麻豆社

Pascale Harter introduces stories from Syria, Ukraine, Ghana and Saudi Arabia

The speed at which the Syrian rebel movement Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took over the country's major cities took many people by surprise - and the fall of the Assad regime which followed was equally abrupt. After years living in exile in Lebanon, the 麻豆社's Lina Sinjab has finally been able to re-enter her country without fear of arrest - and was astonished by what she saw on the road from the border to her home city of Damascus.

As Ukraine enters its third winter of war with Russia, and the rest of the world tries to anticipate how the incoming Trump administration in the US will deal with the conflict, Ukrainians' mood is darkening. Paul Adams spoke to wounded soldiers, fleeing civilians and diplomatic strategists about where their nation can go from here.

Ghana's general election punished the incumbent government - but returned John Mahama, who's served as President before, to power. From electricity cuts to rising prices, and the damage done by illegal gold mining, voters here have been beset by money worries. Travelling from Accra to Kumasi during the election campaign, James Copnall saw and heard about many causes for concern.

Saudi Arabia banned cinemas for more than thirty years - now it's hosting a regional film festival in Jeddah and inviting in Hollywood stars and producers to add glitz to the red carpet. It's all part of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman's push to pursue Saudi soft power through culture and sport - whatever the Kingdom's outside critics might say about its record on human rights or free speech. Emily Wither reports on the pace of change in Saudi society.

Producer: Polly Hope
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison

Image: Citizens in Syria take down statues of Hafez al-Assad the father of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Syria. (Photo by Murat Sengul/Anadolu via Getty Images)