From Our Own Correspondent

Millions of lives are being uprooted, or destroyed as Russia's bombardment of Ukrainian cities widens. Fergal Keane has covered the conflict with Russia and its proxy forces since 2014 – and has followed the story of a beekeeper from the Donbas, and his wife.

Presenter: Kate Adie

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters a third week, hopes are wearing thin of a ceasefire after several rounds of unsuccessful talks. But a potential mediator tried to enter the fray this week: Israel, as Tom Bateman reports from Jerusalem.

Presenter: Kate Adie

Ukrainian civilians have taken up arms in the face of the Russian onslaught over the last nine days, while women and children were forced to flee. Attacks on residential buildings and infrastructure have killed hundreds of civilians and the French President has warned that worse is yet to come. Lyse Doucet is in Kyiv has seen the week’s events unfold.

Ukrainians have mounted a defiant response since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of their country began. But scores of lives have nonetheless been lost. Moscow’s propaganda machine has been in full swing domestically, trying to conceal any Russian casualties from the outside world.

Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union three decades ago, Russia has been grappling with how to keep its old empire close to it, using a variety of tactics. This week, Russia stunned Nato member states when it embarked on a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Andrew Harding spent the 1990s reporting on the aftermath of the Soviet collapse and reflects on current events.

Flash floods and mudslides in the Brazilian city of Petrópolis north of Rio de Janeiro have left more than 170 people dead. Authorities blamed the intensity of the rainfall yet one of the biggest factors was inequality – most of the worst-affected neighbourhoods were poorer, unofficially built areas. Katy Watson met with survivors who had lost family members and were helping with the rescue effort.

When a boat carrying a group of Chagos Islanders landed on their homeland this week, it represented return after half a century of exile. The Islands were once part of British-run Mauritius, and in 1972, Britain removed the inhabitants, so it could hand one of the islands over to the United States, to build a military base. The move has been condemned by the International Court of Justice, and by the United Nations, but the UK has so far refused to allow the Islanders back. This week, they took matters into their own hands, and returned by boat for a visit. Andrew Harding was on board.

It was in the 1960s that gas was discovered in The Netherlands, and since then, it has provided the country with both cash and energy security. However, some people living near the gas fields claim that the exploration has damaged their homes, and even destroyed them. Anna Holligan has visited the damaged properties, and met the residents who say their lives have been ruined.

Kenya's world-wide image is often restricted to wildlife and beaches. However, the country now plays host to one of the most vibrant tech sectors in Africa, with a particular emphasis on putting tech into practice. The aim is to find a development route which does not necessarily copy the heavy industrialisation of wealthier countries. Indeed, Zeinab Badawi says Kenya is already pursuing a greener path, which could make for a more prosperous future.

The French-Algerian writer, Fatima Daas has won huge praise for her first book, a semi-autobiographical account of a life attempting to reconcile being a Muslim and Lesbian. Mike Wooldridge joined her for a walk round the Paris neighbourhood where she grew up.

Japan's current Prime Minister is the first for many years to live in his official Tokyo residence, and reports claim this is because previous holders of the post were scared the building was haunted. This should not be too surprising, according to Rupert Wingfield-Haye, as Japanese people regularly take account of ghosts when considering where to live.

Many migrants still set off by boat from Calais each week, in the hope of reaching Britain. The French authorities insist they are trying to deter people from coming to Calais, by making conditions there tougher. Horatio Clare says they are removing tents, mattresses, and even the blankets people sleep under.

More than 150 thousand Russians with learning disabilities live in institutions which have been criticised as inhumane or cruel. The aim, Lucy Ash says, is to keep out of sight people who are considered a social embarrassment. She has been meeting activists in Moscow, trying to provide alternative ways for them to be cared for and supported.

LSD and magic mushrooms were once supposed to be a means to tap into an alternative universe, to “Break on Through to the Other Side,” as the Doors singer, Jim Morrison put it. Nowadays, conventional medical establishments are exploring how various psychedelics can be used to treat people with mental health problems. Stephanie Theobald went to a convention in the US state of Nevada, which proclaimed a new psychedelic renaissance.

Stephen Moss has travelled the world as a producer for the BBC’s Natural History Unit, seeing plenty of unusual wildlife along the way. But he had a particular, yet unfulfilled ambition to see the bird species known as the “Resplendent Quetzal.” In the end, he had to travel to Costa Rica to catch sight of it.

It is sometimes hard to believe that border requirements such as visas and passports are a relatively modern development, passports themselves only being standardised in the 1920s. So how has all this affected those who seek to roam around the continent - for pleasure, for exploration, to experience other cultures? Nick Hunt has made many such journeys, and reflects now on how they have changed, and how they have stayed the same.

A hundred and thirty people died during the 2015 Islamic State attacks in Paris. Now, one alleged participant has gone on trial, along with others charged as accomplices. What is it like for families of the victims, and those who were there on the night, to come face to face with those they believe may be partly responsible? Lucy Williamson was watching in court, and sees more at work than just deciding on innocence or guilt.

According to Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, Ukrainians and Russians are one people. Yet the French President, Emmanuel Macron has referred to Ukrainians as: “our European brothers.” Observers have sometimes simplified matters, by assuming that those in Ukraine who speak Russian lean towards Moscow, while the Ukrainian speakers see Kiev as their capital, and western Europe as their allies. Whether or not such a neat division was ever valid, Sarah Rainsford has found it seriously wanting now.

Given Russia currently has such a tense relationship with the west, the country is keen to improve its links elsewhere, both political and commercial. That could well be helped by a road being built, which aims to carry more Russian freight and other traffic south into neighbouring Georgia. Yet it is being constructed right on top of another, very old road, and also passes through the “Khada Valley,” a spot famous in Georgia for its beauty and wildlife. So when Amelia Stewart visited, she found environmentalists and some locals up in arms about the project.

There are some spectators, and there have been the usual triumphs and disappointments of any sporting event. Yet nobody can claim that this year’s Beijing Winter Olympics have been anything like a normal contest. China has imposed one of the most severe lockdown of any country in the world, in response to Covid, so those attending have had their experience highly restricted. They include our correspondent, Stephen McDonell, who has been attempting to report from the scene.

Australian English is famously expressive, particularly when it comes to its inventive insults. This goes for the political realm as well; indeed, the current Prime Minister has just has a few choice words thrown at him by his own Deputy. However, as Phil Mercer explains, this is nothing new.

Lebanon hosts more than a million Syrian refugees, mostly living in very basic accommodation. Now the country has been hit by freakishly cold weather, while in the midst of an economic crisis. That has left refugees exposed to the elements, with families unable to cook, children falling ill, and little sign of help on its way. Leila Molana-Allen found many in despair.

Just as millions suffer from freezing cold under Lebanon’s snowfall, it is the lack of snow which some fear. Those making a living from winter sports are seeing ski seasons shorten, as climate change speeds up the rate at which mountain snow is melting. Yet when Polina Bachlackova went to a ski resort in France, she found some locals sceptical about whether humans were the cause of a changing climate, and rejecting the suggestion that urgent action is needed to tackle it.

China has been generous to Sri Lanka lately, paying for roads, other transport infrastructure, and retail developments. Some of these have been outright gifts, some were funded by loans, but others were more of a swap, provided in return for access to land. One of the biggest developments is in the harbour area of Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, where a huge retail, residential, and business area is under way. Anbarasan Ehirajan was given a tour, and found himself asking whether it was what the people of Sri Lanka really needed.

Just across the water from Sri Lanka, India has been holding two days of national mourning for the singer, Lata Mangeshkar. Described as the "Nightingale of Bollywood," hers was the voice on the soundtrack in hundreds of Indian musicals. The country's President said her death was heart-breaking, while the Prime Minister said she left a void in the nation. Rajini Vaidyanathan is among those feeling the loss.

Italy is just recovering from the annual “Sanremo Festival,” its annual marathon song contest. Often compared to the Eurovision song contest, San Remo is famous for kitsch performances, which millions of Italians tune into. Dany Mitzman joined in the fun.