From Our Own Correspondent

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Water Wars Jun 14, 2018

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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.

The Taste Of Climate Change Jun 09, 2018

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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.

When Survival Trumps Justice Jun 07, 2018

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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.

Cloaked in Mystery Jun 02, 2018

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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.

Presidential Promises May 31, 2018

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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.

Presidential Promises May 31, 2018

Show notes

On the campaign trail in Mexico, and Zimbabwe without Mugabe - what's changed? Kate Adie introduces stories, wit, and analysis from correspondents around the world.

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.

Producer: Joe Kent.

A Boarding School For Boko Haram? May 26, 2018

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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?

Malaysia’s Political Drama May 24, 2018

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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.

From Our Home Correspondent 20/05/2018 May 20, 2018

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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

Toothpaste, Mud Bricks and Sparkling Wine May 12, 2018

Show notes

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.

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