Correspondents Report

Chinese food is one of the world's most popular cuisines. But in China itself, one group who struggle with it are vegetarians. Meat is nearly always on the table, no matter where you eat in China. It's estimated that around 50 million Chinese people are vegetarian, a little under four per cent of the total population. That number is on the rise, making life a little easier for those avoiding meat.

The ABC's Indonesia correspondent, Adam Harvey, ponders on rules. Apparently there are many in Jakarta, some of which make very little sense to foreigners. As Adam observes, however, the most important rules in Indonesia seem to be the ones that are unwritten.

ABC correspondents face all types of challenges and difficulties in the course of their work: conflict, disease and unfriendly governments, to name a few. In China, one of the biggest hazards is air pollution. Correspondent Matthew Carney and his young family have just lived through one of worst episodes of toxic smog the country has ever seen, with pollution levels around 25 times over the World Health Organisation's safety limit. According to a recent study from Nanjing University, a third of all deaths in China are linked to smog.

British Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a blow to her Brexit plans this week, when the Supreme Court ruled that the UK Parliament, not the Government, had the power to decide on when to begin the process of leaving the EU. The Government had hoped it could use what's called the 'Royal prerogative' to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to kick-start negotiations over Brexit. Instead, a bill approving the process will have to make its way now through the House of Commons and then the House of Lords. The bill won't stop Brexit, but it could delay it. The Scottish National Party is planning to make around 50 amendments, with Labour stating that it wants to insert its own clauses.

It's just over a week since Donald Trump became President of the United States. His inauguration was followed by protests across the globe and in cities across America, including Washington DC. It was there that our North America correspondent, Zoe Daniel, was interviewing far-right activist Richard Spencer when he was punched in the head on camera by a protester - an incident that's provoked viral debate.

What did the Orlando massacre mean for the gun control campaign waged by the parents of the slaughtered six-year-olds at Sandy Hook Elementary School? Europe correspondent Lisa Millar re-treads old ground in the wake of a renewed debate in the US.

Have you ever been shopping for furniture and found yourself gazing longingly at the pristine bedroom display, wondering if anyone would notice if you gabbed a quick 40 winks? If the answer is yes, then you need to buy a ticket to Beijing and head straight for the Ikea store, the biggest in the world, and with very well used demonstration rooms.

It was the last thing anyone expected to happen, least of all Indonesia correspondent Adam Harvey. Flailing around in a soup of maggots, Adam almost became the latest YouTube sensation for all the wrong reasons after he fell into a pit of toxic sludge. But he lived to tell the tale.

Maria Concetta Cacciola was the daughter of a powerful mafia boss in Calabria. It's home to one of the world's most ruthless mafia organisations known as the 'ndrangheta. The same criminal group with a heavy presence in Australia. They made headlines only weeks ago, when Pasquale Barbaro was gunned down in the Sydney suburb of Earlwood. Italian prosecutors say more women from inside the 'ndrangheta are turning against their criminal relatives and collaborating with authorities. Maria Concetta Cacciola was one of those women. Connie Agius travelled to Calabria to investigate her story. As a warning, some listeners may find parts of this story disturbing.

After three-and-a-half years, culminating in the extraordinary 2016 US election, the ABC's North America correspondent, Michael Vincent, is coming home. He offers a personal farewell to America, looking back at the places he's been, the friends he's made - and what they think life will be like under the presidency of Donald Trump.