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From Our Own Correspondent: Tunisia and Ukraine / Moldova

Tunisia and Ukraine / Moldova

BBC World Service - From Our Own Correspondent, Tunisia and Ukraine / Moldova

Owen Bennett Jones with insight and wit from correspondents Allan Little and Alex Kirby.

Owen Bennett Jones presents analysis from Allan Little, reflecting on Tunisia's "moment of great promise" after its election, and Alex Kirby, weighing the conflicting demands on the Dniester river.

Owen Bennett Jones introduces insight, wit and analysis from correspondents around the world. In this edition, Allan Little describes the mood of positive change sweeping Tunisia after its first free election in decades; Alex Kirby takes a trip down the river Dniester and hears of the conflicting demands of people and animals, Ukraine and Moldova on its resources.

"A moment of real consequence - and great promise"

Tunisia was the birthplace of the Arab Spring, and so far it seems to be the place where the protests have led to the greatest and least-contested democratic gains. Alan Little has just been covering its recent election and witnessed how far the idea that politicians should not be a privileged elite class has spread. On polling day, even the man who came out best was expected to queue up to vote, just like everyone else.  


Hydropower: not always as green as it may seem

Wherever there is water there is life – and wherever there are water shortages, there is usually some kind of conflict – be it violent or just political. The river Dniester, which rises in Western Ukraine, traverses the country of Moldova and empties into the Black Sea, is a living example. It's beset with demands - not just for the water itself, but the power it can generate and the landscapes it creates.

Alex Kirby, who has just returned from training regional journalists in Ukraine, has been floating down the river - and  contemplating how providing electric power, even when it's done in an apparently environmentally friendly way, can have significant consequences for people and wildlife too.

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