91Èȱ¬

Now that Russia has Crimea – where could be next? Humphrey Hawksley visits an enclave within an enclave – a village in Moldova that, according to geography, should have been grafted onto the breakaway republic of Trans-Dniester after a 1992 war. The villagers held the line against advancing Russian troops but now feel abandoned by the Moldovan government. The area’s badly paved roads, crooked electricity poles and basic housing are pretty much unchanged since Soviet Union rule, while the perception is that people have higher wages, pensions and political stability in the neighbouring territory of Trans-Dniester. Humphrey finds out how the popularity of new Russia is competing face to face with that of democratic Europe and asks whether the villagers would be prepared to fight the Russian army again.

Also in the programme, a pilgrimage to City Lights, the San Francisco landmark that ‘is not just a bookstore, it’s a church’. The spiritual headquarters of the Beat writers, City Lights has a fair claim to be the world’s best known independent book shop. Andrew Whitehead goes on a road trip in search of some beat hip and finds an entire city still in thrall to the printed word.