28/05/2016 Reporters

From here, in the world's newsroom, we send our correspondents to bring

you the best stories from across the globe.

In this week's programme: As the Russian doping scandal

deepens with more athletes failing retests, Dan Roan investigates

what it means for Moscow's role in the Olympics.

With the decision on Russia's participation in Rio looming

and less than a month away now, every fresh claim of wrongdoing

makes a humiliating exclusion from sport's flagship

Justin Rowlatt investigates how the failure of the Government's

anti-drugs campaign has led to a boom-time for opium farmers.

One of the key objectives of the war here in Afghanistan was to eradicate

this stuff, and yet Afghanistan is expecting another record

John Sudworth comes under threat as he uncovers China's steel plants

being put back to work, despite pledges to cut production.

As you can see, we have had our cars surrounded by this group of thugs,

backed up by the police, who are refusing to let us leave.

Rebecca Morrell finds out how China is looking far and deep

into the universe by building the world's biggest radio telescope.

It's only when you get up close that you really get a sense

It's a doping scandal that goes back eight years, and it's spirled into

further controversy this week, the revelation that 14 Russian athletes

failed retests of samples, taken during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing,

has cast a shadow over Moscow's role in this year's Games in Rio. A

decision on Russia's participation will now be made in two weeks. Dan

Roan has been talking to Russia's sports minister and was given access

to the Moscow lab, where it's alleged hundreds of samples were

destroyed to cover up doping. It's a sporting superpower. This

week's modern pentathlon World Championships here's in Moscow, one

of many global events rucha plays host to. But the action takes place

against a backdrop of mounting suspicion. 14 of 31 athletes in the

2008 Olympics, who failed recent retests of their doping samples,

were Russians. London 2012 Gold Medallist here among them. During

rare behind-the-scenes access, granted to us by the Russian

authorities, the sports minister tried to defend his country. It

doesn't look good, almost half of that 31 being Russians, not good at

all. TRANSLATION: Certainly it doesn't

look good, but take into account the fact that the Russian national team

is the second biggest after the USA and represented by many leaders in

their disciplines. So this doesn't give an objective picture of dropg

situation in Russia. In 2014 a German documentary alleged that 99%

of Russian competitors were cheats. It's worse than we thought. An

Independent Commission then finding the country guilting of

state-sponsored doping. In November, Russia's athletes were banned from

international competition. Tonight our sport finds itself in a shameful

situation... But the crisis has deepened. A former drugs testing

chief claiming he ran a doping conspiracy at the Sochi winter Games

in 2014. This anonymous looking building is Moscow's infamous drugs

testing lab. 1400 samples were allegedly destroyed here to cover up

doping. Its license has been revoked, but allowing us in here is

designed to show that Russia is cleaning up its act. So this is it,

the place where it all happened, this lab the epicentre of what's

alleged to have been a state-sponsored, sophisticated

doping programme, with the decision on Russia's participation in Rio

looming and less than a month away, every fresh claim of wrongdoing

makes a humiliating exclusion from sport's flagship event more likely.

You can see from our statistics that we had like 150 to 100 positive

cases. So the number is quite big. So I think that we needed changes.

We are open to changes right now. Many remain sceptical. It's wrong to

have drug cheats anywhere near the Olympics. If the way to stamp it out

and stop it is to remove a country that has been proven to be doing

what they've been doing, in my opinion, that's the right way to go

about it. One of the country's most celebrated athletes says Russia must

be allowed to compete in Rio. Speaking from her home, the pole

vaulter told me a ban would be a violation of her human rights. I

feel very sad, disappointed and of course, very angry because all

that's going on now, it's unfair. My opinion, it's totally unfair. Russia

says it will criminalise doping, but with results due of more retests of

samples taken from London 2012, the country could well lose more medals

and any remaining chance its athletes have of competing on

sport's grandest stage. If you thought the killing of the

leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan, in a drone strike last

week, was likely to reduce the supply of opium from the country -

think again. He may have been closely associated with increased

cultivation of poppies, from which the drug is made. But they're also

increasingly being grown in government-held areas. One of the

key objectives of the war in Afghanistan was to eradicate opium,

but Afghanistan's war against the poppy seems to be failing.

In Helmand, harvesting opium is a family affair. Afghanistan has

become, by far, the biggest supplier of the drug in the world. The

Taliban led the way, but these days, farmers say who is in control of an

area doesn't make that much difference to how much poppy is

cultivated. TRANSLATION: The government just

fill their own pockets. Officials take money from us, just like the

Taliban. We pay whoever runs the area at the time. We've got to keep

them happy, so they don't trouble our workers. In Kabul, the official

line is that the government is winning the war on drugs, but

posters on the antinarcotics minister's wall, showing where opium

is being grown, tell a very different story. Most of the areas

shown here are government controlled.

TRANSLATION: If farmers grow opium in areas the government controls,

then you can be 100% certain that the government will destroy it, with

the help of local people, and the police. Minister, you only have to

look at the maps here in the office to see there is opium production in

areas controlled by the government. TRANSLATION: In areas controlled by

the government, farmers are not growing opium willingly, but because

of the poverty in the area. So there may be some places where people are

growing opium. There may indeed. This is northern Afghanistan, less

than half an hour from a city considered a model of good

governance. One of the key objectives of the war here in

Afghanistan was to eradicate this stuff, billions of pounds was spent,

hundreds of lives were lost, and yet, Afghanistan is expecting

another recorder vest this year. -- record harvest this year. These

poppies are growing in what is, nominally at least, in the control

of the Afghan government. TRANSLATION: I started growing

poppies because we were finding it difficult to make ends meet. The

government used to be very strict about opium, now it's much more

relaxed. It's good for locals, because it means there is more work

and more money for everyone. He says local officials are well aware

what's going on. The proof - this man is the local policeman. The

truth is that Afghanistan is expected to produce more opium and

therefore heroin this year than the world actually conassumes. It --

consumes. It isn't hard to work out what that means: More and cheaper

heroin coming to a street near you. China has pledged to cut its steel

production, as its huge steel making juggernaut has led to a flood of

cheap exports, putting pressure on producers all over the world. But a

recent price rally in the domestic market, means it's re-opening some

of its mills. More than 40 steel blast furnaces are thought to have

been restarted this year. We've been to northern China to investigate.

The industrial roar and the bill lowing smoke stacks are signs that

China's steel-making juggernaut is once again picking up speed. Workers

are being called back to the production lines, because of a

recent rise in Chinese steel prices. This plant, once -- this plant once

employed 6,000 people. We were closed for seven months, this man

tells me. Are you pleased to be starting again? Factory bosses,

though, are not too keen on reporters asking questions. China's

giant steel factories may be in no mood to cut production, but they are

very much aware of the sensitivity. We've had our car surrounded by this

group of thugs, backed up by the police, who are refusing to let us

leave. After two hours, they let us go. We

find another mill. It closed in November last year, but look at it

now. One of the workers proudly points to the day he was called

back, along with almost 2,000 colleagues.

TRANSLATION: I'm happy, so happy. Permanent closure would have huge

consequences for our local community. This will not go down

well with British Steel workers, who blame Chinese overcapacity for

driving down global prices and putting thousands of UK jobs at

risk. China's response, though? On your bike.

The Chinese government does eventually plan to cut production,

but it says it will be a long and painful process. Here's another

mill, this time with 7,000 workers. Despite scaling back production at

the end of last year, they've been busy turning those furnaces back on.

And at every mill, security guards tailed and threatened us. They're

still coming. China may want to sell its steel to

the outside world, but it doesn't want the outside scrutiny.

In America, there are three times more psychiatric patients in prison

than in hospital. It means some US jails have recognised mental

healthcare needs to be a big part of what they do. We were given special

permission to film inside Cook County Jail and speak to prisoners

there in Illinois. This is what checking into America's

largest mental health institution looks like.

It's not its official role, but when 30% of people being shuttled around

from cell to cell and locked away in this jail are thought to have

psychiatric problems, that by default is what it has become.

OK, Robert, here we go. We watched as this man was processed into the

jail, having his mug shots taken. 32, 34... He was charged with

criminal trespass, sleeping on someone else's property. 42-year-old

Robert is homeless and he has six for instancia. We saw as he shuffled

off into what is a tough world -- Schizophrenia.

In parts of the jail up to 400 inmates are kept in a single room

where they eat, sleep and live all together. Many, of course, have

committed far worse crimes than Robert.

Those we spoke to complained of the conditions they lived in but didn't

want to be recorded for fear they said of repercussions.

But the number of those among the prison population with mental health

problems appears to be ever increasing. It's now thought there

are more than three times the number of psychiatric patients incarcerated

in America than are in hospitals. People like Andre. He has been

locked up because he stole groceries that he said he needed to eat. He

too is schizophrenic. Being incarcerated is no way to live, kept

from your freedom but surrounded with the people that's here, the

people that's here, the violence, the ignorance and mentality of the

individuals that you are locked up with, it can really get - it can be

dangerous. There are some areas of the jail

that do have the look of a treatment centre. Those running this facility

have, at least, recognised that mental health provision needs to be

a huge part of what they do. The new warden of the jail is even a

psychologist. But what they can't change is a system that means so

many people who should be treated in the community end up in a place like

this. You have people who are sick, not criminals, they're sick. No

different than if they had diabetes but they've a mental illness. It's

not being treated. Why is it not treated? Guess what, states

throughout the country, throughout the United States, have decimated

the mental health programmes so there are none. People scramble to

find anything. Where do these people end up en masse? In jails and

prisons and it's been going on for decades. There does seem to be

recognition that too many people in America are going to jail,

particularly those with psychiatric problems. That can only be resolved

with fundamental changes in the justice system here and improved

mental health provision outside prison. But both those things feel a

long way off. One of the world's newest nations

Eritrea, in Africa, celebrated 25 years of independence this week.

It's a country widely criticised for its poor human rights record. A lack

of democracy and media freedom and its policy of forced conscription.

More apply for sum in the European than anyother African nation. We

have gained rare access to Eritrea and sent this report.

The celebrations have begun. Eritreans are calling it their 25

years of resilience and development. They're rejoicing, but also

remembering the many who died in the 30-year war for independence. They

have come from all over the world to join in the party. We can't measure

our satisfaction, it's a miracle. Just to be here and see the change

that's happened since then and how much the country has grown, it's

really good feeling. It's tremendous, amazing, because it is

the value of the blood that we have paid for independence, despite all

the trouble. I am free. Free, freedom, because of the soldiers we

have independence and living free. Eritreans were fight ago giant

enemy, Ethiopia. War veterans are showing the younger generation how

hard that war was. And how unlikely their victory, only a few years

later the two countries were fighting again.

The memories of the wars are slowly rusting away but remain alive in

people's minds. These wars left Eritrea in ruins. The country still

says it's in a no war, no peace situation with Ethiopia. This and

the long years of international isolation have badly damaged the

economy. Although there are some positive

signs with growing international investment, especially in mining,

life is tough for many. This is a 73-year-old war veteran.

TRANSLATION: I fought for Eritrea's freedom. Now I am fighting to

support my nine children and help build my country. We have economic

problems but it's all part of our struggle for a better future. While

some are really struggling, thousands have come out to celebrate

this historic day. Eritrea faces real challenges but is slowly

opening up. While many want to leave, perhaps this occasion will

encourage more of the next generation to stay home.

Fashionable clothes tailored for Muslim women are becoming big

business all over the world. But in France a row has broken out after

the Minister for women's rights attacked brands that developed

clothes specifically for the Islamic market. She said women who wear such

clothes are like willing slaves. Hugh Schofield reports from Paris.

Creators of a modest fashion label for French Muslim women. Theer they

are creating a new robe for the upcoming Ramadan season. This is the

biggest sales, it's like Christmas.le. The clothes aim to

unite Paris style and sophistication with the demands of religion.

They've only just started so they have taken a stand this year at the

Islamic salon in Paris. You might think in the home of fashion and of

six million Muslims, modest chic would be thriving in France. But you

would be wrong. It's one of very few French labels in the business. There

is a particular context in France that makes Islamic fashion more

problematic here than other countries because the principals of

women's rights and banishing religion from the public space,

these principles are taken seriously indeed here. In other countries it

may be individual freedom of choice, that's the clinching argument. Here,

it's whether Islamic fashion is an affront to collective civic values.

It's a matter on which many people in France feel very strongly. As

more international brands begin to tap into the lucrative Muslim

market, slois voice -- voices here say so-called modest dress is a

backward step, a symbol of female subjugation. There is something

disturbing about that notion of Islamic fashion, because Islam is a

religion, so what are religions to feminists like me? They're

organisations that are created by men, organised by men, led by men.

And that are trying to impose on women a certain behaviour that's

considered appropriate or modest as they put it. Such arguments

infuriate these sisters who say they find secular France suffocating in

the obligation to conform. They want everyone to be the same. We have had

this norm and if you don't comply with this rule, if you don't fit in

this whole thing you are just pushed away and marginalised. Why shouldn't

French Muslim women enjoy the full thrill of Paris chic? Why should

Paris chic be forced to kowtok to religion?

In a remote part of south-west China the world's largest radio telescope

is being built, almost twice the size of any previously made, it will

enable astronomers to see deep near the universe than ever before. The

construction of the telescope is part of China's bid to become a

global leader in science research. Rebecca Morell has been to take a

look. Hidden in the remote mountains of

China, a new giant of science is taking shape. This vast construction

is the largest radio telescope ever built. As it nears completion, we

have been given a chance Father a view like no other.

-- for a view like no other. It's only up close you get a sense of the

scale. It's simple colossal. But bigger is better when it comes to

astronomy because the larger the dish the more signals can be

collected from space, helping us to see deeper into the universe than

ever before. In China astronomy, we are far

behind the world but I think it's a time for us to build something in

China and used by lots of Chinese users and also welcome the

international users. This radio telescope measures 500 metres

across, dwarfing its rivals. The telescope will listen for radio

waves emitted from the cosmos and help us to see the first stars and

galaxies and search for science of extraterestrial life. It's cost a

money dll, it's part of the country's unprecedented investment

in science that's on the verge of outstripping even the United States.

But in the valleys beyond the telescope this push for progress is

causing problems. These villagers will soon have to live in a quiet

zone where phones and wireless networks will be banned. The

Government's offered them money to move. But some are unhappy.

TRANSLATION: The compensation isn't enough so we haven't moved yet. It

might be good for the country but for us we are not so sure.

The telescope's on track to be completed by September. China hopes

this supersized project could transform it into a world science

leader. That's all from Reporters for this

week. Goodbye for now.