Shops and shawls in India, ladies' night in Riyadh, and dementia in the Netherlands

The Indian government is about to allow major multinational supermarkets to set up in the country, a drastic change for a country of small independent shopkeepers. In the programme this week, Andrew North wonders what effect this will have on his local shop.

Also under threat in India is the traditional pashmina industry. Anu Anand has met Aditi Desai, a remarkable woman who has devoted her life to studying and preserving traditional shawls. But which pieces from Anu’s wardrobe are real, and which are machine-made fakes?

In Burma, the new government is busy lining up foreign investment, but the rush to take advantage of the country’s natural resources and opportunities for development have not always won the support of local people. Lucy Ash reports on the conflict over a Chinese-run copper mine.

Change is also coming to Saudi Arabia, where there are signs that the religious police are relaxing somewhat the kingdom’s notoriously tight rules on dress and mixing of the sexes, at least in some public places, such as shopping malls.

Katy Watson has been out on the town with young women in Riyadh.

Also on the programme – dementia treatment with a difference. Anna Holligan visits a care home in the Netherlands where an alternative reality is designed to minimise conflict and confusion. But is Hogeway really therapeutic, or just a make-believe land?

Presenter: Pascale Harter
Producer: Mike Wendling

Photo: Getty Images