麻豆社

The conflict in the Central African Republic that has descended into inter-ethnic and religious violence has resulted in thousands of mainly Muslim deaths, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands more. Tim Whewell finds that this at least in part arose because of an age-old rivalry that has led to clashes throughout history, from Cain and Abel in the Bible, to the musical Oklahoma!: that between farmer and cowboy. In the Central African Republic, the Christians are farmers, and the Muslims herd cattle. All however, have mango trees. But few Muslims now remain to pick the fruit on their trees.

Life is very different in the rich Gulf state of Qatar. Money from the state's oil and gas revenues has been used to invest in skyscrapers and infrastructure, but not public transport. Until now. As Burhan Wazir reports, a new bus service launched earlier this year in the Qatari capital, Doha. To entice passengers away from their cars, it's free. And if you imagine dirty and overcrowded vehicles like in many other countries, you'd be wrong....

Presenter: Pascale Harter
Producer: Arlene Gregorius
Photo of anti-balaka militamen in Bangui (capital of the Central African Republic) by 麻豆社