Somalia's searing drought
Stories from Russia, Israel, Thailand, Greece and Somalia, where more than 90% of the country is still enduring extremely dry weather. Since October 2020, four successive rainy seasons have effectively failed. Now human lives are at risk, with more than one and a half million children in the country classified as acutely malnourished. Mercy Juma recently saw just how parched and how hungry the landscape has become.
When a car bomb exploded in Moscow last weekend killing Daria Dugina, a Russian TV pundit, the conspiracy theories multiplied. Some suspected perhaps the real target was her father: Alexander Dugin, a prominent conservative philosopher. In the West, some called Mr Dugin “Putin’s brain” – or even “Putin’s Rasputin”. But that didn’t quite ring true, at least not to Gabriel Gatehouse, who has spent many years covering Russia and Ukraine, and who met Alexander Dugin in 2016.
The war has also been vexing both Russian and Ukrainian relations with Israel. The Israeli government has spoken out publicly against the war and moved to shelter refugees, while also offering to act as a diplomatic go-between the two sides. Russia's justice ministry is currently seeking to liquidate the Russian branch of the non-profit Jewish Agency, which helps Jews around the world move to Israel. Tim Samuels recently met some of those trying to start again in a new land.
The elephant is, famously, a symbol of Thailand – but it’s more than symbolic. There are thousands of real live elephants in the country. Around half are kept in captivity as working animals, used either to move earth or timber, or, in a modern twist, to take tourists for rides. As tourism reopens, some Karen communities near the Thai-Myanmar border are trying a new kind of venture, based on a more respectful relationship with the animals. Mark Stratton went to see how it's working out.
Many might dream of making a holiday home idyll last longer – perhaps even for good. But staying all year round in a rural village in Europe can be a much more gruelling prospect, if there aren’t any local services, shops or even many neighbours to call on. Alba Arikha has been restoring and settling into an old house in a Greek hamlet not far from the town of Kardamyli, on the western coast of the Mani peninsula.
