Libya and Ukraine

Available for over a year

Owen Bennett Jones introduces personal stories, wit and reflection from correspondents around the world. In this edition, Saleyha Ahsan finds grief and anger are still plaguing life in Tripoli even after the fall of Gaddafi; Petroc Trelawny visits Odessa and marvels at its "jewel box" of an Opera House - as well as its rich musical history. A fractured peace Saleyha Ahsan is a British medic who worked through most of last year in Libya, tending to wounded on the frontlines as the country fought its way to the final overthrow of the Gaddafi regime. Her last despatch described how some injured anti-Gaddafi fighters were languishing in hospital with inadequate treatment. And today she has another insight into what is actually happening on the ground with a story that shows how the Libyan conflict is lingering on – with sometimes fatal consequences. The grandest of grand opera In the 19th Century the Ukrainian city of Odessa was one of the great commercial centres of Europe, a rich trading post where fortunes were made. After the 1917 revolution it became a key port for the economy of the Soviet Union; and it's now showing more outward signs of prosperity under post-communism. But as Petroc Trelawny knows, there has been another great constant theme running through the Tsarist, communist and now capitalist eras - the city's dazzling musical heritage.