Podcast appearances and mentions of adam easton

Kate Adie introduces dispatches from Egypt, Poland, the USA, Malaysia, and the Mekong River.Arab leaders convened in Egypt this week to draw up a post-war plan for Gaza - and to counter Donald Trump's proposal to turn it into the 'riviera of the Middle East'. Lyse Doucet travelled to Cairo to report on the new Arab resolve, but found herself being pulled back into the city's own tumultuous history.Increased uncertainty about the future of Ukraine is fueling a sense of unease in neighboring Poland. The question of 'how safe are we?' is a hot topic of discussion in the country's current presidential election campaign. Adam Easton reports from Warsaw.In order to tackle the country's opioid crisis, some US states are focussing less on prosecution, and more on treatment. The first state to decriminalise the personal possession of hard drugs was Oregon back in 2020 – a decision it would come to reverse in 2024. Martin Vennard has been to the famously progressive state to find out what's been happening.Malaysia has become a global hub for recycling, importing an estimated five million tonnes of plastic each year - but does it really make a difference? Leanna Hosea went to find out what happens to the world's waste once it arrives.Finally, we head to the banks of the Mekong River, where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet. Matthew Gwyther travelled through the region and reflects on how its past and present have being shaped by dominant powers.Series Producer: Serena Tarling Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production Coordinators: Katie Morrison & Sophie Hill

Adam Easton, BBC Correspondent in Warsaw, explains the main issues for voters ahead of June 7th.

Kate Adie presents stories from Australia, Poland, the US, Cameroon and Cape Verde. Australians are voting in a historic referendum on whether or not to recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the country's constitution, and create a body that can advise governments on issues affecting their communities. After months of campaigning voters are bitterly divided, as Katy Watson found out. Poland's upcoming election could result in an unprecedented third consecutive term for the incumbent right-wing populist government. Adam Easton travels to the Polish countryside to find out why the government remains popular. The suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona's state capital, are among the fastest-growing in America. As brand new homes and offices spring up, there's a problem developing beneath them. Mark Moran reports from a desert state that is running out of groundwater. The Ngonnso statue, held in the collection of a Berlin museum, holds cultural and spiritual significance for the Nso people of Cameroon. Kim Chakanetsa meets the activist who successfully campaigned for the Ngonnso's repatriation. And October marks the end of the nesting and hatching season for Cape Verde's loggerhead sea turtles. Rob Crossan takes a night time walk along the beach to catch sight of one. Producer: Viv Jones Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

Our first foray into the real world, Warfighter Live hosted its first panel discussion at DSET in Bristol and kindly sponsored by VRAI - more about them below. We were joined by a highly experienced guests that brought a diverse range of views to the discussion:Lucy Walton - Head of Training at BAE SystemsNeil Curren - R&D Lead at VRAIAdam Easton - CEO of SimCentricWim Huiskamp - Scientific Advisor at NATO Modelling & Simulation GroupThere is currently lots of discussion in the Simulation & Training community about the role of Platforms. But what does this word even mean?We posed a few questions to our panellists to gain some better perspectives and understanding of this complex topic:What does the word ‘Platform' mean to you?How can a platform approach improve interoperability for training?Can platforms drive the adoption of standards?Are ecosystems important for a platform? Who is best placed to run a platform - industry or government?What are the dangers of a platform approach?How do we avoid ‘Platform' just becoming just a marketing term?If you had to replace the world platform with any other word or phrase for defence simulation, what would it be?An animated discussion ensued, with lots of good points made by all…plus questions from our live event audience!Hosts:Tom Constable: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-constable/ Colin Hillier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinhillier/Guests:Lucy Walton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-walton-9b0332239/Neil Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-curran1/Wim Huiskamp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wimhuiskamp/Adam Easton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-easton-b5a3542b/Links:Website: https://www.warfighterpodcast.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/warfighter-digital/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkgiH-cwmyc2I2Iyc8MLYtgTwitter:

From the BBC World Service: China has written off or renegotiated $76 billion worth of borrowing in the last 18 months that had been issued as part of its huge infrastructure project. Louise Loo, senior economist at Oxford Economics, tell us what this means for China moving forward. Plus, the BBC’s Adam Easton explains why Poland has placed a temporary ban on Ukrainian grain exports. And, can you buy happiness? One gaming giant hopes so as they launch a takeover for the company that makes Angry Birds.

From the BBC World Service: China has written off or renegotiated $76 billion worth of borrowing in the last 18 months that had been issued as part of its huge infrastructure project. Louise Loo, senior economist at Oxford Economics, tell us what this means for China moving forward. Plus, the BBC’s Adam Easton explains why Poland has placed a temporary ban on Ukrainian grain exports. And, can you buy happiness? One gaming giant hopes so as they launch a takeover for the company that makes Angry Birds.

Refugees cramming onto trains brings back memories of the Second World War, amid an invasion that heralds a grim new political reality The war in Ukraine has brought back some uncomfortable memories. Refugees crowding on to trains in eastern European snow to escape a war. Young men volunteering to fight for their country and being sent into harm's way with almost no training. And the possibility that a new Cold War between Russia and the US and Europeans could be upon us, says Jeremy Bowen. When Belarus opened its country to tens of thousands of mostly Middle Eastern migrants and refugees last year and started pushing them across the border into Poland, most Poles supported the government's refusal to let them in. Yet Poland is now facing a refugee crisis on a much bigger scale. Close to two million people, have crossed into Poland in just three weeks. Adam Easton met one of those Poles and the refugee he is supporting. Attempts to create humanitarian corridors over recent weeks from besieged cities like Mariupol and Kharkiv have frequently been stymied by continued Russian attacks, imperilling efforts by residents to flee. At the border between Poland and Ukraine, Kasia Madera met one woman travelling from Kharkiv to Germany with her children. Australia's east coast has seen some of the worst flooding in the country's history over recent weeks with more than 20 people killed in intense downpours. Viv Nunis met some of the residents whose homes had been destroyed. China was the place where Covid-19 first emerged, but it was also the first place to get back to something resembling normality. But that all changed this week, as new cases jumped - and authorities imposed draconian new restrictions to maintain its 'zero Covid strategy'. Normal life for tens of millions of people, says Robin Brant in Shanghai - has stopped, again. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling Editor: Emma Close

Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced a 35-hour curfew to end on Thursday morning, the first curfew to be put in place in daytime. It comes after the leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia visited Kyiv. We get analysis of their visit from our Poland correspondent Adam Easton. Also in the programme, the BBC's Victoria Craig speaks to the president of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, about the the latest round of European sanctions against Russia. The city of Lviv in the west of Ukraine has been seen as a place of sanctuary for many fleeing conflict elsewhere in the country. But the war has now arrived on Lviv's doorstep, and we get reaction from Liana Semchuk from the UK-based risk analysis firm Sibylline. And, after many Western companies have announced their withdrawal from Russia, we look at those businesses who say ending their operations there is easier said than done. Fergus Nicoll is joined throughout the programme by Peter Landers of the Wall Street Journal in Tokyo, and by Sarah Birke from The Economist in Mexico City. (Picture: A damaged living room in Kyiv. Picture credit: Getty Images.)

Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced a 35-hour curfew to end on Thursday morning, the first curfew to be put in place in daytime. It comes after the leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia visited Kyiv. We get analysis of their visit from our Poland correspondent Adam Easton. Also in the programme, we speak to the president of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, about the the latest round of European sanctions against Russia. The city of Lviv in the west of Ukraine has been seen as a place of sanctuary for many fleeing conflict elsewhere in the country. But the war has now arrived on Lviv's doorstep, and we get reaction from Liana Semchuk from the UK-based risk analysis firm Sibylline.

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues we look into Mr Putin's strategy with Sergei Markov, former MP with Putin's United Russia Party and now Director of the Institute of Political Studies in Moscow. And the SWIFT banking system is in the spotlight with calls to withdraw Russia's access to it; Germany however appears reluctant because of the country's reliance on Russian gas. We get analysis from Jakob Schlanz, editor in chief of the energy section of the Tagespiele newspaper in Berlin. The BBC's Adam Easton brings us the latest from Poland, where thousands of Ukrainians are fleeing to. And we're joined throughout the programme by Norman Hermant, ABC's Social affairs reporter who's based in Melbourne; Jyoti Malhotra, National & Strategic Affairs Editor at The Print in Delhi and Erin Delmore, a political reporter in New York. (Picture description: Ukrainian refugees are seen crossing the Polish border in Medyka. Picture by Attila Husejnow via Getty Images)

Thousands of Ukrainian people, including young children, are walking for hours to reach the border of neighbouring Poland, as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine. The BBC's Adam Easton is in Poland and tells us how the refugees are being received. Germany worries about its future energy supply as most comes from Russia, making it tough to punish Putin for fear of energy related retaliation, says editor in chief of German newspaper Tagesspiegel, Jakob Schlandt. And the effect of the invasion on oil and gas prices on the global stock markets has been surprising, says Chris Low from FHN Financial in New York.

Adam Easton, BBC Warsaw reports on those arriving in Poland

Bosnia was the site of Europe's worst conflict Europe since the Second World War ended. Fighting there in the 1990s ended up killing around a hundred thousand people. Bosnian Serbs were pitted against Croats, and Muslim so-called Bosniaks. This was an old-fashioned battle for territory, and it only ended when a compromise was reached – that Bosnia would remain one country, but with two regions each having a certain degree of autonomy. There would be one, predominantly Serb region, and another joint Croat and Muslim. This was always a fragile solution, a fudge, some said, to ease the country away from bloodshed. But now, bits of that peace deal are beginning to look rather frayed, and some have even spoken of a return to fighting. While few predict war any time soon, Guy Delauney say this is still highly dangerous talk. You can understand why Poles are just a little sensitive about being told what to do by outsiders. Their country has suffered repeated invasion and occupation, and at times, has vanished off the map altogether. There were wild celebrations when Poland was accepted for membership of the European Union back in 2003. This was seen first of all as a mark of respectability, recognition that it had become a modern, free market democracy. But many Poles believed membership of the EU also took the country another step further away from the embrace of Russia to the east, while leaving it closer knit with friendly countries to the west. Today, EU membership remains popular in Poland, but not so the EU itself. The Polish government has promised to defy instructions emanating from Brussels, and indeed is currently facing a fine of one million Euros a day imposed by the European Court of Justice, for refusing to abide by previous rulings. Adam Easton has been looking at what is one of Europe's most intense love-hate relationships. The COP summit on climate change chalked up an achievement this week. Delegates in Glasgow signed an agreement to stop deforestation by 2030, promising they would make attempts to reverse it. This follows decades in which vast swathes of forest have been chopped down, to provide wood, and to open up tracts land for growing crops on, often to feed animals which are then raised to provide meat. But the axe and the chainsaw are not the only threat which trees face. Climate change is already altering the conditions in which they grow, and sometimes with terrible consequences for individual trees and indeed, for the very landscape in which they flourish, as Jenny Hill discovered in Germany. The effects of climate change may be slow and initially barely visible, but sometimes they are all too clear. This summer just past saw record temperatures in parts of Europe, and out of control fires as a consequence. Trees in Greece were burned to a cinder, as one part of the country after another succumbed to the flames. Bethany Bell reported on those fires, and now she has been back to watch people picking up the pieces after this devastation, and also talking to those trying to figure out how to stop it happening again. The Europe of today is very much shaped by its experience of war and political upheaval. Bosnia's conflict was born out of the collapse of Yugoslavia, a nation which itself was created out of the ashes of World War One. The EU was formed as an attempt to ensure that such a Europe-wide conflict would never happen again, and that democracy would become the rule. Even the natural landscape was shaped in part by war, with the need for food security high in people's minds. And yet it remains an open question whether the lessons of this turbulent past have really been learned. A few thousand miles away from his original home in Vienna, Hilary Andersson spoke to a man who witnessed perhaps the worst of Europe's modern history. Lying in hospital, just days from death, he shared his memories of the Nazis, and his fear that the value and fragility of democracy risks being forgotten.

Adam Easton reports from Warsaw on the conflict between Polish Government and the EU.

There is only one power Jair Bolsonaro thinks can remove him from power, and that is God - at least that's what Brazil's President, told his audience at a rally on Tuesday. He had called on people to come out and support him at events across the country - and come out they did, though not perhaps the million he had hoped would attend. Mr Bolsonaro clearly wanted to demonstrate that he still has voter pulling power, what with his poll ratings tumbling ahead of elections next year. Many blame him for the huge toll from Covid, a disease the President famously once dismissed as "the sniffles." Now, there are more than half a million Brazilians dead from coronavirus, yet he remains unapologetic. Tuesday's rally saw the President on full throttle, railing against the Supreme Court, which is currently investigating him in response to various allegations - the judges, he said, were communists. Watching all this in Sao Paolo was Andrew Downie. When you hear that a country has declared a state of emergency, you might wonder what kind of calamity has befallen it – a natural disaster perhaps, or invasion by a foreign army. Poland declared a state of emergency this week, but not for any of these reasons. Rather it was a fear that thousands of refugees and illegal immigrants are about to come pouring across the country's border from next door Belarus. Hundreds have arrived already - most it seems originally from Afghanistan and Iraq. Belarus's President Aleksander Lukashenko, stands accused of encouraging these people to cross from his country into Poland – as a way of provoking the Polish government. Meanwhile, caught in the middle, are the new arrivals themselves, many trapped in no-man's land on the Belarus-Polish border, as Adam Easton explains. It was “farewell Mutti” from German MPs this week – “Mutti” being the German word for “mum,” and the nickname given to the country's chancellor, Angela Merkel. She made her final speech to the country's Parliament, two weeks before Germany holds national elections. The result of that contest is still very hard to predict, with polls showing the different political parties yoyo-ing up and down in popularity. However, there is one outcome which is certain: Chancellor Merkel will no longer be Chancellor – she will stand down at the end of the process, after nearly sixteen years in power. She was famously Germany's first female leader , and also the first from the formerly communist East Germany … and yet, not all these labels are quite as straightforward as they seem, according to Damien McGuiness. The attacks of September 11th twenty years ago marked the beginning of what was called the “Global War on Terror.” This was conducted in many countries and in different ways – western countries fearing they may be targeted, just as New York's Twin Towers and the Pentagon had been. And it was fought against countries accused of harbouring terrorists, most notably Afghanistan. With US troops pulling out of Afghanistan last month, there's no sign of that “War on Terror” abating. One place that it continues to be fought with particular ferocity is in Africa – from Tunisia in the north, which has seen horrific bomb and gun attacks on civilians, to Mozambique in the continent's southeast, where a relatively new Islamist insurgency has cost many lives. Catherine Byaruhanga has been to many of these hot-spots, and reflects on how Africa has fared since 9-11.

Several senior figures have been arrested at Hong Kong's pro-democracy paper Apple Daily. We get reaction to the developments from Hong Kong investor Alan Zeman of the Lan Kwai Fong Group, and Selina Cheng, who is a senior reporter with Hong Kong Free Press. Also in the programme, a slim majority of countries at the UN's shipping agency, the International Maritime Organisation, have voted in favour of a package of measures that will require companies to reduce their carbon intensity in the coming years, but will allow overall emissions to keep rising. Critics have dismissed the plans as not being ambitious enough, and we find out more from Simon Bergulf, regulatory affairs director at the world's largest shipping company, Maersk. The BBC's Adam Easton brings us the latest in a dispute between the Czech Republic and Poland over water shortages said to be caused by a coal mine in Poland. Plus, with the popularity of one-day and Twenty20 cricket formats on the rise, we ask whether it is game over for the five day test match version of the game.

Rules have been tightening for same sex couples in Poland in recent years. Civil unions are not legally recognized and same sex couples are barred from adopting children, but a loophole currently allows applicants to adopt as single parents. Now the government wants to close that loophole. Adam Easton has spoken to the people affected, some of whom are now considering leaving. Lebanon's second city, Tripoli, gained notoriety for its flamboyant anti-government protests in 2019 over the severe economic decline seen across the country. Despite the extreme poverty, and the impact of the pandemic, some of the city's residents are keen to be part of an economic revival, finds Lemma Shehadi. In Taiwan, we hear the stories of couples who were married under the traditional simpua system. The practice, where a family would adopt a pre-adolescent girl as a future bride for their son, eventually phased out in the sixties and seventies, largely due to the economic boom. Sally Howard spoke to some of the men and women who married according to the tradition, with mixed results. On the Greek island of Corfu there's a small haven set on a hill above the main town - a cemetery set in a well-tended garden, where bougainvilleas, orchids and Cyprus trees line the path ... frequented by a few wild tortoises. The long-serving caretaker recently died and is now buried there. But Julia Langdon visited the garden when he was still alive - he took her for a tour. In Canada, the authorities have been encouraging people to look after their physical and mental health during the pandemic by getting outside. In Ottawa, this involves winter hikes and cross country skiing - and river surfing, as Sian Griffiths discovered. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

Kyle Schwarber is heading to DC. The Nats had a void in their outfield after choosing to move on from Adam Easton. Schwarber will slot in as a middle-of-the-order bat at a corner outfield spot. Will we be seeing Juan Soto in right field? Schwarber belted a career high 38 home runs in 2019 and he'll look to regain that form.

In Poland, the socially conservative President Andrzej Duda was very narrowly re-elected, defeating the more progressive mayor of Warsaw, Rafal Trzaskowski. Mr Duda is a close ally of the nationalist and Catholic Law and Justice government. Mr Trzaskowski favours a more proactive role in the EU and supports minorities’ rights. Adam Easton speaks with young activists. Los Angeles has become a coronavirus hotspot, LA County has more cases than any other county in the US. Hospitals are running short of beds and a second lockdown may be imposed. Hollywood films aren't being screened, and the homeless have nowhere to sleep or wash. David Willis reports on the dark side of the City of Angels. Ghana declared 2019 the Year of Return, appealing to African Americans to visit the homeland their ancestors had been taken from, 400 years after the first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia. Following the George Floyd killing in the US, the appeal was renewed. Thomas Naadi meets some of the 5000 African Americans who now live in Ghana. Italy's city of Rimini on the Adriatic coast is celebrating its local son, famous film director Federico Fellini, who would have been 100 years old this year. The coronavirus has been affecting some of the plans, but not all is lost. Juliet Rix visits Fellini's favourite hotel in Rimini, and has lunch with his niece. Cuba has dealt with the pandemic better than most in Latin America, with monthly death rates now in single digits. During the worst of the outbreak , our correspondent there, Will Grant, was in the UK and has only now managed to make it back to his patch – where he found a nation well on top of Covid-19 but facing serious economic challenges. Presenter: Kate Adie Producers: Arlene Gregorius and Serena Tarling

Much thought this week on borders, on nationality and how we get on with our neighbours even at the commemorations to mark the liberation of Auschwitz. The Nazis murdered 1.1 million people at the death camp - ninety per cent of them Jews, but also Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, and people from the Roma and Sinti minorities. Two hundred survivors and world leaders from 60 countries. United in remembering but, 75 years on says Adam Easton, the anniversary was overshadowed by disagreements between Russia and Poland about their respective roles in World War II. The bushfires , fuelled in a large part by the relentless drought, have brought the climate change debate to the fore in Australia. But the prime minister – a big supporter of the fossil fuel industry – has refused to make any changes to the government’s climate policy. This week the state of New South Wales said it would open an independent inquiry into the on-going fires to examine both the causes and how the state responded to them. Shaimaa Khalil met people from a once thriving tourist town on the coast which went up in flames on New Year’s Eve. Politicians in Ireland are making their final pitches before voters head to the polls next Thursday. For generations two centrist parties - Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil - have dominated the country’s politics and, in recent years, the two have been in an uneasy alliance. Fine Gael’s leader Leo Varadkar, of Indian heritage and openly gay, has been something of a poster boy for the new Ireland. While his government has won plaudits from some corners overseas, particularly for its handling of Brexit, it is facing growing criticism at home. Ireland’s political scene is fast fragmenting, says Kieran Cooke. Many think of Antarctica as a vast empty expanse of snow and ice, punctuated by the odd penguin or polar explorer. But actually the world’s southernmost continent is home to 75 research stations run by 30 countries. Justin Rowlatt was there for tow months with a team of British and American scientists reporting on the most complex scientific field project in Antarctic history. But thanks to a storm, he spent a bit longer than planned at the US research station, McMurdo and discovered the delights and the drawbacks of life in the world’s coldest town. Jordan has one of the highest levels of water scarcity in the world. A warming planet and population growth are making the problem worse. But increasing numbers of women there are picking up pliers, spanners and drain rods and taking matters into their own hands. In the capital Amman, Charlie Faulkner met the country’s first female plumber.

In 1918 Poland regained its sovereignty after 123 years of occupation by Austria, Prussia and Russia. This year Poles celebrated its centenary with a state organised march through the capital, Warsaw, which an estimated quarter of a million people attended. The parade, and the headlines, were overshadowed by the government’s last-minute decision to march together with far-right groups. Adam Easton was in Warsaw marching among the nationalists and the patriots. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. David Baillie is with NATO in Norway where some of the companies singing really takes the cake. Humera Iqbal talks to a young Pakistani DJ who uses Electronic Dance Music to save traditional instruments from extinction. Adam Jones finds out how the idea of moderation works in the land of excess And Dany Mitzman is in Italy where the graffiti is surprisingly educational.

In this episode Tom has just moved into a his new room in Wandsworth and is getting to know his live-in landlord Martin (Jeff Innocent) before he heads out for his weekly shop at Tesco. Tom learns the house rules: the main one being that he's not allowed guests when Martin's out. But Tom already has plans to start recording a weekly podcast from home to salvage his faltering career! His first guest is double Fosters winning comedian John Kearns, who discusses soup, bleeding gums, mental health and why the Barbican is bollocks.  Tom Ward - As himself Martin - Jeff Innocent John Kearns - As 'himself' Molly Offended - Katie Norris 'Why don't you fancy me?' - Performed by Norris and Parker  All music - Lawrence Diamond & Adam Easton (aka LNLY)

This week's edition contains: The fire-gutted Glasgow School of Art's Mackintosh Building must be restored as - discuss; the Pitsburgh Post-Gazette editorial cartoonist who was sacked for his anti-Trump work talks about the effect The Donald has had on journalistic freedom; writer Kim Newman remembers the titan of sci-fi writing, Harlan Ellison, who died this week, aged 84; BBC correspondent Adam Easton looks at Poland's difficult relationship with its World War II past; and in this week's Long Interview Isabel Fraser talks to the former Chief Medical Officer of both Scotland and England, Sir Kenneth Calman, the man who gave his name to one of the key White Papers on Scottish devolution.

Ending corruption in Ukraine and the woman enslaved by ISIS now trying to tell her story. Kate Adie introduces insight and analysis from correspondents around the world: Viktor Yanukovych and his associates are accused of stealing billions during his time as president, but are they still be benefiting from corruption? Simon Maybin surveys the scene from a snowy rooftop in Kiev. Stacey Dooley joins a 23-year-old Yazidi woman as she returns to find the house where she was held captive by ISIS in Mosul. She wants to tell her story but finds herself unexpectedly silenced. An assault on freedom of speech or an attempt to protect a nation’s dignity? Adam Easton explores the controversy around a new law in Poland which proposes prison sentences for anyone blaming the country for Nazi crimes against Jews. Simon Broughton meets a Mozambican artist turning bullets, guns and old mobiles phones into works of art. And Megha Mohan confronts a taboo in India: why menstruating women are often denied access to temples. Left out of her own grandmother's last rites, she's left wondering why.

In a week of remembrance and recollection, Jannat Jalil explains how the French authorities - who are preparing to remember those killed in last November's Paris attacks - find other deaths on the capital's streets more than fifty years ago far more difficult to commemorate. Adam Easton in Warsaw reflects on how Poles saw their country's recent history in the life and work of one of their leading film directors, Andrzej Wajda, who died this week. Carrie Gracie in Beijing joins one of the Chinese Communist Party's new pilgrimage tours to revolutionary martyr sites from the civil war era of the twentieth century which President Xi Jinping wants party members to attend in order to rekindle ideological fervour. Robin Denselow reports on how Turkey's volatile political situation is having an effect on Islamic cooperation even at Sufi festivals, like the famous one he visited at Konya. And we remember Chris Simpson, a long-standing and distinguished contributor to "From Our Own Correspondent", who died suddenly this week. We hear again a characteristically witty and perceptive dispatch he recorded in the Central African Republic in 2010.

Mexico's drug wars are notoriously violent and the killings have spread to neighbouring Guatemala. Linda Pressly has been to the scene of a gruesome massacre in northern Guatemala. The "indignados" in Spain began their protests in May, angry at the banks and at the way the government has responded to the economic crisis with spending cutbacks, privatisations and redundancies. Sarah Rainsford recently joined some of the young indignants on the road. Colombia's "Red Zone" is traditionally a no-go area for medics and journalists. But Imogen Foulkes has travelled upriver in this area - long fought over by drug cartels, FARC rebels and the Colombian military. Government cutbacks across Europe, particularly spending cuts for social programmes, are sometimes hitting the most vulnerable hardest. Emma Jane Kirby has been spending time with those who have fallen onto hard times in Paris. Why is it that Poles love to dress up as knights at the weekend? Adam Easton has been finding out.