Original version

BBC World Service East Asia

From Our Own Correspondent

News

Insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers.

Insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers from around the world.

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

From Our Own Correspondent: The shifting shores of Bangladesh

Magazines & Reviews

3/04/2022 GMT

23/04/2022 GMT

The shifting shores of Bangladesh

BBC World Service - From Our Own Correspondent, The shifting shores of Bangladesh

Coastal erosion forces whole villages to move; plus tales from Morocco, Iraq and Latvia

Coastal erosion forces villages to move in Bangladesh; Morocco’s Jewish heritage; Iraq's overloaded and overcrowded justice system; folk music and public opinion in Latvia

Pascale Harter introduces dispatches from writers and reporters in Bangladesh, Morocco, Iraq and Latvia. 

Rivers and the sea have long battered waterfront villages in Bangladesh, but their troubles are now intensified by climate change. Many people have already had to rebuild their lives several times over, as farmland is eroded and their homes crumble. Qasa Alom went to meet some of the people who’ve had to restart in new places, and meets locals working on a solution to provide a permanent sanctuary.

Morocco was once home to a thriving Jewish community, who began an exodus from the country in the 1950s, as relations worsened between the Arab world and Israel. The community has now dwindled, but the links between Morocco and Israel are still there – and growing closer, with diplomatic relations and direct flights now restored. This has encouraged some locals in Essaouira to reach out to Israelis, and Jews elsewhere, who have family ties to the historic port city. Elizabeth Gowing found herself wondering whether tensions of the recent past can really be replaced by fonder memories of longer shared history.

The government of Iraq is building more prisons to cope with huge over-crowding - the system straining at what's thought to be three times its official capacity. Conditions inside are often filthy and unhealthy, but better buildings will not address the deep-rooted issues affecting the country's justice system. Shelly Kittleson has seen the Iraqi justice system at work, and tells the story of one recently-released prisoner.

Like many nations – but particularly those which were once part of the Soviet Union – Latvia is walking a tightrope as it tries to judge the best way to deal with Vladimir Putin’s Russia. In Riga, Beth Timmins recently explored Latvian memories and opinions of the Soviet era – and public feeling about today’s relations with the giant next door. 

Producer: Polly Hope
Production Co-Ordinator: Gemma Ashman

Accessibility links

Programme Index

From Our Own Correspondent

The shifting shores of Bangladesh

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service East Asia

About BBC World Service