From Our Own Correspondent BBC Podcasts

Kate Adie presents stories from the US, Russia, Afghanistan, Germany and Bhutan
It’s been a week of high drama in Manhattan as Donald Trump’s former ally and fixer, Michael Cohen took to the witness stand in the former President’s criminal trial. Kayla Epstein was watching events unfold in the courtroom in New York and reflects on what it might mean for Donald Trump’s re-election chances.
A new front opened up in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this week, as Russian troops made gains in the country’s north-east. Ukraine is still suffering from a lack of ammunition and personnel, even as the US long-promised aid begins to filter through to the frontline. Vitaliy Shevchenko has been finding out how Russian troops are being supplemented by fighters from Cuba.
It’s been nearly three years since the Taliban took back control of Afghanistan in a rapid offensive. Since then, the freedoms that women had come to know, such as the right to education and work have been curtailed. John Kampfner has met one woman who embarked on a perilous journey to Canada
The island of Fehmarn, off Germany’s north-east coast is something of an oasis for holidaymakers. But it’s also soon to be the entrance to the world’s longest underwater rail and road tunnel which will for the first time connect Germany to Denmark. Lesley Curwen has been speaking to some of the locals about how it will impact their way of life.
At soaring altitudes, foragers in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan seek out a special parasitic fungus, highly prized for its therapeutic qualities. Sara Wheeler’s been hearing about the special status afforded to those who harvest the delicacy.
Editor: Bridget Harney
Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Production Coordinator: Janet Staples

Kate Adie presents stories from Georgia, Serbia, Colombia, Thailand and the Philippines
Georgians have been protesting for weeks about a draft law requiring organisations to declare foreign funding, which many see as a turning point in Tbilisi's relationship with Russia and the West. Rayhan Demytrie explores why the law has proved so divisive.
China’s President Xi Jinping has been on a tour of Europe this week, including a carefully timed visit to the Serbian capital, Belgrade. Guy De Launey witnessed a growing courtship and considers what Beijing's broader agenda might be.
The Darién Gap, an expanse of inhospitable jungle between Colombia and Panama, is now the site of the largest migration crisis in the Western Hemisphere. The 70 mile route is fraught with danger, but for many people fleeing poverty and persecution, the deadly Darién is the only passageway to the US. Peter Yeung joined families crossing the Darién on foot.
Chiang Mai in Thailand's north is popular with travellers who enjoy the famously laid-back atmosphere - but it recently recorded the worst air quality of any city in the world. William Kremer met people directly affected.
You may have heard of J-pop and K-Pop – but have you heard of P-Pop? Philippine pop, or Pinoy pop is hoping to get a share of K-Pop's global success, but it’s determined to do so in its own, distinctly Filipino way. Hannah Gelbart has been to meet one of the most popular groups in Manila.
Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Bridget Harney
Production Coordinator: Rosie Strawbridge

Kate Adie introduces stories from the US, Portugal, the South China Sea, Argentina and Antarctica.
University campuses across the US have been gripped by protests over the war in Gaza, with students demanding their schools divest from Israeli interests. Nomia Iqbal considers the ramifications of the protests for Joe Biden, who will need the youth vote on his side if he is to win re-election in November.
In the days after the Hamas attacks, some 200,000 Israelis were evacuated from Israel's border regions with Gaza and Lebanon, and moved into temporary accommodation. While some have since decided to return home, others have decided to seek safety further afield, as Mark Lowen discovered in Lisbon.
Confrontations between the Philippines and China are on the rise in the South China Sea, as the countries clash over a territorial dispute. Jonathan Head saw this maritime feud up close, while on board a Filipino coastguard ship as it came into contact with a Chinese patrol.
Argentina's President Javier Milei was elected last year on a manifesto of slashing public spending. Yet, with inflation at 300 per cent, prices are still spiralling, and another national strike is on the horizon. Mimi Swaby discovers it’s a crisis that continues to affect all corners of this vast country.
And we’re amid the icebergs and marine life of Antarctica, as Janie Hampton recounts her voyage to trace her family connections to the continent - revealing how the downfall of the Soviet Union led to the cut-price sale of a British research base.
Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison

Katie Adie presents dispatches from Armenia, India, China, Belgium and the Middle East.
The flight of more than 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh last year, after a rapid offensive by Azerbaijan, quickly faded from news headlines. Tim Whewell remembers how the self-declared republic first emerged, as the Soviet Union was in its last throes, and reflects on how nations are born, and re-buried.
More than a billion Indians are heading to the polls over the next six weeks to vote in a general election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a 'digital India' has been a policy priority during his leadership - but to what extent are the less developed parts of the country on board and online? James Coomarasamy visits a village in Karnataka.
The Chinese government is focused on green growth, providing subsidies for the manufacture of solar panels and electric vehicles. Yet in some cities, factory workers have been laid off and fear being left behind. Laura Bicker reports from the once bustling manufacturing city of Dongguan.
The Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium was originally built to showcase artefacts from the country's former colony, Congo. Today, visitors to the museum are encouraged to reflect on the impact of Belgium’s colonization, finds Beth Timmins.
Reporters always carry some kind of baggage with them when they head off to cover a story. It was on a recent deployment that the BBC’s middle east analyst Sebastian Usher suddenly noticed that the often unwanted companion that seemingly always accompanied him on trips abroad… had suddenly gone missing.
Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison

Kate Adie introduces dispatches on Iran, Ukraine, South Africa, Portugal and Hong Kong.
As the world nervously watches the developments between Iran and Israel, Lyse Doucet reflects on the rise of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since coming to power three decades ago, he has managed to avoid taking Iran into an all-out war - could that change as tensions continue to rise?
A missile attack in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv this week laid bare the weakness of the country’s air defences. Depleted ammunition supplies, as well as a worsening situation on the frontline, have heightened fears that the tide is continuing to turn against Ukraine in its war with Russia. Sarah Rainsford reports from Kharkiv.
South Africa is preparing to go to the polls, and for the first time since the end of white-minority rule, the governing ANC party is predicted to get less than 50 per cent of the vote. As in many other countries, immigration is high on the list of many voters’ concerns. Jenny Hill reports from the border with Zimbabwe.
Next week Portugal marks the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution and its transition to democracy. Simon Busch met some of the men who joined the resistance against the country's former dictator Antonio Salazar, to find out what they think about politics in Portugal today.
And exotic birds have adapted to live alongside humans in some of the world’s major cities – and in Hong Kong it's yellow-crested cockatoos that you might see swooping through the skyline. Stephen Moss tells the story of why they’re now thriving.
Series producer: Serena Tarling
Production coordinator: Katie Morrison
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Kate Adie presents stories from Israel, Nigeria, the US, Lithuania and France
Tensions between Iran and Israel this week have ramped up further after Tehran issued a warning that it would retaliate for a recent strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Israel never claimed responsibility for the attack but is widely considered to be behind it. This has compounded fears the conflict between Israel and Gaza will spill into a wider regional war. James Landale has been on an air drop mission to Gaza and reflects on recent events.
Ten years ago, 276 secondary school children were kidnapped in Nigeria's north-east by Islamist militant group, Boko Haram. Ninety one of the girls are still unaccounted for. Yemisi Adegoke went to meet some of the girls who escaped captivity – to hear about their memories of that day and its impact on their lives.
Mental health experts have expressed alarm in the United States about an increase in the rates of suicide there, with a particularly steep rise among young people. Will Vernon went to North Carolina to investigate why the deaths are happening.
Simon Worrall tells the story of the provenance of a wood panel painting by Rembrandt - a portrait of a beggar with a bulbous, drunkard’s nose. He traces it back from its origins in a Lithuanian Baltic Oak Forest to an auction house in Maryland.
One hundred and twenty years after the ‘entente cordiale’ was signed between Britain and France, French troops this week took part in the Changing the Guard ceremony in London at the same time as their British counterparts in Paris. Hugh Schofield reflects on whether – despite appearances – the relationship has in fact grown more detached.
Series Producer: Serena Tarling
Editor: Bridget Harney
Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison