麻豆社

Pascale Harter introduces personal insights, reflections and analysis from 麻豆社 correspondents and writers around the world.

James Waterhouse reports from Kyiv on the strategic picture for Ukraine, as foreign backing appears to waver. The Ukrainian military is using up ammunition faster than its Western allies can resupply, giving Vladimir Putin increased confidence that his 'special military operation' will continue to victory. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insists Ukraine will fight on, and that Ukraine's battle is a battle for democracy around the world. But as US funding for the war is held up in Congress, what lies ahead?

Tajikistan was once the poorest republic in the USSR - and after it declared independence and a civil war erupted, poverty and hunger hit even harder, particularly in the Gorno-Badakhshan region in the east. High up in the mountains, Chris Aslan was invited to attend a festival where the Pamiri Ismaili community remember the most desperate days of the war, and pay tribute to the man they credit with saving them from starvation.

And: as the Brazilian saying goes 'Brazil is not for beginners'. But there are great joys to be found when living there and learning its ways. After a decade living in and reporting on South America, Katy Watson reflects on what the continent has taught her, and the great changes she has seen sweeping through its societies. Next stop: Australia.

Producer: Polly Hope
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Co-Ordinator: Gemma Ashman

Picture: Ukraine Army soldiers clear unexploded munitions from areas reclaimed from Russian forces, November 2023. (Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu via Getty Images)