In its third series, Crossing Continents extended its reach and covered stories from across the world - including Japan's difficult adjustment to economic recession, the struggle of an idyllic island off Puerto Rico to eject US troops, and the enduring problem of child labour in Sicily.

Lebanon (17 December 1998)

Meriel Beattie reports on the continuing misery of the "security zone" in southern Lebanon, and the cultural renaissance going on in Beirut.




• Full audio and programme details

• Feature: South Lebanon's enduring war

Sicily (10 December 1998)

Meriel Beattie reports from Palermo on a scandal of child labour: inside the EU, children as young as twelve are working full-time. Plus, a sideways look at the Mafia on film.




• Full audio and programme details

• Top feature: Heavy loads on narrow shoulders

Julian Pettifer visits Africa's youngest nation, finds out how the country's women are fighting for their rights on the home front, and explores its little-known Italian heritage.




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• Top feature: No easy walk to freedom

Siberia (26 November 1998)

James Proctor reports from Siberia on the remorseless decay of the 'science towns' - once jewels in the crown of Soviet achievement, now museums of economic decline.




• Full audio and programme details
• Top feature: Angst in Akademgorodok

Macedonia and Albania (19 November 1998)

Joanna Robertson reports from one of the most highly-strung regions of the Balkans: the former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, and its porous border with Albania.




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• Top feature: The delicate balance of power

Puerto Rico (12 November 1998)

Meriel Beattie reports on Puerto Rico's ambivalent relationship with the United States - and why the US Navy is less than welcome.




• Full audio and programme details
• Top feature: Trouble in paradise

Japan (5 November 1998)

Julian Pettifer reports on poverty in Osaka, the nation's schoolgirl princesses, and the community of Japanese Brazilians.




• Full audio and programme details
• Top feature: Homeless and hungry in Japan's second city.