From Our Own Correspondent

At the height of the Covid-19 outbreak in April, a New Yorker was dying almost every two minutes — more than 800 a day - four times the city’s normal death rate. The pandemic appears to have passed its peak and a gradual reopening is planned after more than 40 days of lockdown. Nick Bryant describes the impact of the virus on the city he loves and on his own family. Ever since Kim Jong-un failed to show up in mid-April for the festivities marking his grandfather's birth the rumour mill has gone into overdrive. The sheer number of theories about the North Korean leader's whereabouts and state of health reflects the dearth of information about how things work inside the Hermit Kingdom says Laura Bicker.As the coronavirus pandemic forces countries everywhere to keep people indoors, those who live with abusive partners are even more vulnerable. In Jordan, social media is providing one outlet for those unable to step outside says Charlie Faulkner. So far Ukraine seems to be weathering the Covid-19 outbreak better

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. From Dorset, Jane Labous reflects on how she coped with early isolation with her young daughter in response to Covid-19 and the lessons she is drawing as a single parent as the experience continues and develops. Culloden remains a significant moment in Scottish - and British - history which today, BBC News Special Correspondent James Naughtie has been discovering, has a life all of its own. For although, 274 years on, even the commemorations marking this epic historical event have to take account of current realities, for some there are eternal verities. Parks have become the exercise refuge for many urban dwellers in recent weeks. But this has not been without contention and controversy, with some councils temporarily closing their spaces and others setting strict conditions for their use. This hasn't surprised th

Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel and her CDU party have been in the political doldrums in recent years. But as Jenny Hill reports, polls suggest Angela Merkel has risen in popularity thanks to her calm, scientific approach to the coronavirus. The same is true of Bavaria's regional Prime Minister, who has a good chance of succeeding Mrs Merkel.Singapore had been hailed for how it dealt with the coronavirus, but now there is a significant new surge in cases. Karishma Vaswani reveals that the virus has been rapidly spreading in the crowded, government-run dormitories for the thousands of migrant workers the country relies on.Ireland is still trying to form a government after the surprising general election result in February in which Sinn Fein got most first-preference votes. In part this was due to its stance on the country's housing crisis. Chris Bowlby ponders whether reunification with Northern Ireland is now more likely.The most radioactive area near the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant has become a f

Sri Lanka's economy was improving and tourism flourishing after three decades of civil war but last Easter, a group of Muslims youths, inspired by Islamic State group, murdered more than 250 people in a series of bomb attacks. Jane Corbin has been gauging the lasting effect on the island, one year on. In Georgia, the country's powerful Orthodox Church is at loggerheads with the government over Easter celebrations. Despite restrictions on gatherings of more than three people to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic, churches across the country remain defiantly open and offer holy communion with a shared spoon. It is a case of church versus state, faith versus science says Rayhan Demetriye. Richard Dimbleby's report from the Bergen Belsen concentration camp, liberated by British troops seventy-five years ago, remains one of the most remarkable broadcasts ever. It was a revelation as he carefully detailed the horrific reality of the Nazi’s ‘final solution’. His son Jonathan recently returned to the camp with film make

Fifteen years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is facing another lethal storm. The city on Louisiana’s coast has become one of the worst-hit areas in the US. Some have blamed the high death toll on the decision to allow the annual Mardi Gras parade to go ahead. But musician and actor Harry Shearer, famous, among other things for voicing characters in The Simpsons, says don’t victim blame and don't reproach the revellers.South Africa's president has extended the lockdown until the end of the month as the country braces for a surge in infections. But enforcing social distancing in the poorest, most crowded South African townships remains a struggle says Andrew Harding.This weekend the World Health Organization is set to officially declare the end of the Ebola epidemic that has killed thousands in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Peter Yeung was one of the few journalists to visit health workers in the epidemic’s former epicentre of Beni amidst the global lockdown. But with the coronavirus on the way, there

India’s prime minister imposed a three week lockdown with four hours notice. It was an attempt to prevent the coronavirus spreading. But the nationwide order has caused confusion and anger, especially for millions of migrant workers trying to return home says Rahul Tandon.The United Nations is concerned about Africa's chronically underfunded health services and their ability to cope with Covid-19. Millions are made more vulnerable because of HIV or malnutrition. But so far the continent has been less badly hit than Europe and many Africans are worrying about people in Britain says Mary Harper. Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, has been granted extraordinary powers by a Parliament dominated by his Fidesz party. The opposition faced a difficult choice: : extend the current state of emergency and grant an already authoritarian government almost unlimited power. Or oppose it, and be portrayed as enemies of the nation says Nick Thorpe.Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has so far refused to declare a state of

Stories from Singapore, the US, Britain, Germany and Antarctica on battling COVID-19.

Mishal Husain presents pieces by writers and journalists across the UK presenting portraits of life today. Garry Owen of BBC Radio Cymru visits Llanelli and Hospital Notes - an amateur choir there comprising hospital and care workers and members of the emergency services. He discovers how its members de-compress at times of stress - when social distancing restrictions permit it - and what benefits they derive from singing together. The writer, Damian Barr, author of the Radio 4 Books of the Week, "Maggie & Me" and "You Will Be Safe Here", takes us to north Lanarkshire and the South Downs in his quest for glow worms. His search is part journey of discovery and part self-revelation. Along the way, he explains the enduring appeal of these elusive insects at this - or, indeed - any time. Andrew Green has journeyed around England in search of the special memorials which are stained glass windows in parish churches commemorating the Fallen of the Great War. From Cornwall to Suffolk, Leicestershire to Devon, he

Italy marked a grim milestone at the end of this week as its number of deaths from the coronavirus exceeded those in China. Yet most Italians are supportive of the country's struggling authorities says Mark Lowen who has covered the crisis from its outset. Across the world ten of millions of people are having to adapt their way of life to avoid infection. Fergal Keane has spent decades reporting on conflicts and natural disasters across the globe. He reflects on what it means to be caught up in the universal war against a potentially fatal disease. In New York all non-essential businesses have been ordered to close. For the army of low paid workers and small business owners in particular, this is an exceptionally difficult time says Laura Trevelyan. Young men and women looking for love often turn to their phone and swipe through a gallery of faces. But the leaders of the Indonesia's anti-dating movement say casual relationships are expensive, get in the way of study, and go against religious teaching. Josephi

While Europe seals its borders, Latin America, which has far fewer confirmed Coronavirus cases, has started to do the same to stop the disease spreading. But not all leaders are taking the threats seriously says Katy Watson.All over the world Coronavirus is spreading, unseen. Paul Adams found himself in Beirut as it approached. He watched as the city shut down and found himself reflecting on this hidden enemy. Aung San Suu Kyi was once a much admired recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. But her repeated denials over the persecution of the Rohingya, the country’s Muslim minority, have earned her global opprobrium. As Nick Beake bids farewell to his life in Yangon and to Myanmar, he reflects on its elusive first lady. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah which is backed by Iran has lost at least one thousand two hundred men in Syria. But by no means all Syrians are grateful for these sacrifices says Lizzie Porter.Living in an online world makes tracking down something or someone infinitely easier. Rob Cameron s

For well over a decade, the Al Qaeda linked group Al Shabab has struck terror in Somalia, Kenya and beyond blowing up shopping malls and hotels. Its senior leaders want to establish a caliphate, where their draconian form of Islam is imposed. But most Al Shabaab foot-soldiers come from deprived backgrounds and now hundreds have defected and are rebuilding their lives. Mary Harper visited a rehabilitation centre in the capital Mogadishu.In Afghanistan too, there are hopes of militants disarming, Taliban prisoners being released and of an end to a long drawn out conflict. But the peace process is overshadowed by a crisis in government. The defeated candidate in the presidential election, Abdullah Abdullah, proclaimed himself as president at the same time as the official inauguration of President Ghani earlier this week. David Loyn was there.There was much praise for the three journalists whose dogged investigations ultimately led to Harvey Weinsteins's conviction. But an important question remains says Kirsty L

Stories from Russia, France, the Philippines, Italy and Yemen's most dangerous road. Yemen has been devastated by a war which began in 2015 between Saudi-backed pro-government forces and the rebel Houthi movement, aligned to Iran. Lyse Doucet was there dodging snipers and meeting overworked doctors. But that's not the whole picture. This week, the trial opened of three Russians and a Ukrainian for the murder of 298 people aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, shot down over eastern Ukraine. The Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team says it has proof that the missile used to shoot down the aircraft came from a military base inside Russia. But Moscow rejects the evidence and when questioned accuses Steve Rosenberg of disseminating propaganda. Protecting human rights and freedom of movement in a changing world is at the heart of President Emmanuel Macron’s commitment to a stronger European Union. But the far-right nationalist party of Marine Le Pen is promising the French a different kind of freedom: protection fro

Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has accused the European Union of failing to help him manage the growing crisis in northern Syria. Turkey already has 3.7 million refugees from the conflict there and the recent killing of at least 50 Turkish soldiers last month may have been the last straw. Although the EU promised billions more euros in aid, Turkey decided to open its borders with Greece and has gone out of its way, says Jonah Fisher, to help people cross into Europe. This week Italy shut all of its schools in an attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak. In China, even beyond the quarantined cities, all schools across the country have remained closed since Chinese New Year. As a result, school children and college students have had to stay indoors and study online. Yvonne Murray, says millions of families have found e-learning something of a nightmare. The Great Mosque in the city of Cordoba is one of Spain's biggest tourist attractions. It is also a reminder of the country's complex history, whi

Trump may deride him as ‘sleepy Joe’ but this week the former vice president Joe Biden was the rejuvenated, 70 something, comeback kid. He won nine of the 14 states that voted to pick a Democratic White House candidate on Super Tuesday. An astonishing turnaround says Anthony Zurcher. Israelis went to the polls this week for their third election in just a year. The country’s political system has been in deadlock since last April, with no party able to find enough parliamentary seats to build a coalition. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is handed the mandate to try and form a government, he’ll be juggling that task with preparing for his own corruption trial. Is he the magician of Israeli politics asks Anna Foster. It’s been nearly three years since the Iraqi city of Mosul was liberated from Islamic State. As locals try to rebuild their city and their lives, their efforts are crippled by high-level corruption. Jobs and money are scarce. But Mosul is not lacking in entrepreneurial spirit says Lorraine Malli

Deadly violence erupted this week in north-east Delhi between supporters and opponents of India’s new and controversial citizenship law. The legislation grants amnesty to illegal immigrants but only non-Muslim ones. The worst of the violence has abated but Yogita Limaye says many are stunned by the ferocity of the attacks. The former President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak has been buried in Cairo with full military honours. The 91-year-old, who ruled the Arab world’s most populous state for three decades, was forced from office by the Arab Spring in 2011. Jeremy Bowen looks at the legacy of the man street protestors branded a modern day Pharaoh. Last year, Sudan’s former president Omar al-Bashir was also ousted by popular protests. He may face trial for war crime and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in the Hague after the killing and torture of hundreds of thousands of people in Darfur. But civilians in Sudan’s province of Blue Nile also suffered misery and terror. The conflict has large

Stories from China, Iraq, Pakistan and Russia and the cost of breaking bones in America. Healthcare is a very hot issue in the US race for the Democratic presidential nominee. Bernie Sanders is promising to roll out government-run health insurance for everyone. When Laura Trevelyan broke her wrist, she found navigating the US insurance system both pricey and confusing.Health concerns of a different kind are making headlines this week as the Coronavirus spreads to more countries and claims more lives. Determined to cut the number of new infections, China has confined hundreds of millions of people to their homes. Kerry Allen from BBC Monitoring has immersed herself in Chinese cyberspace to gauge the national mood and the authorities response to the crisis.In Iraq, despite pleas from the Ministry of Health to remain at home, earlier this week demonstrators were still in the streets. Protests have rocked the country since October in response to widespread corruption, poor infrastructure and perceived Iranian int

Stories from the West Bank, Germany, Brazil, the US and the heart of the European Union. President Trump’s plan for peace in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories would allow Israel to apply its sovereignty to all the Jewish settlements as well as swathes of strategic land in the West Bank. The Palestinian leadership has rejected the plan outright saying it would create a "Swiss cheese state". Our Middle East Correspondent Tom Bateman spent time on two sides of a fence that separates an Israeli settlement from a Palestinian family with its own checkpoint. Regional elections take place tomorrow in Hamburg at one of the most worrying times in recent Germany history. After this week’s right-wing terror attack in Hanau, near Frankfurt, John Kampfner says many are wondering whether the security forces and indeed the constitution are strong enough to cope.Carnival in Brazil is one of the world's biggest, brashest parties. Millions will flock to the streets this week to dance, strut their stuff and watch t

Stories from Kenya, Italy, Russia, Syria and Portugal. For the past few months, swarms of desert locusts have been eating their way across the Middle East and Africa. As Joe Inwood finds, stopping the swarms has so far proved nigh on impossible for people in the region - with many resorting to yelling, blowing whistles or even firing guns at them. Italy’s anti-mafia police do their best to catch the big shots in clans like the Camorra. Dominic Casciani spent an evening with battle-hardened officers in unmarked patrol cars tackling organised crime in Naples. In the southern Russian city of Rostov on Don, Anastasia Shevchenko is facing six years in prison for political activism. Several human rights groups have declared the activist a prisoner of conscience and now the Russian authorities have eased the conditions of her detention in her small flat. Sarah Rainsford witnessed Anastasia’s first taste of freedom. Last October President Trump abruptly withdrew US forces from North East Syria, abandoning the Kurds,

In the latest programme of the monthly series, Mishal Husain introduces dispatches from journalists and writers around the United Kingdom reflecting the range of contemporary life in the country.Emma Jane Kirby, in Birmingham, reports on the seeds of magic sown by teachers there in schools serving deprived neighbourhoods - but also on the sometimes shocking realities of daily life at home for a number of the pupils.In Carmarthenshire, David Baker explores the wide range of renewable energy projects being pioneered locally amidst a rich range of Welsh natural resources - and also witnesses a minor drama on his visit to a wind turbine. But who caused it?Nearly thirty years after her aunt took her own life after living with depression for decades, Sima Kotecha reflects on daily life for those living with mental illness and those relatives and friends who witness it. She also considers how hard it remains for those in some South Asian communities to open up about their conditions and what the prospects are for th

French prosecutors announced this week that say they have started an investigation into the business activities of the Maltese magnate charged with complicity to murder the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. It’s just the latest development in a scandal that shocked Europe and led to the resignation of Malta’s prime minister last month. The inquiry in Paris is a response to allegations by the reporter’s family that, Jorgen Fenech, one of the island richest businessmen, used cash from property deals and racehorses in France to bribe Maltese officials. Juliet Rix is a frequent visitor to Malta. She reflects on how the European Union’s smallest country has changed …and not for the better. The coronavirus epidemic is adding to tensions in Hong Kong, a city already riven by seven months of anti government protests. As the number of infections rise, many are clamouring for the territory to seal itself off from the Chinese mainland. Last week, public hospital employees went on strike to try and force the authorities