World in Progress

Deforestation concerns linked to palm oil plantations have prompted the EU to ban the use of palm oil in biofuel by 2030 — but Malaysian farmers say that spells disaster for them. Communities in Kenya's coastal regions are planting mangroves to protect the environment and make a living by selling carbon credits. And a video game that's getting help to those in need.

As the world gears up for a global climate strike to demand urgent action on climate change, we hear from people who are already feeling the heat.

on thgis show: Reluctant to return: While Lebanon pressures Syrian refugees in the country to return home, people are reluctant to go back to a war-devastated country /// and: How a tiny community in Ethiopia continues to live its utopian dream of equality, fraternity and peace, forty years after its foundation.

Indonesian households spend almost as much on cigarettes as they do on rice. The country is now the second-largest tobacco market in the world, behind China — and even children are taking up the habit.

Dangerous times for reporters in Mexico // Journalist paradise South Africa // A colonial-era law still stifles free expression in India / Vietnam Popstar/activist Mai Khoi

Cobalt is one of the most important raw materials used to make batteries for smartphones, tablets and e-cars. About two thirds of cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo. In addition to the big industrial mines, there are many small makeshift mines where even children source the raw material, risking their lives. Linda Staude went to explore.

Germany's increasing role in humanitarian assistance // 70 years of the Geneva Conventions: why humanitarian law is not enough to protect civilians in war // And: when kids become mothers - we meet a young girl in Ecuador who's among the increasing number of children who become pregnant there

Big international alcohol companies are now targeting the African continent. With sales stagnating in Europe and the US, Africa's growing middle class, and young people in particular, are being tapped as the market of the future.

As the fighting dies down in some parts of Syria, we travel to the war-torn country to meet with recently returned refugees. And we speak with the unwaveringly optimistic head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Achim Steiner, to learn more about how he tackles some of the biggest humanitarian challenges facing the world today.

How can we be better prepared for disasters like floods fueled by climate change? We hear from one of China's sponge cities how it's done. The Rio Grande in New Mexico was once an impressive river, but it's no longer what it used to be. How are locals coping? And how bikes can change lives.

On this week's show, why public school teachers are on strike in Chile, how girls from an Indian slum defy inequality by learning how to code, and how a radical policy change in Mexico is having real consequences for migrants coming from South and Central America, as well as Leros — the Greek refugee haven with a difference.

In some parts of the world, access to water is as simple as turning on the tap. But for many people that's not an option. Take Bolivia, for instance. The South American country that's been dealing with torrential rains and landslides is suffering from a lack of drinking water as glaciers melt away. Thomas Kruchem went to explore; his report is presented by Sue Cox.

On this week's show, how young Pakistani brides are ending up in the clutches of sex trafficking rings in China, the activist campaigning for indigenous rights in the southern Philippines, and why Liberia's health system still hasn't recovered from the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic.

This week we talk about digitalization and an uprising that changed history: Digital technologies such as mobile phones, apps and drones can help farmers boost their yields and help curb postharvest losses — we'll hear how it's done. And: How the Stonewall rebellion 50 years ago was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the US.

Indigenous climate leader Pasang Dolma Sherpa talks about the 'historic moment' for indigenous people and how they can make a difference in climate negotiations. We also hear how Mapuche indigenous people in Chile are fighting plans to build the country's biggest wind farm. And how Tibetan nomads are carving out a living for themselves to be able to stay in the highlands of Qinghai.

Challenged by the aftermath of natural disasters, decades of political crisis and an increasingly unpredictable climate, some farmers in Haiti now employ ecological farming methods to feed their families.

Maggots in Indonesia help solve the garbage crisis - and create opportunities - How families of people killed in Mexico's drug war try to find closure - Resurrecting the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra 

This week on World in Progress: In India, Muslims are afraid of more discrimination and attacks after the right-wing Hindu party BJP won the general elections. In New York, Jewish citizens tell a tale of showing their religion openly in times of Trump.

On this week's show, we head to Singapore where 100 scientists have gathered for the Future Cities Laboratory, our very own megacities reporter fills us in about how our urban spaces might change in the future and we discover China's brand new electric car industry and ask: is it really the new hub of automobile development?

This week on the show, we visit the scientists working to rid Medellin of the dengue virus, and hear how global warming is helping mosquito-borne diseases spread to new regions. Plus, we look at how Ebola affected West Africa's appetite for bushmeat.

The war in Yemen has pushed millions to the brink of famine. There's a cholera epidemic looming. Despite a fragile truce in the Yemen's main port of Hodeida, fighting continues elsewhere in the country. Relief efforts have suffered severe setbacks — aid workers say they are increasingly being targeted in Houthi-controlled areas.

The reality for many children in Chicago’s notorious West Side is a short life in the fast lane. Gangs, drugs and crime are always present and so is the possibility to end up in prison or dead. Vera Bünten got to know some of these kids – and people trying to help them change their lives around.

Brazil's new President Jair Bolsonaro has been vocal in not caring much about protecting the world's largest rainforest. Many people who want to protect the forest say they feel the pressure on them and the Amazon basin is increasing every day. Ivo Marusczyk traveled to Brazil's Para state where development projects are eating away at the jungle.

Venezuela's economic collapse impacts people in the once booming oil town of Maracaibo -- After price hikes, people in Egypt are struggling to make ends meet -- How one woman brought jobs - and a tasty bite to a refugee camp in the Western Sahara desert

Indonesia is at a crossroads. The predominantly muslim country that was once hailed for its religious tolerance and diversity is becoming more and more divided. Fears are growing that the era of moderate Islam and moderate Muslim leaders is over. More than 190 million voters are eligible to vote on April 17. The mood has been charged ahead of the elections.