Focus Podcast
1) Mass investment changes face of Dakhla, in Morocco-controlled Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory, listed by the United Nations as non-self-governing. Morocco largely controls the area, but for decades has been battling the pro-independence Polisario Front ar...Show More
2) Swiss villages threatened by melting glaciers
The reality of disappearing glaciers is no longer a distant phenomenon: back in May, a glacier collapsed, triggering a massive landslide that buried the Swiss village of Blatten. Switzerland finds its...Show More
3) The price of prosperity: Singapore's 60 years of independence
On August 9, 1965, Singapore became an independent city-state. Despite having no natural resources, it now rivals some of the world's greatest nations. The key to its success: a strategic port that's ...Show More
4) A boy at all costs: The business of gender selection in Egypt
All over Egypt, clinics offering couples the option to choose the sex of their future child operate openly. Having at least one son is still considered essential by many Egyptians, especially in villa...Show More
5) Amid safety concerns, can India remain the 'pharmacy of the world'?
As the world's second-largest producer of medication, India is facing increasing scrutiny over drug quality following deadly incidents involving Indian products. Is India's race to remain the "pharmac...Show More
6) Spain's housing crisis: Private companies hired to evict unwanted tenants
In Spain, property owners are increasingly turning to private companies to eject unwanted tenants or squatters – "okupas", as they’re dubbed in Spanish. The use of private firms to persuade squatters ...Show More
7) Pakistan's Karachi sees rise in bodyguards as private security business booms
In Karachi, Pakistan's economic capital and largest city, fear has become a commodity. In 2024, Forbes Advisor ranked Karachi as the second-most dangerous city in the world for tourists. Due to the in...Show More
8) American dream over for Indians as US carries out mass deportations
Since returning to power in January, US President Donald Trump has pledged to deport tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants. Among them are 18,000 Indians who entered the country illegally. In F...Show More
9) In Canada, NGO Rainbow Railroad sees rise in LGBT asylum requests from US
Many people from LGBT minorities who are persecuted in their own countries have found refuge in Canada. The NGO Rainbow Railroad, which supports threatened sexual and gender minorities around the worl...Show More
10) In Singapore, the food of the future is being cooked up in a lab
Eggs without chickens, milk without cows, and meat without slaughter: Singapore has emerged as Asia's hub for food innovation. The city-state of six million people imports 90 percent of its food and h...Show More