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From Our Own Correspondent

Crises in the Caucasus

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.41.3K Ratings

🗓️ 4 March 2021

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the South Caucasus, Georgia and Armenia are facing challenging times as political crises in each country have intensified in the past week. In Georgia, the arrest of the opposition leader brought thousands onto the streets in protest. And in neighbouring Armenia, the country’s embattled prime minister accused the army’s generals of an attempting a military coup. Rayhan Demytrie explains the challenges of reporting on both events at the same time.

In Peru, a scandal over vaccine distribution has shocked the nation. A local newspaper published a list of the names of hundreds of people who had secretly been inoculated well ahead of the vaccination roll-out: including the former President and several government ministers. Dan Collyns reports on "Vacunagate."

In the United States, we follow the story of one woman who chose to forego her long-term job as a teacher in favour of a less predictable, nomadic way of life in her campervan. She is part of a growing community of so-called “van-lifers” in North America who have been depicted in the Golden Globe winning film, Nomadland. Sally Howard follows her story.

Iceland has the least Covid restrictions in Europe on business and daily life. Prone to living alongside active volcanoes, citizens of this island in the north Atlantic are used to being kept safe with early warning systems and evacuation procedures. Tira Shubart reports on how Iceland is now getting ready to welcome summer visitors –with certain conditions.

And we’re in Romania – home to a vast array of birdlife, brown bears, wolves, wildcats, and lynx. Stephen McGrath meets an ornithologist, and reflects on the wonders of the natural world and the destruction it all faces at the hands of humans.

Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Serena Tarling

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts

0:05.0

Today a very modern scandal, based on the very old habit of jumping the cube, were in Peru.

0:12.6

There the former president and others in high places were secretly vaccinated before the

0:18.6

official rollout.

0:20.9

Had enough of all four walls, who hasn't during lockdown, but in the United States we hear

0:27.5

of a different reason for an increasing number of middle-aged women quitting their jobs

0:32.7

and taking to the open road in their camper vans.

0:37.1

In Iceland, if you have active volcanoes as neighbours, you learn to cope, and so they're

0:42.3

also taking a phlegmatic approach to the pandemic, and we're in a Transylvanian wilderness,

0:49.4

but hearing that it could be under threat.

0:53.0

As to the South Caucasus, where spring has meant not just more sunshine, but more instability.

0:59.8

Both Georgia and Armenia face intensifying crises.

1:04.3

In Georgia, the arrest of the opposition leader brought thousands onto the streets and protest.

1:09.9

In neighbouring Armenia, the Prime Minister has accused the army of attempting a coup.

1:15.7

Rehandimitri has an eye on both events.

1:20.3

Springtime in the Caucasus, a perfect time for a political crisis.

1:25.6

The timing is so good that it is happening simultaneously in two countries, Armenia and

1:31.5

Georgia.

1:32.8

Two neighbouring countries, two different stories, different context, but how do you report

1:37.9

on both at once?

1:40.7

In the early hours of February 22, Georgians woke up to live pictures on all major television

1:47.1

channels, showing special forces raiding the headquarters of the country's largest

...

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