Podcasts about from our own correspondent

In this special edition of From Our Own Correspondent, we remember BBC Correspondent David Willey, who reported from around the world for more than half a century, and who died recently.David was a prolific contributor to this programme throughout his life and was still writing for the programme into his 93rd year. In an interview recorded last year for the ‘From Our Own Correspondent at 70' programme, David tells Today presenter Anna Foster about his early travels reporting from around the world from Libya to China, as well as his long-time role as BBC Vatican Correspondent. This podcast also features some of his most memorable dispatches, including a report on troop morale in Vietnam in the 1970s, a lavish party thrown by Colonel Gadaffi in Libya in 2009 to mark his 40th year in power; insights from inside the Vatican amid the ‘Vatileaks' scandal of 2012; and recollections from 2023 about when he first met Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi at his estate near Milan, where he got a private tour of the billionaire businessman's private mausoleum.

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week: How far away is Greenland from the United States? We check a number From Our Own Correspondent. Does converting our entire energy system to be carbon neutral come with a £7.6 trillion price tag?Is the inevitable rise of house prices in the UK not so inevitable after all? Can the great mathematicians of history answer the question of the hour: how to play The Traitors? If you've seen a number in the news you want the team on More or Less to have a look at, email moreorless@bbc.co.ukContributors: Jay Foreman, one half of YouTube duo the Map Men Mike Thompson, chief economist of the National Energy System Operator David Turver, author of The Cost of Net Zero, a report from the Institute of Economic Affairs Neal Hudson, housing market analyst and founder housing research website BuiltPlace Dr Kat Phillips, mathematician and Innovation research associate at the University of Warwick, Traitors aficionado Credits: Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Tom Colls Producers: Nathan Gower and Lizzy McNeill Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

The Reith Lectures are one of the most anticipated broadcasts in the radio year, and the conversation around this year's iteration, presented by Dutch historian Rutger Bregman on the theme of 'Moral Revolution', has been making headlines. Bregman complained on social media that one of his lines was edited out of the broadcast of the first lecture - and it set your tongues wagging. Andrea Catherwood catches up with the lectures' commissioner Hugh Levinson to ask about the decisions behind this year's series.And it's 70 years since From Our Own Correspondent - or FOOC = was first broadcast on the BBC, giving a space for long-form, single-voice reports from correspondents all over the world. Editor Richard Fenton-Smith and Today presenter Anna Foster joins us to hear your thoughts on the programme as it celebrates a big birthday. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Pauline Moore Assistant Producer: Rebecca Guthrie Executive Producer: David PrestA Whistledown Scotland production for Radio 4

Anna Foster and some of the BBC's best-known foreign correspondents are joined by an audience of Radio 4 listeners to celebrate 70 years of ‘From Our Own Correspondent'. Since the first episode was broadcast on 25th September 1955, FOOC – as it's affectionately known – has reported from almost every country in the world. Anna's guests for the event, recorded in the Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House in London, are Kate Adie, the presenter of FOOC and a former BBC Chief News Correspondent, Jeremy Bowen, the BBC's International Editor, Lyse Doucet, the BBC's Chief International Correspondent, and Steve Rosenberg, the BBC's Russia Editor. They discuss what the job of a foreign correspondent is these days when anyone can get on a plane, take a mobile phone and broadcast to the world. They reflect on how to report on a more hostile world. Together, they offer insights into the world of the foreign correspondent - including the time Jeremy Bowen once told the Mujahideen in Afghanistan that he was Lyse Doucet - and Steve Rosenberg takes to the piano to explain why his hopes for Russia rest with a newspaper vendor in Moscow. Producers: Adele Armstrong, Serena Tarling and Polly Hope. Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Anna Foster and some of the BBC's best-known foreign correspondents are joined by an audience of Radio 4 listeners to celebrate 70 years of ‘From Our Own Correspondent'. Since the first episode was broadcast on 25th September 1955, FOOC – as it's affectionately known – has reported from almost every country in the world. Anna's guests for the event, recorded in the Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House in London, are Kate Adie, the presenter of FOOC and a former BBC Chief News Correspondent, Jeremy Bowen, the BBC's International Editor, Lyse Doucet, the BBC's Chief International Correspondent, and Steve Rosenberg, the BBC's Russia Editor. They discuss what the job of a foreign correspondent is these days when anyone can get on a plane, take a mobile phone and broadcast to the world. They reflect on how to report on a more hostile world.Together, they offer insights into the world of the foreign correspondent - including the time Jeremy Bowen once told the Mujahideen in Afghanistan that he was Lyse Doucet - and Steve Rosenberg takes to the piano to explain why his hopes for Russia rest with a newspaper vendor in Moscow. Producers: Adele Armstrong, Serena Tarling and Polly Hope. Sound mix: Dave O'Neill Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Partner on this video: KYIV OF MINE Watch the trailer now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arJUcE1rxY0'Kyiv of Mine' is a documentary series about Ukraine's beautiful capital, Kyiv. The film production began in 2018, and much has changed since then. It is now 2025, and this story is far from over.https://www.youtube.com/@UCz6UbVKfqutH-N7WXnC5Ykg https://www.kyivofmine.com/#theprojectKyiv of Mine is fast paced, beautifully filmed, humorous, fun, insightful, heartbreaking, moving, hopeful. The very antithesis in fact of a doom-laden and worthy wartime documentary. This is a work that is extraordinarily uplifting. My friend Operator Starsky says the film is “Made with so much love. The film series will make you laugh and cry.” ----------Colin Freeman is a former chief foreign correspondent of The Sunday Telegraph, and is now a freelance foreign affairs journalist. He writes features, comment and book reviews for The Daily Telegraph, as well as for The Spectator, The Economist, and The National in Abu Dhabi. He contributes regularly to From Our Own Correspondent on BBC Radio Four and does media punditry on foreign affairs. He is also the author of three previous books: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: The mission to rescue the hostages the world forgot (2021). Kidnapped: Life as a Somali pirate hostage (2011) about the author's own experience of being abducted in Somalia in 2008. And The Curse of the Al-Dulaimi Hotel and other half-truths from Baghdad (2008) is a book of reportage about post-Saddam Iraq.----------BOOKS: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: The mission to rescue the hostages the world forgot (2021)The Mad and the Brave: The Untold Story of Ukraine's Foreign Legion (2025)Kidnapped (2011)----------LINKS:https://colinfreemansite.wordpress.com/about/https://x.com/colinfreeman99?lang=enhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/c/ck-co/colin-freeman/https://www.spectator.co.uk/writer/colin-freeman/https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-freeman-3a366217/https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B001KIFODOhttps://muckrack.com/colin-freeman----------DESCRIPTION: Unveiling 'The Mad and the Brave': Colin Freeman Talks Ukraine's Foreign LegionIn this episode, we sit down with Colin Freeman, former chief foreign correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph and a seasoned freelance journalist. Freeman discusses his latest book, 'The Mad and the Brave: The Untold Story of Ukraine's Foreign Legion,' which delves into the lives of foreign volunteers who have joined the fight in Ukraine. He shares insights from numerous interviews with volunteers, explores their motivations, and compares the conflict to historical precedents like the Spanish Civil War. The conversation also touches on the organizational challenges faced by the International Legion and the psychological toll on combatants. Additionally, the episode features recommendations and commentary on the documentary series 'Kyiv of Mine,' which aims to change perspectives on Ukraine beyond the war narrative. Watch as Freeman provides a detailed, humanizing look into one of the 21st century's most significant conflicts.----------

The Incarcerations: Bk-16 and the Search for Democracy in India (OR Books, 2024) pulls back the curtain on Indian democracy to tell the remarkable and chilling story of the Bhima Koregaon case, in which 16 human rights defenders (the BK-16) – professors, lawyers, journalists, poets – have been imprisoned, without credible evidence and without trial, as Maoist terrorists. Alpa Shah unravels how these alleged terrorists were charged with inciting violence at a year's day commemoration in 2018, accused of waging a war against the Indian state, and plotting to kill the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Expertly leading us through the case, Shah exposes some of the world's most shocking revelations of cyber warfare research, which show not only hacking of emails and mobile phones of the BK-16, but also implantation of the electronic evidence that was used to incarcerate them. Through the life histories of the BK-16, Shah dives deep into the issues they fought for and tells the story of India's three main minorities – Adivasi, Dalits and Muslims – and what the search for democracy entails for them. Essential and urgent, The Incarcerations reveals how this case is a bellwether for the collapse of democracy in India, as for the first time in the nation's history there is a multi-pronged, coordinated attack on key defenders of various pillars of democracy. In so doing, Shah shows that democracy today must be not only about protecting freedom of expression and democratic institutions, but also about supporting and safeguarding the social movements that question our global inequalities. About the Author:  Alpa Shah is the Professor of Social Anthropology at Oxford, with a Fellowship at All Souls College. She has written and presented for BBC Radio 4 Crossing Continents and From Our Own Correspondent. She is a twice-finalist for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing for her 2018 book Nightmarch: Among India's Revolutionary Guerrillas and her 2024 book The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India. About the Host:  Stuti Roy has recently graduated with an MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies at the University of Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The Incarcerations: Bk-16 and the Search for Democracy in India (OR Books, 2024) pulls back the curtain on Indian democracy to tell the remarkable and chilling story of the Bhima Koregaon case, in which 16 human rights defenders (the BK-16) – professors, lawyers, journalists, poets – have been imprisoned, without credible evidence and without trial, as Maoist terrorists. Alpa Shah unravels how these alleged terrorists were charged with inciting violence at a year's day commemoration in 2018, accused of waging a war against the Indian state, and plotting to kill the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Expertly leading us through the case, Shah exposes some of the world's most shocking revelations of cyber warfare research, which show not only hacking of emails and mobile phones of the BK-16, but also implantation of the electronic evidence that was used to incarcerate them. Through the life histories of the BK-16, Shah dives deep into the issues they fought for and tells the story of India's three main minorities – Adivasi, Dalits and Muslims – and what the search for democracy entails for them. Essential and urgent, The Incarcerations reveals how this case is a bellwether for the collapse of democracy in India, as for the first time in the nation's history there is a multi-pronged, coordinated attack on key defenders of various pillars of democracy. In so doing, Shah shows that democracy today must be not only about protecting freedom of expression and democratic institutions, but also about supporting and safeguarding the social movements that question our global inequalities. About the Author:  Alpa Shah is the Professor of Social Anthropology at Oxford, with a Fellowship at All Souls College. She has written and presented for BBC Radio 4 Crossing Continents and From Our Own Correspondent. She is a twice-finalist for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing for her 2018 book Nightmarch: Among India's Revolutionary Guerrillas and her 2024 book The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India. About the Host:  Stuti Roy has recently graduated with an MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies at the University of Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

The Incarcerations: Bk-16 and the Search for Democracy in India (OR Books, 2024) pulls back the curtain on Indian democracy to tell the remarkable and chilling story of the Bhima Koregaon case, in which 16 human rights defenders (the BK-16) – professors, lawyers, journalists, poets – have been imprisoned, without credible evidence and without trial, as Maoist terrorists. Alpa Shah unravels how these alleged terrorists were charged with inciting violence at a year's day commemoration in 2018, accused of waging a war against the Indian state, and plotting to kill the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Expertly leading us through the case, Shah exposes some of the world's most shocking revelations of cyber warfare research, which show not only hacking of emails and mobile phones of the BK-16, but also implantation of the electronic evidence that was used to incarcerate them. Through the life histories of the BK-16, Shah dives deep into the issues they fought for and tells the story of India's three main minorities – Adivasi, Dalits and Muslims – and what the search for democracy entails for them. Essential and urgent, The Incarcerations reveals how this case is a bellwether for the collapse of democracy in India, as for the first time in the nation's history there is a multi-pronged, coordinated attack on key defenders of various pillars of democracy. In so doing, Shah shows that democracy today must be not only about protecting freedom of expression and democratic institutions, but also about supporting and safeguarding the social movements that question our global inequalities. About the Author:  Alpa Shah is the Professor of Social Anthropology at Oxford, with a Fellowship at All Souls College. She has written and presented for BBC Radio 4 Crossing Continents and From Our Own Correspondent. She is a twice-finalist for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing for her 2018 book Nightmarch: Among India's Revolutionary Guerrillas and her 2024 book The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India. About the Host:  Stuti Roy has recently graduated with an MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies at the University of Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

The Incarcerations: Bk-16 and the Search for Democracy in India (OR Books, 2024) pulls back the curtain on Indian democracy to tell the remarkable and chilling story of the Bhima Koregaon case, in which 16 human rights defenders (the BK-16) – professors, lawyers, journalists, poets – have been imprisoned, without credible evidence and without trial, as Maoist terrorists. Alpa Shah unravels how these alleged terrorists were charged with inciting violence at a year's day commemoration in 2018, accused of waging a war against the Indian state, and plotting to kill the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Expertly leading us through the case, Shah exposes some of the world's most shocking revelations of cyber warfare research, which show not only hacking of emails and mobile phones of the BK-16, but also implantation of the electronic evidence that was used to incarcerate them. Through the life histories of the BK-16, Shah dives deep into the issues they fought for and tells the story of India's three main minorities – Adivasi, Dalits and Muslims – and what the search for democracy entails for them. Essential and urgent, The Incarcerations reveals how this case is a bellwether for the collapse of democracy in India, as for the first time in the nation's history there is a multi-pronged, coordinated attack on key defenders of various pillars of democracy. In so doing, Shah shows that democracy today must be not only about protecting freedom of expression and democratic institutions, but also about supporting and safeguarding the social movements that question our global inequalities. About the Author:  Alpa Shah is the Professor of Social Anthropology at Oxford, with a Fellowship at All Souls College. She has written and presented for BBC Radio 4 Crossing Continents and From Our Own Correspondent. She is a twice-finalist for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing for her 2018 book Nightmarch: Among India's Revolutionary Guerrillas and her 2024 book The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India. About the Host:  Stuti Roy has recently graduated with an MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies at the University of Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

The Incarcerations: Bk-16 and the Search for Democracy in India (OR Books, 2024) pulls back the curtain on Indian democracy to tell the remarkable and chilling story of the Bhima Koregaon case, in which 16 human rights defenders (the BK-16) – professors, lawyers, journalists, poets – have been imprisoned, without credible evidence and without trial, as Maoist terrorists. Alpa Shah unravels how these alleged terrorists were charged with inciting violence at a year's day commemoration in 2018, accused of waging a war against the Indian state, and plotting to kill the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Expertly leading us through the case, Shah exposes some of the world's most shocking revelations of cyber warfare research, which show not only hacking of emails and mobile phones of the BK-16, but also implantation of the electronic evidence that was used to incarcerate them. Through the life histories of the BK-16, Shah dives deep into the issues they fought for and tells the story of India's three main minorities – Adivasi, Dalits and Muslims – and what the search for democracy entails for them. Essential and urgent, The Incarcerations reveals how this case is a bellwether for the collapse of democracy in India, as for the first time in the nation's history there is a multi-pronged, coordinated attack on key defenders of various pillars of democracy. In so doing, Shah shows that democracy today must be not only about protecting freedom of expression and democratic institutions, but also about supporting and safeguarding the social movements that question our global inequalities. About the Author:  Alpa Shah is the Professor of Social Anthropology at Oxford, with a Fellowship at All Souls College. She has written and presented for BBC Radio 4 Crossing Continents and From Our Own Correspondent. She is a twice-finalist for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing for her 2018 book Nightmarch: Among India's Revolutionary Guerrillas and her 2024 book The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India. About the Host:  Stuti Roy has recently graduated with an MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies at the University of Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Author Events Series presents Caroline Eden | Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Travels REGISTER In Conversation with Jonathan Deutsch From the author of Red Sands, a New Yorker "Best Cookbook of the Year," a cozy, thoughtful memoir recalling food and travel in Eastern Europe and Central Asia from a basement Edinburgh kitchen, featuring a delicious recipe at the end of each chapter. A welcoming refuge with its tempting pantry, shelves of books, and inquisitive dog, Caroline Eden's basement Edinburgh kitchen offers her comfort away from the road. Join her as she cooks recipes from her travels, reflects on past adventures, and contemplates the kitchen's unique ability to tell human stories. This is a hauntingly honest, and at times heartbreaking, memoir with the smell, taste, and preparation of food at its heart. From late night baking as a route back to Ukraine to capturing the beauty of Uzbek porcelain, and from the troublesome nature of food and art in Poland to the magic of cloudberries, Cold Kitchen celebrates the importance of curiosity and of feeling at home in the world. Caroline Eden is a writer, book critic, and the award-winning author of Red Sands: Reportage and Recipes through Central Asia, from Hinterland to Heartland, a New Yorker Book of the Year; Black Sea: Dispatches and Recipes-Through Darkness and Light; and Samarkand: Recipes and Stories from Central Asia & the Caucasus. She has travelled extensively to countries such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and Bangladesh, documenting her experiences across multiple publications including Financial Times, the Guardian, and the Times Literary Supplement, as well as on BBC Radio 4's "From Our Own Correspondent." She lives in Edinburgh. Jonathan Deutsch, Ph.D., CHE, CRC is Professor and Vice Chair of Health Sciences, which encompasses Culinary, Food, Nutrition, Exercise and Health Sciences at Drexel University. He is the Founding Program Director of Drexel's Food Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programs. He is past President of the Upcycled Food Foundation and previously was the inaugural James Beard Foundation Impact Fellow, leading a national curriculum effort on food waste reduction for chefs and culinary educators. He was named a Food Waste Warrior by Foodtank. Before moving to Drexel, Deutsch built the culinary arts program at Kingsborough Community College, City University of New York (CUNY) and the Ph.D. concentration in food studies at the CUNY Graduate Center and School of Public Health. At Drexel, he directs the Drexel Food Lab, a culinary innovation and food product research and development lab focused on solving real world food system problems in the areas of sustainability, health promotion, and inclusive dining. He is the co-author or -editor of eight books. A classically trained chef, Deutsch worked in a variety of settings including product development, small luxury inns and restaurants. When not in the kitchen, he can be found behind his tuba. The 2024/25 Author Events Series is presented by Comcast. Because you love Author Events, please make a donation when you register for this event to ensure that this series continues to inspire Philadelphians. Books will be available for purchase at the library on event night! All tickets are non-refundable. (recorded 1/16/2025)

Tessa Szyszkowitz in conversation with Matthew Teller and Mahmoud Muna DAYBREAK IN GAZA A year ago, a new era started for Gaza: A war, triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel of October 7th, destroyed most of the Gaza strip. Houses, infrastructure, hospitals, schools – but most importantly: More than 40.000 people. The total destruction of the Palestinian territory, governed by Hamas and inhabited by 2,2 million Palestinians, is a humanitarian and political catastrophe. As its heritage is being destroyed, Gaza's survivors preserve their culture through literature, music, stories and memories. Daybreak in Gaza is a record of that heritage, revealing an extraordinary place and people. Matthew Teller and Mahmoud Muna collected vignettes of artists, acrobats, doctors, students, shopkeepers and teachers across the generations offer stories of love, life, loss and survival. They display the wealth of Gaza's cultural landscape and the breadth of its history. This remarkable book humanises the people dismissed as mere statistics. Daybreak in Gaza stands as a mark of resistance to the destruction, and as a testament to the people of Gaza.  ‘A most significant collection, one that frightens, awes and inspires, the timeliest of reminders of our common humanity and the irrepressible force of the written word.' Philippe Sands   Matthew Teller is a UK-based author and broadcaster writing on place and culture, with a special focus on Palestine and the wider Middle East. His 2022 book Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City was a Daily Telegraph Book of the Year. Teller produces and presents documentaries for BBC Radio 4 and World Service, and reports for BBC Radio's ‘From Our Own Correspondent'. Mahmoud Muna is a writer, publisher and bookseller from Jerusalem, Palestine. He runs Jerusalem's celebrated Educational Bookshop and the Bookshop at the American Colony Hotel, both centres of the city's literary scene. Muna writes regularly on culture and politics, with bylines in the London Review of Books and Jerusalem Quarterly, among others. Tessa Szyszkowitz is an Austrian journalist and author. A UK correspondent for Austrian and German publications such as Falter and Tagesspiegel, she curates Philoxenia at Kreiskyforum and is also a Distinguished Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute in London.

What makes for a good story from a BBC correspondent? And how do you ensure there is enough variety in a programme devoted to these first-hand reports? That is the weekly task of From Our Own Correspondent - soon to celebrate 70 years on air. We hear listeners' views and we are joined by its editor, Richard Fenton-Smith.Presenter: Rajan Datar Producer: Howard Shannon A Whistledown production for BBC World Service

Listen to an interview with Jane Labous and hear her reading from her new novel, Past Participle, published by Afsana Press. Dakar, Senegal, 1987: On a rainy night after a wild party, the British ambassador's wife, Vivienne Hughes, is involve in a car crash. Her vehicle hits the motorbike of a young Senegalese doctor, Aimé Tunkara, killing him. Pleading diplomatic immunity, Vivienne and her husband flee to England. Three decades later, Aimé's little sister, Lily Tunkara, now a high-flying lawyer in Dakar, finds a photograph that compels her to investigate what really happened that rainy night. As Lily faces increasing hostility from the local community, she turns to Vivienne Hughes, the only remaining witness, but is either woman prepared for the truth to emerge? Past Participle is the story of two women bound together by the faultlines of the past, a study of love and guilt, power and desire, retribution and forgiveness. Jane Labous is an award-winning author, BBC journalist and broadcaster known for her frontline coverage of human rights and gender issues, always telling the powerful human stories behind the headlines. Jane read English & French at Jesus College, Oxford, before working for the UK and international press and INGOs, most often out of Dakar, Senegal. This while developing her creative art as a writer, filmmaker and novelist, drawing on her insider knowledge of the aid sector and foreign journalism, and her unique experience of both expat and local family life in Ngor, Dakar. Jane's credits span a vista of international outlets, including The Independent, Voice of America, Geographical, The LA Times, BBC Africa and BBC Radio 4's From Our Own Correspondent. She has also worked as a writer and filmmaker for aid/humanitarian agencies including the UN, the World Health Organisation, Save The Children, and Amnesty International. She has won the BBC Radio 4 and Royal Geographical Society Documentary Award, the Merck More than a Mother Media Recognition & Film Award for Francophone African Countries, and a European Journalism Centre Development Reporting Grant. Her fiction has been longlisted for the Bath Novel Prize and the Santa Fé Writers' Project Literary Award. This episode was produced by Tabitha Potts, writer and podcaster. She recently received an Honourable Mention in the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck University and a First in English Language and Literature from Oxford University. Read her short story collection here or visit her website.

Matthew Teller's “Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City” (Profile Books, 2022) was named a Book of the Year by the Daily Telegraph. Matthew writes for the BBC, Guardian, Independent, Times, Financial Times and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio 4 and World Service, and has reported for Radio 4's ‘From Our Own Correspondent' from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan. His previous book was "Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019".

Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/israel-studies

Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review

Jerusalem's Old City is normally understood to be split into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the Muslim Quarter. Those designations can be found on maps, on guidebooks, on news articles, and countless other pieces of writing about the city. But as Matthew Teller points out in his latest book, Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books / Other Press, 2022): the idea of the “four quarters” is entirely a nineteenth century creation, invented by a couple of British mapmakers. Instead, Teller explores Jerusalem and all its myriad peoples–not just the Israelis and the Palestinians, but the Africans, Syrians, and other peoples that call the holy city their home. In this interview, Matthew and I talk about how we should actually think about Jerusalem, and all the different people that make the city what it is today. Matthew Teller writes for the BBC, The Guardian, Times of London, Financial Times, and other global media. He has produced and presented documentaries for BBC Radio and has reported for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent program from around the Middle East and beyond. He is the author of several travel guides, including the Rough Guide to Jordan (Rough Guides: 2012). He is also the author of Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008–2019. He can be followed on Twitter at @matthewteller. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Follow on Facebook or on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an associate editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

When Sir Roger Tichborne was shipwrecked and lost at sea in 1854, his mother fell into a deep state of mourning, both devastated by the loss of her son and insistent that he was still alive. As much as the rest of her family tried their best to convince her that Roger was not ever coming back, she just refused to stop searching. It was a stance that paid off handsomely then, when her long lost son made his triumphant return to England 12 years later with a plan to reclaim the family estate. It would be a claim that would make it to court and eventually be the longest running trial in English legal history, holding the title for over a hundred years and would light up the Victorian press with scandal, humour and class warfare that would last decades. SOURCES   Annear, Robyn. (2002) The Man Who Lost Himself: The Unbelievable Story of the Tichborne Claimant. Constable & Robinson Ltd. London, UK.   McWilliam, Rohan (2007) The Tichborne Claimant: A Victorian Sensation. Hambledon Continuum, London, UK.   Kinsley, William, J. (1911) The Tichborne Case. The Yale Law Journal, Vol. 20, No. 7 (May, 1911), pp. 563-569.   Saunders News-Letter (1867) From Our Own Correspondent. Monday 14 January 1867, Dublin, Ireland.   Yorkshire Gazette (1867) Arrival of Sir Roger Tichborne Bart. Saturday 5 January 1867. Yorkshire, UK.   London Evening Standard (1867) The Tichborne Baronetcy. Wednesday 23 January 1867. London, UK   London Evening Standard (1872) A Last Appeal From The Claimant. Wednesday 27 March 1872. London, UK   ---------- For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9 Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast Or find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/darkhistories & Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/ Or you can contact us directly via email at contact@darkhistories.com or via voicemail on: (415) 286-5072 or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017 Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.  

Hello and welcome to number 56! This week I am travelling with Emma Thomson who is a multi award-winning travel journalist who most recently was named Travel Writer of the Year in 2019 by the British Guild of Travel Writers and won National Consumer Feature of the Year at 2019 The Travel Media Awards. Emma is a regular contributor to National Geographic Traveller, The Telegraph, The Times and Wanderlust Travel Magazine to name a few. An experienced speaker she has given talks at the Nat Geo headquarters in Washington DC, the Frontline Club and Royal Geographical Society in London and can occasionally be hear on BBC Radio 4's From Our Own Correspondent. This week we delve into Emma's recent assignment in Sri Lanka, talk about her awesome trip with Wild Frontiers to Pakistan, discuss the wonder which is Iran, wax lyrical on our mutual passion for Bhutan as well as dip into wildlife travel in Zimbabwe. We also talk about the life of a travel journalist which Emma has been doing for 10+ years. Of course, I wanted to ask about her personal travel so Emma is tested with some tough quick fire travel questions at the end. You will love this episode as it will inspire you to get travelling and book that trip. Emma and I share a mutual passion for travel and you will hear that in this episode. Further more, Emma's dog Esme, was so excited, that she joined in for the introduction but it could be the fact that she anticipated that Emma would get her breed wrong when asked. Just to clarify, Emma's dog is a Cocker Spaniel, the Collie reference was blamed on tiredness, we accept that and move on. However, below are some links to Emma's articles that we reference during the recording and can all be found on her website. I implore you to check them out. Happy listening AND happy reading! Be inspired! Thanks for listening!Emma Thomson links.Website - www.ethomson.co.ukInstagram - emmathomsontravelsTwitter - emmasthomsonArticle LinksSri Lanka - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sri-lanka-at-its-most-glorious-tk380r36cPakistan - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/pakistan/articles/pakistan-adventure-travel-tourism-future/Iran - https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2018/01/iran-where-two-worlds-are-oneBhutan - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/bhutan/articles/bhutan-homestay-local-experiences/Zimbabwe - https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2019/10/recovery-and-renewal-return-wildlife-tourism-zimbabweYukon - https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/americas/mountain-biking-in-canada-an-adventure-where-the-wilderness-rules-8744701.htmlGreenland - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activity-and-adventure/greenland-untamed-and-no-tourists/Antarctica - https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/antarctica-channelling-shackleton-9800774.htmlWild Frontiers Pakistan Tour - https://www.wildfrontierstravel.com/en_CA/destination/pakistan/group-tours/pakistan-hindu-kush-adventure/PAK2Winging It Travel PodcastMERCHANDISE STORE - https://www.teepublic.com/stores/winging-it-travel-podcast?ref_id=25823Contact me - jameshammondtravel@gmail.com or message on my social media on the links below.Follow me on:YouTube - Winging It Travel Podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC173L0udkGL15RSkO3vIx5AInstagram - wingingittravelpodcast - https://www.instagram.com/wingingittravelpodcast/TikTok - wingingittravelpodcast - https://www.tiktok.com/@wingingittravelpodcastFacebook - Winging It Travel Podcast - https://www.facebook.com/jameshammondtravelTwitter - https://twitter.com/PodcastWingingReview - please head to Podchaser and leave a review for this podcast - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/winging-it-travel-podcast-1592244 or alternately you can leave a review and rating wherever you get your podcasts! Support the podcast - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wingingitThanks for your support, James!

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.

Over 60-years, reports for From Our Own Correspondent have tried to go beyond the headlines, and the tactical advances, to tell the human stories of war. Marking this programme's anniversary, Kate Adie introduces from the archives a compilation of despatches from frontlines around the world - and from the home front.

From Our Own Correspondent is 60 years old this month, and we are marking the anniversary with some special programmes. In this morning's 60th Anniversary Special discussion about foreign reporting, some of the featured panellists and correspondents in the audience talked about despatches they remembered. Kate Adie now introduces those reports in full. They include Lyse Doucet on the Afghan New Year in 2012, Tim Whewell on the only grand piano in Gaza earlier this year, Lindsey Hilsum on the frightening days of genocide in Rwanda in 1994, James Coomarasamy in Paris in 2003 when his son's paediatrician recommended roquefort cheese, and Fergal Keane writing to his newborn son in Hong Kong in 1996. Producer: Arlene Gregorius.

As part of marking 60 years of reporting on landmark international events by Radio 4's iconic series, "From Our Own Correspondent", Owen Bennett-Jones presents a discussion, recorded at London's Frontline Club, on how foreign reporting has evolved over the decades – and where it is heading. Joined by a panel of leading journalists and an audience that includes experienced reporters on foreign events, the programme recalls outstanding moments of foreign reporting. How did coverage of significant events – such as the Suez Crisis, the independence of former British colonies and the fall of communism – shape our views of the world, of particular countries and peoples? The programme will also consider how politics and broader economic and social changes – plus the demands of modern-day broadcasting – have all changed the way correspondents now bring often complicated international stories to diverse audiences here at home. Some developments continue to be far-reaching – such as China's transition from revolutionary peasant state to burgeoning economic power and the advent of extreme Islamism. How have more specialised reporting, embedding journalists with different participants in conflicts and focusing on the experiences of the general public changed the way we understand such issues? And how is the use of social media affecting reporting on foreign events? The programme will name the places we should be watching in the years ahead, and discuss how reporting is likely to change further as "citizen journalists" become ubiquitous and the trustworthiness of information around the world becomes ever more important. Producer: Simon Coates

The migrant crisis hasn't erupted from nowhere: From Our Own Correspondent has been following migrant routes into Europe for years. Kate Adie presents a selection of dispatches from Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Czech Republic and Syria.

History rears its head, not for the first time, in this edition of From Our Own Correspondent. Attacks on colonial-era statues in South Africa mean people there are making a fresh assessment of their country's historical legacy; while in the Far East, what's written in the text books is the subject of a fierce row between South Korea and Japan. A farewell may be bid to decades of hostility between the US and Cuba - their leaders are in Panama and historic developments are anticipated. Why do HIV rates remain so high in Russia? We're out with health workers whose efforts seem stymied by ideology and a sense that if it works in the West, then it must be bad for Russia. And a correspondent in Thailand goes to a monastery and tries to bid a temporary farewell to the torrid world of journalism and hunt instead for inner peace. He wasn't entirely successful.

History rears its head, not for the first time, in this edition of From Our Own Correspondent. Attacks on colonial-era statues in South Africa mean people there are making a fresh assessment of their country's historical legacy; while in the Far East, what's written in the text books is the subject of a fierce row between South Korea and Japan. A farewell may be bid to decades of hostility between the US and Cuba - their leaders are in Panama and historic developments are anticipated. Why do HIV rates remain so high in Russia? We're out with health workers whose efforts seem stymied by ideology and a sense that if it works in the West, then it must be bad for Russia. And a correspondent in Thailand goes to a monastery and tries to bid a temporary farewell to the torrid world of journalism and hunt instead for inner peace. He wasn't entirely successful.

The human stories behind the headlines. Like any war, the one against Ebola is leaving scars which will take generations to heal, as Grainne Harrington has been finding out in Guinea. Mark Rickards on how, at last, the outside world has found a way to infiltrate the hidden Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The Chinese are calling for the UK to return art looted by the British soldiers who destroyed the Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860 - Chris Bowlby's been investigating. After the Syriza victory in Greece, Podemos in Spain reckons it could be next to win an election on left-wing policies; Tom Burridge has been with party activists in Valencia. And how was the poet W.B.Yeats associated with bizarre goings-on at a cemetery near Paris? Hugh Schofield tells a story of the mysterious forces some believe govern the universe. From Our Own Correspondent is produced by Tony Grant.

The human stories behind the headlines. Like any war, the one against Ebola is leaving scars which will take generations to heal, as Grainne Harrington has been finding out in Guinea. Mark Rickards on how, at last, the outside world has found a way to infiltrate the hidden Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The Chinese are calling for the UK to return art looted by the British soldiers who destroyed the Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860 - Chris Bowlby's been investigating. After the Syriza victory in Greece, Podemos in Spain reckons it could be next to win an election on left-wing policies; Tom Burridge has been with party activists in Valencia. And how was the poet W.B.Yeats associated with bizarre goings-on at a cemetery near Paris? Hugh Schofield tells a story of the mysterious forces some believe govern the universe. From Our Own Correspondent is produced by Tony Grant.

Global insight and colour. In this programme: Russians or locals? Gabriel Gatehouse goes to meet some of those still occupying government buildings in the east of Ukraine. Lives and jobs start to disappear in South Africa as a bitter mining dispute continues amid a mood of deepening disenchantment, a despatch from Hamilton Wende; On one of Rome's holiest weekends of the year, Alan Johnston's been to a non-Roman Catholic corner of the eternal city which enchanted the poets Keats and Shelley; Carrie Gracie starts her new job as the BBC's China editor with a list of hard-to-answer questions while Owen Bennett-Jones is down on the banks of the River Ganges wondering how a journalist can sort facts from fiction. From Our Own Correspondent is produced by Tony Grant.

Global insight and colour. In this programme: Russians or locals? Gabriel Gatehouse goes to meet some of those still occupying government buildings in the east of Ukraine. Lives and jobs start to disappear in South Africa as a bitter mining dispute continues amid a mood of deepening disenchantment, a despatch from Hamilton Wende; On one of Rome's holiest weekends of the year, Alan Johnston's been to a non-Roman Catholic corner of the eternal city which enchanted the poets Keats and Shelley; Carrie Gracie starts her new job as the BBC's China editor with a list of hard-to-answer questions while Owen Bennett-Jones is down on the banks of the River Ganges wondering how a journalist can sort facts from fiction. From Our Own Correspondent is produced by Tony Grant.

Why is Bosnia seeing its most serious unrest since the country was at war in the 1990s? How difficult is it getting America back to work? Is there public support in Nigeria for the authorities' new law against homosexuals? What evidence is there of the links between Soviet East Germany and the exotic spice island of Zanzibar? And why might our man visiting the Gaza Strip be considering going back there, with his family, for a holiday? They are all questions addressed in this latest edition of From Our Own Correspondent.

Why is Bosnia seeing its most serious unrest since the country was at war in the 1990s? How difficult is it getting America back to work? Is there public support in Nigeria for the authorities' new law against homosexuals? What evidence is there of the links between Soviet East Germany and the exotic spice island of Zanzibar? And why might our man visiting the Gaza Strip be considering going back there, with his family, for a holiday? They are all questions addressed in this latest edition of From Our Own Correspondent.

Over the past year, BBC correspondents have reported on upheaval in Egypt, war in Syria, a government shutdown in America, a new pope and a royal baby. But this special edition of From Our Own Correspondent avoids the major headlines and the big breaking stories in favour of a ground-level view of the last 12 months. So, in this programme: Rajan Datar takes a ride with a polyphonic choir in Georgia and Reggie Nadelson hears the story of Harlem's Apollo Theatre. Nick Thorpe finds strangely tender moments in a Romanian slaughterhouse while Steve Rosenberg plays piano with the man who ended the Cold War. We journey to the deserts of Sahara and South America, take trains in Portugal and Nigeria and hear reporters grapple with strange musical instruments in Vietnam and Switzerland. And there's more in this montage of some of the year's more entertaining dispatches, presented by Kate Adie. Producer: Mike Wendling

Over the past year, BBC correspondents have reported on upheaval in Egypt, war in Syria, a government shutdown in America, a new pope and a royal baby. But this special edition of From Our Own Correspondent avoids the major headlines and the big breaking stories in favour of a ground-level view of the last 12 months. So, in this programme: Rajan Datar takes a ride with a polyphonic choir in Georgia and Reggie Nadelson hears the story of Harlem's Apollo Theatre. Nick Thorpe finds strangely tender moments in a Romanian slaughterhouse while Steve Rosenberg plays piano with the man who ended the Cold War. We journey to the deserts of Sahara and South America, take trains in Portugal and Nigeria and hear reporters grapple with strange musical instruments in Vietnam and Switzerland. And there's more in this montage of some of the year's more entertaining dispatches, presented by Kate Adie. Producer: Mike Wendling

Good to see you again! Mark Doyle is reunited with his spectacles, which were lost on a battlefield, and gets to see some of the lesser reported glories of Somalia. The Greek central bank forecasts an end to six years of recession and Mark Lowen, in Athens, talks of the resilience of the Greek people and their love of life. Reasons to be cheerful in the eastern German city of Leipzig too: Chris Bowlby's there talking to locals about a huge transport project ready after lengthy delays; Susie Emmett sees signs of energy, ingenuity, integrity and community in Kenyan farming but is less impressed by the colour of her bath water and James Fletcher is grounded by an Arctic storm while out news gathering in Greenland. Can he make it home in time for Christmas? From Our Own Correspondent is produced by Tony Grant.

Good to see you again! Mark Doyle is reunited with his spectacles, which were lost on a battlefield, and gets to see some of the lesser reported glories of Somalia. The Greek central bank forecasts an end to six years of recession and Mark Lowen, in Athens, talks of the resilience of the Greek people and their love of life. Reasons to be cheerful in the eastern German city of Leipzig too: Chris Bowlby's there talking to locals about a huge transport project ready after lengthy delays; Susie Emmett sees signs of energy, ingenuity, integrity and community in Kenyan farming but is less impressed by the colour of her bath water and James Fletcher is grounded by an Arctic storm while out news gathering in Greenland. Can he make it home in time for Christmas? From Our Own Correspondent is produced by Tony Grant.

Correspondents with stories from around the world: in this edition, Jonathan Head on how an argument over democracy lies at the heart of the current political turmoil in Thailand; Lucy Williamson's in the Chinese city closest to North Korea where a brutal leadership purge was underway; Katy Watson meets a man in the United States who a thousand women a year turn to for help after having breast cancer surgery; James Harkin on the Syrian air force officer who's been imprisoned on three separate occasions and Joanna Robertson in Paris explodes the myth that French women don't get fat and hears the claim that in French society, a fat female is a failure. From Our Own Correspondent is produced by Tony Grant.

Correspondents with stories from around the world: in this edition, Jonathan Head on how an argument over democracy lies at the heart of the current political turmoil in Thailand; Lucy Williamson's in the Chinese city closest to North Korea where a brutal leadership purge was underway; Katy Watson meets a man in the United States who a thousand women a year turn to for help after having breast cancer surgery; James Harkin on the Syrian air force officer who's been imprisoned on three separate occasions and Joanna Robertson in Paris explodes the myth that French women don't get fat and hears the claim that in French society, a fat female is a failure. From Our Own Correspondent is produced by Tony Grant.

Nelson Mandela: five correspondents who'll never forget how their own stories came to coincide with that of the great South African leader, who died on Thursday. Fergal Keane was our man in Johannesburg as Mr Mandela fought to keep his country back from the brink of civil war; John Simpson on the day he met a man who had 'become perhaps the most revered person on earth.' Milton Nkosi recalls the risks taken to keep the name of Nelson Mandela alive in the townships during his long years of imprisonment; Hamilton Wende on what it was like, as a white South African, growing up in a country where even talking of Mr Mandela could be dangerous and James Robbins on the long-awaited day when the man who went on to lead the country was freed from prison and appeared before a jubilant crowd in Cape Town. From Our Own Correspondent is produced by Tony Grant.

Nelson Mandela: five correspondents who'll never forget how their own stories came to coincide with that of the great South African leader, who died on Thursday. Fergal Keane was our man in Johannesburg as Mr Mandela fought to keep his country back from the brink of civil war; John Simpson on the day he met a man who had 'become perhaps the most revered person on earth.' Milton Nkosi recalls the risks taken to keep the name of Nelson Mandela alive in the townships during his long years of imprisonment; Hamilton Wende on what it was like, as a white South African, growing up in a country where even talking of Mr Mandela could be dangerous and James Robbins on the long-awaited day when the man who went on to lead the country was freed from prison and appeared before a jubilant crowd in Cape Town. From Our Own Correspondent is produced by Tony Grant.

Correspondents with stories from the news. Today, Steve Rosenberg on how Ukraine's caught in a tug-of-war between Russia and the European Union; a huge refugee camp by the Sahara Desert is hit by drought - Chris Terrill says it's difficult for the inmates and the aid agencies trying to help them. But it's a boon for the Islamic militant groups looking for recruits; freak weather has killed thirty thousand cattle in the American state, South Dakota - Sybil Ruscoe's been there to see how the ranchers are coping; James Menendez has been travelling in Burma, also known as Myanmar. The place is fast modernising, but transformation has yet to arrive on its railways. And Robin Lustig goes hiking through Peru's Andean foothills looking for coca growers and finding out why they're dubious about their government's anti-drugs initiative. From Our Own Correspondent is produced by Tony Grant.

Correspondents with stories from the news. Today, Steve Rosenberg on how Ukraine's caught in a tug-of-war between Russia and the European Union; a huge refugee camp by the Sahara Desert is hit by drought - Chris Terrill says it's difficult for the inmates and the aid agencies trying to help them. But it's a boon for the Islamic militant groups looking for recruits; freak weather has killed thirty thousand cattle in the American state, South Dakota - Sybil Ruscoe's been there to see how the ranchers are coping; James Menendez has been travelling in Burma, also known as Myanmar. The place is fast modernising, but transformation has yet to arrive on its railways. And Robin Lustig goes hiking through Peru's Andean foothills looking for coca growers and finding out why they're dubious about their government's anti-drugs initiative. From Our Own Correspondent is produced by Tony Grant.