From Our Own Correspondent

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Strange Locations and Free Minds Jul 01, 2017

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A nightmare ferry journey in The Gambia, a musical metro ride under East Berlin and a Shakespearean train journey in Russia. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories.

In Pakistan, Secunder Kermani explores why the university student Mashal Khan, who was accused of blasphemy, ended up beaten to death by an angry mob on campus.

In The Gambia, Shaimaa Khalil makes the long and arduous commute across the River Gambia. The ferries – which are often over-crowed and much delayed - are the only way for many people to reach the capital Banjul. As Brexit negotiations continue, Kevin Connolly recalls his first trip to ‘The Continent‘ in the year that Britain joined what was to become the European Union.

In Russian, Kirsty Lang finds that cultural ties to Britain remain strong, despite souring diplomatic relations.

And despite attempts to keep Western music out of East Germany during the Cold War, Chris Bowlby discovers that, in strange locations and in free minds, many refused to dance to the communist tune.

Building A Better Future Jun 29, 2017

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Narcopolitics in Paraguay, demolitions in Moscow and the incessant barking of feral dogs in Seychelles. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories from around the world.

In Moscow, Polina Ivanova visits one of the thousands of Soviet-era housing blocks earmarked for demolition as part one of the biggest urban redevelopment projects ever undertaken. While many residents support the plans, others suspect it’s a ruse to divert money to construction companies. In Paraguay, Laurence Blair meets the journalist who relies on an around the clock police guard, as he to tries to stay safe reporting on the country’s violent drug trade.

In Seychelles, Tim Ecott is met by barking dogs, loud music and some selfish-driving – some of the more unwelcome signs of growing social freedom. Dave Lee joins the queues of people willing to wait for hours to get the chance to play the latest computer games before almost anyone else - even if only for a brief moment. And Sara Wheeler takes an architectural tour of Sri Lanka discovering that modernisation on the island often means working with what you’ve got – however ancient, rather than starting again.

From Our Home Correspondent 25/06/17 Jun 27, 2017

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Mishal Husain presents four dispatches, including Annalena McAfee on a Cotswold utopia, Ed Smith on leadership in cricket and John Ashton on the diabetes he, like his father, has.

Dressed For Success Jun 24, 2017

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Tight-fitting briefs in Mongolia, matching Donald Trump t-shirts in Iowa, NATO camouflage and some cut-off jeans in Romania. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories.

In Romania, Emily Unia watches NATO put on a show of force; 4,000 troops, drawn from nine different countries, backed by helicopters and armoured vehicles – serious stuff, or so she was expecting. In America, Rajini Vaidyanathan meets the Trump fans willing to sleep on the pavement in order to bag a prime spot at one of the President’s rallies. Jonathan Fryer finds entrepreneurial spirit, criminal enterprise, and death in Madagascar. In Indian-administered Kashmir, Melissa Van Der Klugt discovers an unlikely, but remarkable, archive of the region’s troubled history. And Rajan Datar finds himself face to face with a 15 stone Mongolian wrestler who is dressed in small, tight-fitting briefs, long leather boots and a collarless shirt that leaves his chest exposed.

Identity Politics Jun 22, 2017

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A blood sausage, a clockwork orange and a glass of dirty water. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories from around the world.

Kill A Chicken To Scare The Monkey Jun 17, 2017

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Tales from Thailand, Morocco, Myanmar, Kenya and the US-Mexico border. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories.

In a Chang Mai prison, Jonathan Head meets a woman facing more than a decade in jail, convicted of insulting the monarchy and sentenced under Thailand’s lèse majesté laws. Colin Freeman wonders whether change might be coming to Morocco as protests spread across the country – the largest since 2011, the era of the Arab Spring. Jonah Fisher looks back on his three and a half years in Myanmar and wonders how he went from eating cake with Aung San Suu Kyi in her home, to shouting questions at her at public rallies. Harriet Constable joins the roller-blading cool kids of Nairobi and finds a welcome distraction from warnings of violence ahead of Kenya’s upcoming general election. And on the US/Mexico border, Victoria Gill goes in search of the Sonoran Pronghorn as researchers try to assess what impact President Trump's plan for an "impassable barrier" might have on wildlife.

Village People Jun 15, 2017

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From the Valley of Peace in Belize to a Libyan militia base, Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories from around the world.

In Tripoli, Tom Stevenson is given a tour by one of the country’s many militias and gets a rare glimpse of how the armed groups operate. In North Korea, Steve Evans learns that answering back may mean you never get to go back, despite his best efforts at reconciliation through whisky. Nina Lakhani reports from the Belizean village that became home to those fleeing violence in Central America in the 1980s and is now attracting a new wave of migrants. Graeme Fife returns to the place he once called home in rural French and, to his surprise, finds new life flowing into a once-moribund village. And animatronic wise men and a robotic Adam and Eve greet Heidi Fuller-Love as she takes a tour of a religious theme park in trans-gender friendly Argentina.

Producer: Joe Kent

Looking For Trouble Jun 10, 2017

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From the barricades of Venezuela’s street protests to the security scanners in an Egyptian airport - Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories from around the world.

Gideon Long joins protestors in Venezuela, finding the threat of violence is never far away. From Dublin, Vincent Woods reflects on Ireland’s response to the London Bridge terror attack and takes comfort in his memories of an English Imam singing traditional Irish songs. A pat-down by security staff in Cairo Airport leads to an unexpected lesson in women’s emancipation for Claire Read. Ed Davey goes in search of both good and bad voodoo in Benin, and in southern India, Andrew Whitehead stumbles across a tragic love story and one of the last remnants of the Jewish presence there.

Producer: Joe Kent

Hard To Stomach Jun 08, 2017

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Tea with the Taliban in Afghanistan, radioactive wild boar goulash in the Czech Republic, and past its best parsley in Denmark. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories.

Auliya Atrafi gained rare access to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and found a group keen to give the impression that there is more to it than military muscle. Claire Bolderson meets the women fighting back against machismo in Peru, and James Jeffrey watches the flow of refugees that continue to cross the Eritrean border into Ethiopia. In the Czech Republic, Rob Cameron takes a trip to the national park where wild boars roam free – some of them radioactive. And in Denmark, Christine Finn finds wrinkled mushrooms and wilted parsley on sale in a shop that wants us to think differently about food that’s past its best before date.

Producer: Joe Kent

Love Those Shoes Jun 05, 2017

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The sounds of protest, popping champagne corks and the piercing shrieks of megabats. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories from around the world. Aleem Maqbool watches a confederate monument fall in America’s south, and wonders what difference statues and symbols really make. In Egypt, activists tell Orla Guerin that while previous leaders may have tried to restrict the space for civil society, President Sisi wants to eliminate it. They claim their strongman leader has been emboldened by Donald Trump who has praised his work - and his shoes. In Australia, Phil Mercer finds that residents of Sydney are not too happy with their new neighbours. Megabats or flying-foxes fly in gothic squadrons, emit a piercing cacophony and leave behind a lingering stench. In the shadow of towering glass and steel skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Rob Crossan has lunch in the traditional Malay village trying to resist the tides of gentrification and modernisation. And Juliet Rix has a drink in France, as she meets the women shaking up the champagne industry. Producer: Joe Kent

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