Episode description

Kate Adie presents stories from Georgia, the US, Benin and Egypt.

In Georgia, tens of thousands of people took to the streets this week amid claims of election violations, highlighting the rift between voters hoping for closer ties to Europe and those wishing to retain relations with Russia. Rayhan Demytrie reports from the capital Tbilisi.

Immigration is one of the leading issues for voters in the US Presidential election. James Menendez travelled to both Mexico and the Southern US to meet people affected, in different ways, by the border crisis.

More than 12 months on since the October 7th attacks by Hamas, and the onset of Israel’s retaliation, foreign journalists have still been unable to report directly from Gaza. As a result, news organisations have often turned to Gazan citizens to relay what they see on a daily basis. Lara Elgabaly reports on some of the virtual relationships she has built in reporting on Gaza - and what it was like when she finally met a family that had been sharing their story with her.

Voodoo is an often misunderstood and maligned religion, says its followers, but the government in Benin wants to correct that - and even use the country's traditional belief system and culture to appeal to tourists, as Sam Bradpiece discovered.

And finally, returning to the US election. With the polls neck and neck, America is likely to remain a deeply divided nation no matter who wins the White House next week – but where does the 2024 race sit in the long arc of America’s political history? Nick Bryant has reported from the campaign trail since the 90s and reflects on what next week’s vote could mean for the country.

Producers: Emma Close and Polly Hope. Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith. Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison.