From Our Own Correspondent

The challenge of rebuilding Syria. Kate Adie introduces stories and insight from correspondents around the world: Jeremy Bowen has just returned from Damascus and concludes that though the fighting may have stopped “the virus of war has spread - not just breaking bodies, hearts, and minds, but poisoning the future.” Lucy Ash discovers how seaweed farming in Zanzibar has proved a liberating force for thousands of women on the island. Helen Nianias hears about one Uganda woman’s life-changing encounter after a night out clubbing. Slightly tipsy, on her way home in the early hours of the morning, she came across a baby that had been abandoned in the street and took it home. Ashwin Bhardwaj retraces the steps of Brigadier Edmund “Trotsky” Davies in Albania and reveals his secret mission during the Second World War. And Heidi Fuller-Love discovers how the fallout from the Greek financial crisis is still having an impact - on animals as well as people.

The man trying to bring The Gambia's former strongman leader Yahya Jammeh to justice. Kate Adie introduces stories from journalists and correspondents around the world:His critics claim Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule over The Gambia was nothing more than a brutal dictatorship marred by allegations of state-sanctioned murder, torture and forced disappearances. Now the lawyer Reed Brody, known to some as ‘The Dictator Hunter’, is trying to help some of his victims seek justice.Far to the north of Norway, Horatio Clare finds Brits, Ukrainians, Ugandans, Vietnamese, and Russians all trying to start new lives on an island that was once a bastion of Soviet idealism.“The public are not obliged to like us, but they are obliged not to attack us” – Sophie Cousins hears how things are changing – or not – for gay people in Serbia. In the dry, isolated heartlands of Argentina finding the right ingredients for a middle-eastern feast can be difficult, but Aude Villiers meets the Syrian refugees settling in San Luis. And Rob Crossan takes a tour of the proud but small country that claims to be the world’s oldest constitutional republic – San Marino.

What hope is there amidst rising violence in Mexico and Afghanistan's 'forever war'? Kate Adie introduces stories and insight form correspondents around the world: The rich and poor in Mexico City may live in seemingly different worlds, but they are united by a fear of violence ahead of local and national elections. Could the prospect of peace talks in Afghanistan lead to the end of forty years of war? Lyse Doucet finds a tiny ray of hope. When Jenny Hill first met Syrian refugee Eli at the height of the migrant crisis in 2015, he seemed as thrilled to be in Abensberg as the German town was to have him. But a lot has changed since then… Niall O’Gallagher’s search for the plotters behind the clandestine operation in which volunteers smuggled ballot boxes into Catalonia for its disputed referendum leads him to an unlikely location. And Benjamin Zand manages to secure an interview with one of Venezuela’s notorious kidnap gangs – only to be accused of being an undercover policeman.

A civil war is brewing in Cameroon, but it rarely makes the headlines. Kate Adie introduces stories and insight from correspondents around the world: In Nigeria, Stephanie Hegarty travels to its border with Cameroon which tens of thousands of people have crossed fleeing violent unrest in the République's Anglophone region. Tim Hartley listens to the fears of indigenous people in Cordillera in the Philippines - of big business encroaching on their way of life and of state sanctioned harassment. Jonathan Fryer attends a Candomblé initiation ceremony and hears how the Afro-Brazilian religion is becoming increasingly popular as economic problems persist in Brazil. Cindy Sui reveals how easy it is for big businesses to be unwittingly drawn into arguments about China's territorial claim on Taiwan - even for companies based in mainland China. And how about a game of three-sided football? David Taylor takes part in the other major international football tournament taking place this summer, in Spain.

Turkey's presidential hopefuls, provocative Italian ministers, and masked Mexican wrestlers. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world: “He’s drawn vast crowds to his rallies, appearing at times like a comedy performer, breaking into traditional dances and using props to satirise Recep Tayyip Erdogan” Mark Lowen is on the trail of Muharrem Ince who wants to be the next President of Turkey. John Sweeney is in Calabria investigating the growing influence of Matteo Salvini - the populist Italian minister who has become a hero of the hard right and an enemy of the liberal left. Harriet Constable visits a project in South Africa which is helping women to reveal painful secrets they have kept for years and tell their children that they are HIV positive. In Kazakhstan, Stephen Sackur hears about big plans for its capital – casinos to rival Las Vegas and a financial centre to challenge Singapore - but what will happen when its long-serving present finally steps down? And in Mexico Sara Wheeler watches masked men fight while a crowd munches popcorn – she spends an evening at the Lucha Libre.

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

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom that reflect the range of contemporary life in the country. Petroc Trelawny celebrates the glittering world of Dingles, a Plymouth department store which weathered two firestorms and introduced him to glamour, magic and red gingham - but tellingly has now been humbled by the mundane; Alison Holt reflects on a thought-provoking conversation with an older woman in a Dorset care home about the growing financial pressures she and the home itself are facing, while Gareth Jones ponders the links between the NHS and the town of Tredegar - whose MP set up the service 70 years ago but who today might wonder at what he found there; Charmaine Cozier dons her best I-don't-care-look and reveals the pleasures of going to gigs alone; and Andrew Green, who is himself a villager in the Chilterns, wonders what the often tense relations between weekend cyclists and locals on country lanes tell us about life today on the open road.Producer: Simon Coates

All manner of visitors are seeking an audience with the powerful in Zimbabwe these days. Kate Adie introduces stories from correspondents around the world:Fergal Keane was once blacklisted in Zimbabwe, and resorted to undercover reporting, but now the country is “open for business” he hears, as he is welcomed into the President’s office - ahead of politicians, would-be investors, and even a former leading light in the opposition. Linda Pressly speaks to one of the survivors of a fire that killed 41 teenagers in a state-run children’s home. She is an orphan, the daughter of a drug dealer and a sex worker, but has big plans for herself and her brother. Kirsty Lang meets a woman from New Zealand who arrived in Petra as a backpacker 40 years ago and has been there ever since. But why are some women being warned about the dangers of ‘Jack Sparrows’ in the ancient Jordanian city? Laurence Blair is on manoeuvers with naval officers from Bolivia – the landlocked nation that is hoping the International Court of Justice will force its neighbour, Chile, to give up some of its coastline. And, as he prepares to leave India, Justin Rowlatt reflects on his three and half years in South Asia – and finds time to savour one last street shave

Parts of India are facing acute water shortages and the consequences can be deadly. Kate Adie introduces correspondents’ stories from around the world: The scramble for water in the slums of New Delhi can mean waiting in line each day for hours to fill up from government tankers – as well as occasional violent disputes. “Say no to a Chinese government” and “We are Chinese” – at two different presidential rallies earlier this year Olivia Acland heard very different reactions to China’s growing influence in Sierra Leone. Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al-Said ended the isolationism that characterised his father’s rule and has cultivated new relationships with the Oman’s neighbours as well as Britain and the US. During his rule the capital Muscat has also been transformed into a glisteningly modern city, says Caroline Davies, and more change could soon be coming. Ibrat Safo returns to his native Uzbekistan to find that the family reunions he enjoyed as a child are no longer possible – the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border now divides his relatives. And Nick Thorpe takes a luxurious train journey across the Balkans and into the region's history.

They say climate change has a taste in Bangladesh - it tastes of salt. Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world: Peter Oborne has been to Bangladesh, home to some of the world’s first climate change refugees.; cyclones are common, crops are being ruined and fresh water is becoming harder to find for some. Yolande Knell examines the unexpected consequences of the Gulf blockade of Qatar, a year since it began. Masuma Ahuja visits a mandatory pre-departure training centre for domestic workers in Sri Lanka. Cleaning, personal hygiene, and basic Arabic are all on the curriculum for the women who will soon be working as housemaids in the Middle East. John Murphy meets an aspiring ‘idol’ in Seoul – one of the thousands of young women hoping to make it as a K-Pop star. And Kieran Cooke discovers how some of the great German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein’s last works ended up in a chicken-coup in the west of Ireland.