Podcasts about rajini vaidyanathan

Rajini Vaidyanathan, BBC News presenter and correspondent, speaks to Muhammad Yunus, interim leader of Bangladesh.The 84-year-old is perhaps one of the world's best-known Bangladeshis. Described as the banker to the world's poor, he gained international recognition as a Nobel prize-winning economist, who founded the Grameen microfinance bank, which delivered small loans to economically deprived people.It was a model applauded by many and is one which now operates across more than 100 countries worldwide. But it's also a model which was criticised by his political rival - Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who accused Mr Yunus of sucking blood from the poor. Her government made a series of allegations against him, including embezzlement, all of which he denies.And it was the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina's government last August that saw Muhammad Yunus thrust into the political spotlight.Student-led protests saw thousands take to the streets in an uprising against her Awami league government, which was accused of election rigging, human rights abuses and jailing critics.When Ms Hasina fled to neighbouring India, student leaders picked Muhammad Yunus to unite a divided nation. As well as promising to stamp out corruption, he's also faced the challenges of managing a refugee crisis on his doorstep and navigating cuts to foreign aid.So, after nearly a year in the job, how is he faring? The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Rajini Vaidyanathan Producer: Ben Cooper Editor: Nick HollandGet in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.(Image: Muhammad Yunus. Credit: Reuters/Yves Herman)

Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks about Elon Musk's hilarious response to Piers Morgan suddenly waking up to the dangers of Muslim immigration and realizing that Tommy Robinson was probably right in his warnings about grooming gangs in the U.K.; Jordan Peterson explaining to Piers Morgan how false accusations of Islamophobia have been used to cover up dangerous cultural differences between Western societies and Islamic ones; John Fetterman telling Fox News' Bret Baier how Democrats' inability to support the Laken Riley Act to fight migrant crime exposes how out of touch the Democratic Party is with the effects of the migrant crisis; the dalai lama shocking BBC News host Rajini Vaidyanathan by laughing in her face when asked if mass migration into Europe was a good idea; a reporter covering the catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires not realizing he's talking to Hollywood actor Steve Guttenberg; "Morning Joe's" Joe Scarborough letting a guest rip into Democrat Kathy Hochul's insane new congestion pricing plan for being a scam that will harm millions of New Yorkers already struggling to make ends meet; and much more. WATCH the MEMBER-EXCLUSIVE segment of the show here: https://rubinreport.locals.com/ Check out the NEW RUBIN REPORT MERCH here: https://daverubin.store/ ---------- Today's Sponsors: Field of Greens - If you don't always eat right and exercise but want to stay healthy use Field of Greens. You'll feel better with more energy, and you'll notice your skin, hair and nails will look healthier too. Get Your New Years discount now! Go to: https://fieldofgreens.com and use PROMO CODE: DAVE Home Title Lock - Ensure that your home title is safe from thieves. Sign up today and you'll get your first 30 days of triple lock protection for FREE – AND a complete title scan of your home's title. Go to: http://hometitlelock.com/rubinreport and USE promo code RUBIN 1775 Coffee - Peaberry coffee isn't your average bean—it's coffee's best-kept secret. It's denser, more flavorful, and packed with bold energy to kickstart your mornings. Rubin Report viewers get 15% off their order. Go to: https://1775coffee.com/RUBIN and use code RUBIN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kate Adie presents stories from Thailand, Australia, Senegal, Germany and the USThailand has seen its fair share of political drama over the years. In recent weeks, the dissolution of the opposition party and the dismissal of the PM showed the firm grip on the country by unelected institutions. Jonathan Head has been watching the events rapidly unfold.In Australia, there's a deepening housing crisis with 120,000 people facing homelessness in the country every night. Soaring property prices and underinvestment in social housing and a growing population have made the situation worse. Katy Watson has been in Perth, Western Australia.It was an idea that first had its inception in the 1980s: fighting desertification by planting a wall of trees across the African continent. The Great Green Wall would snake through eleven countries, from Senegal in the West to Djibouti in the East. But progress on the project has been slow. Nick Hunt has been in Senegal.The Baader Meinhof gang are an anti-American, anti-imperialist terrorist group that spread fear across West Germany in the 1970s and 80s. The group claimed responsibility for a series of unsolved murders in the early 90s. So, the arrest of one alleged member of the group in Berlin has attracted significant attention, as Tim Mansel reports.And finally, a cast of political heavyweights, ranging from Hilary Clinton to Barak and Michelle Obama to Bernie Sanders took to the stage in the glittering halls of the Democratic National Convention this week in Chicago. But back in Washington, Rajini Vaidyanathan spoke to some street vendors who were somewhat underwhelmed.Producers: Serena Tarling and Farhana Haider Editor: Tom Bigwood Production coordinators: Katie Morrison and Sophie Hill

Kate Adie introduces correspondents' dispatches from El Salvador, the streets of Pakistan's cities, the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, North Korea and Germany. Since the 1990s, El Salvador fell into the grip of street gangs which terrorised the country. Now its President, Nayib Bukele, is running a harsh crackdown on gang members, introducing sweeping new police powers, summary arrests, mass trials and heavy sentences for alleged offenders. Will Grant spoke to some who've suffered, and others who've gained, in this new climate. The last month has seen huge, passionate demonstrations in many of Pakistan's cities in support of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Once he was seen as an ally of the country's military and security establishment, but recently those ties have cooled and he's faced a slew of legal challenges. Caroline Davies has seen how this political drama is playing out in court and on the streets. What happened to the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims driven out of Myanmar in 2017? Rajini Vaidyanathan visits the world's largest refugee camp, in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, where many Rohingya families are trying to survive in cramped, squalid conditions. She reunites with a young boy the BBC first met five years ago. Visitors to North Korea often have a hard time understanding what locals really think. But once North Koreans leave the country, they can finally speak out about feelings locked inside - or just not confronted - for a lifetime. Michael Bristow met one North Korean woman who's now making a new life in the north of England. And in Germany, Tim Mansel explores why the future of small-town family butchers' shops appear to be on the chopping block. Like many other sectors in the German economy, retail butchery is struggling to fill all the empty vacancies. Producer: Polly Hope Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production Co-ordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross

As Earth Day approaches, we revisit a compelling conversation from 2021 asking which factors are really responsible for the climate emergency and who might be able to prevent it? Dr Anne Karpf is a writer and sociologist whose book, How Women Can Save the Planet, looks to analyse some of these questions in more granular detail. The BBC's South Asia correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan joins Karpf to learn more. We'd love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be about. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com.  At Intelligence Squared we've got our own online streaming platform, Intelligence Squared+ and we'd love you to give it a go. It's packed with more than 20 years' worth of video debates and conversations on the world's most important topics as well as exclusive podcast content. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch on-demand, totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today. ... Special event promo - 2 for 1 tickets to Bach vs Beethoven. Claim your discount here: intelligencesquared.com/bachvbeethoven Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kate Adie presents stories from Ukraine, Nepal, Iraq, Norway and the US Andrew Harding is at the frontline in Eastern Donbas, close to Russian lines, where soldiers share their dreams of the future after the war, as artillery fire rains down on them. The Yeti airlines crash into a gorge in Nepal last Sunday was the worst in 30 years. Rajini Vaidyanathan saw the grim reality of the crash site and spoke to mourners as they prepared to bury their loved ones. From chocolate biscuits, to porcelain to air-conditioning units, Iranian produce lines the shelves of Baghdad's stores. But despite the strong commercial ties and shared cultural influences, political tensions are flaring in the Kurdistan region of Iraq after the death of Mahsa Amini, writes Lizzie Porter. In Arctic Norway, cod fisherman rely on Russian cooperation to share fish stocks in the Barents Sea equally. Hugh Francis Anderson was in Tromso where he spoke to fisherman increasingly wary that souring relations with Russia could impact their livelihoods. Mark Moran reports from Arizona on the water wars in the state, where rural farmers and ranchers are launching a fightback against the move to divert water to the expanding city of Queen's Creek.

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

Vladimir Putin's announcement of a partial conscription to fight in the war in Ukraine was interpreted by many as an act of desperation. Within Russia, the news sparked protests by Russians who are against fighting a war they don't believe in. Until now many Russians had continued with life almost as normal, unaffected by Putin's so-called special operation. This week changed that, says Sarah Rainsford Iran is facing the most serious challenge to its leadership in years. The death of a young woman in police custody, after she was arrested for allegedly failing to follow hijab rules has triggered nationwide protests in both middle class and working-class areas. Kian Sharifi says these protests show a stiffening resolve. Rajini Vaidyanathan visits a hospital in Sindh Province in Pakistan, which was the worst affected area in recent floods. The World Health Organisation has warned that the country now faces a second disaster amid an outbreak of waterborne diseases. Over the past year, Israel's Ultra-orthodox community has struggled to deal with a series of sex abuse scandals. One of the biggest involved a leading light of the ultra-Orthodox world, Rabbi Chaim Walder who was accused of abusing women and children. Yolande Knell, reports on the shockwaves these revelations have caused. Centuries ago, Getaria, a town on Spain's Atlantic coast, gave birth to a man who changed the world: Juan Sebastián Elkano, the first person to navigate a ship around the globe. Julius Purcell was in Getaria for the anniversary of Elkano's mighty achievement and finds the town caught in a national debate over Spain's imperial legacy.

Adam joins the thousands lining up to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, as she lies in state in Westminster Hall. The BBC's Lyse Doucet, Rajini Vaidyanathan and Anne Soy discuss the international reaction to the Queen's death and the future of the Commonwealth. And Katya explains the EU's plans for a huge energy windfall tax. Today's Newscast was made by Tim Walklate with Miranda Slade, Cordelia Hemming and Khadra Salad. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Louisa Lewis.

American author R J Palacio talks to Krupa Padhy about her latest novel "White Bird" Following the overturning of Roe V Wade in the US more women have talked openly about having had an abortion but many never speak openly about their experiences. In a series first broadcast in 2019 we hear five different personal testimonies from women. Today, a woman we are calling Amanda who only came to terms with her abortion 25 years later. How can learning your child's ‘love language' help you become a better parent? Child and Educational Psychologist, Dr Nneka Ikeogu, talks us through the 5 languages of love and explains how children give, and receive, love using them. We hear from the BBC'S South Asia Correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan about how the economic crisis in Sri Lanka is affecting families across the country And how do women's bodies respond to extreme heat? We talk to GP Dr Radikha Vohra and Dr Jo Mountfield from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Presenter: Krupa Padhay Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Gayl Gordon Picture Credit: Heike Bogenberger

Half a dozen Tory leadership candidates remain. As the number of candidates in the race to be the next PM is reduced, Chris looks at who's in front, and who could pick up votes in the next few days. Also, Laura is back in the studio to chat about her latest Panorama: The Downfall of Boris Johnson.' And the BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan talks us through the political crisis in Sri Lanka. This episode of Newscast was made by Tim Walklate with Chris Flynn, Ivana Davidovic and Cordelia Hemming. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence, with inflation soaring to the highest rate in Asia. The country's energy minister warned at the weekend that the country would soon run out fuel as long queues formed at petrol stations, with many staying for days at a time. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has even sought help from Russia to help import fuel. Rajini Vaidyanathan has been in Colombo speaking to those most affected. Will Grant reflects on dual tragedies in Texas: the shooting in a primary school in Uvalde in Texas and 53 migrant deaths in a people smuggling operation. In both these horrific events, the correspondent heard stories of thwarted hopes – and life ambitions cut short. In Syria, cities like Damascus and Palmyra were once heralded for their history and architectural grandeur but much of their cultural heritage has been destroyed during the years of civil war. Nick Redmayne travelled to Palmyra on a guided tour, one of a few businesses that are trying to revive their fortunes despite an on-going economic crisis. In Algeria, we hear how people are working to restore the land that was burned in wildfires last year, in the country's northeast. Tens of thousands of hectares were destroyed in the flames and much of the natural landscape has morphed into charred remains. Amy Liptrot visited a project which is involved in restoring some of the land that was destroyed by the fires. And finally, we hear about one French farmer who has come up with a cunning plan to help generate a new source of revenue at his family run farm: it's a cabaret show with a difference, far away from the Folies Bergère. Chris Bockman paid it a visit. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling Editor: Emma Rippon Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

Sri Lanka has been rocked by violent protests. The country is out of cash, which means it is struggling to import fuel, food and basic medicines. This in turn has prompted political turmoil, with anti-government protestors coming under attack from supporters of the ousted government. Rajini Vaidyanathan was there as battles broke out. It was Archbishop Desmond Tutu who first called South Africa the 'Rainbow Nation', reflecting hopes for a new era of equality for the country and as it emerged from decades of apartheid. Now though, migrants in South Africa are being blamed for unemployment and other social problems - some have been murdered by vigilantes. Shingai Nyoka reflects on this rising animosity with particular personal interest, as she herself moved to South Africa from Zimbabwe. It's eight years since King Juan Carlos of Spain abdicated, following a string of highly embarrassing scandals. But just recently, the former king returned to Spain for a brief visit - the first since he left. Plenty of Spanish people turned out to welcome their former ruler with full-on patriotic fervour, but as Guy Hedgecoe explains, such sentiments were far from universal. The death toll in Ukraine numbers the tens of thousands, but there are fears that vastly more people could die as an indirect result of the conflict, as supply lines for wheat and fertiliser are severely disrupted. Jonathan Head reports on how the war is affecting rice farmers thousands of miles away in Thailand. The war in Ukraine has presented a huge logistical challenge - for citizens and the military, and also for journalists. Joe Inwood has spent most of his BBC career as a producer, but as his team moved across Ukraine, he found himself having to help run a hotel after all the local staff left town.

The destruction of Ukrainian cities such as Mariupol has garnered global headlines, but the fighting has also filtered out to the rural towns and villages which surround it. These lack the city's resources for dealing with the dead, the injured, and the bereaved, and when Wyre Davis reached one of these rural spots, he found even the most day-to-day tasks present significant challenges and risks. Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to occupy the middle ground on Ukraine; he remains on good terms with Vladimir Putin, but Turkey is also a member of NATO. This has enabled President Erdogan to take a central role in efforts to reach a peace deal, inviting negotiators to meet in Istanbul. And this is perhaps the ideal city for discussions aimed at healing division. Istanbul marks the point where Europe and Asia meet, with the Bosphorus Strait running between the two. The Bosphorus also occupies a key strategic position in this conflict, which Ellie House found herself reflecting on as she took a boat ride along one of its busier stretches. A series of setbacks have left Sri Lanka running out of cash, meaning there is now no money to pay for food or fuel. This has resulted in power cuts for up to thirteen hours a day, and prices rising to the point where people are having to skip meals, while hospitals run out of medicine. The protestors who have been out on Sri Lanka's streets this week knew who to blame, pointing the finger at the government and its economic mismanagement. Rajini Vaidyanathan says that for ordinary Sri Lankan people, the situation remains dire. Once upon a time, VIktor Orban was seen as a brave campaigner for democracy, demanding Soviet troops leave Hungary during the Cold War. Nowadays, he is a reliable friend of the Kremlin - a matter of some concern to his European Union and NATO allies, but something they will have to continue to live with. This week, Mr Orban won a fourth successive term as Prime Minister. Nick Thorpe has met him many times over the years, and has a few ideas about what lies behind his success. How can a city and its people recover from war? This is something the people of Mosul in Iraq have had time to consider. It has been fought over at various points in the past two decades, by US troops, the Iraqi national army, Al Qaeda, and then, by Islamic State. IS attempted to destroy much of Mosul's tradition and culture, yet the city is now undergoing something of a renaissance, as Leila Molana-Allen found on a recent night out.

A meeting between Russia and India’s foreign ministers has just wrapped up in New Delhi. The BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan in Delhi says that top of the agenda was how India, which has remained neutral in the Ukraine conflict, can continue to pay for the oil it gets from Russia without breaking sanctions. Hungarians will go to the polls this Sunday as Prime Minister Viktor Orban seeks a record fifth term in office. The BBC’s Nick Thorpe in Budapest explains how the war in Ukraine and Orban’s relationship with Vladimir Putin have shaped this election. And last night in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, police say they arrested more than 50 people as protesters stormed the presidential palace. The country is facing its most acute economic crisis since independence in 1948.

A meeting between Russia and India’s foreign ministers has just wrapped up in New Delhi. The BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan in Delhi says that top of the agenda was how India, which has remained neutral in the Ukraine conflict, can continue to pay for the oil it gets from Russia without breaking sanctions. Hungarians will go to the polls this Sunday as Prime Minister Viktor Orban seeks a record fifth term in office. The BBC’s Nick Thorpe in Budapest explains how the war in Ukraine and Orban’s relationship with Vladimir Putin have shaped this election. And last night in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, police say they arrested more than 50 people as protesters stormed the presidential palace. The country is facing its most acute economic crisis since independence in 1948.

What does it mean to be a young Hindu in India today? The BBC's South Asia correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan is in Delhi with a panel of young people aged between 18-27 who have travelled from across India to share what their faith means to them. They give their views on the caste system, Hindu nationalism, interfaith marriage, who is and is not a Hindu and the values and rituals that sustain them in their daily life. Presenter: Rajini Vaidyanathan Producer: John Offord (Photo: Rajini Vaidyanathan with Delhi producer Shalu Yadav and panellists Ojas Sahasrabudhe, Kashish Kunden, Akshat Pal, Architi Batra, Disha Singh, Sankalp Dash, Swarangi Joshi, Akshay Anand and Siddhant Mohite)

Millions of lives are being uprooted, or destroyed as Russia's bombardment of Ukrainian cities widens. Fergal Keane has covered the conflict with Russia and its proxy forces since 2014 – and has followed the story of a beekeeper from the Donbas, and his wife. Ukrainian journalists covering the crisis at a distance have been watching the horror unfold and grappling with its implications on friends, colleagues and loved ones. Irena Taranyuk, of the BBC's Ukraine service, tells of her experience of putting the story out on the night the invasion began. Russia is becoming increasingly isolated internationally, with western companies stopping operations there. Thousands of Russians are packing up and leaving. Many say it's because they have political concerns about the sort of country Russia will become; others fear of the imposition of martial law or worry that the economy will crumble. Caroline Davies spoke to some of them. More than 180 million voters went to the polls in 5 of India's states this week, including the country's largest - Uttar Pradesh. The governing BJP has a firm hold on the state, and its chief minister – a hindu-monk-turned politician, Yogi Adityanath is emerging as a favourite to succeed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But during his leadership, he has been criticised for anti-muslim rhetoric. Rajini Vaidyanathan followed the campaign trail. It's 20 years since James Helm arrived in Dublin as BBC Correspondent there, with his wife Charlotte and their young son. The original posting was for a year, but the family stayed on in Ireland for almost a decade - a period of enormous change for the country. After several years away, James and his sons recently made a return trip. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling Editor: Emma Close

Lebanon hosts more than a million Syrian refugees, mostly living in very basic accommodation. Now the country has been hit by freakishly cold weather, while in the midst of an economic crisis. That has left refugees exposed to the elements, with families unable to cook, children falling ill, and little sign of help on its way. Leila Molana-Allen found many in despair. Just as millions suffer from freezing cold under Lebanon's snowfall, it is the lack of snow which some fear. Those making a living from winter sports are seeing ski seasons shorten, as climate change speeds up the rate at which mountain snow is melting. Yet when Polina Bachlackova went to a ski resort in France, she found some locals sceptical about whether humans were the cause of a changing climate, and rejecting the suggestion that urgent action is needed to tackle it. China has been generous to Sri Lanka lately, paying for roads, other transport infrastructure, and retail developments. Some of these have been outright gifts, some were funded by loans, but others were more of a swap, provided in return for access to land. One of the biggest developments is in the harbour area of Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, where a huge retail, residential, and business area is under way. Anbarasan Ehirajan was given a tour, and found himself asking whether it was what the people of Sri Lanka really needed. Just across the water from Sri Lanka, India has been holding two days of national mourning for the singer, Lata Mangeshkar. Described as the "Nightingale of Bollywood," hers was the voice on the soundtrack in hundreds of Indian musicals. The country's President said her death was heart-breaking, while the Prime Minister said she left a void in the nation. Rajini Vaidyanathan is among those feeling the loss. Italy is just recovering from the annual “Sanremo Festival,” its annual marathon song contest. Often compared to the Eurovision song contest, San Remo is famous for kitsch performances, which millions of Italians tune into. Dany Mitzman joined in the fun.

What are you hoping for in the twelve months ahead? What might you be fearing? These are questions which we often ask ourselves at this time of year, and yet it is hard to imagine a year when they have felt quite so pressing. In this special, New Year's Day edition of From Our Own Correspondent, we hear about sentiment both optimistic and pessimistic, and about the efforts people are making to rebuild after a year of loss. Plus there is a look at why many people seem to be optimistic, whatever the challenges ahead. 2021 saw terrible, weather-related destruction, which many blamed on climate change. In California, more than eight thousand major fires broke out, their number and intensity a marked increase on what is normally seen there. Justin Rowlatt witnessed the resulting devastation, but says that amidst the burned out ruins, people were still holding out hope of recovery and reconstruction. There was plenty of destruction in 2021 that did not come from nature, war continuing to take its toll in many parts of the world. Ethiopia and Yemen were perhaps the worst examples, but there were also small-scale conflicts, like the insurgency in Myanmar. Then there were the conflicts which never really went away, like that between Israel and the Palestinians. An exchange of rocket fire with Gaza back in May, along with Israeli airstrikes, left more than two hundred dead, the overwhelming majority on the Palestinian side. When Tom Bateman went to Gaza, he met a woman trying to restart her life as a sculptor. The Coronavirus has been described as offering a lesson in humility, a challenge to our belief in humanity's power to control and manage the world around us. This tiny, sub-microscopic string of rogue DNA, has led to death on a scale most will not have experienced in their lifetime. At the same time though, vaccines and anti-viral drugs have been developed in response to Covid, which use new technologies that promise cures for other diseases in future. Rajini Vaidyanathan saw some of the worst of Covid, reporting from India where hundreds of thousands died, perhaps more than a million. But while off duty recently, she found herself struck by the effects of one individual death, in a place very familiar to her. People often talk about climate change in terms of future trouble ahead: rising sea levels, and crops no longer able to thrive. In the Pacific island nation of Fiji, whole villages have already had to be evacuated, because of current weather conditions, and what that weather is expected to do in the years ahead. Many Fijians traditionally have a strong attachment to the land they live on, so moving from their homes presents a challenge that goes way beyond mere inconvenience. When Megha Mohan visited, she found local people trying hard to retain a sense of connection to their original homes. Despite Covid, climate change, and all the other challenges which humanity faces, many remain optimistic that normal life can continue or be restored, or perhaps that something new, and better can emerge from the ashes of the old. In fact, according to Marnie Chesterton, most people are predisposed to have an optimistic outlook, and to believe there are solutions to the challenges we face.

As the COP26 global climate summit takes place, many are asking who is really responsible for the climate emergency and who might be able to prevent it? Dr Anne Karpf is a writer and sociologist whose recent book, How Women Can Save the Planet, looks to analyse some of these questions in more granular detail. The BBC's South Asia correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan speaks with Anne to learn more about the book. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This weekend's elections will determine the makeup of Germany's parliament - and set the country's course for a new, post-Angela Merkel era. German politics tend to be less adversarial, less personal and polarised than in many European states – although there's still plenty to be argued over. So far the campaign has stuck to the issues – there have been no notable gaffes or dramatic confrontations. But it is a close race and opinion polls have swung wildly. After this year's catastrophic flooding and the economic shocks of the pandemic, voting for “more of the same, please”, is not really an option. Jenny Hill seizes up how many fresh ideas are on offer for German voters. There's an epidemic in the USA which has cost around half a million lives. Not Covid - this is a drug epidemic. And it was caused by an addiction brought into American homes by major, reputable pharmaceutical companies; They sold opioids as painkillers, despite – as it has transpired in court - being aware that they could be highly addictive. So, patients prescribed them wanted more and more. If their supply of prescribed opioids ran out, some were so hooked they used heroin to ease their withdrawal symptoms. Oxycontin was the drug implicated in many of the cases of opioid addiction. But now the company which made Oxycontin has been told it won't be prosecuted. Indeed, the Sacklers, who own it, will remain one of the wealthiest families in America - protected from prosecution. Daniel Thomas has followed the Oxycontin story and has met some of those caught up in it. The long years of armed struggle in Colombia are supposed to be over – with many of its rebel factions and paramilitaries officially demobilised and their recruits sent on their way. The largest guerrilla force, known as the FARC, is now signed up to a peace deal with the government it had fought for decades. But the ghosts of the country's insurgencies are still everywhere: there are over eight million people in the country who've had to flee their homes in areas controlled by armed groups. Many thousands more went missing during the conflict, whose fate may never be known. But some of their relatives never give up looking for them. Mathew Charles heard the story of one woman's life in a time of violence. With a growing population of more than 1.3 billion, and a burgeoning middle class, India is facing an energy crunch in the near future. Its needs are set to rise more than any other nation's during the next 20 years, according to the International Energy Agency. India is currently the world's third-largest emitter by country and it still relies heavily on coal to keep its industries running. As other nations are urged to phase it out, how easy will it be for such a fast-growing AND fast- developing nation to ditch one of its favourite fuels? Rajini Vaidyanathan explores the dilemma in Odisha state. Ireland has always been renowned for its conversation – the ease with which people, often complete strangers, fall into talk, relate stories or debate the issues of the day. One recent topic has been the latest population statistics: in Ireland, unlike many European Union countries, the population is increasing - with numbers topping five million for the first time since the middle of the nineteenth century, when famine caused millions to emigrate. There's been many a boom and bust since then. But now many Irish exiles are coming home. Kieran Cooke, having a drink at his local bar, came across some interesting returnees. Producer: Polly Hope

The crackdown on dissent and reporting in Belarus goes on, and its authorities are keen to present their version of events to the world. At a recent press conference in Minsk, Jonah Fisher was presented with a dilemma when detained blogger and protester Roman Protasevich was brought out to speak to assembled journalists and diplomats. High in the Himalayas, Nepal is one of the world's poorest countries, with a weak and under-funded health system, particularly in rural areas. Rajini Vaidyanathan travelled there to report on the impact the pandemic is having on families across the country. Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was one of the most infamous drug cartel heads in Mexico for years - though he's ended up jailed for life in a supermax prison in the USA. Tara McKelvey covered his trial in New York in 2019, where she saw one of his former mistresses give dramatic testimony - and met his wife in the courthouse cafeteria. Two years on, the two women's fortunes have very much reversed. Bukhara is one of the most renowned of the ancient cities along the ancient Silk Road linking China and the West - a storied place with millennia of artistic and intellectual history embedded in its mosques, madrasas and mausoleums. Sara Wheeler chose a more intimate kind of building to get a feel of its history. And Andrew Harding recalls moments on the road across Africa - from Libya to Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire to Zimbabwe - when it took a team to get the job done. While the joke goes that reporters get the credit and camera operators get the fun, what is the producer's lot? Some of them - like his colleague Becky Lipscombe, now leaving the BBC - really can make all the difference. Producer: Polly Hope

Former President Jacob Zuma's long-delayed fraud trial saw a surge in interest this week as the accused arrived to plead not guilty to all charges. Andrew Harding has been following this intricate case for years and was in court in Pietermaritzburg. The worst of the pandemic may have passed in India's megacities, but the virus is still spreading fast in rural areas - and leaving lasting grief and trauma across the country. Rajini Vaidyanathan reflects from Delhi on the sadness now permeating all levels of society. Chinese consumers have been knocking back Australian wine with gusto in recent years, even as political relations between Beijing and Canberra have grown ever more strained. But the export boom might not last. Shaimaa Khalil reports from the Barossa Valley in South Australia, where they're bracing for the impact of new Chinese tariffs on imports. In Canada, a Catholic archdiocese has been found liable for damages to be awarded to several survivors of physical and sexual abuse in a Church-run orphanage. Greg Mercer talked to one man who grew up in the Mount Cashel home. The city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo is surrounded by dangers - armed rebel groups, a lake with dangerous levels of dissolved CO2 and methane - and now an erupting volcano. Olivia Acland was one of the tens of thousands who had to join a mass evacuation as Nyiragongo rumbled. Producer: Polly Hope

Relations between the US and China are going through a rough patch. On trade, diplomacy and military matters the superpowers are at odds; they still have entirely different visions of the world and its future. Yet the world’s two biggest carbon emitters have pledged to cooperate more closely on cutting their emissions. Celia Hatton explores how the promises were hammered out and what it means for the rest of the planet.; Early in 2021 many hoped India might escape the worst of the pandemic, with a vaccine roll-out under way and infection rates dropping. But Covid cases and deaths have soared. The surge in patient numbers, and severe shortages of oxygen, have overwhelmed the health system in some places. In Delhi, Rajini Vaidyanathan sensed a marked shift in mood.; Brazil is also hard hit. Its President Jair Bolsonaro has scoffed at the virus, and clashed repeatedly with regional governors who wanted to impose stricter lockdowns and other measures. In the northeastern town of Lencois, Richard Lapper gauges the political fallout. Thousands of people gathered last week calling for the release of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. But Russia’s laws on public protest have tightened recently, and attending unauthorised rallies these days can mean a beating, a sacking or a prison sentence. Sarah Rainsford talked to some who still feel it’s worth speaking out. Idriss Deby, leader of Chad for more than 30 years, embodied the African "military strongman" until his death, apparently in the thick of fighting with rebels. The son of a herdsman, he faced down many uprisings and regional crises and was often considered an indispensable ally by the West in stopping jihadist groups in the Sahel. Andrew Harding considers the dilemmas he's left behind. Producer: Polly Hope

As India has recorded the highest one-day Covid-19 tally anywhere in the world, friends of the podcast Sima Kotecha and Rajini Vaidyanathan join Adam to explain the crisis. And top chef Tom Kerridge talks about chicken pie and how his new project with Marcus Rashford will get kids cooking. Today's Newscast was made by Emma Close with Natalie Ktena, Alix Pickles, Danny Wittenberg and Ben Cooper. The studio director was Emma Crowe. Our editor is Dino Sofos.

In Delhi, Republic Day is usually a ceremonial occasion celebrated with military parades and cultural pageantry. But this year’s event was marred by violence – as thousands of farmers drove their tractors into New Delhi in an escalation of months of peaceful protests against proposed agricultural reforms. Rajini Vaidyanathan reports from New Delhi. The Netherlands is seeing its worst violence in 40 years with scenes of looting and rioting across the country. The collapse of the government earlier this month, followed by a tightening of restrictions due to Coronavirus has had a destabilising impact. Anna Holligan says the Dutch are wrestling with the disruption to the usual sense of order. The Democratic Republic of Congo is rich in precious minerals such as gold, diamonds and cobalt - but is still one of the poorest countries in the world. For over two decades, rebel groups have fought over mines in the east of the country where thousands of children also toil in the mines. Olivia Acland went to visit one of them Portugal has become one of the European countries hardest hit by the second wave of Covid-19 and another national lockdown has been imposed. Audrey Gillan visited Armona, an island off the coast of the Algarve, which is suffering from tightened travel restrictions and low visitor numbers. Cuba’s Fidel Castro was probably one of the most widely photographed and documented men of his time.. Will Grant has been trying to verify the details of one of those pictures – of Castro as a young man in a sugarcane field – which he needed for a book. It led him to the story of the audacious young German woman who snapped it six decades earlier.

A year ago Wuhan imposed a lockdown on its citizens, as reports filtered through of the first human-to-human transmission of a new strain of Coronavirus. A delegation from the World Health Organisation has now arrived in Wuhan to investigate the origins of the outbreak. Robin Brant returned to the wet food market in the city where life has returned to normal - almost. Washington was transformed into a fortress this week – both for visitors and residents alike in the lead up to the inauguration of President Joe Biden. Aleem Maqbool reflects on the contrast between the ceremony this week – and that of 2016. Russia's opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, returned to Moscow having recovered from a nerve-agent attack, which he blames on the Kremlin. He was arrested upon arrival and placed in pre-trial detention for 30 days in what could have been seen as a blow to the opposition. But – undeterred, they had something else up their sleeve, as Steve Rosenberg reports. Last weekend bouts of violence erupted on the streets in over a dozen neighbourhoods across Tunisia, with young people clashing in the streets with the police. But what’s behind the latest unrest? Ten years on from the revolution which triggered the Arab Spring uprisings, the slow pace of economic reform and high unemployment has caused widespread discontent as Rana Jawad reports. India began the world’s largest vaccination roll-out last weekend, aiming to vaccinate 1.3 billion people. The arrival of millions of doses of the two approved vaccines was greeted with jubilation and a festive atmosphere in cities across India. But there is still some reticence in taking up the vaccine, finds Rajini Vaidyanathan. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

For Hindus, Sikhs and Jains it's Diwali - the festival of lights. But this year there's the pandemic. What impact is that having in India, asks Rajini Vaidyanathan in Delhi. In Azerbaijan, the decades-long intermittent war with Armenia over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh flared up again in September. Earlier this week, Russia brokered a deal to end the conflict. Olga Ivshina has just returned from the Azeri side of the frontline, where reporters' safety was not just threatened by shelling. The French Caribbean island of Martinique has a difficult relationship with its past. For about two hundred years the colony relied on enslaved Africans to work in its sugar cane plantations. Some think that period might have been shorter if it hadn't been for Josephine, the wife of Napoleon. And as Tim Whewell found, that's not the only sensitive subject of conversation on the island. Bicycles have been recommended as a safe form of transport in the pandemic, and cities around Europe have been improving their cycling infrastructure as a result. Anna Holligan lives in the Netherlands, where cycling is second nature to many, and says that even there, more people are now switching to two wheels. On Mosher Island off the coast of Canada’s Nova Scotia province, self-isolation takes on a different meaning. No need to worry about social distancing, there is no one to keep a distance from. The island only has two residents, a former lighthouse keeper and his wife. Greg Mercer paid them a visit. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

The division of the Indian subcontinent in 1947 into India and Pakistan saw millions uprooted and resulted in unspeakable violence. It happened far away, but it would shape modern Britain. In this week's episode Kavita Puri speaks to Rajini Vaidyanathan about how she tracked down and uncovered remarkable testimonies from former subjects of the Raj who are now British citizens - and persuaded them to break their silence. To find out more about Kavita Puri's book click here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/partition-voices-9781408899069/. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this rare public appearance together, chaired by the BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan, the former Labour prime minister Tony Blair and cabinet minister Andrew Adonis discussed how the man known as ‘the working-class John Bull’ grew to become one of this country’s greatest political leaders and what lessons can be learned from his legacy today for politics and crisis today. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With America engulfed again by protests against police brutality and racial discrimination, Rajini Vaidyanathan brings together a group of African-American thinkers to discuss how America might move beyond its current racial turmoil. In 2016 Rajini travelled the United States to report, for BBC World Service, on America’s problem with racism. In this discussion Rajini brings together people to find out how much has changed, and how little; and to ask how Americans might come together to heal the wounds of racism.

What the murder of a Mormon family in Mexico reveals about the country; Will Grant has long chronicled the violence of the ongoing drug war. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories: Rajini Vaidyanathan reflects on the perils of living in Delhi having developed 'pollution anxiety' and become a smoker by proxy. John Kampfner was in Berlin when the Wall fell. Thirty years on he's been back to see how the city has changed. And how does a glass of radioactive water sound? It was once sold in Portugal with the promise of bringing health, strength and vigour. Margaret Bradley visits the, now abandoned, hotel that used it for baths, cooking and even colonic irrigation. And a troubled nation writes itself another rousing chapter as South Africa wins the Rugby World Cup and the squad returns as heroes. It may only be a game, but stories matter, says Andrew Harding.

Myanmar’s government wants Rohingya refugees to return, but can it guarantee their safety and way of life? Jonathan Head takes a rare trip to Rakhine state to see the government’s resettlement plans. In Assam state in India, another migrant crisis is on the rise, following a drive to identify and deport illegal immigrants. This has left nearly 2 million people without Indian citizenship. Rajini Vaidyanathan meets some of the people now left stateless. Spain’s northern Basque region has been largely at peace thanks to the end of a four-decade campaign of violence by the separatist group Eta. Guy Hedgecoe reports from a small town where a rowdy bar fight aroused suspicion that Eta’s influence has not entirely disappeared. Yemen is one of the Arab world’s poorest countries, and has been devastated by civil war. Nawal Al-Maghafi, who was born in Yemen, has witnessed the deterioration of her homeland first hand. Since starting in a Seattle garage 25 year ago, Amazon has changed the way many of us shop – but the company has its critics too, especially when it comes to the working conditions in its warehouses. This has led to a PR counter-offensive, and Amazon decided to open its doors to the public. Dave Lee accepted the invitation to take a tour of one of the company’s warehouses in California.

The World Health Organisation predicts that by 2025 half of the world’s population will live in water-stressed areas. This means the demand for water will be more than the supply. This is already happening in Chennai. The Indian city with more than five million people has been having a water crisis since June. The taps have run dry and experts say there’s no end in sight. Rajini Vaidyanathan has been reporting from Chennai for the BBC. She tells us what it’s like for the residents to live without water. Meera Subramanian is a journalist and author who has written about India’s climate crisis in her book, ‘A River Runs Again.’ She explains that living during a water shortage is far more common than we think.

It’s Martyrs’ Day in Myanmar and the country’s founding father, Aung San, is being honoured. His daughter Aung San Suu Kyi now leads the government, but with her reputation in tatters for her failure to condemn the excesses of the armed forces. Nick Beake reflects on the contradictions. 50 years after the first man walked on the moon, India has been celebrating the successful launch of its own lunar mission. Rajini Vaidyanathan joins a group of schoolchildren basking in the glow of national pride. Thousands have been killed in the Philippines in President Duterte's “war on drugs.” He’s also got a reputation for a sense of humour that’s not to everyone’s taste. Howard Johnson wonders whether his jokes have conditioned people in the Philippines to accept atrocities. Greece has a new prime minister after elections earlier this month. He’s promised to end the country’s brain drain, to persuade the hundreds of thousands of people who’ve left in recent years to come home. Jessica Bateman asks if that’s what they’ll want to do. And, Vincent Dowd hears how technology is making shipping safer as he takes a boat trip out to the Fastnet Rock off the coast of Ireland, with its lighthouse, “a great cathedral tethered to the ocean.”

In a wide ranging interview the Dalai Lama talks to the BBC’s Rajini Vaidyanathan about President Trump and his America First agenda, Brexit, the EU, and China’s relationship with the world. The interview also challenges some of the Buddhist spiritual leader’s more controversial statements and explores his views on the institution of the Dalai Lama.

On Easter Sunday six suicide bombings struck churches and hotels across Sri Lanka – killing more than 350 people and injuring hundreds. Since then Islamic State has claimed responsibility, while people in Sri Lanka have been kept in the dark after a social media black-out. We talk to Rajini Vaidyanathan, who has been reporting from Sri Lanka for the BBC, and Mina Al-Lami from BBC monitoring, who has been looking at what supporters of IS have been saying online Producer: Philly Beaumont Mixed by: Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

Volodymyr Zelensky played a President in more than 50 episodes of TV comedy - but does that mean he can do the job in real life? Jonah Fisher reflects from Kiev on a surreal election campaign - and catches up with a box set. Kate Adie introduces this and other stories from correspondents and reporters around the world. India's election, the largest in the world - and thus the largest ever held - is also under way. While covering this extraordinary exercise of democracy, Rajini Vaidyanathan met one man in the Himalayas who has an enduring faith in the electoral process. He's 102 years old and has voted in every Indian election since independence. Jonathan Griffin loves the soul-shaking sound of South African choral music - and recently heard songs of freedom, defiance and rivalry during a political debate near Johannesburg, where the contingents competed with vocals as well as rhetoric. There's not much arable soil in the United Arab Emirates - but plenty of sand and sunshine - so the government's keen to bolster food security by growing more and importing less. Georgia Tolley tastes the fruits of high-tech agriculture, coaxed from a desert greenhouse. And Stephen McDonell reveals an unsuspected side of Beijing - beyond its vast official spaces and political power plays. The city is also home to a raucous, ramshackle, rebellious underground music scene. But in the face of rising rents and increasing red tape, how long can its live bands play on?

The rescue workers sifting through the rubble in Mexico and the African migrants that refuse to give up on their European dreams. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories. In Mexico City, Rajini Vaidyanathan joins the search for survivors following the earthquake earlier this week. Benjamin Zand follows the deadly migrant route through Niger, Nigeria, and Libya which thousands of people pass along in the hope of reaching Europe. Steve Rosenberg takes a Magical Mystery Tour with the Russian military in Syria. Rosamund Jones visits the Icelandic isle of Grimsey – population 80 people and hundreds of thousands of birds. And Neil Trevithick visits the forests of Myanmar, where people have suffered but wildlife has been left to flourish.

Tight-fitting briefs in Mongolia, matching Donald Trump t-shirts in Iowa, NATO camouflage and some cut-off jeans in Romania. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories. In Romania, Emily Unia watches NATO put on a show of force; 4,000 troops, drawn from nine different countries, backed by helicopters and armoured vehicles – serious stuff, or so she was expecting. In America, Rajini Vaidyanathan meets the Trump fans willing to sleep on the pavement in order to bag a prime spot at one of the President’s rallies. Jonathan Fryer finds entrepreneurial spirit, criminal enterprise, and death in Madagascar. In Indian-administered Kashmir, Melissa Van Der Klugt discovers an unlikely, but remarkable, archive of the region’s troubled history. And Rajan Datar finds himself face to face with a 15 stone Mongolian wrestler who is dressed in small, tight-fitting briefs, long leather boots and a collarless shirt that leaves his chest exposed.

Every week Father Michael Pfleger takes to social media to share the number of people killed over the past few days in his city, Chicago. The numbers are almost always in double figures and many of the dead are young African-American men shot on the streets that surround his church, St Sabina’s, in the almost entirely black suburb of Auburn-Gresham. Rajini Vaidyanathan meets Father Pfleger after Sunday Mass, to explore with him why he has devoted his life’s work to trying to rid Auburn-Gresham of gun crime. Whilst the vast majority of this congregation is African American, Father Pfleger is white. Meeting with his parishioners Rajini discovers how personal his crusade has become. General Ware, a young man recently out of prison describes how Father Mike took him in after he found him wandering the streets late at night. Mothers Annette Nance Holt and Pam Bosley describe how Father Mike help them to find their faith again after the tragic loss of their teenage sons, both shot and killed. Father Mike shares how he has personally been affected by guns, his adopted son Jarvis shot just yards from his church door. While many praise the work of Father Pfleger, there are others who argue some of it is cosmetic and that real change must come from within the black community itself. Maze Jackson discusses Father Mike’s role within the community and whether change can be sustained. The Radical Disciple was presented by Rajini Vaidyanathan and produced by David McGuire and Claire Press Photo credit: Andrew Burton

How are black Americans represented and what does it mean to be black in America today? Rajini Vaidyanathan discusses with those involved in politics, culture and activism. Travelling widely across the country she hears from families in Atlanta, activists in Missouri and academics in New York City. She speaks to the artist Kehinde Wiley about his subversive attempts to literally paint power differently; to the poet Tracy K. Smith about the vital role stories can play in encouraging empathy and hears from the civil rights icon John Lewis why he is using comic books to tell his story. Rajini discusses what is taught in schools, what is shown on TV, and how the reality of being black in America means new black migrants to the United States are increasingly retaining their immigrant identity to avoid being considered ‘African American'. She discusses the next generation of leadership, who can authentically lead the Black Lives Matter movement, and attends a remarkable convention in Baltimore encouraging Americans to have ‘courageous conversations about race.' Image: Eyshana Webster (L) and other students from John McDonogh Senior High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Rajini Vaidyanathan examines segregation. The Brown versus the Board of Education case and the civil rights movement were supposed to have brought Americans together, but in Kansas City Rajini sees for herself the much more complicated legacy of desegregation. On the one hand, splintering solidarity in the black community; on the other a city where white and black Americans still live quite separate lives. Demographers suggest America is becoming less segregated, but in Atlanta, one of the big southern cities supposedly driving the desegregation, she finds the reality doesn't quite match the statistics. Catching up with a family featured throughout the series, she finds estate agents steering black families away from white neighbourhoods. She discusses that with Julian Castro, the US Housing Secretary, and hears about his new rules to get communities integrating. And in Connecticut she sees a community which has spent 20 years integrating its schools, without requiring it of anyone. Rally in Brooklyn, New York City 2015 against documentation that showed that black and hispanic students are increasingly confined to worst performing schools. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Rajini Vaidyanathan explores economic opportunity – or lack of it - amongst black Americans. She speaks to the academic whose study suggests employers think being black is as bad as having a criminal record but that they weren't trying to be racist, and hears from senior corporate executives who have witnessed the subtle ways racial prejudice operates in the workplace. In Kansas City she explains how government rules established during the New Deal locked black Americans out of home ownership for a generation, in west Philadelphia she meets the civic leaders with a comprehensive plan to improve the city's poor, black neighbourhoods, and she hears from the San Francisco non-profit trying to reduce the very high cost of being poor. (Photo: A man and woman on a street in Baltimore, Maryland. Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Rajini investigates the criminal justice system. In Nebraska she visits the conservative politician promoting laws to reduce the number of people behind bars. Will that help black Americans? “I hope so” he answers. Elsewhere she hears from critics who argue that the system can never be reformed, only broken; that the system is not fair, the police need to be disarmed. She visits the police chief advising President Obama on the way forward, who acknowledges the problem but argues that “all black lives matter”, including those killed by crime, and that protesters must accept that the police are part of the solution. Rajini also spends time with the police force teaching all its officers how to be ‘ethical protectors'. Protests against shootings of young black men by the police have pushed the issue of race to the top of the public agenda in the United States. Now BBC Washington correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan, who has covered many of the recent protests, sets out to examine some of the deep, underlying structural issues which America still has with race. (Photo: A 19-year-old resident of Cleveland (holding sign), marches with other activists on St Clair Ave, Cleveland, Ohio, 2015. Credit: by Angelo Merendino/Getty Images)

Hilary Swank has won Best Actress Academy Awards for her roles in Boys Don’t Cry and Million Dollar Baby. Rajini Vaidyanathan discusses her background, influences and her work with the disadvantaged. Growing up in poverty in a trailer park success wasn’t automatic for her and she has said despite wanting to be an actor since she was 8 years old she never expected to excel in the industry. Now a red carpet regular, Hilary Swank dedicates a lot of time to animal rights, homelessness and cancer charities.

Nitrogen-based fertilisers have banished hunger in the rich world and ushered in an era of abundance. But they are a double-edged sword - the glut of food also comes with a glut of nitrogenous pollution that threatens to destroy our rivers and oceans. In our latest programme about the elements of the periodic table, Professor Andrea Sella of University College London tells presenter Justin Rowlatt why exactly our crops - and we humans - could not survive without nitrogen.The BBC's Washington correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan sees - and smells - first-hand the denitrification of raw sewage, and hears from water scientist Dr Beth McGee of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation about the eutrophication of America's largest river estuary.And, Justin travels to Norwich to meet Giles Oldroyd of the John Innes Centre, who is seeking to genetically engineer cereal crops that can fix nitrogen from the air. He also meets farmer David Hill, who explains the hi-tech lengths he goes to in order to squeeze the maximum yield out of his fertiliser.

Correspondents' despatches: the wealthy principality of Liechtenstein is forced to face up to the idea of belt-tightening, Alex Marshall; Alastair Newton Brown strolls through the streets of the Iranian capital, Tehran where he finds people keen to engage with the West; Rajini Vaidyanathan in Washington considers the implications of the jail sentence handed down to secrets leaker Bradley Manning; Justin Rowlatt may have struggled to appreciate traditional Vietnamese music but more and more Vietnamese, he says, are keen to learn it. And Kevin Connolly is in Cairo where he's been hearing members of the Muslim Brotherhood explain why they believe they're a force that's not about to go away. Producer: Tony Grant