From Our Own Correspondent

Insight, storytelling, colour, detail. In this edition, the Russians in Syria show off their fighter jets and warships, a message from Moscow that Russia once again sees itself as a major player on the world stage. A million incomers to Germany in a year -- can they give the economy a useful bounce as well as defuse a demographic timebomb? The old men of the Vietnamese communist party leadership have their say at the big five-yearly meeting in Hanoi, but is their tightly-controlled socialist state beginning to unravel and is there anything they can do to stop it? We visit the world's largest refugee camp in the Kenyan desert. It has a population the size of New Orleans'. Many were born there and will never leave it. Some wonder if similarly huge camps will soon spring up on the fringes of Europe. Pensioners have been among the hardest hit by the Greek government's tough austerity measures. Their income's been cut a dozen times as the government tries to hit economic targets set by the EU and the IMF. It's left some on the island of Crete foraging in the mountains for food to eat

China's economy falters and is blamed for nosediving stock markets and, partly, for the loss of hundreds of steel industry jobs in South Wales. In this edition, Steve Evans visits a steelworks in China, which has just closed down, and considers the lessons the Chinese leadership may consider. The misery of the war in Yemen continues and Nawal al-Maghafi, recently back from there, explains why no-one is rushing into peace talks. Chris Morris joins a group of migrants on their voyage to across the Mediterranean to Europe and learns about some of the extraordinary lengths that Syrians are going to to escape the killing fields of home. Mobile phones and televisions come to a monastery in the foothills of the Himalayas in now-Chinese eastern Tibet. Horatio Clare wonders if a centuries-old monastic way of life is under threat. And, in Delhi, Anu Anand weaves a tale about music and memory set against a backdrop of love, loss and the passing of time

Today our correspondents ... are in the classroom as migrants, newly arrived in Finland, are taught about Finnish values, culture and the place of women in western society; consider how much the self-styled Islamic State has been damaged by recent successes by Iraqi government forces supported by foreign air power; go to Norway, a country outside the EU but inside the single market. Is that an example the UK might follow after the referendum has been held on whether it should stay in or leave the EU? Our man in Cuba takes a stroll through Havana's poorly lit streets amid concerns that an upsurge in tourism will lead to a rise in crime; and a trip to the hopfields of southern Germany where one brewer is finding that beer and art can be an intoxicating mix.

'Don't tell us how to run our country!' That was the word from Warsaw as the European Commission launched an investigation into some of the decisions taken by the new right-wing government in Poland; the authorities in India meet on Monday to evaluate the controversial traffic experiment in Delhi which was aimed at reducing pollution; the latest consumer spending figures in France offer little evidence that an economic recovery is underway -- but in Toulouse some people know where to get their food for free; lawyers for the Mexican drug lord known as 'el Chapo' have started to prepare a case against his extradition to the US -- some in Mexico would anyway prefer to see him face justice there. And there's something to sing about in northern Norway - after six weeks their polar night season has come to an end, the sun has finally made an appearance and it’s something to sing about!

The best in news and current affairs storytelling. Today, after a troubled week for the Chinese economy, we wonder who's more popular in China today, the author of that Little Red Book, Chairman Mao, or the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Colonel Sanders. Violence continues to rain down on Yemen - the Islamic State group has now become involved in the civil war and is believed to have been behind a string of suicide bombings. Our correspondent witnessed the horrific aftermath of one such attack in the capital Sana'a. Chancellor Merkel's ruling Christian Democrats in Germany plan tougher action against migrants who commit crimes. The announcement follows the assaults on women in Cologne on New Year’s Eve which have triggered further heated debate about Mrs Merkel's welcoming policy towards migrants. Was the recent election in Seychelles, those 'paradise islands' in the Indian Ocean, rigged? While the people wait for a court's verdict, we visit Seychelles and hear there have been big changes in the way of life there. And change is also the word employed to describe what's going on in Cuba these days. We've been taking the temperature at the seaside there, at a resort where Che Guevara, one of the great heroes of the Cuban revolution, went on honeymoon.

Your window on the wider world. The Iraqi forces claimed victory over IS fighters when they swept into the city of Ramadi - but the place has been devastated, it will be months before residents can return to their homes. Thomas Fessy, who's been there, explains why this is being viewed as a significant achievement by the Iraqi security forces. On the Greek island of Lesbos, bad weather has slowed the tide of human migrants sweeping into the EU but Paul Adams says the new year will see European leaders trying again to come up with a coherent response to what's been one of the great human migrations of recent times. The new Argentine president is trying to breathe life into the country's moribund economy -- in Buenos Aires, as Petroc Trelawny's been finding out, some dare to dream this could bring the glamour back to the once-smart shopping streets of the capital. We're amazed to learn from Carolyn Browne in Brittany that it's possible to drive a car quite legally on the roads of France -- even if you've lost your driving licence after being convicted of drink/driving! And Kota Bharu in Malaysia is a city which few westerners get to - but Gareth Armstrong was a recent visitor and talks to us about a harmonious place where people of different faiths live happily side by side. He points out though that it pays to carry an umbrella there!

Looking back at some historic FOOC despatches: Allan Little, Bridget Kendall, Emma Jane Kirby, Steve Evans and Gabriel Gatehouse read pieces by Fergal Keane, Caroline Wyatt, Charles Wheeler, John Crawley and Kevin Connolly

Almost better than travelling yourself! Insight, wit and colour from around the globe. In this one: the tablecloth approach to ending war -- serious discussions about how to end the fighting in Syria; the end of another long conflict may be in sight as the government in Bogota signs an interim peace deal with Colombia's FARC rebels; arguments intensify over territorial claims in the South China Sea -- we meet Vietnamese fishermen who now find themselves in the front line; the Turks and the Hungarians redouble their search for the missing heart of Suleiman the Magnificent, but why are they bothering? And they've got problems in Rome: alleged corruption in high places, organised crime, traditional shops and businesses being chased away. But the Romans are putting all this to one side, at least for a few days. After all, it's Christmas! And there are menus to be planned!

The programme with the bigger picture. Why the controversial comments and adverse publicity surrounding Donald Trump are not harming the billionaire businessman's bid for the US presidency. Seismic shifts in Spanish politics - we get a view of the upcoming general election there from the Valley of the Fallen, where the country's late dictator Francisco Franco is buried. The talk in Malaysia's of scandal stalking the prime minister and of fears for the future of a country loved by many for its relaxed, inclusive and multicultural nature. The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is one of the wonders of the world, so no wonder visitors have been trekking up there in huge numbers. Now the Peruvian government wants to make it easier for them to get there. But its plans have met spirited opposition. And from Germany we hear about the 12-people who're being paid to do everything lying down. That includes exercising -- and going to the loo

Colouring in the spaces between the headlines. In this edition: the Front National is expected to do well in the French regional elections - our correspondent goes for a drive along the Cote d'Azur and asks why the party's apparently finding favour with voters. 'We cannot allow our revolution to be stolen!' The Venezuelan president has been imploring the electorate there to give his socialists another term in office, but most observers feel the left's grip on this nation will be severely weakened in this weekend's election. Three and a half million and counting! We find out why so many young Nepalis have decided to leave their country. And is it the truth or is it just paranoia? We hear that the influence of the long-dead dictator Enver Hoxha continues even today in Albania.