From Our Own Correspondent

Latest Episodes:

Israel, Gaza and The information war Oct 21, 2023

Show notes

Kate Adie presents stories on Israel and Gaza, Lebanon and Poland.

An explosion at a hospital in Gaza this week has thrown into sharp relief the challenges of establishing the facts during a time of war. Amid the claim and counterclaim, getting to the truth is harder than ever. Jeremy Bowen reflects on the speed at which stories unfold these days, and the challenges of reporting during the conflict, as competing narratives clash online.

The British and US governments urged their nationals to leave Lebanon this week due to risks associated with the on-going conflict between Israel and Gaza. Israel’s military has also evacuated 28 communities near the northern border because of escalating hostilities with Hezbollah militants. Earlier this week, the group called for a ‘day of unprecedented anger’ in response the conflict between Israel and Gaza. Hugo Bachega is in Lebanon.

In Poland, the right-wing Law and Justice party lost its majority in parliamentary elections last week – with a pro-EU coalition of opposition parties now likely to form a new government. It was young voters and women whose votes proved decisive, as Sarah Rainsford explains.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

Afghan migrants in limbo in Pakistan Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

Kate Adie presents stories from Pakistan, Germany, Portugal, Senegal and the United States.

Pakistan's government has issued an order for illegal migrants to leave the country by the beginning of November. This includes around 1.7 million Afghans, according to official figures. Among the many caught in the middle are nearly 2,000 Afghans who risked their lives working with or for British armed forces during the war in Afghanistan. They’ve been promised visas by the British government that would allow them to resettle in the UK, but many now fear they will be forced to return to Afghanistan, to an uncertain future. Caroline Davies has been speaking to them.

Recent state elections in Germany showed a clear rise in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD. The results have sent shockwaves across Germany, as Damien McGuinness found out.

An ancient farming village in the Portuguese mountains is fighting plans for an open-cast lithium mine on its doorstep. The lithium would be used for electric car batteries, as part of Europe’s green energy transition. But local villagers say the mine will damage their environment, and their way of life. As Europe tries to reduce its dependence on China for lithium imports, the outcome of this dispute is being watched closely, as Caroline Bayley reports.

In Senegal, many parents send their sons to study and live in Islamic schools called daaras, often because they cannot afford to raise them themselves. While many daaras provide good education and care, some subject their pupils to abuse and neglect, or force them to beg in the streets. Sam Bradpiece travelled to the capital, Dakar to investigate the story.

Although Hollywood’s writers have recently ended their five-month strike, the actors strike continues. Virtually all Hollywood film and TV production has stalled, and negotiations last week ended without agreement. David Willis has been covering the story.

Producer: Viv Jones Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

A Deadly Week in Israel and Gaza Oct 14, 2023

Show notes

Kate Adie presents a special edition reflecting on the brutal attack in Israel this week by Hamas militants and the subsequent siege and bombardment of Gaza.

Anna Foster reports from Ashkelon in Israel’s south, where revellers were attending a music festival, before Hamas’ assault. She met one man who managed to escape, who tells her his story.

As details emerged of how Hamas’ brutal assault unfolded in kibbutzim last weekend, communities living near the Gaza border have been left traumatised by the scale of the attack. Dan Johnson spent time with one Israeli family struggling to process what happened, while preparing for what might come next.

As Gaza’s only power plant ran out of fuel – hospitals have struggled to cope, with doctors saying they are having to make tough decisions on who to operate on. Yolande Knell has been speaking to people in Gaza about the impact of Israel’s counter-attack.

Our chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet has been reporting from the region for the past three decades, and reflects on Gaza's recent history and the broken dreams of peace.

And as Israel buries those killed by Hamas, Nick Beake witnesses the return of thousands of Israeli reservists, as the country moves to a war footing.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

Australia’s Indigenous referendum Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

Kate Adie presents stories from Australia, Poland, the US, Cameroon and Cape Verde.

Australians are voting in a historic referendum on whether or not to recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the country’s constitution, and create a body that can advise governments on issues affecting their communities. After months of campaigning voters are bitterly divided, as Katy Watson found out.

Poland’s upcoming election could result in an unprecedented third consecutive term for the incumbent right-wing populist government. Adam Easton travels to the Polish countryside to find out why the government remains popular.

The suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona’s state capital, are among the fastest-growing in America. As brand new homes and offices spring up, there’s a problem developing beneath them. Mark Moran reports from a desert state that is running out of groundwater.

The Ngonnso statue, held in the collection of a Berlin museum, holds cultural and spiritual significance for the Nso people of Cameroon. Kim Chakanetsa meets the activist who successfully campaigned for the Ngonnso’s repatriation.

And October marks the end of the nesting and hatching season for Cape Verde’s loggerhead sea turtles. Rob Crossan takes a night time walk along the beach to catch sight of one.

Producer: Viv Jones Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

A Tumultuous Week in US Politics Oct 07, 2023

Show notes

Kate Adie presents stories from the US, Slovakia, Turkey, Greece and Democratic Republic of Congo.

In a break with history, a right-wing faction of the US Republican party moved to oust the speaker of the lower chamber of Congress, Kevin McCarthy. The party must now begin the task of uniting behind another candidate. And as Donald Trump appeared at his civil fraud trial in New York, Gary O'Donoghue reflects on an extraordinary week in Washington.

We visit the Slovakian capital, Bratislava where coalition talks are underway in earnest after Robert Fico, the pro-Russian leftist, won the biggest share of the vote in elections last weekend. Fico's former deputy, Peter Pelligrini of the social democratic party is now the kingmaker to form a government which could have major ramifications for the country, and Europe, says Rob Cameron.

Turkey's long war on Kurdish armed rebel groups seemed to have faded into the background after the huge earthquake there this year, along with President Erdogan's victory in the general election. But the conflict still goes on and an attack in Ankara on the day of Turkey's opening of parliament has raised tensions once more. Emily Wither reports on the impact.

Thessaly in Greece was one of the regions that was hit hardest by Storm Daniel last month, with much farmland still submerged under water. The region provides much of Greece's agricultural produce and livestock. Maria Margaronis spoke to farmers whose lives were upended.

And in Democratic Republic of Congo, Hugh Kinsella-Cunningham camps with heavily armed rangers as they await the arrival on a jungle airstrip of two white rhinoceros as part of conservation efforts in the region.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling Editor: China Collins Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

Rising tensions in the Balkans Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

Kate Adie presents stories from Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and Russia’s western borders.

A day of shooting in majority-Serb north Kosovo left a police officer and three members of an armed group dead. Guy De Launey reports on one of the most serious confrontations between Serbia and Kosovo since Kosovo declared independence in 2008.

2023 marks the tenth anniversary of Xi Jinping’s announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative, an ambitious project to connect China with the Central Asian countries on its western border. Jacob Mardell visits Torugart pass in Kyrgyzstan, an important stop on a planned railway that will connect China with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. He encounters smuggling and nomad hospitality, and asks how the new railway might change this underdeveloped region.

Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese refugees have been returning to the villages they were forced to flee from, during decades of war in the region. On their return they are met with a new danger: landmines and unexploded bombs. In South Sudan it’s mostly women who take on the dangerous job of clearing unexploded ordinance. Sira Thierij joins a team of young women deminers making their country safer.

Sri Lanka has been suffering the worst economic crisis in its history as an independent nation. Sri Lankans have endured power cuts, fuel shortages, rising prices and rapid inflation. After loans from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the country’s financial situation is improving. But when Archana Shukla travelled across the island nation, she discovered many people are still struggling to make ends meet.

Katya Adler travels from southern Poland to the northernmost point of mainland Norway to ask people what it’s like living next door to Putin, since he brought war back to Europe on a scale not seen since World War Two. She meets ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help the war effort in Ukraine. Katya Adler’s two-part series, Living Next Door to Putin, is available now on BBC iPlayer.

Producer: Viv Jones Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: China Collins

Niger: After the coup Sep 30, 2023

Show notes

Kate Adie presents stories from Niger, Syria, Portugal, Costa Rica and the US.

French President, Emmanuel Macron announced he is withdrawing French troops from Niger, once seen as a key ally in the fight against jihadists in the Sahel, and withdrew his ambassador. Meanwhile in Niamey, people are adjusting to life under military rule after the coup in July. Mayeni Jones recounts her recent visit there.

Thousands of people have gone missing or been detained since the Syrian protests began in 2011, which escalated into a brutal civil war. Lina Sinjab spoke to people in Lebanon and Istanbul about their attempts to find out information about their relatives, often involving vast sums of money.

Portugal has for the last twenty years taken a softer approach to narcotics than other countries across the world, which impose tough penalties for the production, distribution and the consumption of substances such as heroin and cocaine. It's no longer a crime to possess drugs there for personal use. James Cook visits the city of Porto to find out what this means in practice.

Costa Rica is known for its high-quality coffee, which is grown in the mountainous regions of the central American country. But its traditionally been a male-dominated industry there. Matilda Welin visited a farm to meet one of the emerging group of female growers to hear how things are changing.

And as Republican debates get into full swing for the presidential candidacy, and an imminent US budget shutdown looms, Gary O'Donoghue reports on another flashpoint which has diverted attention from other matters of state: the Senate's dress code.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: China Collins

Exodus From Nagorno-Karabakh Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

Kate Adie presents stories from Nagorno-Karabakh, Canada, South Africa, Peru and Germany.

Tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians have fled the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in the last week. Rayhan Demytrie spoke to some on the Armenian border about the devastating impact of the recent Azeri blockade. And now they face the loss of their homeland, with distrust between both communities running deep.

Canada's assertion that India appears to have been involved in the murder of a Canadian Sikh has sparked outrage in New Delhi and beyond. The Indian government has strongly denied the allegation. In Vancouver, Neal Razzell visits the Sikh temple where the dead man, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was leader, and found out more about what happened on the fateful day.

A fire in Johannesburg at the end of August threw into sharp relief the terrible conditions in some affordable housing, which is often taken over by gangs who illegally rent out the buildings. Samantha Granville spoke to residents of the site that burned down, along with others in similarly precarious accommodation.

In Peru's capital Lima, around 2 million residents living in the poorer suburbs have no access to running water and have to pay high prices for it to be delivered to them. Peter Yeung met someone who has come up with an innovative solution: an improvised canal system which collects water from the clouds - known as 'fog-catchers'.

And finally, in Germany, a campaign is being launched to change a law that sees thousands of people sent to prison every year for travelling on public transport without a ticket. Tim Mansel meets one man helping to get people released because they haven't paid their fine.

Voices From Libya’s Flood-hit East Sep 23, 2023

Show notes

Kate Adie presents stories from Libya, Ukraine, Australia and the US

Anna Foster visits the flood-affected region of Derna, in Libya's east, where she speaks to survivors of the storm surge after two dams collapsed in the hills above the city.

In the Russian-controlled areas of Donbass in Ukraine's east, Nick Sturdee hears from residents there who have lived through nearly a decade of fighting. In an area which is hard to reach for Western journalists, he gains an insight into how the conflict is seen and understood there.

Australians are poised to vote in a referendum in October which would create a formal body for its indigenous people to give advice on laws. But the battle between the Yes and the No campaigns is reaching fever pitch - which some have described as Australia's Brexit moment. Nick Bryant has followed the story

And in the US, Maryam Ahmed talks to New Yorkers about their latest obsession: the battle against the spotted lanternfly. She learns a few techniques from locals and hears how the insects have achieved cult status.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling Editor: China Collins Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

Morocco: Tragedy in the High Atlas Mountains Sep 16, 2023

Show notes

Stories from Morocco, Gabon, Pakistan, Norway and Canada

A community in the High Atlas Mountains grapples with the devastation wrought by the strongest earthquake to hit Morocco in more than one hundred years. James Copnall visited Amizmiz where several lives were lost and homes destroyed and a harsh winter lies ahead.

The West African country of Gabon has become the latest in the region to witness a military coup, overthrowing the government of President Ali Bongo, scion of the Bongo dynasty. Catherine Norris-Trent encountered jubilation on the streets of Libraville - but asks whether pledges of democratic elections will be fulfilled.

In Pakistan, we followed the search in the country for three relatives of Sara Sharif, the ten-year old who was found dead in Woking. Her father, step-mother and Uncle have now been charged with her murder since they returned to the UK. Caroline Davies visited Sara's grandfather in his village in Punjab.

On the Norway-Russian border, there used to be a steady stream of visitors, but the war in Ukraine changed that. It remains open but Norwegians have introduced more checks on those coming over. John Murphy found a more active border in the waters of a river nearby where locals are battling to keep out a different kind of visitor.

As he returns from paternity leave, our Rome correspondent, Mark Lowen, recounts his experience of becoming a father using a surrogate in Canada, even as Italy moves to ban its nationals from engaging a surrogate abroad.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Bridget Harney

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

From Our Own Correspondent

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected