Libya and Russia

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Alan Johnston introduces insight, wit and analysis from correspondents around the world. In this edition, Justin Marozzi walks through the ruins of ancient Cyrene to learn than Greeks can still be found in eastern Libya, while Martin Vennard reflects on the enduring role of the babushka or granny in Russia's self-image. Benghazi's living links to Cyrene's past The war in Libya drags on, and the country remains divided between Colonel Gadaffi and his opponents. The nation's present is tense and its future uncertain. But periods in its distant past deeply impressed the Classical world. The Roman Empire left its mark in western Libya: the ruins at Leptis Magna are some of the finest of their kind in the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, in eastern Libya, in rebel-held territory, Justin Marozzi has been exploring another famed site that is a legacy of ancient Greece. Why grandmas still rule Russian hearts It was only twenty years ago that Communism in Russia was swept away, and the nation began to move to a very different political and economic beat. Many aspects of the Soviet past were quickly cast aside, but by no means everything changed. Martin Vennard says there's one figure in particular who's retained her position at the core of Russia's sense of itself...