>> this week, global 3000 heads to bolivia. in the capital, la paz, young people are finding out how to cook healthy and yummy food. in india, we'll show you how to raise baby elephants. but first, let's take a look at the cult surrounding the russian president vladimir putin, who has all the makings of a populist. but what is "populism?" the word "populus" is latin for "people". it can take many shapes sometimes originating from the political left, at other times, from the right.

but the one thing all populists agree upon, is the elite all social classes are against them. populists clclaim to speak for e people. only they know what is right or wrong. they polarize, between good and bad, white and black. difficult questions have simple answers. and the one thing they definitely need, is a powerful and charismatic leader. >> this looks like a pretty normal yoga class. but we're in st. petersburg, and the walls are adorned not with images of some indian guru, but of president vladimir putin. his portraits exude authority,

say the yoga students. and according to teacher and artist alexey sergienko, they show the president's human side. >> i thought my pictures were a nice way of congratulating the president on his 60th birthday. then they got everyone talking. it made me feel i was hahaving some kinind of influenence on te political situation in the country. >> it all l began inin 2012 wite portrait "the tear", sergienko explains. after his re-election as president, putin was visibly moved to tears by the result. sergienko's portrait series shows putin striking various poses, in various scenarios, and has become a huge hit. it's making him a fortune, and he hopes that one day, his portraits will hang in every office in russia, and indeed every living room. the russian leader is ubiquitous on tv.

russian writerer dmitry glukhovy says the country is s in thrall- to the cult of putin. >> since putin came to power, he's instrumentalized tv to create an image of a leader whose primary concern is his country. he's a permanent fixture on the news. he's everywhere, all the time, across the entire country. >> this repurposed gas storage facility occupies prime property in central moscow. this is where the personality cult is really taking root. it's the headquarters of the pro-kremlin youth movement set, a network of young russian patriots, artiststs and fashion designers. they promote their fashion, highly popular videos, graffiti art and graphic design though social media, seeking to convert as many young people as possible to their cause. the latest project is a pseudo cookbook. its title translates as "recipes

from the boss". those 'recipes' are a collection of putin's top domestic and foreign policy achievements. an earlier book published by set was a compendium of putin's most mememorable quoteses. it became a bestseller in russia. >> i hope he can cook. probably only his family knows if he can or not. but as a cook in the kitchen of international politics, he's a total pro. a top chef! if he weren't, we'd never have supported him throughout his years in power. >> now, the members of set are looking forward to trump's 'recipes'. so far, no one can be sure what exactly the free world's new head chef will add to the pot. but the billionanaire politician

already features heavily in the group's imagery. in it -- like their own president -- he's an assertive, strongman leader. the movement's manifesto describes putin as a symbolic fatherer figure. >> you have to understand, putin is a paternal figure. we're the children. we follow his lead. >> followers of the movement believe that their unconditional support of putin will give them a leg up the social ladder. russia's economic woes are worsening. according to political scientist dmitry oreshkin, the personality cult surrounding putin distracts from the country's problems. >> the impression they give is that without this strong leader, we'd lose our way. that's the thinking. the goal of the kremlin's propaganda is to hold on to power, not to advance the country. there are many people in russia

who fall for this cheap, populist rhetoric. we're seeing the same thing going on in the us. trump has mamanaged to leverage the very same demographic. >> in russia, young nationalists like 23-year-old maria katasonova from the national liberation movement actually campaigned for trump. they're convinced that the combative populist, who others believe is undermining democracy, will bolster the relationship between the us and russia. she and many others hope that the rise of right-wing populists marks the dawn of a new era. to them, putin is the only one who can guarantee stability. the image of him as a father figure, a saviour of the world, sells well. and these days, trump paraphernalia is also flying off the shelves.

>> vladimir putin, joseph kabila, kim jong un, ramzan kadyrow and robert mugabe. all of them are on the "predators of press freedom" list, compiled by reporters without borders. the long list also includes terror organizations and cartels. all of these "predators" suppress opinions different to their own. new on the lis turkish president erdodogan who, lasast year, ordedered an unprecedented wave of arrests. >> late in the evening on december 29, 2016, a turkish judge announced asli erdogan's release. people outside the prison shed tears of joy. the seriously ill author was being freed temporarily, pending the outcome of her trial in march. it wasn't an aquittal, but it did provide a ray of hope. three weeks later, erdogan was

feeling strong enough to be interviewed on television. she says she still wakes up every night, plagued by nightmares. >> imagine a cold d train statin waiting room. you can't get out. you're crammed in there with 20 people who you don't know and you have no idea when the next train is coming. is it in two hours, two months or two years? or never. that's what it was like for me in prison. the worst part of this terrible experience was being locked up without knowing for how long. >> the soft-oken, indivialistic storyteller experienced a wave of solidarity in the four-and-a-half months she was held behind these walls on the outskirts of istanbul. supporters held two vigils every week. they were protesting the arbitrary prosecution of a woman who over night had becomome the victctim of the e political pup. these images were broadcast round the globe and they helped

asli erdogan suvive. >> that's the last remaining lifeline for the people who are being detained. i knew that i could only be released through political pressure, because there e is no due process according to the rule of law here. the vivigils were the only thing that made me feel i was still alive and not just in there vegetating away like a zombie. >> in her career as an author, erdogan has never written propaganda. ideology is foreign to her. yet in her novels and essays her writing is full of empathy for outsiders -- homosexuals, people of color, the detained and politically persecuted. that is why her work was occasionally published by the kurdish daily newspaper ozgurr gundndem. today its office is vacant. after coup attempt in the summer of 2016 the paper was banned and asli erdogan was jailed, charged

with supporting terrorism. >> the notion that an author like me would be a member of an armed organization is absurd. i've been writing against any form of violence for 18 years. loneliness has c crept into evey line i've written. evenen by turkish standards it's the height of idiocy to try me, of all p people, for membershipn a terrorist organization. >> it reminds her of kafka's the trial says erdogan. how will her trial in istanbul's palace of justice palace end? her defense lawyer can only spspeculate. he's not very optimistic. > she's never h held a weapo. she e doesn't even have any knks in her apartment. she's taken part in global initiatives agaiainst violen.. but unfortunately, the prprobability ththat she will be jailed agagain -- babased on my experience -- is about 40%.

>> so she's free for the moment. she intends to use this time to make the authorities uncomfortable. but she always takes a friend with her for protection when she goes out on the streets. >> illusions are not her thing. immediately after her release, the authorities confiscated her passport. although she's no longer in jail, she has no rights. but would asli erdogan actually flee abroad if she were able to? she's certainly had plenty of offers of asylum. >> the language is the one thing that still connects me to turkey, but it's a very deep bond. i make sure my turkish stays pure. i can't just slam the door shut. no. i don't have any desire to get on the next plane -- butut to be honest, i don't want to remain

here either. >> the freedom to use words is an author's most important tool. in the lead-up to her trial, erdogan intends to use it. politicians, the media and fellow writers around d the gloe woululdo well toto keep up the pressure and seek freedom for asli erdogan once and for all. >> and now for our "global ideas" series where we meet people who fight for the protecection of biodiversity. this time, w we're in didia. the state of assam in northeastern india is famous for its tea. but annual floods cause great difficulties not only for the people, but also for the wild animals living there. our reporter wiebke feuersenger went to a rescue centre for young elephants.

>> orphan elephants need a lot of affection. every day, the carers at the centre for wildlife rehabilitation and conservation spend several hours playing and cuddling with them. experience has shown that otherwise, they waste away. the center is also home to 13 baby rhinos, some indian hog deer, leopards and various types of ape. most of them come from the nearby kaziranga national park. this baby elephant was rescued from a ditch it had got stuck in. that sort of thing happens often. traffic accidents are also common. >> baby elephants don't have very robust immune systems. we need to be very careful with them.

we used to make sure there was always a carer with them, but it's too risky. they get their trunks into everything and they can easily pick up infections from humans. >> dr. basumatary is keen to limit contact between the baby elephants and their careers without depriving the calves of the bodily warmth they need to survive. these two baby elephants are now sharing their quarters. there's a yard they can play in, and a roofed hut where they can sleep. at night, when temperatures drop, they even wear pajamas and slippers. >> we do our best to look after the calves in a species-appropriate way. they're kept outside to recreate forest life with their mothers.

it also helps them adjust when they're released. >> in assam, animals and humans live in close proximity. the road connecting the kaziranga national park with the veterinary clinic is one of the busiest in the region. the state's main industries are tourism and agriculture. working elephants are a common sight. tea plantations line the hill slopes. assam tea is world famous. on the other side of the road are rice plantations. assam is flood-prone, so harvests are often ruined. the floods come twice a year. the gogoi i family are m makinge flour. a few repairs are needed on the

house. in autumn, a herd of deer escaping the rising flood water sought refuge on their land. >> down there is our village, mohpora. less than a kilometre in that direction is the national park. it's home to wild animals. rhinos, elepephants, tigers, war buffalo and many others. if the river bursts its banks it puts their lives in danger. and then they come to the village. >> two thirds of his last harvest was ruined. he had to resort to planting mustard seeds, which grow fast, to make sure he had at least some income. >> our problems are mounting. the tea plantations are expanding across the slopes, reducing the forest the elephants' habitat.

so they come down here andnd run our crops. they destroy our homes and kill people. the water buffalo also leave the park in search of food. the tigers prey on their calves, and go crazy. and kill more people. >> tiger attacks occur every month. phulmai choudhury's father-in-law sufferered one on his way to work one morning. her husband can't bear to talk about it. >> my father in law was badly wounded. a woman from the village found him. he was carried back home on a blanket. we took him to hospital but he'd already lost so much blood, and died the same day. >> children aren't allowed to play outside in the mornings and evenings, when the danger's most acute. in the national park the animals are allowed to roam free. its rhinococeros populatation ie of the most stable in the world. but to locals, it feels like the government cares more about wildlife than it does about humans.

that's why they're taking matters into their own hands. every night, local men patrol the border to the national park. they use torches to scare off any roving animals. torches wouldn't be much use if the animals turned aggressive. but their families in the village feel safer. the elephants have to get used to living in the wild. the baby elephants born in the national park have grown into a herd. they're taken out every day to learn how to look for food and also to avoid villages and roads. next year, they'll be moved to another national park where they'll roam free.

>> we raise them, feeding them with bottles. it's always very sad when we have to take them to the madras park. sometimes i go there and call them and they come and see me. it's good to see them in their habitat. in the wild, where they belong. >> but that's still a long way off. for the time being, the herd still has a lot to learn. more people die from eating too much than too little. at least two billion people world wide are overweight and the figures are rising. in latin america more than half the population is affected. here, eating habits have changed radically in the past few

decades. instead of fruit, vegetables and grains fast food, ready meals and soft drinks are on the menu. many people's financial situations have improved in recent decades. more and more people move to the cities. we went to the bolivian capital "la paz". many young people are not aware of t wide variety of native food products. but now they are learning that healthy food can also be really tasty. >> kamilla seidler is on her way to work at the restaurant 'gustu' in the bolivian capital la paz. the danish chef has been working towards an ambitious goal for three years. she's doing her bit for education in the city. the restaurant and its kitchen are -- in a manner of speaking -- her classroom. in the language spoken by the indigenous aymara people, 'gustu' means 'flavor'. and that's a topic kamilla is

focussing on here -- with students young and old. on her syllabus, ways to produce and prepare different foods. that knowledge is helping to secure a common future. under the motto "education for sustainable development", everyone who comes participates in the project either in the kitchen or service areas. it doesn't cost anything to take part. >> i think it's very healthy that they understand that what they're making is part of what makes the restaurant function and part of paying their salaries. if you don't have some kind of pressure on what you're doing then why would you care? so of course depending on their skills, i think that it's always important that you have this push. a test that you need to finish. of course there's a lot of keeping an eye. but that's the whole concept. >> another part of the concept is fresh products rich in vitamins.

and the best way to prepare foods like lettuce, carrots or meat. cooking times, nutritional values and recipes are all part of the syllabus. the idea is to get people here off fast food. apart from being greasy and high in calories, it's often made from imported products. that's in contrast to regional dishes. they help make people more independent. seidler informs herself at traditional markets about the wide range of foods that are available locally. that's led to cooperation between the gustu project and small farmers in the region. >> we prefer to pay a little bit more get a decent product and make sure that people can actually live off what they sell. if you go to the countryside and see the actual living circumstances, then you're willing to pay a little bit more for the product if you know that it goes to the family.

>> paying fair wages, fighting poverty and instilling self-esteem those are all part of the "education for sustainable development" concept. the gustu project is not restricted to the city center. cooking schools known as manqas have also now opened in neighborhoods on the outskirts of town. these are deprived areas rife with poverty, neglect and crime. >> manqa is an idea of a sustainable cafeteria that provides education while we're able to sell the food the studenents are preparing, basing it on a nutritious meal and where it is difficult in these areas we are focusing on to find healthy solutions. so the idea is to make a healthy offer for r the local community around the schools. but at the same time that the students can go there and get educated in their own products.

>> miriam is 19 years old. she had just a few years of primary school education. her family has a hard life. now she's started the five-month-long course in a manqa school. >> why am i here? i want to learn to cook new things. for example, my father only ever wants to eat chuño, these freeze-dried potatoes. i want to try to cook other dishes for my parents at home. >> miriam is hoping to get a job as a cook in a restaurant one day. and she says she wants to make traditional dishes that are fresh and full of variety. at the end of the course, the students receive a state-approved certificate.

at the graduation ceremony, a number of proud parents are in attendance. the gustu project t has been attracting more and more attention. more manqa schools are due to open soon. city authorities have allocated premises for them. the schools stand for the notion of education as the basis for social change, a change from the bottom up. >> we have 10 manqa schools with three thousands students that's going to run for the next two years. and then suddenly we have thousands of people thinking in the same way and thahat's goingo make a difference. >> the gustu project may be a model for other developing countries. >> that's it for today. global 3000 is available online any time, and we're glad to get your feedback. write to us at global3000@dw.com

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03/03/17 03/03/17 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> i have decided to recuse myself from many existing or future investigations of any matter relating in any way to the campaign for president of the united states. amy: jeff sessions has recused himself from any investigation into the presidential campaign following reports he met twice with russia's ambassador to the u.s. at a time when he was serving as both a senatod