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From Our Own Correspondent

Fear of Famine in Ethiopia

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.41.3K Ratings

🗓️ 15 February 2024

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kate Adie presents stories from Ethiopia, Sweden, India, Australia and Ecuador. Ethiopia's Tigray region has already been devastated by war - now its people are facing starvation as swathes of land have been parched by drought. Our Diplomatic Editor, James Landale has been given rare access to the region, where he visited a clinic helping the hungry.

Rising gang violence in Sweden has wrecked the country’s peaceful image. Now the government plans to introduce so-called ‘police search zones’ allowing officers to frisk people or search vehicles, even if they are not formally suspected of a crime. Matilda Welin reports on the dramatic upsurge in bombings, shootings and arson.

In India, thousands of men, desperate for secure jobs, have been queuing at recruitment centres hoping to land work... in Israel. In a treaty signed last year, India’s government promised to send more than 40,000 workers to Israel, to help plug shortfalls in the construction industry there. Soutik Biswas has been talking to some hopeful recruits in India’s northern state of Haryana.

A convenience store in Sydney, Australia, offers more than the usual variety of groceries. Amongst the tinned tomatoes and toiletries is a full-size, working Airbus A320 flight simulator - so you can learn to pilot a plane while picking up a pint of milk. Eleanor Smallwood has been to meet the man behind the machine.

And, with its Elvis hairdo and eye-catching feathery necktie, we meet the rare, Long-wattled Umbrellabird. Stephen Moss trudges through the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador, to make his acquaintance (just don’t forget the binoculars).

Producer: Sally Abrahams Production Co-ordinator: Sophie Hill Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.

0:05.0

Today, why thousands of Indian workers are queuing up for jobs in Israel,

0:11.0

despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza. In Sweden, gang violence is on the rise, leading

0:17.7

to calls for the country to toughen up on crime. In Australia, fancy learning to fly a plane, pop down to one Sydney convenience store

0:27.4

where you can take control of an Airbus A320 simulator amongst the fizzy pop and frozen peas

0:34.4

And with its Elvis hairdo and eye-catching feathery necktie

0:39.2

We're in the Amazon rainforest to meet the rare long-wattled umbrella bird.

0:45.0

First, hunger is once again stalking Ethiopia.

0:50.0

The twin evils of drought and conflict have yet again left millions of people in the country

0:55.2

without enough food.

0:57.5

It's hard to know precisely how bad the situation is.

1:01.6

Media access is limited, and parts of the country is still driven with fighting,

1:06.4

despite the truce agreed back in 2022.

1:10.4

But our diplomatic correspondent, James Landaleale recently managed to get to Tigray in northern Ethiopia,

1:18.0

traveling with the Africa Minister Andrew Mitchell,

1:21.0

who was there to assess the extent of the food crisis and as

1:25.0

James found the picture is a complicated one. I'm sitting in the United Nations

1:30.6

compound in Michaela in the Northern Ethiopian region of Tigray.

1:35.0

And I'm feeling thoroughly ashamed of myself.

1:37.0

Before me lie slabs of juicy pizza.

1:40.0

There are cold fizzy drinks on a tray.

1:43.0

Coffee is brewing on the side.

...

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