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A 'wow' moment in Latin America Nov 14, 2019

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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

Stories Matter Nov 09, 2019

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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.

Albania's Iranian Guests Nov 07, 2019

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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.

Rugby and Typhoons Nov 02, 2019

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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

A Modern Day Evita Oct 31, 2019

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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.

South Africa's political earthquake Oct 26, 2019

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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 Basketball Row Oct 24, 2019

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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.

From Our Home Correspondent 22/10/2019 Oct 20, 2019

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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

Turkey, Syria and the Kurds Oct 19, 2019

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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.

Barcelona Boils Oct 17, 2019

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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.

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