From Our Own Correspondent

Could the Libyan rebels be poised to march on the capital Tripoli? Gabriel Gatehouse, who's been spending time with them near the coastal city of Misrata, doubts they have the capability for military victory; Andrew Hosken's just returned from Somalia where the rains have failed again, drought has taken hold and many people are in danger of starving to death; a battle between modernity and an older way of doing things is underway in the Indian state of Orissa and Justin Rowlatt's been finding out that in this case, the modern world might be about to lose out; Chris Simpson's in the Gambia where the president has made it clear that he has a low opinion of journalists -- the media people, on the other hand, complain of harrassment and worse. And from the Seychelles out in the Indian Ocean, a tale from Tim Ecott about the extraordinary coco de mer; a coconut tree with erotic connotations.

They are celebrating in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, the world's newest country. But Fergus Nicoll, who's there, says its leaders must address some of the lessons they've been handed down by history. Who's visiting the great archaeological sites in Libya as the conflict in that country continues? Justin Marozzi's just been to one of them and had little company there other than cows and goats. David Willey in Rome talks about the country's much respected President Giorgio Napoletano and explains how he's trying to rein in some of the activities of the controversial prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. India's caste system was supposed to have been done away with decades ago but Craig Jeffrey, in Uttar Pradesh, has found that in many areas of life, it simply has not gone away. And it's proving a sweltering summer in the city of Algiers and Chloe Arnold, who lives there, has been finding out how a Scottish firm is keen on securing a slice of the market in long, cool, fizzy drinks!

The end of the world is nigh! Well, it is according to one estimate. But Chris Bockman who's in the French Pyrenees says there's a village there where you might just be safe. Much joy's being reported in South Sudan. Peter Martell's in this region which has experienced generations of civil war but is now getting ready to usher in independence. Could the mighty US be about to default on its debts? Lesley Curwen says the government in Washington's been given a deadline by which time it must pay up. But before that can be achieved, Republicans and Democrats must sort out their differences. Alex Renton's been learning that these are tough times in Armenia but still there's pride in the country's fine brandy which was, so they say, a favourite of Winston Churchill's. And Emily Lethbridge has been finding out that a good place to research the mediaeval sagas of Iceland is a petrol station, not far from the capital Reykjavik.

The Greek austerity bill may have been passed by the Athens parliament, but Justin Rowlatt's wondering if anyone expects it to be fully implemented. It may be one of the most polluted cities in the world but Delhi, as Anu Anand has been finding out, is home to an astonishing collection of bird life. The Libyan Mediterranean city of Misrata is still coming under rocket fire from troops loyal to Colonel Gaddafi, but Andrew Harding's been seeing that families still enjoy an afternoon at the beach there. Thaksin Shinawatra may be living in self-imposed exile in Dubai but Rachel Harvey, who's been there to meet the former Thai prime minister, says he's still dominating discussion about the upcoming Thai election. And is the Amazon a resource to be exploited or one simply to be protected - questions Robin Lustig's had in mind during his travels in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.

Now the Greek parliament's voted for austerity, large numbers of people working in the country's huge public sector are waiting to see where first the axe will fall -- Manuela Saragosa's in Athens. Saving cash is a theme throughout Europe and Mark Lobel's been to Strasbourg where some say the city should no longer be a base for the European Parliament, it's just too expensive. Venezuelan security forces are said to have been tunnelling INTO a jail to try to resolve a riot inside. Sarah Grainger in Caracas on the state of Venezuela's chaotic prison system. Chris Hogg's in Shanghai where, ninety years ago, the Chinese Communist Party was formed. He examines some of its founding principles and assesses how relevant they are today. And it's been a sad week for supporters of the Argentine football club River Plate. Their team has been relegated to a lower division. But isn't football just a game? Daniel Schweimler, who's in Buenos Aires, says that in Argentina, it's much more than that!

The lights go out in the United States. It's only a simulation at present but Mark Mardell in Washington says it's evidence the US military is taking seriously the threat of war in cyberspace. Inside the walls of a prison in the Horn of Africa our correspondent Mary Harper is surprised by a demand for an interview ... from a Somali pirate! Misha Glenny reflects on the EU's decision to admit Croatia to full membership:proof, he believes, that a powder keg has finally been defused. Rupert Wingfield Hayes has an account from inside the Bahrain courtroom where a number of people were sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of trying to overthrow the country's royal family. And Andrew Martlew's been walking in the mountains of northern Italy tracking down some rarely visited British war graves.

A voice from Croatia's war-torn past is recalled by Allan Little in Zagreb as the EU prepares to admit this country to full membership of the Union. Chris Morris is in Athens as Greece faces fresh hurdles in its attempts to avoid defaulting on its debt repayments. Lobsters are big business but in Nicaragua, as Conor Woodman's been hearing, catching them can be dangerous. Reggie Nadelson tells us how the price of property's soaring in Harlem, a part of New York once associated with poverty and crime. But, she wonders, is the price of development the loss of the district's soul? It's all change on the buses in Malta. Jake Wallis Simons has been finding out that the island's getting rid of its fleet of characterful and individualistic buses and replacing them with something altogether more modern and efficient. But, it seems, not all the islanders welcome the change.

The ultimate failed state. That's what some call Somalia in the Horn of Africa. Peter Greste is in the capital Mogadishu, perhaps the most dangerous city in the world. He's finding out why thousands of Somalis are leaving homes in the countryside and flooding in to the city? Another mass migration's going on in China. But, as Juliana Liu tells us, difficulties can lie ahead for the country people heading for town in search of a better life. Paul Henley's been looking at an economic boom that's lifting parts of Poland; one port city's described as the future Sydney and Dubai of the Baltic. The worst drought in fifty years has hit Texas. Jonny Dymond finds one rancher whose fortunes are suffering -- but he says he's battling on: it's the American way. And she's called the Miss Marple of the Himalayas; Joanna Jolly meets the woman who keeps climbers in Nepal roped to the truth.

Tunisia's fragile revolution is under threat from the violent uprising in Libya. Pascale Harter, investigating in these borderlands, also reveals what a football commentary sounds like in Libya where the only name permissible is that of Gaddafi. The blockade on Gaza means that many people living in that territory never get to leave. Jon Donnison's been meeting two men, at the Erez crossing into Israel, who get nearer than most. Cheung Chau island, not far from Hong Kong, has become notorious as a place where people go to kill themselves. Claudia Hammond's been there finding out how the local community is trying to change all that. Need to cure a headache? Or impotence? A remedy can be found at a traditional medicine market in Johannesburg. Stewart Maclean's been there to see what's on offer. And Rajesh Mirchandani enjoyed what some would consider the perfect posting - as our man in California. And yet, he has some rather controversial views to share with us about the sunshine state.

The bloody events in Syria are making the government in neighbouring Turkey uneasy, as Hugh Sykes has been finding out on the eve of the Turkish general election there; Chris Hogg's in Taiwan where, amid a thawing in relations with mainland China, there are businessmen who are prospering in the new climate of detente; corruption in India is now so pervasive, it reaches even the smallest country village but, as Craig Jeffrey's been hearing, it can still be a joking matter; there's a ban on divorce in the Philippines, but Kate McGeown tells us, there are ways around the ban, particularly if you have money; one of our most seasoned travellers, the reporter and presenter Robin Lustig's visited 75 countries without losing his luggage. Surely his luck can't last ...?

Amid uproar in and around Syria, Kevin Connolly considers suggestions that there have been attempts by the authorities in Damascus to manipulate the news agenda to distract the world from events going on in their country. A year after violent disturbances in the Kyrgyz town of Osh Rayhan Demytrie, who covered those events, considers the difficult legacy they've left in their wake; Tracey Logan is in the Republic of Ireland examining how an EU directive, aimed at protecting Ireland's peat bogs, is being widely flouted. Tom Blass takes a walk in a Belgian village which has been swallowed up by the inexorable growth of Antwerp's docklands. And South Korea's a country which takes recycling very seriously -- it's causing our correspondent there, Lucy Williamson, some difficulty.

A mysterious encounter with the sinister Colonel Tariq, thought to be from Pakistani Intelligence, is described by Aamer Ahmed Khan. Tim Whewell's in the Sinai Desert finding a roaring trade in rifles. A guided tour of Benghazi with Andrew Hosken: he is told that Colonel Gaddafi couldn't make the railways run on time -- he couldn't make the railways either! An acute housing shortage in Beijing is described by Martin Patience - it's meant people living in air raid shelters, bunkers and tunnels. And there's joy and some plum brandy in the foothills of the Carpathians as Caroline Juler joins a cheerful crowd of farmers at their annual measuring of sheep's milk.

The E.coli outbreak in Germany is the subject of a despatch from Steve Evans in Berlin who's been finding out how it's sending ripples throughout Europe, affecting sales of fruit and vegetables and altering families' eating habits. As General Mladic prepares to face war crimes charges in The Hague, Nick Thorpe's been touring Bosnia meeting family and supporters of the man who was the military leader of the Bosnian Serbs. It's crisis time for the pornographers of Los Angeles: Ed Butler's been discovering that their customers are no longer keen to pay for the product. Picturesque Street in Moscow isn't as lovely as it sounds, according to our man there Steve Rosenberg; but it does have a tale to tell about Russia itself. And why does the sight of a foreigner riding a bike make Cambodians laugh? Guy Delauney, a keen cyclist and resident of the capital Phnom Penh, is well placed to provide an answer to that one!

Fin de Siecle Deauville hosts the G8 summit of world leaders where there have been clear signs of a different world order emerging -- Bridget Kendall's been taking note. Andrew Harding tells us what it's like in Misrata which endured a two month seige by Libyan forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi; Conor Woodman is in a town in Laos which has been taken over by Chinese investment; there's a picnic under the palms in Algiers for Chloe Arnold as she charts the decline of the city's Russian community and Tim Ecott paints a portrait of the Faroe Islands out in the north Atlantic, a place where men are hardy, the sheep hardier and where there might just be puffin on the lunch menu!

The Roman Catholic Church is accused of running a dirty campaign as the people of Malta prepare to vote in a referendum on divorce. Jake Wallis Simons has been gauging the mood in and around the capital, Valletta; Anna Cavell, who's in Kampala, Uganda, tells us how the continuing series of protests is heaping pressure on the long-standing president Yoweri Museveni; Bhutan, the Himalayan mountain kingdom, is a place said to be more interested in Gross National Happiness than Gross Domestic Product! Mark Tully's been talking to the prime minister there about whether this is the most profitable way for the country to move forward; the war in Sri Lanka may now finally be at an end but Peter Meanwell, who's been there making a music programme for Radio 3, says its legacy can still be seen throughout the north ... and as Europe prepares for its biggest football match of the year, Pascale Harter tells us why the fans of FC Barcelona believe it's a club with a difference!

The carrots and sticks which the authorities in Saudi Arabia hope will persuade their people that protest is not a sensible option -- Michael Buchanan is gauging opinion in the desert kingdom. Who'll be the next president of Russia - Putin, Medvedev or someone else? It's a question preoccupying correspondents in Russia, among them the BBC's man Steve Rosenberg. As nuclear power plants around the world check their safety procedures after the apparent meltdown in Japan in March, Nick Thorpe visits a power station on the River Danube in Romania. The American president's on his way to Ireland but Kieran Cooke's been finding out that thousands of Irish, prompted by a tottering economy, are preparing to emigrate. And Kevin Connolly visits the casbah in Algers walking, he assures us, in the footsteps of Tarzan of the Apes.

Assisted suicide: as the people of Zurich in Switzerland prepare to vote on the issue, Imogen Foulkes tells a moving story about a couple who believed they had a right to decide on a date for death. Fergal Keane considers the historical significance of the forthcoming visit, by Queen Elizabeth 2, to the Republic of Ireland. Andrew Harding is in the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi where, he says, people are determined to continue their fight against Colonel Gaddafi and to emerge with their country still united. Matthew Teller visits the city of Taif in Saudi Arabia, a place where many Saudi people spend their holidays while James Painter's in Peru asking questions about the freshwater Amazon dolphin including: why is it pink?

Weeks of violent confrontation in Uganda: Will Ross is in Kampala where lawyers are the latest group to protest against the regime of President Museveni. Mishal Husain is in the Pakistani town of Abottabad, where the life of Osama bin Laden, the world's most wanted man, was brought to an end last Sunday. Mishal talks of the new interest in this location which she remembers as a place her family went on holiday. President Obama was at Ground Zero this week and coincidentally, a little earlier, our correspondent Paul Adams was there with his two young sons who had awkward questions to ask about that day when the Twin Towers came crashing down. There's a new predator in the Caribbean -- the Lionfish. Tim Ecott's been to the Cayman Islands to get an idea of the scale of the problem it's brought with it. And Jonathan Fryer waits and waits for the night bus to Bolivia. But at least he has some company in the shape of a large, and affectionate, wild pig!

A very French murder story: Hugh Schofield tells how France has been transfixed by an appalling human drama -- the killing of a mother, three sons and a daughter. Owen Bennett Jones questions whether depicting the news from Syria as 'brutal suppression of peaceful protestors' might be, to some extent, misleading. A climate of fear is stifling discussion about Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws -- that's the contention of the BBC's Jill McGivering who's been touring the country investigating. Richard Wilson makes a return trip to Antarctica and is shocked at how the continent's changing. Gareth Armstrong visits an Indian classroom and hears the students voice outrage at how the British regard the work of the children's author Enid Blyton.

Students aren't revolting in Qatar and Oman -- Robin Lustig's been to the Gulf states to see what effect the uprisings in parts of the Arab world are having there. Justin Marozzi's in Libya as questions are being asked about who will run the country in the future. More journalists lost their lives this week in the fighting in Libya. Stuart Hughes reflects on the dangers a reporter can face covering conflict. Ethiopia is one of the least urbanised countries in the world; it's also a place which is losing its doctors - many of them are leave the country to work elsewhere. Claudia Hammond's been talking to some of the young people there who've now been charged with taking healthcare out into the wideopen spaces of the Ethiopian countryside. And why is it city dwellers in France are happy to live in apartments while their counterparts in the UK opt, where possible, for houses? Hugh Schofield in France wonders what this division tells us about the development of two neighbouring peoples.