Stories to remember from 2008

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In a special programme, From Our Own Correspondent looks back at some of the most memorable reports from BBC correspondents in 2008.

<a class="bodl" href="#1">Obama touches a chord</a><a class="bodl" href="#2">Medicine on the mind</a><a class="bodl" href="#3">Credit bubble behaviour</a><a class="bodl" href="#4">Escaping Gaza to shop</a><a class="bodl" href="#5">On the run in Rangoon</a><a class="bodl" href="#6">Piano revolution in China</a> <a class="bodl" href="#7">Fleeing North Korea</a><a class="bodl" href="#8">Rough justice in Afghan prisons</a><a class="bodl" href="#9">Hidden jewel of Afghan culture</a><a class="bodl" href="#10">Beer as a badge of affluence</a><a class="bodl" href="#11">Island of love</a> <a name="1"></a>

JUSTIN WEBB - OBAMA TOUCHES A CHORD

In January, the US presidential election process will finally end with the inauguration of President Obama. Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton to the Democratic nomination and triumphed in the presidential election.

During most of the year, the BBC's US staff criss-crossed the country as the candidates drummed up support for their campaigns.

Justin Webb was among those who realised early on that Mr Obama touched a chord with people, building a rapport with journalists on the campaign trail through a mixture of camaraderie and wit.

With stories of laughter, plentiful drinks and oranges rolling down plane aisles to wild applause, the Obama team were having fun from the start.

The report was first broadcast on Saturday, 1 March, 2008.

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KEVIN CONNOLLY - MEDICINE ON THE MIND

Kevin Connolly was another voice heard frequently during the US presidential campaign.

He had just been appointed as Washington correspondent and so, for him, much about the US was still new.

During long flights and interminable delays at airports, he found his thoughts were swamped by anxieties about his present or future illnesses, fuelled by frequent exposure to medical advertising.

The report was first broadcast on Saturday, 14 June, 2008.

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<a name="3"></a> PETER DAY - CREDIT BUBBLE BEHAVIOUR

A new expression which chilled the hearts of those who work in finance and many others too was "credit crunch".

The crisis it has brought seems likely to play out for some considerable time to come.

Peter Day provided a historical perspective, describing examples of "bubble behaviour" outlined in a book called Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.

The book, published 167 years ago, points to medieval witch burning and the 17th Century Dutch tulip mania as examples of illogical mass behaviour.

Historically, he argues, financial markets have been particularly susceptible to these bursts of madness.

The report was first broadcast on Saturday, 30 August, 2008.

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PAUL MARTIN - ESCAPING GAZA TO SHOP

The Palestinian territory of Gaza is one of the few places largely untouched by the global economic crisis.

A long-running Israeli blockade prevented many goods from entering Gaza, and as a consequence, there was little in the shops to buy.

But then militants used explosives to blow several holes in the border wall with Egypt, enabling shoppers to sneak through the hole in the wall, and sample the commercial delights of the border town of Rafah.

Paul Martin joined some of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who crossed into Egypt to do a little shopping.

(Egyptian troops sealed the border after 12 days.)

The report was first broadcast on Saturday, 2 February, 2008.

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ANDREW HARDING - ON THE RUN IN RANGOON

The year 2008 is one that many in Burma would rather forget.

A devastating cyclone killed thousands and destroyed homes, crops and livelihoods.

And there was a brutal crackdown on those who had taken part in protests the year before against the military regime.

Andrew Harding reported on one woman in Rangoon, who was trying to evade capture.

Nilar took her new born baby into hiding with her and had a couple of close escapes, including one hiding in an attic trying to keep the baby quiet while police downstairs searched for them.

She has since been arrested and sentenced to a lengthy jail term.

The report was first broadcast on Saturday, 9 February, 2008.

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PETROC TRELAWNEY - PIANO REVOLUTION IN CHINA

China was never far from the headlines.

Its exploding economy, a major earthquake, the tortuous odyssey of the Olympic torch, and finally the Olympic Games themselves provided an endless stream of stories.

But behind the headlines, Petroc Trelawney found another story which illustrated the huge changes in society over the last 50 years.

The piano, once officially reviled in China, has been rehabilitated.

During the Cultural Revolution, four decades ago, the piano was seen as the most dangerous of all Western instruments.

Now children across China are being taught how to play and parents are embracing the discipline of study.

The report was first broadcast on Thursday, 5 June, 2008.

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OLENKA FRENKIEL - FLEEING NORTH KOREA

A North Korean woman and her 'guide' cross a partially frozen river

North Korea continued to tantalise the world media.

It remained one of the hardest places to visit - with most correspondents only allowed in if heavily chaperoned.

For the locals, getting <i>out</i> of the country was the problem.

Olenka Frenkiel was shown some remarkable footage of the growing traffic in North Koreans trying to escape to China, filmed by a journalist on the border.

The report was first broadcast on Thursday, 29 May, 2008.

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JILL MCGIVERING - ROUGH JUSTICE IN AFGHAN PRISONS

Much of the reporting from Afghanistan has concentrated on the fight between the coalition forces and the Taleban, and the attempts to rebuild the country.

But Jill McGivering found out about the rough justice handed out to some of the country's women prisoners.

She met a 13-year-old girl sentenced to seven years for extramarital sex.

The child explained she had been about to marry a neighbour's son, when she was abducted, although she insists they never had sex.

She had been left in prison along with other girls who had no families to fight for them or money to bribe the judge.

The report was first broadcast on Saturday, 15 November, 2008.

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DAN CRUICKSHANK - HIDDEN JEWEL OF AFGHAN CULTURE

The world's image of Afghanistan today is that of a broken land, lost in war and poverty.

But its history is extraordinarily rich.

Part of lawless Afghanistan's modern tragedy is that its archaeological heritage is being steadily looted and destroyed.

Dan Cruickshank went to see a structure which has been described as one of the architectural wonders of the world.

The minaret of Jam stands 65m (213ft) high, in a secret valley between a cleft in the mountains east of Harat.

The report was first broadcast on Saturday, 3 May, 2008.

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BEN RAWLENCE - BEER AND NORMALITY IN DR CONGO

The Democratic Republic of Congo continues to be a violent and unstable place where many are desperately poor.

In the east of the country it is a common joke that even when there is no food to eat, you can still find a beer.

And there, in Manono, Ben Rawlence came across two priests who could not take their eyes off the beer.

There are no bars any more. Instead, enterprising citizens serve beer in their homes.

The report was first broadcast on Saturday, 27 September, 2008.

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HUW CORDEY - ISLAND OF LOVE

From Our Own Correspondent has enabled us to travel to far away and exotic corners of the world - without even leaving our chairs.

Huw Cordey set off by boat across the South Seas on a five-day journey to the island of Anuta, east of the Solomon Islands.

It is home to possibly the most remote group of people on the planet.

But their isolation has forged a community spirit, where love and compassion colour everything they do.

Food and household tasks are shared... as are children.

The report was first broadcast on Saturday, 26 July, 2008.

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From Our Own Correspondent was broadcast on Saturday, 27 December, 2008 at 1130 GMT on BBC Radio 4. Please check the programme schedules for World Service transmission times.