Ease into the weekend with our brand new podcast, showcasing some of the best Guardian and Observer writing from the week, read by talented narrators. In this episode, Marina Hyde looks at the new additions to Downing Street (2m00s), Hadley Freeman interviews Hollywood actor Will Arnett (9m56s), Sirin Kale tries her hand at quiz show Mastermind (26m32s), and David Robson examines why we’re so stressed about stress (41m08s). If you like what you hear, subscribe to Weekend on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ease into the weekend with our brand new podcast, showcasing some of the best Guardian and Observer writing from the week, read by talented narrators. In our first episode, Marina Hyde reflects on another less than stellar week for Boris Johnson (1m38s), Edward Helmore charts the rise of Joe Rogan (9m46s), Laura Snapes goes deep with singer George Ezra (18m30s), and Alex Moshakis asks, “Are you a jerk at work?” (34m40s). If you like what you hear, subscribe to Weekend on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts

Have you ever wondered what famous people actually eat? In our new podcast, Guardian restaurant critic Grace Dent does just that, asking well-known guests to lift the lid on the food they turn to when they’re at home alone – and what comfort foods have seen them through their lives. In the first episode, screenwriter Russell T Davies tells Grace about his childhood in Swansea, the delights of Woolworth’s pork and egg pies, and how his husband’s death informed his latest TV series, It’s a Sin. Future guests will include Nish Kumar, Rafe Spall and Aisling Bea. Episodes willl be released every Tuesday – search for it wherever you get your podcasts

The Guardian has launched a new series called Reverberate that we think you’ll like. Each week, Chris Michael will explore incredible stories from around the world about when music shook history. In the first episode, we hear from Kashy Keegan, an unknown singer-songwriter in a sleepy English town who became the voice of Hong Kong’s nascent pro-democracy movement. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to hear the rest of the series

We wanted to bring you another episode from our Innermost series. In the last episode of our first season, two callers tell Leah Green how their relationships sent them down unexpected paths, one with criminal consequences Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to hear the rest of the series

The Guardian has launched a new series called Innermost that we think you will like. Each week, callers will tell Leah Green what’s going on behind closed doors. In the first episode, we hear how an uncle’s funeral and meals with an emotionally distant brother help James and Jess think about their families in new and unexpected ways. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to hear the rest of the series

When Temie Giwa-Tubosun realised Nigerians lacked safe access to vital health care products like blood she decided to do something about it. That decision changed her life and saved those of many others

Kosovan-born Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman explains how a survivors’ network has empowered her and others to speak out against rape as a weapon of conflict

Suraya Pakzad talks to Lucy Lamble about her work championing girls’ education – and living on red alert for the next Taliban raid

The Judge, a new film by award-winning director Erika Cohn, tells the incredible story of how Kholoud Al-Faqih achieved her improbable dream of representing women in the Middle East’s all-male religious courts

Award-winning director Hajooj Kuka on the realities of life in a wartorn country, and the inspiration for aKasha, his first feature film

Investigative journalist Anabel Hernández has risked her life to expose corruption at the heart of her country’s violent ‘drug wars’. She tells Lucy Lamble why staying silent is not an option

Activist Christophe Oulé had a glittering career in engineering in Burkina Faso when he lost his sight. Now he campaigns tirelessly to improve the lives of other blind people. He talks to Lucy Lamble

Three years after the country’s worst environmental disaster, in which 19 people died, Lucy Lamble hears how Letícia Oliveira is still campaigning for justice for the people affected

In Colombia’s capital, many women are reliant on buses. Ángela Anzola and the city’s mayor want transport designed by men to be safer for women

Shahin Ashraf’s experience growing up as a British Muslim has led to a life campaigning for gender equality around the world

Criminalised by the state and targeted by vigilantes, Malaysia’s LGBT community faces rampant persecution. Thi Laga, a co-founder of rights group Justice for Sisters, has become a leading figure in the fightback

The Australian agronomist Tony Rinaudo reveals the secrets that brought about extraordinary results in dozens of countries, from Senegal to Ethiopia

When his beloved city was occupied by Islamic State, Iraqi Omar Mohammed was determined to document every atrocity – as anonymous blogger Mosul Eye

Eddie Ndopu defied expectations as the first African with a disability to graduate from Oxford. Now he wants to be the first wheelchair user in space

Our guest this week is a teenager who was involved in mass demonstrations in Dhaka that were sparked after two children were killed by a bus

Mike Wamaya discusses how performing ballet helps children transcend the chaos and violence of life in Kibera

Lucy Lamble talks to Sandra Olsson from Child Soldiers International, who works with girls formerly caught up in armed groups in Democratic Republic of the Congo as they struggle to settle back in their communities

After studying human rights law, Fatuma Abdulkadir Adan returned to her hometown to promote peace and champion women’s rights – through ball skills and teamwork

When protests in Tunisia sparked revolution across the region and in the Middle East, Aya Chebbi found her political voice

Critic Shirley Apthorp was inspired by Venezuela’s use of music to empower communities but realised the post-apartheid generation needed a change of key to unlock an artform so associated with a white elite

To fight this disease you need creativity, says Marlize Coleman, whose innovation teaches health workers the best way to zap mosquitoes

Entrepreneur Karanvir Singh has come up with a cashless system for motorbike taxis to help passengers get a fair deal – and improve road safety

Young social entrepreneur Majd Mashharawi talks about how she transforms the debris left by conflict into eco-friendly housing materials, helping people reconstruct their lives

Award-winning social activist, TEDx speaker and filmmaker Insia Dariwala talks about her hopes for a world where boys and girls can be safe and free

When disaster struck his community in remote Chin state, Dr SaSa rushed to help – and found himself trying to treat 400 people a day

In the climate of fear following the murder of activist Berta Cáceres in Honduras, Lucy Lamble talks to Ana Paula Hernández about her work supporting campaigners who fight to protect native lands

From rescuing girls from female genital mutilation to championing women’s political rights, Leah Chebet Psiya is breaking down barriers in her Pokot community in eastern Kenya

Medic turned health activist Dr Erika Arteaga-Cruz has vowed to remedy the country’s poor record on treatment for communities in dire need

Despite never having held political office, lawyer Akere Muna is on a mission to fight corruption by standing for election as Cameroon’s leader

Against the backdrop of #MeToo and the country’s infamous rape cases, Lucy Lamble talks to activist Seema Nair about her work empowering Indian women

Shocked by the humanitarian crisis she saw unfolding in Greece, Ayesha Keller got on a plane to see if she could help save lives

Dr Allan Pamba on the ‘silent epidemic’ that drove him to leave his Kenyan village, train as a clinician and become a leading authority on global health

Elman Ali Ahmed dedicated his life to disarming child soldiers and trying to end conflict in Somalia – now his daughter, Ilwad, is following in his footsteps

Lucy Lamble talks to an Amnesty International expert about the importance of letting people in tough situations tell their own stories

Lucy Lamble talks to Angie Kaster, co-founder of Egypt’s first roller derby team – the all-female CaiRollers – about how this brutal contact sport is empowering local women

Lucy Lamble talks to Rebecca Ratcliffe about her investigations into exploitation and the misuse of power in humanitarian organisations

Lucy Lamble looks back over 12 months of critical changes for developing countries, dominated by the devastating effects of the ‘global gag rule’

With nearly a million Rohingya driven out of Myanmar in what the UN has called textbook ‘ethnic cleansing’, Lucy Lamble hears about the situation on the ground in Bangladesh – and how the international community can help

When the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, they planned to starve 30 million people to death. Seven decades on, famine as a weapon of war is making a comeback, says the author of an authoritative new history British risk complicity in Yemen ‘famine crime’, says Alex de Waal

With six months left in office, Juan Manuel Santos talks to Lucy Lamble about whether his acclaimed yet controversial peace deal can survive the transition

From school to the workplace, people with disabilities in Mozambique face stigma and discrimination. They are far less likely to be educated and can find it impossible to get into work. Lucy Lamble travels to Sofala province to see how a new initiative is opening up opportunities and transforming lives Read the feature

In this monthly podcast, Guardian supporters ask the questions and a Guardian panel try to provide the answers. This episode focuses on whether people should be having fewer children for the sake of the planet – and if so, how that societal change might happen

Backed by Graça Machel and her fellow Elders, the Tanzanian government is introducing healthcare reforms that could revitalise its economic prospects. Lucy Lamble investigates Read the transcript Can we ever achieve the greatest aspiration – healthcare for everyone?

For 1.8 billion young people – the largest cohort ever – family planning will be vital in shaping lives and livelihoods. As leaders prepare for the London Family Planning Summit, Lucy Lamble looks at the challenges ahead Read the transcript

After the civil war that claimed 250,000 lives ended with last year’s accord, Lucy Lamble investigates how Colombia’s communities plan to build lasting peace Read the transcript

As hunger spreads in east Africa, famine threatens to take hold beyond South Sudan. Lucy Lamble explores the background and response to the crisis Read the transcript

Kary Stewart looks at why 850,000 children work in Bolivia, and whether the numbers can be vindicated by the country’s unique cultural context El trabajo infantil en Bolivia: ¿puede justificarse? – podcast Read the transcript

Kary Stewart analiza por qué 850.000 niños trabajan en Bolivia y si los números pueden ser vindicados por el contexto cultural único del país Is child labour always wrong? The view from Bolivia – podcast

Kary Stewart looks at how feminists are championing women’s rights across the continent and beyond, and examines what is at the heart of gender inequality Read the transcript

The Global development team looks back at some of the issues that affected millions of people in developing countries in the past year, and considers the challenges for 2017 Read the transcript

Más del 99,5% de los niños cubanos asiste a un programa o institución de educación infantil. Kary Stewart visita La Habana para hablar con familias, médicos y maestros sobre una historia de éxito en América Latina How Cuba came of age on early childhood development – podcast in English

More than 99.5% of Cuban children attend an early childhood education programme or institution. Kary Stewart visits Havana to speak to families, doctors and teachers about a Latin American success story Cómo llegó Cuba a la mayoría de edad en el desarrollo de la primera infancia – podcast Read the transcript

Sixty years ago, Sri Lanka was one of the countries most affected by malaria; in September 2016, the World Health Organisation declared the country free of the disease. Dinitha Rathnayake charts the journey of a huge victory for public health Read the transcript

Half of all children born this year will leave school without even the most basic of qualifications. Girls are at the highest risk of missing out on schooling altogether, but what’s being done to tackle it? Lucy Lamble visits rural Zimbabwe to discover the barriers that can prevent girls getting an education, and investigates programmes in place to help Read the transcript

Sarah Boseley is joined by experts and campaigners including Charlize Theron as she looks at progress on treating and preventing Aids and ponders the road ahead Read the transcript

Clár Ní Chonghaile reports from the Africa technology business forum on the innovations that could transform life in the continent – and the hardware glitches holding them back Read the transcript

With so many misconceptions and taboos around sex, Liz Ford looks at why effective education is more important than ever Read the podcast transcript Sex education lift off in Nepal

As the world humanitarian summit approaches, Lucy Lamble looks at why 75 million children can’t access adequate education Read the transcript

Kary Stewart visita La Ciudad de las Mujeres en Turbaco, a las afueras de Cartagena, en el norte de Colombia Inside Colombia’s City of Women – podcast in English

Kary Stewart meets women who experienced rape and violence during Colombia’s years of conflict, who came together and built their own community Read the transcript Colombia’s City of Women: a haven from violence Dentro de La Ciudad de las Mujeres en Colombia – podcast

Lucy Lamble reports from southern Africa on the recurring droughts, exacerbated by an unusually strong El Niño, that are causing a severe lack of food Read a transcript of the podcast

As the dust settles on the elections in Uganda, where Yoweri Museveni has prolonged a presidential reign of longer than 30 years, Hugh Muir looks at the trade-offs between progress and freedom Read a transcript of the podcast

Kary Stewart visits shanty towns close to the coast of Peru, where people driven from inland regions by poverty are resettling on dangerous ground Read the podcast transcript

The Guardian environment editor John Vidal reports from the UN climate change conference in Paris, where gritty but positive negotiations to broker an agreement are nearing a conclusion

In the Global development podcast this month, Liz Ford looks at the barriers to women reaching leadership positions, from discrimination to social conditioning, and speaks to organisations attempting to bridge the gender gap

Mark Anderson reports from the Africa open data conference in Dar es Salaam, where delegates considered how innovative methods of collecting data could promote the new sustainable development agenda

Kary Stewart reports from the UN summit in New York, where everyone from Ban Ki-moon to Beyoncé gathered to celebrate the adoption of the goals that will shape development for the next 15 years

In 2005, the Guardian featured 10 newborns in countries across Africa. Five years later, we returned to talk to them and their parents. Now we return to catch up with their lives and hear about the opportunities and challenges they face

Attacks by Boko Haram in south-east Niger have created a humanitarian crisis. Lucy Lamble visited the country’s Diffa region to speak to people displaced by the violence and investigate relief efforts

This July, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia hosts the UN’s Financing for Development conference, where member states will discuss how to pay for the ambitious plans laid out in the sustainable development goals

From the ready availability of weapons to the marginalisation of women, many factors can push a population towards conflict

A recent World Health Organisation report has highlighted an alarming lack of clean water and sanitation in health centres in Mali, one of the poorest performers among low and middle income countries. Lucy Lamble investigatesSee the transcript here

Defenders of women’s human rights around the world are facing systematic targeting. Liz Ford investigates

Digital money offers a quick, cheap and convenient medium for money transfers, but its anonymity has raised security fears

The Guardian’s health editor, Sarah Boseley, reports on the rise of obesity in middle income countries, from South Africa to Mexico, and the steps taken to prevent generations of health problems

This year we have reported on pollution from Mexico City to Manila, corruption in Mali and how Ebola is scarring west Africa. But what happened next? Hugh Muir talks to our reporters to find out• Read a transcript of the podcast

With the stakes higher than ever for a climate deal at talks in Peru next week, we talk to some of the key players in Lima• Read a transcript of the podcast

The tardy initial response to the Ebola outbreak in west Africa was compounded by flawed health systems. We examine why the global health community was so slow to mobilise, and what can be done to prevent a recurrence of the crisis• What lessons can be drawn from the Ebola outbreak? Talk point• Read a transcript of this podcast

What weaknesses has the Ebola outbreak exposed in the infrastructure of west Africa? And how can the countries affected get through the epidemic and ensure they are less susceptible to future crises?

Alex Duval Smith reports from Timbuktu and Bamako, one year after Mali elected a new president• Read a transcript of the podcast

Girls share their thoughts on what holds them back, their dreams for the future, and what they think about boys • Interactive: what do 13-year-old girls aspire to?• Read a transcript of the podcast

Hugh Muir speaks to the former World Bank economist William Easterly about how he changed his mind on the political ramifications of aid. Plus, how Somaliland defied the critics to become a democracy

The primary aim of Britain's aid is poverty reduction. This month's podcast questions the government's investment in the private sector• Read the podcast transcript

John Vidal travels to Manila, one of the top three most polluted cities in the world to see (and smell) the scale of the problem. Plus, Sam Jones reports on Mexico City’s programme to improve air quality • Can Mexico City’s roof gardens help shrug off smog?

‘Africa is dangerous and corrupt’; ‘Africans will always be poor’. This month’s podcast explores the myths surrounding Africa and their impact on Africans on the continent and in the diaspora

We hear from four women who are fighting to uphold women's rights around the world

Rwanda has been praised for the development of its healthcare, despite having only 625 doctors at the start of the decade

With foreign aid budgets declining, philanthropy promises to play a growing role in international development. But should we be concerned about the motives of large private donors?

In this month’s podcast we travel to southern India to follow the cashew nut from tree to consumer and examine trade justice• Transcript

Climate change poses serious challenges for the world’s poorest countries. What can the latest UN negotiations do to help?

The millennium development goals expire in 2015. What have they achieved? And what are the key issues moving forward?

More than a million people die on the roads each year, yet this man-made problem is seldom the priority the numbers suggest

We debate the issues around female genital mutilation, including how many people are at risk, why the subject is taboo and what is being done to end it• Read a transcript of the podcast

What needs to change to improve outcomes for people living with a mental health problem in Sri Lanka and elsewhere in the developing world?• Read a transcript of the recording