China's Population 'Rhinoceros'

China's population has shrunk, year on year, for four years in a row, pushing a country with a long history of official worry about overpopulation to contemplate a sharp decline in births. BBC China's Yan Chen reflects on the reasons behind the drop and what it will mean for the country and a generation of children growing up now.

Three years ago Magerram Zeynalov, who covers Azerbaijan for for BBC News Russian, wrote an article about the fact that six years after the start of the global pandemic, Azerbaijan's land borders remain closed. Since he wrote it, nothing has changed: although Azerbaijan's airspace is open, its land borders remain shut. The Azerbaijani government cites security concerns as the reason; Magerram reflects on the impact a sixth year of closed land borders in "the most stable country in the world."

In the Indian state of Maharashtra, tigers are thriving. It's a win for conservationists, but locals living near tiger reserves are concerned about the threat to life. Bhagyashri Raut, who reports for BBC Marathi, explains how a group of mothers have taken matters into their own hands to protect children on their way to school.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)