Podcast appearances and mentions of hugh schofield

Two deeply disturbing cases in France have reignited national debate about how the justice system handles sexual violence. In December last year, Dominique Pelicot was found guilty of repeatedly drugging and raping his wife while she was unconscious and inviting other men to do the same. This week, Joël Le Scouarnec, a retired surgeon, was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in jail for sexually abusing almost 300 people, mostly children. His victims have spoken out against this sentence and lawyers have called for a change in the law. Jessica Creighton is joined by Blandine Deverlanges, a feminist activist and the Founder of Les Amazones d'Avignon, and BBC correspondent Hugh Schofield to discuss the situation. Three-time Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan, known for roles in films such as Maestro, Promising Young Woman and Suffragette, returns to our cinema screens in the comedy drama The Ballad of Wallis Island. She talks about playing ex-folk singer Nell, working on a film set with a young baby, and how she feels about turning 40. The Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6, is about to appoint a new chief and it's looking very likely that it will be a woman for the first time in the organisation's 115-year history. Former BBC defence correspondent Gordon Corera and spy novelist Ava Glass tell Jessica who's in the running and how significant it is that this organisation could be run by a woman.A new blood test which will help develop personalised cancer treatment is going to be rolled out across the NHS. The technique, known as a 'liquid biopsy' will be offered as a standard for lung cancer patients, and the NHS is now planning on expanding this testing to advanced breast cancer patients. Jessica is joined by Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, to discuss how this works and the impact it could have.Earlier this week, goalkeeper Mary Earps, one of England's most high profile footballers, announced her retirement from the international game. Her decision comes just five weeks before the Lionesses go to the European Championships to defend their title. Joining Jessica to discuss her decision is football writer for the Guardian Suzy Wrack, and sports lecturer at the University of Worcester and professional goalkeeping coach, Dr Julia West. Presenter: Jessica Creighton Producer: Andrea Kidd

Kate Adie introduces stories from Sudan, Greenland, Lebanon, the Vatican and France.An estimated 3.5 million people have fled Khartoum since RSF rebels took control of the Sudanese capital two years ago - but it is now back under the control of the army. Barbara Plett-Usher joined a military convoy, travelling deep into a city devastated by war, but found relief among remaining residents who say they are 'learning to live again'.The eyes of the world have turned to Greenland this year as Donald Trump has made aggressive overtures about taking over the Danish territory. Andrew Harding travelled to the capital, Nuuk, where locals keen for independence are now concerned about the threat of new outside interference.The Lebanese militia group, Hezbollah, is in its weakest position for years after 13 months of conflict with Israel, during which time many of its senior leaders were killed. Hugo Bachega visited Hezbollah's strongholds to weigh up how solid its support is today.Pope Francis is back home after a five week stay in hospital. He remains visibly frail, and amid uncertainty about his long-term future as head of the Catholic Church, there's speculation about a possible successor. David Willey considers the broader challenge facing the Vatican when it comes to an ageing priesthood.The decision by a French court to block the far-right politician Marine Le Pen from standing in the next presidential election, after she was found guilty of misusing EU parliamentary funds, has proven hugely divisive. Hugh Schofield summarises the national mood, by setting the scene being played out in homes up and down the country.

On this week's Spectator Out Loud: Hugh Schofield asks why there is no campaign to free the novelist Boualem Sansal (1:26); The Spectator's arts editor, Igor Toronyi-Lalic, reacts to the magazine's campaign against frivolous funding and, continuing the campaign, Michael Simmons wonders if Britain is funding organisations that wish us harm (8:00); Lisa Haseldine reflects on whether the AfD's rise could mean ‘Weimar 2.0' for Germany (17:08); reviewing Thou Savage Woman: Female Killers in Early Modern Britain, by Blessin Adams, Alice Loxton explores the gruesome ways in which women killed (25:05); and, from Kenya, Aidan Hartley reflects on how a secret half-brother impacted his relationship with his father (35:13).  Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

On this week's Spectator Out Loud: Hugh Schofield asks why there is no campaign to free the novelist Boualem Sansal (1:26); The Spectator's arts editor, Igor Toronyi-Lalic, reacts to the magazine's campaign against frivolous funding and, continuing the campaign, Michael Simmons wonders if Britain is funding organisations that wish us harm (8:00); Lisa Haseldine reflects on whether the AfD's rise could mean ‘Weimar 2.0' for Germany (17:08); reviewing Thou Savage Woman: Female Killers in Early Modern Britain, by Blessin Adams, Alice Loxton explores the gruesome ways in which women killed (25:05); and, from Kenya, Aidan Hartley reflects on how a secret half-brother impacted his relationship with his father (35:13).  Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.

Kate Adie presents stories from Russia, Mayotte, Liechtenstein and France.BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg is regarded as a 'propagandist' by some Russians, but a song he wrote about a Russian friend seemed to thaw the ice, and unexpectedly struck a chord with fellow Muscovites.France held a day of national mourning this week in tribute to those who died after Cyclone Chido devasted the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte earlier this month, bringing winds of up to 160 miles per hour. Mayotte was already France's most impoverished territory, but the storm, which was the worst to hit the archipelago in 90 years, flattened areas where many people live in shacks, leaving behind fields of dirt and debris. Mayeni Jones describes the challenges of trying to reach the island when she was deployed there.Liechtenstein lays claim to being one of the worst football teams in the world. It was recently on a 40-game losing streak, until it recently faced Hong Kong on its home turf. Jacob Panons - a loyal supporter of the Hong Kong team - witnessed the stand-off between the two minnows.Thanks to his Christmas stories, Charles Dickens is often associated with this time of year. But our Paris correspondent, Hugh Schofield, has come to discover more about another passion in the Victorian novelist's life – his love of France.Series Producer: Serena Tarling Production Coordinators: Katie Morrison & Sophie Hill Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Notre-Dame is reopening to the public after 5 years of renovation, following a devastating fire in 2019. But the cathedral is much more than a building - and many secular minded people in France would say that it's much more than a cathedral too. We hear from our Paris Correspondent, Hugh Schofield and commentator Agnes Poirier, author of "Notre Dame - the Soul of France".The Archbishop of Canterbury has apologised for causing distress after Church of England abuse survivors criticised his House of Lords farewell speech. Jane Chevous, the co-founder of Survivors Voices joins the programme. The position of women in Afghanistan took another turn for the worse this week as women and girls have told the BBC they've been banned from nursing and midwifery courses. PRESENTER: Edward Stourton PRODUCERS: Katy Davis and Bara'atu Ibrahim STUDIO MANAGERS: Carwyn Griffith and Simon Highfield EDITOR: Chloe Walker

On October 6th, 2020 in a school outside Paris, teacher Samuel Paty gave a lesson on freedom of speech – the same lesson he had given several times before which involved showing drawings of the prophet Muhammad – to a class of teenagers.He was later beheaded outside the school in a savage attack that shocked France. The assailant Abdoullakh Anzorov, the young man of Chechen origin who wielded the knife, is dead – shot by police in the minutes after his attack.The next day one of his pupils – the 13-year-old girl – was asked by her father why she was not going to school. She told him she had been disciplined because she dared to stand up to Paty when he told Muslims to leave the class so he could show a naked picture of the prophet. It was all a lie; she was not even in school that day.Believing her, her father took to social media to condemn Paty and the story grew online.On trial are two men accused of identifying Paty as a “blasphemer” over the Internet, two friends of Anzorov who allegedly gave him logistical help, and four others who offered support on chatlines.As BBC correspondent in Paris, Hugh Schofield explains to In the News that the trial is less about the murder itself, and more about the circumstances that led to it.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to France based journalist Hugh Schofield.

The far-right in France are hoping to enter government for the first time since World War Two. Marine Le Pen's National Rally party won the first round of this surprise election – which has thrust French society into its biggest political turmoil in decades. Now, politicians and parties opposed to a far-right government are working together – tactically withdrawing from races to block the National Rally's path to victory.Caitríona Perry chats with the BBC's Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield about whether the opposition plans are likely to work or if there will be a radical new government in France.TGS is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, you may well like some of our other pods, too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app. This episode was made by Alice Aylett Roberts and Eleanor Sly. The technical producers were Jack Graysmark and Hannah Montgomery. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

It has been five years since Notre-Dame de Paris was devastated by fire. Now, thanks to a massive restoration effort, French President Emmanuel Macron says the cathedral will partially reopen in December. Katya Adler speaks to the BBC's Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield and journalist Madeleine Schwartz of The Dial Magazine about the special place Notre-Dame holds in the hearts and minds of the French people, and why people from all over the globe pitched in to help save it.The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We're keen to hear from you, wherever you are in the world. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory.The Global Story is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app.This episode was made by Peter Goffin and Beth Timmins. The technical producer was Matt Hewitt. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

This summer Paris will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the first time in a century. Excitement in the city is growing, but so is the list of problems facing organisers. Critics have warned that the river Seine is too polluted for the planned swimming competitions, and security concerns are at an all time high following threats from the Islamic State group (IS) to European sporting events.Katya Adler speaks to BBC sports editor Dan Roan and Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield about what Parisians think about the incoming spectacle, and whether it can truly leave a legacy on the city.The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We're keen to hear from you, wherever you are in the world. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory.The Global Story is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, then we think that you will enjoy some of our other podcasts too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app.This episode was made by Alice Aylett Roberts, Emilia Jansson and Peter Goffin. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Kate Adie presents stories from Israel, Nigeria, the US, Lithuania and FranceTensions between Iran and Israel this week have ramped up further after Tehran issued a warning that it would retaliate for a recent strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Israel never claimed responsibility for the attack but is widely considered to be behind it. This has compounded fears the conflict between Israel and Gaza will spill into a wider regional war. James Landale has been on an air drop mission to Gaza and reflects on recent events.Ten years ago, 276 secondary school children were kidnapped in Nigeria's north-east by Islamist militant group, Boko Haram. Ninety one of the girls are still unaccounted for. Yemisi Adegoke went to meet some of the girls who escaped captivity – to hear about their memories of that day and its impact on their lives. Mental health experts have expressed alarm in the United States about an increase in the rates of suicide there, with a particularly steep rise among young people. Will Vernon went to North Carolina to investigate why the deaths are happening.Simon Worrall tells the story of the provenance of a wood panel painting by Rembrandt - a portrait of a beggar with a bulbous, drunkard's nose. He traces it back from its origins in a Lithuanian Baltic Oak Forest to an auction house in Maryland. One hundred and twenty years after the ‘entente cordiale' was signed between Britain and France, French troops this week took part in the Changing the Guard ceremony in London at the same time as their British counterparts in Paris. Hugh Schofield reflects on whether – despite appearances – the relationship has in fact grown more detached.Series Producer: Serena Tarling Editor: Bridget Harney Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison

It's just over four years since the devastating fire at Notre cathedral in Paris, when the roof and spire were engulfed in flames ... For a time it looked possible the entire building might be destroyed. When President Macron promised to have the cathedral rebuilt and re-opened by next year, many thought he was being wildly optimistic – but the BBC's Hugh Schofield reports that the operation is advancing pretty much on schedule.

Kate Adie presents highlights from 2022, beginning in Moscow, where we hear the story of the friendship between BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg and Valentina, a vendor at a newspaper kiosk. Earlier this year, Ryanair introduced a compulsory nationality test - in Afrikaans - for South African travellers coming into the UK. Audrey Brown describes what the language means to her as a Black South African and for so many others who grew up under apartheid. Protesters took to the streets in Sri Lanka this year, as the country spiralled into an economic crisis which saw Sri Lankans facing shortages of fuel, food and medicine. Rajini Vaidyanathan was in Colombo. And finally, Emmanuel Macron has been criticised for being out of touch with regular voters, so in the French elections this year he tried a more casual approach - in both manner and attire. Our Paris correspondent, Hugh Schofield, decided upon a makeover of his own, and went in search of a new suit - from the President's own tailor. Series Producer: Serena Tarling Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production Coordinator: Iona Hammond

From the Commonwealth country of Canada, to the fifth republic of France, we reflect on how the world remembers Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. As Head of the Commonwealth, the Queen had to negotiate the ever-evolving relationship with its member states as they declared independence and as Britain's relationship to its former colonies underwent profound change. The British Monarch remains head of state of 14 countries, from Canada to the Solomon Islands. Lyse Doucet is in Ottawa where Canada's leaders have made warm tributes and reflects back on her own encounters with the Queen. Despite its anti-monarchist history, one of the more powerful tributes to the Queen emerged from French President Emmanuel Macron. He spoke fondly of her as a ‘great head of state' and a ‘kind-hearted queen.' So what was the Queen's relationship to France? In 1972 Queen Elizabeth famously told former President Georges Pompidou 'we are not driving on the same side of the road, but we are going in the same direction', when he lifted the veto to Britain entering the Common Market. Hugh Schofield reflects on a unique relationship. The Oscar-winning film Parasite portrays the story of a low-income South Korean family living in a basement apartment. In one memorable scene, the heavens open and floodwater fills the family home. Last month, in a cruel example of life imitating art, Seoul experienced its heaviest flooding in 100 years. Water rushed into homes, trapping residents inside – four people were killed. The city government has since promised to get rid of the basement apartments and create more social housing. But as Jean Mackenzie has been finding out, this offers little comfort to those who live there. The Gambia is Africa's smallest nation, where the process of reconciliation is proving arduous, five years after the end of a murderous dictatorship. Former President Yahya Jammeh, who fled to Equatorial Guinea in 2017 after losing a re-election bid, is wanted internationally for crimes against humanity, including extrajudicial killings, torture, forced disappearances, and sexual violence. Because he still enjoys a measure of loyalty back home, the nation he left behind is divided. Most of Jammeh's hit men fled when he did, and many Gambians say reconciliation is impossible until they are all brought to justice. When Alexa Dvorson visited the country she witnessed a rare act of contrition. The Republic of Moldova sits on a fault line of geo-politics, with warring Ukraine on one side and Romania, firmly ensconced in the EU and Nato, on the other. Within its borders, is Transnistria, where a Russian-backed separatist war broke out thirty years ago. Today the area is a frozen conflict zone, but Russia still has a military presence. Piggy-in-the-middle between East and West, perhaps nothing tells Moldova's complicated story more clearly than its main industry – wine - as Tessa Dunlop finds. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling Production coordinator: Iona Hammond Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

The former President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernandez was voted out of power in January, and within weeks was arrested, accused of being part of a major international drugs ring. This month, Mr Hernandez was extradited to the US, where he will face charges of drug trafficking and money laundering - charges he denies. Meanwhile, back in Honduras, police say they are now trying to destroy the drug industry, and invited our correspondent Will Grant along to show how. A British man was killed this week while fighting in Ukraine, emphasising the international aspect of the crisis. Thousands of foreigners have travelled to Ukraine to take up arms, encouraged by the country's President, Volodymyr Zelensky. But why would someone travel to a distant country, to fight in towns and cities they may have struggled to find on a map? Hugh Barnes found a wide variety of reasons - and people - who have answered the call. Across Ukraine, there are reminders of the warm relationship the country once had with its neighbour, Russia. The southern city of Odessa had a particular closeness, many of its population being native Russian speakers. But Odessa has been hit by Russian missiles, and with significant civilian casualties. Jen Stout tried to find out what local attitudes are now. One of the tragedies of climate change is that those who will suffer worst from its consequences are often those who played little role in causing it - he West African island nation of Sao Tome and Principe is particularly exposed, a poor place made poorer still by environmental damage. Now it may have a chance to alleviate some of that poverty, by selling the oil which some believe lies under its ocean. Yet it is burning oil which has caused the country's climate problems in the first place, presenting a dilemma which Tamasine Forde witnessed first hand. As Emmanuel Macron savours victory in the French election, some will be putting it down in part to the studied attempt to change his image and look more casual. Often depicted as stuck up and aloof, Monsieur Macron appeared in a much-publicised, and indeed much-mocked photograph, with no jacket and an open-neck shirt. However, while the re-elected President may have swapped his tie for tufts of very-visible chest hair, the same cannot be said of his staff. Indeed, the 'Macronistas' seem keen to preserve France's international reputation for sartorial suaveness. Our correspondent, Hugh Schofield, found himself wondering whether he should follow their lead.

Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, who fled Japan whilst awaiting trial, says he'd be willing to go to court in Lebanon on financial wrongdoing charges. Speaking to the BBC's international business correspondent Theo Leggett, Mr. Ghosn said he had not profited from financial impropriety. Plus, ahead of the second round of France's presidential election on Sunday, the BBC's Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield tells us how the two candidates wound up their campaigns, and what their economic priorities are. Chris Low from FHN Financial tells us how stock markets in the US have been affected by the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell suggesting that half percentage-point interest rate increases could be on the horizon. We hear from a resident of Shanghai in China, who describes the impact of the city's stringent Covid-19 lockdown. And Kristin Schwab of World Business Report partner programme Marketplace reports on how current high inflation rates are hitting women harder than men.

Voting for the first round of France's presidential election starts this weekend. President Macron and the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen are firm favourites among the twelve candidates to reach the final run-off vote in two weeks' time. Martha Kearney presented Today from Paris ahead of the first round of that vote. She reported from Rennes where President Macron received significant support in his very first election and our Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield reported from Perpignan, where Marine Le Pen has traditionally found support. (Image Credit: EUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo)

It's 40 years since Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands – or the Malvinas – as they are known in Spanish. Nearly 1,000 soldiers were killed in the war – more than 600 of whom were Argentinian. Katy Watson spoke to people about what happened in the war and how relations between the two countries have changed An estimated quarter of a million Russians have fled their homeland since the invasion of Ukraine. An estimated 35000 have relocated across Russia's southern border to Georgia. The capital Tbilisi is a melting pot of several nationalities – all escaping the war. Rayhan Demytrie has spent the past week meeting some of them The island of Taiwan may have its own constitution and a democratically-elected government – but its legal status remains contested. China sees it as a breakaway state, which it has vowed to retake by force if necessary. As events have unfolded in Ukraine, it has left Taiwanese asking if Beijing would follow a similar course to that of Moscow, says Rupert Wingfield-Hayes. People in Serbia are going to the polls this weekend – for presidential and parliamentary elections, with relations with Russia firmly on the agenda. In the run up to the vote, executives from Russian Railways were among guests as Serbia's president opened the first phase of a new, high speed train line. Guy De Launey was on board The first round of the French presidential elections is just one week away – but, much like the UK, the news bulletins have been focused on the war in Ukraine. The polls all predict that President Emmanuel Macron will hold on to power – so, no change is expected, which is in itself something of a change, says Hugh Schofield. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling Editor: Hugh Levinson

What is it like to spend years saving up your money, and then watch as its value rapidly declines? Or to have a pension which no longer pays for even your basic needs? Inflation in Turkey is soaring, with some estimates putting the annual rate at fifty percent. The Covid pandemic has meant that prices are rising around the world, but Turkey's particularly high figure has led some to blame the unorthodox economic policies of the country's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ayla Jean Yackley visited an Istanbul market to hear more. When our correspondent in Colombia contracted Covid, he assumed he would get the medical treatment he needed; after all, he did have health insurance. However, that was not how it turned out, and in the process, Matthew Charles got a first-hand picture of how things work in the Colombian healthcare system: who gets the help they need, and why it is they who get it. Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, has a problem with street prostitution, in the sense that prostitutes and clients sometimes have sex actually in the street, or else they end up going back to the client's homes, where the women may not be safe. As a way of tackling this, the city's sex workers are now being offered a new place to see their clients: in the back of a van. Linda Pressly was invited to see how this works. Conspiracy theorists are hard to argue with, as any fact offered to challenge their world view can be dismissed as a lie of the mainstream media. So when Stephanie Hegarty travelled to the US to meet adherents of the “QAnon” theory, she did not expect to change their minds. These are people who believe there is an international, underground sex ring, linked to senior world leaders with a secret fondness for worshipping the devil. However, she was surprised at the details of QAnon beliefs, and the tenacity with which supporters cling to them. We are all probably aware of the lasting effect that children's books can have. Stories discovered in our early years may stay with us for the rest of our lives, so too the pictures and plots. Our Paris Correspondent, Hugh Schofield has long held a candle for Caroline, the bold little girl who featured in a long-running series of French children's books dating back to the 1950s. So it was a great surprise when he had the chance to actually meet her.

British people are being banned from France as the country tries to slow the spread of Omicron. From Saturday, only French citizens, British people living in France, or those visiting family will be allowed to enter. It comes as the UK prime minister warned people to re-think their Christmas plans. The UK recorded more than 78,000 new infections in a single day on Wednesday - the highest day since the start of the pandemic. Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield spoke to Corin Dann.

British people are being banned from France as the country tries to slow the spread of Omicron. From Saturday, only French citizens, British people living in France, or those visiting family will be allowed to enter. It comes as the UK prime minister warned people to re-think their Christmas plans. The UK recorded more than 78,000 new infections in a single day on Wednesday - the highest day since the start of the pandemic. Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield spoke to Corin Dann.

The Chinese government is, as ever, staying busy by devising new regulations. It's unleashed a raft of regulatory changes on everything from the limits on how much debt property developers are allowed to build up, to changes in the tax code and the breaking up of tech giants. But the Communist Party has also launched a series of rather paternalistic moves, reaching right into family homes, with measures designed to tackle perceived problems of laziness, or even what the state calls “spiritual pollution.” As Stephen McDonell reports from Beijing, it's as if there is nowhere that the Party doesn't know best - and no aspect of life where it's not prepared to take charge. The French government has expressed its fury after the decision by Australia to scrap a contract to buy French submarines. Canberra chose instead to enter a nuclear security pact for the Indo-Pacific with the US and the UK. “We've been stabbed in the back!” is how the French foreign minister put it – and off the record you can imagine that the comments were even stronger. Hugh Schofield has been following the events and says there is nothing confected about French outrage. When it was part of the Soviet Union, Lithuania played host to stocks of nuclear missiles – huge ICBMs, which could have destroyed cities around the world. Back then, Lithuania's geography gave it great strategic importance. When it became fully independent in 1991, it found itself a rather small nation, of about three and a half million people, and with of lesser international interest. And yet, Lithuania has been rather punching above its weight lately - particularly in recent disputes with China and Belarus. On a recent visit to a small Lithuanian village, Sadakat Kadri, found relics of the country's past, with important lessons for the present. When the Spanish conquistadors first landed in the Americas they brought new and terrifying beasts with them – from ships' rats to warhorses – not to mention lethal human diseases. But there was one sort of creature the indigenous Americans DID recognise on the European ships: the dogs. Dogs had already been tamed and kept by humans all over the continent for thousands of years. And they're still there – maybe not the original breeds, but thriving wherever there are people. In fact, in Chile, Jane Chambers has found them hard to avoid… People who'd love a career in the arts end up doing other things to earn a living – just think of all those aspiring actors waiting tables in restaurants or would-be novelists working away in offices. But some do manage to break through against the odds – and it helps to have a globe-trotting life story as well as a deep well of inspiration at home to draw from. The painter Kojo Marfo has rocketed to fame after years spent working away from his home town in Ghana. Andy Jones has been exploring his career - and how he went from butcher's assistant to art world sensation.

Lebanon was once the embodiment of glamour: its capital, Beirut, was nicknamed the “Paris of the Middle East” and enjoyed as an international playground. Today those glory years seem long gone. A political crisis has left the country without a properly functioning government – and its economy has imploded. The currency has lost more than 90% of its value and poverty has skyrocketed. There are shortages of fuel, water and food - and as Leila Molana-Allen explains, even essential medicines are getting harder and harder to find: It's a scenario found in so many places around the world: the war is over, no more shots are being fired, no bombs dropped, and yet people are still dying. And why? Because of all the landmines which have been laid during the conflict – which don't recognise ceasefires or treaties, and can still maim or kill anyone who treads on one. During last year's fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the Nagorno Karabakh region, thousands of mines were buried in its hillsides. Efforts to defuse and remove them have already begun – but it's slow, painstaking, and above all, terribly dangerous work. Colin Freeman has been hearing from some of the men trying to clear up the mess. As the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America approaches, it's a particularly difficult time for those who lost friends and family. Almost three thousand people were killed when Al Qaeda hijackers flew planes into the twin towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. One of the dead was David Berry, who was killed in the south tower of the World Trade Center. He was 43 years old and had young children. His widow, Paula Grant Berry, has been talking to Laura Trevelyan. Travelling through Italy you're bound to run into Mazzini, Garibaldi and Cavour – the key historic figures in the country's unification. From the Alps to Sicily, there are endless roads, piazzas and monuments named in their honour. But new roads call for new ideas - and the choices made about who to commemorate can be surprising. In Ozzano dell'Emilia – a village of 14,000 people near the northern city of Bologna - they've decided to dedicated a new road to a rather unexpected – and flamboyant – personality. Dany Mitzman's been to walk the freshly-rolled tarmac of Via Freddy Mercury. They say that in big cities like London or New York you're never more than a few metres away from a rat. Hugh Schofield now has proof positive that it's true - and has an alarming tale of a most unwelcome visitor to his home in the French capital. Producer: Polly Hope

In the eastern Mediterranean there are far fewer refugees and migrants arriving by boat than in recent years - but the moral dilemmas of dealing with migration are still acute. In Greece, the government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has tightened its asylum laws, built new walled camps and pushed back boats at sea. Over his reporting career, Fergal Keane has followed many global waves of migrants and refugees, from their home countries, along their journeys and to their various end points. A recent visit to the Greek islands got him thinking about the big picture again. Life has been good to King Mswati III of Eswatini. He has ruled over a small, peaceable country for decades as an absolute monarch. But his historic privileges are now in question. It seems some of his people have had enough; recently protests and looting broke out, and were met with a violent response. At least twenty seven people have been killed. Shingai Nyoka has met the King in person, and talked to some of his restive subjects. The situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia is still looking grim. Apart from the armies of Ethiopia and Eritrea and the armed forces of the TPLF, armed forces from other regions of Ethiopia have also become involved. Outside observers have warned of a possible impending famine. But it's been very hard for journalists to find out exactly what's happening inside Tigray itself, as the Ethiopian government has tightly controlled access. Fred Harter managed to get there earlier this year, and since then he's been trying to keep up with events from afar. In France this week, President Macron sent signals of a distinctly tougher official approach to vaccination. From now on, if you can't produce a pass showing you're Covid-safe, daily life could become significantly more complicated. Hugh Schofield wonders whether the French may secretly like a bit of strong-arming from their leader. Over the long months of lockdown many people have taken to walking with new fervour – particularly when it was the only legitimate pretext for leaving the house. In Transcarpathian Ukraine, Nick Thorpe recently joined a group of local enthusiasts who are assembling their own route for a very long hike indeed - a new footpath winding 250 miles through the mountains from the Slovak to the Romanian border. Producer: Polly Hope

Twenty-one million people in 16 areas of France begin a new month-long Covid lockdown. The BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris tells us about the likely impact on businesses in France, and the government's deficit. Also in the programme, there's a new phase of international port diplomacy, where major economic powers are helping to construct ports to help establish commercial and military footholds around the world. The BBC's Ranga Sirilal in Colombo describes India and Japan's assistance to Sri Lanka for a port there. We hear from Cobus Van Staden, senior China-Africa researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs about a Chinese loan deal for Bagamoyo Port in Tanzania. And Cristina Maza, a freelance journalist who has been covering a deal between Sudan and Russia for military access to Port Sudan on the Red Sea, discusses what is in it for the two sides. Plus, we hear from the chief executive of Australian airline Qantas, Alan Joyce, how he hopes to revive the company's fortunes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo: A lone pedestrian walks near the Louvre in Paris. Credit: Getty Images)

Ten years ago, former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, was ousted after weeks of protest in Tahrir square in Cairo. Demonstrators proved an unstoppable force despite a brutal crackdown by authorities killing hundreds. But the post-Mubarak era has not heralded a period of greater freedoms. Kevin Connolly, who covered the fall of Mubarak, looks back on the protests in 2011 which have now fallen silent. President Emmanuel Macron has chosen not to impose a further lockdown, instead tightening borders, closing shopping malls and imposing a night-time curfew to keep the virus under control. Mr Macron now has one eye on the looming presidential campaign as two polls this week suggested his lead over the far-right’s Marine Le Pen is narrowing. Hugh Schofield reports from Paris. It's Oscar season again – and Pakistan’s entry in the best foreign film category is making the headlines. The plot centres on the fictional story of a devout Muslim and estate agent whose life is turned upside down when he dances sensually to a song at a wedding. The film has angered a religious group, and the government has postponed its release – indefinitely, says Secunder Kermani. At the beginning of the pandemic, Bulgaria’s authorities moved swiftly to impose stringent lockdowns on the country’s Roma communities. Many Roma settlements are cut off from essential services. In some neighbourhoods, military police barred the exits. As Bulgaria starts to re-open, Jean Mackenzie visits one settlement. On the ski slopes of Lake Tahoe, it’s taboo to mention the pandemic. In the Diamond Lake ski resort, slopes are full of visitors, happy to visit the restaurants – and casinos. It's a different story down the road in California, says Alice Hutton. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

The fourteen accomplices to the 2015 attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris have been found guilty. A French court delivered the verdict, following a three-month trial. Seventeen people died after gunmen attacked the magazine's office, a Jewish supermarket and police officers on the streets of Paris. The accomplices were found guilty on charges ranging from membership of a criminal network to complicity in the attacks. Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield speaks to Susie Ferguson.

In South Africa, racial tensions have been heightened in some rural areas, particularly after the murder of Brendin Horner, a young white farm manager. Cases like his have led to claims of ethnic cleansing. But as President Ramaphosa pointed out, the killings are cases of criminality, not genocide. Andrew Harding went to the small town of Senekal to investigate what's underlying these racial tensions. In Paraguay in South America, the river of the same name last week dipped to its lowest level ever recorded after months of drought. That’s a problem in this landlocked country which uses the waterway to transport the vast majority of its traded goods. And where does it leave the local fishermen? William Costa has been finding out, and asks what's causing the lack of rainfall. The Covid-19 pandemic has severely restricted international travel. That's meant Kamin Mohammadi can no longer divide her time between Italy, Britain and Iran as she used to, for family and work reasons. Now Tuscany has become a true home, not because of remote working, nor even finally having the time to appreciate things like bees on a lemon tree. But it was due to sharing the depths of Italy's sorrow at the height of the pandemic. After the First World War, tourists went to France to visit the battlefields. Among them was the future novelist Rumer Godden. Then a girl of 15, she was taken with her three sisters to see the theatres of war of the Marne. They stayed in the town of Château-Thierry, east of Paris. That holiday formed the basis of Rumer Godden’s celebrated later novel The Greengage Summer. It’s a favourite of Hugh Schofield, so it was on something of a personal mission that he set off in search of … the greengage summer. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

Vigils and rallies are being held after a school teacher was beheaded outside his school in Paris. Samuel Paty, a French history and geography teacher, was killed on Friday by an Islamic terrorist because he showed his students caricatures depicting the prophet Muhammad that were published by Charlie Hebdo in 2015. It caps a bleak weekend for the French capital, which is now among a number of cities now subject to a nightly curfew, after the country hit a new high of more than 32,000 COVID-19 cases in a single day on Saturday. Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield speaks to Susie Ferguson.

For President Trump to have had Covid-19 so close to the election presents political dilemmas. Play it down, and you offend the relatives of the dead. Play it up, you highlight the seriousness of the disease that killed so many on your watch. And then there are the pitfalls for the Democrats. Anthony Zurcher navigates the minefield in Washington. A state of emergency has been declared in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, and troops have been ordered onto the streets of the capital Bishkek to quell the unrest that erupted after a disputed parliamentary election last weekend. Protesters are angry at alleged vote buying and intimidation. They clashed violently with police and seized government buildings. A new revolution, asks Caroline Eden? Despite certain advances, Nigeria still has a way to go to true gender equality. Take renting a home for example. It’s much harder to convince a landlord of your merits as a tenant, if you’re a woman, especially if you’re single, as Olivia Ndubuisi has been finding out. Despite the hot climate, cycling has become popular in the United Arab Emirates, and Team UAE's Tadej Pogacar, a Slovenian, won this year's Tour de France. Young women, too, have taken up the sport enthusiastically, all while wearing modest clothing. Georgia Tolley reports from Dubai. Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield has had to take a driving test - his old Irish licence had run out, and couldn't be renewed in France. But unlike the first time, this time he had to get his head round a counterintuitive but crucial rule: to give priority to any car coming from the right. How did he get on? Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

All bars in Paris are closed from today as the region goes on maximum Covid-19 alert after health authorities reported a sharp rise in the number of infections. Gyms and swimming pools will also be closed for two weeks in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. France's maximum alert level comes into force when the infection rate in a locality exceeds 250 infections per 100,000 people. Hugh Schofield is our Paris correspondent. He speaks to Corin Dann.

To Paris, where cycling's greatest race has just finished on the Champs Elysees. After three weeks of slog, Slovenian Tadej Pogacar was crowned champion, the 21-year-old becoming the youngest champion in 116 years. The 2020 edition of Le Tour will be remembered for being raced with a backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. BBC Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield speaks to Corin Dann.

Five years after the deadly terrorist attack of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, a trial of fourteen accused suspects has begun in Paris. The magazine has chosen to reprint the controversial caricatures of Islam's Prophet Muhammad which may have prompted the attack. The paper said the drawings "belong to history, and history cannot be rewritten nor erased". It will also carry a tribute to the magazine's employees who were killed. BBC Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield speaks to Susie Ferguson.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya had nothing to do with politics until recently, and has now become the main opposition candidate for the presidential election in Belarus on the 9th of August. She became a candidate when her husband, a leading opposition leader, was suddenly jailed. Jean Mackenzie was able to meet her, and the other women taking on President Lukashenko who has ruled for 26 years. In Australia, relations with its main trading partner China are the worst they've been for decades, over issues ranging from the coronavirus to tariffs on beef and barley. And Australians of Chinese descent are increasingly becoming the victims of racist abuse. Frances Mao, Chinese-Australian herself, reports from Sydney. Florida has reported a record high daily death toll from Covid-19, and governor Ron DeSantis has been under pressure to toughen up restrictions. There is no state-wide requirement to wear masks, but individual cities like Miami have imposed them. Attitudes to the virus remain quite divided, as Tamara Gil has been discovering in Miami. Laos was neutral in the Vietnam war, but was heavily bombed by the Americans anyway, as their North Vietnamese enemies ran supply routes to American-backed South Vietnam via the country. Unexploded ordinance from that time are blighting lives in Laos decades later, as Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent found out. If a common language divides Britain and America, as they say, then how much more does a separate language divide Britain and France? The single word postilion or postillon in French sheds quite a lot of light on what makes these countries so different, says Hugh Schofield in Paris, who is fluent in both languages. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

A church volunteer has admitted to starting a large fire that devastated the cathedral in the French city of Nantes last week. The 39-year-old Rwandan man worked as a warden at the cathedral and had been in charge of locking up the building. The fire destroyed the cathedral's 17th century organ as well as historic stained-glass windows, but around 100 firefighters managed to save the main structure. France correspondent Hugh Schofield speaks to Corin Dann.

As job cuts are announced by Reach, the UK's largest regional newspaper publisher, Amol Rajan looks at initiatives to fund local journalism. Also in the programme, is TikTok the new Huawei? Guests: Karin Goodwin, co-editor of The Ferret, Ian Carter, editorial director of the Illife Media Group, Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, Hugh Schofield, BBC correspondent in Paris, and Dr Tim Stevens, lecturer in global security at King's College London. Sound engineer: Nigel Dix Producer: Richard Hooper

The unending debate over whether the Mona Lisa is a universal masterpiece, or just sort of okay, can resume in earnest today, as the Louvre museum in Paris reopens for the first time in fourth months. On average 10 million people visit the museum each year. French correspondent Hugh Schofield speaks to Kim Hill.

As the Netherlands lends Air France-KLM $3.7bn we look at the future of travel. The BBC’s Tom Burridge has been sampling the new normal of air travel on a domestic flight from London to Inverness. We get a sense of how France’s tourism sector is recovering in the aftermath of coronavirus lockdowns with a report from the BBC’s Hugh Schofield in Brittany. Also in the programme, future stability in Sudan will depend on a thriving economy, and according to the UN that is best achieved if countries are willing to offer financial help. We hear more from UK Minister for Africa, James Duddridge, whose government has pledged $185m at a donor conference on the subject in Berlin. The selection process to find a new director general of the World Trade Organisation is under way, and one of the candidates, Hamid Mamdouh, tells us about his vision for the organisation. Plus on the day the Glastonbury Music Festival was due to start in southwest England, we hear about the challenges faced by those who would normally be crewing the event, from Peter Heath, head of the Professional Lighting and Sound Association.

Europe's first coronavirus case is now thought to have occurred in December, after a doctor in France re-tested a swab for a patient who had been treated for pneumonia. Until now, the first three cases had been confirmed on 24 January, but if true, it means the virus was in Europe for a month earlier than was initially thought. It comes as France looks to begin easing its restrictions from next Monday, after recording its lowest death tolls for weeks. Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield speaks to Kim Hill.

The Turkish military offensive seems to have achieved its major aim - to force the Syrian forces away from the border area they had once controlled. But what does this mean for the future of the Kurds? Jeremy Bowen takes a long view. In Vienna last Saturday the Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge made history by becoming the first man ever to run a marathon in under two hours. In doing so, he brought Kenyans together, says Anne Soy in Nairobi, and made the whole country proud. It's now 30 years since the momentous events of 1989 that changed the politics and geography of Europe and led to the demise of the Soviet Union two years later. Steve Rosenberg visits a bookshop in the Latvian capital, Riga, for a lesson in Baltic history. They make beautiful cowboy boots in the Texan city of Fort Worth. But you'd better be well-heeled if you fancy a pair. Elizabeth Hotson eyes up the merchandise but is too shy to try any on. And in France they’ve recently launched a lottery to raise money to save the country’s vast architectural heritage. Hugh Schofield visits an old coaching inn where they have had a skeleton in the back yard, if not in the cupboard.

The “gilets jaunes” (yellow vest) protestors trying to bring France to a standstill. Hugh Schofield, says they're angry at having to pay the price for Parisians to live more comfortably and feel they are treated with contempt and condescension by the French elite. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents around the world. Nick Higham is on the Rock to find out what Gibraltarians think of the possibility of a no-deal Brexit. Devina Gupta explains what it is like to report from Delhi, where the polluted air makes her eyes water and her throat burn. Will Grant examines some of the many challenges Mexico’s new President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, will face; from economic stagnation to the violent drug cartels. And Melissa Van Der Klugt visits a pioneering “wildlife corridor” in East Africa and discovers that simply moving fences has made a big impact on Kenya’s wildlife.

Kate Adie introduces stories from around the world. Saudi Arabia's investment conference put on quite a show - and unlike many foreign investors scared off by the aftershocks of Jamal Khashoggi's death, Sebastian Usher was there to see it for himself. Lyse Doucet was in Afghanistan to cover its parliamentary elections, and found many changes to the streetscape in Kabul - as the city survives a rising tide of attacks. Airport security measures provided clues of their own to the way life is changing. Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, was sometimes hyped as the "next Dubai" in the 2000s - but Samira Shackle found that many of its building sites, supposed to give rise to four-star opulence, are now abandoned shells occupied by internally displaced people who fled the advance of the so-called Islamic State. Tequila? No, mezcal - a smoother, smokier, and arguably more authentically Mexican product. Graeme Green takes a tipple or two in the state of Oaxaca, to hear how its aficionados and producers are torn between excitement and apprehension as their drink grows more famous abroad. And BANG goes the auctioneer's whalebone hammer at the Hotel Druot, a storied Paris auction house which sells everything from randomly-baled belongings from house clearances to great works of art. Hugh Schofield went along ... and picked up a thing or two.

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

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?’

The duffel-coated outcast; from bomb factory to museum; icy cooperation; singing for home; greening sands. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories: Hugh Schofield meets a defiant - and chipper - Jean-Marie Le Pen, the outcast founder of the France's Front National; in north-west Pakistan, close to the Afghan border, Colin Freeman is shown a bomb-making factory - just the latest evidence of the violence that has dominated the region for more than a century; in the icy seas off Finland, fears of Russian 'little green men' are put aside as a Finnish icebreaker - with Horatio Clare on board - introduces a moment of peace and cooperation. Singing for home and a lost culture - Nicola Kelly hears how Nubians in Egypt are trying to reconnect with their lost homeland. And, in Oman, it's not golden sands that Antonia Quirke sees in the desert but a carpet of green.

Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories. With President Putin enjoying sky-high approval ratings, Sarah Rainsford travels to the hear the verdict in the trial of a man hoping to replace Mr. Putin. Just how difficult is it to be in opposition in Russia? In Turkey, there have been tens of thousands of arrests, numerous terrorist attacks, and the government is planning to hold a referendum, aimed at giving the President more powers. Its a time of instability. As a result, as Louise Callaghan has found, people are flocking to the psychics. The scale of the sex trafficking trade is hard to determine, though many governments have now admitted they need to do more about the problem. Often the victims are reluctant to talk. In south east Nigeria, Colin Freeman finds that the belief in a slave goddess is now being exploited by traffickers to instill fear into trafficked women. In Indonesia, Rebecca Henschke is invited to a judge in the annual transgender beauty contest. But amid all the glamour and glitter, there is an underlying worry about growing intolerance in the country. And our man in Paris, Hugh Schofield, says sometimes the cliche that a teacher can change your life is actually true. He reminisces about a man called "Mush" who taught him French, in 1960s Dublin.

Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories. Today: Justin Rowlatt, in the smog of Delhi, hears how Theresa May's hopes of brokering a free-trade deal with India could be much harder than the government would admit to. Gabriel Gatehouse is shown a decades old piece in St Petersburg as the authorities tell people to prepare for the worst. Alexander Beetham, on the US-Mexico border, comes face-to-face with some of those Donald Trump says he will keep out of the US. Hugh Schofield wonders about the decline in the art of sign-painting in France and what it says about small-town life. And Christine Finn is in a forest of colours, with the leaf-peepers of Vermont.

Kate Adie presents the first in a new series of eight programmes. In this edition, John Murphy reports from Najaf on the mounting death toll among Iraqis from the conflict with so-called Islamic State; Olivia Crellin tells the remarkable story of a transgender couple in Ecuador who are challenging some local assumptions by seeking to become parents; as South Africa's athletes return from Rio, Lindsay Johns in Cape Town reflects on the extraordinary impact that Olympic success is having there on coloured South Africans more than twenty-five years after the end of apartheid; Caroline Davies in Cairo discovers how, despite the growing intolerance Copts face in Egypt, they are enjoying great success in the country's recycling business; and Hugh Schofield in Paris ponders the world of Anglo-French mathematics as he studies for his A level in the subject and his son works on his baccalauréat.

Meeting the people populating the world of news. In this edition: thousands were massacred in the Bosnian town of Visegrad during the war there in 1992 - today, as Fergal Keane has been finding out, the authorities there want it to become a tourist destination. Visegrad is also on Nick Thorpe's mind only he's talking about the town by the River Danube in Hungary, where the so-called Visegrad 4, a grouping of regional nations, was born. Nick says that in today's Europe, their voice can no longer be ignored. As the US-election spotlight turns to South Carolina and Nevada, Robert Hodierne examines gun control and why the laws governing it won't be changing any time soon. Beth McLeod is in Malawi travelling on a boat built in Scotland when the country was a British protectorate which continues to provide a vital service to local communities. And he may have lived in Paris for two decades, but our man Hugh Schofield explains why it's only now, finally, that he seems to wield a bit of influence!

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.

Story-telling from the world of news and current affairs. In this edition: Shaimaa Khalil on the mood in Peshawar after the Taliban attack on a school in which more than a hundred children were killed; Barbara Plett-Usher on how Cubans are reacting to the prospect of improved relations with the United States; Quentin Sommerville visits the Iraqi army frontline as it tries to stop the militants from Islamic State seizing strategic Anbar province; Malcolm Billings is in a little-known Anglican place of worship hidden away in a web of cobbled streets in Istanbul and Hugh Schofield's doing some seasonal research involving whisky and chocolate biscuits in a remote corner of central France.

Despatches from around the world: Kevin Connolly on how Western policy makers, trying to respond to developments in the Middle East, are grappling with difficulties created by their own predecessors. As American warships prepared to fire missiles at targets in Syria, out in the Pacific Ocean two US carrier battle groups were carrying out the biggest live fire exercise in years. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes wondered if they had a target in mind. Iona Craig on a revolution in Yemen and how the nation was surprised when a previously marginalised militia group swiftly seized control of the capital, Sana'a. The economic news just gets gloomier and gloomier in France. Hugh Schofield says one area everyone agrees should be confronted is the so-called regulated professions. And the mushrooms, aided by a long wet summer, have been bursting out in the woods in Hungary. Nick Thorpe has been out to pick them. But which ones will lift his dinner to gastronomic heights and which ones might kill?

Stepping back in time exactly a century, five BBC News correspondents present their personal perspectives on the principal cities of the major European powers that, later in 1914, would fight the Great War.The programmes continue with Hugh Schofield reimagining the chic French capital of Maurice Ravel, the Ballets Russes and Henri Matisse - but which politically suffered continuing angst over its neighbour across the Rhine: Germany.For many, the wounds of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1 had still not healed. And the assassination in Paris of the leading French pacifist and socialist, Jean Jaurès, in late July 1914 convulsed the city and crystallised the diverging views about France's relations with her European neighbours. Hugh Schofield tells the story of why this event provoked such turmoil at the time and why it still resonates powerfully today in the politics and culture of France.Producer Simon Coates.

A world that's not just full of doom and gloom: Anna Borzello on the remarkable changes that have happened in northern Uganda since the area was abandoned by the brutal rebels of the Lords Resistance Army; Richard Porter tells us how the cruelties of Saddam Hussein have become a distant memory in the marshlands of southern Iraq -- people have returned to their homes, the wildlife is back too; BBC foreign correspondent James Reynolds talks of the phone call to London which might have cost him his job; Elisabeth Kendall explains how tribesmen of eastern Yemen are finally getting a say in their own future and Hugh Schofield, a British dad in Paris, sees his daughter transformed by philosophy lessons.

Correspondents' news and views from around the globe: Hugh Schofield is in Paris as French troops take on Islamist rebels in the former French colony of Mali; Will Grant on how Venezuelans are starting to consider a future without their president, Hugo Chavez; Emily Buchanan on the Indian holy man who wowed the ladies in New England; Jo Fidgen on how the Sami people of northern Sweden haven't quite forgotten their traditionally nomadic ways and James Luckhurst takes shelter from the cold and finds a welcome in one of the most unusual museums in the Baltic states.

Andrew North reflects on whether the recent rape and murder of a woman in Delhi might bring a greater soul searching amongst all sections of Indian society. Owen Bennett-Jones teeters on the "fiscal cliff" with anti-tax activist Grover Norquist, asking if he's really the most powerful man in America? Nicholas Shakespeare makes a nostalgic return to Phnom Penh. Andrew Bomford uncovers the secrets of eternal youth on the Greek island of Ikaria. Hugh Schofield banishes the January blues by exploring P.G. Wodehouse's love affair with France. And in the process, identifies what may be the master's finest opening paragraph.

Unemployment's up, the tax bills are up, public cheerfulness is down. Hugh Schofield says these are gloomy times in France. Sunday's general election in Venezuela could be a close one. And already it's providing our correspondent Paul Moss with a wardrobe nightmare. The stalemate in London surrounding Wikileaks founder Julian Assange continues. Jo Fidgen says that in Sweden, where he's wanted after allegations of sexual assault, most people believe he should come back for questioning. Hundreds of thousands of Crimean Tatars have been returning to their homeland. Robin Banerji has been learning that many are finding it hard to track down their cultural heritage. And biggest, tallest, longest, most expensive? Modern China certainly deals in superlatives but Martin Patience wonders if size really does matter or if it's all a question of insecurity.

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.

Churches and mosques are being targetted by the Boko Haram militant group in Nigeria. Will Ross has been to the northern city of Jos, a city he says feels like it's under seige. The Europe-wide debt crisis is increasingly being felt in Italy, where both prices and unemployment are soaring. Alan Johnston's in a suburb of Rome, hearing that people have begun to feel the pinch. It's fifty years now since Algerians won their battle for independence from France. Chloe Arnold in Algiers has been meeting a woman who feels she did her bit to liberate the country. Jim Carey's in Jordan, a kingdom which prefers hospitality to headlines and has a policy of being nice to everybody. And is conformism really a feature of the French psyche? It's a question which has been troubling Hugh Schofield on his morning runs around the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris.

SITREP Trail May 10th   There's been a U-turn over which planes to use on the Carriers - but is it the right decision?   Why there's anger in Scotland over plans to lose some historic regimental names   Why France's new President-elect wants to speed up the withdrawal of French troops from Afghanistan.   And the new memorial to Bomber Command is nearing completion - but why has it taken so long?     PRESENTER:  Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUEST:  BFBS's defence analyst, Christopher Lee    INTERVIEWS The Secretary of State for Defence, Philip Hammond on the Carriers   The Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, Jim Murphy, on Carriers and proposed cuts to Scottish regiments.   BBC's Paris correspondent, Hugh Schofield, discussing the new President elect       You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and on BFBS Radio 1 at 1830 (UK time) Alternatively listen again on the website.

SITREP Trail May 10th   There's been a U-turn over which planes to use on the Carriers - but is it the right decision?   Why there's anger in Scotland over plans to lose some historic regimental names   Why France's new President-elect wants to speed up the withdrawal of French troops from Afghanistan.   And the new memorial to Bomber Command is nearing completion - but why has it taken so long?     PRESENTER:  Kate Gerbeau STUDIO GUEST:  BFBS’s defence analyst, Christopher Lee    INTERVIEWS The Secretary of State for Defence, Philip Hammond on the Carriers   The Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, Jim Murphy, on Carriers and proposed cuts to Scottish regiments.   BBC's Paris correspondent, Hugh Schofield, discussing the new President elect       You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and on BFBS Radio 1 at 1830 (UK time) Alternatively listen again on the website.

From our own curmudgeon. Hugh Schofield finds reasons to be dyspeptic in Paris. Jeremy Paxman on why he says: let's hear it for the Chinese Communist party. Mary Harper visits the Ethiopian town at the centre of the world qat trade. Mark Doyle investigates the link between corruption and crisis in Nigeria while Gabriel Gatehouse explains how the job of uniting the divided factions in the new Libya becomes harder by the day.

Why two crumpled pieces of paper are among the most precious reminders Lyse Doucet has of her reporting trip to beleaguered Syria; Nick Danziger's been back to Kabul and wondered why the voices of Afghan women are too often ignored; Steve Evans in Berlin reflects on the row surrounding the return of twenty skulls to Namibia; building a new nation is never easy, but now Rosie Goldsmith tells us that South Sudan faces an additional challenge as it tries to introduce English as the official language; and Hugh Schofield in Paris on how new technology has breathed fresh life into the ghosts of Montparnasse cemetery.

A very French murder story: Hugh Schofield tells how France has been transfixed by an appalling human drama -- the killing of a mother, three sons and a daughter. Owen Bennett Jones questions whether depicting the news from Syria as 'brutal suppression of peaceful protestors' might be, to some extent, misleading. A climate of fear is stifling discussion about Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws -- that's the contention of the BBC's Jill McGivering who's been touring the country investigating. Richard Wilson makes a return trip to Antarctica and is shocked at how the continent's changing. Gareth Armstrong visits an Indian classroom and hears the students voice outrage at how the British regard the work of the children's author Enid Blyton.

Students aren't revolting in Qatar and Oman -- Robin Lustig's been to the Gulf states to see what effect the uprisings in parts of the Arab world are having there. Justin Marozzi's in Libya as questions are being asked about who will run the country in the future. More journalists lost their lives this week in the fighting in Libya. Stuart Hughes reflects on the dangers a reporter can face covering conflict. Ethiopia is one of the least urbanised countries in the world; it's also a place which is losing its doctors - many of them are leave the country to work elsewhere. Claudia Hammond's been talking to some of the young people there who've now been charged with taking healthcare out into the wideopen spaces of the Ethiopian countryside. And why is it city dwellers in France are happy to live in apartments while their counterparts in the UK opt, where possible, for houses? Hugh Schofield in France wonders what this division tells us about the development of two neighbouring peoples.

Can America's dollars buy hearts and minds in southern Afghanistan? It's a subject Michael Buchanan has been examining in Helmand province; Hugh Sykes has been finding out how some Palestinians and Israelis have been forging connections across their deep divide. In Chennai, formerly Madras, Peter Curran has been listening in to an argument about the use of the English language; the best and the worst of life in one of South Africa's toughest townships -- Karen Allen's been visiting Gugulethu and Hugh Schofield has been on the hunt for the wild raiders who've been tormenting farmers in France.