World in Progress

A hidden problem: FGM in Thailand -- Internet comedian from Saudi Arabia -- Why Silicon valley is still a boys' club

At first sight, it looks like the world of labor in the US is one of equal representation. But there is still one sector that is predominantly white and male: the tech industry of Silicon Valley.

In Saudi Arabia women are not allowed to drive, or work without spousal consent. Amy Roko makes satirical videos which she posts online about her country's male-dominated society - and she has achieved great popularity.

Female gential mutilation (FGM) is recognized internationally as violating the human rights of girls and women. In southern Thailand, the practice has gone on under the radar of national health authorities for decades.

Life isn't easy for the thousands of sub-Saharan Africans who've come to Morocco seeking to build a better life. Some plan to reach Europe across the Mediterranean, others hope to make it into one of Morocco's two Spanish enclaves - the only European land bordering Africa.

On this week's show: Nepal reels from yet another major earthquake - Why women and children are at risk of being trafficked in Nepal's post-quake chaos - Sub-Saharan migrants face an uncertain future in Morocco - Outrage over hydroelectric dams in Uganda - Nigerian dolls outperform Barbie.

Another strong tremor has hit Nepal, just weeks after a mammoth earthquake killed over 8,000 people in the Himalayan nation. Hundreds of thousands of people are now homeless, and with the monsoon season just around the corner, many are wondering how they'll cope.

Human trafficking is a serious problem in Nepal, where women and children are frequently smuggled across the porous border with India and forced into slavery. As Liesl Gerntholz from Human Rights Watch explains, it's easier for traffickers to prey on vulnerable groups in the wake of a natural disaster.

Lagos-based designer Taofick Okoya has produced his very own line of Nigerian dolls - the Queens of Africa. His creations have proven so popular with young girls in Nigeria, they're even outperforming Barbie.

In Australia there's been an outcry over the conservative government’s plan to cut services to more than 150 remote indigenous communities in Western Australia. Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott justified the policy by saying the government could not "endlessly subsidize lifestyle choices", which has sparked huge protests around the country.

Dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake in Nepal -- Conflict in Yemen impacts chidren - Outrage in Australia over plans to close Aboriginal settlements -- Indigenous sport Palin helps strengthen Mapuche identity in Chile

In Chile some 1,5 million indigenous Mapuche people make up 10 percent of the population. Each new Chilean government promises, but fails, to improve the relationship with the Mapuche. Now a group of Mapuche athletes say if politicians want to be on their team, the politicians first need to understand Mapuche culture – starting with a game called Palin.

In Yemen, the humanitarian situation is worsening. In the past five weeks alone, more than 1,000 people have died as a result of airstrikes or fighting on the ground in Yemen. Among them: more than 100 children. Children die as innocent bystanders - but they also die because armed groups recruit them as fighters, violating international law.

Helpers are facing massive problems iin the aftermath of the Nepal quake. World in Progress talks to Heiko Grosspietsch, one of the organizers of the private aid organization Shanti in Kathmandu. Shanti is the biggest German private NGO in Nepal, helping leprosy patients and others. The NGO is stepping up it's aid efforts to help quake victims.

Land erosion and soil salinity forces people to leave their villages in the Sundarbans -- In Turkey, people learn about the forgotten past of their Armenian grandmothers -- And a Chinese entrepreneur is building a casino extravaganza on the Mekong River

The Golden Triangle along the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar was once one of the world's largest opium producing regions and has turned into a tourist destination these days. And - if a Chinese entrepreneur has it his way - there's more to come. Think: Las Vegas on the Mekong.

The UN has declared 2015 the International Year of Soils. Now, the third global soil week is in full swing in the German capital, Berlin. The take-away message here: Soils are essential if we plan on feeding the world's 9 billion people by 2050. And the world needs to take better care of its soils.

April 24th marks the centenary of the Armenian genocide during World War One. Turkey rejects the term genocide. More and more Armenian survivors in the country dare to speak up and tell their stories of how they were assimilated into Turkish families after their parents had been killed.

Coastal erosion and increasing sea levels are gradually eating away at the land in the Sundarbans. Many people from the villages are being forced to migrate to cities, like Kolkata, because their fertile land is turning saline with an increasing number of storms and floodings.

Rebuilding lives in Malawi after the floods -- Reviving an abandoned village in Italy -- Rethinking the ethics of silk production in India

Malawi is still battling with the aftermath of the floods that hit the country in January. One third of the country was declared a disaster zone, more than 270 people lost their lives or went missing, and hundreds of thousands lost their homes. Malawi's government has called for international assistance. Our correspondent joined a team of Doctors without Borders traveling to the worst-hit area.

For many people, clothes made from silk signify beauty and elegance in fashion. But not everyone is aware that the silk worms that create the fine silk thread are actually killed in the production process, when their cocoons are placed in boiling water to obtain the thread. Some silk products are marketed as "Ahimsa" silk, claiming to use a non-violent production method.

In Northern Italy, the small village of Ostana is fighting for its very existence. A hundred years ago, more than one thousand inhabitants living there. But with more and more people moving away, only five residents residents were left by the 1990s. But one man has been trying to turn Ostana's fate around.

The Xinjiang province in the far west of China is one of the main political hotspots in the People's Republic. The predominantely Muslim Uighurs have become a minority in their traditional homeland and say they feel oppressed by the Han Chinese. Beijing tries to control the growing tensions with an iron fist, blaming extremists supported from abroad for violence.

On this week's show: Nigerian soldiers on Death Row - Totem and Taboo in Madagascar - The Times They are a Changin' in southern India - and a bit of musical advice for refugees