Death Route Through The Darien Gap
The Darien Gap stretches between Colombia and Panama. A mountainous rainforest and now one of the world's most important migration routes. But it is dangerous: the paths are muddy and steep, and there are armed groups lurking all along the way.
AI In Agriculture - Fighting World's Hunger
The way we feed ourselves is changing. Artificial intelligence is on it's way to revolutionize agriculture. Does it offer any hope for food security?
Expulsion From Europe's Largest Slum - The Cañada Real In Madrid
The Cañada Real is considered the largest slum in Western Europe. Directly outside the gates of Spain's capital Madrid, several thousand people live without electricity or heating. Now they have to move: Because Madrid is expanding and the residents of the slums are in the way.
Fast Fashion In The Desert: Mountains Of Garbage In Chile's Atacama
What ends up in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile is no longer wanted in Europe: clothing - barely worn or even brand new. The country has become a turnover point for textiles from all over the world. What remains unsold is buried in the desert sand or burned - with fatal consequences for residents and the environment.
Resistance In One Of Colombia's Most Dangerous Slums
For people across Colombia, Siloé is synonymous with violence and drug trafficking. The district in the city of Cali is considered one of the most dangerous slums in the country. Their residents are labeled as criminals - they are denied opportunities and participation from an early age. But the Siloeños no longer want to accept this.
Airlift In The Corona Pandemic: Supplies In The Colombian Rainforest
Deep in the rainforest, everything was missing during the Covid pandemic: masks, disinfectants, tests, oxygen. And knowledge. The surgeon Camilo Prieto leads a privileged life in Bogotá. Ever since the outbreak of the pandemic, he has had a mission: Flying to villages in Colombia's hinterland to fight against the virus - and maybe that way install a more lasting supply system for these forgotten regions.
Fighting For Sustainable Tourism In Colombia's Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon rainforest is a key region in the fight against climate change. In Colombia, more and more people are seeking to promote ecological and sustainable tourism. But a lack of control and resources hinder this goal. Deforestation, gold mining and hunting of wild animals threaten its existence.
Carlos Lehder: ‘It's time for me to tell my side of things’
Carlos Lehder was considered one of Pablo Escobar's closest allies. After spending a long time in prison in the US, he now lives in Germany. In this interview he speaks up about the violence within the notorious Medellín cartel, the current cocaine boom and his nazi tendencies.
A Grave At Last
84 years and 205 days after his assassination by the Franco regime, Alfonso Fontiveros Muñoz is laid to rest. However, Spain continues to find it difficult to deal with the memory of the civil war and dictatorship. To this day, surviving relatives are subject to political arbitrariness when searching for their loved ones. The country still seems to be asking itself: how much remembrance is enough?
The Dinghy Guerrillas
In southeastern Colombia, former FARC fighters invite tourists to sit in a boat with them - and raft on the Río Pato, where civil war raged for decades. Our author took the trip.
Dangerous Paradise: Russian Refuge At The Costa Blanca
A Russian deserter is murdered at the Spanish Costa Blanca. The town where it all took place: Villajoyosa, a picturesque beach place close to the biggest tourism hubs of the country. What happened? How advanced is Russian interference in Spain? And what does it do to the coexistence of spaniards and people from abroad?
He, Who Goes His Own Way
A hermit discovered ancient rock paintings in the jungles of Colombia. Now he may soon no longer be so alone.
Poisoned Hope
A peace agreement gave coca farmers in Colombia the prospect of a life outside of illegality. But five years later, the government may soon rain glyphosate on farmers instead of giving them a way out.
Paradise In Blue
After two days of swell, there it is: la Isla de Coco, Cocos Island in the Pacific Ocean - uninhabited and more than 500 kilometers from the Costa Rica mainland. A treasure island straight out of a novel. Or is it the other way around?
Drought In Spain: No Need For Hightech
Spain is suffering from an extreme water shortage. A trio of engineers is helping farmers to save their harvests.
Colombian Ex-soldiers In Ukraine: Fighting Against A Common Enemy
Colombian ex-soldiers are volunteering in Ukraine. Apparently it's not money that drives them - but rather the concern that a growing Russia could also have consequences for their homeland.
Flotsam - Cocaine In The Azores
A smuggler loses more than half a ton of cocaine on an Azores island. To this day - more than 20 years later - its residents are feeling the effects.
How Saltwater Brings Light To Cabo de la Vela
Could this device give hope to the entire region of la Guajira? How Waterlight wants to merge indigenous tradition with entrepreneurship in Colombia.
Luis Rubiales And Spain: A country In Transition
Government officials and even the UN have condemned Luis Rubiales for planting a kiss on a Spanish soccer player's lips. But those around him insist that he is innocent. What does the case mean for Spain?
Sangría und sonst - Der Spanienpodcast
Sangría, what else: A podcast about Spain Spain is more than its clichés. Whether it's protests against mass tourism, disputes with the independence-minded regions or stress in the royal family: once a month, we tell you which topic is particularly moving in the country. We go into depth and report on our research on the ground. Always as a team of two. Always from Madrid and Barcelona.
Ex-coca Farmers As Protectors Of Nature
The Caquetá region in Colombia was one of the country's most conflict-ridden areas. Colombia's largest guerrilla group, the FARC, ruled the department for decades. Many farmers lived from coca cultivation. This is set to change: instead of destroying it, they are now campaigning to protect their environment.
Venezuela - Hundreds Are Not Allowed Back In
Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans set off for Colombia in search of a better life. But the covid pandemic has deprived many of them of their livelihood there. Now they are returning home to at least be with their families. But the border is often times closed for those who want to return.
Fragile Peace: Paramilitaries Harass Embera Communities In The Colombian Rainforest
The peace agreement with the FARC guerrillas in Colombia was intended to end five decades of civil war - but parts of the agreement were never implemented. Away from the big cities, the spiral of violence continues.
The Search For Victims Of Civil War In Colombia - How A Grave Can Give Peace
Five years after the peace agreement between the government and the Farc fighters, tens of thousands of people are still missing in Colombia. A government search team is looking for secretly buried bodies, but this is becoming more difficult by the day.
Solutions For The World Of Tomorrow - Do We Really Have To Go There?
Eco-tourism is seen as a solution to prevent deforestation in the Amazon. Although the question remains: how sustainable can a vacation deep within the rainforest truly be?
Germany, Your Colonies - Gold rush: The Welser Family And Today's Venezuela
The first German colonies were private ventures: In Venezuela, also called “Little Venice” the Welser trading family hoped for rich exploits.