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Farewell and new beginnings
After a great run, DW’s World in Progress podcast is coming to an end. We'd like to thank all our correspondents and listeners who've been loyal to the program all these years. But we also have some good news for you.
6/5/2024 • 1 minute, 9 seconds
Young single mothers in Morocco
Unwed mothers and their children are ostracized by society and stigmatized by their own families. Many women and children end up in desperate situations. But a growing number of people are trying to end this dire situation, both in courts and in society as a whole. But there's still a long way to go.
2/1/2024 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Remembering
In light of Holocaust Remembrance Day this week, we hear from those who survived the atrocities of Nazi Germany. We also hear from children who are trying to make ends meet in Cairo's garbage district and how a singer in Rio de Janeiro moves from train to train to offer her art.
1/25/2024 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
To your health
Why China's young workers are pumping the brakes on life in the fast-lane. And a special visit to a groundbreaking café in Vienna that wants to bridge the gap between the young and old.
1/17/2024 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Life-changing solutions
How one woman in Morocco is making waves in the fishing community, when she became the first woman to get a fishing license. Elsewhere in Germany, a woman is helping foster kids in limbo. And a dance studio in Rio de Janeiro that's dedicated to helping young girls and women rise to the top, no matter their family or income.
1/10/2024 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Changing cities in Latin America: Medellin and Prospera
How rich tourists change Medellín, which used to be Colombia's most dangerous city, and why that also brings problems for the locals -- And: In Honduras, investors are building a private enterprise city - they want to run it without the state’s jurisdiction and tax laws, but critics fear it's a danger to democracy.
1/3/2024 • 30 minutes
How tech can help build communities
From 3D-printed houses, apartments entirely made from recycled materials and high-speed internet access in remote villages in Nepal's Himalayan region.
12/27/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Lost places
Have you heard of the castle ghost town in Turkey with over 500 little fairytale castles? Skyscraper mudhouses in Yemen? Or how temples in Egypt were moved to a different spot to help preserve them in the long run? We go explore lost places.
12/20/2023 • 30 minutes
Broken dreams in Myanmar, the Philippines, Kenya
Myanmar's democratically elected government was ousted in a military coup in 2021. Since then, ethnic minority armed groups and pro-democracy fighters have been battling against the junta's forces. Millions of people are displaced.
Human trafficking: People from the Philippines and Kenya tried to carve out better lives for themselves and their families but ended up in Syria against their will.
12/13/2023 • 30 minutes
Kindertransport rescue missions saved Jewish children from Nazi Germany
85 years ago, 200 Jewish children arrived in Great Britain from Germany. It was the first of many so-called Kindertransport rescue missions. The children were brought out of Nazi Germany to safety. Until September 1, 1939, when Nazi Germany attacked Poland and World War II started, around 10,000 minors were saved that way. But for other children, it was too late.
12/6/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
A humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Sudan
Fighting has driven 6 million people from their homes in Sudan in recent months. In the Darfur region, the violence is reportedly escalating with some warning of ethnic cleansing.
11/29/2023 • 30 minutes
How authoritarian regimes try to silence dissidents in exile
In July 2020, German-Iranian businessman and US resident Jamshid Sharmahd boarded an Emirates flight bound for India. Sharmahd had a layover in Dubai, where he checked into a hotel for the night. He then disappeared for a few days – and resurfaced in a video where he was held captive by Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
11/22/2023 • 30 minutes
Diabetes cases on the rise globally: How poor people cope
Diabetes is an increasing health concern globally. More than half a billion people already suffer from it, and their number is on the rise - many of them in low and middle income countries. Pharmaceutical companies have increased the price for insulin in many countries, which makes it even harder for patients with lower incomes to get treatment.
11/15/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Seville Tourism: Not so picturesque for residents
Seville in Southern Spain is very popular with tourists, with its rich history, stunning architecture, great food and the flamenco music that was born here. But not everyone reaps the economic benefits the three million annual visitors bring to town. There is a stark gulf between rich and poor.
11/8/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
The Bronx: Fires, hip hop and gentrification
It's a vibrant area with a bad reputation: some 1.5 million people, many of them immigrants, live in the Bronx, a borough in New York City. For decades, poverty and crime made headlines here, but it's also the birthplace of hip hop culture and home to the famous Yankees baseball team. The locals say things have improved a lot since the notorious fires of the 1970s, yet there are still many issues.
11/1/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
How did Ecuador turn into a hub for cocaine?
A presidential candidate gunned down in broad daylight, after speaking at a rally shortly before Ecuador's presidential elections. Narco violence has exploded in the small South American country, which used to have a reputation of a safe haven in the region. It now has one of Latin America's highest murder rates – surpassing Mexico and Brazil. What went wrong?
10/18/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Terror attack on Israel: The fallout
On Saturday, in the early morning hours of October 7th, the militant-islamist Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel and stormed the security fence. They killed hundreds in nearby villages and took hostages. DW hears from an eyewitness close to the Gaza strip recounting that fateful day and gets answers from an analyst how Hamas was able to launch such a surprise attack.
10/11/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Peat: Climate killer and big business
Peat is big business and great for farming. But it's also an increasing climate problem. Because when taken out of wetlands and dried, it emits lots of CO2. While Germany is trying to limit use and production, demand to source it from other countries is increasing. Are there more sustainable methods? World in Progress talks to peat producers and experts to find out.
10/4/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Why Croatia’s abortion debate is heating up
Abortion is legal in Croatia. So why are women having to travel to Slovenia to get one? We’ll also hear stories about women pursuing their dreams, from an Ethiopian fashion designer putting her own spin on traditional fabric weaving to the people making safe spaces for China’s LGBTQ community.
9/27/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
The troubling trend looming over Cairo's City of the Dead
Who gets to decide the best way to make space in a city? Officials or the people who need a place to live? These are the big questions behind a controversial project that might lead to the destruction of Cairo’s necropolis, also known as the City of the Dead. Plus, can adding streets transform slums? Anni Beukes of the Million Neighborhood Initiative weighs in.
9/21/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
How artists transcend censorship and struggles
“We want to give the kids hope” - How artists in China are getting their messages past state censorship – Re-imagining the future: The Covid pandemic has brought out a new side of Zimbabwe’s art.
9/14/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
How to calculate the cost of reparations for slavery in Grenada and beyond
On this week's show, we'll visit Grenada, where some of the descendants of slave owners are trying to make amends for past wrongs. We'll also hear from the author of a recent report on the complexities of calculating reparations payments. Plus, a look at how women in Pakistan are taking the comedy scene by storm.
9/6/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Staying alive: Surviving Myanmar's military attacks, ethnic clashes in India and landmines left in Angola
On this week's show: More than two and a half years ago, the military in Myanmar ousted a democratically elected government. Attacks on civilians still continue. We hear from people in Chin state in western Myanmar. Ethnic clashes have rocked India's northeastern state of Manipur. And the dangers of landmines still lingering in Angola.
8/30/2023 • 30 minutes
The legacy of Argentina's death flights
This week, an emotional outpouring in Argentina over the return of an aircraft used during Argentina's military dictatorship for the notorious "death flights." Professor Cara Levey joins us to discuss the legacy of the dictatorships Argentina and neighboring Chile, which is also mulling over the curious case of what is believed to be "death flight" helicopter turning up in a UK laser tag park.
8/23/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
What's behind Assad's return?
This year, the Arab League welcomed back Syrian President Bashar Assad. The long-time leader has been shut out on the world stage for years over his role in Syria's brutal civil war. Critics are outraged at his return and want to know what's behind the controversial decision.
8/16/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
We need to talk about antibiotics & sugar
This week on the show: How our overuse of antibiotics puts us all at risk of superbugs that are immune to the drugs we currently have. Plus the dangers of sugar and the taboo of head lice.
8/9/2023 • 29 minutes, 57 seconds
West Virginia's coal counties: Life after coal
The exit from coal mining is inevitable if we want to have a clean and livable future here on Planet Earth, that much is clear. But what happens to regions that depend on coal, like West Virginia in the United States?
8/2/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
The power of books
This week's show is all about the power of books. We visit a bookstore in Istanbul where a Russian and Ukrainian have teamed up to bring people together. Book bans have rattled schools in the US. We hear from a Moroccan bookseller who knows his books inside out and we dive into a poetry competition in the UK.
7/26/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Changing cities in Latin America: Medellin and Prospera
How rich tourists change Medellín, which used to be Colombia's most dangerous city, and why that also brings problems for the locals -- And: In Honduras, investors are building a private enterprise city - they want to run it without the state’s jurisdiction and tax laws, but critics fear it's a danger to democracy.
7/19/2023 • 30 minutes
Don't fall for scams and lies on the internet (and elsewhere)
This week, we turn to the dark side of the internet. We talk about deceit, scamming and human trafficking. Crypto scams are on the rise —often paired with romance scams. There's a market out there for disinformation campaigns that are rife on social media. And the aftermath of the university scam that put Indian students in Canada at risk of deportation.
7/12/2023 • 30 minutes
Croatia's ghost villages
On this week’s show, an in-depth look at how mass emigration is impacting Croatians who’ve chosen to stay behind. And then, how did a medical student from Italy end up the focus of a documentary film in Gaza? Plus, a mouthwatering vist to a Jewish bakery in Casablanca
7/5/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Safe space
On this week's show, we hear from people looking for a safe place to live. Members of LGBTQ community are heading for Kyrgyzstan out of fear of the draft and homophobia. And then, a fascinating interview with Professor Jon Schultz about his work helping refugee children recover from traumatic nightmares. Plus, Niger's transit hub Agadez, and more.
6/28/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Searching for a way out of poverty
On this week’s show, we’re looking at different facets of poverty. Why did a hospital decide to crackdown on new mothers over medical bills? And why is the UK, a tech leader, struggling with digital poverty? Plus, stories from Mexico and Ethiopia.
6/21/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
World in Progress: What is going on in Myanmar?
Since the military coup in Myanmar over two years ago that ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, the ruling military regime has arrested tens of thousands of people. We hear from former political prisoners, talk about the targeted killings of civilians and hear from displaced Rohingya in camps in Bangladesh.
6/14/2023 • 29 minutes, 58 seconds
World in Progress: Family affairs
A deep dive into family affairs: Children and grandchildren holding their relatives accountable for crimes during Argentina's dictatorship, a dedicated foster parent in Germany who's opened her home to children in need and how a café in Vienna is bringing together generations.
6/7/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
The Bronx: Fires, Hip Hop and Gentrification
It's a vibrant borough with a bad reputation: some 1.5 million people, many of them immigrants, live in New York city's Bronx. For decades, poverty and crime made headlines here, but it's also the birthplace of Hip Hop culture and home to the famous Yankees baseball team. The locals say that things have improved a lot since the notorious fires of the 1970s, yet there are still many issues.
5/24/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
How does Interpol work and what are the challenges?
The international criminal police organization Interpol turns 100 this year. Time to look at how it's helped make our world safer from crimes by catching global perpetrators — and where its so-called red notices have helped authoritarian regimes clamp down on the innocent.
5/17/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Why the elections in Turkey are so important
On this week’s show, we’re taking a closer look at why Turkey’s upcoming elections are set to be the most important of 2023. Turkish policy expert Asli Aydintasbas explains what’s at stake. We’ll also hear from first-time voters and voters in earthquake-hit cities. Plus, a look at Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s landmark candidacy.
5/10/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
The power of music
In Kashmir, young people are turning to rap music to make their voices heard – but as of late, have been moving away from political topics. Rapper Obaz in Niger wants to use modern technology to help preserve Tuareg culture. And hip hop artist Miss Raisa and Quechuan singer Renata Flores are shaking things up.
5/3/2023 • 30 minutes
How tech can help build communities
From 3D-printed houses, apartments entirely made from recycled materials and high-speed internet access in remote villages in Nepal's Himalayan region.
4/26/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Turkey's long road to recovery
On this week’s show, Turkey is gearing up for a high stakes presidential election, and observers are warning displaced voters could get shut out. Then, why were these earthquakes so deadly? A researcher who helped with a reconnaissance mission shares his insights. We’ll also hear about how Syria is faring, and why a Turkish orchestra has been thrust into the spotlight because of the quake.
4/20/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Single mothers and their kids fight stigma in Morocco
Unwed mothers and their children are ostracized by society and stigmatized by their own families. Many women and children end up in desperate situations. But a growing number of people are trying to end this dire situation, both in courts and in society as a whole. Many young people say its time for change. But there's still a long way to go.
4/12/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Witnessing the horrors of Bangladesh's 'death squad'
On this week's show, we'll get an inside look at Bangladesh's notorious Rapid Action Battalion. Now, for the first time ever, two insiders from the elite force are claiming RAB has committed human rights abuses, systematically and with the explicit backing from the highest levels of government.
4/5/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
We need to talk about antibiotics & sugar
This week on the show: How our overuse of antibiotics puts us all at risk of superbugs that are immune to the drugs we currently have. Plus the dangers of sugar and the taboo of head lice.
3/29/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
The world of Interpol: red notice
The international criminal police organization Interpol turns 100 this year. Time to look at how it's helped make our world safer from crimes by catching global perpetrators — and where its so-called red notices have helped authoritarian regimes clamp down on the innocent.
3/22/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Banding together
On this week’s show, we’re looking at stories from across the globe about what happens when communities band together to solve big problems. The Yanomami fighting back against Brazil’s illegal goldminers, restoring India’s bodies of water, a Swiss restaurant serving the poor, and more.
3/15/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Expedition to the North Pole
Join us this week as we revisit a favorite episode about a thrilling and somewhat unusual expedition to the North Pole. Two reporters take us along for a ride on the luxury cruise ship that doubles as a lab where scientists are studying the effects of climate change.
3/9/2023 • 30 minutes
Someone, call a doctor
This week, a look at the people fighting to preserve public health, from doctors in Ukraine, to nurses from Ghana. Plus, in the US Black medical residents are being dismissed at an alarming rate. We’ll hear from a doctor who says she had no choice but to leave, and Usha Lee McFarling, the reporter who broke her story.
3/2/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Turkey’s unfolding humanitarian crisis
On this week’s show, we hear from doctors and aid workers on the ground in Kahranmanmaras, Turkey not far from the epicenter of the earthquakes that struck earlier this month. Plus, in China we’ll hear from ambitious young men and women who are giving up good jobs to pursue happiness.
2/22/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Fighting for justice in Iran and El Salvador
Imagine you are being thrown into prison even though you have done absolutely nothing. All in the name of a so-called war on gangs. That's what's happening in El Salvador right now. And protests against the regime in Iran some five months after the death of Mahsa Amini continue as the country's rulers try to silence dissent and arrest those who speak up.
2/15/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Hey world, what's next?
If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us one thing, it's how quickly new diseases can spring up on us. Is the next zoonotic disease brewing in Kenya? And could a robot in India finally bring an end to the unhealthy and banned practice of cleaning blocked sewage pipes by hand? We also hear how how health workers from the Philippines are carving out a new life for themselves abroad.
2/8/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Speaking up: Indigenous journalism in Guatemala
Topics: Dangerous reporting: covering indigenous issues in Guatemala is difficult and comes with a high price -- Why care about neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)
2/1/2023 • 30 minutes
Changing the game
This week on World in Progress: A Moroccan woman changing the game in the male-dominated world of fishing, a gym that uses energy from working out to power corn mills and oil presses, and how Russian video gaming professionals who have fled to Serbia are shaking things up.
1/25/2023 • 30 minutes
Looking for new ways of living together
The Canary Islands, located roughly 100 kilometers off the coast of Africa, have seen a large influx of refugees arriving by boat in recent years. On this week’s show, we hear from people who’ve made the harrowing journey, and those who are trying to help them start a new life.
1/18/2023 • 30 minutes
Too little, too late: the lack of affordable housing
This week on World in Progress: Affordable housing is hard to come by. The situation is particularly dire in some cities in Turkey where inflation is high, and apartments are few and far between. And some people in the Netherlands are building their own town from the ground up.
1/11/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Clean cut for pellets: How Europe's clean energy policies harm forests
With energy prices skyrocketing in Europe, the demand for wood pellets is increasing. While many homeowners want an alternative to costly oil and gas heating, coal plants switching to burning wood chips make huge profits thanks to EU subsidies. But protected forest areas are destroyed at alarming rates, and critics demand a policy change and better forests protection.
1/4/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Unearthing Rio de Janeiro's history of slavery
Roughly half of all the people trafficked from Africa to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries ended up the Portuguese colonial empire of Brazil. This week we're revisiting the shocking history Rio de Janeiro's role as Brazil's gateway for slaves.
12/28/2022 • 30 minutes
The New Silk Road, an Indian girl band and a Cambodian circus
On this week’s show, we’re taking a look at some niche cultural trends in Asia, from a massive New Silk Road project in Uzbekistan, to an unusual Indian band called Womeniya, to a Cambodian circus helping people deal with trauma.
12/21/2022 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Climate migration: Where to go if the planet heats up?
Extreme weather fueled by climate change such as droughts and floods displace some 20 million people every year. By some estimates, by 2050, there could be over one billion people who have to flee their homes due to the effects of climate change. DW checks in with people in Kenya, India and Australia who are already feeling the effects of climate change on their homes.
12/14/2022 • 30 minutes
From ancient traditions & digital authoritarianism
In Saudi Arabia, people can report anyone via a policing app – a woman was recently sentenced to prison for more than three decades over a tweet. And in Peru, people defend their age-old tradition of chewing coca leaves.
11/30/2022 • 30 minutes
Bulgaria becomes hub for digital nomads
More and more people enjoy traveling the world while working remotely — as digital nomads. And an increasing number of them are now flocking to Bansko, a small town in the Bulgarian mountains.
11/23/2022 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Mexican indigenous groups push back against fast fashion
On this week’s show, we look at how different groups around the globe are preserving their cultural heritage. Indigenous embroiderers in Mexico are fighting back against the fast fashion industry they say has stolen their designs. A 400-year-old Italian opera has captivated Morocco, and the language you’ve never heard of still spoken on the Spanish-French border.
11/16/2022 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Living on a planet with 8 billion other people
The world's population is set to hit 8 billion on November 15. On this week's show, the UN's Sara Hertog helps us separate fact from the fiction when it comes to understanding exactly what that means for the planet. Plus, a story of death, an old recipe for sweets and the future of Japan. We'll also hear why Georgia's farmers, bakers and government officials are uniting around ancient grains.
11/9/2022 • 30 minutes
Meet the people improving the lives of children
A number of surprising initiatives across the globe are making the world a safer place for kids. We’ll hear more about those ideas. We’ll also hear from a girl who made her first foray into international policy as part of a children’s advisory team, and from Philip Jaffé of the UN’s Committee on the Rights of the Child about its working group on child participation.
11/2/2022 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Guardians of the Amazon at risk
The Brazilian Amazon has been destroyed at alarming rates in recent years, with huge areas being cut or burnt down to clear the land for cattle. It has become more and more dangerous for those trying to protect this globally important eco system, with indigenous peoples bearing the brunt.
10/26/2022 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Looking to the North Pole for answers
This week we tag along with two reporters as they disembark on a one-of-a-kind cruise to the North Pole. Passengers on board are in it for a luxury cruise. Meanwhile, a group of scientists are enjoying a different luxury on board altogether: the chance to study the effects of climate change. As it turns out, they’re also grappling with the impact of the war in Ukraine on their work.
10/19/2022 • 30 minutes
Push for change in Iran and Guatemala
Protests in Iran have now entered a fourth week after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody. She had been detained by the so-called morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf too loosely. Her death has triggered protests all over the country. And in Guatemala, indigenous women rise up against land grabbing – it's a dangerous battle.
10/12/2022 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Rio de Janeiro's ties to slavery
When you think of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, what comes to your mind first? The carnival celebrations, the samba dances? Its famous beaches? Did you know that Rio was one of the biggest slave hubs in the world? Historians have unearthed some gruesome details.
10/5/2022 • 30 minutes
Where is all the water going?
Water shortages are on the rise as drought grips more and more countries across the globe. On this week’s show, we take a closer look at who has the right to water, where water is being weaponized and what governments can do to help people cope.
9/28/2022 • 29 minutes, 58 seconds
How climate change impacts lives and nature around Kilimanjaro
The warming climate melts the snow peak on Mount Kilimanjaro and increasingly impacts the lives of local people and their environment.
9/21/2022 • 30 minutes
Killing a Cat - Investigative Journalism in Ghana
To expose corruption, discrimination and other crimes in Ghana, investigative journalists face personal threats and many challenges to improve their country. What drives them to do their job despite all odds and little pay?
9/14/2022 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
The place we used to call home
All over the world, people are being pushed out from their homes. Some areas have become uninhabitable because they are running out of the very essentials, like water. Elsewhere, economic prospects are so bleak that people risk it all to start a better life. And war and conflict make it unsafe for people to stay.