From Our Own Correspondent - 11/09/2010

Ella Fitzgerald sang that she'd eat baloney at Coney ... but this morning's From Our Own Correspondent finds there's disagreement about the future of Coney Island, the famous playground of New York City. A million people demonstrate on the streets of Paris -- yet there's a growing belief that French lifestyles may HAVE to change. We find out why women are welcoming the arrival of new blue tractors in the fields of Sierra Leone. and how Indians are now enjoying the hill stations once seen as corners of Britain in a foreign land. The French authorities are preparing for further protests over government plans to raise the retirement age to 62. Much of the country was brought to a standstill by strike action and demonstrations on Wednesday. President Sarkozy says his government must reform the pensions system if France's huge budget deficit is to be tackled. Opponents say his plans are anti-trade union and unfair. But Christian Fraser's been finding out there's a growing body of opinion in France that times are changing and old habits and working practices may have to be abandoned: Brazilians will be going to the polls to choose a new president in a couple of weeks. The country's outgoing leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has proved popular both at home and abroad. His nominated successor, Lula's former chief of staff, Dilma Roussef, is well ahead in the opinion polls. But while many Brazilians credit President Lula with achieving major reductions in poverty during his eight years in office, there's still a huge gap between the country's rich and poor. Will Grant's been finding out that nowhere is that divide more marked than in the beachside city of Rio de Janeiro: Now years of brutal warfare don't just damage the people who manage to survive them, they also take their toll on the very fabric of a nation. Despite this, the west African state of Sierra Leone has taken enormous strides since peace was restored eight years ago. It may still be amongst the poorest countries in the world, but it's no longer at the bottom of the list. Overseas aid has helped the mining industry, the country's biggest earner, back on its feet while efforts are being made to encourage rural development and agricultural projects. New farm machinery, much of it imported from overseas, has now started to arrive. And Jane Beresford, who's been to meet a government minister near the capital Freetown, says there are hopes it won't just lead to increased farm production, it'll also benefit the women of Sierra Leone: When the summer heat of the Indian plains became unbearable for the pasty-faced British rulers back in colonial days, they'd pack their bags and head off to the cool of the hill stations. With their British-style architecture, the familiar plants and flowers and the breezy climate, these communities seemed like corners of Britain in a foreign land. Today, as Mark Tully's been finding out in the Himalayan resort of Naini Tal, it's a different story. The future of Coney Island -- New York's playground of the masses, the birthplace of the hot dog -- is currently the subject of heated debate. The city wants to rejuvenate this somewhat faded amusement district believing it could be a major tourist attraction of the future. But its plans to knock down some of its allegedly iconic buildings are meeting with stiff resistance. Antonia Quirke's just paid Coney Island a visit to see whether its historic charms still hold appeal in the 21st century:.