World in Progress

Women across Africa shape protest movements and stand up for their rights: from descendants of Benin's Amazon warriors, to activists fighting injustice and women promoting gender equality with political and poetic means.

Rising lakes in the East African Rift Valley have swallowed houses, churches, hotels and schools. People had to move away, giraffes and other wildlife were trapped when the water came. How are they coping with the floods?

Thousands of women and children of former ISIS fighters are stuck in camps in Syria, but their home countries are reluctant to take them back ++ Across Europe, there are efforts to change rape laws  

This week on World in Progress: How Afghan refugees abroad see the worsening situation back home // UNICEF tries to help Afghan children and women harmed by the surging conflict //Peru's medical staff struggles to stem the next wave of Covid 19 // Polyandy: Should women be allowed to have several husbands in South Africa?

On this special edition of World in Progress, we take an in-depth look at the tourism industry in Cyprus, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the sun-kissed island works to keep visitors safe, it's also noticing an upswing in tourism to some unexpected places.

Who defines who's Japanese? Identity and the Hafu people in Japan / Hardly seen: The plight of Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria Making it against all odds: How a school in Croatia puts Roma kids on course for better lives / And: We'll survive: Why Bedouins in Egypt are confident their ancient traditions will survive despite Covid and Climate Change

In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, leading to the largest marine oil spill in history. More than a decade later, the oil and gas industry still dominates in the region. Oil's end result, in the form of a warming climate, has led to rising sea levels and erosion that are sinking the low-lying region into the sea.

Solar panels could spell the end of illegally tapped power lines in Brazil's favelas that are dangerous and have even led to fires! Rooftop gardens in a refugee camp in Lebanon bring a whiff of fresh, green air to the place and help with food security. And: The secret of chicken dung and a place where abandoned plants can find a new home.

An international team has started extracting methane from Lake Kivu to generate electricity in Rwanda and to get rid of the dangerous gas mix within the lake. It was considered safe — that is, until the eruption of a volcano at the end of May.

In Brazil, indigenous people fear for their livelihoods as a controversial land reform bill would remove protections of their ancestral lands. People who wanted to seek asylum in the US have been stuck in limbo in Mexico. And the pandemic has revived old Italian towns on the verge of dying out.

The invisible danger of pollution kills around seven million people per year. It's especially bad in big cities like Jakarta for instance. Haiti has been in turmoil for years. Escalating gang violence has pushed thousands from their homes in the capital Port-au-Prince. And the pandemic has intensified the strain on humanitarian aid as funding dropped. Where do we go from here?

Global problems often need local solutions — but who can find them? In Congo, there has been low take-up for COVID vaccines but health workers and officials are fighting this. It is the poorest who are hit hardest by hyperinflation, but digital currency could help. Workers in Bangladesh hope a new German law can change working conditions. And in the Maldives, tourists are put off by mosquitoes.

A new EU regulation is supposed to limit European exports of surveillance technologies for nefarious reasons or to dictatorial regimes. But many contradictions remain, and critics fear European surveillance tools will continue to be used for purposes that violate human rights.

Many women across Africa shape protest movements and stand up for their rights: from descendants of Benin’s Amazon warriors, to activists fighting injustice and women promoting gender equality with political and poetic means.

On this week’s show, we get a rare glimpse behind the scenes of Myanmar’s notorious army, the Tatmadaw. Plus, insights from New Delhi on how India’s second wave spun out of control. And, the Amazigh women of Morocco have been getting facial tattoos for centuries. But is tradition about to die out?

How do communities around the world help empower and enable each other? In France, one group is helping migrants in the treacherous Alps, and a new report shows that there are more and more displaced people in the world. And in Africa, women are supporting each other: An NGO in Nigeria is helping deaf pregnant women while in Somalia new fitness and work opportunities for women are being embraced.

A new report shows that 40.5 million people were displaced last year alone. Around 75% were fleeing disasters and the effects of climate change, mostly weather-related. An interview with DW's environment reporter Ajit Niranjan who has been speaking to some of the people who have lost homes, family members or livelihoods because of disasters.

How are textile workers in Bangladesh faring who are unable to socially distance in their factories? We also hear how clean cooking stoves can help reduce the risk of lung diseases in Guatemala's poorer neighborhoods — that's more important than ever during the coronavirus pandemic.

As some countries have made remarkable strides in vaccinating their populations, the situation in India is looking grimmer by the day. The country now accounts for a third of global coronavirus infections and has surpassed the 20 million mark. We also hear how the Baka pygmies in Cameroon and migrants on the Canary Islands are coping with the pandemic.

This week we dive deep into outer space. Who owns space? Who owns mineral resources and water? The race is on — it's about big money, new business models and the future of our economy. And that of our environment. There are ideas of moving dirty industries to space, while our Earth would be reserved for clean living.

On this week's show, we hear from women in Morocco trying to give rape victims a voice. Plus, insights from Jan Kreutzberg of the German Foundation of World Population on the UN's latest report concerning COVID-19 and women's bodily autonomy. And then a look at how the pandemic has reshaped New York City, possibly for good.

After a year of so many lives lost, people around the world have found new, creative ways to deal with the effects of the coronavirus crisis, from a Brazilian man dressed as the Grim Reaper in Berlin to Polish salt mines that can help with respiratory problems. Plus, a look at how technology is changing music in the Atlanta hip-hop scene and for South Korean sound engineers.

The Mekong River flows 5,000 kilometers from China to Vietnam. China's construction of large hydropower dams along the river to feed the country's growing energy needs is causing problems downriver — having devastating impacts on water availability and the fertile soil that feeds hundreds of millions of people in Southeast Asia.

On this week’s show, we’re looking at how COVID-19 is impacting the world’s most vulnerable. More and more Italians are falling into poverty. One initiative is working to get rid of the stigma of accepting help. Plus, a look at how inequality is deepening, what COVID has meant for coffee production, and a look at the Yuqui of Bolivia.

Traveling without a passport - just by being scanned at an airport? Projects to test this kind of digital identity have already started. For some, that sounds great. Others fear the dangers posed by the possible abuse of data collected by companies and governments. Thomas Kruchem explores the possibilities and dangers of digital identities. The presenter is Natalie Muller.