>> in less than five month-to- month whole world will join in brazil's national passion, and then foot all will be coming home to latin america. and this is how many latin americans leave their house in their free time. today, we ask how they feel how they feel about hosting the world cup and whether they think it will be worth their country's heavy investment. welcome to global 3000. here's what we have coming up for you today. reporting to what brazil's a

establishment would rather not talk about, new media on the move. brazil's middle-class, why more and more are locked into a vicious cycle of debt. and the face-off between european and asian bees. be keeping -- beekeeping, nepalese style. it was a surprise that in night it weeks of riots across several brazilian cities late last year, but this was not just about public transport. something had been building up. soon, all sides realized that this was a wider risk in a society that would not just go away. not in time for the football confederations cup that was going on at the time, and not for the world cup to getting this june either. at the forefront of this challenge to this country's establishment, a bunch of new brazilian media outlets. we went to see what they are all about.

>> 7 -- sunday afternoon in northern rio. a man and a smartphone. nothing else is necessary for a media ninja live report. it is broadcast live over the internet and anyone who wants can watch. a change of scene, são paulo. either are what could be considered the editorial offices of media ninja. everyone is constantly on the internet, or more precisely, on social networks. they are the only places that the ninjas reports, videos, and live streams appear. they don't even have their own website. reporters see themselves as activists also they earn nothing. they are working for what they consider a just cause. media ninja came to public notice a good eight months ago with a countrywide demonstration.

clicks through our coverage of the mass protests and street campaigns, people began to notice us. they were looking for alternative information different from what the traditional media were broadcasting. many of them identified with media ninja's coverage. [crowd chanting] >> tens of thousands followed the brutal police attacks online. >> that is our best -- our aesthetic. the video stream is that of the demonstrators. it is characteristic of media ninja, and i don't think it makes us vulnerable, because we still have the responsibility to show what is happening and not distort events. on the contrary, i think that gives us even more legitimacy.

>> using new platforms inventively, the climate is favorable for alternative media. in brazil's urban centers such as são paulo, there is a need for more, and more diverse information. whether or not it is more balanced information, is that important? it is certainly important for the people who founded publica. their idea, an investigative journalistic agency with 11 reporters. their stories appear on the agency's website and in more than 70 daily newspapers and on popular internet services. the principal, publica donates its content and can do so because it is not governed by international bodies and under pressure to produce. >> the demand for this kind of journalism is much greater than people thought. in the traditional commercial model, these reports costs a lot

of money, but they are essential to our democratic process and the big debates in our country. for instance, our series on mega investments and infrastructure projects in the amazon could have a huge project -- a huge impact. when research like that is posted on the internet, the response is enormous. the reports are used, reused, discussed, and tweeted and shared a lot. the platform reporter brazil and its founder, leonardo, also have investigative ambitions. it was launched in 2001. since that time, many studies on the linkage between the economy and the environment have appeared. among the alternative online media, the staff at reporter brazil are already intense. leonardo is also an influential blogger.

his voice is in even more demand since the wave of protests. >> when the people demonstrate the responses, -- when the people demonstrate, the response is, aren't brazilians happy and like to party e what is happening? the message is, stop, we may have grown economically and achieve some improvement, but we are far behind when it comes to civil rights for large segments of the population. >> time and again, reporter brazil exposes dangerous working conditions. they covered a countrywide study of brazilian slaughterhouses whose meat is sold in 150 nations through global retail chains. as a large emerging nation with major sporting events approaching, brazil has awakened many expectations, perhaps to many, says sakamoto. >> when it comes to brazil's image abroad, then it is either christ descending and -- or

christ in freefall. i think it was never real. let me more precise am a not so euphemistic, but also not so pessimistic. we are in the midst of a process and these new media that are growing and being created are important, because they advance that process. >> one thing the new media have in common, they are banking on a society that wants to make a difference and challenge its country. >> and one of the questions these reporters have been asking along with many other brazilians is what the country will get for the more than 10 billion euros it will cost to host the games. i would challenge anyone to find a brazilian who would say a word against football as a sport. but when we asked about the world cup, these are the reactions we got in são paulo. >> the world cup, it should not be happening here.

y e r health care system is so for kerry is and we are hosting the world cup -- our health care system is so precarious and we are hosting the world cup? >> there are doctors and teachers who are making nothing, but they have enough to shell out for a soccer tournament. >> look at our infrastructure. it is a shambles. look at the sewage system even here in the state of são paulo. >> we fought to get the world cup year when we should concern ourselves with completely different priorities. , education, transportation -- health care, education, transportation am a everybody knows that. >> we work in event management. we will have plenty to do. but beyond that, the people won't benefit much from it. >> money. i'm a musician, a performer, and there will be a lot of event during the world cup.

i hope to profit from that. >> the world cup, enjoyment. >> i think the country is going to end up with a lot of debt. if you ask me, it won't be good. we will be left with a bunch of empty stadiums, especially in the northeast. >> up there in the northeast, that is the arena amazonia, the stadium currently being built right into the middle of the amazon jungle, even getting them at serials there -- of the amazon jungle. even getting the materials there was 190 million euros in total. many ask whether this was money well spent, especially when there is a growing number currently struggling to maintain a middle-class lifestyle they have worked so hard to build up. more and more find them selves in debt with no way out. >> now there is no stopping them. everyone wants to get home as fast as they can. school buses stand ready and

waiting. we climb into the one driven by this woman. the children call her an!unt swelie. she maneuvers the bugs -- the bus over the bumps in são paulo. sometimes she has to remind the charges to stay in their seats. she is self-employed. her second minibus, with which she is in constant radio contact, could be repossessed at any time. she cannot make the payments anymore. she doesn't show it, but she is in real trouble. >> i took out a financial deal for the minibus. it cost 82,000 and i use my private car as a down payment. i'm supposed to pay an installment of 2300 per month.

in all, and makes 138,000. a sickly, i'm paying for almost two cars. -- basically, i'm paying for almost two cars. >> on average, brazilian families oh 41% of their income to the banks. an economist whom we met in são paulo's banking district says that is dangerous. he says the lower middle class in particular no longer has any purchasing power. in addition, very few still have a connection to money. everything is bought with credit cards. that is why so many have gotten into debts and the banks conditions are especially harsh. >> there is this a old saying, don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg. but that is just what the brazilian banks are doing. some credit card charges of his -- are so high that they border on profiteering. if you buy something with your credit card and pay in

installments, after a year, you will have paid 10 times the original value. the high interest rates in which the financial system and make the population poor in them learn -- in the long-term. when compared to other countries, including other emerging economies, it is clear that the margin between what the banks pay in interest on savings and what they charge for credit is extremely high in brazil. those whom the banks no longer consider credit worthy are targeted by posters like these in the suburbs. private money lenders looking to get a cut of their own. we visit swelie at home. she lives in a rented house. it is small, but lacks for nothing in the kitchen. she has three daughters and the girls always want something. everything is bought on credit. she says that is the only way she can manage.

>> i just can't pay the bills on time. then there is more and more interest, and then i really cannot pay. it snowballs. that is the truth. at the end of the month, it is more than tight. i take a bit away here to plug a hole there. i try to get through somehow. >> at some point, not even that work anymore. sueli sought help from a credit counselor. he says more and more small entrepreneurs get into trouble. it is a typical lower middle class problem. he blames the government for the situation. >> the amount of debt is so great because brazilians were encouraged to spend more. borrowing limits were increased, and it has become much easier to get a loan. but now more than 62% of the population is stuck in this cycle of debt.

>> that is problematic for an economy that relies greatly on consumption. last year, there was little good news from the economy. he is not the only one who thinks brazil has failed to take it vantage of many opportunities. consumption agricultural exports alone cannot change the course. he says, brazil is on a difficult road. a positive aspect is that brazil has managed to reduce a great deal of poverty. but stronger incidents are needed to provide more long-term opportunities for social advancement. professional and educational training, which are very inadequate here in brazil, would be one of them. if that doesn't happen, the lower middle class will stay where it is, or even slide backwards. sueli is afraid of moving down the social ladder. she would like to offer her children more, but there is no

chance of a good education, because nobody here can afford private schools. first, she has to solve the financial problems she's having with her vehicle. plex to cover the minibus payments, i have to take out a new loan with slightly better conditions. that means more debt in the end. i don't know how i can ever escape this vicious circle. >> and now, we would like to tickle your taste buds with the latest in our series of no fuss foods on the go. today, we had to a region to introduce you to biliash. take a look. >> this is in the tajik part of the mountains, surrounded by

peaks six meters high. there is a local market here in afghanistan. they offer the surrounding area clothing, food, and spices. shopping can make you hungry, so we look for a tasty snack. the first thing you need is yeast dough. this woman makes it with warm milk, egg, oil, and a pinch of sugar. the filling is meat and onions and makes it a hearty treat. >> it is important that the dough is airy, soft and airy. and the filling has to be season. then it tastes good and satisfied everyone's appetite. the top is put on and then the

raw biliash go out to the market stall. then they are put into hot fat. also on the menu, deep-fried sausages and pastry. not exactly low-calorie, but delicious. if you are not in a hurry, you can enjoy your snack in the shade and do a bit of people watching. >> the best time to eat biliash is after breakfast and before lunch, as a between meal snack with tea or coffee. >> their loved by young and old alike, and a perfect snack to take a long as you continue your shopping.

>> around the globe, bees are a subtle, but essential part of our food chain. over the past few years, they have been dying in the millions. scientists believe this is somehow inked to parasites. -- linked to parasites. they still can't figure it out exactly. the european hunting be -- honeybee was introduced in nepal in the 1990s because it is much more efficient at collecting honey than its native sister, but it has also spread disease. officials are working hard to save the asian be. -- bee.

♪ [singing in foreign language] ♪ >> the asiatic honeybee pollinates the mustard flowers in nepal's western hill country. the region's farmers depend on it. they get their cooking oil from mustard seeds. hollowed out tree trunks serve as hives. they cost nothing and are virtually maintenance free. bees have been kept like this for generations. >> these mean a lot to me. they give us honey, which have healing powers. and we get money by selling it. ♪ [singing in foreign language] ♪ >> this tree could scarcely survive without the asiatic honeybee.

the tree provides important protection from landslides during the rainy season. about 600 kilometers away, nepal's fifth-largest city lies in the low lands in the south of the country. away from the roads, bees swarm here as well. but they are not asiatic honeybees. they are the european cousins. they were introduced into nepal in the 1990s and have displaced the asiatic honeybee in the low lands. biologists want to protect the indigenous species. a record -- representative of the nepalese beekeeping association gives his point of view. >> we can harvest honey from european honeybees nine to 10 times a year. you can take it to new places if there is too little food where you are. the yield is greater, so beekeepers prefer this species.

>> but there are other reasons the european honey bee has won out over its asian counterpart. infectious diseases. >> infection -- infectious diseases have been transferred from the european honeybee to the asian honeybee. it has really caused problems with the asian honeybee. >> back to the western hills, the winter is still mild. because european honeybees cannot tolerate temperatures under the freezing point, they won't be found here. this woman is already expected. she will be giving a workshop on modern beekeeping to an isolated village. the organization she belongs to want to improve the lives of the people in the mountains and preserve the asiatic honeybee species.

without the income from selling honey, farmers would have a hard time surviving here. but keeping bees in hollowed out tree trunks is not a very efficient method. the honeycombs have to be painstakingly formed out of the log, and the process of extracting the honey destroys them. >> the honey that is extracted contains part of the honeycomb and many bees get killed also. the quality of the honey is not so good. >> how can the bees be protected from disease? what methods bring the best yields? the bee expert knows very well that protecting the bees must be financially worthwhile. she promotes modern box hives. the brood is kept in the lower

part, where it is protected. the removable honeycomb contains only the adult bees and honey. and there is another advantage. >> those honeycombs, they can be used again for bees to store more honey. they do not have to spend more on a new box. click the hives are good. -- >> the hives are good. now we are able to see whether or not the colony is diseased, is honey is being made, and how the brood is doing. >> ♪ [singing in foreign language] ♪ >> a bit lower in the hill country in a village, a new method has long since established itself. the bees except the hives, and the colonies, which had been under threat, are growing again.

this 30-year-old woman also benefits. she used to just be into farming and now runs her own record tree shop. she specializes in building beehives. it has doubled her income. click the building honeycomb frames and box hives has become very important for us. -- >> the building of honeycomb frames and box hives has become very important for us. the demand has become so great that we can hardly keep up. >> she also sells entire bee colonies, and she is a beekeeper herself. here she is harvesting the last honey of the season. she used to keep bees using traditional methods. now she simply spins out the honeycomb frames, which can then be used again.

that is good for the bees and good for the honey. it never used to be as pure as it is now. >> ♪ [singing in foreign language] ♪ >> and that is all we have time for on this edition of global 3000. if you missed part of the show or would like to watch any of our reports again, you can find us online. and to share your thoughts on any of our stories, please get in touch. for now from me and a whole global team in the studios, thanks for watching, and goodbye. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--ñ >> the following program is an

original production of link tv. coming up, if south koreans need to the relatives in the north after 60 years. rising political star fall? china haveand meetings to ease six decades of hostility. the biggest stories in asia and the latest buzz on cultural media right here on "linkasia."