大象传媒

Two weeks ago Ethiopia held a parliamentary election billed as the first truly 鈥榝ree and fair鈥� vote in its history 鈥� after nearly 20 years of continuous economic growth. It should have been a success story 鈥� but the election was only held in some parts of the country, as war was still raging in the Tigray region. There have been over eight months of armed conflict there as the central government moved to re-establish control; and there have been many reports of atrocities 鈥� and of hunger. Ethiopia鈥檚 Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has repeatedly claimed government forces were close to victory and described the rebels as 鈥渓ike flour blown away by the wind鈥�. But after a shock reversal as Tigrayan forces retook the regional capital, Mekelle. Catherine Byaruhanga wonders how much longer Mr Ahmed's confidence can hold.

The South China Sea contains some of the world鈥檚 most hotly-disputed waters - with particular strife between the Philippines and China over the rights to some of its reefs and atolls. These are not just useful places to park military assets - but also particularly rich spots to fish. Given the diplomatic tension between Beijing and Manila over the area, Howard Johnson decided to board a fishing vessel and see more for himself.

The Dalmatian pelican is something special in the world of ornithology 鈥� the largest pelican on earth, with a wingspan nearly as wide as an albatross. The global range of the species is also vast 鈥� from the Mediterranean shores of Turkey, all the way across central Eurasia, as far east as China. But there are only about 5,000 breeding pairs left in the world. Around 450 of these are in the delta of the River Danube. Abdujalil Abdurasulov waded out with a pair of Ukrainian conservationists trying to make the birds feel more at home.

New York City 鈥� once the epicentre of the pandemic in the USA - is emerging from the nightmare of last spring. Hospital admissions are at a record low; restaurants and bars are serving again; the theatres on Broadway are due to reopen in September. But the city has lost a million jobs and many businesses 鈥� and it鈥檚 still losing New Yorkers. 187,000 households packed up and left in 2020. Lucy Ash has been considering the city鈥檚 longer-term future 鈥� and seeing how it hopes to lure people back.

Money might still talk 鈥� or even shout 鈥� on Wall Street, but on a global level it鈥檚 not as much of a physical presence as it used to be. Cash was king once, but these days debit cards or smartphone apps are often more welcome. Yet in many countries around the world, the number of banknotes in circulation is still rising. Kevin Peachey was recently given rare access to a site where millions of these notes are printed and - for one brief moment - thought he might be in for a windfall...

Producer: Polly Hope