From Our Own Correspondent

Latest Episodes:

Fear, Foreboding & Fake News In Kenya Aug 05, 2017

Show notes

Strange and sinister things often happen before Kenyan elections, but recent events have left the country in shock. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' tales and insights:

In Nairobi, Alastair Leithead analyses the fallout from the murder and torture of the Kenyan election commission’s head of technology.

In Italy, Bob Walker walks the Francigena pilgrim trail amidst apocalyptic scenes caused by the wildfires that are sweeping parts of the country.

In Romania, Linda Pressly enters the world of online pornography as she explores the country’s growing live webcamming industry.

In Venezuela, political turmoil continues and Vladimir Hernandez wonders what's driving so many people to risk their lives in the ongoing street protests.

And in Germany, Rob Crossan visits the place that Elvis Presley once called home and is now preparing to remember ‘The King‘ 40 years after his death. Bad Nauheim is the town that gave him the GI Blues.

Producer: Joe Kent

Fridge Magnets And Foreign Policy Aug 02, 2017

Show notes

Afghanistan’s new Top Guns and America’s dilemma over sending more US troops to the region.

Fridge Magnets and Foreign Policy Jul 28, 2017

Show notes

Afghanistan's new Top Guns and America's dilemma over sending more US troops to the region. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories.

Justin Rowlatt meets one of a new generation of Afghan fighter pilots and asks whether they can become an effective fighting force without additional support from their US allies.

Chris Haslam is in Rwanda ahead of the presidential election, but he doesn't need to wait for the vote itself to reveal who the winner is.

Antonia Quirke finds that Mexico's long-running drug war is spreading its violence to previously peaceful parts of the country.

David Shukman visits Greenland's melting ice sheet and struggles to avoid its treacherous puddles of slushy snow.

And fridge magnets and foreign policy: has Steve Rosenberg found a new way to decipher Russia's approach to global politics?

Producer: Joe Kent.

From Our Home Correspondent 23/07/2017 Jul 23, 2017

Show notes

Mishal Husain presents reports from Jersey as a childhood islander returns, from Birmingham's closing greyhound stadium, plus the reflections of an ex-children's television star.

The Heat Is On Jul 22, 2017

Show notes

Gaza's power struggle: the city where mains electricity is available for two hours a day. Kate Adie introduces this and other reports from Italy, Alaska, Nigeria and the Black Sea.

The UN has said that conditions in Gaza are becoming increasingly "unliveable". Education and healthcare are declining, and energy is becoming increasingly scarce. Yolande Knell visits some old acquaintances to find out how Gazans are managing.

Tim Whewell takes a ferry across the Black Sea joining the Ukrainians, Georgian, Azerbaijani, Kazakh and Uzbek truckers seeking routes that avoid Russia.

In Sicily, Manuela Saragosa meets a wine maker trying to resist the rural mafia which wants his land.

Claire Marshall gets a glimpse of the fast-disappearing Inupiat way of life in Alaska, and eats a glistening chunk of whale meat.

And Alastair Leithead joins the celebrations marking 50 years since the creation of Lagos State in Nigeria.

A Closed Notebook Jul 20, 2017

Show notes

People spotting, chance encounters, briefings in the pub - trying to decipher how Brexit negotiations are progressing. Kate Adie introduces this and other correspondents’ stories.

In Brussels, Adam Fleming is following negotiations on Britain’s exit from the European Union, but finding out what is going on is not easy, he finds.

In Uganda, Catherine Byaruhanga visits the place that has become home to more than 250,000 people who’ve fled war in South Sudan. Bidi Bidi is now one of the largest refugee settlements in the world.

Jake Wallis Simons spots signs of cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and asses an unlikely Middle-Eastern alliance.

Megha Mohan meets a Belarusian model hoping to make it as an online star in China.

And in Spain, Andy Jones tries not to look down as he edges along Malaga’s scary Caminito Del Rey.

The Battle For Our Beliefs Jul 15, 2017

Show notes

Retaking Raqqa, revulsion in South Africa, and remembering an attempted coup in Turkey. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world.

From Syria, Gabriel Gatehouse brings a tale of two women. One is a young Kurdish fighter trying to drive out the so called Islamic State from their de facto capital Raqqa. The other is an unrepentant jihadi bride.

One year on from the failed coup in Turkey, Mark Lowen finds a nation divided and defensive.

In Russia, the men who killed the opposition politician Boris Nemtsov may be behind bars, but that doesn’t mean we know the whole story, says Sarah Rainsford who was in court for much of their nine-month long trial.

There is no shortage of scandal in South Africa, says Andrew Harding, who has the latest on ‘state capture’ and corruption.

And Carrie Gracie reveals all about her 7,500-mile journey from China to the UK, following the route of the new Silk Road. Scorching sands, smelly camels, and dodgy lodgings are just some of the challenges she and her team faced.

The Fight Goes On Jul 13, 2017

Show notes

Myanmar’s drug vigilantes, on the front-line in Mosul, and the mystical music of Morocco. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world

Talk of War Jul 08, 2017

Show notes

Nuclear fears in South Korea, a homeless tour of Athens, and a porcupine hunt in Tanzania. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories from around the world.

Talk of war is worrying Steve Evans in the South Korean capital Seoul - he now fears for the future of his home city. In Italy, Nick Sturdee finds plain-clothes policemen following anti-migrant campaigners, while a TV drama is being filmed about the mayor opening up his town to Syrians, Bangladeshis and others. ‘Migrants wanted’ is the message Mark Stratton finds on Pitcairn Island – the British Overseas Territory with a dwindling population in the southern Pacific Ocean. Heidi Fuller-Love takes a tour of the Athens; guided by a former homeless drug addict, she’s introduced to sights of Greece most tourists are oblivious to. And in Tanzania, Dan Saladino joins one of the last remaining groups of hunter-gathers as they search for lunch.

Concrete Blocks and Opaque Glass Jul 06, 2017

Show notes

Hong Kong's micro-flats, Portugal's deadly wildfires, and scenes straight out of Charles Darwin's travel journals. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories.

In Hong Kong, Gemma Newby finds a stifling lack of space; space to live, space to call home and space to think political thoughts. In the Philippines, we meet a rebel leader turned senator. In the 1980s, his attempted coups and failed rebellions led to hundreds of people being killed - Humphrey Hawksley asks why he did it. In Portugal, Margaret Bradley reflects on the wildfires that bring devastation to swathes of the country each year and explores how conspiracy theories take hold. In Uzbekistan, even the blurriest glimpse of what's really going on in the authoritarian state represents progress, says Peter Robertson. While President Karimov was a concrete block, President Mirzeyoyev has replaced that with opaque glass, he's told. And in Tierra del Fuego, Gideon Long finds scenes straight out of Charles Darwin's travel journals as he travel through the Beagle Channel.

Producer: Joe Kent.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

From Our Own Correspondent

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected