From Our Own Correspondent

Putin Forever


Listen Later

The residents of an ordinary Moscow apartment block were recently tricked into showing what they really think of their president by a prankster who installed a massive portrait of Vladimir Putin in their lift. Some of the reactions were incredulous, some angry and a few unprintable ..and they had the whole country in stitches. Yet many Russians are confused rather than amused about proposed changes to their constitution. When President Putin dropped his bombshell announcement last month about rearranging Russia's power structure, some wondered if he was looking for a smooth exit or rather that he wanted to stay in charge of his country for life. Steve Rosenberg has been to Russia’s industrial heartland to canvass opinions.

Yesterday the left wing senator Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire Democratic primary contest. He declared the night “the beginning of the end” of Donald Trump but it is just one stage in the race to unseat the President and win the White House in November. Away from the campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire voters in New Jersey tend towards the centre ground of American politics. And they’re a savvy bunch in the Garden State. Sandra Kanthal says the best place to hear about the twists and turns of the 2020 US elections is over the countertop of the venerable diner in her home town.

This week China’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak has drawn comparisons with the way in which the Soviet authorities handled the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. Had the USSR sounded the alarm sooner, the global ramifications of the accident would perhaps not have been so severe. When Li Wenliang, a doctor in Wuhan first tried to warn of the outbreak of the coronavirus in December, he was investigated by police and accused of scaremongering. Now he has been killed by the virus which has been declared a global health emergency. Many foreigners have left China on specially chartered flights but Andy Bostock has stayed behind in Suzhou, a city near Shanghai.

Mali may have a reputation for armed Islamic extremists, bombs, kidnapping and violence between Fulani herdsmen and sedentary farmers. But the country is also known for its photographers and one of Africa's largest photography festivals, Bamako Encounters, which is held in the capital every two years. Now celebrating its 25th birthday, the festival is at a turning point says Fleur Macdonald with work shown not only in museums and galleries but also in people's homes.

Life in Ladakh, a region administered by India in the Western Himalayas is often harsh. Remote villages lack transport links communication and many other basic facilities. Getting an education has long been a challenge, especially if your parents are nomadic goat herders. But Andrew Eames has been to visit a boarding school determined to boost the life chances of its young Ladakhi pupils.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

From Our Own CorrespondentBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

341 ratings


More shows like From Our Own Correspondent

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,426 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,807 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,657 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

312 Listeners

Profile by BBC Radio 4

Profile

102 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

483 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

519 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,120 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

897 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

289 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

959 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,041 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

45 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

239 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

831 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

398 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

754 Listeners

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast by Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

285 Listeners

The Briefing Room by BBC Radio 4

The Briefing Room

82 Listeners

Newscast by BBC News

Newscast

648 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

371 Listeners

Elis James and John Robins by BBC Radio 5 Live

Elis James and John Robins

319 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

702 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,988 Listeners

Sport's Strangest Crimes by BBC Radio 5 Live

Sport's Strangest Crimes

68 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

621 Listeners

Dua Lipa: At Your Service by BBC Sounds

Dua Lipa: At Your Service

1,002 Listeners

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley by BBC Radio 4

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

548 Listeners

Believe in Magic by BBC Sounds

Believe in Magic

611 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

142 Listeners

Miss Me? by BBC Sounds

Miss Me?

283 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

25 Listeners

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... by BBC Radio 4

Rory Stewart: The Long History of...

69 Listeners

Havana Helmet Club by BBC Sounds

Havana Helmet Club

4 Listeners