Podcasts about alastair leithead

Alastair Leithead and his wife Ana moved to Portugal during the Covid pandemic. They live off-grid, meaning they have no access to mains electricity or water supplies. They also have to manage their own waste water and sewage.Now the former BBC correspondent is embarking on an ambitious project to build and run a hotel, meaning their solar powered utilities will not only have to work for them, but also paying guests. Produced and presented by Alastair Leithead.(Image: Alastair and Ana at their property. Credit: Alastair Leithead)

In the first of a two part series, we're in the Alentejo region where people are buying land and empty properties in an area without power or water supply.Former BBC correspondent Alastair Leithead is one of them - he has moved there with his wife, and is trying to build and run a hotel. He travels around the region and speaks to his neighbours about their experiences.Plus - what do local people think of this influx of foreigners coming to live off-grid? Presented and produced by Alastair Leithead.(Image: The sun setting over solar panels in Portugal. Alastair Leithead)

Alastair Leithead, former BBC foreign correspondent, now living in Odemira in Portugal, reports on efforts to battle wildfires raging across parts of the country.

Kate Adie presents stories from China, Brazil, Sri Lanka, the US and Portugal. China has opened up its borders again ahead of the New Year festival. Late las year, Xi Jinping eased Covid restrictions after anti-Zero Covid protests, which has led to a surge in cases across major cities and provinces. Many in the country are divided about whether to savour their new found freedoms and travel, or stay put to protect elderly relatives, says Stephen McDonnell. The storming of Brazil's congress, presidential palace and supreme court by supporters of Jair Bolsonaro has led many to draw parallels with the attack on the Capitol building in Washington in 2021. Katy Watson looks at who the protestors are and who might be behind them. Zeinab Badawi is in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, where she meets Sinhalese artist, Jagath, whose work mainly focuses on the country's brutal history. She hears the story of how one of his monuments to commemorate those who died in the conflict was destroyed in favour of a new building project. David Adams is in Miami, Florida, where, during a stroll one day, he encounters some iguanas which have fallen from surrounding trees. And although Florida escaped much of the worst of the recent freeze in the US, he reflects on whether these creatures could be a canary in the coal mine for climate change. Alastair Leithead chose to move to southern Portugal for a more settled life, after years on the road as a foreign correspondent. He writes about his experiences of trying to live an off-grid lifestyle - and some of its challenges.

Building with Taipa. The Fifth episode of Another Brick in the Wall, has a very special guest Alastair Leithead, ex-BBC Correspondent, globetrotter, and the co-founder of an exciting off-the-grid tourism lodge, Vale das Estrelas, in Odemira. Speaking to Alastair, Pedro brings us the client's perspective of what it is like to embark on such a project, with all the different planning, construction and material challenges which one faces when trying to build with a vernacular material such as Taipa.Pedro Clarke is a registered Architect in both Portugal and the UK. He graduated from FAUP (Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto) in 2007 and also holds a Master Degree in Development and Emergency Practice from Oxford Brookes University. In 2014 he was selected for the Official Portuguese representation to the 14th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia. After 7 years working for both NGOs in Southern Africa and with Award Winning firms in Oslo and London, Pedro started his own firm in 2014, and continues to research the Architect's role as a builder.This Podcast has sound and edition by Diogo Nabais.

Laura Tingle with the latest from Canberra, Julian Cribb explains why we should be worried about chemical pollution and Alastair Leithead on living off the grid in Portugal.

After years covering wars and the biggest stories in the world for the BBC, correspondent Alastair Leithead and his wife Ana decided to live off-grid in rural Portugal. From encountering wild boars, broken boilers and eclectic neighbours, we hear what life is like for someone who was never a "tinkerer".

After his party lost the Istanbul mayoral election where does Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, go from here? Mark Lowen considers whether this could be the start of his political decline. Katie Arnold reports from Kyrgyzstan where hot dry summers in the former Soviet republic are leading to drought and cross- border tension over water supplies. Alastair Leithead, the BBC's Africa correspondent, is leaving the continent 17 years after he filed his first piece for From Our Own Correspondent. How much has his role changed since then? In the United States where fourteen parents have pleaded guilty to fraudulently getting their children into top universities, Laura Trevelyan considers the lengths some parents will go to help their offspring get into their preferred college. And as much of Europe swelters under a heat wave James Reynolds takes the temperature in Rome and finds out what hot weather means to its citizens.

: As street protests gain momentum in Sudan, Alastair Leithead asks if revolutionary change will be sustainable. Vicky Spratt visits a safe house in Nepal to find out how people traffickers are exploiting women online. In the Philippines, Howard Johnson discovers how some of the country's Christian faithful prove their devotion at Easter by nailing themselves to wooden crosses. Rahul Tandon finds out how Brexit's twists and turns are interpreted in India. And Lizzie Porter tours Saddam Hussein's once extravagant, now abandoned, palace in Iraq.

Venezuelans are divided on what caused the crisis in their country and on whether the foreign governments offering help are potential saviours or invaders. In Caracas, Katy Watson hears how people on all sides are losing hope. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world: Colin Freeman meets Yasin Abu Bakr the man behind what was probably the only Islamist coup ever to have been attempted in the Western hemisphere. In 1990 Jamaat al Muslimeen took the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago hostage. Alastair Leithead discovers why the protection of elephants in Botswana is becoming an increasingly politicised issue. Should the meat of culled animals be turned into pet food? Michelle Jana Chan meets the Bhutanese athlete Dorji Dema, and discovers that archery there can often involve raucous singing, lots of alcohol and hurling insults at opponents. And Jenny Hill explains how Germany’s love of sausages is expressed in its language as well as its diet.

"Watch your back Howard!" was one of the politer messages the BBC Philippines Correspondent received after making a documentary about Rodrigo Duterte. As Howard Johnson has found, journalists who question the President can become the target of organised attacks by online trolls. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world: The CFO of Huawei once saw Vancouver as a refuge, a base outside of China should she ever need it, now she’s not allowed to leave the city. Micky Bristow gets a glimpse of life in Canada for members of the Chinese elite. Bee Rowlatt interviews Germaine Greer at the Jaipur Literature Festival – and wonders what its usually outspoken crowd will make of their outspoken guest. Jasmine Taylor Coleman joins a puffin patrol in Iceland, as locals try to protect the endangered birds. And disorganised chaos or a carefully choreographed dance? Alastair Leithead tries to figure out what’s going on in an airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and what it says about the country.

Before the contested referendum on independence, Carme Forcadell was the speaker of the Catalan parliament but since March she has been awaiting trial in a Spanish jail accused of rebellion. Niall O'Gallagher meets the ever defiant separatist politician. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from around the world. Sarah Rainsford is surprised at the warm welcome she receives in the frozen Siberian city of Irkutsk - where, unlike in Moscow, people seem willing to criticise their President and are happy to speak to a Western journalist. Alastair Leithead discovers the vast size of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - as well as its dense forests, potholes, bureaucracy and corruption – make it a difficult place to get around as well as to govern. Rayhan Demytrie finds that the inauguration of Georgia’s first female President may not mean much for gender equality in the country. And Lucy Ash discovers that DIY DNA testing kits that help your trace your ancestors are revealing far more than some Americans bargain for.

An expanding international force is fighting Islamist extremists on the edge of the Sahara. Kate Adie introduces stories and insight from correspondents around the world: Alastair Leithead is in the Sahel - the vast, often lawless, stretch of land that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea and is filling up with radical extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State. As the Brexit negotiations enter their second year, Adam Fleming reveals why covering the talks has been a bit like reliving his university days - from freshers' week to regular exams. Hannah McNeish is with fisherman turned coral farmers in Kenya as they show off their latest crop. Isambard Wilkinson visits the family home of one of Pakistan’s most revered hereditary holy men - Pir Pagara, “the Turbaned Saint.” And Katy Fallon spends a night in a cell in the Netherlands - in a former prison which has been turned into a hotel run by refugees.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga declares himself the ‘People’s President’ in Kenya. Kate Adie introduces stories wit and analysis from correspondents around the world. Expecting trouble, Alastair Leithead attends a controversial swearing-in ceremony in Nairobi but the government’s show of force didn’t come from the security forces sent to police the event. The water crisis engulfing Cape Town is making headlines around the world, but Pumza Fihlani says a lack of running water has long been a way of life for millions of others in South Africa. Laurence Blair examines how immigration is becoming a political issue in Chile and how the recent arrivals and their hosts are having to adapt. In Switzerland, Katherine Forster revisits the site of a fancy dress party that changed her life and finds a country that, at first glance, appears the same. And Emma Levine plays chess in Armenia against an eleven yearold who is hoping to become one of the world’s youngest ever grandmasters.

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

Birthday cakes, icons of cool and the candidate coining new words in the French election. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories from around the world. On the campaign trail in France, Hugh Schofield finds visions of a new world and calls to ‘“get em out’ ahead of the election on Sunday. Alastair Leithead asses the political turmoil in South Africa - not by speaking with protesters, but by mingling with party-goers at a presidential birthday-bash. In Argentina, Newsnight’s Stephen Smith meets Che Guevara’s younger brother and discovers that the revolutionary's legacy is probably not what he would have hoped for. As President Donald Trump approaches his 100th day in office Shaimaa Khalil has been on a road trip across middle-America, visiting the states that helped get him elected. And in Kabul Nanna Muus Steffensen meets that young student asking herself ‘should I stay and be part of Afghanistan’s future or get out while I can?’

How do you keep your audience listening if the story's so hard to hear? That's what Alastair Leithead grapples with in South Sudan's civil war. Warsaw was all but destroyed in the Second World War, and the repercussions of that are still being felt today; Anna Meisel tells the story of the "property cleansers" who have pushed thousands out of their homes, and of the woman who tried to fight back. In New York's subway, John Mervin gets caught up in a rescue - and there's a message for those too attached to their phones. If Pelicans are your thing, Albania is the place to go because, as Elizabeth Gowing explains, these are philopatric birds. Tourism across North Africa has taken a hit because of terrorism; but Nick Redmayne, heads to Egypt's highest mountain, in Sinai, and hears how the old ways gave people a story to tell.

Bridget Kendall introduces correspondents' stories. In The Gambia, Alastair Leithead watched the old president and dictator leaving; and as he waits for the new one to arrive, he wonders if the president will be able to tackle the country's problems. In Germany, they are worried about what impact "fake" or "alternative news" could have on their election. Damien McGuinness says there's an unusual international interest in German domestic politics - and all of it is healthy. Karen Allen remembers shivering one cold evening in Africa, during the birth pains of South Sudan. In Myanmar, Jonah Fisher reflects on how Aung San Suu Kyi's government is so quick to dismiss any stories of abuses committed against the minority Rohingya community as "fake news." And Dany Mitzman is with two of the top four-legged students of a special university in northern Italy as they sniff out some of the world's most expensive delicacy.

Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories. Memories of Rwanda return to Alastair Leithead in northern Uganda as he watches refugees fleeing from South Sudan's civil war; Gideon Long tries not to lose all his money as he changes cash in Venezuela; President Obama described the new UN Secretary General as having "an extraordinary reputation." Alison Roberts, in Portugal, says he's a man who likes to talk and talk and talk. Uzbekistan has just elected only it's second president in a quarter of a century. Peter Robertson sees some signs that this autocratic country might be changing. There's a cash crisis in India too. Horatio Clare retreats to one place where you're not supposed to need money, though you do have to pay for that privilege.

Kate Adie lets the light in with stories of post-trump shivers in Ireland, with Vincent Woods; Katy Watson describes dejection and keen memories in Mexico; democracy of sorts and state-building in southern Somalia, as witnessed by Alastair Leithead; Searching for a libertarian utopia in the Balkans, with Jolyon Jenkins; and Anand Menon remembers his interrailing years as he takes to the tracks again across a post-Brexit Europe.

Reporter despatches from far and wide. In this edition: Alastair Leithead on the wave of violence in the African state of Burundi connected to the president's third term in office. David Shukman's in the Philippines where thousands of people have been driven from their homes by a typhoon in which it rained, and then went on raining for days on end. Lucy Ash is in Beziers in southern France, a city accused of being a laboratory for the far right. Trudeaumania's back in Canada - Rajini Vaidyanathan talks of how he was swept to power on a tide of votes, many from the country's young, but the question is, can he now deliver? And it's a capital city determined to become the Dubai of Africa - James Jeffrey is in Djibouti where some locals wonder what might be lost in their republic's drive for modernity.

Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories. Today: Theopi Skarlatos traces the growing divide in Athens; Nick Thorpe says it's not just Italy and Greece that thousands of migrants are heading for - Hungary is now putting up the barbed wire to stem the tide; Mark Urban is in Bosnia where 20 years ago the flow of mujaheddin fighters was into the former Yugoslavia but now the government there is worried about the consequences of that; Kirsty Land learns why a two and a half thousand year old play from ancient Greece still resonates in a refugee camp in Beirut; and Alastair Leithead checks out of Hotel California - but can he ever really leave?

'Everything is worse after the revolution' - tourism workers along the River Nile in Egypt tell Matthew Teller about the turmoil in their industry. Tessa Dunlop returns to Romania to see if the lot of orphans there has improved in the last twenty years. How some refugees from the fighting in Syria are finding a warm welcome in Hizbollah communities in northern Lebanon - Sakhr Al-Makhadhi explains. Alastair Leithead meets the Yurock tribe in northern California -- an ancient people in modern America. And why Andy Martin found the huge police presence at the G8 gathering of world leaders in Ireland distinctly disarming.

Kate Adie hosts correspondents' stories from the United States, Russia, France, Italy and the Czech Republic. The United States breathes a sigh of relief that Hurricane Isaac didn't turn into another Katrina. Alastair Leithead has been in the eye of the storm. The new 'skinheads'. Tom Esslemont tries to unpick what motivates Russia's ultra-nationalists. Just where did Julius Caesar REALLY defeat the Gaulls? Hugh Schofield investigates a case of alleged archaeological skulduggery in Burgundy. Alan Johnston meets the new Mayor of Palma, a member of the 'Five Star Movement' currently gaining political influence in Italy. And Rob Cameron makes a sentimental journey ... to a campsite in South Bohemia.

Are the generals in Egypt really about to relinquish power? Stephen Sackur in Cairo takes a closer look at the Tahrir Square revolution as Egyptians prepare to cast their votes. David Loyn's in Burma where vested interests, the cronies they're sometimes called, look on to see what will happen with the leaders' programme of reforms; Lucy Ash is in the Republic of Dagestan, on the shores of the Caspian Sea, where bomb attacks and shootouts on an almost daily basis make this the most volatile corner of the Russian Federation; Mike Thomson explains why Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, has become a 'closed city' but says it pays to get to know it better and Alastair Leithead's on a whirlwind tour of Colombia - he gets an apology from the president and tells us how gold has become the country's new cocaine.

Katie Adie presents more despatches from foreign correspondents. As forces try to oust Gaddafi loyalists holding out in his home town of Sirte, our correspondent Alastair Leithead ponders the dilemmas of keeping the story in the news. In Pakistan, the monsoon season has left thousands homeless once again; Aleem Maqbool travels through Sindh, one of the worst-affected provinces, and find people feeling abandoned by their government and the world. We get up close and personal as Robin Irvine takes part in a wrestling match on the grasslands of Eastern Mongolia. In Beirut, appearances are everything, even when giving birth, as Georgia Paterson Dargham finds out. And in New England, Julian May discovers why lobster fishing is apparently helping to increase the crustacean's numbers.

As the political crisis in Lebanon deepens, Jeremy Bowen explores the country's tangled politics and finds out why intrigue surrounding the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri five years ago is driving events today. Adam Mynott was in Tunisia as President Ben Ali surrendered power. He assesses the mood on the streets and reflects on the difficulty of reporting a revolution. In Vietnam, Alastair Leithead finds a booming economy and an appetite for western goods challenging the country's communist traditions. Christian Fraser visits the school outside Paris that has opened in the former barracks of the Hussars; with fencing and horse-riding on the curriculum, can a traditional education offer something new to France's frustrated teens? And in Moscow, Steve Rosenberg hears a history of modern Russia from a cleaning lady who has lived through it all.

Join the BBC's Asia correspondent, Alastair Leithead, and author and historian Chris Baker, for an insight into the colour coded protests and political problems facing Thailand.

Join the BBC's Asia correspondent, Alastair Leithead, and author and historian Chris Baker, for an insight into the colour coded protests and political problems facing Thailand.

Transcript -- Join the BBC's Asia correspondent, Alastair Leithead, and author and historian Chris Baker, for an insight into the colour coded protests and political problems facing Thailand.

Transcript -- Join the BBC's Asia correspondent, Alastair Leithead, and author and historian Chris Baker, for an insight into the colour coded protests and political problems facing Thailand.

According to US intelligence the Afghan president Hamid Karzai controls only 30 percent of Afghanistan, with the Taleban holding 10 percent. Most of the country is under local tribal control. But building support among the tribes is now at the core of a new American counter-insurgency strategy. The Americans believe they've now got a blueprint for winning hearts and minds. The BBC's Alastair Leithead has been following US troops and their British allies to find out how the plan is working.

According to US intelligence the Afghan president Hamid Karzai controls only 30 percent of Afghanistan, with the Taleban holding 10 percent. Most of the country is under local tribal control. But building support among the tribes is now at the core of a new American counter-insurgency strategy. The Americans believe they've now got a blueprint for winning hearts and minds. The BBC's Alastair Leithead has been following US troops and their British allies to find out how the plan is working.