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From Our Own Correspondent: Spain: A nation divided

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People opposed to Catalan independence wave Spanish flags at a demonstration

26/06/2021 GMT

Spain: A nation divided

BBC World Service - From Our Own Correspondent, Spain: A nation divided

Spain’s Prime Minister provokes anger, by freeing leaders of Catalonia’s independence bid

Bitter political divisions in Spain; the Mexican drug baron, his wife and mistress; death of a country priest in Romania; and how producers keep a correspondent on the road.

Stories from Spain, the US, Romania and from around Africa.

It was always going to be a gamble – when Spain’s Prime Minister decided to pardon nine leaders of the Catalan independence movement this week, he hoped it would lower the temperature in what has become a bitter political conflict. But opponents of independence have cried betrayal, accusing Pedro Sanchez of selling out the country for reasons of political opportunism. Guy Hedgecoe tells us where this has left a population already divided on an issue which affects the very fabric of their country.

The gangster’s moll is a classic image from movies: an attractive female companion for the main character, keeping him happy while he runs his nefarious enterprises. Yet a very different picture has been emerging in US court-rooms. The man known simply as “El Chapo” was prosecuted for running a vast international drugs enterprise from his headquarters in Mexico. And what has come out about his wife, and indeed, his mistress, showed women who were very much strong characters in their own right, as Tara McKelvey tells us.

With millions now dead as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, it can be hard to remember the individual stories behind statistics, that any dead person might be a parent, a son or daughter, or indeed, a friend. The writer, Stephen McGrath lives in rural Romania, and describes what happened when one of his neighbours died from Covid, a man who also served as the village priest.

Regular radio listeners will be familiar with hearing the name of a producer read out at the end of a programme. But what exactly does a producer do? When it comes to news programmes, it’s usually the presenter or reporter who gets all the attention, the voice or face with which you become familiar. Andrew Harding is one of the more seasoned BBC correspondents, a journalist who has covered wars and other dramas around the globe. He pays tribute to the producers, unsung heroes of broadcasting.

(Image: People opposed to Catalan independence wave Spanish flags at a demonstration. Credit: Alvaro Laguna/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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