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Tennis in Baghdad

Lamenting the loss of everyday freedoms in Baghdad, plus stories from the United States, Myanmar, Turkey and Japan. Presented by Kate Adie.

Anyone for tennis? Not anymore in Baghdad, as the 麻豆社's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen laments the loss of everyday freedoms in the Iraqi capital, which have been eroded by over two decades of war.

Also: Over the past decade more than 80 inmates with mental health problems have died because of neglect in US jails and prisons. 麻豆社 Panorama reporter Hilary Andersson hears disturbing stories of what happens when punishment takes precedent over prisoner care.

Myanmar is undergoing an uneasy transition since reforms were introduced in 2011, although President Thein Sein's government is keen to paint a picture of a country which is open for business. Alex Preston travels to Mandalay to see how locals and foreign investors alike are cashing in on the country's natural treasures, and visits the world's biggest jade market.

In 1915, Aramaic-speaking Christians, known today as Syriacs, suffered the worst of many persecutions in their homeland of southeastern Turkey in a series of massacres known as the Sayfo - or Sword. Today, their increasingly active diaspora is returning to their ancestral homelands to rebuild a new community - which is why Diana Darke finds a little bit of Australia in Mardin province.

It's a sad fact that many people these days are seemingly more interested in what's on the screen of their smart phone than the people and places around them. This so-called 'dumb walking' is a relatively new - but growing - phenomenon in Japan. But just how much is it undermining one of the world's most polite societies? Alex Marshall takes to the streets of Tokyo to find out.

Producer: Richard Fenton-Smith.

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Thu 10 Jul 2014 11:00

Chapters

  • Jeremy Bowen: Tennis in Baghdad

    The 麻豆社鈥檚 Middle East editor laments the loss of everyday freedoms in Iraq

    Duration: 05:01

  • Hilary Andersson: Mental Health & US Prisons

    The tragic consequences when punishment takes priority over prisoner care

    Duration: 05:21

  • Alex Preston: Myanmar鈥檚 Jade Trade

    Locals and foreign investors are cashing-in on the country鈥檚 natural treasures

    Duration: 05:48

  • Diana Darke: Syriac Christians Return to Turkey

    Diaspora communites are returning to rebuild in their ancestral homeland

    Duration: 05:17

  • Alex Marshall: Dumb Walking in Japan

    Zombie-like pedestrians using mobile phones cause havoc in Tokyo's busy streets

    Duration: 05:28

Broadcast

  • Thu 10 Jul 2014 11:00