Crossing Continents BBC Radio 4

It's a quarter of a century since Kosovo emerged from a brutal war, one which pitted local ethnic Albanians against Serbs. Twenty-five years on, the government in Pristina is pressing ahead with reforms that could reinforce its separation from Serbia. They include banning the use of Serb dinars and curbing the import of things like Serb medicines. Pristina says the moves are needed to curb illegality and tax-evasion. But they’ve brought widespread complaints from local Serbs who feel victimised. Is the government justified in claiming there’s a rising risk of violence, or are the restrictions themselves making this more likely?
Producer and presenter: Ed Butler
Studio mix: Rod Farquhar
Editor: Penny Murphy
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

For three decades Armenians ruled Karabakh – literally “Black Garden” – an unrecognised statelet inside neighbouring Azerbaijan. Many saw it as the cradle of their civilisation. But as Azerbaijan retook control last autumn, the entire population fled in just a few days. It was a historic catastrophe for Armenia. But the world barely noticed. How is Armenia coping with its loss? Can 100,000 refugees rebuild their lives? And will the cycle of hatred that caused the conflict ever be broken? Grigor Atanesian reports.
Produced by Tim Whewell
Studio mix: James Beard
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Series Editor: Penny Murphy

Reggaeton’s the soundtrack to Puerto Rico. The globally popular music reflects what’s going on in the cultural and political scene of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean Island.
It started out as underground music in marginalised communities but was criticised for allegedly promoting violence and being too sexually explicit.
Reggaeton has since been used as an anthem to overthrow a local governor and a way to criticise the island’s complex relationship with the United States.
It’s also evolved from misogynist roots to reach new audiences in the LGBTQ community.
Jane Chambers travels to Puerto Rico to meet the people and hear the music which is both maligned and revered.
Presenter and Producer: Jane Chambers
Field Producers: Hermes Ayala and Yondy Agosto
Sound Mix: Neil Churchill
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy

Thousands of people every day are on the move across Mexico towards the border with the US. But for migrants, this is one of the most perilous journeys in the world: land routes are dominated by powerful drug cartels and organised crime groups.
In this episode of Crossing Continents, Linda Pressly hears terrifying stories of kidnap and extortion from those who have risked everything to enter the United States.
The US/Mexico border has become the most important battleground for Americans in this year’s presidential election, but it seems no one can stop the men with guns who operate with impunity south of the border in Mexico.
Producer/presenter: Linda Pressly
Producer: Tim Mansel
Producer in Mexico: Ulises Escamilla
Sound: Neil Churchill
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy

Belarus has huge numbers of political prisoners - around three times as many as in Russia, in a far smaller country.
Almost industrial scale arrests began after huge, peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations swept the country in 2020 after Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in presidential elections. Mr Lukashenko has been in power for 30 years. Protestors said the result was a fraud, and that they’d been cheated of their vote.
Almost four years on, the authorities are still making mass arrests.
Many of those detained are women. The most prominent woman prisoner, Maria Kolesnikova, a professional flute player, has been incommunicado for over a year, with no word at all reaching her family or lawyers.
Political prisoners are made to wear a yellow patch on their clothes. The women say they kept short of food and made to sew uniforms for the security forces, to clean the prison yard with rags and shovel snow. They speak of undergoing humiliating punishments such as standing in parade grounds under the sun for hours.
Yet they also tell us of camaraderie and warmth in their tiny cells as they try to keep one other going. And women on the outside continue to take personal risks to help the prisoners by sending in food, warm clothes and letters.
Presented by Monica Whitlock
Producers Monica Whitlock and Albina Kovalyova
Sound mix Neil Churchill
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Penny Murphy

While recent attention has focused on the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen, BBC correspondent Nawal Al-Maghafi investigates a different, hidden aspect of the country’s long civil war.
The conflict in Yemen began in 2014. It has led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. In 2015, a coalition formed by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen. Its stated aim was to return the elected government to power, and to fight terrorism.
However, Nawal Al-Maghafi , from BBC Arabic Investigations has found evidence that the UAE has been funding a method of covert warfare in southern Yemen – assassinating those who have spoken out against the UAE’s operations in the country. Assassinations were initially carried out by a band of former American Special Forces operatives turned mercenaries, who were paid by the UAE. These extra-judicial killings, conducted in the name of counterterrorism, continue to this day. The UAE denies the allegations.
Reporter: Nawal Al-Maghafi
Producer: Alex Last
Sound mix: Rod Farquhar
Series Editor: Penny Murphy
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Executive Producer for BBC News Arabic: Monica Gansey