From Our Own Correspondent

Colossal forces of nature have devastated Japan and the country faces the possibility of a nuclear disaster; but in the teeth of catastrophe Rachel Harvey discovers an extraordinary resilience on the part of the Japanese people. Egypt is undergoing massive political upheaval; and while the country is struggling to shape its future, Christine Finn hears that looters are increasingly plundering its past. Southern Sudan is just a few months away from independence; Hugh Sykes gets a feel for life in what will be Africa's newest capital city. On the anniversary of Italy's unification, David Willey meets the Italians who would rather dismantle the state than celebrate its foundation. And, enjoying a rare glimpse of Russia's pioneering spacecraft, Richard Hollingham wonders whether Russia might prove to be the real winner of the space race.

Earthquake in Japan: Hugh Levinson on how fear of catastrophe has helped shape the country's psyche; menace and bloodshed in Ivory Coast's largest city - Andrew Harding on the violence triggered by a dispute over the presidency. What impact has the foreign media had on the course of the uprisings in north Africa and the Middle East? It's a question confronted here by the BBC's World Affairs Editor John Simpson. In north-east India, Rupa Jha meets some of the women who've lost their husbands in a series of under-reported insurgencies and Martin Patience spends a morning being amazed at Mr Wu's robot factory in China.

Michael Buchanan goes behind the front lines in the rebel city of Benghazi in Libya and finds many are still giddy with delight at their new found freedom. John James has been watching the West African State of Ivory Coast descend into chaos over the bitterly disputed election. In Cuba, Polly Hope finds people are plunging into the once forbidden world of commerce with huge enthusiasm. Daniel Sandford gets to the heart of the matter in Ukraine, listening to the tales of a former government driver battling against corruption. And Jonny Hogg spends time with a group of musicians who are attempting to play their way out of poverty in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Dreams of a new Libya in the revolutionary city of Benghazi but, as Kevin Connolly's been discovering, there's fear too. Could Saudi Arabia be touched by this season of revolt in the Middle East? It's a question answered by a correspondent who knows the kingdom better than most, Frank Gardner. In a court in Belarus, David Stern looks on as KGB evidence condemns a pro-democracy activist. Judy Swallow chronicles the life of a hand-rickshaw puller in the Indian city of Kolkata and on a hunting trip in the Amazon, Justin Rowlatt finds himself wearing not much more than a string of feathers....and a smile.

A restaurant date with Colonel Gaddafi: Jeremy Bowen talks revolution and politics with the Libyan leader. Chris Hogg in Shanghai -- is an Arab-style political spring likely to blossom in China? Steve Evans is in Berlin explaining the fall from grace of the government minister they're calling Dr Cut and Paste. Ethiopia's Christians celebrate their ancient sacred heritage, as Michael Kaye looks on. And flip flops - but not as we know them: Jane Beresford on another correspondent's dilemma.

Our correspondent - who can't be named - describes life in Tripoli with its empty streets, boarded up shops and burnt out buildings. Barbara Plett describes the strange goings on at the United Nations with Libya's diplomats divided over support for Colonel Gaddaffi's regime. Mark Mardell witnesses the conflicting emotions in Washington over the upheaval in the Middle East and asks why it seems that the United States so often backs the bad guys? Jonty Bloom explores the linguistic divide behind the political impass in Belgium. And Mark Lowen reports on the end of the BBC's Serbian Service after more than seventy years of broadcasting.

The Black Sea resort of Sochi is preparing to host the next Winter Olympics. But following an attack on tourists at a Russian ski resort, Stephen Rosenberg hears concerns that Sochi could become a target for terrorism. As the people of Dresden commemorate the anniversary of the city's bombing during World War Two, Stephen Evans meets the neo-Nazi's demonstrating there. Petroc Trelawney is treated to a day out in the Zimbabwean countryside and a history lesson from the daughter of the country's former Prime Minister. Jonathan Fryer meets the Mennonites of Paraguay, members of a Christian religious sect that set up home in the vast "green desert" of the Paraguayan Chaco. And Paul Miles takes part in the World Kick-sledge Championships where the sledges are propelled by people.

The unrest sweeping north Africa and the Middle East reaches Bahrain and Bill Law explains some of the tension in this island kingdom. Paul Adams travels through Egypt to see if calm is returning after the recent disturbances. As a momentous election approaches in Ireland, Fergal Keane says there's a sense of betrayal among the electorate. Robin Lustig travels through Italy in the week its prime minister is told he's facing serious criminal charges and Martin Plaut is in Sudan as the country prepares to split in two. There's a large unresolved question: what will happen to the cattle?

The wind of change sweeps across parts of the Middle East and North Africa -- an assessment from Jeremy Bowen. Basque separatist group ETA announced last year they would no longer use violence to campaign for the region's independence; Sarah Rainsford watches a new political party launch in Spain. Will Ross follows the first elections in Uganda since the end of war in the north of the country. Indonesia hopes to ride the wave of economic growth in the developing world and become the next big emerging market; Peter Day meets the Indonesians hoping for economic change; that their country might become the next Asian Tiger. And Trish Flanagan takes a trip along Ireland's rural roads to see the sport that stops the traffic.

Weeks of drama in Egypt reach a climax with the resignation of President Mubarak. Hugh Sykes tells of the joy in Cairo's Tahrir Square; Rupert Wingfield Hayes examines what will happen to the army of police, thugs and torturers who enforced Mubarak's police state; Jonathan Marcus explains how western diplomats were left floundering by this very Egyptian revolution; Sarah Monaghan's in Oman, a distant outpost of the Arab world waiting to see if the winds of change will blow through there as well and Justin Webb muses on the effect the changing shape of the Middle East might be having on American foreign policy.

The generals in Cairo watch and wait as the demonstrations continue: Jon Leyne considers their possible role in the days and weeks ahead. Bethany Bell attends a spectacular Viennese ball and finds that the possible succession in Egypt is the talk of the town. Across Europe there is growing anxiety about the cultural impact of immigration, fuelling the growth of populist political parties who say Europe's Christian heritage is under threat. Chris Bowlby reflects on the religious symbolism of the immigration debate. A group of prominent Indians recently praised the country's media for exposing corruption. Mark Tully considers whether India's media is itself a part of the problem. And the Russian woman whose baby workout shocked the blogosphere has some advice for her critics.

With Egypt in turmoil Kevin Connolly discovers what Hosni Mubarak's sense of timing says about his character. Malcolm Brabant has been finding out how the dreams of migrants die on the streets of Athens. Why a Chinese chicken farmer is ruffling feathers in a Zambian market -- Justin Rowlatt's been investigating. In the southwest of France Chris Bockman's unearthed skullduggery among truffle hunters and their dogs. And Hamilton Wende's been to meet the bare-knuckle brawlers who fight for honour and glory in rural South Africa.

President Mubarak of Egypt is desperate to leave office with a degree of dignity, but Lyse Doucet meets people in Cairo who think the time for change is now. US-led forces in Afghanistan feel they are making progress; Robert Fox considers whether this might be the beginning of the end for the Taliban or just another lull in the fighting. Few countries are as homophobic as Uganda; homosexual acts can be punished with years in prison. But following the death of gay rights activist David Kato, Anna Cavell finds Kampala's gay community in defiant mood. Pripyat in the Ukraine is a ghost town, abandoned within hours of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power-plant in 1986; Richard Hollingham explores the ruins of a model Soviet settlement frozen in time. Tea is a popular brew in both Britain and India but it's really not the same drink at all. Indian chai is something of a surprise to taste buds accustomed to the less spicy English preparation, but Judy Swallow soon fell in love with it.

Spectacular political developments across the Arab world as viewed from the Corniche in Beirut by Kevin Connolly; Quentin Somerville in Kabul views shocking evidence of what the Taleban call justice; Madeleine Morris is in the Indian state of Andrha Pradesh finding out why microcredit, once hailed as the answer to world poverty, has been getting a bad name; James Coomarasamy explores a town in Belarus where the spirit of Lenin still marches on and David Goldblatt is in Dakar getting a crash course in how to get streetwise in Senegal. And a correspondent goes in the footsteps of a master as he learns how to survive on the streets of Dakar....

The rampant corruption that blights India's dreams of a brighter future is chronicled by Chris Morris. Justin Marozzi is on the frontline of one of the most dangerous cities on earth. Sarah Monaghan is in once-thriving Dubai, the emirate learning to live with much harder economic times. David Willis has been hearing about the debt Las Vegas owes to the mafia.

Is China's economic muscle crushing the heart out of blue-collar America? Justin Rowlatt's been to Ohio to find out. But while America's industrial heartland's feeling the pinch, Mike Wendling finds that, in the social networking industry, Americans lead the field; Mary Harper tells us about the city in the Horn of Africa which has risen from the ruins of war; the story of an extraordinary Englishman who's immersed himself in Afghan tribal life is told by Nadene Ghouri; while Christian Parkinson makes a very important purchase in South Africa -- with a herd of cows!

As the political crisis in Lebanon deepens, Jeremy Bowen explores the country's tangled politics and finds out why intrigue surrounding the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri five years ago is driving events today. Adam Mynott was in Tunisia as President Ben Ali surrendered power. He assesses the mood on the streets and reflects on the difficulty of reporting a revolution. In Vietnam, Alastair Leithead finds a booming economy and an appetite for western goods challenging the country's communist traditions. Christian Fraser visits the school outside Paris that has opened in the former barracks of the Hussars; with fencing and horse-riding on the curriculum, can a traditional education offer something new to France's frustrated teens? And in Moscow, Steve Rosenberg hears a history of modern Russia from a cleaning lady who has lived through it all.

Violence on the streets of north Africa -- Chloe Arnold in Algeria says it's not only been a problem for the authorities in Tunisia. Southern Sudan's farmers have been talking to Will Ross about their dreams of peace in a new nation; the Communists of Laos begin a journey down the path to capitalism - Claudia Hammond had time to give an elephant a wash and brush up as she learned more; why some Americans are captivated by the British royal family -- Laura Trevelyan travelled to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in search of an answer; and Clive Lawton was soaking up the atmosphere on a holy day in an ancient centre of Jewish mysticism.

The assassin who was garlanded: Orla Guerin on murder on the streets of Islamabad and the extent of extremism in Pakistan. Mark Doyle returns to his old stamping ground in Ivory Coast and visits the hotel that once gave pony rides to his son and now is a sanctuary and a presidential office at the same. Jonathan Fryer is in Azerbaijan looking at the city of Baku: crossroads between east and west; Justin Rowlatt is investigating Chinese economic activity in Brazil while Tim Ecott’s at the remote Indian Ocean island that brings together some scientists, a hundred thousand turtles and the occasional stranded Somali pirate.

Nineteen correspondents from around the world join Kate Adie in this special New Year edition of the programme. They consider such matters as the 'park and pray' facilities on German's motorways, a reporter's dilemma on encountering a baby close to death in Pakistan; a cinema in Kabul where people gather to try to forget their troubles, a club in Baghdad where time seems to stand still, a school in Kenya where the alphabet is spelled out in goat droppings, several harrowing episodes at our correspondents' dining tables, an eventful rail journey in Zimbabwe and another on an Indian train with a strange choice of name, buying a drink in an iconic Irish pub and whether French can ever be the language of rock.