Tracks East

With music banned by the Taliban, Afghan refugees in Pakistan want to keep their musical traditions alive.

18 years after American troops first arrived in Afghanistan, the United States has announced their withdrawal. Can the Afghan forces keep the Taliban at bay without help from NATO?

Since the Taliban retook Kabul in August 2021, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated considerably. Afghanistan remains the world's largest producer of opium and the country also has high rates of addiction. The Taliban is trying to rid the country of heroin addicts, with particularly brutal methods.

Since the Taliban's return to power, Fawzia Koofi has been forced to continue her fight for women’s rights in exile.

The last foreign troops are leaving Afghanistan, leading to fears of a Taliban resurgence

 Whilst the Afghan government negotiates with the Taliban, babies seem to have become targets in a never-ending war.

Masha Borzunova meets a Russian deserter who tells how he went from being a war hero to an ostracised traitor of his country.

Opposing the Neom project in Saudi Arabia can get you put in prison or killed.

Audio pornography leaves room for the imagination while arousing the listener with erotic stories

Not all nipples are the same. On Instagram or Facebook female breasts are censured whereas the bare male torso is not. Some artists are challenging this double standard. 

From queer cake sitting to sex positive tasting evenings, Tracks finds out about food and sexuality.

With one of his paintings, Gerhard Richter made an intervention into a long-running an passionate debate: Which way round should you put the toilet roll?

It seems that scientist have proven that the enigmatic gaze of the Mona Lisa does not follow you as you move around the room. So why did we think that in the first place?

Coupé-Décalé got the world dancing in the early 2000s. Today, its little brother, biama, is going through the roof.

How a wardrobe malfunction resulted in the creation of Youtube

Marking the opening of the 60th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival, RAYE invites a host of international pop stars to join her on stage for an evening of music.

An odyssey through Iran in search of a lost father for one Tehrani teenager and her friends.

Ukrainian phenomenon Carpetman brings his swaying electro to the ESNS festival.

The calming voice of Amie Blu in an intimate session.

How can we have more fulfilling sex? Ronja von Rönne meets couples and singles who have reinvented their sexuality.

After years of moving towards a cashfree society, Europe is weighing up the risks.

Despite its shift toward authoritarianism, Turkey is a strategic partner for the EU.

An old man swims in the sea. As he moves through the water, memories resurface... 

In the 17th century, many Dutch women painters excelled at depicting the natural world in their art.

It’s a police investigation that stretches to 1,000 pages. ARTE Book Club focuses on the highly acclaimed Russian classic.