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Episode details

World Service,05 Sep 2015,23 mins

Sea Water, Sand, Oil and Rum

From Our Own Correspondent

Available for over a year

Pascale Harter introduces stories of elemental struggle from Greece, Israel, the USA and Jamaica. On the island of Lesbos, Chris Buckler sees that even the desperate flight of migrants trying to enter the EU can provide business opportunities - and not just for people-smugglers or the migrants themselves. In the camps trying to accommodate new arrivals there's also a brisk trade in tents, water and most importantly SIM cards, as people try to let their families know where they are and how far along they are on their journey. Yolande Knell's in the arid, inhospitable landscape of the Judean desert, meeting some modern-day hermits, but finds that even they can't escape the bleeps and bells of modern life. Chris Summers is in Nebraska and South Dakota hearing from supporters and critics of the planned Keystone XL oil pipeline. And Nick Davis is on the trail of a legendary rum in Jamaica - a home-brewed concoction so strong they called it "Rude To Your Parents". Photo: A couple recently arrived in Lesbos take a celebratory selfie next to the flimsy boat that carried them to Europe. (Fernando Molina)

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