In war and conflict, women are often sidelined or forgotten and all too often become the victims of violence. History relegates their actions to the back pages. But they have much to tell about life under fire. They are fighters, victims and ...

The leaves of the khat plant, native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, are a popular stimulant in countries like Yemen, Somalia and Ethiopia and have been consumed for thousands of years, much like the coca leaf in South America. When ...

In the depths of winter I set out on a long and difficult journey to the coldest populated place in the northern hemisphere. The Pole of Cold is in the Republic of Sakha, also known as Yakutia, in the remote north east of Russia. Two villages, ...

In rural regions of Georgia, a lack of social and economic integration has hindered immigrant communities since the end of the Soviet Union. Those particularly affected are groups of people who were forcibly relocated within the Union and have maintained...

More than 620 million Africans, or 2/3 of the population of the continent, have no access to electricity. Whilst 99 % of North Africa are electrified, only 32 % of the sub-Saharan countries are. In the 48 sub-Saharan countries the total power capacity is...

The Tibetan Plateau spans an area five times the size of Spain and has an average elevation of 4500 metres. After the Antarctic and Arctic, the plateau has the third highest reserve of ice which has led scientists to call it the 'Third Pole', thus ...

On a small patch of grass across the road from London's Houses of Parliament, a bizarre piece of political theatre is played out which encapsulates the complex relationship between politics and journalism. Sound bites are aired, loyalties reaffirmed, ...

No roads, over 200,000 square kilometres of taiga, swamps and permafrost and a mere 16,000 inhabitants living in around 28 villages (or 0.08 per square kilometre). Turukhansk District in the heart of Russia, close to the country's geographic centre and ...

"The Pacific may have the most changeless, ageless aspect of any ocean but the Mediterranean Sea celebrates the continuity of man." (Ernle Bradford, author of 'Mediterranean: Portrait of a Sea') The Mediterranean region has many faces. Rich...

The river Congo is navigable for 1,700 kms from Kinshasa to Kisangani. It is the lifeline of a region with few roads or railways and provides a vital source of livelihood for many of the 29 million people living on the banks of the river and its ...

Nick Hannes travelled the length and breadth of the former Soviet Union - all fifteen former republics - to document the reality of post-communist societies in the fragments of the once all-powerful empire. Along the way he uncovered the different ...

Global warming poses a direct threat to the island nation of Tuvalu. If the most pessimistic scientific predictions turn out to be correct, this pocket-sized Polynesian country, its people and its unique culture will be gone in less than a century, made ...

Less than a century ago, Iran had 10 million inhabitants, 5 million of whom were nomadic. Today, the population has risen to over 81 million but only a much smaller number - 1.5 million - still live a nomadic life. The two main tribes are the Bakhtiaris ...

In ancient times the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, modern day Yemen, was known as Arabia Felix, or fortunate, fertile Arabia. The difference to the current situation could not be more stark as starvation stalks the shattered country and a four...

"Dubai has developed into a vast theme park, where you can ski in the desert and swim with dolphins. Forever in search of illusions, we lose sight of reality. What does that do to your imagination? How many more malls, theme parks and hotels does a ...

I've lived away from the UK since the Thatcher Years. Brexit came as shock. I had perhaps the excuse of distance, but it made me question my British identity after so many years away. Home suddenly got much further away, and yet uncomfortably close, ...