Greece, Tunisia, the Falklands, the Maldives, and Ireland

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Owen Bennett Jones presents stories from Greece, Tunisia, the Falklands, the Maldives, and Ireland. On the margins in Greece While covering Europe’s economic turmoil, Paul Mason stumbled across a place that illustrates the great inequalities in this world. Not just the gap between the southern and northern Europeans, which is, some say, responsible for the mess that Greece is in, but bigger divides. Greece is also home to some young men from further afield – Asia and Africa – and despite being educated they are stuck jobless, frustrated and nervously watching the Greek decline. Big trouble in little paradise Brilliant weather, stunning beaches, a small population and a thriving tourist trade would seem to be a good recipe for political stability. Not so in the Maldives, which has been consumed with turbulent scenes in recent weeks. The change of government there has been variously described as a coup, an Islamist takeover and a smooth transfer of power installing a unity government. Andrew North has been trying to make sense of it all. Islam and democracy in Tunisia Two of our correspondents have been covering stories in Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring. Mukul Devichand has been to meet one of the uprising’s spiritual leaders, and he brought with him one key question: can Islamists and democrats co-exist? Meanwhile Joanna Humphreys has been in Thala, near the Algerian border, where the people have clung to the ideals of the revolution, but are losing their faith that real change will happen soon. Eggs and vegetables in short supply Thirty years ago a war was fought over the Falkland Islands or, as the Argentineans call them, Las Malvinas. Britain maintained sovereignty after battles cost more than 900 lives. But tensions have persisted. Life on the islands is far from idyllic, but the islanders make the best of the windy conditions and poor soil, as Allan Little found out during a recent visit. Monument or folly? Finally in this edition we go as far west in Europe as you can go … to Achill island off the coast of Ireland. It is there that a disgruntled builder has constructed an enormous ring of concrete and stone. Kieran Cooke braved peat bogs and soggy weather for a glimpse of the strange structure that locals are calling Achill Henge.