From Our Own Correspondent

Kate Adie presents stories from Russia, with authorities defiant as the war impact is felt; a grim Ebola milestone in the DRC; Brazil's presidential campaign and the small Bulgarian city chosen to host Eurovision.

Moscow has issued a warning to the UK of 'consequences' following confirmation that British-made drones were used in recent Ukrainian strikes . The authorities - and some citizens - are increasingly blaming the West for Russia’s problems as Steve Rosenberg discovered on the streets of Moscow.

The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the deadliest in its country’s history, with a record number of cases and deaths in the most recent reported week. Emery Makumeno in Kinshasa finds the battle to bring the outbreak under control is not only about infection and response, but also about tackling disbelief, scepticism and the struggle to build trust.

In Brazil, candidates in this October’s presidential election have fired the starting gun on their election campaigns. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term - - returned to the industrial heartland where his political career was first launched. The election will see the rivalry reignited between the three-time President and the Bolsonaro family, with Flavio, Jair's son, running. Ione Wells has been in San Bernado do Campo.

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest saw Bulgaria win for the first time prompting wild celebrations in the former Communist country. But there’s particular joy now in the small city of Burgas, which unexpectedly won out over the capital, Sofia, to host the competition, as Krassi Ivanova Twigg reports.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling

Kate Adie introduces stories on the hidden networks providing vital lifelines to women and girls in Afghanistan, Gaza's tech entrepreneurs rebooting the digital economy, China's bogus dating agencies, and the hunt for a hard-to-find critter in the Australian bush.

It's been five years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. Lyse Doucet and Mahjooba Nowrouzi report on the severe restrictions placed on the freedoms and ambitions of women and girls, and the subsequent emergence of underground networks which are provide vital support - from education to legal advice for women seeking divorce.

Since the ceasefire was announced last year, little progress has been made in Gaza in terms of reconstruction. But young tech-entrepreneurs are taking matters into their own hands, rebooting Gaza's fledgling digital economy and providing a much-needed source of income. Yolande Knell has been speaking to tech-savvy Palestinians.

Matchmaking websites that help people find a soulmate can earn huge sums of money. Unfortunately it's an industry where fraudsters exploit lonely hearts looking for love. As Laura Bicker reports it is a serious problem in China, where some men have been cheated out of their life savings by bogus matchmakers.

Australia is a country full of animals found nowhere else in the world, but many are under serious threat of extinction, with around four species disappearing every decade. But as Tiffanie Turnbull discovered, there is hope with some species bucking the trend - including the rare Australian marsupial, the numbat.

Producers Polly Hope & Nick Holland

Kate Adie introduces stories about China's alleged 'Fentanyl King', how Odesa's famous sense of humour is responding to Russian attacks, Delhi's new EV push, and rising child obesity rates in southern Italy.

After Zhang Zhidong graduated from China's most-prestigious university, he moved to Mexico to find work. Years later, US law enforcement named him as a key figure working with Mexican cartels in the booming fentanyl trade. Now awaiting trial in a Brooklyn prison, Zhidong denies the allegations against him. Shawn Yuan travelled to Mexico to speak to cartel about the man they knew as 'Brother Wang', to chart the origin story of the man US authorities claim is the 'Fentanyl King'.

The Ukrainian port city of Odesa is renowned for its sense of humour - and it's still apparent even as Russia ramps up attacks in its efforts to strangle Ukraine's commercial links with the rest of the world. Paul Adams has been speaking to residents trying to continue life as normal amid the daily strikes.

Faced with soaring pollution levels, Delhi's regional government is making a concerted push to get more people into electric vehicles - becoming the first Indian city to plan on phasing out petrol-fuelled scooters, bikes and auto-rickshaws from its roads. Arunoday Mukharji found the city's delivery drivers sceptical of the plan.

Naples has long been famed for its healthy diet, but recently restaurants and cafes have adapted their menus for a changing market - and the rising demand for processed fast food. Teenagers have been most affected by the new trend and the region is now seeing soaring rates in childhood obesity, as Sofia Bettiza discovered.

Series producer: Serena Tarling

Kate Adie introduces stories from France, Ecuador, the occupied West Bank, the Thailand-Myamar border and South Korea.

Firefighters across Europe have been battling wildfires this week and in the southwest of France, an area four times the size of Paris burnt outside Bordeaux. President Macron said it was the toughest situation the country had dealt with since the Second World War. Newyddion S4C's Gwyn Loader reports from the Gironde region.

Despite President Daniel Noboa's tough policies promising to crack down hard on drug trafficking and gang violence in Ecuador, the country is still terrorised by cartels and corruption. BBC senior international correspondent Orla Guerin saw how rampant crime is fuelling a climate of fear.

There has been an increase in attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank in recent months. BBC Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson spent two weeks in the area around Nablus, speaking to Palestinian residents and a hardline Israeli settler about the violence.

Since the military coup in Myanmar, the border city of Mae Sot in Thailand has become a haven for refugees, exiled civilians, politicians, and war-weary rebel fighters. BBC Southeast Asia correspondent Jonathan Head sensed a mood of exhaustion in Myanmar's fractured opposition.

The South Korean government has spent billions trying to get younger people coupled up, to combat the country's shrinking population - and they're not the only ones. BBC South Korea correspondent Jake Kwon travelled to a mountainside temple where Buddhist monks have been hosting special speed-dating weekends.

Series Producer: Emma Close

Kate Adie introduces stories on India's 'cockroach' protests, anger in Ukraine over army recruitment, the Iranian school bombed at the start of the war, fears over voting changes in America's deep south, and the bio-hacking phenomenon in Berlin.

The Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, is now one of India's most visible youth movements, driving tens of thousands of students to take to the streets to protest about education, corruption, and a lack of job opportunities. Azadeh Moshiri met demonstrators in central Delhi.

President Zelensky’s decision to replace Ukraine's popular defence minister Mykhailo Federov triggered an outburst of anger this week. The country's military is struggling on several fronts - not least when it comes to signing-up new soldiers. Sarah Rainsford reports on the growing hostility around conscription.

In Iran we return to the opening hours of the conflict back in February, when a strike on an Iranian school transformed an ordinary Saturday morning into one of the war's defining tragedies - and its deadliest single incident for civilians. Nawal Al-Maghafi returned to the scene in Minab.

In Alabama, there is concern that a recent decision by the US Supreme Court could roll back hard-earned civil rights victories which protected the interests of minority African-American voters. Brandon Drenon has been speaking to voters in Tuskegee.

And so-called bio-hacking – using data to optimise one’s health, mental performance, and longevity - is being embraced by start-ups across Europe. Simon Busch has been finding out more in Berlin - one of the industry’s thriving hubs.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling

In this special edition of From Our Own Correspondent, we remember BBC Correspondent David Willey, who reported from around the world for more than half a century, and who died recently.

David was a prolific contributor to this programme throughout his life and was still writing for the programme into his 93rd year.

In an interview recorded last year for the ‘From Our Own Correspondent at 70’ programme, David tells Today presenter Anna Foster about his early travels reporting from around the world from Libya to China, as well as his long-time role as BBC Vatican Correspondent.

This podcast also features some of his most memorable dispatches, including a report on troop morale in Vietnam in the 1970s, a lavish party thrown by Colonel Gadaffi in Libya in 2009 to mark his 40th year in power; insights from inside the Vatican amid the ‘Vatileaks’ scandal of 2012; and recollections from 2023 about when he first met Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi at his estate near Milan, where he got a private tour of the billionaire businessman’s private mausoleum.

Kate Adie introduces stories on Bangladesh's deadly measles outbreak, France's military flex on Bastille Day, Albania's 'flamingo revolution', Ecuador's bird-watching boom, and remembering BBC Rome correspondent David Willey.

Bangladesh is experiencing a severe measles outbreak, with around 700 people dying of confirmed and suspected cases since March - most of them children. BBC South Asia Correspondent Azadeh Moshiri reports from a hospital, north of the capital Dhaka.

France celebrated Bastille Day this week, which marks the beginning of the French revolution. This was the last parade under President Emmanuel Macron, who steps down from office next year – but he made sure to make his mark, showcasing French military power and celebrating unity with its allies. James Waterhouse reports from Paris.

In Albania, the pink flamingo has become an unlikely symbol of protest, reflecting environmental concerns over a proposed tourism development that triggered recent protests. But as Guy De Launey discovered, unhappiness among voters runs much deeper.

Ecuador is one of the best places to watch birds anywhere in the world, boasting some 1600 species – twice as many as the whole of Europe. Unsurprisingly, birding tourism is thriving. Stephen Moss has been ticking off some rare spots.

And veteran BBC correspondent, David Willey, died last weekend at the age of 93. Across a career spanning decades, he reported from around the world - covering communist China, the Vietnam war, and Libya during in Gaddafi era. His former producer, Joanne Cayford, remembers her time working with him during his long-standing role as BBC Rome correspondent.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling

Kate Adie presents stories on the burial of Ayatollah Khamanei in Iran, a diplomatic correspondent's return to Moscow, a pioneering therapy centre in Ukraine's West, Italian lessons in Argentina and the restoration of the Casbah in Algiers.

The streets of major cities across Iran have been lined with mourners attending the funeral procession of former leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamanei. But as the coffin was transported between cities, renewed attacks on tankers in the strait of Hormuz threw the region into more turmoil, prompting a heavy US response.

Ukraine has been escalating its attacks deeper into Russian territory on refineries and ports. Plumes of black smoke stretching across the Moscow skyline have brought the war with Ukraine closer to home for everyday Russians. James Landale has been back to the Russian capital.

Meanwhile Russia has launched devastating attacks across Ukraine and in Kyiv's centre killing dozens of civilians. And hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are living with the physical and psychological scars of war. Lucy Ash has been to a pioneering psychological retreat.

Two-thirds of Argentina's population can trace their roots back to Italy. Their ancestors arrived during the 19th and 20th century when Argentina was one of the fastest growing countries in the world. But, as the economy stutters, Italian Argentines are increasingly returning home to Europe, finds Jane Chambers

In Algiers, the ancient ‘Casbah’ – the historic citadel and medina - has been the focus of multiple forsaken plans for its regeneration. But now, at last, a restoration is gathering pace, says Philip Sweeney.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling

Kate Adie introduces stories on Venezuela's earthquake recovery efforts, the rapid start of Hungary's new PM, a post-Soviet reunion at a border-town bazaar, and does the American Dream still hold up as America celebrates 250 years of independence.

Kate Adie introduces stories on Venezuela's earthquake recovery efforts, the rapid start of Hungary's new PM, a post-Soviet reunion at a border-town bazaar, and does the American Dream still hold up as America celebrates 250 years of independence.

In Venezuela, family and friends have joined rescue workers in trying to find survivors after two earthquakes hit the country’s north last week. It was the country’s deadliest natural disaster in a century. Will Grant returned to his old neighbourhood in the capital Caracas, where he met locals still searching for news of their loved ones.

Hungary's new Prime Minister Peter Magyar has been in office for less than 60 days, but has quickly set about rolling back laws and dismantling institutions built up by former strongman PM Viktor Orban, Such is this political whirlwind, it's become must-see TV. Nick Thorpe reports from Budapest.

The break- up of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to the independence and redrawing of the borders of its fifteen republics, including central Asian countries like Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Ibrat Safo, who grew up in Uzbekistan, tells the story of how his family became separated for decades - and how a new border-town bazaar became the scene of a poignant reunion.

And it’s the 4th of July – which this year marks 250 years of American independence. This year’s anniversary has prompted much introspection about what the USA stands for as a nation, and recent surveys have found a shrinking number of Americans still believe in their country as the land of opportunity. Asma Khalid reflects on her own family’s pursuit of the American Dream.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling