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From Our Own Correspondent

Rescue hopes fade in Turkey and Syria

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News Commentary, News

4.41.3K Ratings

🗓️ 16 February 2023

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Kate Adie presents stories from Turkey, Ukraine, the USA, Sao Tome and Principe and Lithuania.

Lyse Doucet has been in Southern Turkey reporting on the earthquake which has devastated towns there and in North West Syria. She describes how the rescue effort has now changed to a recovery mission as hope of finding survivors fades - yet families still hope for miracles.

It's four months since Russia first launched a wave of drone and missile attacks aimed at destroying Ukraine's power grid. Millions of Ukrainians have had to put up with regular power cuts, sometimes lasting for days. Paul Adams meets the army of engineers who, despite the huge damage, are busy re-connecting towns and cities.

In California selling cannabis for recreational use has been legal since 2016. In Oakland Sharon Hemans hears about a scheme to help communities previously targeted by the so-called War on Drugs make the most of the now legal cannabis trade. She meets one man who's experienced selling cannabis on both sides of the law and hears of the new challenges he now faces.

Petroc Trelwany finds the West African island of Principe has such a young population that schools are having to adapt by teaching classes in shifts. At lunchtime when the schools switch over the streets are flooded with students.

And it's the 700th birthday of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Lucy Ash visits for the celebrations and discovers a small country determined to stand up for itself and continue the legacy of its medieval founder.

Producer: Caroline Bayley Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production Coordinator: Helena Warwick-Cross

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BVC sounds, music, radio, podcasts.

0:05.4

Today, as fighting continues in Ukraine,

0:08.5

communities have lost their power supplies,

0:11.4

but a determined army of engineers are reconnecting homes.

0:16.2

In California, we hear about a scheme

0:18.6

to help people previously convicted of drug offences

0:22.5

get into the now legal cannabis trade.

0:26.2

We're in the West African Island of Principe,

0:29.4

where half the population are students.

0:32.7

And in Lithuania, the capital city of Vilnius

0:35.7

has been celebrating its 700th birthday

0:39.1

with a determination to continue the legacy

0:41.6

of its medieval founder.

0:43.9

First, the death toll in southern Turkey and northwest Syria

0:47.8

is still rising 10 days after a devastating earthquake hit the region.

0:53.0

Rescue teams are beginning to wind down their searches

0:56.2

as officials turn their attention

0:58.1

to providing survivors with shelter, food, and health care

1:01.7

in sub-zero temperatures.

1:04.4

The relief effort has been concentrated on Turkey,

1:07.7

but aid is finally beginning to trickle into Syria

1:11.2

after the Syrian government gave permission

...

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