where facts are often dismissed as fake news, blurring the boundaries of reality and myth has becomes all too easy, finds Alistair Coleman. We visit the small Russian town of Nikel where, until recently, a decades-old smelter produced tonnes of nickel. Nornikel, closed the smelter in December in a move they claim is part of their shift towards a greener future. But for hundreds of employees, their future is less clear, finds Guy Kiddey. In September 2017, a ferocious Category 5 hurricane swept through Dominica, St Croix and Puerto Rico with 160-mile-per hour winds. On the eastern-Caribbean island of Dominica, Hurricane Maria left a trail of devastation and 65 people died.. Mark Stratton went to visit the island recently where efforts continue to rebuild, even as they face a new storm front: Coronavirus. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

In Delhi, Republic Day is usually a ceremonial occasion celebrated with military parades and cultural pageantry. But this year’s event was marred by violence – as thousands of farmers drove their tractors into New Delhi in an escalation of months of peaceful protests against proposed agricultural reforms. Rajini Vaidyanathan reports from New Delhi. The Netherlands is seeing its worst violence in 40 years with scenes of looting and rioting across the country. The collapse of the government earlier this month, followed by a tightening of restrictions due to Coronavirus has had a destabilising impact. Anna Holligan says the Dutch are wrestling with the disruption to the usual sense of order. The Democratic Republic of Congo is rich in precious minerals such as gold, diamonds and cobalt - but is still one of the poorest countries in the world. For over two decades, rebel groups have fought over mines in the east of the country where thousands of children also toil in the mines. Olivia Acland went to visit one of them Portugal has become one of the European countries hardest hit by the second wave of Covid-19 and another national lockdown has been imposed. Audrey Gillan visited Armona, an island off the coast of the Algarve, which is suffering from tightened travel restrictions and low visitor numbers. Cuba’s Fidel Castro was probably one of the most widely photographed and documented men of his time.. Will Grant has been trying to verify the details of one of those pictures – of Castro as a young man in a sugarcane field – which he needed for a book. It led him to the story of the audacious young German woman who snapped it six decades earlier.

A year ago Wuhan imposed a lockdown on its citizens, as reports filtered through of the first human-to-human transmission of a new strain of Coronavirus. A delegation from the World Health Organisation has now arrived in Wuhan to investigate the origins of the outbreak. Robin Brant returned to the wet food market in the city where life has returned to normal - almost. Washington was transformed into a fortress this week – both for visitors and residents alike in the lead up to the inauguration of President Joe Biden. Aleem Maqbool reflects on the contrast between the ceremony this week – and that of 2016. Russia's opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, returned to Moscow having recovered from a nerve-agent attack, which he blames on the Kremlin. He was arrested upon arrival and placed in pre-trial detention for 30 days in what could have been seen as a blow to the opposition. But – undeterred, they had something else up their sleeve, as Steve Rosenberg reports. Last weekend bouts of violence erupted on the streets in over a dozen neighbourhoods across Tunisia, with young people clashing in the streets with the police. But what’s behind the latest unrest? Ten years on from the revolution which triggered the Arab Spring uprisings, the slow pace of economic reform and high unemployment has caused widespread discontent as Rana Jawad reports. India began the world’s largest vaccination roll-out last weekend, aiming to vaccinate 1.3 billion people. The arrival of millions of doses of the two approved vaccines was greeted with jubilation and a festive atmosphere in cities across India. But there is still some reticence in taking up the vaccine, finds Rajini Vaidyanathan. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

This week, the Irish Taoiseach described the findings of an official report into decades of abuse of women and children at mother and baby homes as a “dark, difficult and very shameful chapter of very recent Irish history.” The report acknowledged the harsh treatment was supported and condoned by the Irish State and the country’s churches. Those who survived the homes battled with long running prejudices and emotional scars, finds Chris Paige. Indonesian airlines have one of the worst safety records in Asia. The fatal crash on January 9th has again raised questions about how safe the country’s airlines are and brought back painful memories. The BBC’s Asia editor, Rebecca Henschke, reports. There’s been a sluggish start to Covid vaccinations in many parts of the EU complicated by public resistance and disinformation. In the Czech Republic, anti-vaccination activists made international headlines this week by wearing yellow Stars of David, claiming they were being ostracised just as Jews were in Nazi Germany. Rob Cameron has more. Somalia has been in a state of conflict for three decades and this is reflected in media coverage of the region. And yet, life goes on, with even a construction boom in Mogadishu. Mary Harper, the BBC’s Africa editor found that Somalis are tiring of stereotypes about their country as a place of violence and suffering. In Nova Scotia - the lobster season usually starts late in November and finishes in May – and between those months, most fishermen are not allowed to catch the crustaceans. But thanks to a treaty, signed with the British in 1761, the Mi’kmaq people are exempt from this and can fish all year round. One businessman is doing rather well out of it much to the consternation of those who do not have these rights, finds Greg Mercer. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

In Washington, he storming of Capitol Hill this week by President Trump’s supporters has dominated headlines, but many political pundits said that this should not have taken people by surprise. Anthony Zurcher has covered the White House throughout Donald Trump’s term in office – he charts the clear path that led to this moment, from President Trump’s 2016 campaign. On Thursday, Uganda will go to the polls pitting two very different presidential candidates against each other. Yoweri Museveni has served five consecutive terms and his main challenger, the charismatic Bobi Wine has galvanised support among the youth. But can it guarantee Bobi Wine victory? Our Africa correspondent, Catherine Byaruhanga has been finding out. One day in April , 2015 an old fishing boat overloaded with refugees and migrants sank en route to Italy from Libya – drowning more than a thousand people. Then Italian Prime Minister declared the Italians would salvage the shipwreck and recover the corpses. The boat was raised from the seabed and transported to Sicily. Linda Pressly met the man in charge. Deep among the frosty pines in Baden-Württemberg, a factory is manufacturing the industrial freezers that are needed to keep the supplies of Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at extreme cold temperatures. Germany's Covid infection and death rates are rising steeply. It’s a race against time as the vaccine is rolled out. Jenny Hill visited the factory dealing with a huge influx of new orders. And we visit Venezuela which has been suffering a deep socio-economic crisis for years. But our correspondent Katy Watson found out on a recent trip to the Hotel Humboldt, which overlooks Caracas, there are those who have benefitted.

Kate Adie reflects on key moments of 2020 with some of the most thought provoking dispatches by our correspondents. Andrew Harding, who covers Africa and is based in Johannesburg, spends a lot of his time travelling around the continent to witness events at first hand. The Coronavirus pandemic put a stop to much of that but he still had a dramatic story to tell in the autumn. He reflected on the somewhat ironic parallels he was seeing as he compared the situation within Africa with that of another key country in the world which was facing a significant election. Afghanistan is a country where it’s not easy to define the term outrage. Violence there has not abated despite peace talks between the government and the Tailiban. But an attack on Kabul University on November 2nd sent shock waves across the country and beyond. At least 35 people were left dead and 50 seriously wounded. Photographs of the murdered students and their blood-stained classrooms spread widely through Afghan social media. Lyse Doucet spoke to one university lecturer about the students he lost and the damage done to Afghanistan’s hopes for the future. The death of George Floyd, an African American living in Minneapolis in the state of Minnesota last summer triggered mass demonstrations across America and the world. He died whilst under arrest as a white police office knelt on his neck. Derek Chauvin has since been charged with murder. There was fury about police brutality and racist treatment of black Americans. In a country which has a massive gap between the richest and poorest, Emma Sapong, an African American journalist based in Minnesota reports that there is more than money that separates white and black lives there. The enormous blast in Beirut's port in August killed 200 people in the city and injured thousands. Buildings were destroyed and lives up-ended after stock piles of ammonium nitrate caught alight and exploded. People took to the streets to protest at a political elite who they accuse of mismanagement and negligence. One of those who was badly hurt was Leila Molana Allen, a journalist in the city. But as she reports, in the immediate aftermath she realised that her dog was missing. 2020 will be remembered by many as a year of lock downs and restrictions as countries around the world battled to control the coronavirus pandemic. It was a way of living that most of us had never experienced before and we all longed for a return to normality. Our correspondent in Brussels, Kevin Connolly had been confined at home for weeks when the rules were relaxed briefly in the summer. He was surprised by his urge to indulge in some rather unusual shopping. Producer: Caroline Bayley

Turkey has had record numbers of new coronavirus infections recently with around 30,000 positive cases a day. That number has now dropped slightly, and the Health Ministry says restrictions have begun to bear fruit. But how did it get to this, in a country which was initially regarded as doing well in the pandemic? Now the government has been accused of covering up the spread of the virus, and putting lives at risk, as Orla Guerin reports from Istanbul. In Sudan’s western region of Darfur, the long-running armed conflict has cost 300,000 lives, and forced two and a half million people to flee their homes. After a peace deal in August, the international peacekeeping force is preparing to pull out this month. Hopes now rest on the new part-civilian, part-military government, which came to power after 30 years of dictatorial rule. But as Mike Thomson found, the dual structure of the new administration can pose challenges on the ground. People in Bethlehem are preparing for an austere Christmas without the income from foreign pilgrims and tourists – but you can still find stories of hope there. Especially at the Milk Grotto – near the Nativity Church – where the Virgin Mary is said to have nursed baby Jesus. It’s long been claimed that women who have difficulties conceiving are blessed with children after praying at the grotto, or using bits of soft chalk, or “milk powder”, from its walls, as Yolande Knell reports. New York City was hit worse than many places during the first wave of the pandemic, and Nick Bryant and his wife both caught the virus. So his adopted home is the perfect perch from which to observe, and now reflect on, the extraordinary year that was 2020. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

When there's change in the Middle East, there is a good chance the United States had something to do with it, as with the recent accords between Israel and four Arab states. And now a new American president is preparing to move into the White House. What could this mean for the region, asks Jeremy Bowen. Thailand has been convulsed by large demonstrations this year, in which young people have been calling for reform and for changes to the once untouchable monarchy, even though criticising the king carries long prison sentences. Royalists are shocked by these campaigns and want things to stay as they are, says Jonathan Head. Italy's coronavirus crisis started in the north and eventually reached the far south, including the region of Calabria. An area blighted not just by the pandemic, but also by the powerful and ruthless 'Ndrangheta mafia whose crimes have made it much harder to cope with the virus for restaurants and even for hospitals, as Mark Lowen found out. Relations between China and the west have come under strain in recent years – but we buy vast amounts of Chinese products, and so China has developed its “Belt and Road” initiative. Part of its purpose is to enable the transport of goods from China to Europe by train. This has brought investment as far as Germany's former industrial region of the Ruhr, says Caroline Bayley. The Galapagos islands off the coast of Ecuador are known for their wildlife, from slow giant tortoises to fast baby iguanas. Charles Darwin spent five weeks there, and then developed the theory of evolution. Apart from the survival of the fittest, it's also about adaptation. Something that's been happening on these islands during the pandemic, as Jamie Lafferty reports. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

In Hong Kong,the authorities are showing that they mean business with the new security law to stamp out demonstrations and dissent. The pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been detained, and young campaigners including protest leader Joshua Wong were sentenced to prison this week. Before that, the pro-democracy opposition resigned en masse, as Danny Vincent reports. Seventeen weeks after the presidential election that is widely thought to have been rigged and that led to Belarus's largest-ever anti-government protests, President Alexander Lukashenko still refuses to step down. But he has lost the support of some of his police officers, a few of whom have fled to Poland. Lucy Ash meets one of them. Araucania in southern Chile is a land of ancient volcanoes, virgin forests and agriculture. But recently it has been making headlines for arson attacks on timber lorries and prisoners on hunger strike. This is the homeland of one of Chile’s main indigenous peoples – the Mapuche. They want their land back that was taken from them not by early colonisers but by General Pinochet, as Jane Chambers found out. In Australia there has been a new impetus to look at past injustices this year, as elsewhere. And these include a little-known practice akin to the slave trade. In what is known as “black-birding”, islanders from the South Pacific were brought to work in Australia against their will, as Will Higginbotham reports. Across Europe, coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions have shut opera houses, theatres and concert halls. Despite receiving large government grants and loans, the performing arts are now facing a critical period in countries like Italy, France, Germany and Austria, says Joanna Robertson. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Nagorno-Karabakh, the ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan, became the frontline of a war again this autumn. This resulted in Azerbaijan regaining some of the territory lost in previous conflicts – and with it, homes and landmarks that are precious to Armenians. Peter Oborne was there just as the current Russian-backed peacekeeping deal was announced. Political dramas in Peru reached new heights this month, when the country saw no fewer than three presidents in power in a single week. Tensions also spilled out onto the streets – with large demonstrations and battles between protesters and police in the capital Lima. Now the dust has settled, a new youth movement has come to the fore, as Dan Collyns reports. In the Pakistani city of Lahore, hundreds of thousands of people turned out for the funeral of a highly controversial cleric, Khadim Rizvi, who had campaigned for even stricter punishment of “blasphemers” – people accused of insulting Islam or the Prophet Mohammed. Rizvi and his supporters have been linked to violent attacks in Paris, Britain and in Pakistan. Secunder Kermani reflects on his life and his legacy. The city of Gatineau in Quebec in Canada has been designated a “red zone”, Canada’s highest level of pandemic restrictions. Schools have stayed open though, and one headteacher had an idea for how to keep everyone safe: he moved classes outdoors, in all weathers, as Sian Griffiths reports. France has been under a strict lockdown in recent weeks. Non-essential shops have been closed until today. Horatio Clare spent time in the city of Marseille on France’s Mediterranean coast during the lockdown. How has the normally bustling city fared, where "to arrive is to belong"? Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

In the United States, President Trump still hasn’t conceded that he has lost the election. His campaign is doubling down making claims of voter fraud. But without evidence. Meanwhile, the election winner, Joe Biden, is preparing to become president while being denied access to the briefings he is entitled to as President-elect, as Anthony Zurcher reports from Washington. Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been dubbed the Trump of the Tropics. Despite widespread criticism of his handling of the pandemic, he has been gaining support from an unexpected place recently – in the country's northeast, known as a left-wing stronghold. But a new welfare benefit is changing the political landscape there, as Katy Watson found. Russia passed the two-million mark of Covid-19 cases this week. One of the worst affected areas is the Archangelsk region in the north, on the White Sea of the Arctic Ocean. It's been hit so hard, that overstretched healthcare workers are defying their bosses and speaking out, as Sarah Rainsford reports. It's Black Friday next week, when retailers try to entice their customers with big discounts. In France however there’s talk of postponing the event because of the current lockdown, to give the smaller bricks-and-mortar shops a chance against the internet-based competition. Lucy Williamson has been to visit a legendary bookshop in Paris: Shakespeare and Company. The island of Madagascar has a wealth of different habitats, that are home to thousands of endemic species of plants and animals that exist nowhere else, like the round-eyed lemurs. But the remaining forests are under threat, as Michelle Jana Chan found out when trekking in a remote canyon. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

For Hindus, Sikhs and Jains it's Diwali - the festival of lights. But this year there's the pandemic. What impact is that having in India, asks Rajini Vaidyanathan in Delhi. In Azerbaijan, the decades-long intermittent war with Armenia over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh flared up again in September. Earlier this week, Russia brokered a deal to end the conflict. Olga Ivshina has just returned from the Azeri side of the frontline, where reporters' safety was not just threatened by shelling. The French Caribbean island of Martinique has a difficult relationship with its past. For about two hundred years the colony relied on enslaved Africans to work in its sugar cane plantations. Some think that period might have been shorter if it hadn't been for Josephine, the wife of Napoleon. And as Tim Whewell found, that's not the only sensitive subject of conversation on the island. Bicycles have been recommended as a safe form of transport in the pandemic, and cities around Europe have been improving their cycling infrastructure as a result. Anna Holligan lives in the Netherlands, where cycling is second nature to many, and says that even there, more people are now switching to two wheels. On Mosher Island off the coast of Canada’s Nova Scotia province, self-isolation takes on a different meaning. No need to worry about social distancing, there is no one to keep a distance from. The island only has two residents, a former lighthouse keeper and his wife. Greg Mercer paid them a visit. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

In the US, lots of eyes are still on the outcome of the election in Georgia. Joe Biden appears to have to have narrowly won the state, but the margin is so narrow that local law requires a recount. Suzanne Kianpour hails from Atlanta, Georgia, and found herself back there as the votes were being counted. Parts of South East Asia’s largest remaining rainforests, in Indonesia’s Papua province, are being cleared to make way for oil palm plantations. Rebecca Henschke has been investigating allegations a Korean palm oil company was involved in unfair land deals with local tribes, and she hears from clan elders about what’s been lost. Venice is built on a lagoon, with canals for streets, and floods a common occurrence. There was a particularly devastating surge a year ago today. A flood barrier, delayed for decades, finally had its first full test last month. Called Mose, like Italian for Moses, will it be able to stop rising Venetian seas? Julia Buckley has been testing the waters. Iran has often been accused of repression at home – and assassination abroad. The regime targets its critics and enemies anywhere in the world and has been implicated in attacks from Argentina to the Netherlands. Jiyar Gol has been investigating the killings of two Dutch-Iranians . Have you come across the Greek dish kleftiko? It's slow-cooked lamb. The name is related to the words kleptocracy and kleptomania, the “klept” part of it being from the Greek for thief. In the case of the lamb recipe, the theft refers to sheep rustling. A tradition that goes back a long way in Crete, says Heidi Fuller-Love, but has recently become more serious. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

A brutal assault on Kabul University, the biggest and oldest in the country, left at least 35 dead and 50 wounded. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group, but the Afghan government and the Taliban are blaming each other for it, when the two sides are meant to be focusing on peace talks. Lyse Doucet speaks to one University lecturer about the students he lost. There was an attack in Austria too, in Vienna, which killed four people and injured more than 20 others, in a neighbourhood that houses Vienna's main synagogue, but is known as the Bermuda Triangle, a key nightlife area full of bars and restaurants. The shooting was the deadliest attack in Vienna for decades. Bethany Bell reports on an evening that shook a city. Eighteen Sicilian fishermen are being detained in prison in the Libyan city of Benghazi, accused of fishing in Libyan waters. This part of the Mediterranean is rich in the lucrative red prawn, and so these arrests are not uncommon. Usually the men are released after negotiations. But this time that's proving difficult, says Linda Pressly. In Kyrgyzstan, traditional turbans for women called elecheks are made with many metres of the finest white cotton. Nowadays women mostly wear headscarves, and the elecheks are kept as heirlooms. But during these pandemic times one textile collector has cut an elechek up to make masks for local hospitals, as Caroline Eden reports. Swallows that spend the summer in Britain have left for their winter destination of South Africa. The flight takes them several weeks, through France, Spain and Morocco, then across the Sahara, and the tropical rainforests. They eat flying insects. Stephen Moss went to look for them in a reed-bed on a lake near Durban. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Nigeria's EndSARS demonstrations have ground to a halt following the fatal shooting of at least 12 people, although that number is disputed. Investigations into the incident are underway and a panel has been hearing evidence in Lagos. But as Mayeni Jones has found out, the search for the truth in Nigeria, involves a great deal of theatre. In China, ethnic Mongolians appear to have become the latest target for an ever-more repressive Communist Party under Xi Jinping. The central government – which is dominated by China’s majority Han Chinese – decided to reduce Mongolian language teaching, which prompted rare protests in China’s Inner Mongolia. Stephen McDonell went there to find out more. America's deep divisions about its attitudes to past and present injustices towards ethnic minorities manifested themselves in reactions to the tearing down of statues or Confederate flags this year. And as Jo Erickson found out when she walked up Mount Evans in Colorado, even the name of a mountain can be controversial - but because of Native American rather than African American history. Sami Kent is of mixed British and Turkish descent, and when he recently returned to live in the Turkish city of Istanbul after spending the first months of the pandemic in Britain, he found his aunt or "hala" much changed. Fear of the virus meant that now, her daily walk, for which she puts her trainers on, is no more than pacing up and down on the balcony. Malta is battling Covid-19 along with the rest of Europe. Quarantine, though, is nothing new to Malta, and its healthcare, good today, was once the envy of Europe. Juliet Rix takes us back to the days of the Knights of Malta, the Order of St John Hospitaller. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Record numbers of Americans have already voted early in the US elections. The country has become more polarised under President Trump, but it remains to be seen whether the high early turnout is due to heightened political feelings, or concerns about catching the virus on polling day. Nick Bryant reflects on the political state of the nation, and on an election campaign that turned out very differently from how it looked before the pandemic struck. Thousands of young Nigerians have protested in recent weeks against a notorious police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, or SARS, which became infamous for unlawful killings, torture and extortion. The demonstrations spread from Nigeria’s largest city Lagos, to other parts of the country and even internationally. What had started as taking a stance against police brutality, turned into much more, as Yemisi Adegoke reports from Lagos. In Poland, a ruling from the constitutional court last week outlawed terminations in cases of severe foetal defects - 98% of those carried out last year. Poland already had one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws, and the new edict has sparked large protests over the past week. Lucy Ash caught up with some demonstrators in the capital Warsaw. Even though far fewer people are flying than usual, Berlin is opening a new airport today, Berlin-Brandenburg. Not that it was planned that way. The modern airport was meant to open a decade ago, but there were repeated delays and it went almost three times over budget. So are the locals glad the big day has finally come? Not really, says Jenny Hill, who’s not the only one in Berlin who will be mourning the old airport, Tegel. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Five days before the American election, record numbers have cast their ballots already, making use of the expansion in early voting due to the pandemic. Naturalised US citizens make up one in ten eligible voters this year. Among them Laura Trevelyan, who voted in the presidential race as a US citizen for the first time, joining the queues in New York City. For Lebanon, 2020 has been a veritable annus horribilis: the pandemic, an unprecedented economic crisis, and the huge blast that destroyed parts of Beirut, and led to the resignation of the cabinet. Now a former Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, has been asked to form a government. If he succeeds, it’ll be his third time in the job. Plus ca change, or last chance for Lebanon, asks Martin Patience. Chile held a referendum on Sunday about replacing the current constitution, which dates from General Pinochet’s military dictatorship. The Yes vote won overwhelmingly. But the poll had been a heated topic of conversation for months, reflecting the deep divisions in society, as Jane Chambers has found. Seychelles in the Indian Ocean looks like a tropical paradise. But there’s a tougher reality in the island state ruled by the same party for over 40 years. And now there’s been a political earthquake: an opposition candidate, a priest, won the presidency for the first time. He'll have more than tourists and tuna to deal with, says Patrick Muirhead. For those still travelling, much has changed with the pandemic - quarantines, wearing masks, producing negative Covid-19 tests before departure. And then there are the other passengers. It all makes for novel experiences, says travel writer Mark Stratton - including good ones, like seeing the Mona Lisa without the crowds. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

In South Africa, racial tensions have been heightened in some rural areas, particularly after the murder of Brendin Horner, a young white farm manager. Cases like his have led to claims of ethnic cleansing. But as President Ramaphosa pointed out, the killings are cases of criminality, not genocide. Andrew Harding went to the small town of Senekal to investigate what's underlying these racial tensions. In Paraguay in South America, the river of the same name last week dipped to its lowest level ever recorded after months of drought. That’s a problem in this landlocked country which uses the waterway to transport the vast majority of its traded goods. And where does it leave the local fishermen? William Costa has been finding out, and asks what's causing the lack of rainfall. The Covid-19 pandemic has severely restricted international travel. That's meant Kamin Mohammadi can no longer divide her time between Italy, Britain and Iran as she used to, for family and work reasons. Now Tuscany has become a true home, not because of remote working, nor even finally having the time to appreciate things like bees on a lemon tree. But it was due to sharing the depths of Italy's sorrow at the height of the pandemic. After the First World War, tourists went to France to visit the battlefields. Among them was the future novelist Rumer Godden. Then a girl of 15, she was taken with her three sisters to see the theatres of war of the Marne. They stayed in the town of Château-Thierry, east of Paris. That holiday formed the basis of Rumer Godden’s celebrated later novel The Greengage Summer. It’s a favourite of Hugh Schofield, so it was on something of a personal mission that he set off in search of … the greengage summer. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Thailand has been rocked by months of student street protests that have intensified in recent days. They're unprecedented in that they don't just criticise the government, but also the monarchy - a taboo in Thailand. Jonathan Head in Bangkok reports on what may be a critical turning point in a political upheaval. This week it’s exactly a year since the Spanish government exhumed the remains of dictator General Francisco Franco from his mausoleum. But the question of how to handle the divisive legacy of the country’s 1930's civil war and the ensuing decades-long dictatorship under Franco remains a contentious issue in Spanish politics and society. And now there are new efforts to tackle it, as Guy Hedgecoe reports from Madrid. In Jordan, the already high unemployment has risen further during the pandemic, but the country remains attractive to migrant workers from nearby Egypt where wages are lower. But, as Charlie Faulkner hears from an Egyptian cobbler, the choice to stay in Jordan to keep his job, comes at a high price. In the US, attitudes to China have hardened in recent years, with trade tariffs, and blame for the coronavirus. In China, attitudes to the United States have changed too, but also in more positive terms, at least when looked at over a longer period of time, such as the lifespan of the grandfather of Vincent Ni. The 15th Rome Film Festival is running this week - taking place in a city that is, itself, an iconic cinematic location that still holds an irresistible allure for filmmakers across the world. This brings welcome jobs and much-needed money to the cash-strapped capital, and, as Joanna Robertson reports, headaches – and questions - to many residents. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Journalists in Africa like to play a game where they take language often used in Western reports on African stories ("armed militias", "strongmen", "rigged elections") and apply it to the US. This has become more tempting, and yielding more ironies, recently. There is a further similarity in South Africa: could ex-president Jacob Zuma be a "proto-Trump"? Andrew Harding teases out the parallels. China, too, is watching the US elections closely. And opinions are quite divided. Not, however, between those who are pro-Trump and pro-Biden, but between those who are pro- or anti-Trump. And, as Stephen McDonell reports, the pro-Trump camp unites some unlikely bedfellows, from Hong Kong activists and Falun Gong believers to Communist party leaders. In Brazil, fires are burning again in the Amazon, to turn land that's been deforested into pasture. Jair Bolsonaro's government supports turning the rainforest into ranches. But with the Pantanal wetlands badly affected this year too, what does this mean for the future of Brazil's environment asks Katy Watson. In Russia, investigative journalist Irina Slavina was a thorn in the side of the local authorities in the city of Nizhny Novgorod, and was often punished with huge fines. And then after a dawn raid on her flat, she killed herself by setting herself alight, leaving a note to blame the Russian Federation. Sarah Rainsford went to Nizhny to find out more. When coronavirus rules restrict our movements, going for walks closer to home can become more appealing. And previously unheeded details, such as who the streets are actually named after, can suddenly become interesting. Kevin Connolly finds his own neighbourhood's street names reveal a lot about the local history. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Last month a fire burned down the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, which had been hugely overcrowded. The cause was arson, but what was the real reason, and who stoked the fire once it was lit? Gabriel Gatehouse has been investigating the blaze, and Europe's dysfunctional migration policy. In Kenya, schools have reopened this week for the first time since March, at least for some year groups. The seven-month closure was to help stop the spread of Covid-19. But how have schools, teachers and students been faring in the meantime? And what's it like being at school now? Anne Soy has been finding out in Nairobi. Hong Kong has been a gateway to China, while enjoying freedoms such as a free press that do not exist on the mainland. But following months of often violent pro-democracy protests, and a new security law imposed by Beijing, the territory's identity is changing. Can it keep its status as a global powerhouse, asks Karishma Vaswani. Arunachal Pradesh, in India’s tribal Northeast, is home to more than 20 tribes – among them the Tibeto-Burman Idu Mishmi, one of the few to have retained their animist beliefs. Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent attends a rare Mishmi festival – and learns about the decline of the number of shamans, and a novel solution to the problem. There have been weekly demonstrations, some met with police violence, in Belarus ever since the disputed election in August. Protesters have been calling for the resignation of long-term ruler President Lukashenko. All a long cry from when Ash Bhardwaj went cycling in an ancient forest in the country, on the look-out for a Soviet-era relic - or so he thought. And then he too had a run-in with the KGB.... Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

For President Trump to have had Covid-19 so close to the election presents political dilemmas. Play it down, and you offend the relatives of the dead. Play it up, you highlight the seriousness of the disease that killed so many on your watch. And then there are the pitfalls for the Democrats. Anthony Zurcher navigates the minefield in Washington. A state of emergency has been declared in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, and troops have been ordered onto the streets of the capital Bishkek to quell the unrest that erupted after a disputed parliamentary election last weekend. Protesters are angry at alleged vote buying and intimidation. They clashed violently with police and seized government buildings. A new revolution, asks Caroline Eden? Despite certain advances, Nigeria still has a way to go to true gender equality. Take renting a home for example. It’s much harder to convince a landlord of your merits as a tenant, if you’re a woman, especially if you’re single, as Olivia Ndubuisi has been finding out. Despite the hot climate, cycling has become popular in the United Arab Emirates, and Team UAE's Tadej Pogacar, a Slovenian, won this year's Tour de France. Young women, too, have taken up the sport enthusiastically, all while wearing modest clothing. Georgia Tolley reports from Dubai. Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield has had to take a driving test - his old Irish licence had run out, and couldn't be renewed in France. But unlike the first time, this time he had to get his head round a counterintuitive but crucial rule: to give priority to any car coming from the right. How did he get on? Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Fighting has continued in Nagorno-Karabakh, the territory inhabited and run by ethnic Armenians, but officially still part of Azerbaijan. The armed clashes have included Azerbaijani shelling of residential areas in the main town Stepanakert, from where Jonah Fisher reports that residents have had to take shelter or flee to neighbouring Armenia. US President Donald Trump tested positive for Covid-19 and was taken to a top military hospital on Friday. It was a fast-moving and seismic day not only for the staff at the White House - where suddenly everyone was wearing a mask, as Tara McKelvey observed - but also for the nation at large. The Vatican, the headquarters of the Catholic Church, has been the subject of rumours about financial secrets for a long time, something Pope Francis has hoped to change with greater transparency. And so a senior cardinal has suddenly been forced to resign over alleged financial wrongdoings. And the Church also published a "consolidated balance sheet"; a first says veteran Vatican observer David Willey. Polio has been all but eradicated from the world - except in Pakistan and Afghanistan. This despite regular vaccination campaigns. So what's been standing in the way of their success? Conspiracy theories are only part of it, as Secunder Kermani has been finding out in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. The Greek island of Corfu is home to a small Serbian community, who still honour the lives of the Serbs lost in the First World War. The survivors of a gruelling winter trek across the Balkan mountains to the Adriatic coast, were taken to safety in Corfu by Allied ships. But thousands died there of disease, buried at sea, in the "Blue Graveyard", as Mary Novakovich reports. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

In Mozambique, the northernmost province of Cabo Delgado may have become the latest outpost of the so-called Islamic State insurgency, with reports of massacres and beheadings. The area is rich in precious gemstones and has huge natural gas reserves, but the local people are poor and increasingly have to flee. Andrew Harding reports on a region where everything is at stake. War has erupted again in Nagorno-Karabakh, the territory disputed by Armenia and Azerbaijan. Most of the residents are ethnic Armenians, who have been governing the territory since a first, vicious war three decades ago. But even the intervening years have hardly been peaceful, as Rayhan Demytrie found out. Hong Kong is living under a new National Security Law which authorities hope might put an end to a year of violent youth-led pro-democracy protests. This law has given Beijing unprecedented powers within Hong Kong to police public speech and demonstrations. There seems to be a new, mainland Chinese secret police too. Activists and journalists find they're now being followed, including Danny Vincent. It's Germany's National Unity Day, marking the reunification of West and East Germany 30 years ago today, after 45 years of being separated by the Iron Curtain. Since then, the westerners and easterners haven't always seen eye to eye. And five years ago, they took in a million refugees. John Kampfner takes the pulse of modern-day Germany. In France, a reckoning of sex, power and gender has begun, with new campaigns against domestic violence. An issue that the government has started to tackle, too. And, as Joanna Robertson says in Paris, the underlying fires of the battle are being stoked with pieces of paper and pots of glue. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Lebanon has suffered not just a catastrophic blast that cost around two hundred lives, but also a devastating economic crisis. The value of the currency has plunged and the pandemic lockdown forced nearly a third of businesses to close, leaving thousands jobless. Is Lebanon now a sinking ship? People are leaving in droves, as Leila Molana-Allen reports from Beirut. Chile's central region has been so dry over the past ten years, that scientists speak of a “mega-drought”. But how do you farm without water? Jane Chambers visited the Til Til region to find out how the residents are coping with the agricultural crisis. In the Philippines Facebook took down more than 200 accounts accused of promoting pro-Duterte propaganda last week. Opposition politicians, human rights activists and journalists have reported receiving threatening posts. But a group was formed, to stand up to the abuse: The Troll Patrol. Howard Johnson went to meet one of them. In the Australian city of Melbourne, they’ve been having a second, full lockdown since July. Constraints have now started to be eased, beginning with the lifting of the curfew. But this second lockdown has been happening during the winter in the southern hemisphere, and, as Will Higginbotham reports, it took a heavier toll on residents’ mental health than the first. The spread of coronavirus has triggered a tangle of travel restrictions around the world. The UK demands that people arriving back from most foreign countries - though not Germany - self-isolate at home for 14 days. Reason enough for Simon Calder to watch his step very carefully at the German-Belgian-Dutch border. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

The first formal face-to-face Afghanistan peace talks are underway in Doha, the capital of the Gulf State of Qatar. These historic negotiations between the Afghan Taliban and a delegation of the Afghan government are focused on finding a negotiated end to a destructive war that’s now lasted more than four decades. How much have the Taliban changed since their harsh rule of the 1990’s, asks Lyse Doucet. In Yemen, the United Nations have this week announced that the critical aid they supply across the country has had to be substantially cut, as they have only received a third of the donations they need to operate. This despite the fact that Yemen has been enduring the world’s worst humanitarian crisis as a result of five years of war. And that was already before the coronavirus hit. Mai Noman reflects on how her fellow Yemenis cope with it all. Cuba has long had a complicated monetary system, and currently three currencies: the peso, the convertible peso or CUC, and the US dollar. The dollar was illegal until he mid-90s, when the CUC was also introduced to help cope with the worst years of post-Soviet austerity. Originally used to pay for luxury goods, the CUC was only exchangeable within the country. But are its days numbered now, asks Will Grant in Havana? And on a Sicilian hilltop glowing in early autumn colours, Horatio Clare surveys two and a half thousand years of history, from the ancient city where Phoenicians worshipped their love goddess, to the site of the annual corporate retreat of Google. Western Sicily doesn't offer the tourist escapism so much as a deep reminder of our common human history and faiths, up to our current trust in a certain search engine. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Greece and Turkey have agreed to hold talks to help defuse their stand-off over disputed gas reserves near their shores. Ankara had deployed a research vessel accompanied by warships near a Greek island, and military exercises on both sides followed, giving rise to fears of war between the two long-term rivals, as Heidi Fuller Love reports from Crete. Pakistan was shocked by the gang-rape of a woman on a motorway leading out of the city of Lahore late at night. Sexual violence towards women in Pakistan is commonplace, but this case led to a backlash, as police appeared to blame the victim. As women come together to campaign for change, could it be a turning point to make everyday life safer for women, asks Secunder Kermani. Peru now has the highest per capita death rate from coronavirus in the world. More than half of the nation’s territory is Amazon rainforest and the indigenous people who live there have been badly affected by the pandemic, but have received little help, with little medical treatment available, as Dan Collyns reports. In the republic of Georgia, there are still people trapped inside ageing Soviet-era institutions, isolated from society simply for having a learning disability or a mental illness. But one woman has made it her life's work to help patients leave these clinical establishments, and to provide family-style homes for everyone she can prove is capable of independent living. Robin Forestier-Walker was invited along to one such rescue mission. Concerts and music festivals around the world have been cancelled but there is one festival that did go ahead, high up in the Alps in Switzerland. It featured live rock music and raclette cheese. Ben Russell went along. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed agreements to normalise relations with Israel, this week, motivated by a desire to build a united front against Iran. Palestinians have condemned the move as a betrayal. Yolande Knell reports on out how the deal has gone down with young Emiratis and Israelis. Wildfires continue to rage across the West Coast region of the United States. Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes as over four and a half million acres of land have now been scorched. President Trump visited this week and blamed “poor forest management” for the conflagrations. California’s governor insisted they’re due to climate change. Peter Bowes knows the devastation and destruction of these fires all too well.... On the Greek island of Lesbos, efforts have begun to move thousands of migrants and refugees from the fire-gutted Moria camp to a new tent city nearby. The camp had become overcrowded and squalid, and now many would prefer to leave Lesbos altogether. But where can they go, asks Bethany Bell. In Romania, the small Transylvanian village of Viscri has become a magnet for tourists, including the Prince of Wales. Stephen McGrath has been finding out why, and what impact it's been having. It would normally be peak safari season in the Serengeti region in northern Tanzania at this time of year, with carloads of tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of a giraffe, an elephant or even a pride of lions. But this year the visitors have stayed away because of the coronavirus. Well, not all of them. Michelle Jana Chan did go, and got a front row seat seeing some of nature’s grandest spectacles. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

India now has the second highest number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the world, having overtaken Brazil. This is placing huge demands on hospitals and ambulances. The medical services, particularly in smaller cities and rural areas, can find it hard to cope, sometimes leading to what relatives think were preventable deaths, as Yogita Limaye reports. Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is retiring. His politically conservative party will elect his successor on Monday. Mr Abe has taken his observers by surprise more than once. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Tokyo looks at the effect of those surprises, and at his legacy. In Poland, some politicians’ hostility to gay rights has become a flash-point in a culture war pitting the religious right against the more liberal-minded. Last month the EU denied funding to six Polish towns which had declared themselves “LGBT ideology-free zones”. Lucy Ash has been to one of them, Tuchow. Wildfires have raged through central and northern Argentina for most of the year. Apart from forests and grasslands, about half a million acres of wetlands next to the mighty Parana river have been lost in the worst fires in over a decade. This has endangered livelihoods and sparked concern among environmentalists, as Natalio Cosoy reports. Cap d'Agde on the French Mediterranean coast is home to the biggest nudist resort in Europe. But with France’s recent surge in coronavirus cases, how have the naturists and also the considerable number of swingers there fared with the restrictions? Chris Bockman went to find out. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

This week’s dispatches, introduced by Kate Adie, are: Steve Rosenberg in Belarus reflects on the history he shares with President Lukashenko, recently re-elected in a poll widely regarded as fradulent. It’s based on their separate links with a small town in the countryside. Yet even these didn’t prevent him from being detained by the regime’s police force. Phil Mercer in Sydney considers the strains being placed on Australia’s cohesion as many of its principal states and territories close their borders to each other. From the maintenance of urgent medical care to opportunistic flits across the country, the restrictions are causing hardship and leading to disaffection. A deal has been initialled in Sudan between its transitional government and the main rebel alliance designed to bring peace to the long-troubled North African state. Hailed by outside governments, the agreement has, however, yet to be endorsed by all parties to the Sudanese conflict. Anne Soy reported on widespread protests in the country last year and considers whether this third peace deal will prove more durable than the preceding ones. Five years after a million migrants and putative refugees arrived in Europe, Nick Thorpe in Budapest assesses how the Hungarian government has handled the flow of people since then – and discovers how some of those he met in 2015 seeking to start new lives in Europe have fared. And finally carol singers and Father Christmases appear each summer on a peculiar day in Boston’s calendar – notably not disrupted by Covid-19 this year – when nearly three-quarters of those who rent their homes in the US city move house. Recent arrival there, Alice Hutton, went to meet her new neighbours to find out what it was all about. Producer Simon Coates

This week, as the leading opposition figure in Russia, Alexei Navalny, lies comatose in Berlin’s Charité hospital, Sarah Rainsford in Moscow considers the Kremlin’s peculiar hate and fear of its critics and the methods it is widely thought to have employed in dealing with them. Gabriel Gatehouse in Beirut observes the sharp generational divide that characterises post-civil war Lebanon – and wonders what it might portend for the country's future. North America Correspondent, Jane O’Brien, checks in to the “virtual” Republican party convention centred on the White House and detects a new confidence and a different style in the Trump – and Republican – campaigns for November’s US elections. What explains the shift? Sebastien Ash in the Swabian town of Heidenheim, southern Germany, reveals the significance of a face-off of statues linked to the so-called “Desert Fox” – Erwin Rommel, the well-known general of the Nazi era, noted for his role in World War Two’s North Africa campaign. And Christine Finn takes the plunge on the Paris-plages – and discovers that the fellow-bathers at the pools at and near the river Seine whom she encounters give a contemporary twist to the national motto of liberty, equality and fraternity – although not perhaps in quite the way we might expect.

In the final programme of the series, Mishal Husain presents a range of perspectives on Britain today. Edinburgh is usually thronged with crowds and alive with performers from around the world at Festival time. But the Scottish capital is in decidedly unfamiliar guise this August. Long-time resident, James Naughtie, experiences a city that is not itself. Sparked by the shift in living patterns during lockdown, councils in England have implemented low traffic neigbourhoods aimed at cutting the number of vehicles on busy streets. But, as Tom Edwards, BBC London's Transport Correspondent, discovers, while residents like the respite, for motorists the new measures add to already time-consuming journeys. Deep in the Cotswolds lies an opera house popular with aficionados for miles around. This summer, though, silence - not music - has reigned there. Gillian Powell, part of Longborough Festival Opera's team, reflects on what she has been missing, what's still been possible to do and what she might be able to look forward to next year. During the Hindu festival of Janmastimi - a time of family reunion and celebration - Harshad Mistry received particularly sad and unwelcome news - the passing of his Motabhai or big brother. It has prompted not only poignant memories but also thoughts about ambition, kinship and community. And Ian McMillan reveals his youthful attempts with a friend at breaking the time barrier in Barnsley - with the help of a hill of sand and a baked bean tin - and explains why it's something that still preoccupies him. Producer: Simon Coates

Former US Vice-president Joe Biden accepted the Democratic party’s nomination for the presidency via video-link from his home in Wilmington, Delaware. The party convention was going to be a big celebratory event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with balloons and standing ovations. But not during the pandemic. Laura Trevelyan reports from this unconventional convention. South Africa banned alcohol to help keep hospital beds free for Covid-19 patients. So many have a drinking problem in the country that over 62,000 deaths a year are attributed to alcohol. But banning it damages the drinks industry. Vumani Mkhize reports on that dilemma and looks back at his own experiences with alcohol. There have been protests and strikes in Belarus since the contested elections of 9 August. And now the long-term ruler Alexander Lukashenko has given orders to end the unrest. The official result gave him 80% of the vote while the opposition denounced the poll as fraudulent. But where do they go from here, asks Jonah Fisher in the capital Minsk. The blast in Beirut cost many lives and caused thousands of injuries. One of those whose wounds still haven't healed is Leila Morana-Allen. But during the first days after the explosion, it wasn't just her injuries she was worried about, but her pet dog. Was he lost? Did he die? Would Lebanon's networks of dog-lovers be able to help? Being a foreign correspondent may sound glamorous to some, but the reality is working long hours with lots of short-notice travel. Correspondents accept that as part of the deal. But what's harder to deal with is the separation from loved ones. And now, as Shaimaa Khalil is finding in Sydney, due to pandemic travel restrictions she may not see her husband for a year. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

It's the 75th anniversary of VJ Day today, Victory over Japan, when Japan surrendered to the US, Britain and China. That ended the Second World War. Japan was given a new, pacifist constitution by the Americans, and seems to have left its former, more aggressive and militaristic, path behind. But, as Rupert Wingfield-Hayes has been finding in Tokyo, there's more that connects the current political leadership to wartime Japan than one might think. Colombia's decades-long civil war came to an end in 2016, it had pitted leftist guerrilla groups like the FARC against government forces and right-wing paramilitaries. Now the Supreme Court has ordered the house arrest of ex-president Alvaro Uribe, amid an investigation into allegations of bribing witnesses to deny his alleged involvement with these militias, charges he denies. Uribe remains divisive, and as Mat Charles reports, his arrest has split public opinion along the same fault lines that stoked the violence previously. Tourism accounts for around a quarter of all jobs in Greece, and was a lifeline during the austerity years of the Greek Debt crisis. But this year the pandemic has kept a lot of visitors away, even though lockdown restrictions started to be lifted early. That has hit seasonal workers particularly hard. On the island of Crete, Heidi Fuller-Love went to meet a family, for whom Covid-19 has been the last straw. On the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca, the German tourists are back. For them, a sunny holiday on Mallorca is an annual ritual not to be missed, be they celebrities on their private estates, or revellers in Palma, on the capital’s party mile. What is it about the Germans and their favourite Mediterranean island, asks John Kampfner. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

In Lebanon, shock is turning to anger at the authorities and political class at large, after the catastrophic blast in the capital Beirut. It was caused by explosive chemicals stored improperly at the city’s port, and caused much loss of life, thousands of injuries, and damaged large swathes of the city. Lizzie Porter asks what impact this will have on the residents. In South Africa coronavirus infections have surpassed half a million cases. That makes it the fifth worst affected country in the world. The nation had been doing well initially - measures to contain the virus were working. But, then, other problems reared their ugly heads, says Andrew Harding in Johannesburg. Around 20,000 people took to the streets of Berlin last weekend to protest against the anti-coronavirus restrictions, even though few of them remain in force. Most of the demonstrators had been bussed in from elsewhere, and as it turns out, their real agenda had relatively little to do with measures to combat the pandemic, as Damien McGuinness reports. In Iran, Covid-19 carries great social stigma, as Jiyar Gol has learned. Some people claim their relatives died of other illnesses, and others fear that no one will marry their daughters if anyone finds out they ever had Covid-19. The state, too, is less than fully transparent. The real number of cases could be three times that of government reports. According to a recent, yet ineffective campaign, France is the European champion for the abandoning of pets. Never more so than at this time of year, when so many people drive to their holiday destinations that the motorways are congested. Why won't they take their cats or dogs along, asks Chris Bockman in the southwest of the country. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom reflecting contemporary life. When lockdown dramatically curtailed orders, those businesses providing perishable products suffered particularly badly. Artisan cheese-makers had been growing in rural Wales creating much needed jobs there in recent years. But what does the future hold? BBC Radio Cymru's Garry Owen visited one cheese-maker in Carmarthenshire to find out. As well as foodstuffs, farmers responsible for other products - such as wool - have been affected by the consequences of Covid-19. In places like the Scottish borders, where sheep are currently being shorn, fleeces are worth nothing - even less than that after allowing for their transport. John Forsyth has been to the Ettrick Valley in the Scottish borders and spoke to producers and wool graders. What is it like to like with the after-effects of brain surgery? Each year at this time, the children's writer, Caroline Golding, reflects on the removal over twenty years ago of a tumour she had and how her thinking about the experience and what it meant has evolved. Finally being able to bury his brother whose funeral took place just before lockdown has prompted Martin Vennard to consider how the place where they both lived still tells the story of the times they shared. And Tim Hartley, profoundly missing his regular visit to the Cardiff City Stadium to watch his favourite team play in the EFL Championship, understandably jumped at the chance to see them recently in a vital match. But the experience for this football veteran turned out to be a salutary one. Producer: Simon Coates

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya had nothing to do with politics until recently, and has now become the main opposition candidate for the presidential election in Belarus on the 9th of August. She became a candidate when her husband, a leading opposition leader, was suddenly jailed. Jean Mackenzie was able to meet her, and the other women taking on President Lukashenko who has ruled for 26 years. In Australia, relations with its main trading partner China are the worst they've been for decades, over issues ranging from the coronavirus to tariffs on beef and barley. And Australians of Chinese descent are increasingly becoming the victims of racist abuse. Frances Mao, Chinese-Australian herself, reports from Sydney. Florida has reported a record high daily death toll from Covid-19, and governor Ron DeSantis has been under pressure to toughen up restrictions. There is no state-wide requirement to wear masks, but individual cities like Miami have imposed them. Attitudes to the virus remain quite divided, as Tamara Gil has been discovering in Miami. Laos was neutral in the Vietnam war, but was heavily bombed by the Americans anyway, as their North Vietnamese enemies ran supply routes to American-backed South Vietnam via the country. Unexploded ordinance from that time are blighting lives in Laos decades later, as Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent found out. If a common language divides Britain and America, as they say, then how much more does a separate language divide Britain and France? The single word postilion or postillon in French sheds quite a lot of light on what makes these countries so different, says Hugh Schofield in Paris, who is fluent in both languages. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Tens of thousands of people in Russia's Far-Eastern city of Khabarovsk have been demonstrating against the removal of the popular local governor Sergei Furgal. He was arrested on old murder charges dating back 15 years, and taken to Moscow. He had beaten the Kremlin-appointed candidate in the elections. Steve Rosenberg reports on the mood in a city closer to Tokyo than Moscow. A five-year old black boy has died in Brazil, while briefly under the care of a white woman. This has renewed questions about racism in Brazil, which likes to think of itself as being free of racial discrimination. But it was the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery, and the police kill thousands of young black men a year. Katy Watson reports. Laszlo Bogdan was mayor of Cserdi in Hungary, which became known for the "Cserdi miracle" as he was reported to reduce the local crime rate to zero, and young women now go on to university rather than become teenage mothers. Bogdan was a Roma, or Gypsy, as are many villagers. But last week he died - in an apparent suicide. Nick Thorpe had met him many times. Cuba's most popular sport is baseball, unlike in other Latin American countries where football reigns supreme. But that has been changing, and more and more Cubans now play football. Many follow foreign teams, particularly Spain's Barcelona and Real Madrid. And then there are the die-hard fans of the newly-crowned Premier League champion Liverpool. Among them, Will Grant. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

This week, Bosnia is marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre – Europe’s worst atrocity since the Second World War. Those who ordered the executions were convicted of genocide. Today Bosnia is deeply divided, impoverished, and governed by politicians who stir up the remaining ethnic enmity. Now young Bosnians are leaving in droves, says Guy De Launey. Turkmenistan is a secretive and authoritarian state, and has not registered a single case of Covid-19. But independent media organisations, based outside the country, say their sources are reporting numerous cases of people falling ill with Covid-like symptoms. Now experts from the World Health Organisation have visited. What did they find, asks Rayhan Demytrie? Tanzania announced that it had defeated the coronavirus last month, but it has not released full data on infections or deaths for many weeks. There was no lockdown, as the president declared that God would protect the country. But the US embassy warned that hospitals were overwhelmed. Where does that leave Tanzanians, like Sammy Awami? Singapore pressed ahead with a general election despite the pandemic last week. The People’s Action Party has ruled for decades and won again, but with a reduced majority. The opposition Worker’s party had its best result to date. Could there be change in the air? Sharanjit Leyl visited a woman in a poorer district. Germany already made the wearing of face-coverings in shops compulsory in April and has been seen to handle the pandemic well. Germans have adapted to having to wear masks quite creatively, with designs ranging from leopard skin to bridal lace and denim. So what style did Damien McGuinness go for in Berlin? Presenter: Kate Adie Producers: Arlene Gregorius and Serena Tarling

In Poland, the socially conservative President Andrzej Duda was very narrowly re-elected, defeating the more progressive mayor of Warsaw, Rafal Trzaskowski. Mr Duda is a close ally of the nationalist and Catholic Law and Justice government. Mr Trzaskowski favours a more proactive role in the EU and supports minorities’ rights. Adam Easton speaks with young activists. Los Angeles has become a coronavirus hotspot, LA County has more cases than any other county in the US. Hospitals are running short of beds and a second lockdown may be imposed. Hollywood films aren't being screened, and the homeless have nowhere to sleep or wash. David Willis reports on the dark side of the City of Angels. Ghana declared 2019 the Year of Return, appealing to African Americans to visit the homeland their ancestors had been taken from, 400 years after the first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia. Following the George Floyd killing in the US, the appeal was renewed. Thomas Naadi meets some of the 5000 African Americans who now live in Ghana. Italy's city of Rimini on the Adriatic coast is celebrating its local son, famous film director Federico Fellini, who would have been 100 years old this year. The coronavirus has been affecting some of the plans, but not all is lost. Juliet Rix visits Fellini's favourite hotel in Rimini, and has lunch with his niece. Cuba has dealt with the pandemic better than most in Latin America, with monthly death rates now in single digits. During the worst of the outbreak , our correspondent there, Will Grant, was in the UK and has only now managed to make it back to his patch – where he found a nation well on top of Covid-19 but facing serious economic challenges. Presenter: Kate Adie Producers: Arlene Gregorius and Serena Tarling

Australia had widely been seen as having successfully contained the coronavirus – an example to countries like the UK and the US where numbers of cases and deaths have been so much worse. In Australia they locked down early, closed the country’s borders and have had fewer than ten thousand cases. But this week has seen a resurgence in Melbourne and the city’s five million residents are now barred from leaving home for six weeks, except for essential reasons. The whole of the state of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, has been closed, making it particularly hard for communities straddling the state's boundaries, from where Shaimaa Khalil reports. In France this week, where they’re still reeling from the economic and human cost of the coronavirus epidemic, the country has been getting to know its new government. There’s a new prime minister, Jean Castex, and a new direction promised by the President – all part of Mr Macron’s plan to reboot his mandate after the crises of recent years. But what are the challenges facing this government in a post-lockdown France? Lucy Williamson reports from Paris. Passenger ferries are essential to life along the Norwegian Coast – acting as a link between island and coastal communities and the wider world. But recent times have seen these ferries in troubled waters. Locals are angry about fare increases. The ferry companies say it’s so they can invest in environmentally friendly electric and hydrogen-powered boats. But some people in Norway’s island archipelago are feeling trapped by the cost of leaving home, as Oliver Smith reports. A holiday in the resort of Magaluf on the island of Mallorca won’t ever be quite the same again – and not just because of coronavirus. This year has seen a new law in some Balearic resorts aimed at clamping down on alcohol-fuelled tourism. Out goes the promotion of boozy boat parties and pub crawls and in comes a more sedate, family friendly experience - the authorities hope. Lottie Gross has been to find out how it’s looking in Mallorca’s party resort. When our correspondent in Moscow, Steve Rosenberg, was granted an interview with Russia’s spy chief – Sergei Naryshkin – he couldn’t help feeling rather excited as this was both rare and unexpected. The visit to the fortified headquarters of the Foreign Intelligence Service contained all the ingredients of a classic spy novel . And after the spy chief blamed America for trying to rule the world the interview ended with a party – complete with toasts and Russian jokes. Presenter: Kate Adie Producers: Caroline Bayley and Serena Tarling

It was a seminal moment when the UK foreign secretary, Dominic Raab first raised the prospect just over a month ago that 2.9 million Hong Kongers could be eligible for UK citizenship. The move was in response to proposed legislation which made it a criminal act in the territory to undermine Beijing’s authority; legislation which has now been passed. China reacted swiftly to undermine the UK’s offer and to challenge its credibility, even threatening countermeasures. But for many who were Hong Kong residents before the handover in 1997, it has offered them a way out in the face of an encroachment on their democratic freedoms. Grace Tsoi reports from Hong Kong where, she amongst others, may face a difficult choice. Borders have been reopening across Europe in recent weeks, and from tomorrow, Britain is offering quarantine free travel to 59 different countries – a move not reciprocated by all. But visitors to European cities will find it a somewhat changed experience. In Germany, tourist attractions may have re-opened but there are still restrictions. But as Grace Banks in Berlin found, those who rely on tourists for their living are desperate for them to return. Across the Middle East all eyes turned to the sky last month for the partial solar eclipse. But next week the citizens of the United Arab Emirates will turn their attention to another celestial body; the Red Planet, as the country launches its most challenging space project to date. It’ll be the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission and is due to reach the orbit of Mars in February next year. And as Georgia Tolley reports from Dubai, space has caught the imagination of the country. Tipping is an important American custom – but foreigners often find it awkward and confusing. Is it simply something you have to do or is it a case of rewarding good service when you think it was worth it? Helier Cheung tells us about her difficulties navigating tipping culture as a Briton in America – and how the pandemic helped her change her opinion of the practice. While Jordan appears to have weathered the coronavirus pandemic so far with a tiny number of reported deaths, it had a very strict lockdown which hit the economy and livelihoods hard. That was eased five weeks ago but Jordan had already suffered years of sluggish growth and high unemployment, even before the pandemic. And life is now harder than ever. But as Charlie Faulkner reports from Amman, the past few months have given more time to those who indulge in one of the country’s popular hobbies, owning and flying pigeons. Presenter Kate Adie Producer Caroline Bayley and Serena Tarling

In the latest programme, Mishal Husain introduces pieces from writers around the United Kingdom which reflect life as it is being led during Covid-19. Paul Moss, who reports for Radio 4's "The World Tonight" and the BBC World Service, spills the beans on how daily reporting has changed during lockdown. His story includes weirdly unprofessional backdrops, some decidedly awkward manoeuvring of equipment, bedding - and the neighbours. BBC News presenter, Tanya Beckett, has found that lockdown has meant that time has stood still in her Oxfordshire village, leaving her to reflect on a dreadful crime. It took place not far from where she now lives and, as she has learnt more about the case, it has turned out to be even closer to home than she had at first realised. Businesses across the UK are deciding how to operate as lockdown restrictions are eased. They include tarot card readers who perhaps saw what was coming. Writer and broadcaster Travis Elborough has been speaking to two Brighton tarot readers who are getting ready to meet clients again. So how is the future looking? And how's your bubble? In June, it was announced that single person and single parent households could form a "support bubble" with another household. After months alone, Jane Labous, in lockdown with her young daughter, has taken the plunge. She's been speaking to others weighing up the pros and cons of "bubbling up". Lockdown has curtailed plans to mark the 300th anniversary of the birth later this month of the household naturalist, the Reverend Gilbert White. Yet his writings, based on observations in the Hampshire village of Selborne, remain astonishingly accessible and informative today - as Andrew Green, with a special Selborne connection himself, has found. Producer: Simon Coates

In Afghanistan, there’s growing concern over a wave of attacks against human rights activists, moderate clerics, aid workers and others. For a young educated generation of Afghans, one death in particular has sparked anguish and anxiety over where their country is heading, despite imminent peace talks, as Lyse Doucet reports. In Russia, a controversial national vote on constitutional reform this week has given President Putin the right to run for two more terms when the current one runs out. He's been in power for twenty years already, and could now rule till 2036. What do voters make of this? Sarah Rainsford has been following the election. In Spain, much of life is returning to normal after the coronavirus lockdown, but not yet in the world of bullfighting. Matadors languish at home, bulls chew the cud, and the future of bullfighting hangs in the balance, not just because of social distancing, but politics too. as Guy Hedgecoe reports from Madrid. In the US July 4th is Independence Day, marking the moment when the country broke free from Britain in 1776. But for African Americans, final liberation from slavery only came on the 19th June 1865, in Texas, two and a half years after slavery was abolished in the rest of the country. And now Juneteenth is a celebration rivalling that of the Fourth of July, for African Americans like Emma Sapong. The Democratic Republic of Congo marked the 60th anniversary of its independence from Belgium this week. And the Belgian king Philippe took the opportunity to offer his “deepest regrets” for his country’s colonial abuses, when millions of Africans died. The most brutal period was under King Leopold the Second, Kevin Connolly has been taking a closer look at this history. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Japan has some very densely populated cities and the world’s highest proportion of elderly citizens. A disaster waiting to happen in the coronavirus pandemic? But the country has had a low death rate, despite only imposing a mild lockdown. What's the secret, or was it just luck, asks Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Tokyo. The George Floyd anti-racism protests have been supported in Asia too, but the conversation around race and colour is very loaded for South Asians themselves – where the criticism has been that the deep divides within South Asian society itself aren't scrutinised enough. There can even be discrimination in the same family, if siblings have different skin tones, as Karishma Vaswani has found. In Italy, lockdown was imposed in February, and Italian children haven’t been to school since, nor are there plans for them to return before September. And the lockdown was so strict, that most children couldn't see their friends even in a socially-distanced way. But then a mayor had an idea, as Dany Mitzman reports. Fancy a walk in the fresh mountain air? How about Northern Iraq? Iraqi Kurdistan may be better known for armed conflict, but has now become a location for outdoor pursuits with a long-distance hiking trail. There's still the risk of mines or drone strikes, but the reward of beautiful scenery and greater social freedoms than in the cities, as Leon McCarran found. A plant that grows across much of Africa - Artemisia Afra, a species of wormwood – was recently touted as a cure for Covid-19 by the President of Madagascar. But in the family of Nomsa Maseko in South Africa, the herb has always been used as a remedy for colds and chest complaints. Until the shrubs were stolen from the front garden... Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Italy's northern region of Lombardy became the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in February. Death rates soared. In Bergamo, six thousand people died in March. Mark Lowen returns to Lombardy to meet some of the bereaved and finds that politicians are passing the buck as to why cities locked down too late. Colombia had a thriving economy before the pandemic, and has been host to almost two million Venezuelans who fled their country due to its economic and political crisis. Now, their dreams of a better life have turned to despair. Lockdown stops them earning a living, landlords evict them, and they're reduced to begging for food to survive, as Mat Charles has been finding. Travel restrictions are gradually being lifted across the world, allowing more people to take airplanes again. But what is it actually like to fly now? Jean Mackenzie reports for the BBC from Brussels, and has been on numerous flights to cover the pandemic. She found the usual bustle of check-in queues, airport cafes, and departure lounges has given way to something more dystopian. The United States has been going through tempestuous times, and New York City in particular. The city suffered around 22,000 Covid-19 deaths. And the fall-out of the killing of George Floyd led to street protests against police racism. Amidst the deaths, there was also new life. Nick Bryant’s daughter Honor was born. Becoming a father again at such a turbulent time prompted him to him to re-evaluate his relationship with this adopted homeland, and to write a letter to Honor. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Germany had eased its lockdown, but after a spike in cases at a meat-packing factory the authorities have re-imposed lockdown restrictions in two districts, affecting over half a million people. Is this the start of a second wave or just something to be expected asks Damien McGuinness? The Islamist militant group Boko Haram has operated in north-east Nigeria for years, despite the Nigerian army's efforts to defeat them. Recently there has been a new spate of attacks, in the garrison town of Monguno, and two more nearby. And now, they are targeting aid workers, as Colin Freeman reports. There was a deadly clash in Ladakh’s Galway valley last week, where India borders China. Both sides accused each other of crossing into their respective territory. Against this turbulent backdrop, the region is also known for its snow leopards. Michelle Jana Chan went in search of them. A Chechen blogger living in exile in a secret location in Sweden. says he was the victim of an assassination attempt, carried out with a hammer. The blogger had been a vocal critic of the pro-Russian government in Chechnya. So who sent the would-be assassin, and why did the hitman, who had not killed previously, take on the job? Nick Sturdee investigates. In Greece concerts are allowed again, and those who like folk music, but not the ubiquitous bouzouki sound, may want to head to Crete. Here the traditional performances don’t include bouzoukis, but instead, as Heidi Fuller Love has been finding, the instruments and voices are enhanced by live gun shots. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

In Australia, the killing of George Floyd in the US has resonated strongly with indigenous Australians, who often face prejudicial policing, and make up a disproportionate number of Australia's prison population. Shaimaa Khalil met members of the Aboriginal community in Sydney. Turkey has so far had relatively few deaths from coronavirus, for the size of its population. That's according to the official data. But in the past week numbers of new infections have surged, following the easing of restrictions in early June. Could there be a second wave? Orla Guerin has been following events in Istanbul. The vast container ships that travel the oceans to supply us with food and other goods have not been left untouched by the pandemic. Fear of the virus means the crews are no longer welcome in many ports, and they have seen their employment rights eroded, Horatio Clare reports. Around a quarter of the world's population already eat insects as part of their diet, but many still recoil from the idea. And yet insects may be an answer for future sustainable food production. So how to make them more palatable? A laboratory in Kenya is working on it. Grasshopper biscuit anyone? Emilie Filou had a taste. In much of Europe, residents had been enjoying free movement for many years, when coronavirus lockdowns closed the borders. Suddenly friends, relatives even lovers on two sides of a border could no longer see each other. But a hotel which sits right on the Franco-Swiss border, with entries on both sides, offered a solution, as Imogen Foulkes has found. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

In the Philippines two journalists, Maria Ressa, the head of an investigative news website called Rappler, and one of their former writers, Reynaldo Santos Jr, have been sentenced to prison for libel, in a case that many see as an attack on freedom of the press, and on critics of the government, as Howard Johnson reports. In Spain, healthcare workers, from doctors and nurses to hospital porters, were badly affected by the coronavirus, making up twenty percent of confirmed cases. Ed Habershon was there during the peak of the crisis. Ten years ago ethnic clashes broke out in the city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan, when Kyrgyz residents turned on ethnic Uzbeks. Hundreds were killed, many more injured, around two thousand homes burnt down. The violence took place at a time of deep political instability in the country. For Rayhan Demytrie, an Uzbek herself, these were among the most horrific events of her journalistic career. The island of Bougainville is in Papua New Guinea, but residents have voted overwhelmingly to secede and become independent. Key to its future economy is a former copper and gold mine. Its closure had contributed to civil war, so how do local people see its possible re-opening now, asks Mark Stratton. The murder of the popular prime minister Olof Palme in 1986 shocked Sweden deeply, and left an open wound as the killer was never found despite decades of investigations. Conspiracy theories abounded. And then last week the Swedish authorities announced that they had identified the perpetrator, that he was dead, and that they were therefore closing the case. But how convinced is the Swedish public that the true culprit has been found, asks Maddy Savage. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers which reflect the range of contemporary life in the UK. Emir Nader of BBC Arabic tells the story of the family of Dr Adil El Tayar, who was originally from Sudan and himself an early casualty of Covid-19. With two doctors among his children, how do they all come to terms with the enormity of the tragedy that has befallen them and the professional dilemmas they face? With most people in the UK now required to wear face coverings on public transport, many are learning to reach for them alongside keys and bags before leaving home. But it's not much of an adjustment for Vincent Ni, who's long seen how masks are commonplace in East Asia and has consequently been ahead of the game. Has your lockdown involved a clear-out? It's been part of Gillian Powell's experience as she finally decided to tackle a vast photo collection accumulated in boxes over decades. Some tough choices over what to keep have needed to be made, but there's also been laughter along the way. While steps are being taken to ease the lockdown on the UK mainland, in the Channel Islands Guernsey is moving quickly ahead with its pandemic exit strategy. Local people - no outside visitors yet - can start to take big steps back towards life as it was. But, as BBC reporter Frank Hersey explains, the process comes with a few headaches. And lockdown has brought many more people than usual onto one of England's most ancient pathways - the Icknield Way. BBC London's Environment Correspondent, Tom Edwards, knows it well as a cyclist but there's now a new etiquette to using this amenity... or at least it's a work in progress. Producer: Simon Coates

India's commercial capital, Mumbai, is now the city worst-hit by the coronavirus. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the number of patients in need. Even money can't buy you treatment. As a result, many are dying before they can receive medical care, as Yogita Limaye has found. It's a time of re-examining slavery and colonial history. Andrew Harding's grandfather was a young entomologist who moved from England to what was then Tanganyika to study termites to prevent them destroying crops. Have stories like his helped Britain to maintain a nostalgic, unquestioning attitude towards its former Empire? In the former coastal resort of Kep in Cambodia, local people are wary of a tourism development project with a marina and the hope of renovating old villas. The authorities claim the project will bring business and jobs, but many fear their way of life is under threat, as Michelle Jana Chan reports. In southwestern France, rugby is more popular than football, and fans have been feeling bereft since matches were stopped due to Covid-19. Rugby means so much, there's even a chapel called Notre Dame du Rugby, with stained-glass windows featuring Jesus holding a rugby ball. So how have locals been coping without their favourite sport? Chris Bockman has been finding out. The Whanganui River in New Zealand gained the rights, duties and liabilities of a legal person three years ago. This was for environmental protection, but to the Maori people it meant much more. They consider the river sacred, an embodiment of their ancestors, and young Maori travel it from source-to-sea to reconnect with their culture. Ash Bhardwaj paddled along. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

In the US, authorities all over the country are working on police reform. Jo Erickson is a black journalist working in Minneapolis, and has been stopped by armed police herself. She recounts her experience. Yemen has the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, following years of civil war. And now, on top of malnourishment and a decimated healthcare system, comes Covid-19. Iona Craig was in the worst-hit city, Aden, when the virus started to spread. South-East Asian countries have been easing their lockdowns, with manufacturing and construction starting up again in Singapore this week. But not all companies made it through lockdown. Karishma Vaswani has been hearing the stories of a pizza restaurant in Singapore, and a garment factory in Indonesia. Mali used to be a destination for travellers drawn by the music, the allure of Timbuktu, or backpacking in the Dogon valley. This gave many local youngsters jobs as tourist guides. But all that came to a halt with a jihadi insurrection and extremist violence. Mali is now a no-go zone for foreigners, much to the regret of Colin Freeman. In Uzbekistan, on the old Silk Road in Central Asia, life in the countryside still goes on in much the way it used to, everyone knows everyone, food is shared. At family gatherings, greetings involve repeated kisses on each cheek. Not anymore though, with new social distancing rules, much to the relief of our correspondent. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

When President Emmerson Mnangagwa came to power in Zimbabwe after the end of Robert Mugabe’s decades-long rule, there was hope that the country could turn a corner. It was supposed to be a fresh start, with better economic management, and fairer politics. But that is not at all how it is turning out, says Andrew Harding who is in neighbouring South Africa. New York City has been particularly hard-hit by the coronavirus, with 20,000 deaths in the city alone. As Laura Trevelyan reports from Brooklyn, they even needed mobile morgues to cope. Barely had these morgues moved away, when the streets erupted with demonstrations against racism and police brutality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. It all makes for anxious times, particularly for people of colour. China was the country where the coronavirus first emerged, and the authorities reacted with strict lockdowns, restricting residents to their homes. But now, as Stephen McDonell reports from Beijing, the worst is behind them, and he was able to return to the Great Wall of China, to enjoy the sunset amid small crowds. Being under lockdown is not comparable to being a blindfolded hostage, and yet they have something in common. When the mundane world is taken from you, you travel the landscape of the mind and think more. During the lockdown in Ireland, no guests have been allowed to the home. But former hostage Brian Keenan has had unexpected visitors to his garden. They were a fox, an owl and a squirrel, and inspired a philosophical tale about our times.

The killing of African American George Floyd by a white policeman in Minnesota led to both peaceful demonstrations and violence across the United States. Emma Sapong is an African American journalist from Minnesota and reports on the yawning gap between the lives of white Minnesotans and their black counterparts. It's exactly one hundred years since Greater Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory in the Trianon Treaty after the First World War. This loss has left a gaping wound in Hungary, and, together with its violent aftermath, it has been influencing the country to this day, as Nick Thorpe reveals. The coronavirus epidemic has not hit the Democratic Republic of Congo as hard as it has some other countries, due to measures like the closure of borders. But, as Olivia Acland reports, these have disrupted food imports, and have led to more cases of hunger instead. The far-eastern Russian island of Sakhalin was part-Japanese during the Second World War, when the Japanese brought in Korean labourers. After the war, the borders shut, and the Koreans were stuck. For some it's still hard to know where home really is, as Will Atkins has found. In Spain one hotel is preparing for the new tourist season by looking to its past, when it hosted royalty and Hollywood stars. Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol was a quiet, niche destination with a glamour to rival that of St Tropez in the 1960s. Can it ever be like that again, asks Oliver Smith? Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

The streets of Hong Kong have erupted into protests after mainland China proposed new security legislation, to outlaw the undermining of Beijing's authority in the territory. This comes after last year's demonstrations and pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. Danny Vincent reports. The Lake Turkana area in Kenya's Rift valley is considered the cradle of mankind. On the surface, life in this semi-arid remote land appears to have changed little in centuries. But now with locusts swarms and fears about Covid-19, suddenly everything has changed, as Horatio Clare has been finding. In Papua New Guinea's central highlands region, two tribal communities have been fighting each other over ownership of a large coffee plantation. Violence has flared up, and some have committed atrocities. There is only one policeman for the whole region. And now he has handed in his notice, as Charlie Walker reports. We have all been told to wash our hands to avoid infection with the coronavirus. But as Bethany Bell reports, when hand-washing was first introduced in a hospital setting by Dr Semmelweis, an obstetrician in Vienna, in the nineteenth century, it was controversial and seen as downright subversive. Moscow has been living under lockdown like many other places. One of the shops Steve Rosenberg has been missing the most, is his old newspaper kiosk. Imagine his delight when he suddenly found it had reopened. And after weeks of isolation, it wasn't the newspapers that he was most pleased to see again. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had his day in court at the start of his corruption trial this week. He denies charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The trial could last months or even years. Israelis are wondering what it means for their future, as Tom Bateman reports from Jerusalem. In Zimbabwe, and in many other African countries, the numbers of confirmed Covid-19 cases are still low, not least due to swift lockdowns. But the coronavirus is not the worst threat the population faces, says Charlotte Ashton in Harare. Apart from TB, malaria and HIV, there's now hunger because the lockdown makes it hard to earn a living. Sweden did not opt for a lockdown, deciding instead to trust residents to make their own judgements about social distancing. Shops, pubs and restaurants have been allowed to remain open, but as Maddy Savage is finding, it's quite a minefield to negotiate all the dilemmas that throws up. Capoeira, a martial art with elements of dance and acrobatics, originated among enslaved Africans in Brazil. Now it has travelled eleven time zones east to Siberia's lake Baikal region in Russia. It means a lot more than exercise to the young locals there, as Olga Smirnova has been finding out. But how have they done under lockdown? Malta is home to the second oldest stone buildings in the world, 5000-year old temples. The people who built them are something of a mystery but new research on elongated skulls from that time may be about to lay to rest some of the wilder theories about their origins – or are they, asks Juliet Rix. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

In the latest programme, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers reflecting the range of life across the UK. She begins and ends in Edinburgh. First, the BBC's Social Affairs Correspondent, Michael Buchanan, reveals how a renowned city centre doctor is using one public health emergency - Covid-19 - to tackle another - drug-related deaths among the homeless. Could a notoriously difficult medical and social problem prove amenable to new approaches? Cabin fever is a literal risk for those living aboard narrow boats at the moment. And while self-sufficiency is a characteristic of those who live afloat, as Lois Pryce has been discovering among users on the Grand Union Canal, their ingenuity is being tested by the relatively prosaic requirements for water and fuel. It's once again possible for those in England who are looking to move house to visit potential new homes in person. What, though, of those who are already part of a chain with buyers and sellers ready to go ahead? Lesley Curwen, a business reporter for more than three decades, finds herself in just that situation. Will she make her dream move to the West Country or will there be a last-minute hitch? Foster carers become accustomed to all types of placements. Emily Unia's parents have decades of experience but even so it's been special for them to share the last several weeks with a young boy and his baby sister who arrived just days before lockdown. She reveals how they've all been coping. And, back in the Scottish capital, Christopher Harding provides an amusing insight into the world of home schooling as his three children adjust to their new teachers and lessons. How do the ambitions of the new staff fare amid the realities of the schoolroom? Producer: Simon Coates

The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 has surged in Brazil. And yet there are many Brazilians who fail to observe social distancing or to wear masks. Some people blame President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the crisis. He has criticised state governors for imposing quarantines. And as Katy Watson reports from Sao Paulo, the pandemic is turning into a political issue as much as a health one. It's been Ramadan in the Muslim world, and this year mosques around the world have been shut under lockdown. Not so in Pakistan, where, as Secunder Kermani has found, the politicians chose not to oppose the clerics who wanted to keep them open for prayer. Policemen stood by powerlessly as the faithful flocked in. Fancy returning to the theatre or ballet? You're not alone. Performers too, have been longing to get back to the stage. That's not possible yet, but in Germany they can now rehearse in studios again rather than their kitchens. Jenny Hill went to watch the Dortmund ballet dust off their tutus and stretch their muscly limbs again. In Lebanon and Syria, it's the season when the jasmine blossoms. The sweet smell is even more powerful this year, as it doesn't need to compete with traffic pollution as much, thanks to lockdown. The jasmine's scent also evokes memories of the past, for some, says Lizzie Porter in Beirut. In Belgium, lockdown has been eased. Many shops have reopened, as have schools, at least in part. Even hairdressers are welcoming customers again. Our correspondent Kevin Connolly has made a tentative return to consumerism - you won't believe what his first purchase was. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

For weeks President Donald Trump downplayed the threat of the coronavirus. The White House carried on with business as usual. But then a few members of staff tested positive for the virus. Anthony Zurcher reports on the impact this has had on both the White House, and on the Trump administration more widely. In Ukraine, it's a year since the new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, came to office. Before he was elected Mr Zelensky had been a comedian and actor, playing a popular fictional president fighting corruption in a TV series. And then he got the job for real. Jonah Fisher reports on how the actor-turned-politician has been getting on. The Dutch have been having “an intelligent lockdown” - to minimise the impact on society and the economy. Only shops such as hairdressers or beauticians had to close. As the lockdown eases Anna Holligan reports on innovative solutions to enable restaurants to open and care home residents to see their families again. In Chile's capital Santiago a very strict lockdown was only imposed a few days ago. This new stress comes after months of social unrest over inequalities in the country. Protestors were promised they could vote for a new constitution, but that’s now been put on hold, as Jane Chambers reports. In Greece, they're celebrating Easter - on the 26th of May. It will be a scaled down version, after the actual Easter in April had to be cancelled, with churches closed for lockdown. Heidi Fuller-Love finds that religion is so important, it's sewn into the seam of life in Crete, and not just a coat to throw on when it's cold. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

France had one of the toughest lockdowns but now people can go shopping again in outlets that had been shut for the last two months. Lucy Williamson joins customers in Paris as they queue outside, to ask them how they have been faring. Sudan can't spend much money on healthcare. But as Mark Weston reports, the young activists from the revolutionary committees that helped to oust President Omar al-Bashir last year, are battling against the coronavirus, armed with hand sanitiser and food for the vulnerable. The Roma are a minority that has often been blamed for social ills wherever they live, and now they're being scapegoated for the arrival of Covid-19 in some parts of Spain, as Guy Hedgecoe has found. In Bangladesh, garment workers had been enjoying better conditions since the Rana Plaza factory collapsed seven years ago. But now there's a new worry about the coronavirus, and how to get good healthcare. Christine Stewart meets doctors and patients at a charitable hospital where even the poorest patients get top class care, and not just for Covid-19. And if you thought that having a cup of tea could provide respite from the news about the pandemic, spare a thought for Steve Evans in Australia, who finds that the knock-on effects of the virus on supply chains means he can no longer get the right tea bags. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Videos and images of Africans being evicted from their apartments, forced into quarantine, blocked from hotels and even being barred from a local McDonald’s in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou recently went viral on social media. Danny Vincent looks at the way the coronavirus has amplified existing tensions and says the injustices faced by Africans in China are a by-product of authoritarian rule. Millions of Italians are enjoying their first taste of freedom, meeting loved ones after a two month long separation now that the lockdown rules have eased. But the shutdown inflicted deep wounds in a country which already had serious economic problems and the south is the hardest hit says Mark Lowen in Naples. In Lebanon anger over a failing economy and unaffordable food has pushed protesters into the streets despite fears of infection says Abbie Cheeseman. They are calling it The Hunger Revolution. Katie Arnold detects a rebellious mood in South Africa where a film star turned squatter is highlighting shocking disparities between rich and poor when it comes to housing and land ownership. And Trish Flanagan gets away from it all on a deserted coastal path in the West of Ireland past the soaring Cliffs of Moher where you can sometimes spot puffins, razerbills and peregrine falcons.

At the height of the Covid-19 outbreak in April, a New Yorker was dying almost every two minutes — more than 800 a day - four times the city’s normal death rate. The pandemic appears to have passed its peak and a gradual reopening is planned after more than 40 days of lockdown. Nick Bryant describes the impact of the virus on the city he loves and on his own family. Ever since Kim Jong-un failed to show up in mid-April for the festivities marking his grandfather's birth the rumour mill has gone into overdrive. The sheer number of theories about the North Korean leader's whereabouts and state of health reflects the dearth of information about how things work inside the Hermit Kingdom says Laura Bicker. As the coronavirus pandemic forces countries everywhere to keep people indoors, those who live with abusive partners are even more vulnerable. In Jordan, social media is providing one outlet for those unable to step outside says Charlie Faulkner. So far Ukraine seems to be weathering the Covid-19 outbreak better than many other parts of Europe. But with an antiquated health system and an economy battered by a six year old conflict with Russian backed separatists in the east, the outlook is far from bright. Ukraine’s best known contemporary novelist , Andrei Kurkov, focuses on people living near the frontline in the war ravaged Donbas region in his latest book, which is called The Grey Bees.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. From Dorset, Jane Labous reflects on how she coped with early isolation with her young daughter in response to Covid-19 and the lessons she is drawing as a single parent as the experience continues and develops. Culloden remains a significant moment in Scottish - and British - history which today, BBC News Special Correspondent James Naughtie has been discovering, has a life all of its own. For although, 274 years on, even the commemorations marking this epic historical event have to take account of current realities, for some there are eternal verities. Parks have become the exercise refuge for many urban dwellers in recent weeks. But this has not been without contention and controversy, with some councils temporarily closing their spaces and others setting strict conditions for their use. This hasn't surprised the leading historian of parks, Travis Elborough, who reflects on how rows and disputes have been a central part of their history. Charlotte Bailey, recently in New Malden, reveals how North Korean exiles there reflect on the irony of being in lockdown in the UK. But she also discovers how those she speaks to are getting on with the much more numerous population there originating from South Korea - and hears what the future may hold. And Adam Shaw tells the story of the leaky dam, newspaper manor, chicken of the woods and the sword of Egbedene - all of which sound like they belong to a lost chapter from Harry Potter, but in fact tell us about Bolton's environs. Producer: Simon Coates

Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel and her CDU party have been in the political doldrums in recent years. But as Jenny Hill reports, polls suggest Angela Merkel has risen in popularity thanks to her calm, scientific approach to the coronavirus. The same is true of Bavaria's regional Prime Minister, who has a good chance of succeeding Mrs Merkel. Singapore had been hailed for how it dealt with the coronavirus, but now there is a significant new surge in cases. Karishma Vaswani reveals that the virus has been rapidly spreading in the crowded, government-run dormitories for the thousands of migrant workers the country relies on. Ireland is still trying to form a government after the surprising general election result in February in which Sinn Fein got most first-preference votes. In part this was due to its stance on the country's housing crisis. Chris Bowlby ponders whether reunification with Northern Ireland is now more likely. The most radioactive area near the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant has become a forest wilderness. Monica Whitlock visits two scientists at a research station there, and hears that while there are no other humans, there are nosy wolves and helpful elks. The Naga people of remote northwestern Myanmar live as if forgotten by the outside world. But they have been sent a young teacher by the government. Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent is taken in by his happy and optimistic nature. He even rigged up a karaoke set with a monk. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Sri Lanka's economy was improving and tourism flourishing after three decades of civil war but last Easter, a group of Muslims youths, inspired by Islamic State group, murdered more than 250 people in a series of bomb attacks. Jane Corbin has been gauging the lasting effect on the island, one year on. In Georgia, the country's powerful Orthodox Church is at loggerheads with the government over Easter celebrations. Despite restrictions on gatherings of more than three people to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic, churches across the country remain defiantly open and offer holy communion with a shared spoon. It is a case of church versus state, faith versus science says Rayhan Demetriye. Richard Dimbleby's report from the Bergen Belsen concentration camp, liberated by British troops seventy-five years ago, remains one of the most remarkable broadcasts ever. It was a revelation as he carefully detailed the horrific reality of the Nazi’s ‘final solution’. His son Jonathan recently returned to the camp with film maker Simon Broughton and one of the survivors. In Paris another survivor from the Nazi era tells David Chazan what he thinks about President Emmanuel Macron’s approach to the pandemic - will he succeed in uniting the French behind him as the country fights what he calls "a kinetic war"? “Patient zero” may be the present day term for the original carrier of a disease but it is not a new concept. Cholera, HIV/AIDS, the bubonic plague and now Covid 19 all had major stories of detection around them and the one which looms largest in folk memory says Kevin Connolly is that of the Irish cook, Typhoid Mary, once dubbed "the most dangerous woman in America".

Fifteen years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is facing another lethal storm. The city on Louisiana’s coast has become one of the worst-hit areas in the US. Some have blamed the high death toll on the decision to allow the annual Mardi Gras parade to go ahead. But musician and actor Harry Shearer, famous, among other things for voicing characters in The Simpsons, says don’t victim blame and don't reproach the revellers. South Africa's president has extended the lockdown until the end of the month as the country braces for a surge in infections. But enforcing social distancing in the poorest, most crowded South African townships remains a struggle says Andrew Harding. This weekend the World Health Organization is set to officially declare the end of the Ebola epidemic that has killed thousands in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Peter Yeung was one of the few journalists to visit health workers in the epidemic’s former epicentre of Beni amidst the global lockdown. But with the coronavirus on the way, there is no cause for celebration. In Jerusalem, Yolande Knell has been talking to local religious leaders about how to mark Easter, Passover and Ramadan when prayers at holy sites are forbidden. Every ten years the small Bavarian village of Oberammergau puts on a passion play – a huge pageant about the life and death of Christ. The tradition dates back to the seventeenth century when people believed that the plays would protect them from the plague. But this year’s performance has been postponed and it’s a huge blow to tourists and locals alike says Jenny Hill.

India’s prime minister imposed a three week lockdown with four hours notice. It was an attempt to prevent the coronavirus spreading. But the nationwide order has caused confusion and anger, especially for millions of migrant workers trying to return home says Rahul Tandon. The United Nations is concerned about Africa's chronically underfunded health services and their ability to cope with Covid-19. Millions are made more vulnerable because of HIV or malnutrition. But so far the continent has been less badly hit than Europe and many Africans are worrying about people in Britain says Mary Harper. Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, has been granted extraordinary powers by a Parliament dominated by his Fidesz party. The opposition faced a difficult choice: : extend the current state of emergency and grant an already authoritarian government almost unlimited power. Or oppose it, and be portrayed as enemies of the nation says Nick Thorpe. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has so far refused to declare a state of emergency. But, amidst the springtime cherry blossoms, there are fears that Tokyo, the world’s largest metropolis, is on the brink of a massive coronavirus outbreak. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes feels anxious about what lies ahead. Guinea’s leader, Alpha Condé, held a referendum last month to change the constitution and bring in social reforms. But his opponents fear the real motive is to allow the 82-year-old president to rule until he is 94. Many Guineans recall the one party rule of a previous strongman, Ahmed Sékou Touré, who broke ties with the former colonial power, France. Fleur Macdonald met his daughter Aminata.

Stories from Singapore, the US, Britain, Germany and Antarctica on battling COVID-19.

Mishal Husain presents pieces by writers and journalists across the UK presenting portraits of life today. Garry Owen of BBC Radio Cymru visits Llanelli and Hospital Notes - an amateur choir there comprising hospital and care workers and members of the emergency services. He discovers how its members de-compress at times of stress - when social distancing restrictions permit it - and what benefits they derive from singing together. The writer, Damian Barr, author of the Radio 4 Books of the Week, "Maggie & Me" and "You Will Be Safe Here", takes us to north Lanarkshire and the South Downs in his quest for glow worms. His search is part journey of discovery and part self-revelation. Along the way, he explains the enduring appeal of these elusive insects at this - or, indeed - any time. Andrew Green has journeyed around England in search of the special memorials which are stained glass windows in parish churches commemorating the Fallen of the Great War. From Cornwall to Suffolk, Leicestershire to Devon, he has been speaking with those entrusted with the care of both old and new windows and has heard why they matter so much to local communities. The Edwardian bandstand in the West Yorkshire town of Todmorden is sadly neglected. But, as Andy Kershaw has been discovering, there are plans afoot from local campaigners to restore it. Might they, though, be defeated by local bureaucracy or will this rare structure come to enjoy a new lease of life over a hundred years after it first came into use? And the poet and broadcaster, Ian McMillan, considers how we mark out our lives. For him, it's the regular visit to the same place for a ritual that’s barely altered over the decades. But if the location hasn’t changed the people certainly have… Producer: Simon Coates

Italy marked a grim milestone at the end of this week as its number of deaths from the coronavirus exceeded those in China. Yet most Italians are supportive of the country's struggling authorities says Mark Lowen who has covered the crisis from its outset. Across the world ten of millions of people are having to adapt their way of life to avoid infection. Fergal Keane has spent decades reporting on conflicts and natural disasters across the globe. He reflects on what it means to be caught up in the universal war against a potentially fatal disease. In New York all non-essential businesses have been ordered to close. For the army of low paid workers and small business owners in particular, this is an exceptionally difficult time says Laura Trevelyan. Young men and women looking for love often turn to their phone and swipe through a gallery of faces. But the leaders of the Indonesia's anti-dating movement say casual relationships are expensive, get in the way of study, and go against religious teaching. Josephine Casserly met a pair of newly weds who have made not dating cool. In these days of self-isolation and working from home, many turn to the comforting familiarity of favourite books – and memories of where we first encountered them. Forty years ago Kevin Connolly fell for a largely forgotten thriller. His love was rekindled by a recent trip to the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.

While Europe seals its borders, Latin America, which has far fewer confirmed Coronavirus cases, has started to do the same to stop the disease spreading. But not all leaders are taking the threats seriously says Katy Watson. All over the world Coronavirus is spreading, unseen. Paul Adams found himself in Beirut as it approached. He watched as the city shut down and found himself reflecting on this hidden enemy. Aung San Suu Kyi was once a much admired recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. But her repeated denials over the persecution of the Rohingya, the country’s Muslim minority, have earned her global opprobrium. As Nick Beake bids farewell to his life in Yangon and to Myanmar, he reflects on its elusive first lady. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah which is backed by Iran has lost at least one thousand two hundred men in Syria. But by no means all Syrians are grateful for these sacrifices says Lizzie Porter. Living in an online world makes tracking down something or someone infinitely easier. Rob Cameron spotted a face in a film from the Prague Spring, and was so besotted with the man that he set out to find him – 50 years later.

For well over a decade, the Al Qaeda linked group Al Shabab has struck terror in Somalia, Kenya and beyond blowing up shopping malls and hotels. Its senior leaders want to establish a caliphate, where their draconian form of Islam is imposed. But most Al Shabaab foot-soldiers come from deprived backgrounds and now hundreds have defected and are rebuilding their lives. Mary Harper visited a rehabilitation centre in the capital Mogadishu. In Afghanistan too, there are hopes of militants disarming, Taliban prisoners being released and of an end to a long drawn out conflict. But the peace process is overshadowed by a crisis in government. The defeated candidate in the presidential election, Abdullah Abdullah, proclaimed himself as president at the same time as the official inauguration of President Ghani earlier this week. David Loyn was there. There was much praise for the three journalists whose dogged investigations ultimately led to Harvey Weinsteins's conviction. But an important question remains says Kirsty Lang: why was the movie mogul's systematic abuse of women, kept out of the media for so many years? In France schools are closing until further notice as the government battles to stem the spread of the coronavirus. But President Macron said local elections would go ahead as planned. Elderly people, most at risk, may stay away from the polls. But in Pamiers, Chris Bockman met a candidate for mayor, a hardy nonagenarian. Despite its beautiful lakes, forests and hilltop castles Estonia had a hard time attracting tourists in the 1970s. Few Westerners fancied spending their holidays on that side of the Iron Curtain. But then the Soviet authorities built a luxury hotel fitted out with state of the art listening devices says Rob Crossan.

Stories from Russia, France, the Philippines, Italy and Yemen's most dangerous road. Yemen has been devastated by a war which began in 2015 between Saudi-backed pro-government forces and the rebel Houthi movement, aligned to Iran. Lyse Doucet was there dodging snipers and meeting overworked doctors. But that's not the whole picture. This week, the trial opened of three Russians and a Ukrainian for the murder of 298 people aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, shot down over eastern Ukraine. The Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team says it has proof that the missile used to shoot down the aircraft came from a military base inside Russia. But Moscow rejects the evidence and when questioned accuses Steve Rosenberg of disseminating propaganda. Protecting human rights and freedom of movement in a changing world is at the heart of President Emmanuel Macron’s commitment to a stronger European Union. But the far-right nationalist party of Marine Le Pen is promising the French a different kind of freedom: protection from the European Union with its open borders and open markets. Lucy Williamson has been on the frontier between France and Italy where, despite appearances, tensions run high. In the Philippines a recent hostage-taking situation in a shopping centre gripped the nation. Alchie Paray, a former security guard, took around 50 people prisoner with a grenade and a gun. His grievance? Unfair treatment by his former employers. The situation has triggered a national debate about labour rights. Howard Johnson, was outside the shopping mall to watch the nine hour drama unfold. The Italian government placed the entire country on lockdown on Tuesday in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus. Cinemas and theatres and even churches have shut, travel is severely restricted and all schools are closed until April. Dany Mitzman describes life in quarantine.

Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has accused the European Union of failing to help him manage the growing crisis in northern Syria. Turkey already has 3.7 million refugees from the conflict there and the recent killing of at least 50 Turkish soldiers last month may have been the last straw. Although the EU promised billions more euros in aid, Turkey decided to open its borders with Greece and has gone out of its way, says Jonah Fisher, to help people cross into Europe. This week Italy shut all of its schools in an attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak. In China, even beyond the quarantined cities, all schools across the country have remained closed since Chinese New Year. As a result, school children and college students have had to stay indoors and study online. Yvonne Murray, says millions of families have found e-learning something of a nightmare. The Great Mosque in the city of Cordoba is one of Spain's biggest tourist attractions. It is also a reminder of the country's complex history, which included a period of Islamic rule in the middle ages. But an on-going disagreement over the monument’s origins has fed into present-day tensions in Spanish politics says Guy Hedgecoe. The Solomon Islands, once a South Pacific paradise of blue lagoons, and emerald forests are severely affected by climate change. On a recent visit, funded by the Pulitzer Centre, John Beck discovered a nation vanishing beneath the waves. The Svalbard archipelago, one of the most inhospitable places in Europe, is now home to a fast-growing community from Thailand. Norwegians are still in the majority yet Thais already make up about a third of the foreign population on the main island. They go to make money but at quite some cost says Clodagh Kinsella.

Trump may deride him as ‘sleepy Joe’ but this week the former vice president Joe Biden was the rejuvenated, 70 something, comeback kid. He won nine of the 14 states that voted to pick a Democratic White House candidate on Super Tuesday. An astonishing turnaround says Anthony Zurcher. Israelis went to the polls this week for their third election in just a year. The country’s political system has been in deadlock since last April, with no party able to find enough parliamentary seats to build a coalition. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is handed the mandate to try and form a government, he’ll be juggling that task with preparing for his own corruption trial. Is he the magician of Israeli politics asks Anna Foster. It’s been nearly three years since the Iraqi city of Mosul was liberated from Islamic State. As locals try to rebuild their city and their lives, their efforts are crippled by high-level corruption. Jobs and money are scarce. But Mosul is not lacking in entrepreneurial spirit says Lorraine Mallinder. South Africa’s highly developed economy makes it a magnet for people from elsewhere in Africa. There are more than three and a half million migrants in South Africa, out of an overall population of 50 million. But with politicians accused of stoking anti-immigrant sentiment and attacks on foreigners on the rise Zeinab Badawi wonders if South Africa suffers from 'Afrophobia'. A team in Moscow has created the putrid scent, in a protest against plans for a perfume store in a historic building with a terrible past. Sarah Rainsford met the activists who have come up with an innovative way of reminding people about Stalin's Great Terror in the 1930s.

Deadly violence erupted this week in north-east Delhi between supporters and opponents of India’s new and controversial citizenship law. The legislation grants amnesty to illegal immigrants but only non-Muslim ones. The worst of the violence has abated but Yogita Limaye says many are stunned by the ferocity of the attacks. The former President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak has been buried in Cairo with full military honours. The 91-year-old, who ruled the Arab world’s most populous state for three decades, was forced from office by the Arab Spring in 2011. Jeremy Bowen looks at the legacy of the man street protestors branded a modern day Pharaoh. Last year, Sudan’s former president Omar al-Bashir was also ousted by popular protests. He may face trial for war crime and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in the Hague after the killing and torture of hundreds of thousands of people in Darfur. But civilians in Sudan’s province of Blue Nile also suffered misery and terror. The conflict has largely cooled since Bashir was toppled, but now famine threatens says Peter Oborne. Gender dysphoria, the anguish caused by a mismatch between the sex people were assigned at birth and the one they feel themselves to be. Transition to the desired gender can ease distress, but it may be a long and painful process – socially, medically, surgically… And sometimes it doesn’t go to plan. In the Netherlands, Linda Pressly met someone who’s ridden the gender roller-coaster. Choosing trains over planes is not just about guilt over our carbon footprint. It’s also just possible that we’re sick of being treated like cattle by low cost airlines. Bethany Bell detects a revival of the venerable tradition of the railway dining car.

Stories from China, Iraq, Pakistan and Russia and the cost of breaking bones in America. Healthcare is a very hot issue in the US race for the Democratic presidential nominee. Bernie Sanders is promising to roll out government-run health insurance for everyone. When Laura Trevelyan broke her wrist, she found navigating the US insurance system both pricey and confusing. Health concerns of a different kind are making headlines this week as the Coronavirus spreads to more countries and claims more lives. Determined to cut the number of new infections, China has confined hundreds of millions of people to their homes. Kerry Allen from BBC Monitoring has immersed herself in Chinese cyberspace to gauge the national mood and the authorities response to the crisis. In Iraq, despite pleas from the Ministry of Health to remain at home, earlier this week demonstrators were still in the streets. Protests have rocked the country since October in response to widespread corruption, poor infrastructure and perceived Iranian intervention in Iraq's internal affairs. Colin Freeman who first visited Iraq 17 years ago has been back to meet an old friend. In the Pakistani city of Lahore, a building where nationalists once staged meetings against British rule, is slowly crumbling away. Andrew Whitehead recently managed to make his way in to the decaying Bradlaugh Hall and caught an echo of Lahore’s tempestuous past and at times troubled present. Wrangel Island was one of the last refuges for woolly mammoths. Today the Russian island is home to Arctic foxes, polar bears, and is visited by more than a hundred species of migratory birds. Scientists flock there too but why honeymooners asks Juliet Rix?

Stories from the West Bank, Germany, Brazil, the US and the heart of the European Union. President Trump’s plan for peace in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories would allow Israel to apply its sovereignty to all the Jewish settlements as well as swathes of strategic land in the West Bank. The Palestinian leadership has rejected the plan outright saying it would create a "Swiss cheese state". Our Middle East Correspondent Tom Bateman spent time on two sides of a fence that separates an Israeli settlement from a Palestinian family with its own checkpoint. Regional elections take place tomorrow in Hamburg at one of the most worrying times in recent Germany history. After this week’s right-wing terror attack in Hanau, near Frankfurt, John Kampfner says many are wondering whether the security forces and indeed the constitution are strong enough to cope. Carnival in Brazil is one of the world's biggest, brashest parties. Millions will flock to the streets this week to dance, strut their stuff and watch the parades. But under Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, there has been increase in police raids in poor neighbourhoods adding a tinge of bitterness to the party spirit. The average American made ten trips to a library in 2019, about twice as many times as they went to the movies. The Front Row presenter Kirsty Lang recently moved to the home of American cinema and was surprised to find that Los Angeles has a much loved and well-funded library system. Shortly after Britain voted to leave the EU, the Polish chair of the European parliament’s constitutional affairs committee, was categorical. “If we don’t have the UK, we don’t have English”, she told a news conference. But perhaps it’s not that clear cut says Kevin Connolly.

Stories from Kenya, Italy, Russia, Syria and Portugal. For the past few months, swarms of desert locusts have been eating their way across the Middle East and Africa. As Joe Inwood finds, stopping the swarms has so far proved nigh on impossible for people in the region - with many resorting to yelling, blowing whistles or even firing guns at them. Italy’s anti-mafia police do their best to catch the big shots in clans like the Camorra. Dominic Casciani spent an evening with battle-hardened officers in unmarked patrol cars tackling organised crime in Naples. In the southern Russian city of Rostov on Don, Anastasia Shevchenko is facing six years in prison for political activism. Several human rights groups have declared the activist a prisoner of conscience and now the Russian authorities have eased the conditions of her detention in her small flat. Sarah Rainsford witnessed Anastasia’s first taste of freedom. Last October President Trump abruptly withdrew US forces from North East Syria, abandoning the Kurds, who had been a key American ally in the defeat of so-called Islamic State. Turkey took advantage of the power vacuum by launching an air and ground offensive to occupy Kurdish territory. An estimated 300,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Since then, some have tried to go back but as Nick Sturdee discovered with dire consequences. In the early 16th century, Jews made up a fifth of the population of Portugal - most of whom were forcibly converted. Margaret Bradley finds a remote Jewish community which, against all the odds, remained secretly faithful to their religion. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Lucy Ash

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom reflecting the range of contemporary life in the country. Emma Jane Kirby, in Birmingham, reports on the seeds of magic sown by teachers there in schools serving deprived neighbourhoods - but also on the sometimes shocking realities of daily life at home for a number of the pupils. In Carmarthenshire, David Baker explores the wide range of renewable energy projects being pioneered locally amidst a rich range of Welsh natural resources - and also witnesses a minor drama on his visit to a wind turbine. But who caused it? Nearly thirty years after her aunt took her own life after living with depression for decades, Sima Kotecha reflects on daily life for those living with mental illness and those relatives and friends who witness it. She also considers how hard it remains for those in some South Asian communities to open up about their conditions and what the prospects are for that to change. With buses seemingly now back in political favour across Britain, Christine Finn returns to the Channel Islands to discover how well-connected bus services are on her native Jersey - and embarks on an ambitious journey round the island to find out if she can circumnavigate it entirely on public transport in one day. And Shaun Ley describes what it was like to be greeted by an unwelcome rodent in his home and the steps taken to deal with the visitor. But why are there seemingly more rats in our midst and why have they become bigger and bolder? The local rat catcher has some thought-provoking ideas... Producer: Simon Coates

French prosecutors announced this week that say they have started an investigation into the business activities of the Maltese magnate charged with complicity to murder the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. It’s just the latest development in a scandal that shocked Europe and led to the resignation of Malta’s prime minister last month. The inquiry in Paris is a response to allegations by the reporter’s family that, Jorgen Fenech, one of the island richest businessmen, used cash from property deals and racehorses in France to bribe Maltese officials. Juliet Rix is a frequent visitor to Malta. She reflects on how the European Union’s smallest country has changed …and not for the better. The coronavirus epidemic is adding to tensions in Hong Kong, a city already riven by seven months of anti government protests. As the number of infections rise, many are clamouring for the territory to seal itself off from the Chinese mainland. Last week, public hospital employees went on strike to try and force the authorities to close all border crossings. Some Mandarin speaking mainlanders feel unwelcome and relations with Hong Kongers are increasingly strained as Vincent Ni discovered at a delicious but difficult dinner party. India’s once tigerish economy is flagging. And there’ve been suggestions that growth figures were over-estimated for years, hiding what’s been called by one leading economist ‘the great slowdown.’ But the government of Narendra Modi’s BJP party remains relentlessly optimistic. Lesley Curwen who’s just back from Delhi and Hyderabad has been testing the water. Pope Francis dampened hopes among reformist Catholics that he was on the point of relaxing the centuries-old celibacy rule for the clergy – despite a shortage of priests in many parts of the world including the Amazon. There was even speculation that he might allow women to celebrate Mass. But there was no mention of such changes in the papal document. It seems, says David Willey, that Pope Francis has opted to focus not on the internal issue of celibacy but the external challenge of climate change. There has been much soul searching about how smartphones have killed the art of conversation. The texting culture, the argument goes, is making us lazier, shallower and less literate. But sooner or later slang ends up in the Oxford English Dictionary. Andrew Harding grudgingly admits that language evolves and that common usage eventually becomes correct usage unless you’re a dyed-in-the-wool pedant.

The residents of an ordinary Moscow apartment block were recently tricked into showing what they really think of their president by a prankster who installed a massive portrait of Vladimir Putin in their lift. Some of the reactions were incredulous, some angry and a few unprintable ..and they had the whole country in stitches. Yet many Russians are confused rather than amused about proposed changes to their constitution. When President Putin dropped his bombshell announcement last month about rearranging Russia's power structure, some wondered if he was looking for a smooth exit or rather that he wanted to stay in charge of his country for life. Steve Rosenberg has been to Russia’s industrial heartland to canvass opinions. Yesterday the left wing senator Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire Democratic primary contest. He declared the night “the beginning of the end” of Donald Trump but it is just one stage in the race to unseat the President and win the White House in November. Away from the campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire voters in New Jersey tend towards the centre ground of American politics. And they’re a savvy bunch in the Garden State. Sandra Kanthal says the best place to hear about the twists and turns of the 2020 US elections is over the countertop of the venerable diner in her home town. This week China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak has drawn comparisons with the way in which the Soviet authorities handled the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. Had the USSR sounded the alarm sooner, the global ramifications of the accident would perhaps not have been so severe. When Li Wenliang, a doctor in Wuhan first tried to warn of the outbreak of the coronavirus in December, he was investigated by police and accused of scaremongering. Now he has been killed by the virus which has been declared a global health emergency. Many foreigners have left China on specially chartered flights but Andy Bostock has stayed behind in Suzhou, a city near Shanghai. Mali may have a reputation for armed Islamic extremists, bombs, kidnapping and violence between Fulani herdsmen and sedentary farmers. But the country is also known for its photographers and one of Africa's largest photography festivals, Bamako Encounters, which is held in the capital every two years. Now celebrating its 25th birthday, the festival is at a turning point says Fleur Macdonald with work shown not only in museums and galleries but also in people's homes. Life in Ladakh, a region administered by India in the Western Himalayas is often harsh. Remote villages lack transport links communication and many other basic facilities. Getting an education has long been a challenge, especially if your parents are nomadic goat herders. But Andrew Eames has been to visit a boarding school determined to boost the life chances of its young Ladakhi pupils.

South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma has been charged with a string of crimes including corruption, racketeering and money-laundering. He denies all allegations of wrongdoing and earlier this week didn’t attend his trial saying he was too sick. But photos posted on social media suggest otherwise and Andrew Harding says its South Africans who are really sick - sick of Zuma’s excuses. A self-described ''Asian man who's good at math”, Andrew Yang is a very long-shot for the White House. But self deprecating humour aside, the Chinese American entrepreneur and candidate for the Democratic party has lasted longer in the contest than many expected. He broke down in tears last week in Iowa, saying that campaigning for the last two years had been “the journey of my life.” Among the audience were some curious students from mainland China. Some 360,000 Chinese students now study in the US but what are they learning about the American way of voting, asked Zhaoyin Feng, the BBC’s Mandarin correspondent in Washington. In celebration of the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution next Tuesday, there will be mass rallies across the country and fiery speeches about the Great Satan – the demonising epithet for the United States. This year long simmering tensions with America reached boiling point after the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. But this hostility isn’t just between countries. The government in Tehran has plenty of Iranian critics as well, both inside and outside the country. And some of them didn’t just live through the revolution – they once longed for it to happen. - Supported its aims. - Even took part in it themselves. Sadeq Sabah who was head of the BBC Persian service for some years, has his own memories of dangerous days in 1979 and afterwards. The flow of grisly headlines coming from Mexico has been almost constant in recent weeks. A group of Mormon mothers and children were murdered at the end of last year, this week four boys were shot dead in an amusement arcade and the bodies of two conservationists were found in a Monarch butterfly sanctuary in the west of the country. But many simply vanish in Mexico’s violent drug war. With no body or any clear sign as to what happened to them, families are left desperate for information. Will Grant was reminded of meeting one such family following a different breed of criminal abduction. Will Grant. In the early 1990s there were newspaper headlines comparing Sicily’s capital Palermo to Beirut. Following the killings of two high profile anti mafia judges in 1992, the government dispatched the army to contain what by that point had become an all-out war against the Italian state. The buildings in Palermo fared little better than residents. Palaces and villas were neglected while the mafia built concrete tower blocks in the suburbs. But recently the historic centre was declared a world heritage site and one man has helped to bring Palermo back from the brink says Dany Mitzman.

In Brittany there’s been some concern about how the UK’s long goodbye to the European Union will affect it’s fishing fleets. Last weekend France reminded Britain that the UK exports most of its fish production to EU countries. Post-Brexit negotiations about fishing rights, security arrangements and a host of other issues promise to be far from straight forward. But Julia Langdon finds many people in the historic port of St Malo are not that bothered about what’s just happened on the other side of the channel. They have – as it were - other fish to fry. Two guards who worked at a prison in Yaroslavl, north east of Moscow, were jailed last month for abusing an inmate. Despite official claims that Russian penitentiaries are cleaning up their act, prisoners, their relatives and human rights activists tell a very different story. Oleg Boldyrev investigated another recent case. The Naga, a Tibeto-Burman people made up of dozens of different tribes, inhabit the mountainous borderlands of India and Myanmar. Administered by the British from the middle of the 19th century until after WW2, at least 200,000 Naga have since died fighting for an independent homeland. Although an official ceasefire was signed in 1997, there’s still sporadic fighting between the Indian Army and Naga rebel groups. Antonia Bolingbroke Kent sensed the tension in a remote village straddling the Indo-Myanmar border. In a small village in western Cameroon a martial arts academy has become a Mecca for local youth. With a judo area, boxing ring and top quality instructors it is a hive of activity in an otherwise sleepy rural community. Zak Brophy was made to sweat for the story when he visited but as a reward his boxing coach took him to meet his dad. A spate of deadly bear attacks in Romania has raised fears that the number of Europe's largest protected carnivore is getting out of hand. Fatal encounters between bears and humans have become disturbingly common. Many believe the steep increase in the bear population is down to a 2016 ban on trophy hunting by environmentalists. But Jeremy Bristow discovered that the bears are far from the only danger in Romania’s forests.

Much thought this week on borders, on nationality and how we get on with our neighbours even at the commemorations to mark the liberation of Auschwitz. The Nazis murdered 1.1 million people at the death camp - ninety per cent of them Jews, but also Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, and people from the Roma and Sinti minorities. Two hundred survivors and world leaders from 60 countries. United in remembering but, 75 years on says Adam Easton, the anniversary was overshadowed by disagreements between Russia and Poland about their respective roles in World War II. The bushfires , fuelled in a large part by the relentless drought, have brought the climate change debate to the fore in Australia. But the prime minister – a big supporter of the fossil fuel industry – has refused to make any changes to the government’s climate policy. This week the state of New South Wales said it would open an independent inquiry into the on-going fires to examine both the causes and how the state responded to them. Shaimaa Khalil met people from a once thriving tourist town on the coast which went up in flames on New Year’s Eve. Politicians in Ireland are making their final pitches before voters head to the polls next Thursday. For generations two centrist parties - Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil - have dominated the country’s politics and, in recent years, the two have been in an uneasy alliance. Fine Gael’s leader Leo Varadkar, of Indian heritage and openly gay, has been something of a poster boy for the new Ireland. While his government has won plaudits from some corners overseas, particularly for its handling of Brexit, it is facing growing criticism at home. Ireland’s political scene is fast fragmenting, says Kieran Cooke. Many think of Antarctica as a vast empty expanse of snow and ice, punctuated by the odd penguin or polar explorer. But actually the world’s southernmost continent is home to 75 research stations run by 30 countries. Justin Rowlatt was there for tow months with a team of British and American scientists reporting on the most complex scientific field project in Antarctic history. But thanks to a storm, he spent a bit longer than planned at the US research station, McMurdo and discovered the delights and the drawbacks of life in the world’s coldest town. Jordan has one of the highest levels of water scarcity in the world. A warming planet and population growth are making the problem worse. But increasing numbers of women there are picking up pliers, spanners and drain rods and taking matters into their own hands. In the capital Amman, Charlie Faulkner met the country’s first female plumber.

Stephen McDonnell describes the atmosphere in China while he is quarantined at home

Hundreds of foreign nationals are being evacuated from Wuhan, the centre of China's coronavirus outbreak, as more deaths and cases are confirmed. British citizens being flown back to the UK from the city will be put in quarantine for two weeks. Stephen McDonnell was recently in Hubei province where the disease was first identified and is now back in Beijing. He too has been told to stay at home for a fortnight and he reflects on how even the Chinese capital feels eerily deserted. This month, Colombia’s war crimes tribunal, the court which was created as part of the 2016 peace deal between the government and the left wing guerrillas known as the FARC or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, began hearing testimony about the illegal recruitment of children and teenagers. The FARC denies that it ever forced underage soldiers to fight. But the Prosecutor General’s office says the guerrillas recruited more than 5,000 minors during the decades long conflict. Matthew Charles visited one of the worst affected communities in the eastern province of Vaupes . It’s been a year since a dam at a mine in Brazil collapsed, killing 270 people. The dam, near Brumadinho in the province of Minas Gerais was owned by the mining company Vale - and just last week 11 of its employees, including its former President, were charged with murder over the incident. While investigations into how it collapsed and who’s to blame continue, the community next to the iron ore mine is struggling to pick up the pieces. Katy Watson returned to speak to survivors. The Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has just moved from Germany to the UK. In 2015 he was released from house arrest and to much fanfare arrived in Berlin. Berliners were thrilled to give refuge to such a global star. And Ai Weiwei said he loved Germany. But since then the mutual admiration has faded: Ai Weiwei has given a series of interviews in which he’s said he’s leaving Berlin in part because Germans are rude, racist and authoritarian. In Germany that has sparked outrage and some soul searching. Damien McGuinness wonders whether Germans really are impolite or simply misunderstood. New York's health care system is often accused of being expensive and labyrinthine. Yet a visit to two hospitals in Brooklyn and Manhattan left Laura Trevelyan feeling curiously uplifted, despite the physical pain, and the bureaucracy of US healthcare. On her odyssey through the emergency rooms, she made some new friends while guided by an old one.

The anti-nationalist protesters in Italy and the man they are trying to stop - Mark Lowen meets members of the Sardines as well the hard-line politician Matteo Salvini who is hoping to become Prime Minister. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories: In Cape Verde, Colin Freeman finds out why Europe’s drug problem is also a problem for the Atlantic islands. In Greece, Tulip Mazumdar visits the Lesbos migrant camp built for 2,000 people and now home to more than 18,000. In China, Yvonne Murray gets to know her new neighbours - rats. According to the Chinese zodiac, they are thought to be ambitious and clever, hard-working and imaginative but she finds them a little less appealing. And Fergal Keane reflects on heroism, compassion and the remarkable story of a woman who sheltered a man who plotted to kill Adolf Hitler.

Isabel dos Santos is the billionaire daughter of the former president of Angola and Africa’s richest woman. She claims to be a self-made businesswoman. But more than 700,000 documents, recently leaked from her business empire, suggest otherwise. The emails, charts, contracts, audits, and accounts in the so-called Luanda Leaks have put her under intense scrutiny by her bank and the Angolan government. But in an interview with Andrew Harding she batted aside allegations of corruption and nepotism. Escalating violence in Libya has encouraged a growing number of its citizens to flee and risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Sally Hayden has been on board a rescue boat off the Libyan coast. The 18 year Afghan conflict has killed tens of thousands of Afghans, more than 2,400 American troops and cost the US around $900 billion. President Donald Trump has often said he wants to remove the estimated 13,000 U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan. That would leave more of the fight against the Taliban to the Afghan security forces. But in Helmand Province Nanna Muus Steffesen found that Afghan soldiers and police are already suffering devastating casualties. Famed for its traditional shoulder-shaking iskista dancing, mesinko-playing minstrels and live bands playing Ethio-Jazz, the Addis Ababa music scene has always drawn on a vibrant past. Now a new generation of producers and DJs are mixing Ethiopia's tribal, religious and jazz sounds with thumping garage beats to create a new form known locally as Ethiopian Electronic. James Jeffrey hit the dance floor. World leaders gathered in Jerusalem this week to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp - where more than a million people, most of them Jews, were murdered by the Nazis. The French President Emmanuel Macron warned that seventy-five years on, the shadow of anti-Semitism was expanding. Just fifteen years ago, the French Riviera city of Nice was home to over 20,000 Jews. That’s now dwindled to three thousand. During the Second World War, Nice witnessed one of the most vicious round-ups of Jews in Western Europe. Next week, it will unveil a memorial wall of Holocaust victims. One of the names engraved on it is that of Edith (Ay-deet) Mueller. But her teenage daughter Huguette had a narrow escape - as Rosie Whitehouse discovered.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from: Vincent Ni on a Chinese man who, like him, has come to Britain and is in his mid-thirties - but there the similarities abruptly end. What does living here undocumented mean in practical terms and why does he do it? With the approach of Holocaust Memorial Day, which this year marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Adam Shaw reflects on the striking contemporary relevance of his own father's refugee status and escape from Nazi persecution in places as varied as a country estate in Northumberland and a "Lord of the Flies"-like "school" in Scotland. In a letter addressed to his father's grandchildren, he reveals how this child refugee managed to survive largely alone and ponders whether this story is as remote from our experience as we might first imagine. Emilie Filou visits Pembrokeshire to meet the bug champions of St Davids and how an entomologist's start-up, created with her chef husband, is trying to influence how children think about what they eat. Can their bold ideas wreak a revolution in the city of the country's patron saint? In Kent petrol-head Martin Gurdon ponders the reasons for - and implications of - today's teenagers not driving as much as previous generations. And in Middlesbrough, Martin Vennard finds that while the town is proud of its explorer son 250 years on from James Cook's exploration of the Antipodes, it doesn't necessarily know a great deal about him. And that matters, he says, because Cook's life has significant contemporary relevance for today's Tees-siders. Producer: Simon Coates

When Carlos Ghosn skipped bail in Tokyo last month the world was flabbergasted. Despite being under intense surveillance while out on bail, with undercover agents tailing him whenever he left his house, the ex-Nissan boss somehow hot-footed it onto a private jet and made it to Lebanon. Now that the dust has settled, the spotlight has been turned onto what some call, Japan’s "hostage justice" system. The country has an enviably low crime rate which is often attributed to a small income gap and full employment, but Rupert Wingfield Hayes says many people are just terrified of being arrested. Lebanon, Carlos Ghosn’s temporary bolt hole, is a country often caught up in all manner of international rows and intrigues. It is also one of the many countries in the Middle East where Iran determinedly exerts its influence. The Iranian general Qassem Soleimani helped to spread that influence through the Shia Islamist political party and militant group , Hezbollah. So in the wake of Soleimani’s killing in a US drone strike, Hezbollah has been determined to mourn him. Lizzie Porter attends one such memorial event in the south of the country. In India there have been violent demonstrations against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, or CAA. The new law gives amnesty to illegal immigrants from three neighbouring countries, but excludes followers of Islam. So Indian Muslims whose family might have lived in the same spot for generations, but don’t have the paperwork to prove it, could suddenly find themselves stateless. Protesters, including students and Bollywood stars, say the law serves the ruling BJP party’s goal of remaking India as a Hindu homeland and Yogita Limaye says many citizens are troubled – including non Muslims. China has also been under the spotlight for its treatment of a mostly-Muslim sector of its society; the Turkic-speaking ethnic minorities in its far west. The Chinese state has detained an estimated one million people in high-security prison camps across Xinjiang since 2017 – most of them ethnic Uighurs. Beijing says that these are vocational or re-education camps. But has China’s state control reached new levels of persecution and is it being extended beyond its borders? Claire Press met with several Kazakhs north of Almaty who’d been imprisoned in China. It may be a global leader in solar and wind power, and last year sold more electric cars than the rest of the world combined. But China is also the planet’s biggest consumer and producer of coal. It has to cut back drastically to bring carbon emissions to a peak by 2030 and fulfil a pledge made as part of the 2015 Paris agreement. However Beijing is still approving new coal-fired plants as the economy slows. On a trip to Inner Mongolia Robin Brant discover that people are not always keen to make the transition to cleaner alternatives.

The Iranian government held an official funeral on Tuesday for General Qassem Soleimani killed by a US airstrike in Baghdad. There were emotional speeches in the general’s home town of Kerman in southeast Iran and so many mourners turned out that at least 50 were killed in the crush. On Twitter the Iranian Foreign Minister had a message for President Donald Trump: "Have you seen such a sea of humanity in your life?... Do you still think you can break the will of a great nation and its people?" But were the huge crowds really a sign of national unity? Lois Pryce who wrote a book about crossing Iran on a motorbike and who has friends both inside the country and across the 2 million strong Iranian diaspora finds public opinion far from unanimous. Ever since independence from the USSR almost three decades ago, there’s never been an Uzbek election which outsiders were willing to call free or fair. But this time was meant to be different. On the 22nd of December, Uzbekistan ran its first elections to the parliament and local councils since the country’s long-running authoritarian president Islam Karimov died three years ago. Uzbekistan has long been one of the world’s most repressive countries and under Karimov voting was more of a ritual than an exercise of choice. But some hoped that the man who took over, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, (Meer-zee Yoi -yev) might allow some real reform. A record 25 million dollars were earmarked to run the elections, and Ibrat Safo found a real buzz in the air but wondered what lay beneath. Germany has long been considered a leader in renewable energy – a model even for others to follow with its subsidies for wind and solar. But its so-called “Energiewende” (Ener - GEE -vender ) or energy transition” from fossil fuels to renewables has stalled and it still relies on coal for 40 per cent of electricity generation. That will be phased out within the next eighteen years and nuclear energy will end too by 2022 and some worry whether there will be enough energy to heat homes and keep the lights on. Caroline Bayley has been to one former coal town in the industrial Ruhr region which is under-going its own energy transition. The gargantuan Palace of the Parliament built by Romania’s communist-era dictator, Nicolae Ceaușescu, still looms over the centre of Bucharest. About one-fifth of the capital was bulldozed to make way for the so-called House of the People, its satellite buildings, and the grand avenue leading up to it which was supposed to be a longer, wider version of Champs-Élysee in Paris. Forty thousand residents were forcibly rehoused. The building was long reviled as an evil fortress, a symbol of oppression but it now houses the country’s parliament and Romanians are learning to love it and put it in their Instagram feeds says Tessa Dunlop. More and more tourists are travelling to the Amazon rainforest to drink – and later vomit - a foul tasting liquid containing a natural hallucinogen called Ayahuasca [a-ya-wass-ka]. Indigenous people have been brewing the concoction for thousands of years, mostly for religious or spiritual purposes. It’s considered a medicine, a way to heal internal wounds and reconnect with nature. But, as Simon Maybin’s been finding out in a remote part of Peru, not all the plant’s traditional users are happy about the wave of Westerners in search of a slice of the psychedelic action.

The assassination in a US air strike of the senior Iranian general Qasem Soleimani raises the prospect of a response from Teheran that few can predict. Jim Muir reports on the significance of the US target and what might happen next. Thirty years ago the United States acted to remove another foreign threat, this time closer to home. Following the US invasion of Panama shortly before Christmas, the country's military leader General Manuel Noriega surrendered to US troops on January the 3rd, 1990. David Adams was there. In Ireland it used to be common for unmarried mothers to be confined in state-funded institutions. Often their babies, once born, were taken without their consent and given up for adoption. Deirdre Finnerty has met one of the thousands of women who were sent to these mother and baby homes. Air travel in the Democratic Republic of Congo matters because there are few reliable roads. But there are serious concerns about the safety of flying and many people can't afford it anyway. Most Congolese who need to cover long distances do so - precariously - by boat. Olivia Acland has been aboard. Maximum Irritability is a little known but nonetheless debilitating condition sometimes encountered high in the mountains on Pakistan’s border with India, as David Baillie discovered when he took a trip in a helicopter courtesy of the Pakistani army.

Until recently, a small, independent and politically neutral Syrian radio station was broadcasting in exile from Istanbul. But Radio Alwan was forced to close when the Trump administration made the decision last year to pull $200m of funding for Syria’s stabilisation projects, knocking the station off air. Some of the station’s staff are scattered across Europe and those who have remained in Turkey say they now feel vulnerable following the Turkish offensive in NE Syria and what they see as a hardening of the country’s position on refugees. So where do you belong if your adopted country no longer welcomes you and the door to your own country is closed? Emma Jane Kirby met ex Radio Alwan broadcasters in Istanbul to try understand why the word “home” no longer has any meaning for them. Across Latin America millions have left their homes to better their families' lives. These have been years of huge outward migration from Venezuela, Central America and Cuba. Will Grant has now spent more than a decade living in countries which many of their own citizens feel forced to leave. In the municipality of Has, in the rural mountainous north of Albania, it’s estimated that one in five people has left over the past ten years. It used to mainly be men, but now even primary age children are making perilous journeys into richer parts of Europe including the UK. Jessica Bateman asked one teacher how it feels to watch your school slowly disappear. If you are forced to leave home, the word evokes a sense of loss. In the early 1970s, the dictator who ruled Uganda, Idi Amin, suddenly decided that the country’s long-standing community of Asians – mostly small business people of Indian origin – should be kicked out. He argued they put ethnic Ugandans at a disadvantage. Reha Kansara grew up with her mother's memories of life in her "East African paradise" and has just made her first visit to Uganda to see the country for herself. The story of the nativity often inspires people to show compassion to the homeless around Christmas. Pregnant women and new mothers are particularly vulnerable. But the challenges of new life don’t end with finding a safe place to stay. On the occupied West Bank, Jeremy Bristow recently travelled with a group of female medics to visit the minority Arab Bedouin population.

Recent events in Hong Kong have made many people in Taiwan jumpy. Duncan Hewitt talks to a Taiwanese hacker and activist turned government minister who is full of ideas about how to improve life on the island. He finds an increasingly pluralistic and confident society, now more inclined to stand up to China. Our main focus this week is on the natural world and we begin at the South Pole where Justin Rowlatt is holed up in a research station eating chips and patiently waiting for a change in the weather. At the opposite pole, we trek around Greenland. Some are calling this Artic country the Saudi Arabia of the Green future because it is so rich in rare earth metals. Horatio Clare reflects on exploitation in the wilderness. There are fears of plunder too in the Cayman Islands where the tourism industry is threatening to rip up great swathes of coral for the convenience of cruise ship passengers.

India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, announced a zero tolerance policy towards violence against women when he took office. But Rajini Vaidyanathan says that for many victims his promises ring hollow. According to the latest figures from India's National Crime Records Bureau there were 33,658 female rape victims in 2017 which means one woman was raped every 15 minutes - and those are just the official figures. Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been defending her government from accusations of genocide at the United Nation's top court in the Hague this week but Anna Holligan finds the former Nobel Peace Prize winner tight lipped when it comes to two words - rape and Rohingya. Viktor Orban's government has stopped funding for gender studies, calling them 'an ideology not a science'. The move has sent a chill down the spines of Hungarian academics says Angela Saini. In Haiti Thomas Rees tunes into the intimate and intense relationship between music, politics and protest And from the archive a memorable dispatch from the late Alex Duval Smith .... if you are worried whether your Christmas cards will arrive in time, spare a thought for Mali's most dedicated mailman who has to make deliveries in a city without postcodes.

When Russian forces took over parts of Ukraine in spring 2014, much of the world held its breath. Would Western countries side with Ukraine, and could the fighting spread further into Eastern Europe? While that kind of escalation did not happen, life in Eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed rebel forces and Ukraine’s army are still facing off, still looks something like wartime. As Jonah Fisher recently found, in this terrain, politicians, as well as soldiers, have to tread carefully. This week Democratic members of Congress accelerated their push to impeach Donald Trump. Anthony Zurcher has been watching the hearings. He has had a front-row seat as history is written, but sometimes he wonders what history might make of it. Since the early Nineties, the United Nations has held an annual conference to bring the world together to tackle the threat of climate change. This year's event in Madrid is meant to persuade the biggest polluters to rein in their emissions. But, as David Shukman reports, progress is as slow as ever. A Norwegian pensioner convicted of spying in Moscow recently returned home in a spy swap. Frode Berg’s arrest caused controversy in Norway, with criticism of the use of civilians in espionage. Sarah Rainsford met Mr Berg in Oslo, soon after his release. Prince William has just made his first visit to Kuwait. He will have found it to be a different place to what it was nearly three decades ago, when thousands died during Iraq's invasion and occupation of the country. Sumaya Bakhsh has recently visited Kuwait and discovered that, for some, a sense of loss still lingers. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Neil Koenig

Throughout Sri Lanka's decades long conflict, attention has focused on the confrontation between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils. The country’s Muslims, who are just 10 per cent of the population and see themselves as a separate ethnic group, have often been ignored. But that changed after this year's Easter Sunday attacks, carried out by a small cell of Sri Lankan Islamists, which claimed 250 lives. Since then many Muslims feel they have been demonised and ostracised. Our South Asia editor Jill McGivering has been in the main city, Colombo, to investigate. Over the past few weeks there has been a fierce crackdown by the Iranian authorities on protests across the country. The number of fatalities keeps being revised upwards, but getting precise details is tricky when the Iranian government seems determined to keep outsiders and its own citizens in the dark. As Jiyar Gol explains, even under normal conditions, BBC Persian’s journalists, who broadcast to 20 million around the world and 10 million inside the country, must resort to ingenious tactics to gather and broadcast the news. In the middle of popular unrest and a media blackout, their job is even harder. Celebrations have been taking place in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, after the transitional authorities officially dissolved the former ruling party of the deposed president, Omar al Bashir. Our former Sudan correspondent James Copnall went back to explore the changes and began in a girls' school in Khartoum. He found a new openness in almost every conversation and that newly gained freedoms have also led to a series of unprecedented street protests. Protests are back again in the Georgian capital Tbilisi as thousands demand electoral reform. Recently police used water cannons to disperse protesters picketing the parliament building. Campaigners want a switch to proportional representation which they say would ensure a more democratic multi- party parliament. Since 2012 the country’s legislature has been dominated by the governing Georgian Dream party. Rayhan Demytrie talks to those who fear that Georgia’s fragile democracy may be at risk, thanks to one man -a billionaire with a James Bond style hilltop lair. And how do you cover protests as a journalist when you are also pumping breast milk? Our South America correspondent Katy Watson needs to keep up the supply of milk for her new baby but she doesn't have an office job where she can plug a in pump and sit at a desk.

It’s now two years since Robert Mugabe was pushed out of office by the military and replaced by Emerson Mnangagwa. For many Zimbabweans economic conditions- already dire - have actually got worse. Now to add to their misery, there are water shortages and alarming evidence of the negative effect of climate change. But corruption and mismanagement have contributed to the power crisis and evening blackouts - it is no good just blaming the drought says Stephen Sackur. When the Buddha stipulated the rules for monks, he said each should only have a few possessions; an alms bowl, a water bottle, robes, a needle and thread and a razor. But now in Cambodia, within the folds of these saffron robes, there’s often a smartphone too says Sophia Smith Galer. Saudi Arabia is experiencing genuine social change - with woman ripping off their scarves at football matches, but there are still big questions over the man leading the process, Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman says Sebastian Usher. Nearly half a century after a university uprising which led to the fall of the military junta, Katy Fallon is in Athens and finds policies by Greece’s new centre right government have led to fresh clashes between students and police. And Hugh Schofield takes us to a bizarre French micro state in a castle in southern Germany - a bolt hole for Nazi collaborators at the end of World War 2.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers reflecting the range of contemporary life in the United Kingdom. Dan Johnson reports direct from the flooded River Don in South Yorkshire where feelings are running high among locals about the response to the latest inundation. As the rain returns after an all-too-brief respite, he reflects on the area's carbon-generating past and the effects of climate change. In Hartlepool, the BBC's Social Affairs Correspondent, Michael Buchanan, hears from a mother and father about their twenty year-long struggle with the corrosive effects on their domestic life and their position in the local community of their sons' misuse of drugs. We visit Walthamstow in north-east London in the company of Emma Levine. She talks to customers and staff of a long-standing local daytime eatery which at night converts into a cocktail bar that attracts an entirely different clientele. Will the two businesses thrive together? BBC Cymru Wales's Garry Owen visits Parc prison in Bridgend to learn about a pioneering project designed to foster the all-important bonds between prisoners and their children. He hears what inmates - and their relatives - think of the programme and how successful it is proving to be. And Stephanie Power, who has a love-hate relationship with the UK's capital city, explains how a recent visit to London brought out the conflicted nature of her view of the metropolis. Producer: Simon Coates

They believe they are fighting for their way of life, for Hong Kong’s very existence, but the protesters know they can’t really win says Paul Adams. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world: There is a saying in Russia “If he beats you - he loves you” hears Lucy Ash as she visits a refuge for the survivors of domestic violence in Moscow. “Twisted logic, yes, but it is still part of our mentality.” In Ethiopia, Justin Rowlatt gets stung by killer bees as he examines successful attempts to re-green the region and restore long lost woodlands. In Australia, bushfires burn. While scientists and firefighters agree that climate change is making things worse many leading politicians refuse to listen. Phil Mercer has seen the damage for himself. And Joanne Robertson struggles to get a decent haircut in Paris and asks who is to blame?

From coca farmer to president, to political exile - Katy Watson shares the story of Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first elected indigenous leader. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world: In Austria, Bethany Bell reveals why the hare with amber eyes has returned to Vienna. Finbarr Anderson is in Lebanon’s second city Tripoli, which is being called the ‘bride of the revolution’ because of its role in protests that have swept the country. Chris Bockman visits a former factory in Southwest France now home to Yazidi families who fled violence in Iraq. And Julia Buckley confesses to a crime in Tinsel Town and has an unsettling experience with the LAPD. Producers: Joe Kent and Lucy Ash

What the murder of a Mormon family in Mexico reveals about the country; Will Grant has long chronicled the violence of the ongoing drug war. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories: Rajini Vaidyanathan reflects on the perils of living in Delhi having developed 'pollution anxiety' and become a smoker by proxy. John Kampfner was in Berlin when the Wall fell. Thirty years on he's been back to see how the city has changed. And how does a glass of radioactive water sound? It was once sold in Portugal with the promise of bringing health, strength and vigour. Margaret Bradley visits the, now abandoned, hotel that used it for baths, cooking and even colonic irrigation. And a troubled nation writes itself another rousing chapter as South Africa wins the Rugby World Cup and the squad returns as heroes. It may only be a game, but stories matter, says Andrew Harding.

From their base in Albania, some 3,000 Iranian exiles are committed to overthrowing the government of Iran. Linda Pressly finds out how some members of the M.E.K - the Mujahedin-e Khalq – are adapting to life in Europe. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories: It's thirty years since the fall of Czechoslovakia's communist regime, but Chris Bowlby finds the ghostly remains of its past still looming large in one former steel town. Long-sleeved shirt, trousers tucked into her socks and copious amounts of insect repellent – Sian Griffiths reports from Canada where tiny black legged ticks are migrating north and spreading disease. “We Kenyan journalists joke that reporting on famine is easy: you just find your old script from a previous one - and repeat it” says Anna Mawathe as she considers one possible solution to hunger in her homeland. And what happens when you get locked out of a motorhome in rural Andalucía, in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, with no wallet and no shoes. Tim Smith reports from Spain.

The Rugby World Cup has drawn the attention of the world to Japan for the last six weeks. But the tournament has not been without its difficulties, mostly ones beyond the power of the authorities to control. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes has been sheltering from the storm. Veganism is on the rise in many countries in the world. Switching to a plant-base diet is said to be one of the biggest contributions an individual can make to reducing their impact on the environment. But veganism has its own dangers, as Ashitha Nagesh finds out in St. Petersburg. South Korea is today a beacon of democracy and economic stability in East Asia. Street rallies have recently forced the resignation of the justice minister. But it wasn't always thus. The country was run by the army within living memory. And John Kampfner says protest then was a different matter. Somaliland, a small breakaway territory in East Africa, has a long coastline along the Gulf of Aden. But strangely it doesn't have much of a fishing industry. That's changing now and Amy Guttman finds people getting to know an entirely new cuisine. Guinea - in West Africa - is one of the poorest countries in the world. Many look overseas for ways to earn money. There is much demand for domestic workers in the Gulf and in the age of the smart phone, these workers are often recruited via a mobile app. As Owen Pinnell discovered, the recruits are often under age. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Tim Mansel

Argentina has elected a new president at a moment of deep economic crisis. Out goes the centre-left, back come the Peronists. Katy Watson reports on a sense of deja vu, with the role of Eva Peron filled this time by Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, a former president, now returning to power as vice president. The winds of change are blowing through the Vatican, after bishops meeting in Rome voted in favour of relaxing the rules on celibacy among the clergy. David Willey reflects on how Pope Francis is conducting a papacy that reflects a changing world. Liberia in West Africa is one of the poorest countries in the world. It has still to recover from a civil war that ended more than 15 years ago. More recently it suffered a devastating Ebola epidemic. Lucy Ash goes to meet the Zogos, a group of people who've suffered more than most. Imran Khan used to be best known as a flamboyant international cricketer. Today he's the prime minister of Pakistan and thousands of people are on the streets of Islamabad today in protest against his economic policies. Secunder Kermani says they are also suspicious of his links to the army. Buddhism in China, a country that has often had an uneasy relationship with religion, is enjoying official approval. President Xi sees it as a way of promoting his country's status. Richard Dove has been to meet some monks high in the mountains and to eat peanut biscuits.

The resignation this week of Mmusi Maimana, the leader of the Democratic Alliance, the main opposition party in South Africa, has exposed deep wounds from the apartheid era. Andrew Harding examines the implications for democracy in the country. Demonstrators have been out in force on the streets of Santiago and other cities across Chile after the government announced it was raising the price of metro tickets. Jane Chambers has been speaking to the pot-banging protesters and says there are real fears of a return to the dark days of dictatorship. A large shopping centre and an old Jewish cemetery: James Rodgers is in the Czech Republic, in a small town east of Prague, on the trail of scrolls saved from a synagogue there, which he'd first seen in Manchester. Iceland is famously small, cold and welcoming to visitors. It's also a place where even the prime minister will take your call, as Lesley Curwen discovers. It's 40 years since the release of Apocalypse Now, the Vietnam War epic directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which starred Marlon Brando. It was actually filmed in the Philippines. Howard Johnson has been to see if any traces of the set still exist. Producer: Tim Mansel

The latest row between China and the US revolves not around trade, but around basketball. It all began with a tweet in support of the Hong Kong protesters by the general manager of the Houston Rockets which, as Robin Brant reports, has made the Chinese authorities deeply unhappy. The people of Lebanon have been out on the streets in anti-government demonstrations for several days. It all started with a proposal, now withdrawn, to impose a tax on internet-based voice calls. But Lizzie Porter wonders if some of the protesters aren't simply enjoying the party. Transylvania, now part of Romania, is a region of Europe that has belonged to many different states and empires. The legacy of this history is a variety of ethnic groups and languages. Andrew Eames has been to visit the small number of people there who still speak German. There has been a series of police raids in northern Nigeria on institutions known variously as Islamic schools or rehabilitation centres. In reality they are places where children have been dumped and forced to live in terrible conditions. Mayeni Jones found the authorities there very reluctant to talk. Kyrgyzstan, one of the 15 states formed as the Soviet Union collapsed, shares a long border with China. But the nomads in the interior lead a life apparently unchanged for decades, as Sara Wheeler discovers.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom reflecting the range of contemporary life in the country. Traditional cider-making is a slow business. But, as the poet Julian May has been discovering this autumn while he collects the variety of apples which ensure its special quality, it is a richly satisfying process which links to Somerset's past, present and future. Anisa Subedar has seen sons leave the family home for university before, so why is she feeling the departure of a third so keenly this autumn? Growing numbers of young people are declaring themselves non-binary. But, as Sima Kotecha explains, while this can be liberating for them it can pose challenges for parents and other other adults which they can find difficult to meet. Amid the financial and other pressures on local newspapers from online sources of news in particular communities, village newsletters have assumed new importance. Andrew Green considers how his Oxfordshire village newsletter is put together each month and the special skills required to ensure the medium's survival. And Alice Hutton draws back the veil on the highly-organised postal services that operate at music festivals and the poignant, heart-warming and bizarre messages that they specialise in delivering - nearly all of them with only the most rudimentary addresses. Producer: Simon Coates

The Turkish military offensive seems to have achieved its major aim - to force the Syrian forces away from the border area they had once controlled. But what does this mean for the future of the Kurds? Jeremy Bowen takes a long view. In Vienna last Saturday the Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge made history by becoming the first man ever to run a marathon in under two hours. In doing so, he brought Kenyans together, says Anne Soy in Nairobi, and made the whole country proud. It's now 30 years since the momentous events of 1989 that changed the politics and geography of Europe and led to the demise of the Soviet Union two years later. Steve Rosenberg visits a bookshop in the Latvian capital, Riga, for a lesson in Baltic history. They make beautiful cowboy boots in the Texan city of Fort Worth. But you'd better be well-heeled if you fancy a pair. Elizabeth Hotson eyes up the merchandise but is too shy to try any on. And in France they’ve recently launched a lottery to raise money to save the country’s vast architectural heritage. Hugh Schofield visits an old coaching inn where they have had a skeleton in the back yard, if not in the cupboard.

There's been violence for several days in Barcelona in reaction to the jail sentences handed out on Monday to Catalan separatist leaders. Guy Hedgecoe has been on the streets as demonstrators and riot police clashed. He says there's no end in sight to this deepening conflict. There's a general election in Canada on Monday, and Justin Trudeau is hoping for a second term as prime minister. But the man who was once an emblem of hope and progressiveness has seen his reputation tarnished. Jennifer Chevalier in Ottawa says he's now got a fight on his hands. There was much excitement last week in Ethiopia when it was announced that the prime minister Abiy Ahmed had been awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize. But at home, despite considerable achievements, his popularity has diminished, as Tom Gardner reports from Addis Ababa. Recycling rubbish can be a lucrative industry. But in Romania that’s been made harder by government regulations on private companies. Nick Thorpe has been to find out more. The Svaneti region of north-west Georgia is spectacularly beautiful and home to a particular ethnic group. the Svan. They number only a few thousand and their cultural traditions are under threat. But they are generous hosts. Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent drops in for lunch.

President Trump and his supporters remain defiant in the face of the impeachment inquiry against him. But many of Mr Trump's political allies are troubled by another issue: the withdrawal of American troops from Syria, which has allowed Turkey to attack Kurdish targets in Syria. Jon Sopel says Syria may turn into Mr Trump's bigger problem. The Kalash are a mountain people who live in a series of valleys in the Hindu Kush in northern Pakistan. They number only a few thousand today and there are concerns that there's increasing pressure upon them to convert to Islam. Emma Thomson has been to visit. There's a fuel crisis in Cuba at the moment and if you want to fill up you'd better be prepared to wait for several hours. As Will Grant reports, the government is taking other measures to save money, such as asking civil servants to work from home. China's economic influence spreads far and wide. It has reached the city of Sihanoukville in southern Cambodia where billions have been invested in industrial infrastructure. But Vincent Ni encounters ambivalent attitudes there to people of Chinese origin. Earlier this year the British government imposed a temporary export ban on one of JMW Turner's masterpieces, The Dark Rigi, the Lake of Lucerne. Lucy Daltroff has been to the source of his inspiration.

The wedding banquet put on hold by protests and emergency legislation in Hong Kong. Helier Cheung describes how she had to tell 300 guests the party was off. It's 250 years since Captain Cook first set foot in New Zealand and the first time the Maori encountered Europeans. That anniversary is being marked this month and this week a replica of Cook's ship, the Endeavour, docked in the small city of Gisborne. But the anniversary has not been universally welcomed, as Colin Peacock reports. Uganda has had the same man in charge, Yoweri Museveni, since 1986. Challengers for the office of president have come and gone and Mr Museveni has twice changed the rules - on the number of presidential terms and on the maximum presidential age - to ensure his longevity. But now a new challenger has appeared, in the form of a former pop star. Sally Hayden has been on the road with Bobi Wine. Bear Island - some 250 miles off the northern coast of Norway - is home to a few hardy souls who staff the weather station there. Legend says it got its name from a polar bear spotted swimming nearby in the Barents Sea. But David Baillie says these majestic creatures are few and far between now. More than 14,000 people in Britain have reached the grand age of 100. One of the perks of this achievement is the traditional message of congratulation from the Queen. In France there are even more centenarians but no similar tradition, no message from the president. Well, not until Nicola Carslaw stepped in.

Viktor Shokin was forced out as Prosecutor General of Ukraine in 2016. Since then he's been variously portrayed as a hapless bumbler or a fearless investigator of corruption. Jonah Fisher in Kiev has been trying to track him down. In Vanuatu, an archipelago in the Pacific, they've come up with a new way of raising government revenue - selling passports for a princely sum. But Sarah Treanor says very few of those who take up the offer are likely to set foot there. Italy is well known for its love of cycling. The Giro d'Italia, more than 100 years old, is one of the three great European races, demanding strength and stamina. But there's another race taking place this weekend. As Dany Mitzman finds out, appetite as much as stamina is what's needed. The former BBC correspondent Robert Elphick died recently. He reported on many historic stories none more perhaps than the crushing of the Prague Spring in 1968. We hear one of his despatches from the time. There was bad news this week in the State of Nature report about wildlife species in Britain that are threatened with extinction. It's not purely a British problem. Phoebe Smith has been following one particular conservation project on the Arabian peninsula.

Relations between Japan and South Korea have often been delicate. But they may now have reached their lowest ebb since they established diplomatic relations in 1965. Peter Hadfield reports from Tokyo on the background to the dispute and how it's playing out in Japan. The European migrant crisis has receded from its peak of 2015, but large numbers of people are still seeking refuge in Europe, their first stop often being the Greek islands. But the camps are overcrowded and the people living there close to despair, as Charlie Faulkner finds out on Lesbos. It's now 30 years since the first partly-free elections in Poland as it began to emerge from the Soviet shadow. Kevin Connolly, who reported on those elections in the city of Gdansk, has just returned. He notices distinct similarities in the restaurant menus then and now but a significant difference in what is actually served up. In southern Chad, as the rainy season begins to recede, the grass is lush, the grazing is good and the nomadic Wodaabe people are gathering for the annual Gerewol festival - a week of what you might call speed-dating under the stars. Mark Stratton has been to watch. There are a few basic rules if you're planning to drive your car into the Australian Outback: take lots of water, tell someone where you're going and make sure the car has enough fuel. Christine Finn says it's easy to forget.

As Afghanistan goes to the polls this weekend, Lyse Doucet reflects on the country's paused peace talks. Frank Gardner finds service with a smile in Saudi Arabia, but wonders if conflict could interrupt the kingdom’s economic reforms. There's a birthday parade in Beijing next week, as the People's Republic of China celebrates its 70th anniversary. In that time China has been transformed beyond recognition, and next week's events are more than just a commemoration says John Sudworth. Could you be convinced to swap a steak for a plate of tasty crickets? Emilie Filou visits a noisy farm in Madagascar, to find out how one company wants to put 'cricket powder' in everyone's kitchen cabinet. And in the North Atlantic ocean, on the Faroe Island of Stóra Dímun, Tim Ecott lends a hand on what's been described as the 'loneliest farmhouse in the world'.

After the second indecisive general election in Israel this year, Benjamin Netanyahu has been asked to form a new government - but can he make it work? Some observers said last week's election would mark the end of the Netanyahu era, but Jeremy Bowen warns that premature political obituaries for Mr Netanyahu have proved wrong before. Plus: Hugo Bachega reports on a controversial crackdown on street gangs in the favelas of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, which has led to the death of a number of innocent casualties this year. President Trump has frequently castigated Iran, calling it a 'repressive regime' - but what do US voters think about this constant sabre-rattling? The USA is home to a sizeable Iranian diaspora, and Lois Pryce travelled to California to test the political temperature in LA's Iranian quarter, 'Tehrangeles'. Pre-packaged adventures into the wilds to spy on the wonders of nature are big business, but on a trip to Uganda, Lottie Gross experienced a creeping sense of unease, as the intrusive nature of her luxury adventure began to unfold. The Rugby World Cup is currently underway in Japan and for one of the host cities - the coastal city of Kamaishi - the competition marks a remarkable recovery. Ash Bhardwaj has been exploring what rugby means for the city, as it recovers from the devastation caused by a Tsunami in 2011.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. Tom Edwards meets two people counting the cost – literally – of a delayed major infrastructure project and discovers whether they will be able to survive until it is finally finished. Hannah Moore ruminates on her twelfth move before she has even reached her thirtieth birthday and the contrast between her parents’ long settled East Midlands’ life and her own constantly changing one. After a heart-stopping moment on the cricket field of her son's school - and an emergency operation - Geeta Guru-Murthy considers the domestic costs of intense competitiveness. Richard Vadon takes his teenage son and his friends to a covers band gig - only to find that most of the others there are his age rather than his son’s. But the reason why says much, he says, about the contemporary music scene. And while nothing quite prepared Francesca Segal for her experience of a neonatal intensive care unit, she reflects what it has taught her about motherhood and family life. Producer: Simon Coates

Myanmar’s government wants Rohingya refugees to return, but can it guarantee their safety and way of life? Jonathan Head takes a rare trip to Rakhine state to see the government’s resettlement plans. In Assam state in India, another migrant crisis is on the rise, following a drive to identify and deport illegal immigrants. This has left nearly 2 million people without Indian citizenship. Rajini Vaidyanathan meets some of the people now left stateless. Spain’s northern Basque region has been largely at peace thanks to the end of a four-decade campaign of violence by the separatist group Eta. Guy Hedgecoe reports from a small town where a rowdy bar fight aroused suspicion that Eta’s influence has not entirely disappeared. Yemen is one of the Arab world’s poorest countries, and has been devastated by civil war. Nawal Al-Maghafi, who was born in Yemen, has witnessed the deterioration of her homeland first hand. Since starting in a Seattle garage 25 year ago, Amazon has changed the way many of us shop – but the company has its critics too, especially when it comes to the working conditions in its warehouses. This has led to a PR counter-offensive, and Amazon decided to open its doors to the public. Dave Lee accepted the invitation to take a tour of one of the company’s warehouses in California.

Paper money is going out of fashion in China, but is the rise of mobile payments about convenience or control, asks Celia Hatton? Mark Lowen reflects on the 5 years he has spent reporting from Istanbul and beyond. Juliet Rix travels to the far east of Russia, where she finds a community trying to reconcile tradition with modern-life. 'Gravity biking' involves hurtling down precipitous mountain roads on specially-modified bikes. Simon Maybin meets a group of 'gravitosos' in Colombia and finds they have a complicated relationship with death. Presented by Caroline Wyatt.

Robert Mugabe has died. How do you sum up such a complex and contradictory figure? Andrew Harding recalls his final encounter with Mr Mugabe and reflects on the perils of living too long. In Germany the far-right populist Alternative für Deutschland is celebrating after doing well in two regional elections. Damien McGuinness has been meeting some of their supporters and says that their electoral success has led to a wider debate about why east Germans have not felt the benefits of unification. Malaria is a constant threat to life in Burkina Faso. A newer threat comes from an Islamist-led insurgency that has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. But the cutting-edge research into tackling mosquitoes continues undisturbed, for now, as Jennifer O'Mahony reports. The Romanian national football team is no great shakes at the moment and is unlikely to qualify for the European Championship finals in 2020. But another game, the origins of which are lost in the mists of time, is gaining popularity. Emma Levine has been to watch it being played in the town of Frasin. In Papua New Guinea it’s estimated that 40 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, despite the country’s enormous mineral wealth. Charlie Walker says there’s one particular mineral that people are interested in.

Gang violence in the townships of Cape Town is now so serious that the South African army has been sent in to try to curb it. But the causes of violence are complex. Will the state really be able to stamp its authority? Lindsay Johns reports. Lizzie Porter finds sunflowers in bloom on the outskirts of Sinjar, the town in northern Iraq, where, five years ago so-called Islamic State kidnapped thousands of Yazidis. But the town itself is still largely empty, the streets deserted, the buildings smashed and most of the original population absent, too scared to return home. There's a growing number of people from Africa and Asia in Central America, whose hope one day is to make it to the United States. Katy Long dusts down her rusty French to speak to a man from Congo in the middle of a rainstorm in Costa Rica. While the Taliban talks peace with the US in Qatar, there's scepticism and concern on the streets of Kabul. Secunder Kermani talks to a group of young cricketers near the Ghazi Stadium, the place where the Taliban once carried out public executions. And, while cricket fans in England had plenty of means at their disposal to watch Ben Stokes' demolition of the Australian bowling attack in last Sunday's Ashes victory, Jonah Fisher, in Kiev, was finding it less easy to follow proceedings. Being a cricket-loving foreign correspondent, he says, hasn't always been easy.

The United States is experiencing a resurgence of far-right extremism. We meet a man trying to challenge the ideology and convert those who have been radicalised. But Aleem Maqbool says he's ploughing a lonely furrow. In Serbia the government has been investing in traditional crafts - carpentry and pottery - in an attempt to sustain rural communities. Nicola Kelly goes to meet the craftsmen and women - and finds offers of the local tipple difficult to refuse. It's not long ago that Zimbabweans were celebrating the political demise of Robert Mugabe, who was president for nearly three decades - during which the country's economy collapsed. But, as Kim Chakanetsa reports after a recent trip to Harare, many there now have an unexpectedly rose-tinted view of the past. Argentina too has had its fair share of economic misery. Results of recent presidential primaries spooked the markets and raised fears of renewed difficulties. Natalio Cosoy hears echoes of the past in Buenos Aires. Petanque, that traditional summer pastime of the French, is undergoing something of a face lift. But the changes - especially the one that outlaws an accompanying glass of pastis - have occasioned more than a few grumbles, as Chris Bockman finds out.

Mishal Husain introduces pieces reflecting contemporary life across the United Kingdom. Alison Williams would regularly see a young middle-aged woman sitting outside the railway station she used. They returned smiles; Alison wondered about her back story. Then suddenly the woman was gone. What happened next is a parable of our times. Each summer in recent years, Dorset has welcomed children from areas of northern Ukraine and Belarus blighted by the radioactivity released by the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear site in April 1986. During their stay, the children receive health checks and enjoy the hospitality of local families. So how are they faring? Jane Labous has been to meet this year's visitors - and their hosts. Even the idea of Welsh wine to accompany haute cuisine used to bring a smile to many a face, not least in the country itself. But in fact wine-making there dates back to Roman times and is currently undergoing a revival. But can what was once a cottage industry - literally - become a money-spinner? Tim Hartley has been visiting vineyards in both North and South Wales to gauge the prospects. When, fifteen years ago, 23 Chinese cockle pickers tragically lost their lives on north-west England's "wet Sahara" - the vast area of sand and mudflats which is Morecambe Bay - it confirmed its reputation for treacherous tides that can readily catch out the unwary. A new guide to assist crossings to and from the Cumbrian and Lancastrian sides of the Bay has recently been appointed and Tom Edwards decided to take his daughters there to initiate them into its tidal flows. And John Forsyth has been unearthing the mystery of toppling headstones in Scottish cemeteries. He discovers the identity of the perpetrator - and why it is happening. Producer: Simon Coates

The protests at Hong Kong's international airport this week and the violence that resulted have been widely reported. Jonathan Head says not only was this the week that the protest movement lost its innocence, but also that the violence has handed the Chinese authorities a propaganda coup. Reporting from Indian-administered Kashmir has been especially challenging since the Indian government stripped it of its special status: no internet and no telephones. But Yogita Limaye finds one friendly Kashmiri who supplies both hot tea and functional broadband. If you're nervous about snakes then Gombe District in northern Nigeria is best avoided, warns Colin Freeman. He visits a hospital that specialises in treating bites, especially those of the carpet viper, an ever-present danger to the local farmers. Waterproof clothing made from the wool of the Bordaleira sheep has kept Portuguese farmers dry for centuries. Today, it's also the height of fashion, as Margaret Bradley reports; flying off the shelves of smart shops of Lisbon and Porto and in much demand overseas. President Trump surprised Sweden recently when he suggested that the prime minister intervene in the case of a US rapper who'd been arrested in Stockholm on suspicion of assault. Maddy Savage was in court to see the case play out.

Fires are blazing in the far reaches of Siberia - an area the size of Belgium is on fire. Steve Rosenberg goes to have a look, a seventeen hour drive through forests of birch and cedar. But is Russia also burning socially and politically? The Italian island of Lampedusa - halfway between Tunisia and Malta - has long been at the centre of the "migrant crisis"; a welcome haven for the occupants of leaky boats. Dr Pietro Bartolo has been working with migrants for many years but now, as Emma Jane Kirby reports, he's adopted a different approach. The announcement from Delhi this week that Kashmir was losing its autonomous status took the world by surprise. The region has since been on lockdown, the residents left with few means of communication with the outside world. Rahul Tandon talks to young Kashmiris in Delhi, who oppose the new policy, and to Indians who support the government's move. Sex is often a delicate subject. Norms are often very different from place to place – and the penalties for living outside the norm can be serious. Shereen El Feki has been working with a team from BBC Arabic to survey and interview people across the Middle East about their attitudes and their desires. A group of Jewish orphans who survived the Nazi concentration camps and were resettled in Britain became known as The Boys, even though there were girls among them. Hannah Gelbart, the grand daughter of one of them, reports on a special reunion in Prague.

Television footage from Idlib in northern Syria continues to provide distressing evidence of civilian suffering. But the world's leading nations are unwilling or unable to intercede. Jeremy Bowen recalls his visits to the region in former, peaceful times but sees no end to the current violence. The protesters have been on the streets of Hong Kong for several months, their fury with their government undiminished. But what are they saying in Beijing, the real centre of power? Celia Hatton says they're preparing death by a thousand cuts. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Somalia since the outbreak of civil war in the early 1990s. But a few brave souls have been going back to try and start the rebuilding process. Andrew Harding made friends with one of them several years ago, a man who became the mayor of Mogadishu. In Nicaragua it's now 40 years since the Sandinista movement overthrew a hated dictatorship. The man in charge then, Daniel Ortega, is still in charge now. But the movement is now accused of adopting the same autocratic methods of the government it replaced. Will Grant has been talking to opposition figures recently released from prison. In St Petersburg there's a row over the literary legacy of one of the city's best-known writers, Vladimir Nabokov. Chloe Arnold has been meeting those on each side of the argument

It’s Martyrs’ Day in Myanmar and the country’s founding father, Aung San, is being honoured. His daughter Aung San Suu Kyi now leads the government, but with her reputation in tatters for her failure to condemn the excesses of the armed forces. Nick Beake reflects on the contradictions. 50 years after the first man walked on the moon, India has been celebrating the successful launch of its own lunar mission. Rajini Vaidyanathan joins a group of schoolchildren basking in the glow of national pride. Thousands have been killed in the Philippines in President Duterte's “war on drugs.” He’s also got a reputation for a sense of humour that’s not to everyone’s taste. Howard Johnson wonders whether his jokes have conditioned people in the Philippines to accept atrocities. Greece has a new prime minister after elections earlier this month. He’s promised to end the country’s brain drain, to persuade the hundreds of thousands of people who’ve left in recent years to come home. Jessica Bateman asks if that’s what they’ll want to do. And, Vincent Dowd hears how technology is making shipping safer as he takes a boat trip out to the Fastnet Rock off the coast of Ireland, with its lighthouse, “a great cathedral tethered to the ocean.”

Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from writers and journalists which reflect the range of contemporary life in the United Kingdom. Writer and broadcaster, Ian McMillan, embarks on a high summer stroll along the bridle path that links his home with the post-industrial landscape of South Yorkshire, taking in a flattened colliery, a screaming mandrake, Peter Falk, the X19 bus to Barnsley and a magpie - or is it two? Journalist and part-time canoeist, Bob Walker, embarks on a "Three Men in a Boat"-style progress on the river Wye - which for much of its course marks the border between Wales and England. He quickly finds out that, just as in Jerome K. Jerome's time, there is often ferocious competition among the different users of the water space for access. And money often lies at the heart of the wrangling... With mental health issues finally commanding more attention at home, work and in society generally, Christine Finn returns to her home town of Deal to discover how those managing conditions are being helped by the use of allotments. Along the way, she realises that old-style denial of mental health problems had gone on much closer to home than she had previously thought. As the nation's gargantuan appetite for soft fruit reaches its apogee, John Murphy journeys to the poly-tunnels of the garden of England to learn how this demand is satisfied and how berry farmers' costs may yet force radical changes to the way strawberries, raspberries, loganberries - and all the rest - reach our tables. He also hears how the poly-tunnels can be unexpectedly romantic locations. And Ayo Akinwolere ponders how and when the relationship between fathers and sons alters, their roles invert and how well-prepared both are for the change. Producer: Simon Coates

Jacob Zuma, the former South African president, has been in the spotlight all week – live on television responding to questions at a judicial inquiry investigating corruption at the highest level. Andrew Harding reflects on truth in the age of brandished kippers. The town of Kirkenes in northern Norway is a stone’s throw from the border with Russia. It’s now become the focus for a major spy scandal, as Sarah Rainsford has been finding out. Martin Patience was recently part of a BBC team that received a rare invitation to visit Iran, at a time when relations with Britain are strained. He says he was warmly received, although filming at a pop concert provided a moment of uncertainty. There’s been a long-running conflict in California over access to the beaches. On one side, the surfers, who need to be able to get to the ocean; on the other the tech millionaires, who’ve been putting up fences to keep people out. Sally Howard says the very soul of the Golden State is at stake. And Petroc Trelawny has been aboard the QE2 for a trip down memory lane. No longer plying the high seas, she’s moored in Dubai as a floating hotel; bri-nylon and formica among the glass and steel.

Algerians have been celebrating the fact that their football team has made it to the final of the African Cup of Nations. But in Algeria, football is more than a sport. It was in the country’s stadiums that the desire for political change emerged. The nation’s autocratic leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika was ousted earlier this year and since then people have been getting to grips with new levels of freedom of expresssion, as Neil Kisserli has found. In the United States President Trump’s tweets about four non-white members of congress have caused uproar among his opponents. Mike Wendling has been to a pro-Trump gathering in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he encountered some unusual supporters of the president: “monarchists”. Chile is home to one of South America’s fastest growing economies. The agricultural sector plays a significant role, and exports include fruit, wine and fish. Salmon farming has become a big industry, but it can also sometimes be a dangerous one for those who work in it, as Grace Livingstone has learned. Over the next three decades, New Zealand hopes to rid itself of invasive species. Its Predator 2050 plan aims to eradicate stoats, rats, possums and other pests, in the hope of protecting the country’s indigenous wildlife. As Christine Finn has discovered, the project has garnered wide support. In China for centuries, the dominance of tea drinking may now be facing a challenge. Many young people are acquiring a taste for coffee, which may partly explain why foreign coffee shop chains have recently opened thousands of branches across the country. Andy Jones has been to Shanghai to hear why coffee may be poised to mount a challenge to tea.

The President of El Salvador is calling on young men to leave the country’s criminal gangs, or perish with them. He said the gangs have terrorised the country for decades, and would be dismantled. Orla Guerin has been to the capital, San Salvador, to see how the gangs menace the city. Greece has a new Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis of the centre-right party New Democracy, defeating the socialist Alexis Tsipras. Mark Lowen was based in Athens at the height of the financial crisis, which led to Greece experiencing one of the worst peace-time depressions of the last hundred years. He returned to watch the old conservative party being brought back to power. Five years ago, Russian-backed forces seized control of the Crimean peninsula. Ash Bhardwaj gained permission to enter Crimea, to find out what’s changed in five year’s of Russian rule. A hundred years ago, the passing of the Addison Act spurred a huge expansion in council housing across the UK. Austria too has been remembering when it began building social housing around 100 years ago. In Vienna today more than half of its population live in subsidised apartment blocks. Some of these are of vast scale, such as Karl Marx Hof, more than half a mile long. Caroline Davies has been finding out what lessons policy makers can learn from the Viennese approach to housing. The end of the Cricket World Cup is drawing near, and the final match, between England and New Zealand, will be watched by fans from all over the world. But what would they make of how the game is played in the Trobiand Islands, located off the coast of Papua New Guinea? The people there have a passion for cricket that borders on the extreme, as Mark Stratton has discovered. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Neil Koenig

There was an international outcry following the murder of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year. Saudi officials blamed rogue agents sent to persuade him to return to the kingdom. Frank Gardner reflects on his encounters with Jamal Khashoggi and the questions that still need answering. Germany has pledged to more than halve its greenhouse emissions by 2030, compared with 1990 levels. But the country still relies on coal to provide 40 percent of its electricity. Tim Mansel visits a village in Rhineland that is being eaten up by a coal mine and encounters some activists at the forefront of the climate change debate. More than 25 years on from the Oslo Peace accords, close friendships between Palestinians and Israelis are still rare. Charlie Faulkner attends a Shabbat meal in Jerusalem where an Israeli woman invites a former Palestinian prisoner to her home. Maternal mortality rates in Ethiopia have been hugely reduced thanks to an innovative programme of medical training. Ruth Evans finds out how it works at a project in the north of the country. This year the Chinese government announced that it was closing Everest Base Camp to trekkers and tourists on the Tibetan side of the mountain because of the rubbish that’s accumulated in the area. Jeremy Grange has travelled to Everest Base Camp on the Nepalese side to find out about the challenge of dealing with a mountain of rubbish.

A visit to an IS women and children's camp in northern Syria where the residents face an uncertain future. Anna Foster visits the Al Hawl camp to talk to those who are trying to salvage some form of life beyond the caliphate The rape and murder of an eight-year old girl last year in Indian-administered Kashmir had reverberations across India. As they awaited the verdict of the trial of the eight accused, Divya Arya went to speak to the nomadic Muslim community trying to come to terms with their loss. The rate of destruction in the Amazon rainforest has increased by 60 percent in the last two months, and the impact of deforestation is being heavily felt by Brazil's indigenous people. David Shukman, the BBC's Science editor, went to visit the Uru-eu-wau-wau people and learned how they were trying to balance their traditional way of life with the pace of change and development in the region. A local village mayor in south-West France has launched a campaign for rural noises, such as the sound of cicadas and roosters, to be awarded national heritage status. Chris Bockman visits the village of Gajac and discovers that the battle lines have been drawn between two very different groups of residents over the issue. The Catalan independence movement has attracted international media to the region, and one journalist, Tim Smith, found himself on assignment in Barcelona for a prolonged stay. He discovered the internet can be a useful resource for forging new and eclectic friendship groups, and finds himself immersed in everything from heated political debates to advanced cycling.

European leaders have finally decided who should fill the top jobs in EU organisations. They have nominated German defence minister, Ursula von der Leyen, as the new President of the European Commission. She must now be approved by MEPs in Strasbourg, which has meant some serious train travel for Adam Fleming. The shocking picture of a father and his daughter lying dead in the Rio Grande recently highlighted the risks for migrants trying to cross illegally into the United States. As Chris Buckler found, others stranded on the border have a long wait. In Sub-Saharan Africa, women often have to queue for hours for water. But a new high-tech scheme in one village in Tanzania is transforming access to clean water. Chloe Farand went to see the project. Tarkhan Batirashvili grew up in Georgia’s Caucasus mountains. He became one of the most notorious terrorists in the world, ruling northern Syria for Islamic State until his death in 2016. Tarkhan’s cousin Temuri wants to combat the radicalisation that set Tarkhan on his course to Syria. But this is no easy task, as William Dunbar discovers. As the Women’s World Cup nears its final stage, the organisers hope the contest will help to raise the profile of female football players across the globe. But that may be easier to achieve in some places than in others. In Argentina, for instance, the game is everything. But for decades women have had little part to play, and almost no chance of becoming professionals. This is something that Macarena Sánchez wants to change, as she fights to be accepted as a professional football player. Aude Villiers-Moriamé met her.

After his party lost the Istanbul mayoral election where does Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, go from here? Mark Lowen considers whether this could be the start of his political decline. Katie Arnold reports from Kyrgyzstan where hot dry summers in the former Soviet republic are leading to drought and cross- border tension over water supplies. Alastair Leithead, the BBC's Africa correspondent, is leaving the continent 17 years after he filed his first piece for From Our Own Correspondent. How much has his role changed since then? In the United States where fourteen parents have pleaded guilty to fraudulently getting their children into top universities, Laura Trevelyan considers the lengths some parents will go to help their offspring get into their preferred college. And as much of Europe swelters under a heat wave James Reynolds takes the temperature in Rome and finds out what hot weather means to its citizens.

After an aborted missile strike, Washington insiders are scratching their heads over the President's modus operandi on Iran. Barbara Plett Usher looks at the new normal of the Trump administration. Vladimir Putin has cancelled Russian flights to Georgia after anti-Russian protests in Tbilisi, a move which will heavily impact the country's tourism industry. Rayhan Demytrie assesses the impact of President Putin's warnings on Russians holidaying there. The Armenian community was once a thriving hub in India's Chennai, running trading companies, shipping lines, coal mines and real estate developments, but their numbers have dwindled since then. Andrew Whitehead attends a service in the eighteenth-century Armenian church in the city attended by those that remain. Rocket attacks on foreign oil companies' compounds in southern Iraq may have grabbed headlines, but the citizen's of Basra are more concerned about power cuts, rubbish strewn streets and job shortages. Years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Lizzie Porter finds not much has improved for the local population in the region. The Netherlands has long touted its green credentials, but, thanks to its coal-fired power stations, it is in fact one of Europe's biggest carbon emitters. The capital, Amsterdam, is positioning itself as a new hub for green businesses, and David Baker went to find out.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. Alison Holt considers with a Somerset family why adult social care is the policy reform no UK government does anything about. In the week of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, Martin Smith asks how far the Welsh heritage in singing is endangered and whether it might yet be part of Wales' economic future. With the time-worn quips over an Essex town ringing in her ears, Jo Glanville discovers that established notions of Southend as a seaside resort with its best days behind it are out-of-date. Andrew Green looks at the idea of the bird celebrated in the most popular piece of classical music in Britain and the reality of its existence today on the Chilterns. And Dan Johnson contemplates the personal and social links between a stately pile near Barnsley and those who live in the communities close to it. Producer: Simon Coates

The death of Mohammed Morsi throws into sharp relief the challenges facing modern day Egypt, and the bigger struggle to embrace democracy. Kevin Connolly reflects back on the defining moments of his presidency. Colin Freeman visits a town in the heart of Boko Haram territory in Nigeria's north-east, and learns about a new faction which has formally declared allegiance to so-called Islamic State - and adopted a new strategy. 20 years after Nato peacekeepers entered Kosovo, James Coomarasamy meets the war widows who are challenging local norms by working for a successful pickling company. Germany is grappling with the possibility a man with far-right extremist links was responsible for the shooting of one of Angela's Merkel's pro-refugee allies. Reha Kansara meets a woman who spends hours each day tackling online hate speech in the country. The warm-blooded manatee makes its way each winter to the USA's Sunshine State, but its steadily rising population was recently blighted by one of the worst cases of Red Tide - a form of toxic algae. Phoebe Smith took to the waters to encounter Florida's most loved wildlife attraction.

An accident in the historic centre of Marseille in the south of France has sent shock waves through the city. Two apartment blocks collapsed late last year with the loss of eight lives. Lucy Ash asks who is to blame - slum landlords, corrupt politicians or a combination of the two? There's growing evidence of China's attempts to control its Muslim minorities and suppress their beliefs. John Sudworth was given rare access to some of the secure facilities where hundreds of thousands of Muslims are being held in the western region of Xinjiang, even though they've committed no crime nor faced trial. In Addis Ababa, Theo Leggett hears from the boss of Ethiopian Airlines who's fighting to defend the company's reputation - he says the fatal crash of one of its Boeing 737 Max aircraft in March was not the fault of his pilots. What's it like to return to a South African township school where you taught twenty seven years earlier? James Helm makes a very personal journey. And Sonia Faleiro observes the life-changing nature of a restaurant job in Goa on India's west coast. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Caroline Bayley

Ebola has spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Uganda as the authorities struggle to control it. Olivia Acland visits an Ebola zone in the DRC. Russian journalist, Ivan Golunov, this week was let off drug dealing charges after a public outcry. Steve Rosenberg looks at why the case has been so embarrassing for the Russian authorities. The protests in Hong Kong this week have seen some unlikely allies - and foes. Gabriel Gatehouse witnesses a rare stand off between a Hong Kong legislator and the police. Italy's Prime Minister is arguably less well known than his deputies. James Reynolds unpicks a complicated web of Italian politics. Whether you are visiting New Zealand's volcanoes or its spectacular fjords, getting around without a car in the country can be difficult. Christine Finn finds out why hitchhiking is popular for tourists.

This week has seen the biggest protests on the streets of Hong Kong since Britain handed the former colony back to China in 1997. Demonstrators are angry at a proposed new law which would allow extradition to mainland China for trial. As Danny Vincent reports it's considered by many in Hong Kong to be the latest example of the erosion of freedoms that Hong Kong was guaranteed during the handover. As Pride events take place all over the world this month to recognise the impact of LGBT communities and to highlight on going campaigns for equal rights, Yolande Knell reports on Pride in Israel. There are demonstrations in the heart of Europe too. Rob Cameron reports from the streets of the Czech capital, Prague where there have been protests against the prime minister. What should happen to the Chagos Islands and its former citizens now Britain has been told by the UN to hand the territory back to Mauritius? Rosie Blunt has been talking to members of the Chagossian community living in the UK. And Monica Whitlock meets a family in eastern Kazakhstan preparing for a funeral feast. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Caroline Bayley

Mexico takes a tougher approach to migrants as it comes under pressure from the US. Will Grant returns to Chiapas in Southern Mexico, where he travelled with the migrant caravan last year, and finds it a very different place. Sudan has been heavily criticised for the crackdown by its military on protestors in Khartoum this week, killing dozens of people. Fergal Keane, the BBC’s Africa editor looks at how far the country has changed over the years. Kevin Connolly, the BBC’s Europe editor looks back at Poland’s first big step towards democracy in the late 1980s and why it went largely unnoticed. Amy Guttman meets the female chefs in Japan who are blazing a trail for Prime Minister Abe’s plans to get more women in the workplace. Monkey puzzle trees are an endangered species in Chile, but Sarah Wheeler finds they still have special significance for the Mapuche people.

Austria has sworn in its first female chancellor but Brigitte Bierlein is unlikely to be there for long. She heads a caretaker government appointed because the previous Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz lost a confidence vote after his far- right coalition partner was caught in a video sting scandal. Bethany Bell reports from Vienna on the current political turmoil. As fighting continues in Syria's Idlib province, author Diana Darke who knows Syria well, has been to the Korean Peninsular and discovers how close the ties are between President Bashar al_Assad and North Korea's Kim Jong-un . Chris Haslam meets the Nicaraguan university rector with a price on his head - but it's not enough for his would-be assassin. Sarah Raynsford sees both sides of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan when the football fans were in town. And in Ireland thousands of visitors flock to towns and villages every summer as the music festival season gets underway. Kieran Cooke goes along too and reflects on how the country has held onto its traditions of music and dance.

A new cohort of MEPS are given the lowdown on local apartments and Belgian tax returns. Adam Fleming visits the Brussels Welcome Village. Yvonne Murray visits Hebei province in China where Maoist era loudspeaker systems are being reconnected. 30 years on from the pro-democracy student protests, is the Chinese government resorting to its old propaganda tactics? Mathew Charles visits a rehabilitation programme in one of El Salvador's prisons that hopes to reform ex-gangsters by teaching them skills and converting them to Christianity. Wolf howling is used in Romania as a way to track their numbers in the Carpathian mountains. Nick Thorpe looks at how animal conservationists are trying to protect Europe’s population of wolves and bears. In United Arab Emirates, what’s thought to be the world’s first all women car club is taking the region by storm. Vivienne Nunis went to a racetrack to watch them in action.

India has a huge unemployment problem. Anu Anand takes a look at some of the jobs - such as ear-cleaning, pushing buttons in lifts and road sweeping with brooms - people do to make a living. Following the EU elections which saw an increase in the number of nationalist MEP across the continent, John Kampfner visits Aachen, a town at the historical centre of a unified Europe... under Charlemagne. In South Africa, the Bo-Kaap neighbourhood of Cape Town, with its cobbled streets and colourful houses, has become one of the country's must-see tourist destinations - and property there has become pricey. Ione Wells looks at the downside of gentrification. Only about 75,000 people in Estonia still speak the Voro language. Simon Broughton meets some of those trying to ensure it has a universal and lasting appeal. And Christine Finn finds herself, unexpectedly, on a mini-break: but not where she intended. What is it like to spend almost a week in Singapore's Changi Airport? Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Caroline Bayley

Anonymous contacts. Secret meetings. Men in raincoats. Gabriel Gatehouse reveals what it can take to bring a story on collusion to light. In Bulgaria, Colin Freeman assesses the economic importance of the Kalashnikov AK47 assault rifle. More than 150 years after slavery officially ended in the US, Juliet Rix has a chance encounter in South Carolina that suggests the past is remarkably present. In the wetlands of southern Iraq Leon McCarron meets some of the people known as the Marsh Arabs. In the 1980s their homeland was a frontline in the Iran-Iraq war; in the 1990s Saddam Hussein unleashed fighter jets to destroy their settlements. Now they face another threat - there's still not enough clean water. And in Italy, Dany Mitzman tries to make the best of a dreaded family day out...at a football match.

As states restrict abortion rights and hundreds of pro-choice protests take place across the US, Laura Trevelyan assesses the country's widening cultural divisions and asks what might happen next. In the Lebanese city of Tripoli, where there have been community divisions for a generation, Bob Howard visits a neighbourhood café with reconciliation on the menu. In Peru illegal gold mining has become big business. Laurence Blair reports on the lawless camps that have emerged and asks what can be done to stop the environmental damage being done to the Amazonian jungle. Amelia Martyn-Hemphill meets Mechai Viravaidya also known as "the Condom King" in Bangkok's red light district. He's using coloured balloons and jokey humour to limit the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in Thailand. And in Ghana Emma Thomson enjoys a royal spectacle as the King and the history of Asante people are celebrated.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. Martin Vennard in Saltburn reveals how surfing has improbably helped revive the fortunes of the once-proud Victorian resort on Tees-side; while Travis Elborough taps a surf music beat in Worthing where a 50 year-old musical phenomenon is garnering new fans. Baby boomer Martin Gurdon, recently bereaved in late middle-age, explains how saying his final goodbye to an elderly parent was both something greater longevity had prepared him for and yet - at least initially - still left him disoriented. Emma Levine in Barnsley reports on how a strange football match saw differing contemporary Yorkshire identities on display off the pitch. And Athar Ahmad prepares to go on a solitary spiritual quest in the final days of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Producer: Simon Coates

As Australia's general election campaign comes to an end Hywel Griffith asks if, whatever the result, the entire political class has now lost the respect of voters. And in India, the world's biggest democracy, Ritula Shah considers what the onion might tell us about the outcome of the election there. Emir Nader visits the Rif region in Northern Morocco to meet farmers who grow much of the cannabis that gets consumed in Europe. In Bosnia Katy Fallon watches migrants - desperate to enter the EU - "play the game"; doing what they can to cross the border into Croatia without papers. And Margaret Bradley takes a long look at how the property market has developed in Portugal. As prices have climbed, resentment has soared. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Rosamund Jones

In Israel and Gaza, Tom Bateman hears how rocket and air strikes are ruining lives. With no end to the conflict in sight, what has the impact of the latest violence been? In France, Joanna Robertson considers how Parisian weekends are being thrown into disarray as the Gilet Jaune - or yellow vest - movement, now six months old, continues. Jonathan Dimbleby first visited Ethiopia 45 years ago. He tracks the country's history of political repression, military coups, and people protests. Might genuine change now, finally, be on the cards? Giant oil fields have been discovered in Guyana. Simon Maybin unpicks the country's political response and asks who will benefit from the new wealth. And in Dresden, Jenny Hill watches the unveiling of a newly restored Vermeer masterpiece and talks to the art lovers who have a long and complicated relationship with the painting.

As Emperor Naruhito takes the throne in Japan, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes watches the crowds waving flags and wiping away tears. What will this new era hold for the country and its imperial family? Kate Adie introduces this and other stories: Katy Watson has the latest instalment in the drama that is gripping Brazil as rival factions vie for control under the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro. Neil Kisserli reveals why protesters in Algeria are picking up the litter and taking pot plants with them as they demand change. Zeinab Badawi returns to Sudan to meet the young architecture student leading the revolution. And Dave Lee hears from tech workers in Silicon Valley who fear they’ve become the new bankers – seen as public figures to be reviled and blamed for the ills they have brought into society.

: As street protests gain momentum in Sudan, Alastair Leithead asks if revolutionary change will be sustainable. Vicky Spratt visits a safe house in Nepal to find out how people traffickers are exploiting women online. In the Philippines, Howard Johnson discovers how some of the country's Christian faithful prove their devotion at Easter by nailing themselves to wooden crosses. Rahul Tandon finds out how Brexit's twists and turns are interpreted in India. And Lizzie Porter tours Saddam Hussein's once extravagant, now abandoned, palace in Iraq.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers reflecting the range of contemporary life across the United Kingdom. Shabnam Grewal grew up near Southall where, forty years ago, the New Zealand-born teacher, Blair Peach, was hit on the head by a police officer and later died. He was taking part in a protest against racism. The west London suburb had already witnessed the racially motivated murder of an Asian teenager. She remembers the tension and fears of the time and reflects on them in the company of her young son. BBC News presenter, Tanya Beckett, has found herself part of a "Lady in the Van"-style drama - only in her case it's been a man in his fifties and a caravan. She muses on the unexpected connections she's forged with her unconventional neighbour amid the demands of contemporary living for them both. Martin Bashir, the BBC's Religion Editor, asked about the meaning of Easter, has discovered that pondering a long-held guilty secret has helped him explain the most important festival in the Christian calendar. Jane Labous in Dorset takes the plunge and goes mermaiding in Blandford Forum and finds out how the swimming craze that involves donning a fin and a tail is found empowering by women swimmers of different ages. And Dan Whitworth, reporter for Radio 4's Money Box programme, prepares to return home to Sheriff Hutton in North Yorkshire and enjoy the spectacle of the flowers which are synonymous with spring and indicate the thriving nature of the village. Producer: Simon Coates

Volodymyr Zelensky played a President in more than 50 episodes of TV comedy - but does that mean he can do the job in real life? Jonah Fisher reflects from Kiev on a surreal election campaign - and catches up with a box set. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents and reporters around the world. India's election, the largest in the world - and thus the largest ever held - is also under way. While covering this extraordinary exercise of democracy, Rajini Vaidyanathan met one man in the Himalayas who has an enduring faith in the electoral process. He's 102 years old and has voted in every Indian election since independence. Jonathan Griffin loves the soul-shaking sound of South African choral music - and recently heard songs of freedom, defiance and rivalry during a political debate near Johannesburg, where the contingents competed with vocals as well as rhetoric. There's not much arable soil in the United Arab Emirates - but plenty of sand and sunshine - so the government's keen to bolster food security by growing more and importing less. Georgia Tolley tastes the fruits of high-tech agriculture, coaxed from a desert greenhouse. And Stephen McDonell reveals an unsuspected side of Beijing - beyond its vast official spaces and political power plays. The city is also home to a raucous, ramshackle, rebellious underground music scene. But in the face of rising rents and increasing red tape, how long can its live bands play on?

An election campaign in Israel but little mention of the peace process. Yolande Knell says voters there just want to live normal lives. They're picking up the pieces in Rio de Janeiro after the fire which destroyed the 200-year-old National Museum. Tim Whewell says they've lost artefacts that simply cannot be replaced. The Romanian government is not happy that the former head of its anti-corruption directorate is now in the running for the new post of Chief Prosecutor for the European Union. Tessa Dunlop says it's worried the former basketball player knows all their dirty secrets. Sarah Sands takes a trip up the Suez Canal, scene of Britain's humiliation in 1956, in a British destroyer. She ponders the importance of trade then and now. And in India law students are being taught Harry Potter. Rahul Tandon has taken a class.

What life after IS looks like for the residents of Iraq's second city - bright hijabs, bold makeup and striking works of art. "Colour has become their way of saying ‘we’ve taken our lives and our city back’" says Shaimaa Khalil. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world: Orla Guerin finds out what happened to the two sick children she met in Yemen last year. Six months on, were they able to leave the war-torn country to get the medical care they so desperately needed? Amelia Martyn-Hemphill meets the mums in Madagascar trying to save others from a taboo condition and encourage them to seek treatment for obstetric fistula rather than suffer in silence. John Murphy is in Germany where he meets a woman with clawed feet, horns and yellow eyes - he's at computer gaming exhibition in Leipzig. And Stephanie Hegarty hears how the harsh climate of the Mongolian steppe is forcing more and more people to move to the overcrowded capital Ulaanbaatar – already one of the world’s most populated cities.

Marching bands in Myanmar as the army celebrates, but it's an army accused of genocide. Nick Beake arrives at the dead of night to witness the festivities. Jill McGivering reports from Kathmandu on a dark and disturbing side to western tourism in Nepal. In Kazakhstan the country's founding president has just stepped down. They've renamed the capital in his honour, but Rayhan Demytrie asks what his real legacy is. Rebecca Henschke has just left Jakarta after years as a correspondent there. She pays tribute to the women who enable her to juggle her dual roles of journalist and mother. And in Los Angeles, it doesn't rain but it pours. Dan Johnson reports from LA Torrential

Mishal Husain presents the monthly collection of journalistic pieces reflecting life across the UK today. John Forsyth in Glasgow learns about the realities of rehabilitating convicted knife criminals on a visit to the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit which many experts regard as a model for other UK cities - notably London - to emulate in the fight against the explosion in incidents of violent street crime. Gabriel Gatehouse, recently on shared parental leave, attempts to understand the world through the eyes of his seven month-old daughter and ponders how this may affect his daily work as a correspondent. The BBC's Ireland Correspondent, Chris Page, considers Irish unity on the sporting field plus the contests with Britain - and especially England - and their likely implications politically and culturally on both sides of the border. Jordan Dunbar takes us to Co. Antrim's dark hedges as the final season of "Game of Thrones" is set to hit television screens worldwide and he reflects on the impact of the HBO series, many scenes of which have been shot in Northern Ireland, economically and socially. And Stephanie Power on Merseyside, a self-described "Catholic atheist", confronts her preconceptions and prejudices about evangelical builders as the major refurbishment of her south Liverpool home proceeds - and has a moment of revelation as she wonders why the firm doing the work is called JCIL. Producer: Simon Coates

Hospitality in the Caucasus with the families of Russians returning from IS duty in Syria. But do they regret joining up in the first place? Baalbek in Lebanon, the next best thing for those who miss travelling in Syria, and the hotel that's trying to recreate past glories; threshing hemp in Hungary for less than half the minimum wage to make socks for the Swiss; living with leprosy in a quiet corner of Romania; and the vicious flora of a former French penal colony in the South Pacific.

The bullets that shattered the image that New Zealand is a place apart. Our correspondent returns to his childhood home in Christchurch to find a city bewildered and in mourning. We hear also from Tanzania, where the imminent construction of a hydroelectric dam is threatening one of Africa's largest game reserves, but almost no-one dares to speak out; from Bosnia, where a number of young men have died in mysterious circumstances and the authorities stand accused of sweeping the problem under the carpet; from Dieppe, just across the English Channel, where, as March the 29th creeps ever closer, they're preparing for the possibility of a No Deal Brexit; and from the far west of Canada, where carving totem poles is one way of marking the historic suffering of the indigenous population at the hands of white settlers.

The BBC's Paul Adams returns to the country he roamed 35 years ago - and it's much changed. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, there's plenty of grief to go around, and it's important to show your emotions at funerals - so much so that one entrepreneur is setting up an agency for paid mourners to cry on demand, and give the deceased a proper send-off. Olivia Acland met him and one of the hopeful applicants for the job. The ash cloud following the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 showed that Iceland's volcanoes have the power to disrupt the entire world's air traffic - as well as to put Icelanders' lives and communities at risk. Andy Jones saw how the village of Vik is making contingency plans in case its own volcano, Katla - already well overdue to blow - causes even more disturbance. In South Africa, Lindsay Johns explores the fault lines between Cape Town's long-established Coloured (mixed-race) community and the increasing number of immigrants from other African countries. And Jane Wakefield reveals what the 'death' of a robot hitch-hiker, whose journeys through Canada and the USA came to an abrupt end at human hands, reveals about the complicated relationship between man and machine.

How did it feel to survive the days of near-total blackout in Caracas? The BBC's Will Grant reports on what drove people to loot beloved local shops, or scoop water from filthy canals. Kate Adie introduces this story and others from around the world. Across Europe, relations between Romany Gypsy or Traveller families and their neighbours are often strained. Successive governments in France have cracked down on informal settlements of Roma people from Romania, and left French 'gens de voyage' feeling unwanted and marginalised. But near Carcassonne, Chris Bockman met one man with a plan to improve community relations. Mark Stratton explores a wealth gap in the Indian Ocean: the yawning difference in living standards between the Comoros and the French island of Mayotte, which has driven thousands of Comorans to risk their lives on a dangerous sea crossing in the hope of earning more and maybe gaining entry to the EU. The ancient kingdom of Dahomey, in modern-day Benin, was renowned for its martial prowess - from its fearsome battle banners to its brigades of all-female royal bodyguards, this was a culture well versed in war. Clodagh Kinsella plumbed the mysteries of its modern dynastic politics recently, watching three kings vie to inherit a supreme title. And Claire Bates explores the eerily deserted and well-preserved buffer zone separating Greek and Turkish communities in Cyprus - to try and tap into some of her father's childhood memories of growing up on an undivided island.

The appeal of Viktor Orban, the man who wants to remake the European Union in his own image. Stephen Sackur visits the Hungarian Prime Minister’s hometown and tries to figure out what makes him one of Europe's most successful and influential populists.

The Proud Boys say they are nothing more than a fraternal drinking club, but they regularly show up armed to far-right rallies across the US. On a marijuana farm in Oregon, Mike Wendling meets one of their local leaders – a man who, in between stints farming weed, survives on government disability benefits while also agitating for an end to all forms of welfare. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world: Sahar Zand has an unsettling visit to the Museum of Jihad in Afghanistan. Sian Griffiths skates across the world’s largest naturally-frozen ice rink and hears what impact rising temperatures are having on the outdoor skating season in Canada. Martin Vennard joins an old boys' club in Bangladesh. And Rob Crossan delves beneath the usual tourist traps in Tenerife and explores the volcanic subterranean tunnels which are home to the world’s ugliest invertebrate: a mutant with no wings or eyes.

Venezuelans are divided on what caused the crisis in their country and on whether the foreign governments offering help are potential saviours or invaders. In Caracas, Katy Watson hears how people on all sides are losing hope. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world: Colin Freeman meets Yasin Abu Bakr the man behind what was probably the only Islamist coup ever to have been attempted in the Western hemisphere. In 1990 Jamaat al Muslimeen took the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago hostage. Alastair Leithead discovers why the protection of elephants in Botswana is becoming an increasingly politicised issue. Should the meat of culled animals be turned into pet food? Michelle Jana Chan meets the Bhutanese athlete Dorji Dema, and discovers that archery there can often involve raucous singing, lots of alcohol and hurling insults at opponents. And Jenny Hill explains how Germany’s love of sausages is expressed in its language as well as its diet.

The UN says the treatment of the Rohingya in Myanmar was genocidal; women were raped and killed, men were shot and whole villages were razed, but as Nick Beake has discovered many Burmese people dismiss it all as 'fake news' and some even claim there's no such thing as Rohingya. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world: Tom Bateman was in Egypt as EU and Arab League leaders talked tackling terrorism and boosting trade. There were lots of questions about Brexit, but little mention of the host nation’s human rights record. Julia Buckley visits a failed fascist utopia in Italy. Neil Trevithick marvels at 5,000-year-old cave paintings in Somaliland. And Emma Levine is in Toronto which is increasingly the place to go if you want to film a zombie apocalypse, a Viking invasion or a romcom set in New York.

Quentin Sommerville considers the last days of the Islamic State in Baghouz, Syria - and examines the question of what to do with its fighters and sympathisers once the battle is over. The case of Shamima Begum has dominated the headlines, but there are many more like her. Kate Adie introduces his report and other stories from around the world. The Dadaab camp in northeastern Kenya is one of the largest refugee settlements anywhere - with nearly a quarter of a million people living there, nearly all Somalis fleeing violence and insecurity. But Kenya's government, and the UNHCR, which runs Dadaab, don't want them there forever, and have offered them incentives to return home to Somalia. Sally Hayden heard how that can be easier said than done. The campaigning for Ukraine's Presidency is heating up: voters will choose a leader for the country at the end of March, and they have a plethora of choices with over 44 names on the ballot paper. Jonah Fisher got to meet some of the candidates, and was left both intrigued and perplexed. "Rural depopulation" may sound rather abstract, but in one of Spain's fast-emptying villages, Linda Pressly saw what it means in practice to be part of a community of only three people, surrounded by reminders of a more bustling past. And Tim Ecott revels in the rugged tastes of the Faroes - from lightly mildewed air-dried lamb to roast gannet - as a restaurant near Torshavn gathers its second Michelin star.

Uruguay's anti-drug laws were never as strict as expected - and its path to decriminalisation of cannabis has also been full of paradox. Simon Maybin explores why the country's taken a slow and steady path to regulate marijuana growers and sellers - and visits a greenhouse full of legal weed. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. In Nepal, joining the ranks of the British Army's Gurkhas has long been one of the few options for a stable income. Regimental wages have kept some whole villages, not just families, solvent - so there's a lot riding on the selection process. Hannah King of BFBS witnessed the most recent intake and saw how these young men are prepared for a drastic change in their lives. Over recent weeks the streets of Haiti have simmered with discontent, with protesters confronting police and the army in the capital, Port au Prince, over systemic corruption, rising food prices and enduring inequality. Thomas Rees describes how the rising tensions made themselves felt on the streets. On the Karakorum Highway, Chris Haslam sat down to talk business with the driver of one of Pakistan's famous painted trucks - the elaborately-decorated palaces on wheels which haul goods and passengers along one of the highest-altitude roads in the world. But times are changing for them, with competition from "vast Chinese behemoths" now plying the same route as part of the Belt and Road expansion. And as the world worries over reports of deforestation and dwindling insect numbers around the world, Emilie Filou has a rare tale of revival from Madagascar - with the story of how one NGO has brought back the art of weaving a special kind of silk, made not by worms but by a unique local moth.

Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom which reflect the range of British life today. Writer and broadcaster Horatio Clare reveals the deeply personal story of how he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act and his experiences on an in-patient ward in Yorkshire. In the month of the National Parks Dark Skies Festival and a star-counting survey run by the British Astronomical Association and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Andrew Green discovers why an unblemished night sky is so hard to find even in the Chilterns - and why that matters. We often take our senses for granted. Charmaine Cozier recounts how she suddenly came to lose her sense of smell - and also to be left with a much diminished sense of taste - and explains the various strategies she's employed to try and recover them. With little sign of an early end to Britain's housing problems, the ups and downs of squatting in a former industrial building are described by Lizzy McNeill. And Adrian Goldberg climbs aboard "the cutest train in England" which, in its canary-yellow livery journeys modestly between stops in the West Midlands town of Stourbridge, yet offers a possible solution to transport problems elsewhere in the UK. Producer: Simon Coates

The remote religious retreat which has become the intellectual spearhead of Steve Bannon’s plans for a populist revolution in Europe. Edward Stourton visits the Trisulti monastery in Italy from where the vision of the former chief strategist to Donald Trump is being spread. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. Lois Pryce is in Jamaica. As the battle against gang violence continues, and soldiers patrol some of its streets, she visits a village which claims to have almost no crime at all. Nick Thorpe examines plans to boost the fertility rate in Hungary with cash and cars on offer for people willing to do their patriotic duty and make babies. Sarah Treanor meets a young Muslim woman in Zanzibar who is flying drones to map the island and help save lives. And Mike Thomson discovers that there are limits to the President's power in Liberia. He watches George Weah play football, have lunch and fail to get a flight delayed.

In much of the world Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organisation, but in Lebanon it is one of the country’s most powerful political and military forces. Lizzie Porter was in Beirut as the Iranian backed group began a three-day festival to mark the 40th anniversary of the Islamic revolution in Iran. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world: Mark Lobel tries to make sense of Dubai where migrant workers are welcomed with open arms – until they become a burden that is or fail to follow the rules. Katy Fallon is on the Greek island of Lesvos where she visits a community centre offering rare respite to the thousands of migrants crammed into a dangerous and dilapidated camp. Matt Pickles asks what the rest of the world can learn from Finland’s education system as he tours a school that comes with a class lizard and a couple of dogs.

Moscow isn’t the obvious place for talks on how to bring an end to the violence in Afghanistan, the country has been at war ever since the Soviet invasion 40 years ago, but it was where senior Afghan politicians met the Taliban. 'A military solution is not the answer' was the message Secunder Kermani picked up from negotiators there. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world: Juliet Rix is in Dominica, an island known for its natural beauty, national parks, and volcanoes. How is it faring almost eighteen months on from Hurricane Maria? Kevin Connolly returns to Belgrade and is confronted by some ghosts from his first visit to what was then Yugoslavia, back when he was "untouched by experience and unburdened by judgment." Elizabeth Hotson experiences a sugar-rush like no other as she attends the world's largest sweet and snack fair in Germany. And Viv Nuis finds out why the skies above Lahore won't be filled with thousands of kites for the Basant festival this weekend, and why flying a kite can even get you arrested in the Pakistani city.

"Watch your back Howard!" was one of the politer messages the BBC Philippines Correspondent received after making a documentary about Rodrigo Duterte. As Howard Johnson has found, journalists who question the President can become the target of organised attacks by online trolls. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world: The CFO of Huawei once saw Vancouver as a refuge, a base outside of China should she ever need it, now she’s not allowed to leave the city. Micky Bristow gets a glimpse of life in Canada for members of the Chinese elite. Bee Rowlatt interviews Germaine Greer at the Jaipur Literature Festival – and wonders what its usually outspoken crowd will make of their outspoken guest. Jasmine Taylor Coleman joins a puffin patrol in Iceland, as locals try to protect the endangered birds. And disorganised chaos or a carefully choreographed dance? Alastair Leithead tries to figure out what’s going on in an airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and what it says about the country.

At the site of a US drone strike in Yemen, Safa Al Ahmad hears the sound of danger – the jihadi songs of ISIS fighters who want to know why she’s there. She reports from the no man’s land between Houthi rebels, the Yemeni army, armed tribes, Al Qaeda and ISIS - and she reflects on just how complicated the conflict has become. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world: In Nigeria, Mayeni Jones enters the wired world of political “Godfathers”. Their faces stare out of election posters, their rallies attract hundreds of adoring fans and yet they aren’t standing for election themselves. In Russia, Chloe Arnold remembers her first visit to the avant-garde Mayakovsky Museum in Moscow and asks will it ever be allowed to re-open? In Turkey, a yapping dog and a sleepless night lead Mark Lowen to question whether it’s ever acceptable for foreigners to tell locals how to behave. And in South Africa, Gavin Fischer finds out that while Fafi may be an illegal, Mafia-controlled lottery many players believe there is a mystical path to winning big.

To mark their transition from a heavily armed rebel group to a political party FARC has adapted the meaning of their name and replaced the rifles on their logo with roses. Mathew Charles finds out how some former guerrilla commanders are adapting to life as members of the Colombian congress. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world: As Greek MPs voted to accept a deal to end a dispute over the name of its northern neighbour ‘Macedonia’ a familiar cry echoed around the streets of Athens – Όχι. Paul Moss explores the long and proud history of the word ‘No’ in Greece. In India, Masuma Ahuja visits a prison which some inmates refuse to leave even after the end of their sentences. Sanganer Open Prison has no guards at the gate, no walls or bars and is home to about 450 people. In Romania, Chris Haslam meets farmers and craftsmen who blame the EU for the decline of traditional skills. The lure of better-paid jobs elsewhere can be difficult to resist for some young people. And in Sweden, Dougal Shaw visits, what its manager likes to describe as, a “high-fashion, trash shopping-mall.” At Retuna in Eskilstuna, everything on sale has either been recycled or upcycled but can it compete with mainstream shops?

'My smile should tell you everything' one victim of an army rampage explains in Zimbabwe. In a society where you never know who’s listening, and who can be trusted, people smile to protect themselves, says Andrew Harding. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world: Lyse Doucet is in Timbuktu where the threat of terrorism and a changing climate are making life harder for the people who live there and are deterring others from visiting the ancient, storied city. Krupa Padhy explores shifting family structures in Denmark where around 5% of babies are now born thanks to IVF. She meets solomurs - single women who’ve had IVF treatment, and diblings – children produced from the same sperm donor. Alexa Dvorson is in Iceland where an influx of tourists is making some locals angry - but not in the way you might expect. And Tom Colls spends an evening watching 'Integrity Idol' - a talent show for local government officials in Nepal.

The impact of Venezuela's economic crisis is being felt far beyond its shores; Colin Freeman hears how some former Venezuelan fisherman have turned to kidnap and smuggling guns and drugs into Trinidad to make money. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world: How will the Trump administration judge its allies in the Middle East, wonders Barbara Plett Usher. She joined the US Secretary of State on part of his rapid round of diplomacy in the region where one word kept cropping up – Iran. 63,000 jobs and 19 million applicants – Rahul Tandon joins some of the people hoping to work on India’s railways. Juliet Rix joins the celebrations to mark 100 years since the Bauhaus school of art and design was founded. And Bethany Bell struggles through the snow in Austria to report on record falls in the Alps.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. James Naughtie considers the contemporary legacy of Scotland's national bard as preparations for Burns Suppers reach their climax. Sima Kotecha wears a saree for the first time and looks at the place of the garment in her family's life. Chris Haslam sets sail off the Norfolk coast with firkins of beer: could this be a sustainable - and viable - way of transporting cargoes in our emissions-conscious age? Carly Appleby reveals the highs and lows of the treatment she is receiving after her breast cancer diagnosis. And Tom Edwards in the English Lakeland discovers if the boom in cold water swimming can transform the fortunes of a derelict lido overlooking Morecambe Bay. Producer Simon Coates

“As I approached the Dusit there was a strange smell in the air; a combination of smoke, petrol, and explosives. I’d smelt it before - the last time was in Northern Syria.” Joe Inwood reflects on the Al Shabaab terror attack on a luxury hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. Stephanie Hegarty meets an 11-year-old social media star in Mexico who is using her online videos to come to terms with the death of her mother. Charlotte McDonald is in Toulouse with a French veteran of the Algerian War of Independence who’s still making peace with the atrocities committed by his own side. Karen Allen mingles with South Africa's growing Korean community, some of whom are making good money selling synthetic hair. And Justin Rowlatt explains why he took his wife on a romantic getaway to Chernobyl.

The Saudi teenager Rahaf al-Qunun was spared deportation after details of her plight were spread on social media while she barricaded herself in a hotel room in Thailand. She feared being killed by her family if she was forced to return to Kuwait. She was saved not by her passport but by her phone, observes Jonathan Head. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world: Olivia Acland reflects on why the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo may have to wait a little longer than expected to celebrate their country’s first ever democratic transfer of power. Nick Sturdee examines the split between the Ukrainian and Russian branches of the Orthodox church and has a strange encounter involving a black-robed priest, alleged KGB stooges and a mysterious man in a white car. Jane Wakefield has a glimpse of what may turn out to be the future – drones delivering much-needed medicines and other supplies to remote African villages. And Rob Cameron uncovers a disturbing secret about Prague’s cobblestoned streets.

“Something once whole, broken into so many pieces,” Anna Foster reflects on the toll conflict in the Central African Republic is having on its people. In the capital Bangui, she visits PK5 a Muslim enclave in the mainly Christian city and scene of regular violence. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. As a proudly homophobic, far-right president assumes office in Brazil, Simon Maybin meets some of the country’s gay footballers. Chris Bowlby visits a bastion of loyal Protestantism in the Republic of Ireland. The Orange Order hall may have been refurbished with money from Dublin but it is proudly British. Peter Robertson heads to the hills in Uzbekistan to try and get a clear view of what’s changed there under Shavkat Mirziyoyev who became President following Islam Karimov's death. And Vivienne Nunis encounters a scarlet snouted, goblin-like spirit as she examines the damage caused by a recent typhoon in Japan.

Winter’s majestic carpet may transform Karabash into a fairytale land that seems sprinkled with icing sugar, says Steve Rosenberg, but the reality is far from magical. There he meets a man who might just be a Russian spy. Kate Adie introduces some of the many memorable meetings our correspondents have shared in 2018. Mathew Charles spends a twitchy night out in the company of a drug cartel killer and dealer who explains how Colombia’s narco trade is changing. Helen Nianias has coffee with a man who left Kosovo to fight jihad in Syria, but who was back less than two weeks later - before his mum even realised he'd gone. Aisha Gani stumbles across a rave in a refugee camp in Bangladesh – home to some of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who’ve fled violence in neighbouring Myanmar. And Gabriel Gatehouse has a strange and mysterious encounter with a troll in Sweden.

In the Christmas edition, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom which reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. Ian McMillan tells a story known with subtle variations across the country - the Christmas card that's received each year but which can't be acknowledged because you've lost the address of the people who send it. They aren't relatives, they're not friends and they're not really acquaintances. But their card says something profound beyond the sentiments it contains. Meanwhile, Jane Labous joins the Special Constables on Christmas patrol. They're part of the police force in England, Scotland and Wales and yet not for they are volunteers who have the power to detain and fine those who break the law. At a time of tight police budgets in Dorset, the regular police tell Jane, without the Specials there would be many fewer arrests. But who are the Specials and what is the essential job they perform for no salary? Those who are single at Christmas may be thinking the best present they could have is a partner to shower them with affection and maybe the odd gift. Increasingly, they are turning to technology to find that special one and Melanie Abbott discovers if online dating is delivering for them. With the seasonal party season in full flood, Datshiane Navanayagam reveals that while she loves make-up, she'd rather wear it indoors, unseen by the rest of us, and then wipe it off and go to bed than show it in public. Can a celebrity make-up artist she approaches change her mind? And Garry Owen explains why a rude horse is coming to call more frequently in Wales at this time of year and how she should be greeted if there's a knock at your door. Producer: Simon Coates

A controversial law in Hungary will allow employers to demand 400 hours of overtime from their workers and defer payment for three years. Nick Thorpe examines the rationale behind it, and watches as more than ten thousand people take to the streets in protest. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world: Lorraine Mallinder shares a story of survival and escape from Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, where hundreds of thousands of people have tried to flee violence between local separatists and the military. Jonah Fisher has the tale of a Ukrainian woman who thought her son had finally been found in Afghanistan. He went missing more than 30 years ago when serving in the Soviet military there. Jeremy Bristow meets a man trying to preserve the language spoken by Jesus and his followers as he visits some of the shrinking communities of Syriac Christians who still live in Turkey. And it’s the same procedure as every year for Joanna Robertson in Germany where New Year’s Eve is celebrated with a bang.

Before the contested referendum on independence, Carme Forcadell was the speaker of the Catalan parliament but since March she has been awaiting trial in a Spanish jail accused of rebellion. Niall O'Gallagher meets the ever defiant separatist politician. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world. Sarah Rainsford is surprised at the warm welcome she receives in the frozen Siberian city of Irkutsk - where, unlike in Moscow, people seem willing to criticise their President and are happy to speak to a Western journalist. Alastair Leithead discovers the vast size of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - as well as its dense forests, potholes, bureaucracy and corruption – make it a difficult place to get around as well as to govern. Rayhan Demytrie finds that the inauguration of Georgia’s first female President may not mean much for gender equality in the country. And Lucy Ash discovers that DIY DNA testing kits that help your trace your ancestors are revealing far more than some Americans bargain for.

At 13 Basma was forced to marry an older man and then repeatedly abused by him and his family. At 16 she was kidnapped and sent to work in a brothel. Then her own family decided to kill her. Now she lives and works in one of Iraq’s secret shelters for survivors of domestic abuse and shares her story with Shaimaa Kahlil. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. As South Africa marks the fifth anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s death, Andrew Harding reflects on the role that racial power and politics still plays there. Bethany Bell is in South Tyrol where Italian nationalism is proving surprisingly popular among German speakers in the north of the country. Fleur MacDonald attends a cinema screening in a Tunisian prison to see how films are being used to challenge the way inmates see the world. And in Canada, John Kampfner spends an evening in a cold, cavernous warehouse throwing axes at a dart-board like target – for fun.

'Orwellian' may have become an overused political term, but in Xinjiang, it has never been more appropriate says John Sudworth. The region’s ten million Uighur people are under constant surveillance by the Chinese state. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world. David Willis explains how a pimp turned politician won a seat on the Nevada state legislature despite being dead. Peter Oborne visits a Syrian school which has only recently re-opened after jihadi militants were driven out of town. Charles Haviland discovers that the conflict in the east of Ukraine is also leaving its mark on the west of the country. And Joanna Robertson explores the competing plans to deal Paris’s rat infestation – from total extermination to blanket non-intervention.

The “gilets jaunes” (yellow vest) protestors trying to bring France to a standstill. Hugh Schofield, says they're angry at having to pay the price for Parisians to live more comfortably and feel they are treated with contempt and condescension by the French elite. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. Nick Higham is on the Rock to find out what Gibraltarians think of the possibility of a no-deal Brexit. Devina Gupta explains what it is like to report from Delhi, where the polluted air makes her eyes water and her throat burn. Will Grant examines some of the many challenges Mexico’s new President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, will face; from economic stagnation to the violent drug cartels. And Melissa Van Der Klugt visits a pioneering “wildlife corridor” in East Africa and discovers that simply moving fences has made a big impact on Kenya’s wildlife.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. From politics to pastimes, from hallowed traditions to emerging trends, from the curious to the ridiculous, the programme presents a tableau of Britain today. Pieces this month include reflections on the very young and the very old playing together, how people on Lewis in the Western Isles are remembering a century-old tragedy that affected all families there, the special attraction of North Yorkshire for Goths and why a carol service takes us down to Strawberry Field.* * as "From Our Home Correspondent" is a topical programme, pieces are subject to change at short notice.

The Brexit Withdrawal Agreement has prompted some very different and very passionate reactions. Adam Fleming reveals how, after an agonising wait which included taking the draft agreement on holiday with him - twice, its publication this week almost brought him to tears.

In 1918 Poland regained its sovereignty after 123 years of occupation by Austria, Prussia and Russia. This year Poles celebrated its centenary with a state organised march through the capital, Warsaw, which an estimated quarter of a million people attended. The parade, and the headlines, were overshadowed by the government’s last-minute decision to march together with far-right groups. Adam Easton was in Warsaw marching among the nationalists and the patriots. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. David Baillie is with NATO in Norway where some of the companies singing really takes the cake. Humera Iqbal talks to a young Pakistani DJ who uses Electronic Dance Music to save traditional instruments from extinction. Adam Jones finds out how the idea of moderation works in the land of excess And Dany Mitzman is in Italy where the graffiti is surprisingly educational.

The risks some Indian women are prepared to take to try and have baby boys and how the battle to make them think again seems to be working. Sophie Cousins is in the state of Haryana where there are signs the gender imbalance is slowing improving. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world. Guy Hedgecoe explores why Spain still can’t decide what to do with the body of its former dictator General Franco, even as it prepares to celebrate 40 years since its transition to democracy. Rebecca Ford tells the story of the last French soldier to die during World War One – but when exactly did he die? Richard Dove takes a coach along the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge but fails to find much enthusiasm from his fellow passengers between the Chinese mainland, Hong King and Macau. And Ash Bhardwaj has pizza with a rapper in a town called New York not far from the frontline in Eastern Ukraine.

Change is coming to South Africa, says Cyril Ramphosa, but we must be patient. As the President plots his next move, and investigations into allegations of corruption under his predecessor Jacob Zuma continue, Andrew Harding reflects on the very different fortunes of the two very different leaders. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. Allis Moss is in Norway – one of the greenest countries in the world but also one of the richest in oil and gas. Jai Jethwa investigates why so many Indian men, including his own father, have moustaches. From Bollywood stars to upper-caste martial warriors, this particular type of facial hair has long been associated with masculinity and power. Jessica Bateman explores attempts to breathe new life into some of Greece’s increasingly empty villages. And Tim Mansel meets a woman who once slapped the German Chancellor; it was 1968 and Beate Klarsfeld wanted to draw attention to Kurt-Georg Kiesinger’s Nazi past.

Keep America Great’ has replaced ‘Make America Great’ as the favoured slogan among some Donald Trump supporters. Ahead of the US mid-term elections, James Cook meets those who think the President is winning and can’t wait to vote for him again. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world. In Mexico, Will Grant has been traveling with the caravan made up of the thousands of Central American migrants hoping to reach the US. From Damascus, Diana Darke reflects on what her own family’s experience after World War One reveals about what life might be like in Syria when the conflict there finally ends. John Murphy is in Tunisia, once held up as one of the Arab Springs greatest successes but where people now have little to celebrate. And Pip Stewart reveals why a flesh-eating parasite from Guyana has made a quiet mark on her.

Recruiting more female peacekeepers is seen as essential to defeating jihadists groups in the Sahel, but the UN's Mali mission is the deadliest active peacekeeping deployment in the world. Jennifer O’Mahony met some of the women trying to bring stability to the region - as well as fighting for equality within their own ranks. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. Nichols Walton is in Genoa to find out how the Italian city is coping after a motorway bridge collapse killed more than forty people in August; “Genoa is wounded not stupid” one poster declares. Olivia Acland travels to the Democratic Republic of Congo to meet Dr Denis Mukwege – a winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize and a man known to many simply as Dr. Miracle. Mary Novakovich visits the recently reopened National Museum of Serbia, which was shut for 15 years, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, which remained closed for 10 years. Was it worth the wait? And from a cemetery in Chennai, Southern India, Andrew Whitehead has an unexpected tale of life in the Indian empire.

Kate Adie introduces stories from around the world. Saudi Arabia's investment conference put on quite a show - and unlike many foreign investors scared off by the aftershocks of Jamal Khashoggi's death, Sebastian Usher was there to see it for himself. Lyse Doucet was in Afghanistan to cover its parliamentary elections, and found many changes to the streetscape in Kabul - as the city survives a rising tide of attacks. Airport security measures provided clues of their own to the way life is changing. Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, was sometimes hyped as the "next Dubai" in the 2000s - but Samira Shackle found that many of its building sites, supposed to give rise to four-star opulence, are now abandoned shells occupied by internally displaced people who fled the advance of the so-called Islamic State. Tequila? No, mezcal - a smoother, smokier, and arguably more authentically Mexican product. Graeme Green takes a tipple or two in the state of Oaxaca, to hear how its aficionados and producers are torn between excitement and apprehension as their drink grows more famous abroad. And BANG goes the auctioneer's whalebone hammer at the Hotel Druot, a storied Paris auction house which sells everything from randomly-baled belongings from house clearances to great works of art. Hugh Schofield went along ... and picked up a thing or two.

Kate Adie introduces analysis, wit and experiences from correspondents around the world. The past weekend's elections in Afghanistan were held under threat, and only patchily - but they were held, despite fears to the contrary. Secunder Kermani talked to plenty of young voters in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and heard both impatience and hope for the country's future in their answers. Serbia has a domestic violence problem - as well as uncounted stockpiles of firearms in private hands. As the government brings in measures to try and discourage abuse in relationships, Nicola Kelly hears about the lethal risks of abusers with their own guns. Tim Smith tags along with a group of dissenters on a night-time raid: they're Catalans who are strongly against the idea of Catalonian independence, and claim they're "cleaning up" the streetscape in some small towns by tearing down or removing symbols of the Catalan nationalist cause. In the ritzier parts of Jakarta, you can almost smell the money these days, says Rebecca Henschke. As a rising class rides the commodities boom, children's parties in particular have become ever more ostentatious. And Joe Bond gets into the swim of things in the Czech town of Kolin. Once it was home to a thriving Jewish population, which was largely uprooted and dispersed after the Nazi occupation deported most of its members to labour and extermination camps during the Holocaust. One doughty survivor of that era, Hana Greenfield, made it her later life's mission to tell others about it - and she's now commemorated in the town with a race down the river where she would swim as a child.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom. This month we hear Sima Kotecha's triumphant tale of finally managing to pay off her student loans - except debt can prove a stubborn companion. Lesley Curwen visits a part of Lancashire she has long known which finds itself once more at the centre of media attention. The Fylde coastal plain is where the energy company Cuadrilla has just resumed fracking activities amidst much controversy. But away from the site itself what, she wonders, do local people make of all that's happening? From what claims to be the site of the solution to the UK's future energy needs to one that used to argue the same: Sellafield. On his visit, Theo Leggett sees plenty of rust and weeds at the Cumbrian nuclear plant but also discovers that in this part of northern England which has long struggled for economic take-off there are burgeoning hopes for the future... maybe. With BBC Children in Need's annual fundraising extravaganza just around the corner, Alison Holt tells the story of one teenager in Wales who is coping with an especially demanding medical diagnosis - growing up as HIV-positive - and how one organisation supported by listeners' and viewers' donations seeks to help him and his family. And we travel to Kent with Christine Finn as she unearths a coals-to-Newcastle story about how a lavender farming boom there has - quelle horreur! - managed to succeed in cornering the lucrative French perfume market. But for how long? Producer: Simon Coates

Fuel shortages are nothing to worry about, says the government in Zimbabwe - just bumps in the road on the way to a better future. Andrew Harding reflects on whether President Mnangagwa and Zanu PF will be able to deliver on their promise of a new dawn for the country. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. John Sweeney is in Malta a year on from the assassination of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia; “if you’re a trouble-making reporter, it’s time to be afraid,” he concludes. Jemima Kelly is in Kaliningrad to learn more about Bitcoin mining – a place she finds very much open for business, whatever that business is. Andrew Whitehead stumbles across the rapidly expanding Korean community of Chennai, which claims to be the biggest concentration of expats in the port city. And Jenny Hill enjoys an evening at the opera, but what can Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde tell us about the fate of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Producer: Joe Kent

The women who regard their days with the jihadist group as the first time they'd had any kind of female empowerment and the men who saw it as a chance to escape poverty and gain access to money and guns. Colin Freeman reports from Maiduguri in Nigeria. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. Harriet Noble meets the ‘rental sisters’ trying to coax reclusive young Japanese men back into society. There are up to a million ‘hikikomori’ who go for years without speaking to those around them or even leaving their bedrooms. Jane Labous hears of the stigma of childlessness in Senegal – for both men and women. Bob Dickinson explains why plans to make South America’s biggest ski resort even bigger have provoked a backlash amongst some residents of Barciloche in Argentina. And in supposedly liberal Lebanon, Lizzie Porter meets a cleric who was forced from his job for posting videos of himself online playing the piano in his traditional robes.

The Azov Sea off Crimea has become increasingly militarised and seen tense exchanges between Russian and Ukrainian coastguards. Jonah Fisher joins the Ukrainian Navy in these troubled waters. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world. In Colombia, Simon Maybin meets a group of Venezuelan migrants who’ve turned to busking on the streets of Cucuta in the hope of raising enough money to feed their starving families back home. In Hungary, Nick Thorpe visits Mohacs where invading Ottoman forces defeated those of the Kingdom of Hungary in the 16th century. What can it tell us about relations between Turkey and Hungary today? In Spain, Lottie Gross finds herself mesmerised by competing towers of people at the 27th Concurs de Castells in Tarragona. And in Brussels, Adam Fleming takes a break from reporting the negotiations on Britain’s withdrawal from the EU to play ‘Brexit the board game.’

Thousands of people have been intercepted by the Libyan coastguard as they try to reach Europe and sent to detention centres in the capital Tripoli. Gaining access to them is difficult, but that doesn’t mean those inside them have given up on trying to get their stories out. Sally Hayden hears tales of abandonment, abuse, and slavery. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from journalists and correspondents around the world. Jatinder Sidhu hears from the pro-pot campaigners who won’t be celebrating the legalisation of the drug in Canada but are instead mourning the loss of a counter-culture which they’ve nurtured over decades. James Clayton tries to make sense of why manual scavenging persists in India – the use of human waste removers to clear blocked drains and sewers with their bare hands. Joey D’urso visits some of the beautiful central Italian towns that were partly destroyed by earthquakes in 2016. Have they and their inhabitants recovered? And Phoebe Smith finds herself lost for words as she struggles to describe the stirring in her soul prompted by a howling pack of wolves in Sweden. Producer: Joe Kent

Home-made muskets that often fail to fire and little but lucky charms for protection – what it’s like going into battle for the rebels fighting for independence for English-speaking parts of Cameroon. Colin Freeman meets a former member of the Red Dragons. Caroline Wyatt introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. Joanna Roberson hears why the people of Rome fear the historical heart of their city is being carved up by criminals as mafia seek out cafes and restaurants to launder their money. In China, Robin Brant meets Ian Simpson whose son Michael was murdered last year. Michael was killed by his ex-wife Weiwei Fu but now Ian wants her help to win custody of his grandchildren who are living with Weiwei’s relatives in rural China. Heidi Fuller-Love discovers what life is like on the Namibian island of Impalila. It may be close to the borders of Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, but it can feel a long way from anywhere. And Emma Jane Kirby meets her hero – the French musician Francis Cabrel who is revered in his home country but little known in Britain as he prefers to sing only in his native tongue.

Inside the room where the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is picked. A committee spends six months discussing hundreds of nominees before the latest Nobel Laureate is announced. In Norway, Matt Pickles meets one of the five people tasked with making that weighty decision. Caroline Wyatt introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. Samira Shackle travels to the Pakistani city of Kasur which generated headlines around the world after a spate of child abuse cases. There she meets a young man trying to break free of what he calls the “stigma” and “dishonour” that can come from being sexually abused. Martin Vennard spots signs of change in Moscow, where airport arrival and departure boards now alternate between Russian, English, and Mandarin. Mark Stratton finds out why traditional or ‘country’ foods are getting harder to find in Arctic Canada – from blubber to boiled seal. And Louise Cooper takes an economic road trip around post-financial crash Greece.

Jair Bolsonaro, the front-runner in Brazil’s presidential election, is famously tough on crime and infamous for his unashamedly controversial comments. Katy Watson meets supporters of the man drawing comparisons to Donald Trump. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world. On the shores of Lake Prespa, Maria Margaronis visits Greece’s little-known Macedonian speaking population. In Tehran, Lois Pryce meets Issa Omidvar whose globetrotting adventures were documented in a weekly TV show in the 1960s and is now advising young Iranians on how to satisfy their wanderlust In India, Laura Dawson meets young women who’ve been abandoned by their families but are finding new hope in a government-backed refuge. And while international courts and tribunals have given hope to victims of atrocities in many parts of the world, Fergal Keane reflect that there has been no justice for the majority of those killed in Uganda’s past conflicts.

In parts of the country health workers rely on armoured vehicles and a military escort in order to deliver much-needed vaccines. Olivia Acland reports from Beni where this kind of fieldwork was briefly suspended following a rebel attack in the city. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world. “Russia is a superpower” was the message Moscow wanted to convey when it deployed around a third of the country’s entire armed forces to a training exercise in Siberia. But “Russia is a country of contrasts” was that message that Steve Rosenberg returned with. Chris Bockman shares the story of the ‘Swiss Maternity’ in South West France – a once abandoned chateau where hundreds of Jewish and Roma women gave birth in secret in the 1940s. Shahzeb Jilani asks how far Pakistan is prepared to go to defeat the monsters it once helped create, after a coordinated attack on schools in the north of the country. And, fifty years after it was first unveiled to the public, Mark Jordan reveals how the jumbo jet very nearly didn’t get off the ground.

. In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. Gabriel Gatehouse offers a personal reflection on the strong feelings of antipathy recently directed at the BBC - and him - by supporters of Tommy Robinson - for many years associated with the far-right organisation, the English Defence League - and what this says about the changing media landscape. Martin Gurdon introduces us to Slasher, the star of his flock of chickens, and explains how her quirks and distinctive character reveal much about the dramas witnessed by Britain's army of amateur hen keepers. Rebecca Ford in the Potteries celebrates the founder of modern circus and reveals how locals there are planning to use his legacy to promote the area as a centre of excellence for this ever-evolving form of entertainment. In the wake of the tense summer Test series between England and India, Mihir Bose regrets the way both teams - and their supporters - behaved and wonders if cricket can retain its status as a 'special' team sport. And Travis Elborough, long puzzled by a road notice in his native Worthing, finally unravels the mystery and finds it's a sign of the times. Producer Simon Coates

As investigators continue their trawl for evidence of corruption and state capture during Jacob Zuma’s time in office, others are said to be plotting his return to power. Politics in South Africa is never dull, says Andrew Harding. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. In Israel, Tom Bateman is on the hunt for the finest falafel as he hears what Arab and Jewish Israelis think of the controversial new Nation State law. In Spain, Rachel McCormack suspects that something fishy is going on during her gastronomical visit to Galicia. Chloe Arnolds recounts some of her many tales of mistaken identity; she has received offers of employment for jobs she hadn’t applied for and rejections from companies she had never even heard of. And brutal it may be, but Steve Evans reveals why he has come to admire the directness of Australian politics.

Radio Alwan is an independent radio station that has been entertaining the people of Syria with dramas, phone-ins and their very own version of Woman's Hour since 2014 - as well as providing an independent source of news. Now, as Emma Jane Kirby reveals, its future is in doubt. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. In Uganda, Sally Hayden meets a man who says he was forced to work as a babysitter by the child-soldier turned senior commander in the Lord's Resistance Army - Dominic Ongwen. Chris Bowlby finds out what the Harley Davidson riding bikers of Wisconsin think of President Trump. Sian Griffin dances with a ten-metre long puppet shaped like an eel and finds out why the American Eel population is shrinking in Canada. And John Kampfner visits a Cornish town in Mexico where the Union Jack flies proudly alongside the Mexican flag and the staple dish is the pasty.

Some are buried in mass graves; others are still in the hands of Islamic State militants. Kate Adie introduces stories from Iraq, Chile, India, Colombia, and Sweden: Four years since IS swept through northern Iraq and carried out what the UN called a genocidal attack on the Yazidi people who lived there, Lyse Doucet returns to see what remains. Linda Pressly meets a Chilean woman who posed as a young boy online in her quest to get her local priesthood investigated. Vivienne Nunis learns how women and their pink rickshaws are transforming the working world in Jaipur - much to the disapproval of some local men. Nick Thorpe makes the long journey through the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range to reach the Ciudad Perdida – the Lost City which was abandoned by the indigenous people who once lived there when Spanish conquistadors arrived at the Colombian coast in the 16th century. And Gabriel Gatehouse has a mysterious but revealing encounter with a real-life troll in Stockholm.

Is China trying to brainwash Muslim Uyhgurs? Kate Adie introduces stories and insights from correspondents around the world: John Sweeney meets two men who say they fled China after seeing inside a ’re-education camp' in the north-west province of Xinjiang. It’s claimed that up to a million Uyghur people may be incarcerated in similar camps. Lucy Ash meets the professional pimp running for office in Nevada. Dennis Hof runs a string of legal brothels in the state, but in one county people will soon be voting on whether to end legal sex work. Tim Ecott hears how two new sub-sea tunnels could change the lives of some of the 50,000 people who live on the Faroes islands. When the work is complete 90% of the population will be connected by road. Chris Robinson is in Istanbul where an increasing number of men, many of them British, are traveling to undergo hair transplant surgery. And Hugh Schofield is just back from his summer break, and he wants to tell you why camping in rural France offers the best holiday there is.

The Rohingya village elder reduced to rags and the flash youngster who’s become kingpin. Kate Adie introduces stories, insight and analysis from correspondents around the world: Helen Nianias meets two men trying to bring peace to the chaos of Bangladesh’s refugee camps which are home to almost a million Rohingya people many of whom fled a violent crackdown by the Burmese military in neighbouring Myanmar. Guy De Launey reflects on a tale of identity that’s veered from absurd comedy to physical violence as Macedonians prepare to vote on plans to rename their country North Macedonia. Martin Plaut was one of the thousand or so students who staged a ‘sit-in’ at the University of Cape Town, angry at its decision to withdraw the appointment of a black lecturer. Fifty years on, he’s reunited with some of his fellow protestors. Mark Stratton learns about the scarification ceremonies in Papua New Guinea in which boys have their torsos, backs, and shoulders cut with razor blades so their skin will resemble a crocodile's – a mark of their progression to manhood. And Jenny Hill meets a man who’s been trying for decades to rekindle Britain’s taste for Hock – the German wine favoured by Queen Victoria.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. Garry Owen takes us to the west Wales coast and finds an Aberystwyth hotelier honing his plans to meet the competition from the hospitality chains. Sarah Oliver goes on an East Anglian road trip with an old friend she's not seen for years to discover how well their bonds have stood the test of time. Tom Edwards visits Cartmel in English Lakeland and finds that what was once a place of pilgrimage is again today but for reasons twelfth century visitors would definitely have frowned upon. John Forsyth unearths the secrets of a good furrow from two Scots about to participate in the European ploughing championships. And Jane Labous is in Biggleswade keen to discover why retraining to plant flowers in Beds is so popular there. Producer: Simon Coates

Greece is poised to exit the terms of its third EU bailout as of August 20th. The Tsipras government has claimed this signals "the end of the drama" and greater freedom for Greeks to decide on their own fate and their own economy. Theopi Skarlatos talks to the Finance Ministry cleaners who became a symbol of the country's economic pain when they protested to keep their jobs - and hears what they make of the situation today. Meanwhile Dublin is preparing for its first papal visit since John Paul II told a crowd of millions "young people of Ireland, I love you!" in 1979. Vincent Woods considers what message today's Irish Catholics would most like to hear from Pope Francis, as the Church reels from a string of scandals and faces some existential threats. BBC Africa Editor Mary Harper pays tribute to a young Somali friend with a profusion of fresh ideas about how to make daily life in Mogadishu cleaner - and more colourful. Mohamed Mahamoud Sheikh Ali spotted a huge gap in the dry-cleaning market, ran a florist's, and mentored a whole new school of young entrepreneurs. As the Trump Administration pushes a policy of "Hire American, Buy American", and steps up immigration enforcement measures, Hugo Bachega visits a mid-American town feeling the effects of recent raids to find and deport undocumented workers. And fifty years on from the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia, Alexa Dvorson hears from three men who vividly remember the Praque Spring and its aftermath as turning points in their own lives, as well as in their country's history.

A hostage and captor meet again in Syria, anger grows amid Assam's floodwaters and young people take to the barricades in Nicaragua. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world. Quentin Sommerville was wary of interviewing two former members of the so-called Islamic State: he didn't want to give them any kind of platform. But in Syria he did get to talk to them - and witness their reactions when a man whom they'd once held captive got to ask the questions. As monsoon storms lash the subcontinent and flood waters rise, Nick Beake speaks to farmers and families who feel exhausted and marginalised by an endlessly repeating cycle of disaster and rebuilding in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. In the past week, Argentina's Senate voted NOT to decriminalise abortion in the first three months of pregnancy - despite a vocal and vigorous campaign, led by women, to change the law. Katy Watson hears from both sides of the debate. Arturo Wallace returns to Nicaragua, his homeland, and is unnerved by echoes of history in this year's political crisis there - as street protests, state repression, and unidentified assassins return to the streets of Managua. And there's a football match in Agadez, Niger - a major stop-off on the migrant routes funnelling people from West Africa over the Sahara desert to the Mediterranean, and (they hope) to Europe. Jennifer O'Mahoney watches from the sidelines as local talent play newcomers, and even the kit is shared.

The election was supposed to be the moment it turned a corner leaving fear behind. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories from around the world: In Zimbabwe, Andrew Harding has followed the twists and turns of the past few days and reflects on the country’s struggle to shake off a repressive past. In Colombia, Frank Gardner meets a former FARC guerrilla commander now making friends with the police and goes in search of an illicit makeshift cocaine lab hidden in the jungle. In Holland euthanasia was legalised in 2002 but it remains controversial. While some say it should never be allowed as a means of dealing with psychiatric illness, Linda Pressly meets one bereaved mother who wants to make it easier for people to end their own lives. In Mongolia, Roger Hearing meets Ganbold Dorjzodov the man who exposed the 60 billion scam – an apparent plan to swap government jobs for substantial bribes. And in Albania Elizabeth Gowing finds herself surrounded by heaps of knickers and tables that are overflowing with bras – the textile industry is booming in Shkodra.

Elections in Pakistan, religious divisions in the Balkans and an ode to an Ethiopian airport. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world: Secunder Kermani looks back on the election campaign in Pakistan and assesses what it means for the country’s future. Anna Holligan travels around Bosnia - Herzegovina and finds that while the fighting may have ended more than twenty years ago, the country is even more religiously divided than it was before the war. Will Grant remembers a great man of Cuban radio - Raul Luis Galiano. As his family sort through the late broadcasters belonging they find a huge hoard of carefully preserved possessions – some useful, some of historical value and others surprisingly revealing. Mary Novakovich learns that while fish stocks are falling in Venice, local fishermen have stumbled on a new catch – tourists, and now take visitors out on expeditions to give them an idea of what life is like beyond the obvious attractions. And Horatio Clare has an apology to make; Addis Ababa Bole airport has not, as he predicted, turned out to be a huge waste of money – unnecessary and over the top. Instead, it has turned out to be a shrewd investment and a place that continues to fascinate him.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from writers and journalists around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. The BBC's Social Affairs Correspondent, Michael Buchanan, tells the story of a man, now in his fifties, who discovered only after the funeral of the woman he thought was his mother, that he was adopted and that his birth mother was seeking to find him. Sally Green, the children's and young adults author, explains the appeal of taking part in the weekly Warrington parkrun over 5 kilometres (three miles). Datshiane Navanayagam talks to one family about the scourge of homelessness among those in full-time work. Chris Bowlby journeys on what remains of the route of the Stockton to Darlington railway - England's first public steam-powered track - and reflects on the current state of train services in north-east England. And Mary-Ann Ochota, a keen hill-walker, travels to the Isle of Skye for her latest challenge - the ascent of the Inaccessible Pinnacle - and finds its name all too apt. Producer: Simon Coates

Children who are able to survive the ongoing civil war have to grow up fast in Yemen. Kate Adie introduces stories, insight, and analysis from correspondents around the world: According to The United Nations, one child under five dies every ten minutes from preventable causes in Yemen. Orla Guerin meets some of the families struggling on and speaks to the President Ab’d Rabbu Mansur Hadi about the conflict. In South Korea, Simon Maybin attends a lesson in the etiquette of dating, kissing and respecting your partner as the country tries to turn around its declining birth rate. In Tunisia, Charlotte Bailey hears why young men are setting themselves on fire – just as Mohamed Bouazizi did in 2010. His death was one of the catalysts of the Arab Spring. In the USA, Christine Finn follows in the footsteps of Henry David Thoreau and explores the shores of Walden Pond. And as Justin Rowlatt leaves India and auctions off his belongings, he learns that you can put a price on just about anything.

One of the few people able to strike fear into the international organised crime syndicate. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories and insights from around the world: In Italy, Andrew Hosken meets Nicola Gratteri the single-minded judge who has put 6,000 Mafiosi behind bars. Today, he says, the biggest threat comes from the ‘Ndrangheta in Calabria whose power spreads far beyond their native Calabria. In Peru, Grace Livingstone meets some of the thousands of indigenous women who say they were forcibly sterilised in the 1990s as part of a government family-planning scheme. In the Sinai desert in Egypt, Fleur MacDonald meets the monks who have become the custodians of some of the oldest surviving Christian texts. While it was good enough for the makers of the Taj Mahal, Grace Banks hears how millennials in India show little appetite for Pietra Dura – the craft of creating images out of finely cut stone. And in Ireland, Andy Jones attends the Killorglin Puck fair – a three-day celebration in memory of the time a goat helped save the town from would-be British invaders.

Ever since Jacob Zuma's resignation his family has faced all sorts of legal headaches. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world: Three years ago, Duduzane Zuma drove his Porsche into the back of a minibus taxi, killing one passenger and injuring others. At the time, a magistrate concluded that the President's son had been negligent, but the state declined to prosecute. Now it's had a change of heart. Is the past catching up on the Zumas, wonders Andrew Harding in South Africa? Peter Morgan witnesses a pink revolution in Norway as salmon replaces cod as the catch of choice and fisherman turn to aquaculture or farming rather than going out to sea, but at what environmental cost? In Nigeria, Zeinab Badawi meets up with people weighing up the meaning of life in Lagos' death café. James Stewart admires the film-set, feel-good atmosphere of Seaside Florida - the town where 'The Truman Show' was filmed twenty years ago. And Mellissa Van Der Klugt meets the men and women making cheese on the African equator. The extreme weather may not be ideal, but that's not stopped Kenyan fromagiers.

When football takes over from Lebanon's other national obsession: politics. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world: Celebratory gunfire, fireworks, and moped motorcades are common sights in Lebanon usually used as shows of political power but not during the World Cup when Brazil flags replace those of Hezbollah and pictures of political leaders are replaced by Lionel Messi's image. For four week political and religious differences are put aside says Richard Hall. Nanna Muus Steffensen crosses the Turkish border into Syria to try and find out how the people of Afrin are faring since Kurdish fighters were forced out by Turkish troops and Syrian rebels. John Pilkington visits a country run by one of the world's most secretive and repressive regimes and is surprised by what he finds in Eritrea. James Jeffrey tries to locate the final haunts of his literary hero J G Farrell in the west of Ireland. And Laura Dawson hears how you can make money by spinning sob stories in rural Rajasthan. She meets an Indian man who has gone from making money from scamming tourists to using art to help others avoid lives of poverty or petty crime.

The challenge of rebuilding Syria. Kate Adie introduces stories and insight from correspondents around the world: Jeremy Bowen has just returned from Damascus and concludes that though the fighting may have stopped “the virus of war has spread - not just breaking bodies, hearts, and minds, but poisoning the future.” Lucy Ash discovers how seaweed farming in Zanzibar has proved a liberating force for thousands of women on the island. Helen Nianias hears about one Uganda woman’s life-changing encounter after a night out clubbing. Slightly tipsy, on her way home in the early hours of the morning, she came across a baby that had been abandoned in the street and took it home. Ashwin Bhardwaj retraces the steps of Brigadier Edmund “Trotsky” Davies in Albania and reveals his secret mission during the Second World War. And Heidi Fuller-Love discovers how the fallout from the Greek financial crisis is still having an impact - on animals as well as people.

The man trying to bring The Gambia's former strongman leader Yahya Jammeh to justice. Kate Adie introduces stories from journalists and correspondents around the world: His critics claim Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule over The Gambia was nothing more than a brutal dictatorship marred by allegations of state-sanctioned murder, torture and forced disappearances. Now the lawyer Reed Brody, known to some as ‘The Dictator Hunter’, is trying to help some of his victims seek justice. Far to the north of Norway, Horatio Clare finds Brits, Ukrainians, Ugandans, Vietnamese, and Russians all trying to start new lives on an island that was once a bastion of Soviet idealism. “The public are not obliged to like us, but they are obliged not to attack us” – Sophie Cousins hears how things are changing – or not – for gay people in Serbia. In the dry, isolated heartlands of Argentina finding the right ingredients for a middle-eastern feast can be difficult, but Aude Villiers meets the Syrian refugees settling in San Luis. And Rob Crossan takes a tour of the proud but small country that claims to be the world’s oldest constitutional republic – San Marino.

What hope is there amidst rising violence in Mexico and Afghanistan's 'forever war'? Kate Adie introduces stories and insight form correspondents around the world: The rich and poor in Mexico City may live in seemingly different worlds, but they are united by a fear of violence ahead of local and national elections. Could the prospect of peace talks in Afghanistan lead to the end of forty years of war? Lyse Doucet finds a tiny ray of hope. When Jenny Hill first met Syrian refugee Eli at the height of the migrant crisis in 2015, he seemed as thrilled to be in Abensberg as the German town was to have him. But a lot has changed since then… Niall O’Gallagher’s search for the plotters behind the clandestine operation in which volunteers smuggled ballot boxes into Catalonia for its disputed referendum leads him to an unlikely location. And Benjamin Zand manages to secure an interview with one of Venezuela’s notorious kidnap gangs – only to be accused of being an undercover policeman.

A civil war is brewing in Cameroon, but it rarely makes the headlines. Kate Adie introduces stories and insight from correspondents around the world: In Nigeria, Stephanie Hegarty travels to its border with Cameroon which tens of thousands of people have crossed fleeing violent unrest in the République's Anglophone region. Tim Hartley listens to the fears of indigenous people in Cordillera in the Philippines - of big business encroaching on their way of life and of state sanctioned harassment. Jonathan Fryer attends a Candomblé initiation ceremony and hears how the Afro-Brazilian religion is becoming increasingly popular as economic problems persist in Brazil. Cindy Sui reveals how easy it is for big businesses to be unwittingly drawn into arguments about China's territorial claim on Taiwan - even for companies based in mainland China. And how about a game of three-sided football? David Taylor takes part in the other major international football tournament taking place this summer, in Spain.

Turkey's presidential hopefuls, provocative Italian ministers, and masked Mexican wrestlers. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world: “He’s drawn vast crowds to his rallies, appearing at times like a comedy performer, breaking into traditional dances and using props to satirise Recep Tayyip Erdogan” Mark Lowen is on the trail of Muharrem Ince who wants to be the next President of Turkey. John Sweeney is in Calabria investigating the growing influence of Matteo Salvini - the populist Italian minister who has become a hero of the hard right and an enemy of the liberal left. Harriet Constable visits a project in South Africa which is helping women to reveal painful secrets they have kept for years and tell their children that they are HIV positive. In Kazakhstan, Stephen Sackur hears about big plans for its capital – casinos to rival Las Vegas and a financial centre to challenge Singapore - but what will happen when its long-serving present finally steps down? And in Mexico Sara Wheeler watches masked men fight while a crowd munches popcorn – she spends an evening at the Lucha Libre.

An expanding international force is fighting Islamist extremists on the edge of the Sahara. Kate Adie introduces stories and insight from correspondents around the world: Alastair Leithead is in the Sahel - the vast, often lawless, stretch of land that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea and is filling up with radical extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State. As the Brexit negotiations enter their second year, Adam Fleming reveals why covering the talks has been a bit like reliving his university days - from freshers' week to regular exams. Hannah McNeish is with fisherman turned coral farmers in Kenya as they show off their latest crop. Isambard Wilkinson visits the family home of one of Pakistan’s most revered hereditary holy men - Pir Pagara, “the Turbaned Saint.” And Katy Fallon spends a night in a cell in the Netherlands - in a former prison which has been turned into a hotel run by refugees.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. Petroc Trelawny celebrates the glittering world of Dingles, a Plymouth department store which weathered two firestorms and introduced him to glamour, magic and red gingham - but tellingly has now been humbled by the mundane; Alison Holt reflects on a thought-provoking conversation with an older woman in a Dorset care home about the growing financial pressures she and the home itself are facing, while Gareth Jones ponders the links between the NHS and the town of Tredegar - whose MP set up the service 70 years ago but who today might wonder at what he found there; Charmaine Cozier dons her best I-don't-care-look and reveals the pleasures of going to gigs alone; and Andrew Green, who is himself a villager in the Chilterns, wonders what the often tense relations between weekend cyclists and locals on country lanes tell us about life today on the open road. Producer: Simon Coates

All manner of visitors are seeking an audience with the powerful in Zimbabwe these days. Kate Adie introduces stories from correspondents around the world: Fergal Keane was once blacklisted in Zimbabwe, and resorted to undercover reporting, but now the country is “open for business” he hears, as he is welcomed into the President’s office - ahead of politicians, would-be investors, and even a former leading light in the opposition. Linda Pressly speaks to one of the survivors of a fire that killed 41 teenagers in a state-run children’s home. She is an orphan, the daughter of a drug dealer and a sex worker, but has big plans for herself and her brother. Kirsty Lang meets a woman from New Zealand who arrived in Petra as a backpacker 40 years ago and has been there ever since. But why are some women being warned about the dangers of ‘Jack Sparrows’ in the ancient Jordanian city? Laurence Blair is on manoeuvers with naval officers from Bolivia – the landlocked nation that is hoping the International Court of Justice will force its neighbour, Chile, to give up some of its coastline. And, as he prepares to leave India, Justin Rowlatt reflects on his three and half years in South Asia – and finds time to savour one last street shave

Parts of India are facing acute water shortages and the consequences can be deadly. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories from around the world: The scramble for water in the slums of New Delhi can mean waiting in line each day for hours to fill up from government tankers – as well as occasional violent disputes. “Say no to a Chinese government” and “We are Chinese” – at two different presidential rallies earlier this year Olivia Acland heard very different reactions to China’s growing influence in Sierra Leone. Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al-Said ended the isolationism that characterised his father’s rule and has cultivated new relationships with the Oman’s neighbours as well as Britain and the US. During his rule the capital Muscat has also been transformed into a glisteningly modern city, says Caroline Davies, and more change could soon be coming. Ibrat Safo returns to his native Uzbekistan to find that the family reunions he enjoyed as a child are no longer possible – the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border now divides his relatives. And Nick Thorpe takes a luxurious train journey across the Balkans and into the region's history.

They say climate change has a taste in Bangladesh - it tastes of salt. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world: Peter Oborne has been to Bangladesh, home to some of the world’s first climate change refugees.; cyclones are common, crops are being ruined and fresh water is becoming harder to find for some. Yolande Knell examines the unexpected consequences of the Gulf blockade of Qatar, a year since it began. Masuma Ahuja visits a mandatory pre-departure training centre for domestic workers in Sri Lanka. Cleaning, personal hygiene, and basic Arabic are all on the curriculum for the women who will soon be working as housemaids in the Middle East. John Murphy meets an aspiring ‘idol’ in Seoul – one of the thousands of young women hoping to make it as a K-Pop star. And Kieran Cooke discovers how some of the great German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein’s last works ended up in a chicken-coup in the west of Ireland.

Justice can be elusive for the young domestic servants abused and mistreated in Pakistan. Kate Adie introduces stories from correspondents around the world: Secunder Kermani investigates what he describes as the "mess of allegations" surrounding the death of a 16-year-old domestic servant in Pakistan, and learns that for some people money and survival can be more important than justice. Amy Guttman explores the ironies that pervade one of the most heavily guarded borders in the world - the Demilitarised Zone between North and South Korea. Athar Ahmad finds out what’s it like to observe one of the longest daily Ramadan fasts. Early sunrises and late summer sunsets, mean more than twenty hours a day without food or water. In Iceland. Chloe Farand attends a cross-border meeting of indigenous people from Brazil, French Guinea, and Suriname as they unite in opposition to a controversial new gold mine. And, Caroline Eden visits the ‘Museum of Soviet Lifestyle’ in Kazan; the Russian city will soon be welcoming World Cup fans, but she found memorabilia from the 1980 Summer Olympics still on display.

Making sense of Italian politics, faking the news, and wedding suit shopping in Pakistan. Kate Adie presents correspondents' stories from around the world: James Reynolds looks back on an eventful few months in Italy, and at what filled the gap between elections in March and a new government taking office in June. Emily Webb meets a man accused of being a witch in Papua New Guinea. He says he was almost beaten to death by his own family and now lives in a refuge alongside others who've been branded sorcerers and driven from their land. In preparation for his wedding, Mobeen Azhar finds himself in the sprawling concrete and iron beast that is Zainab market in Karachi. A grimy and sweaty place, he says, that's considered 'too local' for some locals in Pakistan. Sophia Smith Galer meets the male Baladi (or belly) dancer challenging gender stereotypes in Lebanon. And the staged 'murder' of Arcady Babchenko has got Kevin Connolly thinking about fakes, forgeries and the murky world of international espionage.

Will Grant attends a campaign rally in Mexico to hear presidential hopeful Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador promise a new investigation into the kidnapping of 43 students from Iguala in 2014: ‘They took them away alive, we want them back alive” their families demand. Kim Chakanetsa is in Zimbabwe six months after Robert Mugabe was replaced by his former ally Emmerson Mnangagwa. Does the new President have a plan? Howard Johnson meets Manny Pacquiao - a boxer, basketball coach, singer, actor, entrepreneur, church pastor and politician who some talk of as a possible future leader of the Philippines. Robin Denselow is at a music festival on the West Bank designed to amplify the voices of those that live there and give the Palestinian music scene a boost. And Chris Bockman has the tale of the punk rocker turned bank robber who's returned to France after decades on the run and, apparently, come back from for the dead.

Why some schools are sending their students out to beg in northern Nigeria. Kate Adie introduces stories from correspondents around the world: Colin Freeman hears how students at some madrassas in Maiduguri are vulnerable to jihadi recruiters for Boko Haram, and he learns why going out to beg is part of the school timetable. No one is suffering - one senior government figure in Venezuela tells Katy Watson; despite the country's continuing economic collapse, the people going hungry and the shortage of essential medicines. Tim Luard finds that China's influence in Sri Lanka is growing, meaning locals now find some places are out of bounds. In India, Melissa Van Der Klugt meets the craftsmen of Mandvi who are keeping alive the 400-year old skill of making wooden boats by hand. And in the Portuguese capital, Paddy O'Connell finds Lisboners sit in a nutcracker caught between short-term holidaymakers and digital nomads - but is Paddy part of the problem?

A whirlwind of shifting loyalties, rotating characters, and plot twist after plot twist. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world: Jonathan Head finds himself thinking of Shakespeare as he tries to make sense of recent events in Malaysia. Jo Glanville is in Berlin as some of those driven from the city by the Nazi regime return to their old homes to teach young Berliners about this dark chapter in the city's history. Edmund Bower reflects on how a Premier League footballer has restored a sense of national pride for some Egyptians. Mo Salah has become known as “The Egyptian King of England. ” As hurricane season is approaches once again, Rossalyn Warren hears how some Puerto Ricans are still struggling to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria which tore through the island eight months ago, And Simon Busch indulges in a bit of ironic retro nostalgia as Soviet era fashion is making a comeback - think stripy high-waited sports shorts, lurid checks and string vests.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. Gabriel Gatehouse reflects on the lot of the reluctant courting correspondent come a royal wedding; Sarah Smith considers where the latest vote on Brexit at Holyrood leaves the Scottish First Minister as she weighs her options on advancing the SNP's principal objective; Martin Bashir assesses the Archbishop of Canterbury's lonely repentance at the Independent Inquiry into Child Abuse; Caitlin Sneddon visits an isle made famous by a girl's adventures which is now bereft of high school-age children; and Martin Vennard considers what connects a Redcar cinema and a petrified forest. Producer: Simon Coates

Kate Adie introduces stories and insight from Iraq, Iran, Israel, Ireland and Spain: Jeremy Bowen is in Mosul for the first elections there since the defeat of Islamic State. An exceptional leader is needed to help Iraq recover, he says, though he isn’t hopeful that one will emerge. Rana Rahimpour explores what the US’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal might mean for the people of Iran - including their taste for toothpaste. Simon Maybin visits a Bible camp where one Jewish Ethiopian student is testing Israel’s approach to citizenship. Vincent Woods attempts to unravel the knots of politics, religion, and morality that lie behind Ireland’s upcoming referendum on changes to its abortion laws. And John Murphy meets the independent winemakers of Catalonia trying to escape Cava’s image problem and low prices.

Tales of revolutions, rainforests and the migrants returning home from Libya. Kate Adie introduces stories and insight from correspondents around the world: In Nigeria, Colin Freeman meets some of the migrants who have given up on their European dreams and accepted the UN’s help to return home. The ‘Velvet Revolution’ in Armenia saw its prime minister (and former president) relinquish power – all without a shot being fired. Rayhan Demytrie was in the capital Yerevan as tens of thousands of people took to the streets demanding change. “Scum of the earth” is how one Goan politician described visitors from other parts of India, prompting Sushma Puri to try and find out what other residents of the southern Indian state think about domestic tourists. The usual rule of thumb in rainforests is that you hear lots and see little, says Huw Cordey, but things were different in Suriname thanks to his guide Fred Pansa, who might just become the most famous South American conservationist from a country few have heard of. And in France, Hugh Schofield stumbles across the grave, and the story, of the once-celebrated, and now largely forgotten English war poet Richard Aldington.

Amidst the violence, there are signs of a small but growing peace movement in Afghanistan. Kate Adie introduces stories and insight from correspondent around the world: "This has again become, largely, an Afghan war," says Kate Clark in Kabul, " it is now overwhelmingly Afghans killing Afghans," but she has also noticed growing public exasperation at the conflict. Diana Darke joined the British peers and priests recently granted access to Syria by the government, but as an Arabic speaker, who knows the country well, she was able to look beyond the official narrative and what her guides wanted her to see. In a refugee camp in Bangladesh, home to some of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people who have fled violence in Myanmar, Aisha Gani stumbled across an unlikely scene. As they prepare their makeshift homes for the monsoon season, young men still find time to party. Kevin Connolly has been rummaging through his attic and wondering what the changing design of matrioshka, or Russian, dolls reveal about Russia today. And Sophie Raworth explains what it’s like to run 150 miles through sand dunes and over rocky cliffs in the Moroccan desert - carrying everything you need to survive for six days.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers that reflect the range of contemporary life across the country. Andy Kershaw visits the most cluttered workbench he's ever seen to discover how restoration work is going on a monument to British endeavour in speed on water; Jane Labous samples libraries in two counties to assess exactly what they have to offer; Adrian Goldberg indulges his sweet tooth among the burgeoning dessert shops of Birmingham; Ruth Alexander discovers how the town that's trying to turn itself around - literally - is faring; and Travis Elborough discovers perestroika among sixty thousand tulips on the South Downs. Producer: Simon Coates

Chechnya's bucolic beauty, touching hospitality and jihadi brides now lost in Iraq. Caroline Wyatt introduces correspondents' tales from around the world: Chechnya's bucolic beauty, touching hospitality and jihadi brides now lost in Iraq. Caroline Wyatt introduces correspondents' tales from around the world. In the foothills of the Caucasus mountains, Tim Whewell meets a woman whose life has been on agonising, soul-destroying hold ever since her daughter left to join Islamic State. Nick Beake wonders whether freedom of the press is on trial in Myanmar as he crams into a Yangon courtroom where two journalists are in the dock accused of receiving classified documents as part of their investigations into the massacre of Rohingya people. Nicola Kelly is in Tindouf, in Algeria, with Saharawi families who still dream of returning to their homes in Western Sahara which they were driven from by Moroccan troops in 1975. Laurence Blair finds that ghosts of its long dictatorship are haunting Paraguay as it prepares to elect a new president this weekend. And Elizabeth Gowing hears how Serbian vineyards once came to the rescue of thirsty Europeans elsewhere on the continent

The twists in Brazil's politics recently would shame the most melodramatic TV soap opera - but as she reported on last week's tense stand-off, with ex-President Lula da Silva at bay, Katy Watson was also moved to reflect on how polarised the political climate has become. As some Brazilians blame Lula for everything and profess nostalgia for the days of dictatorship, others denounce the media as lying right-wingers. In South India there's more drama as Andrew Whitehead traces the intimate relationship between the Tamil-language cinema box office, and the ballot box in local elections. Lorraine Mallinder reports from Guinea Bissau on whether international efforts to suppress the cocaine traffic have really driven the drug trade out, or just driven it underground. As the city of Basel prepares to mark the 75th anniversary of history's first LSD trip - with a commemorative bicycle ride - Matt Pickles traces the long and strange relationship between this rather staid place and one of the world's most notorious hallucinogens. And Simon Parker bats his way to cricketing glory - at least briefly - as an international in the Easter Cup, played last week in San Salvador at it sweltered in 40-degree heat.

Nick Thorpe in Hungary, contemplating this weekend's parliamentary election, wonders whether a recent vote in a small town near the Croatian border portends change for prime minister Viktor Orban or politics as usual. Claire Bolderson is in eastern Ohio, where opioid drug addiction has become the most serious public health crisis to hit the mid-Western US state in a generation. Speaking to recovering addicts, she discovers how it's affected their lives and communities - and their job prospects. Attending a premier of the new blockbuster movie, "Black Panther", in Guangzhou reveals to Marcus Ryder just how close the link between China and Africa has become - and what it may mean for the future. Rebecca Henschke in Jakarta considers what it has meant for her to go viral with stories three times in recent months in a country where social media platforms command huge numbers of enthusiastic users. And in Zambia Nick Miles speaks to firefighters in the capital and discovers they often have more than just flames to contend with when rushing to deal with a blaze. Editor: Richard Vadon.

Kim Jong Un’s train rolls into to Beijing as the North Korean leader meets President Xi. Kate Adie introduces stories, wit, and analysis from correspondents around the world: China correspondents were once known as tealeaf readers, now they’ve become motorcade analysts and trainspotters says Stephen McDonell, as he tries to unpick the meaning of Kim Jong Un’s surprise visit to Beijing. Jonah Fisher has the story of Nadya Savchenko and her journey from prison to national hero and back to prison again. Bethany Bell explores why Austria won’t be implementing a smoking ban any time soon and finds out what the coffee drinkers of Vienna think of that. Mike Wendling joins the pro-gun control crowds at the ‘March For Our Lives’ in Washington DC and reflects on how things have changed since he was a teenager in the US when he and his classmates would shoot at paper targets in their school’s basement. And in Morocco, Kieran Cooke learns what impact Chinese tourists are having on Fes and comes face to face with the head of a dead camel.

The US Air Force has a third of its drones stationed at Kandahar airbase in Afghanistan. Kate Adie introduces stories, insight, and analysis from correspondents around the world: During almost two weeks with US Forces in Afghanistan, Justin Rowlatt gets a glimpse of the intensity of the air war that is a key part of President Trump’s new strategy there. In Belarus , Lucy Ash hears talk of dancing tractors and virtual tanks tearing through computer generated downs – unlikely indicators of economic success. Paul Blake returns to the British Virgin Islands to see how they’re coping six months after Hurricane Irma tore through the Caribbean. Jane Dyson marvels at the Pandav Lila – an epic, twelve-day re-enactment of the Hindu Mahabharata which consumes a village high up in the Indian Himalayas every two years. And Petroc Trelawny meets a Transylvania aristocrat who’s just got his castle back three-quarters of a century after it was seized.

How was Boko Haram able to kidnap more than one hundred school girls in Dapchi, Nigeria? Kate Adie introduces stories and analysis from correspondents around the world: A failure of the security services, conflicting official accounts, and misinformation - Stephanie Hegarty examines the similarities between Boko Haram’s 2014 attack in Chibok and the kidnapping in Dapchi last month. In Bolivia, Laurence Blair visits the multi-million-pound museum celebrating the country’s President and asks how much longer can Evo Morales can stay in power? In Greece, Sally Howard meets the anarchists who now see helping migrants, rather than spray-painting buildings or throwing Molotov cocktails at cops, as the best way to further their cause. In Afghanistan, Auliya Atrafi reveals how repeated foreign interventions have only made his fellow Afghans more inventive in their conspiracy theories. From judges to generals everyone seems to accept that foreign powers are to blame for almost everything. And in the US, Graeme Fife takes a tour of George Washington’s estate and the gardens that were never far from the mind or the heart of the country’s first president.

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. We hear how a small Scottish market town is responding to the new that its last remaining bank branch is scheduled for closure; what a flag-waving, Cornish yomp through the sand dunes and encounter with a 1500 year-old holy man reveals about the place and people; how the English, who once prided themselves on not cheating at sport and their sense of fair play, are adjusting to a different moral position; why the forthcoming abolition of tolls on the River Severn road crossings may intensify enthusiasm among the English for living in Wales; and what a humble kitchen worktop can reveal about origins, belonging and what's in a name. Producer: Simon Coates

Is this going to be the moment when China's trajectory changed forever? Correspondents share their stories, wit, and analysis from around the world. Introduced by Kate Adie: With Xi Jinping now effectively allowed to remain in power for life, after the two-term limit on the presidency was removed, John Sudworth reflects on what this means for China and the rest of the world. Steve Rosenberg examines Russia's ever-shifting relationship with the West from the frozen rust-belt town of Karabash. Linda Pressly reports from Tysfjord, where police have revealed decades’ worth of allegations of sexual abuse in the tiny Norwegian community close to the Arctic Circle. Simon Maybin is on the tropical Panamanian island of Carti Sugdub to find out more about plans to move its entire population to the mainland and by doing so escape rising sea levels. And Lindsay Johns tries (and sometimes fails) to make himself understood in South Africa - the proudly polyglot nation.

Former Farc rebels stand for election, but for many Colombians, it’s too soon to forgive. Kate Adie introduces stories and analysis from correspondents around the world: Katy Watson is in Colombia as former guerrilla fighters for the rebel group turned political party fail to make an impact at the ballot box. Chris Haslam is on 'the roof of the world' world in Tajikistan to meet a man threatening to take up arms and fight for Pamiri independence. Cindy Sui reflects on her experience growing up in China and asks what the recent ban on foreign imported garbage reveals about changing attitudes to recycling there. Simon Calder boards one of the last remaining boat ferries in Europe on which the carriages slot in between 40-ton trucks as they make their way from Denmark to Germany. And Sian Griffiths marvels at Ottowa's annual river ice blast, as dynamite is used to break apart sheets of ice and stop meltwater flooding the city.

For the first time since the Vietnam War, a US aircraft carrier has arrived in the country. Kate Adie introduces stories, wit, and analysis from correspondents around the world: Jonathan Head watches a show of military diplomacy as a 100,000 tonne, nuclear-powered carrier docks in Vietnamese waters with more than 5,000 crew and 70 aircraft on board. A spot of misery tourism and a night on the town in Dublin help Louise Cooper understand what’s really going on in Ireland’s economy. At the height of the European migrant crisis, Richard Hall walked the Balkan route. As he retraces his footsteps he finds fewer migrants but more dangers. In Democratic Republic of Congo, Sally Howard joins the impressively dressed lady dandies or sapeuses. And what’s it like to be teased by the Dalai Lama? Justin Rowlatt finds out

From Lebanon, Syrian refugees watch the destruction of their homes in Eastern Ghouta. Kate Adie introduces stories and analysis from correspondents around the world: "Life now is just about blood and tears,” one woman tells Yolande Knell, “all of Ghouta is crying over its lost people.” In India, Krupa Padhy meets the head of a new union for unregister doctors - the quacks may be unqualified but they are also in demand. In Sierra Leone, Ed Butler examines the economics of the sex trade and the role rich Western men play in it. Vicky Baker meets the Nicaraguan women speaking, and singing, out against sexism. And in Sweden, Keith Moore tries to teach his son how to speak with the help of Old MacDonald and Per Olsson - but do their horses say neigh-neigh here or gnägg-gnägg there?

India’s missing children, selling drugs in Colombia & searching for paradise in Costa Rica. Kate Adie introduces stories from correspondents around the world: Activists say that as many as 500,000 children went missing in India last year – Sonia Faleiro meets the father of one of them who says he’s been forced to marry off his other daughters in order to protect them. Mathew Charles spends an evening with a Colombian drug dealer and learns how criminal gangs are searching for new ways to make money. Jenny Hill visits a fairy-tale mansion in Hamburg whose 71 elderly female residents are celebrating their role in bringing about a ban on diesel cars. Roger Hill goes to a market on the shore of the Panj River which separates Tajikistan and Afghanistan and looks for signs that life is getting better there. And in Costa Rica, Benjamin Zand discovers that while the lure of paradise may be strong, it’s always so difficult to find.

How the father of one of his presidential rivals helped Vladimir Putin to power. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world: Ahead of elections in March, Gabriel Gatehouse looks back at the rise of President Putin and speaks to one of his challengers - Ksenia Sobchak. Vladimir Hernandez returns to Venezuela to find a coffee now costs the same amount as he paid for his first flat, his relatives have lost weight and children are starving. It may be thousands of years since the ancient Phoenicians traversed the seas but in modern day Lebanon claims on Phoenicians identity are still controversial, discovers Fleur MacDonald. Gavin Fischer explores the recently released archive of recordings from the Rivonia trial in South Africa. His uncle defended Nelson Mandela and some of his co-accused. And Phoebe Smith enjoys the solitude of Greenland’s Arctic Circle Trail – but for how much longer will others be able to experience its unspoilt landscape she wonders.

A Gambian spymaster, a Czechoslovak secret agent and a South African ghost called Sam. Correspondents share wit, analysis, and tales of strange encounters. Introduced by Kate Adie. Gambia’s intelligence agency has a new name and its boss is busy rebranding it – but beyond repainting the torture chamber, what does that mean, wonders Colin Freeman. Rob Cameron scours the archives of the StB – Czechoslovakia’s communist-era secret police– on the trail of ‘agent COB’. He meets the man who says he tried to recruit Jeremy Corbyn as an asset. Helen Nianais has coffee with a former jihadi who faces three years in jail after spending nine days in Syria. Now he’s trying to counter extremist propaganda online and help others reintegrate back into normal life in Kosovo. Shabnam Mahmood returns to Pakistan and finds that Uber and other cab-hailing apps are driving rickshaw drivers out of business, but there are still some parts of Lahore where older methods of transport dominate. And Harriet Constable visits Kaapsehoop – a village whose fortunes may have faded since South Africa's 19th century gold rush, but which remains rich in history, folklore, and ghosts.

Many Haitians see Oxfam’s actions as the latest part of a much bigger problem. Kate Adie introduces stories, wit and analysis from correspondents around the world. “Being poor, we’re a market for the NGOs” one Port-au-Prince resident tells Will Grant, “but it’s time to admit that we cannot develop our country with international aid.” Ahead of elections in Italy, Dany Mitzman watches fascists and anti-fascists face off in Bologna - a city famed for its left-wing politics. In Mozambique they’re trying to persuade parents not to give up on disabled children – Tom Shakespeare examine the latest development in inclusive education there. In Uzbekistan, Caroline Eden visits the capital Tashkent - famed for its chewy, golden bread and its kindness. And Alastair Leithead takes a trip along the Blue Nile with Marvin – a ball on a stick that sees virtually everything.

BBC correspondents take a closer look at the stories behind the headlines.

Kate Adie presents a programme reflecting on two men's political careers which effectively ended this week. Andrew Harding in Johannesburg reflects on the demise of Jacob Zuma who finally bowed to months of pressure and quit as president of South Africa; while Jenny Hill, reporting from Cologne, considers what the resignation of Martin Schulz, as leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), says about the current state of German politics. The death of a Cold War-era contact prompts Nick Thorpe in Budapest to consider how attitudes to the media more than thirty years ago seem eerily to be returning. Meanwhile Katty Kay has to persuade a nervous Moscow-born taxi driver that it really is safe to drive her to Compton, the city once synonymous with gang violence and murder and made famous - or notorious - by NWA's album, "Straight Outta Compton". Finally, Justin Rowlatt intrepidly ventures into India's icy Ladakh region to accompany a team bringing electricity to remote rural villages - and gets his feet frozen to the ice for his trouble.

Kate Adie presents dispatches from: Stephanie Hegarty in Nigeria on how the plight of former girl captives of the Boko Haram Islamist insurgents is being addressed when many return to their home communities only to ostracised and disowned; Edmund Bower on the murky political techniques employed in Egypt against some young activists as the presidential election approaches; Vincent Ni in Japan on a remarkable North Korean "minder" at a school educating children of Korean descent; Lizzie Porter on the savage depopulation affecting highland villages in Bosnia-Herzegovina - and those who are determined to stay; and Richard Hamilton, who visits Salt Spring Island off the coast of British Columbia to learn about a one-time Scottish welder who wrought a 1970s revolution in mental health that has survived the hippy era.

Ending corruption in Ukraine and the woman enslaved by ISIS now trying to tell her story. Kate Adie introduces insight and analysis from correspondents around the world: Viktor Yanukovych and his associates are accused of stealing billions during his time as president, but are they still be benefiting from corruption? Simon Maybin surveys the scene from a snowy rooftop in Kiev. Stacey Dooley joins a 23-year-old Yazidi woman as she returns to find the house where she was held captive by ISIS in Mosul. She wants to tell her story but finds herself unexpectedly silenced. An assault on freedom of speech or an attempt to protect a nation’s dignity? Adam Easton explores the controversy around a new law in Poland which proposes prison sentences for anyone blaming the country for Nazi crimes against Jews. Simon Broughton meets a Mozambican artist turning bullets, guns and old mobiles phones into works of art. And Megha Mohan confronts a taboo in India: why menstruating women are often denied access to temples. Left out of her own grandmother's last rites, she's left wondering why.

Inside Afghanistan’s only secure psychiatric unit - the trauma of war laid bare. Caroline Wyatt introduces correspondents' stories from around the world: Sarah Zand examines how nearly four decades of war have taken its toll on Afghanistan and its people. Elinor Goodman meets a man hoping a herd of goats and some lessons in animal husbandry might dissuade young boys from joining the violent gangs responsible for a state of emergency being declared in part of Jamaica. Tim Ecott explores ethnic identities and regional power plays in Seychelles. James Jeffrey is in Ethiopia where staid state TV has a new rival. And Simon Parker braves the wind and waves off the coast of Norway in search of king crab.

The changing sights and sounds of Iraq's second city. Kate Adie introduces stories, wit, and analysis from correspondents around the world: Shaimaa Khalil meets a musician finally able to play his violin again and students returning to their studies in post-ISIS Mosul. John Sudworth finds that reporting from China’s Xinxjang province is difficult, risky and expensive – just the way the authorities there seem to want it to be. In Brazil, Katy Watson joins the queue for a Yellow Fever vaccine amid the panic caused by the latest outbreak. John Watkins delves into Albania’s national archive, where thousands of decaying film reels reveal much about its communist past. And Mike Wendling meets Swedish politician Hanif Bali who wants to close the country’s borders and keep migrants out. As well as being a social media star, the MP is also a migrant himself having left Iran as a child.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga declares himself the ‘People’s President’ in Kenya. Kate Adie introduces stories wit and analysis from correspondents around the world. Expecting trouble, Alastair Leithead attends a controversial swearing-in ceremony in Nairobi but the government’s show of force didn’t come from the security forces sent to police the event. The water crisis engulfing Cape Town is making headlines around the world, but Pumza Fihlani says a lack of running water has long been a way of life for millions of others in South Africa. Laurence Blair examines how immigration is becoming a political issue in Chile and how the recent arrivals and their hosts are having to adapt. In Switzerland, Katherine Forster revisits the site of a fancy dress party that changed her life and finds a country that, at first glance, appears the same. And Emma Levine plays chess in Armenia against an eleven yearold who is hoping to become one of the world’s youngest ever grandmasters.

Mishal Husain presents dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. In the latest programme, we hear from Chris Warburton on how Bolton in Greater Manchester is responding to the dramatically changing retail scene on its streets. The BBC's Religion Editor, Martin Bashir, draws on his own family's experience to consider the significance of the Church of England's intervention in the debate about pre-natal screening for Down's syndrome. Elizabeth Gowing reveals what one ex-offender has derived from his work with yoga and meditation - disciplines she has been struggling with - both out of gaol and while behind bars, and Martin Vennard explores a fifty year-old housing development with a new resident and the building's architect to see what ideas it may offer for tackling today's housing crisis. Finally, Felipe Fernández-Armesto - a globe-trotting historian with Spanish ancestry and impeccable British credentials - ponders the unravelling of the once tightly-furled British umbrella and the mores it represented.

Mark Lowen reports from both sides of the border as Turkey launches an offensive against Kurdish militia in Syria. In the Colombian jungle, Mathew Charles meets the surprisingly well-groomed members of the ELN guerrilla group. Are Louis and Louise beautiful or handsome? Joanna Robertson offers a lesson in the sexual politics of French grammar. Hero or villain? Peter Hadfield reports on how Taiwan views its former leader Chiang Kai Shek. And Melissa Van Der Klugt discovers why pollution in Delhi is giving some of its residents green fingers . . . and a new found interest in growing their own veg.

Waiting for elections and trying to answer awkward questions about sex in the DRC. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world: William Edmundson is in the Democratic Republic of Congo wondering just how democratic it really is. Katty Kay looks at how the mood in the #metoo movement has gone from hope to concern in the US. Will Grant boards a rather empty flight from Miami to Havana and assesses US –Cuba relations under President Trump - there may be turbulence ahead. Natalia Golysheva travels to the Russian Far East to meet some of the Old Believer sect, who’ve recently returned home. And Chris Bockman reports on the French island of Faisans that is soon to be Spain.

The Salvadoran woman who claims she faces 30 years in prison for having a miscarriage Kate Adie introduces correspondent's stories from around the world. Benjamin Zand is in El Salvador investigating the country's abortion laws - some of the harshest and most stringently enforced in the world. Colin Freeman meets the survivors of the Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh's HIV treatment programme. His 'miracle cure' turned out to be deadly for many. Lyse Doucet hears tales of Aleppo’s ancient souk from the traders who are starting to return. Rani Singh is on the roof of the world exploring relations between India and China, and hanging with a cool ex-monk. And Kevin Connolly returns to Bulgaria and remembers its communist past.

Why it's far too early to write Silvio Berlusconi's political obituary. Kate Adie introduces stories from correspondents around the world. With a general election in March, James Reynolds finds some familiar faces on the campaign trail in Italy but will the grey men triumph? In Tanzania, it's idle machines and empty buildings that greet Helen Grady as 'mitumba' or cheap, imported, second-hand clothes are destroying the local textile industry. Auliya Atrafi is in northeastern Afghanistan in a village where few working-age men remain - many are now in prison in Iran sentenced to death for smuggling drugs. Jannat Jalil ponders presidential gifts, Franco-Chinese relations, and horse-diplomacy. And Lindsay Johns returns to Martinique to mark the death of a woman he once called mom.

Lucy Ash finds that morale is low amongst Ukrainian troops in the east of the country as they endure another winter at war and the frozen conflict rumbles on. John Sudworth assesses rural poverty in China from the dizzying heights of a village accessible only by climbing half a mile of ladders. Recent protests prompt Rana Rahimpour to reflect on previous rounds of unrest in Iran, and how parents are once again worrying if their children will return home. Sara Wheeler soaks up the scenery in the north of Vietnam and marvels at the foot rowers of Tam Coc. And Jeremy Grange finds that memories of the slave trade are still very much alive in Tanzania.

The migrants clinging to hope, NATO military manoeuvres and a jungle prince. Kate Adie introduces some memorable moments correspondents have shared on the programme in 2017. Benjamin Zand encounters 'lies, lies and yet more lies" as he follows the treacherous migrant route that hundreds of thousands of people have followed in the hope of reaching Europe from Africa. Shaimaa Khalil recalls growing up in Egypt and her first experience of sexual harassment aged 11 #metoo. Emily Unia watches a NATO display of military might in Romania, but can't escape noticing that some members of the press pack don't seem to be taking it seriously. Tim Whewell tries to talk his way into Abkhazia - a country which most of the world refuses to recognise. And Justin Rowlatt has the tale of the lonely death of an Indian prince reduced to living in abject poverty in a hunting lodge in a forest in Delhi. Producer: Joe Kent.

In a festive edition for Christmas Eve, Mishal Husain presents pieces by: Ian McMillan on the special pleasures of Christmas Eve; Sarah Oliver on advice for those daunted by the seasonal food extravaganza; Padraig O Tuama on what happened when Bethlehem came to Belfast; Datshiane Navanayagam on the make-or-break power of customer service departments at this time of year; and Jonnie Bayfield on how he fared in devising out-of-the-ordinary gift options.

Killing time on election day in Catalonia and the bitter experience of applying for a visa. Correspondents share their stories, insights, and complaints. Introduced by Kate Adie. Reporting restrictions on polling day prompt Kevin Connolly to explore Barcelona and take a bit of a gamble. Yolande Knell tries to ignore the tempting local delicacies in Jerusalem and sample public opinion instead. Linda Pressly meets the people hoping the river the Pilcomayo will once again flow through the Chaco – one of the most arid and unforgiving regions of South America situated along the border between Paraguay and Argentina. Chris Bowlby remembers New Year’s Eve 1992 and the moment when Czechoslovakia became the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. And of the many challenges that foreign reporting presents, the one Colin Freeman dreads most is applying for a visa.

What next for the ANC as its chuckling, charismatic and divisive leader Jacob Zuma departs? Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories and insights from around the world. In South Africa, Andrew Harding looks back on President Zuma's time at the top of his party and his country. Joanna Robertson soaks up the seasonal spirit in Rome amid complaints about corruption, mafia collusion, a mangy municipal Christmas tree and a Christmas market with no stalls. Tim Hartley reports from Hong Kong as Beijing tries to blow the final whistle on protesting football fans who dare to disrespect the national anthem. Alexa Dvorson explores why all is not well in Bhutan, land of Gross National Happiness. And at an art gallery in Budapest, Nick Thorpe is reminded of both the censorship imposed by Hungary's former Communist rulers and the paradoxical freedoms granted to its people.

Hindu nationalism in India, making money in war-torn Yemen and family drama in Uzbekistan. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories from around the world. It’s 25 years since Hindu mobs destroyed the Babri mosque in Ayodhya; Mark Tully was there and asks whether it really did mark the end of secularism in India, as was claimed at the time. Bethan McKernan finds that business is booming in Yemen for the tribal leaders, arms traders and khat dealers who know where to look. Peter Robertson dissects the rise and fall of Gulnara Karimova who was once seen as her father's favoured successor as president of Uzbekistan. Katy Watson explores the complex history and geography of the word ‘America’ – should it be used to refer to a country, a continent, two continents? And Hannah King joins the British soldiers training the Somali National Army.

Stoicism, good humour and palpable tension as Rohingya Muslims flee Myanmar to Bangladesh. Kate Adie introduces stories from correspondents around the world. Justin Rowlatt finds mixed emotions among Bangladeshis about the refugees arriving from across the border. Tim Whewell reports on the women and children left behind as the so called Islamic State’s self-declared caliphate crumbles. Sally Hayden explores how an outbreak of fake news and misinformation is making it harder to stop the spread of the plague in Madagascar. Jonah Fisher tours the tented camp that has reappeared in the centre of Kiev – last seen before the revolution in 2014. And Bill Law tries his best not to talk politics as Canadians gather for the annual Grey Cup football match or Canada’s Grand National Drunk as it’s often known.

Mishal Husain presents pieces on a Devon pub admired by Prince Harry, why the future for local papers matters, executive pay and a moment of truth for a woman with breast cancer.

Is this the end of the Mugabe era? Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world. “Which version of reality would you like to read today?” Andrew Harding is asked as he’s offered a selection of newspapers in Zimbabwe. Gabriel Gatehouse has been reporting on conflict for more than a decade but the plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar has affected him like no other. Caroline Bayley finds a surprising splash of red in a grey Moscow suburb – a strawberry firm turning a profit, not from harvesting fruit but producing houses. Bethany Bell hears memories of the largest forced migration in European history – of the ethnic Germans made to leave their homes following the Second World War. Their stories have often received little international attention - overshadowed by the crimes of the Nazis. And Clive Myrie has fulfilled a childhood dream – that of visiting Yemen. But the architectural wonders he longed to see have been disfigured by bullets and bombs.

Kenyan widows fighting sexual cleansing and talking to war criminals in the Balkans. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world. For some among the Luo tribe in Western Kenya, tradition dictates that widows must have repeated, unprotected sex with a stranger to rid themselves of evil spirits. Theopi Skarlatos meets the women fighting back. Mark Urban talks to convicted war criminals from the former Yugoslavia – some accept their sentences and have moved on, others claim they are the victims. Mark Stratton visits the Buddhist temple that has been at the heart of a long-running (and sometimes bloody) battle between Thailand and Cambodia. Sophie Ribstein embarks on a journey of musical discovery that provides an unexpected insight into the complex rhythms of Apartheid South Africa. And Lucy Williamson flies from Paris to the Gulf to spend seven minutes with the supposedly charming Emanuel Macron. He is a President that likes to talk, but what is he like to talk to?

The Prince’s purge: Mohammed Bin Salman’s moves to reform Saudi Arabia. Kate Adie introduces stories, wit, and analysis from correspondents around the world.Frank Gardner chronicles the meteoric rise of the Crown Prince reshaping Saudi Arabia.Kate Lamble meets the campaigners struggling to convince Muscovites that Alexei Navalny should be the next Russian President. They complain of political apathy and hostile media.Xavier Zapata mingles with the young Catalonians newly energised and politically engaged by the independence debate but struggling to get their voices heard. Andrew Hosken is in Albania where new attempts are underway to investigate the crimes of Enver Hoxha’s brutal dictatorship. Thousands of people were ‘disappeared’ - many ended up in mass graves. And Juliet Rix reports from the Inuit region of Nunavut – the newest, northernmost and largest territory in Canada.

Life in cash-strapped Venezuela and a return to war-ravaged Damascus. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories and insights from around the world. Katy Watson examines the staying power of Venezuela's ruling party. Despite ongoing shortages of food, medicine, and cash, Nicola Maduro's government has tightened its grip on the country. Simon Parker hears renewed talk of independence on the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of Denmark, but struggles to decipher what independence would actually mean. Angellica Bell assesses the damage wrought by Hurricane Maria on the land of her grandfather – Dominica. And the travel writer Colin Thubron returns to Damascus fifty years after the publication of his homage to the city. He is surprised to find old friends still there, to stumble through an Old City largely intact, and to be taken in for questioning by the intelligence service. “We can’t see an end to it,” people tell him of the civil war.

A president in exile? The Brussels' press pack is in pursuit of Carles Puigdemont. Kate Adie introduces stories, wit, and analysis from correspondents around the world. It’s been a busy week for Adam Fleming in Belgium, as he tried to track down the sacked Catalan leader and figure out what is really going on. Colin Freeman reported from Liberia at the height of the Ebola crisis and has been back to see what has changed. Shaking hands is once again permitted, he finds, and the nation’s health service has been transformed. Justin Rowlatt has a tale of prince and poverty from the ridge forest in Delhi, India. And Amy Guttman is in Okinawa, Japan, home to thousands of American soldiers. And Stephen Smith has the story behind Dr Zhivago - one of the best-known love stories of the 20th century.

The Nigerian militants who rely on drugs to fight their fears and the displaced people taking them to forget the violence. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories. Sally Hayden reports from Madhugiri where the battle against Boko Haram is creating a growing problem with drug abuse. Tom Stevenson is in Diyarbakir, the Turkish city which has for decades, been at the heart of the conflict between Kurdish rebels and the state. Caroline Eden explores the Brodsky synagogue in Odessa and sifts through its archive which tells of controversies old and new. Rahul Tandon finds out that what you wear, what you drive and how you speak can affect which shops and restaurants are willing to take your money in India. It is, he says, one of the most class-conscious societies in the world. And David Chazan once owned a work of art worth tens of thousands of pounds – not that he knew it – opting instead to replace it with a coat of blanc cassé on the walls of his Paris flat.