Erstellt am: 19. 5. 2014 - 15:30 Uhr

Land Mines and Floods

Reality Check on how nature in reaping additional havoc on a legacy of the Balkan Wars.

Officials say it's the worst flooding in the region in over 100 years. Three months worth of rain fell in just three days.

Severe flooding across the Balkans has forced tens of thousands to evacuate and has already left more than 40 people dead. Serbia's main power station is also under threat and energy supplies are dwindling. There are additonal fears with the high levels of rain triggering landslides; there is the distinct possibility that this will disturb landmines left over from the war in the 1990s.

It is thought that more than 120,000 land mines are still buried beneath the former front lines. Since the conflicts ended, more than 1,700 people have been involved in land mine accidents. The mine areas, to a large extent, have been successfully mapped minimising the risk to the mainly rural population. But if the geography changes with this unprecented weather, that could lead to newer, unchecked areas being affected. We speak with Ramiz Becirovic of The International Campaign to Ban Landmines, who tells us more about the dangers here.

Greece

The leftist Syriza party did well in Sunday’s local elections, which are being closely watched as a measure of public sentiment towards the coalition government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. Our correspondent Fenia Chala assesses the outcome and tells us more about the mood in the country, which has been battered by the financial crisis and austerity measures.

Libya

The Libyan government says it remains in control of the country, despite a series of deadly attacks over the weekend, including the storming of the parliament building in the capital Tripoli. But how much mayhem are these armed factions causing Libya and does the government have a real grip on the situation? We speak with Middle East analyst, Michael Lueders.

Hans Herren

While many people around the world go hungry today, how are we going to be able to feed and ever growing population? Swiss scientist Hans Herren is one of the people trying to answer that question. He received the 2013 Right Livelihood Award for his work on using natural methods to enhance food production. Chris Cummins spoke to Hans Herren, and asked him what can be done to help farmers in Africa improve their output

Hate

Inspired by the tragic murder of Sophie Lancaster, which saw Sophie and her partner Rob viciously attacked in a northern English town because of the way they dressed, author Alan Gibbons wrote this hard-hitting real-life thriller. Alan talks to us about his book “Hate” and in particular how societies interact with alternative communities.

Also, listen to the programme after the show via the Podcast.