For nearly a million years people roamed the untamed lands between Europe and what is known today as the United Kingdom. But at the end of the last Ice Age, 12,000 years ago, massive sea-rise flooded the plains north of the European continent and separated the British Isles from the rest of Europe.
The idea of postponing or even reversing the ageing process has always fascinated humanity. Some claim that immortality will be possible as little as thirty years from now - but will it just be for the rich? Our team visited research laboratories working on this objective and interviewed the world’s top researchers in the field. We ask just how long humans might be able to live, and what it could involve. The programme also looks into the popular wish to remain young and extend our lifespan.
The extreme right has won the European elections in France, Italy and Belgium and has gained about a quarter of MEPs in the new parliament. The xenophobia, patriarchy or authoritarianism that they preach are also present in the programs of parties that are not even considered ultra-right. Issues that were thought to be overcome, such as gender violence, the use of firearms or the death penalty, are being reintroduced into the debate.
After three wars in eight years and an ongoing eleven-year blockade, how are the people of Gaza coping? Many public employees, whether they are doctors in the large hospitals or waste management supervisors in the garbage dump, have been working without pay for over seven years. And yet despite this, the provision of basic public services continues through the tremendous efforts of people trying to keep the city functioning.
The Citarum river in Indonesia, is the world's most polluted river. A reporter teamed up with international scientists to investigate the causes and consequences of this pollution. One of the main polluters is actually the fashion industry : 500 textile factories throw away their wastewater directly into the Citarum river.
Economic reforms have led to a divided China, which threatens not only individual survival, but even economic growth and the entire Chinese society. In this episode, we hear stories and interviews about the middle class, about poverty in rural areas and about the precarious existence of hundreds of millions of migrant workers on the fringes of the cities.
How is China run, and how do the people get their say? Stories and interviews about China's ruling Communist Party, about being a representative of the people, about the potential political power of blogs, and about grassroots protests and mass incidents, which are only increasing in number.
"With the birth of the knowledge society, higher education is booming. There were 13 million university students in 1960. In 2015, their ranks had swollen to nearly 200 million. The number of students attending university is exploding around the globe, as a gigantic global student market is being forged… It’s a simple fact: for the past two decades, the new wealth producing champions have been business executives and members of the intellectual and scientific professions.
It could have been a bloodbath of historic proportions. But instead, one man made the end of apartheid possible. In February 1990, President F.W. de Klerk lifted the ban on the African National Congress and ordered the release of Nelson Mandela. As the world celebrated, Mandela would go on to become South Africa’s first democratically elected president - with de Klerk as his Vice President. But de Klerk’s history is complicated.
Tatiana, Paula, and Joyce are three officers patrolling the dangerous back alleys of Rio De Janeiro, tasked with reducing violence between drug traffickers and the city's military police, and wondering each day if they will be returning home to their families
