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July 16, 2011 Jul 16, 2011

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Could the Libyan rebels be poised to march on the capital Tripoli? Gabriel Gatehouse, who's been spending time with them near the coastal city of Misrata, doubts they have the capability for military victory; Andrew Hosken's just returned from Somalia where the rains have failed again, drought has taken hold and many people are in danger of starving to death; a battle between modernity and an older way of doing things is underway in the Indian state of Orissa and Justin Rowlatt's been finding out that in this case, the modern world might be about to lose out; Chris Simpson's in the Gambia where the president has made it clear that he has a low opinion of journalists -- the media people, on the other hand, complain of harrassment and worse. And from the Seychelles out in the Indian Ocean, a tale from Tim Ecott about the extraordinary coco de mer; a coconut tree with erotic connotations.

July 9, 2011 Jul 09, 2011

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They are celebrating in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, the world's newest country. But Fergus Nicoll, who's there, says its leaders must address some of the lessons they've been handed down by history. Who's visiting the great archaeological sites in Libya as the conflict in that country continues? Justin Marozzi's just been to one of them and had little company there other than cows and goats. David Willey in Rome talks about the country's much respected President Giorgio Napoletano and explains how he's trying to rein in some of the activities of the controversial prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. India's caste system was supposed to have been done away with decades ago but Craig Jeffrey, in Uttar Pradesh, has found that in many areas of life, it simply has not gone away. And it's proving a sweltering summer in the city of Algiers and Chloe Arnold, who lives there, has been finding out how a Scottish firm is keen on securing a slice of the market in long, cool, fizzy drinks!

July 7, 2011 Jul 07, 2011

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The end of the world is nigh! Well, it is according to one estimate. But Chris Bockman who's in the French Pyrenees says there's a village there where you might just be safe. Much joy's being reported in South Sudan. Peter Martell's in this region which has experienced generations of civil war but is now getting ready to usher in independence. Could the mighty US be about to default on its debts? Lesley Curwen says the government in Washington's been given a deadline by which time it must pay up. But before that can be achieved, Republicans and Democrats must sort out their differences. Alex Renton's been learning that these are tough times in Armenia but still there's pride in the country's fine brandy which was, so they say, a favourite of Winston Churchill's. And Emily Lethbridge has been finding out that a good place to research the mediaeval sagas of Iceland is a petrol station, not far from the capital Reykjavik.

July 2, 2011 Jul 02, 2011

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The Greek austerity bill may have been passed by the Athens parliament, but Justin Rowlatt's wondering if anyone expects it to be fully implemented. It may be one of the most polluted cities in the world but Delhi, as Anu Anand has been finding out, is home to an astonishing collection of bird life. The Libyan Mediterranean city of Misrata is still coming under rocket fire from troops loyal to Colonel Gaddafi, but Andrew Harding's been seeing that families still enjoy an afternoon at the beach there. Thaksin Shinawatra may be living in self-imposed exile in Dubai but Rachel Harvey, who's been there to meet the former Thai prime minister, says he's still dominating discussion about the upcoming Thai election. And is the Amazon a resource to be exploited or one simply to be protected - questions Robin Lustig's had in mind during his travels in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.

June 30, 2011 Jun 30, 2011

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Now the Greek parliament's voted for austerity, large numbers of people working in the country's huge public sector are waiting to see where first the axe will fall -- Manuela Saragosa's in Athens. Saving cash is a theme throughout Europe and Mark Lobel's been to Strasbourg where some say the city should no longer be a base for the European Parliament, it's just too expensive. Venezuelan security forces are said to have been tunnelling INTO a jail to try to resolve a riot inside. Sarah Grainger in Caracas on the state of Venezuela's chaotic prison system. Chris Hogg's in Shanghai where, ninety years ago, the Chinese Communist Party was formed. He examines some of its founding principles and assesses how relevant they are today. And it's been a sad week for supporters of the Argentine football club River Plate. Their team has been relegated to a lower division. But isn't football just a game? Daniel Schweimler, who's in Buenos Aires, says that in Argentina, it's much more than that!

June 25, 2011 Jun 25, 2011

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The lights go out in the United States. It's only a simulation at present but Mark Mardell in Washington says it's evidence the US military is taking seriously the threat of war in cyberspace. Inside the walls of a prison in the Horn of Africa our correspondent Mary Harper is surprised by a demand for an interview ... from a Somali pirate! Misha Glenny reflects on the EU's decision to admit Croatia to full membership:proof, he believes, that a powder keg has finally been defused. Rupert Wingfield Hayes has an account from inside the Bahrain courtroom where a number of people were sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of trying to overthrow the country's royal family. And Andrew Martlew's been walking in the mountains of northern Italy tracking down some rarely visited British war graves.

June 23, 2011 Jun 23, 2011

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A voice from Croatia's war-torn past is recalled by Allan Little in Zagreb as the EU prepares to admit this country to full membership of the Union. Chris Morris is in Athens as Greece faces fresh hurdles in its attempts to avoid defaulting on its debt repayments. Lobsters are big business but in Nicaragua, as Conor Woodman's been hearing, catching them can be dangerous. Reggie Nadelson tells us how the price of property's soaring in Harlem, a part of New York once associated with poverty and crime. But, she wonders, is the price of development the loss of the district's soul? It's all change on the buses in Malta. Jake Wallis Simons has been finding out that the island's getting rid of its fleet of characterful and individualistic buses and replacing them with something altogether more modern and efficient. But, it seems, not all the islanders welcome the change.

June 18, 2011 Jun 18, 2011

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The ultimate failed state. That's what some call Somalia in the Horn of Africa. Peter Greste is in the capital Mogadishu, perhaps the most dangerous city in the world. He's finding out why thousands of Somalis are leaving homes in the countryside and flooding in to the city? Another mass migration's going on in China. But, as Juliana Liu tells us, difficulties can lie ahead for the country people heading for town in search of a better life. Paul Henley's been looking at an economic boom that's lifting parts of Poland; one port city's described as the future Sydney and Dubai of the Baltic. The worst drought in fifty years has hit Texas. Jonny Dymond finds one rancher whose fortunes are suffering -- but he says he's battling on: it's the American way. And she's called the Miss Marple of the Himalayas; Joanna Jolly meets the woman who keeps climbers in Nepal roped to the truth.

June 16, 2011 Jun 16, 2011

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Tunisia's fragile revolution is under threat from the violent uprising in Libya. Pascale Harter, investigating in these borderlands, also reveals what a football commentary sounds like in Libya where the only name permissible is that of Gaddafi. The blockade on Gaza means that many people living in that territory never get to leave. Jon Donnison's been meeting two men, at the Erez crossing into Israel, who get nearer than most. Cheung Chau island, not far from Hong Kong, has become notorious as a place where people go to kill themselves. Claudia Hammond's been there finding out how the local community is trying to change all that. Need to cure a headache? Or impotence? A remedy can be found at a traditional medicine market in Johannesburg. Stewart Maclean's been there to see what's on offer. And Rajesh Mirchandani enjoyed what some would consider the perfect posting - as our man in California. And yet, he has some rather controversial views to share with us about the sunshine state.

June 11, 2011 Jun 11, 2011

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The bloody events in Syria are making the government in neighbouring Turkey uneasy, as Hugh Sykes has been finding out on the eve of the Turkish general election there; Chris Hogg's in Taiwan where, amid a thawing in relations with mainland China, there are businessmen who are prospering in the new climate of detente; corruption in India is now so pervasive, it reaches even the smallest country village but, as Craig Jeffrey's been hearing, it can still be a joking matter; there's a ban on divorce in the Philippines, but Kate McGeown tells us, there are ways around the ban, particularly if you have money; one of our most seasoned travellers, the reporter and presenter Robin Lustig's visited 75 countries without losing his luggage. Surely his luck can't last ...?

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