From Our Own Correspondent - 15/05/2010

A British army General tells us how he took a gamble, and saved an African nation. The children thrown into prison in Turkey on terrorism charges. And our correspondent pays tribute to the glories of New Zealand... Ten years ago this month, Britain fought a short, sharp and very successful war. British soldiers routed a ragged band of guerrillas in Sierra Leone. The crushing of the militants rescued the nation -- ending years of appalling violence. But it's now emerged that the British intervention wasn't the result of cold, calculation at the highest levels of government in London. As Alan Little explains, it was much more about one man .....an army General far from home...making an extraordinary and fateful decision..... The people of Turkey have much to be pleased about. The economy's holding together quite nicely in these difficult times. Meanwhile Turkey's becoming an increasingly influential player no the regional stage. But in some ways the country is still troubled by the legacy of a conflict between the state and its Kurdish minority. Many thousands died in the chronic violence that used to wrack south-eastern Turkey. And as Jonathon Head has been finding out, in the lingering tension, more than three-hundred children have found themselves behind bars.. Our correspondent Nick Thorpe has been reporting from the Balkans for about twenty-five years now. He's watched wars and revolutions transform the region, and he has an extraordinary knowledge of its history, politics and economics. But those hard realities are not the whole story of life in the Balkans. From the realm of myth and legend, there's also a rich store of folktales. And on his endless travels, Nick kept stumbling across one particular character.. About a month ago one of our editors here at Bush House announced that he was leaving. He'd decided to emigrate to New Zealand..and few of us could blame him. He was off to a peaceful, prosperous, friendly corner of the world -- famous for its outdoor lifestyle and spectacular scenery. Like anywhere else, it has it's social problems, and sometimes it's accused of being a little sleepy.a little dull, perhaps. But not many countries have a better image than New Zealand. And as far as Nick Bryant is concerned, the reality doesn't let you down...