'Don't tell us how to run our country!' That was the word from Warsaw as the European Commission launched an investigation into some of the decisions taken by the new right-wing government in Poland; the authorities in India meet on Monday to evaluate the controversial traffic experiment in Delhi which was aimed at reducing pollution; the latest consumer spending figures in France offer little evidence that an economic recovery is underway -- but in Toulouse some people know where to get their food for free; lawyers for the Mexican drug lord known as 'el Chapo' have started to prepare a case against his extradition to the US -- some in Mexico would anyway prefer to see him face justice there. And there's something to sing about in northern Norway - after six weeks their polar night season has come to an end, the sun has finally made an appearance and it’s something to sing about!

The best in news and current affairs storytelling. Today, after a troubled week for the Chinese economy, we wonder who's more popular in China today, the author of that Little Red Book, Chairman Mao, or the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Colonel Sanders. Violence continues to rain down on Yemen - the Islamic State group has now become involved in the civil war and is believed to have been behind a string of suicide bombings. Our correspondent witnessed the horrific aftermath of one such attack in the capital Sana'a. Chancellor Merkel's ruling Christian Democrats in Germany plan tougher action against migrants who commit crimes. The announcement follows the assaults on women in Cologne on New Year’s Eve which have triggered further heated debate about Mrs Merkel's welcoming policy towards migrants. Was the recent election in Seychelles, those 'paradise islands' in the Indian Ocean, rigged? While the people wait for a court's verdict, we visit Seychelles and hear there have been big changes in the way of life there. And change is also the word employed to describe what's going on in Cuba these days. We've been taking the temperature at the seaside there, at a resort where Che Guevara, one of the great heroes of the Cuban revolution, went on honeymoon.

Your window on the wider world. The Iraqi forces claimed victory over IS fighters when they swept into the city of Ramadi - but the place has been devastated, it will be months before residents can return to their homes. Thomas Fessy, who's been there, explains why this is being viewed as a significant achievement by the Iraqi security forces. On the Greek island of Lesbos, bad weather has slowed the tide of human migrants sweeping into the EU but Paul Adams says the new year will see European leaders trying again to come up with a coherent response to what's been one of the great human migrations of recent times. The new Argentine president is trying to breathe life into the country's moribund economy -- in Buenos Aires, as Petroc Trelawny's been finding out, some dare to dream this could bring the glamour back to the once-smart shopping streets of the capital. We're amazed to learn from Carolyn Browne in Brittany that it's possible to drive a car quite legally on the roads of France -- even if you've lost your driving licence after being convicted of drink/driving! And Kota Bharu in Malaysia is a city which few westerners get to - but Gareth Armstrong was a recent visitor and talks to us about a harmonious place where people of different faiths live happily side by side. He points out though that it pays to carry an umbrella there!

Looking back at some historic FOOC despatches: Allan Little, Bridget Kendall, Emma Jane Kirby, Steve Evans and Gabriel Gatehouse read pieces by Fergal Keane, Caroline Wyatt, Charles Wheeler, John Crawley and Kevin Connolly

Almost better than travelling yourself! Insight, wit and colour from around the globe. In this one: the tablecloth approach to ending war -- serious discussions about how to end the fighting in Syria; the end of another long conflict may be in sight as the government in Bogota signs an interim peace deal with Colombia's FARC rebels; arguments intensify over territorial claims in the South China Sea -- we meet Vietnamese fishermen who now find themselves in the front line; the Turks and the Hungarians redouble their search for the missing heart of Suleiman the Magnificent, but why are they bothering? And they've got problems in Rome: alleged corruption in high places, organised crime, traditional shops and businesses being chased away. But the Romans are putting all this to one side, at least for a few days. After all, it's Christmas! And there are menus to be planned!

The programme with the bigger picture. Why the controversial comments and adverse publicity surrounding Donald Trump are not harming the billionaire businessman's bid for the US presidency. Seismic shifts in Spanish politics - we get a view of the upcoming general election there from the Valley of the Fallen, where the country's late dictator Francisco Franco is buried. The talk in Malaysia's of scandal stalking the prime minister and of fears for the future of a country loved by many for its relaxed, inclusive and multicultural nature. The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is one of the wonders of the world, so no wonder visitors have been trekking up there in huge numbers. Now the Peruvian government wants to make it easier for them to get there. But its plans have met spirited opposition. And from Germany we hear about the 12-people who're being paid to do everything lying down. That includes exercising -- and going to the loo

Colouring in the spaces between the headlines. In this edition: the Front National is expected to do well in the French regional elections - our correspondent goes for a drive along the Cote d'Azur and asks why the party's apparently finding favour with voters. 'We cannot allow our revolution to be stolen!' The Venezuelan president has been imploring the electorate there to give his socialists another term in office, but most observers feel the left's grip on this nation will be severely weakened in this weekend's election. Three and a half million and counting! We find out why so many young Nepalis have decided to leave their country. And is it the truth or is it just paranoia? We hear that the influence of the long-dead dictator Enver Hoxha continues even today in Albania.

Correspondents' stories. In the wake of the attacks in Paris, nearby Belgium has been portrayed as a dysfunctional place with failing state structures, a country where terrorists can go about their business unchallenged. Tim Whewell's been to Brussels to talk to some who feel alienated and abandoned by the Belgian state. Eight months of war in Yemen -- and Iona Craig has been finding out how people living in the country’s third city are now relying on smugglers to bring in vital supplies. Fifty-one thousand refugees are now living in Berlin -- Chris Haslam's been hearing that for some, their problems are only just beginning. Preparations are underway for the big climate conference starting in Paris next week. Some say global warming is a problem that's just too difficult to solve. But David Shukman believes there's reason for some guarded optimism. And Juliet Rix has been to Malta, the scene of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting. The Mediterranean island long ago ceased to be a British colony but she finds some lasting affection for the old motherland although a continuing fondness for the traditional English breakfast might be doing more harm than good!

Foreign correspondents' stories. In this programme, Kevin Connolly talks of the dogged durability that got Parisians out to work again in the days after the terrorist attacks, 'the foot soldiers' ability to soldier on through the darkness'. Joanna Robertson, also in the French capital, says despite the huge numbers of police deployed in various parts of the city, many in the suburbs are complaining they've been left unprotected. She is asked: 'What's being done to protect our way of life?' Emma Jane Kirby meets up again with an Italian man who can't forget the day he went out boating and came across scores of migrants scattered across the sea, only some of whom he managed to rescue. A way of life comes to an end with the closing of a well-known narrow gauge railway in central India. Mark Tully's among the last to travel on the Satpura Lines in the centre of the country. A station master asks him: 'Why do they have to close such a busy railway?' Steve Evans tells us that in Seoul, a whole building is full of civil servants preparing for the day North and South Korea will finally be united. But that's a development unlikely to happen soon. Perhaps it will never happen and, as a result, Steve finds these are workers not over-burdened with work!

Analysis, observation, writing, storytelling. In this edition, the smells of a city's chequered history are resurrected in a shop in Serbia's capital, Belgrade. From inside Syria, the tactics a new force is employing to take the fight to the militants of IS. Aung San Suu Kyi's new government in Myanmar should soon be sworn in after its historic election victory -- but there are tough challenges ahead. All change in Poland too -- but why's the electorate there turned its back on an administration which provided new roads, airport terminals and jobs? And we're inside a beauty salon in Kabul turning down advice on a new coiffure and learning instead what sort of future Afghans think lies in store for their nation.