From Our Own Correspondent

Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories. Today, Mike Thomson speaks to an extraordinary man in Idlib, north-west Syria, as he responds to demands from extremists by broadcasting animal noises on his radio station. Amid an escalation of settlement activity in Israel, Yolande Knell sees one Jewish settlement bulldozed while others are given the green light by the Israeli parliament; James Coomarasamy is reminded of characters from 19th century Russian literature as he visits rural Russia. Olivia Acland partakes in a slightly boozy breakfast in Sierra Leone where palm wine is the drink of choice; and Andy Jones is in Loveland, Colorado, with the silver-haired Valentines' elves as they stamp away to bluegrass music.

Bridget Kendall introduces correspondents' stories. Jon Sopel asks if we have got it all wrong about Donald Trump. He's not just a deal maker, he has ideologues standing right behind him. Will Grant, in Mexico City, muses on how President Trump wants to build a wall on the Mexican border and yet a distinctly unsavoury Mexican has been sent back across that border, to the US. North East Nigeria is still in the grip of violence as the military continues its operations against Boko Haram. But Katerina Vittozzi visits a zoo where life is more peaceful and where young lovers can meet - but don't touch. Lucy Daltroff is in Japan, where modern life and screens are getting in the way of getting together, so babies are not being born. And Huw Cordey struggles to find sleep in West Papua because of a pesky insect; and matters soon turn sinister.

Bridget Kendall introduces correspondents' stories. Today, Tim Hartley hears how politics are forgotten amid the colour and friendship of the African Cup of Nations in Gabon. Nick Sturdee has a fantastical tale of intrigue and murder in Turkey - but where does the trail lead? Hywel Griffith, in Sydney, Australia, is with the 90 year old who is keeping the developers at bay. Emma Levine hunts down Albania's elusive rail network; and phoning home may have been difficult during the Kosovo conflict but Andrew Gray remembers fondly the opportunities and advantages of not being connected.

Bridget Kendall introduces correspondents' stories: Justin Rowlatt sees the high cost Afghanistan's soldiers are paying to fight off the Taleban and hears how important American troops are to the NATO mission in the country. The US Marines are training the first female recruits to be deployed to combat units; Hannah King witnesses the gruelling training and hears the ditties. Andrew Harding is in Somalia, where Al-Shabab have launched more attacks this week; he wonders if the country is turning a corner. Jenny Hill is in the Netherlands and Germany, where far right groups hope to make significant gains in elections this year. She hears how the promise of a patriotic spring is being welcomed. And Simon Busch is in Northern Cyprus, where the turtles come ashore and the coast has yet to be covered in concrete. Could that all change with reunification of the island?

Bridget Kendall introduces correspondents' stories. In The Gambia, Alastair Leithead watched the old president and dictator leaving; and as he waits for the new one to arrive, he wonders if the president will be able to tackle the country's problems. In Germany, they are worried about what impact "fake" or "alternative news" could have on their election. Damien McGuinness says there's an unusual international interest in German domestic politics - and all of it is healthy. Karen Allen remembers shivering one cold evening in Africa, during the birth pains of South Sudan. In Myanmar, Jonah Fisher reflects on how Aung San Suu Kyi's government is so quick to dismiss any stories of abuses committed against the minority Rohingya community as "fake news." And Dany Mitzman is with two of the top four-legged students of a special university in northern Italy as they sniff out some of the world's most expensive delicacy.

Bridget Kendall introduces correspondents' stories. Today, Robin Denselow is in one of the most sparsely populated countries on the planet, Namibia, where they are seeking divine intervention in a time of drought. Andrew North uses his sketchbook to weave his way through Soviet memorabilia in Georgia. In Nepal, economic necessity means that families aren't able to look after their older relatives as they once did. Melissa Van der Klugt visits an alien concept in the country - the first old people's home. Rob Stepney is with Austrian archaeologists before they're thrown out, in the ancient Turkish city of Ephesus. And it's the bean-eaters they're focused on. And Tim Mansel is in Leipzig, in eastern Germany, with the football upstarts of RB. But he's careful not to spill the beans over dinner with the old stalwarts of LOK.

Emily Buchanan introduces correspondents' stories. John Beck meets the policeman who used a special disguise to escape from ISIS killers in Iraq; Rebecca Henschke is outside court to hear why some think Jakarta cannot have a non-Muslim Governor. The first president of Seychelles is given a special burial; Tim Ecott explains why it could be the start of reconciliation in the archipelago. Helier Cheung was right there, singing, when Hong Kong was handed back to China; she hasn't forgotten the sandwiches, even if the politics are now more on her menu. Simon Parker is in a Bolivian market, struggling amid the sights and smells of animal flesh, hearing how the meat trade has survived during the country's worst drought in thirty years.

Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories from around the world. John Sudworth is doing his best to tape up the windows of his Beijing flat as he tries to protect his family from the city's dangerous smog. Thomas Fessy remembers his days in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, fondly. But now the dancing in this lively city is more mechanical and there's anxiety that a full-blown insurgency may be about to break out once again. Phoebe Smith is in one of the coldest inhabited places on earth, Svalbard, where the miners have been packing up their picks but new opportunities are opening up. The battle between fact, fiction and "truth" is being fought in the American media. Robert Colls says it's increasingly difficult to tell one from the other. And we have the story of a cat called Django from Will Grant in Havana, Cuba, where being a pet owner is an expensive business; but if you don't do it, who will?

Kate Adie introduces correspondents' stories. Today: Mark Lowen takes the increasingly well-trodden path to the mosque for another funeral in Turkey; Vin Ray visits the secretive airbase at the centre of the US's drone warfare, and he speaks to the pilots who juggle family life and fighting; Linda Pressly is in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where heightened security and fear intermingle, and meets up with an old friend and colleague; Richard Dove is in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where you can find everything - as long as you're rich; and with a deep chill in relations between the White House and the Kremlin, Deirdre Finnerty takes shelter from the Washington DC's cold wind in a Russian cafe.

By any standard, 2016 has been a momentous year, right across the world: unexpected election results, disastrous wars, huge flows of migrants and refugees, major terrorist attacks, the death of memorable people. Some of our correspondents reflect on their region. The BBC's Middle East Editor, Jeremy Bowen, comes across - of all things - a cookbook that, for him, sums up so much of what has been lost in Syria. Carrie Gracie, the BBC's China Editor, is struck by the growing number of Chinese who seem prepared to go against the government's flow and to take the consequences. Nick Thorpe, who has reported extensively on Europe's migrant crisis, and who lives in Budapest, examines Hungary's reaction to the crisis. Karen Allen has been reporting from Africa for 12 years but she's now leaving; she describes some of the memorable changes she's seen. Cuba is one place that's seen a lot of change - and not just because of the death of Fidel Castro. Our man in Havana, Will Grant, goes fishing for what it all means to ordinary Cubans.