From Our Own Correspondent

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 borde

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.

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 Worl

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

Tales of revolutions, rainforests and the migrants returning home from Libya. Kate Adie introduces stories and insight from correspondents around the world: In Nigeria, Colin Freeman meets some of the migrants who have given up on their European dreams and accepted the UN’s help to return home. The ‘Velvet Revolution’ in Armenia saw its prime minister (and former president) relinquish power – all without a shot being fired. Rayhan Demytrie was in the capital Yerevan as tens of thousands of people took to the streets demanding change. “Scum of the earth” is how one Goan politician described visitors from other parts of India, prompting Sushma Puri to try and find out what other residents of the southern Indian state think about domestic tourists. The usual rule of thumb in rainforests is that you hear lots and see little, says Huw Cordey, but things were different in Suriname thanks to his guide Fred Pansa, who might just become the most famous South American conservationist from a country few have heard of. A

Amidst the violence, there are signs of a small but growing peace movement in Afghanistan. Kate Adie introduces stories and insight from correspondent around the world: "This has again become, largely, an Afghan war," says Kate Clark in Kabul, " it is now overwhelmingly Afghans killing Afghans," but she has also noticed growing public exasperation at the conflict. Diana Darke joined the British peers and priests recently granted access to Syria by the government, but as an Arabic speaker, who knows the country well, she was able to look beyond the official narrative and what her guides wanted her to see. In a refugee camp in Bangladesh, home to some of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people who have fled violence in Myanmar, Aisha Gani stumbled across an unlikely scene. As they prepare their makeshift homes for the monsoon season, young men still find time to party. Kevin Connolly has been rummaging through his attic and wondering what the changing design of matrioshka, or Russian, dolls reveal about R

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers that reflect the range of contemporary life across the country. Andy Kershaw visits the most cluttered workbench he's ever seen to discover how restoration work is going on a monument to British endeavour in speed on water; Jane Labous samples libraries in two counties to assess exactly what they have to offer; Adrian Goldberg indulges his sweet tooth among the burgeoning dessert shops of Birmingham; Ruth Alexander discovers how the town that's trying to turn itself around - literally - is faring; and Travis Elborough discovers perestroika among sixty thousand tulips on the South Downs. Producer: Simon Coates

Chechnya's bucolic beauty, touching hospitality and jihadi brides now lost in Iraq. Caroline Wyatt introduces correspondents' tales from around the world:Chechnya's bucolic beauty, touching hospitality and jihadi brides now lost in Iraq. Caroline Wyatt introduces correspondents' tales from around the world. In the foothills of the Caucasus mountains, Tim Whewell meets a woman whose life has been on agonising, soul-destroying hold ever since her daughter left to join Islamic State. Nick Beake wonders whether freedom of the press is on trial in Myanmar as he crams into a Yangon courtroom where two journalists are in the dock accused of receiving classified documents as part of their investigations into the massacre of Rohingya people. Nicola Kelly is in Tindouf, in Algeria, with Saharawi families who still dream of returning to their homes in Western Sahara which they were driven from by Moroccan troops in 1975. Laurence Blair finds that ghosts of its long dictatorship are haunting Paraguay as it prepares to

The twists in Brazil's politics recently would shame the most melodramatic TV soap opera - but as she reported on last week's tense stand-off, with ex-President Lula da Silva at bay, Katy Watson was also moved to reflect on how polarised the political climate has become. As some Brazilians blame Lula for everything and profess nostalgia for the days of dictatorship, others denounce the media as lying right-wingers. In South India there's more drama as Andrew Whitehead traces the intimate relationship between the Tamil-language cinema box office, and the ballot box in local elections. Lorraine Mallinder reports from Guinea Bissau on whether international efforts to suppress the cocaine traffic have really driven the drug trade out, or just driven it underground. As the city of Basel prepares to mark the 75th anniversary of history's first LSD trip - with a commemorative bicycle ride - Matt Pickles traces the long and strange relationship between this rather staid place and one of the world's most notorious hal

Nick Thorpe in Hungary, contemplating this weekend's parliamentary election, wonders whether a recent vote in a small town near the Croatian border portends change for prime minister Viktor Orban or politics as usual. Claire Bolderson is in eastern Ohio, where opioid drug addiction has become the most serious public health crisis to hit the mid-Western US state in a generation. Speaking to recovering addicts, she discovers how it's affected their lives and communities - and their job prospects. Attending a premier of the new blockbuster movie, "Black Panther", in Guangzhou reveals to Marcus Ryder just how close the link between China and Africa has become - and what it may mean for the future. Rebecca Henschke in Jakarta considers what it has meant for her to go viral with stories three times in recent months in a country where social media platforms command huge numbers of enthusiastic users. And in Zambia Nick Miles speaks to firefighters in the capital and discovers they often have more than just flames to

Kim Jong Un’s train rolls into to Beijing as the North Korean leader meets President Xi. Kate Adie introduces stories, wit, and analysis from correspondents around the world: China correspondents were once known as tealeaf readers, now they’ve become motorcade analysts and trainspotters says Stephen McDonell, as he tries to unpick the meaning of Kim Jong Un’s surprise visit to Beijing. Jonah Fisher has the story of Nadya Savchenko and her journey from prison to national hero and back to prison again. Bethany Bell explores why Austria won’t be implementing a smoking ban any time soon and finds out what the coffee drinkers of Vienna think of that. Mike Wendling joins the pro-gun control crowds at the ‘March For Our Lives’ in Washington DC and reflects on how things have changed since he was a teenager in the US when he and his classmates would shoot at paper targets in their school’s basement. And in Morocco, Kieran Cooke learns what impact Chinese tourists are having on Fes and comes face to face with the he

The US Air Force has a third of its drones stationed at Kandahar airbase in Afghanistan. Kate Adie introduces stories, insight, and analysis from correspondents around the world: During almost two weeks with US Forces in Afghanistan, Justin Rowlatt gets a glimpse of the intensity of the air war that is a key part of President Trump’s new strategy there. In Belarus , Lucy Ash hears talk of dancing tractors and virtual tanks tearing through computer generated downs – unlikely indicators of economic success. Paul Blake returns to the British Virgin Islands to see how they’re coping six months after Hurricane Irma tore through the Caribbean. Jane Dyson marvels at the Pandav Lila – an epic, twelve-day re-enactment of the Hindu Mahabharata which consumes a village high up in the Indian Himalayas every two years. And Petroc Trelawny meets a Transylvania aristocrat who’s just got his castle back three-quarters of a century after it was seized.

How was Boko Haram able to kidnap more than one hundred school girls in Dapchi, Nigeria? Kate Adie introduces stories and analysis from correspondents around the world:A failure of the security services, conflicting official accounts, and misinformation - Stephanie Hegarty examines the similarities between Boko Haram’s 2014 attack in Chibok and the kidnapping in Dapchi last month. In Bolivia, Laurence Blair visits the multi-million-pound museum celebrating the country’s President and asks how much longer can Evo Morales can stay in power? In Greece, Sally Howard meets the anarchists who now see helping migrants, rather than spray-painting buildings or throwing Molotov cocktails at cops, as the best way to further their cause. In Afghanistan, Auliya Atrafi reveals how repeated foreign interventions have only made his fellow Afghans more inventive in their conspiracy theories. From judges to generals everyone seems to accept that foreign powers are to blame for almost everything. And in the US, Graeme Fife

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.We hear how a small Scottish market town is responding to the new that its last remaining bank branch is scheduled for closure; what a flag-waving, Cornish yomp through the sand dunes and encounter with a 1500 year-old holy man reveals about the place and people; how the English, who once prided themselves on not cheating at sport and their sense of fair play, are adjusting to a different moral position; why the forthcoming abolition of tolls on the River Severn road crossings may intensify enthusiasm among the English for living in Wales; and what a humble kitchen worktop can reveal about origins, belonging and what's in a name. Producer: Simon Coates

Is this going to be the moment when China's trajectory changed forever? Correspondents share their stories, wit, and analysis from around the world. Introduced by Kate Adie: With Xi Jinping now effectively allowed to remain in power for life, after the two-term limit on the presidency was removed, John Sudworth reflects on what this means for China and the rest of the world. Steve Rosenberg examines Russia's ever-shifting relationship with the West from the frozen rust-belt town of Karabash. Linda Pressly reports from Tysfjord, where police have revealed decades’ worth of allegations of sexual abuse in the tiny Norwegian community close to the Arctic Circle. Simon Maybin is on the tropical Panamanian island of Carti Sugdub to find out more about plans to move its entire population to the mainland and by doing so escape rising sea levels. And Lindsay Johns tries (and sometimes fails) to make himself understood in South Africa - the proudly polyglot nation.