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Inside The Middle East

EPISODE 46

HOSTED BY HALA GORANI FROM CAIRO

SOMALI REFUGEES IN YEMEN

It's a perilous journey that brings thousands of Somali war refugees to Yemen each year in tiny, overcrowded fishing boats.  Fleeing the violence in their country, Somalis pay smugglers to take them on the dangerous passage across the Gulf of Aden. The crossing is riddled with heavy risks - accounts of smugglers throwing refugees overboard into shark-infested waters, and reports of rapes, stabbings, and dehydration on board. Once they reach the shores of Yemen, Somalis gain automatic political asylum. But the journey to a better life - in the poorest country in the Arab world - is often not what they expected it to be.  Ben Wedeman brings us their story from Yemen.

ESFAHAN, IRAN -- UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

Esfahan is one of Iran's most remarkable cities - a living museum eager for the day when fear will no longer keep foreigners away.  The city is home to one of the world's largest squares, and stunning monuments dating back to the 17th century and beyond. As Aneesh Raman reports, amid Iran's international swirl of controversy, there is a sense the government is keen to keep its gloried past intact.

MIDEAST SOLAR SOLUTION

Israel has for many years been at the cutting edge in solar power technology. A recent development by an Isareli scientist could prove to be a major breakthrough in making solar energy much more cost efficient and over a thousand times more energy efficient than current technology. Atika Shubert reports on the latest on what many are hoping could be a widely applied solution to the earth's power generation problems.