Inside Europe

In this special edition, we take a break from the news to explore grief as a lens for understanding global events and as a force for social change. Author Sarah Jaffe joins host Kate Laycock to unpack how personal and communal loss – from COVID-19 and Hurricane Katrina to deindustrialization – shape politics, protests and solidarity. A powerful journey through mourning, memory and hope.

A press freedom special with Georgian journalist Tamar Kintsurashvili, on the worsening situation for media workers in the country gripped by protests. Also: Natalia Belikova, international lawyer at Press Club Belarus, on how Belarusian exile journalists are fairing. Then, Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief of the Kyiv Independent, talks about the situation for journalists during the war in Ukraine.

30 years since Srebrenica, Hanno Hauenstein on why language matters when reporting on Gaza, Wayne Jordash KC on gathering war crimes evidence in Ukraine, PKK fighters disarm, and a personal account of Kosovo’s past and present.

More mayors under arrest in Turkey, and press freedom takes centre stage at the DW Global Media Forum. Later in the show: spotlight on journalists in the post-Soviet space, from pens to protest: a portrait of the Italian cartoonist Gianluca Costantini, and what can Germany learn from Estonia when it comes to digitalisation? ++ Check out Gianluca's drawrings: https://www.channeldraw.org/ ++&maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss

More mayors under arrest: Turkey’s anti-opposition clampdown intensifies, and solidarity in adversity: press freedom takes centre stage at the DW Global Media Forum. Later in the show: spotlight on journalists in the post-Soviet space, from pens to protest: a portrait of the Italian cartoonist Gianluca Costantini, and what can Germany learn from Estonia when it comes to digitalisation?

A protest special as we look at recent events in Budapest and Belgrade - two cities experiencing mass-scale demonstrations in defiance of strongman leaders. And, as the UK parliament votes to proscribe Palestine Action, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights outlines his concerns.

A NATO Summit special with the view from Turkey, France, Spain and The Netherlands, Security Correspondent Teri Schultz answering listener questions from The Hague and Political Correspondent Thomas Sparrow on Friedrich Merz’s foreign policy gamble. Then: Sami rights, Bezos in Venice and Ye in Bratislava.

An “Alternative Economies” special, featuring concrete examples of European experiments with rethinking business as usual… ranging from the reformist, to the downright radical.

“We took democracy for granted…. don’t make the same mistake!”: an interview with Klára Dobrev MEP, leader of Hungary’s Democratic Coalition Party and former Vice President of the European Union. Plus: the cost of climate change, Valencia after the floods and rebuilding quake-struck Hatay.

What can the U.S. learn from Hungary’s fight against authoritarianism? Hungarian MEP Klara Dobrev shares insights on how to resist authoritarianism in a special interview. Plus, we explore the cost of climate change, and examine recovery efforts in Valencia after last year's flooding and Turkey after devastating earthquakes in 2023.

Political earthquakes in Poland and the Netherlands, France’s crypto entrepreneur kidnappings, Russia doubles down on traditional gender roles, Ian Urbina feels the pull of the ocean, a haven for migrants near Rome’s central station, and the uplifting story of the Spanish Refugee National Football Team.

Released RFE journalist Alsu Kurmasheva on her colleague Farid Mehralizada, who is facing a 12 year prison sentence in Azerbaijan. We meet some of the young people on trial in Turkey following the recent crackdown on dissent, and take a look at the Franco-US relationship in the run up to D-Day.

On the show this week: Poland’s presidential elections reveal a country on a knife-edge, Exercise Hedgehog in Estonia and the Baltics’ hybrid warfare fears. Plus a Hungarian spy ring, Icelandic intrigue, Swiss bunkers, and Syrians returning home from Europe. A security special packed with stories from the frontlines of Europe’s shifting geopolitics.

Romania goes to the polls in the final round of high-stakes presidential elections, Albania's Edi Rama sails to victory once again, and the PKK disbands. Later: Pope Leo XIV, Russian volunteers help Ukrainians in Armenia, Eurovision attempts a reset in politically neutral Switzerland, and an adult toy craze that’s perhaps more “constructive” than most…

Germany’s new chancellor gets off to a bumpy start. Is Google helping Turkey to strangle independent media? And Malta is forced to abandon a lucrative business model. Then a VE Day Special: Nathalie Tocci on Europe, a look at Britain and France’s “coalition of the willing”, and a very personal tour of synagogues in the Netherlands.

Germany’s new chancellor gets off to a bumpy start. Is Google helping Turkey to strangle independent media? And Malta is forced to abandon a lucrative business model. Then: Nathalie Tocci on Europe, a look at Britain and France’s “coalition of the willing”, and a very personal tour of synagogues in the Netherlands.

Light in the dark - how people came together during Spain’s energy blackout, plus a very special story of faith, loss and renewal on the ancient Catholic pilgrimage known as “the way”. Later in the show: Could Rome’s colosseum be considered the antecedent to modern day reality TV? And what can the world learn from the Swedish concept of “lagom”?

Kate's away this week, so we're sharing another podcast we love: The Europeans. They've got a veritable smörgåsbord in this episode, from human rights in Hungary to the sorry tale of two Danish sustainability influencers whose eco-resort business went spectacularly wrong. Plus, how an army of volunteer online sleuths is helping Ukraine use open-source intelligence to fight back against Russia.

On this special edition of DW's Inside Europe, we take a break from the news to explore grief as a lens for understanding global events. Author Sarah Jaffe joins host Kate Laycock to unpack how loss—from COVID to deindustrialization—shapes politics, protest, and our shared humanity. A powerful journey through mourning, memory, and hope.

A coalition deal is reached in Germany, France sees opportunities in US academic flight, Turkey’s opposition change tack, and Slovakia gets tough on bears. Also on the show: an iconic opera house fights for survival amidst Berlin’s culture cuts, plus a conversation with Patrick Strickland, author of ‘You Can Kill Each Other After I Leave: Refugees, Fascism, and Bloodshed in Greece.’