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Investigative documentary series, geopolitical analysis, and international commentary

Politics and society

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Alexis Fleming lives surrounded by more than a hundred animals: goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens. They've all been rescued from the slaughterhouse. To accommodate them, she set up a farm animal hospice on the Scottish coast. At 40, suffering from an incurable disease, she sees her farm as a place full of life where death is not a taboo subject.

A Scottish Animal Hospice

Alexis Fleming runs an animal hospice where death is not a taboo subject

Re: For the Love of Animals

Current Highlights

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The Brazilian president is criticised for many policies: Gun control, Amazon deforestation, policies against minorities, as well as his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. A focus on Bolsonaro’s Brazil, a divided country.

A focus on Bolsonaro’s Brazil, a divided country.

Bolsonaro's Brazil

With the withdrawal of NATO troops, the Taliban has taken back control of Afghanistan. And yet the insurgents say that they want peace.

The Taliban took advantage of the withdrawal of NATO troops to win back Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Taliban Land

Our web-series explores the lives of women in Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. We ask how the Arab Spring changed their societies and their roles.

Ten years on from the Arab Spring, Arab women reflect on how their lives have changed

Women of the Arab Spring

With 600,000 casualties and five million refugees, the war in Syria is the bloodiest conflict of the 21st century so far.

10 Years of War

Syria: The Never-Ending Conflict

Because their suffering deserves to be seen. Because their suffering deserves to be heard. Because their suffering deserves to be stopped. 

Whether in the workplace, the street, or at home, these survivors of sexual violence tell us their stories

The Pandemic of Sexual Violence

Ten years ago, the popular uprisings in the Arab world were a source of hope for freedom and change, but overall these hopes were dashed. A special collection that will help you understand the last tumultuous decade in the Arab states.

Ten years ago, the popular uprisings in the Arab world were a source of hope for freedom and change, but overall these hopes were dashed.

10 Years of the Arab Spring

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Playlists

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Cameroon, a Central African country of 27 million inhabitants, has been spared the worst of the coronavirus crisis. It's only had around 100,000 cases and less than 2000 deaths. That's an incidence rate 50 times lower than that of European countries. But herbal homemade 'remedies' to covid have flourished. 

ARTE Reportage

Herbal homemade 'remedies' to covid have flourished in Cameroon

Cameroon: Anti-Covid Witches

Almost 10 years ago, Turkey opened its doors wide to more than 3 million Syrian refugees. But for those Afghans who fled the Taliban to power this summer and are trying to cross into Turkey, the welcome couldn't be more different.

After Turkey welcomed more than 3 million Syrian refugees, Afghans are not welcome

Turkey: Afghan Refugees Not Welcome

Every year Israel builds more and more road infrastructure in the occupied West Bank, encouraging new settlements to house the overspill from the crowded urban centres of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. But where is the space for a Palestinian state?

Every year Israel builds more and more road infrastructure in the occupied West Bank, encouraging new settlements to house the overspill from the crowded urban centres of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. 

Israel: Making (In)Roads into the West Bank

Many countries in the Middle East do not allow civil marriage which means that mixed-faith couples cannot easily marry. But just 30 minutes’ flight from Lebanon and Israel lies Cyprus where foreigners can easily tie the knot.

Where mixed-faith couples from the Middle East come to tie the knot.

Cyprus: Forbidden Love Island

Viktoria and Zoltan are in love. They live in Budapest but Viktoria is moving to Berlin for a chance of a better life. Will Zoltan be able to follow her there? The Hungarian couple are one of many that have left Hungary in the last decade.

Hungarians Leaving Home

Viktoria and Zoltan are in love. They live in Budapest but Viktoria is moving to Berlin for a chance of a better life. Will Zoltan be able to follow her there?

Re: One Way Ticket to Berlin

In Armenia, the trauma of defeat continues to shake civil society. The human cost of war has been very high for this small country of 3 million inhabitants. More than 10 000 people have been injured and almost 4 000 killed with 1600 soldiers still missing.

In Armenia, the trauma of defeat continues to shake civil society. The human cost of war has been very high for this small country of 3 million inhabitants. 

Nagorno-Karabakh: A Fragile Peace

Investigation and reports

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Saype is a graffiti artist with a difference. He doesn't spray his works on walls but in fields and on grass, using his own biodegradable paint. His huge works of art are best appreciated by drone, where the true scale is revealed. 

Gymnastics

Saype, Green-Fingered Graffitti Artist

The American director Peter Sellars was invited to the Salzburg Festival. For the 2017 edition he staged The Clemency of Titus by Mozart.

Carte Blanche to Peter Sellars

Square Artiste: Peter Sellars

Mariusz would never have become the artist he is now if Poland had not joined the European Union. He now creates striking murals in cities all over the world.

Europe of Artists

Mariusz Waras, Street Artist

French writer Emmanuel Ruben is a bicycle enthusiast. Writing about his cycle from west to east following Europe’s longest river, the Danube, Ruben reflects on Europe and migration.

Rewriting Europe Along the Danube

Europe as a source of inspiration: Meeting artists from across the continent whose works spring from Europe’s cultural diversity.

Through the eyes of artists

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How we represent our world in maps depends on our perspective. For many centuries Europeans have put their continent in the centre and on top of their maps, the Chinese likewise placed the Middle Kingdom in the centre of things. What do our maps tell us about our worldview?

What do our maps tell us about our worldview?

Cartography: How We Represent the World

Amongst the millions of species of insect on the planet, the bee plays a crucial role in human civilisation. A focus on how bees have spread around the world with globalisation and how they are now critically endangered.

Mapping the World

 A focus on how bees have spread around the world with globalisation and how they are now critically endangered.

Bees and Agriculture

It was long thought that women in Islamic State were victims, forced to obey their husbands. But this idea is simplistic. Those who agreed to speak on camera were fully integrated into the terror regime giving a shocking insight into how it worked. These women are now mostly in hiding and are trying to forget their painful and often shameful pasts.

It was long thought that women in Islamic State were victims, forced to obey their husbands. But this documentary tells a different story.

The Women of Daesh

All world powers want a piece of Antartica, the only continent that belongs to everyone and no one. This unique territory at the end of the world is currently protected by international law, with only scientific research allowed. But for how long will it remain a pristine wilderness?

All world powers want a piece of Antartica, the only continent that belongs to everyone and no one.

Antarctica: Ice and Greed

With a beautiful coastline stretching more than 2,000 kilometres along the Indian Ocean and a wealth of natural resources, Mozambique has the makings of an Eldorado. But the former Portuguese colony is facing a jihadist insurgency in the north which is jeopardising its chances of development and stability

Mozambique has the makings of an Eldorado with natural beauty and resources. But the former Portuguese colony is facing a jihadist insurgency in the north which is jeopardising its development.

Mozambique: A Cursed Eldorado

Morocco is a beacon of stability in an unstable region. However, the kingdom still faces problems of serious social inequality, a lack of democratic freedoms, and the ongoing unresolved status of Western Sahara.

What Future for the Kingdom of Morocco?

Vietnam had a bloody twentieth century as long wars with the French and subsequently the Americans cost the country dearly. Recently things have been on the up as the south-east Asian country reinvents itself as a model economy and tourist destination.

Recently things have been on the up as the south-east Asian country reinvents itself as a model economy and tourist destination.

Vietnam: The New Asian Tiger

Insights

Kids

Switching viewpoints

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It's big business: in summer, hundreds of kilos of mushrooms are illegally picked every day in Romanian forests. They are then transported to Italy by intermediaries where they are sold at astronomical prices. Romanian authorities do nothing as the forests are looted unsustainably for their grey gold.

It's big business: in summer, hundreds of kilos of mushrooms are illegally picked every day in Romanian forests

Re: Truffle Traffick in Romania

Rewilding means returning areas to their natural state. Across Europe conservationists, local government and ordinary citizens are rethinking their impact on the environment and trying to work with nature, rather than against it.

Across Europe conservationists, local government and ordinary citizens are rethinking their impact on the environment and trying to work with nature, rather than against it.

Re: Living in Harmony with Nature

A focus on the world’s largest country by landmass. Russia is a major world power that excels in certain spheres but glaring inequality, major structural problems and Western sanctions mean it may struggle to keep up with other world powers.

Russia: Land of Contrasts

Russian communists dream of rising as a credible alternative to Putin and his United Russia party. With 160,000 members today, it is still a long way from its former size before its collapse in 1991. Modern day communists style themselves as the party that denounces social inequalities and Russia's nouveau riche, while renouncing old school communism such as tight economic controls.

Communism in Russia is staging a comeback, as disappointment over Putin's United Russia party grows.

Russia: Communist Comeback

A region of Europe with a shared experience of communism and USSR dominance, Eastern Europe today is characterised by nations with diverse cultural and political identities.

How many Eastern Europes?

Every year Russia celebrates Victory day on 9 May to mark the end of the Second World War with great pomp and ceremony. The story of a steadfast Soviet Union defeating the forces of fascism looms large in the Russian imagination, a story that Vladimir Putin uses to his own ends.

 The story of a steadfast Soviet Union defeating the forces of fascism looms large in the Russian imagination, a story that Vladimir Putin uses to his own ends.

Russia: Putin's World View

Every year around 8,000 ethnic Germans from Russia emigrate to Germany, like the Kotchevnikov family from near Kaliningrad. Fitting in is not always easy for these Germans who may not speak the language.

Migrating to your Own Country

Every year around 8,000 ethnic Germans from Russia emigrate to Germany, like the Kotchevnikov family from near Kaliningrad.

Re: Russian Germans

The world economy covets Greenland’s rich deposits of raw materials, until now unexploited. Uranium mining could provide much needed employment for indigenous peoples as well as tax revenue. But the environmental cost could be heavy.

A Solution for the Future?

Re: Mining in Greenland

Second or third children born illegally during China’s One Child Policy are banned from marrying, having children or simply boarding a train. Condemned to a non-life, these ghost children do not officially exist according to the Chinese state. ARTE Reportage goes in search of these ‘Haihaizi’,  those children who should not have been born.

Arte Reportage

Second or third children born illegally during China’s One Child Policy are banned from marrying, having children or simply boarding a train. 

China's Ghost Children

After years of factory farming, a pig farm cooperative in Brandenburg is on the brink of bankruptcy due to the collapse in pig prices. A visionary farmer proposes a change of tack…

Converting to Organic Farming

Re: Posh Pork

In southern Germany and Austria citizens are campaigning against motorbikes on country roads, which they say are unnecessarily loud. Whereas bikers want to be able to enjoy their hobby and ride freely.

In southern Germany and Austria citizens are campaigning against motorbikes on country roads, which they say are unnecessarily loud. Whereas bikers want to enjoy their hobby and ride freely.

Re: Bikers vs Citizens

The world's tech giants - the likes of Facebook, Apple or Google - now have a political role to play. They can curb misinformation or spread it, along with all of the massive social issues that entails. An in-depth analysis of social media uses and regulations in China, the United States, and Europe.

An in-depth analysis of social media uses and regulations in China, the United States, Europe and Russia.

The Geopolitics of Social Media

Lockdowns caused domestic violence against children and teenagers to soar. In 2020 in Germany, 152 children were killed. Social worker Vivian Osterhoff from the Wiesbaden youth welfare office tries to visit families in person as often as possible. One of her charges: 19 year old Vanessa, who was beaten by her father and sexually abused by her stepfather.

Social worker Vivian Osterhoff has seen violence against children soar during the pandemic

Re: Child Abuse in the Pandemic

In Northern Ireland tensions are high as the realities of Brexit and the Northern Ireland protocol become apparent. ARTE meets members of the loyalist community leading up to 12 July, Orangemen’s Day.

Tensions in Northern Ireland

Re: A Brexit Powder Keg

Hemp is now used for everything: ointments, infusions and even natural concrete. In the south of France, Vincent Lartizien is making sustainable clothing out of this wonderplant.

Hemp is now used for everything: ointments, infusions and even natural concrete. In the south of France, Vincent Lartizien is making sustainable clothing out of this wonder plant.

Re: The Wonder of Hemp

Abdul fled Afghanistan six years ago and found asylum in France. In the course of his journey during which he crossed twelve countries over two years, he developed a passion for photography. In Calais he is documenting the desperate lives of people trying to cross the English Channel to Britain, in the hope of a better life.

In Calais Abdul documents the desperate lives of people trying to cross the English Channel in hope of a better life.

An Afghan Refugee in Calais

The fall of the USSR destabalised the Caucasus, which is being eyed up by three autocratic regimes: Russia, Turkey, and Iran. Each country jealously guards its interests in this oil and gas-rich region. 

The fall of the USSR destabalised the Caucasus, which is being eyed up by three autocratic regimes: Russia, Turkey, and Iran

The Caucasus: At the Crossroads of Europe and Asia

Many countries in the Middle East do not allow civil marriage which means that mixed-faith couples cannot easily marry. Nearby Cyprus has become a centre for foreigners wanting to tie the knot.

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In Northern Ireland alcohol consumption is particularly widespread among pregnant women - with devastating consequences for the children. A lack of education and support for affected families has inspired one mother to campaign for change.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

In Northern Ireland alcohol consumption is particularly widespread among pregnant women - with devastating consequences for the children. 

Re: Drunk in the Womb

There are only six facilities in all of Europe where students can learn circus arts. Ika has decided to sign on for a further two years. She can already do handstands and a variety of graceful shapes with her body, but wants to become a certified "artist".

Ika wants to become a certified circus artist

Re: The Apprentice Acrobats

Europe's farmers must slash the use of their pesticides by half, by 2030. But due to these increasingly stricter requirements, farmers feel vulnerable to unfair competition, as producers outside of the EU can carry on using chemicals now barred in Europe. Some desperate farmers have taken to importing chemicals illegally, sometimes buying dangerous counterfeits.

As EU farmers reduce their use of pesticides to meet new regulations, an illicit trade in chemicals has sprung up

Re: Illegal Pesticides

Compared to neighboring Mali, Senegal appears to be quiet and stable. France, a former colonial power, maintains its place as its main partner, but others are now vying for a spot at the table: China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Indonesia and the United States.

France, a former colonial power, is Senegal's main partner, but others are now vying for a spot at the table

Senegal and France: Allies?

The two main cocoa-producing countries - Ivory Coast and Ghana - aren't reaping the rewards of a growing global taste for sweet treats. On the one hand there are multinational corporations that control the entire value chain, on the other, small cocoa producers trying to support their families.

The main cocoa-producing countries - Ivory Coast and Ghana - aren't reaping the rewards of growing global demand

Cacao: Who Profits from Chocolate?

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico is one of the windiest areas in the world. It has become the Eldorado of the large multinational European electricity companies. EDF already owns three wind farms comprising several hundred wind turbines lined up as far as the eye can see. But locals aren't happy.

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec has attracted European electricity multinationals. But locals aren't happy

Mexico: Winds of Anger

The pandemic has emptied Germany's North Sea beaches of tourists and led to record births of common and grey seals on Heligoland.

Re: Seal Baby Boom in the North Sea

BirthStrike are a group of activists that are fighting climate change by not having children. A Fridays for Future for thirtysomethings founded by musician Blythe Pepino, they say that they cannot bring life into a world with impending ‘climate breakdown and civilisation collapse’.  

Birthstrike are a group of activists that are fighting climate change by not having children. A Fridays for Future for thirtysomethings founded by musician Blythe Pepino, they say that they cannot bring life into a world with impending ‘climate breakdown and civilisation collapse’.  

BirthStrike: Staying Childless to Save the Planet

Draught horses used pull timber in managed forests all over Germany, but have been replaced in recent years by efficient modern machinery. These beasts of burden could be returning to work as they cause much less damage to the fragile soil than heavy machinery.

Managing Forests with Horses

Draught horses could be a regular sight in German forest as they cause much less damage to the fragile soils than heavy machinery.
 

Re: Beasts of Burden

In Romania a collection of unique medieval fortified churches is in danger. Many German-Romanians emigrated west in 1990 leaving empty villages. But some energetic volunteers are trying to save this crumbling heritage

In Romania a collection of unique medieval fortified churches is in danger. But some energetic volunteers are trying to save this crumbling heritage

Re: Saving Saxon Heritage in Romania

Volunteers have come from all over Germany to the island of Rugen on the North Sea. There they are spending their holidays doing back-breaking work to rebuild the natural swamp habitat. The effort is worth it: Swamps and bogs store even more carbon than trees.

Taking Action on Climate

On the island of Rugen in the North Sea volunteers are taking back-breaking work to rebuild the natural swamp habitat.

Re: Swamp Builders

La Colifata radio station broadcasts from a famous mental hospital in the Argentinian capital and it’s the patients themselves that present the shows. The station is the brainchild of psychologist Alfredo Oivera to give marginal people a voice.

La Colifata radio station broadcasts from a famous mental hospital in the Argentinian capital and it’s the patients themselves that present the shows.

Argentina's Radio Crazy

We give Charles Berling, French actor, director and screenwriter, carte blanche. He takes us to Toulon, where he grew up and where he heads the Freedom Theatre. In a bus, he meets Dominique, who drives the line 1. The actor and director traces the story of this woman battered by life, but animated by an irrepressible energy. A tender and funny portrait.

Charles Berling

We give Charles Berling, French actor, director and screenwriter, carte blanche

Square Artist

From her remodelled ambulance, Jenny is a vet to the homeless of Berlin. Treating their dogs allows her to connect with vulnerable people and try and help them to take control of their lives.

Re: Berlin's Mobile Vet

The ruling junta renamed Burma Myanmar, claiming it was a way of erasing the country's British colonial past. But the deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi still defends the name Burma. This episode of Mapping the World looks at this ethically diverse country influenced by both India and China.

This episode of Mapping the World looks at this ethically diverse country influenced by both India and China