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Difficult choices in Hong Kong Jul 09, 2020

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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

From Our Home Correspondent 07/07/2020 Jul 07, 2020

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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

Afghanistan: peace or more pain? Jul 04, 2020

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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

Did Japan get lucky? Jul 02, 2020

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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

Return to Lombardy Jun 27, 2020

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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

New lockdowns in Germany Jun 25, 2020

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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

Indigenous Australians and the police Jun 20, 2020

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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

Press Freedom in the Philippines Jun 18, 2020

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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

From Our Home Correspondent 16/06/2020 Jun 16, 2020

Show notes

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

Mumbai struggles with Covid-19 Jun 13, 2020

Show notes

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

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