World in Progress

Afghanistan went to the polls amid Taliban attacks — the dire security situation and political instability has left many people without any hope. And the US embargo on Venezuela takes a toll on people who can't even get the medicine they need.

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.