Â鶹ÊÓƵAV

Pascale Harter introduces stories from Â鶹ÊÓƵAV correspondents and reporters in Thailand, France, India and South Africa.

Recent polls have predicted that progressive parties look likely to make gains in Thailand’s election on 14 May, and are on target to win a majority of the seats. But can they really seize power from the country's conservative old guard? Jonathan Head has been on the campaign trail with one of the young candidates hoping for change.

President Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age in France has stirred passionate protests across the country, some of which have turned violent. Many of the demonstrators are nowhere near retirement age, but the protests on pensions have rallied campaigners on a wide range of issues. Sofia Bettiza meets some young climate activists taking to the streets.

Educating girls is one of the most proven ways for a country to improve its social and economic position, but in many places around the world, getting an equal chance to learn is still a long way off. Rani Singh visited a school in Uttar Pradesh, in northern India, that’s teaching girls from rural backgrounds a lot more than just academic subjects. It also aims to inculcate ambition, self-reliance and confidence.

And Gareth Rhys Owen meets South African sporting legend Makaya Jack - a black South African rugby commentator who never got to fulfil his potential as a player, due to the exclusion of black players during the apartheid era. The pair recently talked political and sporting history in Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth) and got to test each others’ talents in their native languages - Welsh and Xhosa.

Producer: Polly Hope
Production co-ordinator: Sabine Schereck
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith