Latest Program Transcripts
Thursday, 29 October 2015
Ukraine - Republic of Nowhere
It’s the war the world forgot. At Europe’s side door nearly 8000 people have been killed and 1.5 million have fled their homes. Correspondent Matt Brown reports from devastated eastern Ukraine.
PNG - Dr Dim Dim
Carpenter Barry Kirby’s life turned upside down when he chanced upon a young woman dying on a bush road in PNG. The Australian tradie became a doctor with a mission: saving women’s lives in the wilds of Papua New Guinea. Foreign Correspondent joins him on his island rounds.
India - Tashi and the Monk
In the foothills of the Himalayas, a brave social experiment is taking place. Eight years ago a former Buddhist monk set up a safe haven for abandoned and troubled children, providing a permanent home where children can receive a good education and learn to live happily and compassionately. But the newest charge, a traumatised little girl called Tashi, is his toughest challenge so far. Will the love and compassion of the community be enough to overcome the suffering in Tashi’s past?
USA - The Trump Show
Hire him or fire him? Donald Trump was supposed to crash and burn but he is streaking ahead of his rivals in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Emma Alberici asks why the bombastic billionaire is defying the pundits.
Spain - Yes, We Can!
Sally Sara meets the grass roots, social media-driven activists who are turning politics on its head in Spain. Now that they’ve got the power, what will they do with it?
Cuba - Neighbours
In Havana, you can feel the change in the air. For the first time in decades, young Cubans aren’t just hoping for a better future. They’re sure it’s coming.
With the US poised to lift its 55 year trade embargo, reporter Eric Campbell tells the remarkable story of how one American farming family befriended Fidel Castro and helped end Cuba’s isolation.
China - Tales of a City
A diving stock market, a wobbling economy and a new security crackdown: where is China heading? Tapping into voices you’ve never heard, Stephen McDonell reports on the changing face of the superpower.
Egypt / Australia - The Homecoming
“Welcome home and welcome to paradise” – Juris Greste to his son Peter With the beaming grin of a newly freed man, Peter Greste strode from his plane into the arms of his family. Hugs, kisses, tears… then a flurry of mock punches from his mum and his nephews. Peter Greste’s own story of his joyful homecoming after 400 days in an Egyptian jail – and the tense build-up to the final verdict on terrorism charges.
Egypt / Australia - My Fight for Freedom
“So our arrest is not a mistake, and as a journalist this IS my battle. I can no longer pretend it’ll go away by keeping quiet and crossing my fingers.” - Peter Greste’s first letter from prison. For the first time, journalist Peter Greste reports his own story: the fabricated terrorism charges, his 400 days in Egyptian jails, and the long hard fight for freedom of speech.
Ireland - The Emerald Aisle
While Australia agonises over whether to let same sex couples marry, conservative Ireland has come out with a resounding "I do". Sally Sara journeys across Ireland to discover why this deeply Catholic country became the first in the world to say yes to gay marriage in a popular vote.
Greece - Odyssey
Every night they land in flimsy rubber boats, trudging ashore drenched and exhausted. It’s a short trip across the sea from Turkey to Kos, in easternmost Greece, but for these people the journey began much further away - in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan.
The Philippines - Saving Mary Jane
With just minutes to spare, mother-of-two Mary Jane Veloso escaped the firing squad that executed Australia’s Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. How was she saved - and will she make it home to her children? Zoe Daniel reports.
USA - When Attenborough Met Obama
In this unique encounter the world’s most powerful man, US President Barack Obama, interviews the world’s most acclaimed naturalist, Sir David Attenborough, about the world’s most critical environmental issues: climate change, energy and population growth.
N.B. This program will be repeated once on ABC-TV at 11.25am, Wednesday July 1. Unfortunately, due to copyright restrictions the program is not available for viewing on this website, but viewers in Australia can see it on iview until July14.India - About a Boy
How do you find one small child in a country of more than a billion people? Armed with just a birth date - not even a name - reporter Samantha Hawley goes on a quest for a twin boy who was born through a surrogacy deal in New Delhi. His Australian parents chose to take his twin sister back home - leaving him behind.
South Korea - Education Gangnam Style
Education has powered South Korea's stunning economic success. A country once shackled by mass illiteracy now tops academic league tables. But as North Asia Correspondent Matthew Carney reports, its stressed out students also rank as the unhappiest in the developed world.
Syria - The Cost of Living
In a two month spree last year ISIS terrorists brutally executed five westerners after holding them captive for months and some for years. Three were American, two were British. In this report, one of the hostages French photo-journalist Nicolas Hénin tells how he survived 10 months as a hostage of the terrorists while five of his fellow captives were taken away and beheaded. Reporter Jonathan Holmes examines the agonising dilemma: whether governments should have paid ransoms to save their lives.
Qatar - Slaves to the Beautiful Game
Qatar’s triumphant bid for the 2022 World Cup is under fire not just because of the FIFA corruption scandal. As Eric Campbell reports, the wealthy emirate stands accused of being a slave state through its harsh treatment of workers building its multi-billion dollar World Cup facilities.
India - Let There Be Light
An entrepreneurial culture is flourishing in the grim slums of India. Lives are being changed by an Australian enterprise that provides jobs as well as clean energy to some of the poorest people on the planet. In the slums of Bangalore, South Asia correspondent Stephanie March finds that from little things, big things can grow.
Recent Programs
22/09/2015 | Ukraine - Republic of Nowhere | Matt Brown |
15/09/2015 | Papua New Guinea - Dr Dim Dim | Liam Cochrane |
08/09/2015 | India - Tashi and the Monk | Pilgrim Films |
01/09/2015 | United States - The Trump Show | Emma Alberici |
25/08/2015 | Spain - Yes, We Can! | Sally Sara |
18/08/2015 | Cuba - Neighbours | Eric Campbell |
11/08/2015 | China - Tales of a City | Stephen McDonell |
04/08/2015 | Australia - The Homecoming | Peter Greste |
28/07/2015 | Egypt - My Fight for Freedom | Peter Greste |
28/07/2015 | Egypt - My Fight for Freedom | Peter Greste |
Catch our 20th Anniversary program along with segments from some of the stories we've covered since 1992 and recollections from George Negus, Jennifer Byrne and Tony Jones.
Producer's Notes
23/09/2015Foreign Correspondent Gears Up For New Season
Foreign Correspondent will be off air for the next few weeks, and will return with a series of 1 hour specials.We'll keep you up to date as the the new season takes further shape and gets closer to transmission. So stay in touch with us here, on Twitter or on Facebook.
Dr Dim Dim
To find out more about Dr Barry Kirby or how you can help support the women of PNG, visit The Hands of Rescue or Send Hope. For information on the general health situation in PNG - World Health Organization report.