World in Progress | Deutsche Welle

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

On Saturday, in the early morning hours of October 7th, Hamas terrorists 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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.