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Nov 2015
27m 46s

Brussels on Edge

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Correspondents' stories. In the wake of the attacks in Paris, nearby Belgium has been portrayed as a dysfunctional place with failing state structures, a country where terrorists can go about their business unchallenged. Tim Whewell's been to Brussels to talk to some who feel alienated and abandoned by the Belgian state. Eight months of war in Yemen -- and Iona Craig has been finding out how people living in the country’s third city are now relying on smugglers to bring in vital supplies. Fifty-one thousand refugees are now living in Berlin -- Chris Haslam's been hearing that for some, their problems are only just beginning. Preparations are underway for the big climate conference starting in Paris next week. Some say global warming is a problem that's just too difficult to solve. But David Shukman believes there's reason for some guarded optimism. And Juliet Rix has been to Malta, the scene of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting. The Mediterranean island long ago ceased to be a British colony but she finds some lasting affection for the old motherland although a continuing fondness for the traditional English breakfast might be doing more harm than good!

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