Girls make a comeback - What India and China are doing about the women shortage

Why do people in Europe refer to them as "Arabic numerals" when they were invented in India? How could ten tiny symbols conquer the world? And how did zero change the course of history? The Western world calls them "Arabic numerals," while in the Arab world, today's European notation is thought of as being Western. What is "Arabic" about the symbols that traveled from India to Europe and on to the rest of the world? Following the trail of our numbers leads us to Baghdad. There, in the eighth century, a scholar named al-Khwarizmi — Latinized as "Algorismi," later to be found in the word "algorithm" — helped spread Indian numerals. He would become known as the father of modern algebra. The "Arabic" numerals commonly used in Europe today derive from another variant, known as "Ghubar" — Arabic for "dust." That had emerged from the so-called "dust tables" used by Maghrebi merchants around the Mediterranean. From Europe to America, and from the dawn of modern science to the computer age — the fascinating history of these ten small digits is

People on the autism spectrum have dreams like many other people’s: love, a career, friendships. But the path to achieving them is often strewn with challenges. "Life on the Spectrum" tells the stories of Sebastian, Lena, Diane and Elias. With sensitivity and intimacy, it shows us just how varied and complicated life with autism can be. There’s Sebastian, who's looking for a partner. Lena wants to become a doctor, despite all the setbacks she has faced. And Diane, who wants to help her son Elias settle into school life, but keeps encountering obstacles in the process. They offer us moving insights into their lives at these pivotal moments. The documentary doesn't focus on the diagnosis, but rather on the people themselves, with their hopes, strengths and vulnerabilities. With a gentle camera style and a visual language that also brings inner landscapes to life, the documentary opens doors to a world that's still unfamiliar to many. ______ DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant

Nimeksha Siddi is 18 years old and India's sprinting hope for the 2028 Olympics. Nimeksha belongs to the Siddi ethnic group, whose daily lives are marked by racism and exclusion. The 18-year-old sprinter Nimeksha flies down the home straight like a bolt of lightning. She's a Siddi. Hardly anyone knows about her people, not even in India, where the Siddi have lived for 500 years. Her ancestors came to India from Africa as slaves or mercenaries. It's not known how many Siddi live in India. They all have the surname Siddi. They are Muslim, Christian or Hindu - and are often mistaken for tourists by many Indians. Most live in poverty, scraping by as day laborers, gathering plants, honey or rubber. In 1983, India's Minister for Sport launched a program aimed at tapping into the community's athletic potential. Children from Siddi villages were recruited and coached in running. One of the most successful was Kamala Siddi. At the age of 15, she set a national record in the pentathlon, won bronze and gold at international level, and was rewarded with

Marine pilots must make crucial decisions under extreme conditions. Transferring from a cargo ship to a small pilot boat in hurricane-force gusts can be fatal. For marine pilots, this is the most dangerous moment in their daily working lives: climbing down a rope ladder from a cargo ship in gale-force gusts, and transferring to a small pilot boat. In mid-January, a pilot fell into the sea off Borkum and was taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia. Just a few days earlier, a British colleague died during a similar maneuver. Harbor pilot Gerhard Janssen and sea pilot Dominik Thieben are getting ready for their assignment. In force 8 winds, they set off in the pilot boat to the cargo ship "Silver Soul". They must guide it safely out of the harbor, along the Ems River in northern Germany, and out into the North Sea. They face oncoming traffic, poor visibility and a narrow channel that leaves little room to maneuver. Off the island of Borkum, a pilot boat will pick them up and take them back to shore. Transferring vessels in

In 2024, several Latin Americans were caught committing sabotage on behalf of Russia. A DW investigation reveals how they came to work for Moscow's secret services and who recruited them. It started with an arson attack at a Polish construction-supply business and continued with arrests in Czechia and Romania for similar offenses. Just weeks later, Lithuanian investigators uncovered a plot to set fire to military equipment. All of the suspects were from Spanish-speaking countries, but investigators traced the actions back to Russia's secret services - and a Cuban dance teacher in Russia, Oemis Romagoza Durruthy. DW and three other European broadcasters have spent more than a year looking into this case. This documentary reveals how Russia reached across continents to organize a destabilizing campaign against Europe and follow the trail of these attacks to a dance studio in Russia. ______ DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of

Before the Taliban’s return, a brief hope was ignited. Could Afghanistan become a more just country? A group of Afghan women sat at the negotiating table. But after the Taliban took power in 2021, those dreams were dashed. Four women were part of an Afghan negotiating team that included representatives of the former government. They wrestled with the Taliban over the future of Afghanistan. Although it was life-threatening for them to raise their voices against the Taliban's misogynistic regime, they never gave up hope of preserving the women of Afghanistan’s hard-won rights. The team's intelligence, perseverance and bravery in the face of a hopeless situation are characteristic, when it comes to women around the world who fight for both peace and equality. But the Taliban were not interested in a democratic, free society in which girls and women have basic rights and can go to school, study or work. After decades of war and chaos, Afghanistan has become safer under the Taliban. But the price for women is high: they have paid with their freedom. ______ DW Documentary gives you