North Korea and Russia's flourishing friendship

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.4 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 16 November 2024

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Kate Adie presents stories from China, Ukraine, Australia, Panama and Lithuania.

Reports of North Korean troops being deployed to join the Russian offensive in Ukraine has compounded fears in Kyiv about its ability to win the war. And it’s proving a headache for Beijing too, which is an ally to both Russia and North Korea. Laura Bicker travelled to Fangchuan, where the borders of all three countries meet.

In Ukraine, the use of drones has become integral to the war strategy for both sides. But since the Summer, there has been signs that Russia may be deliberately targeting civilians with unmanned drones – killing dozens. Yogita Limaye travelled to Kherson, where locals described the terror they face every day.

Youth crime has become a big talking point in Australia, but critics warn tougher punishment may not improve the outcome for locals or young offenders, as Katy Watson heard in Northern Territory.

In Panama, the rainy season lasts around eight months of the year, and yet hundreds of thousands of people struggle to access regular running water. Jane Chambers went to meet some people who've come up with their own solution.

Lithuania became the last country in Europe to convert to Christianity back in the 1300s. But over the last century, many Lithuanians began exploring their pagan past once more, to build a sense of national identity. Simon Broughton went to one of the country’s biggest folk festivals to find out more.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill & Katie Morrison

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello. Today, a recent spike in Russian drone strikes is having devastating consequences in Ukraine.
0:12.8	We hear from people in Gasson living with a constant threat. We're in Australia's northern
0:18.9	territory, where we talk to indigenous communities about the impact of a new law, lowering the age of criminal responsibility.
0:28.0	In Panama, rainfall is plentiful, and yet communities struggle to access reliable running water. We find out why, and what locals are doing about it. And in Lithuania,
0:40.3	our correspondent is charmed by the polyphonic singing at a pagan festival. There's a lavish feast,
0:47.0	but be sure to hold on to your reusable cup. Litterbugs aren't welcome. But first, reports of North Korean troops being deployed to
0:57.9	join the Russian offensive in Ukraine have compounded fears in Kiev about its ability to win the war.
1:05.5	President Zelensky has called the development a new chapter of instability in the world, and it's proving a headache
1:12.6	for Beijing, too, which is an ally of both Russia and North Korea. Laura Bicker traveled to the
1:19.8	point where the borders of all three countries meet, across which Pyongyang has been sending
1:25.7	its troops and reflects on what it means for this geopolitical triangle.
1:31.6	As journalists, there's a calculation we have to make in various parts of China.
1:36.6	What will happen when you get out of the plane, the train or the car?
1:41.1	In many places you're welcome.
1:43.1	People are curious about where you're from and what you do.
1:46.4	In others, things escalate and you can find your way blocked by police.
1:52.5	In the northeast corner of the country where China holds just a sliver of land and is sandwiched
1:58.5	between Russia and North Korea, we found that tourists were welcome,
2:02.9	but we were not. I feel very proud to be standing here, said one woman, on the holiday with her
2:09.6	hospital colleagues. Russia on my left and North Korea on my right, there are no borders among
2:15.4	the people, she added. We were on a 12-story platform in the town of
2:19.9	Fangtuan, overlooking the Tumen River, which gently cuts through all three territories and winds its way
	...

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