host: welcome tolobal 3000 this wk, we lookt the challenges facing german women married to islamic state terrorists in syria. in south africa, bees are helping to save elephants' lives and protect local forests. and we discover what london's b drivers e doing tomprove their city's air quality. for years, the northern syrian city of raqqa was considered the

stronghold of the so-called islamic state. the extremists took control of the city in 2013. then in october last year, after months of bloody fighting, raqqa was liberated by a coation of syrian and kurdish forces. islamic statmight beut, but ma wives and childn of reign is fhters are ill in raqqa. iluding somfrom germany. and they're desperate to return. >> all sandra wants to do is leave, and take her children back home after months of boredom, living in cramped conditions. they have sufficient food and drink. there are even cartoons for the children to watch. there are no bombs, no terrorism. but the 33-year old mother misses her old life in germany. she grew up in munich, went to university there and had a job. in 2015 she decided to join the so-called islamic state in syria.

she's not allowed to speak german to us. the kurdish secret service wants to be able to monitor everything she's sayi. she has onurgent request. >> what i want to say to my government, please bring us back. please take us back. just bring us back to germany. >> sandra says it was through muslim schoolfriends that she converted to islam. but when she began wearing the full face veil, she often encountered prejudice from other germans. her morroccan husband also started to feel uncomfortable in germany. then a friend of theirs advised them to join i.s. and sent them a propaganda video. >> we saw a video in germany, you can go and live your islam, nobody puts pressure on you, and because of this we said we'd go. and we'd go from turkey to raqqa

and the first two, three, four months we were thinking, yeah it's true, you can live your islam, we don't see anything bad. >> it was 2014 when the islamist terror group took control of the syrian city of raqqa. they made it the capital of their self-decred caliphe, setting up a reign of terror. from here they planned attacks in other parts of the world. they enforced their extreme interpretation of islam with public beatings and executions. sandra says her husband soon started to have doubts. >> me, i didn't know anything because i was at home all the time. and like i say before my husband came sometimes home and said, there are a lot of bad things in the islamic state, we have to go. but he didn't tell

the he say it's better you don't know what's happened. he just told me, we have to go. >> but getting out of raqqa was a lot more difficult than getting in. especially as a u.s.-led coalition was now waging war on i.s. while trying to leave syria, sandra and her husband were caught by kurdish militia. since then, her husband has been in prison along with hundreds of other non-syrian i-s supporters. 35 from germany alone. the kurdish administration here is keen to be rid of them as soon as possible. >> it's a great burden for us. we can't manage this on our own. together with the international community, we managed to defeat the terror militia. but now everyone has to pull together to solve this problem. the women and children need psychological help. they have no papers. all countries should take responsibility for their own citizens, take back these

terrorists and put them on trial. >> the german women being held at the kurdish camp all know each other and have similar stories. sabila and her three children have been waiting seven months for permission to return to germany. her family originates from kosovo. she converted to islam and married a turkish man. at the age of just 19 and without informing her family, she left germany to join i.s., also known as daesh. she says it was very simple. like many others, she travelled to syria via turkey. >> i was listening to the people and they said to me you cannot live your religion here, so there's another way. so they showed me how to get in touch with daesh. with my people. so i get in contact with daesh, with my husband of course, and yes that's it.

>> she spent four and a half years living in i.s.-occupied raqqa. during that time, she gave birth to three children. sabila says she was not aware of y atrocities or acts of rrorism. b she certaly did experien the wrathf the religious police. >> i could not hold the hand of my husband, i could not go next to him, it's not good, it's forbidden. i could not go out. or if i go out and i have a problem with my eyes and i have to open my burka, the men, they shout at me, they say if you do this again we will put you into prison. these wom left germy voluntarily live amont the so-called islamic state. they

spent years living in i.s. territory. so were they extremists or just incredibly naiive? >> marwan abou taam is an analyst and advisor for the german police. he believes the women knew exactly what they were doing. they played a key role for the terror group and swore an oath of allegiance to them. >> they speak about i.s. as a conqueroring army. and the i-s methods of conqueroring were extremely brutal, and that was documented on film. the propaganda videos were filmed there. people were publicly whipped and executed. those living in raqqa must have been aware of these things, especially as it's not even a very large city. >> in october 2017, i.s. was defeated, and raqqa liberated. it's not clear if the families of these foreign i.s. members still support the ideology. but what lessons have they learned? >> life in germany is good, you can practice islam better than

in the islamic state, in the daesh. having been there, we've seen it. >> back in germany, they'll likely face trial. but it could be difficult to prove they have committed a crime. so their dream of living free back in germany could soon come true. ♪ >> >> my name is munkh-ujin, and i'm 19 years old. i live in ulaanbaatar, which is the capital city of mongolia.

so, my mom works as a communications officer in the environmental sector. and my father owns his own business. he sells flowers. usually, i like to hang out with my friends. but sometimes, when i'm alone, i like to walk around the city and see what new things are being built. i just like to see my city. there are a lot of things that make me happy. the best part is being with my loved ones, such as my family and my friends. in my opinion, a big global problem is every type of pollution, such as air pollution, water pollution, and

every kind of pollution. i think that that's so bad for every living thing. i think i have it better than my grandparents did because there is freedom and also better technology, better everything, i think. >> this week on global ideas, we take a look at elephants and bees. in kruger national park in south africa, elephant populations are on the rise - playing havoc with local vegetation. that's where bees come in, the industrious insects have now been appointed the park's chief tree protectors. our reporter stefan mohl went to find out more. and managed to come back without a single bee sting. >> in the middle of the south african bush, zoologists robin cook and ronnie makukule have set up 50 beehives. the colonies

are positioned right next to the kruger national park. for more an a year w, the two consvationistsave been testing whether honeybees can protect selected trees inside the park. believe it not, these bees can ward off the pk's largest residents, elephants. just like people, elephants don't like getting stung. they also have an acute sense of smell and hearing, so one hint of a beehive and they're off. >> and the reason we are doing that is because in our protected areas here in south africa, we have got a build up of elephant densities and concern over the impact that they maybe having on our large tree species. and so we're trying to find ways that we can mitigate the effects that elephants have on trees and thereby placing honeybees in these trees we're hoping that we can find a new method to actually protect the trees from elephant impact. >> while elsewhere in africa, the elephant population is in

decline, in south africa, their numbers are growing. here, nature reserves are fenced in and equipped with manmade watering holes. protected and ll-provided for, the elephant population has flourished, so much so that they've become a problem. thelephants sip ees and shbs naked, ten uproing themn the proces and deroying the habitat other animals and plants in the park rely on. elephants are particularly partial to one of the park's largest trees, the marula. >> marula trees are highly sought after trees by elephants and that's because they have a lot of forage for the elephants and we are seeing a lot of impact on these trees and for example on this study site here we've seen a decline of 35% of the marula trees since elephants have been in the system. so marula trees are a very important species. they provide food for the system, they provide habitat and so we know them as a keystone species. >> the elephants often flatten the marula trees just so they

can geto the leas. but so far, the marulas with bees livi in them remain largely untouched. out of 50 trees, only one has been damaged over the past year. cook's bee project is a ne apoach in pa managemen in e past, a rge numberf elephants we simply lled. nearly 17,000 were shot dead in kruger national park to keephe pulationtable anprotect thvegetati. >> so wh it cometo managg the effes that ephants he on largerees, the's been ndset shiffrom contrling elephantumbers tmselves was eviouslyhought t mitigati the effts that ey actuallyave on t trees. yocould apoach thion a large ale wheryou coultry and nage eleant distbution downo a smalr scale acally maning the rge ees themlves, precting t large trees themselves. >> with e beehives, the zoologists are hoping to control

the elephants' mements, by keeping them moving. if the animalstay in onplace too long, they can inflict extensive damage. but above all, the conservationists say bees are the perfect way of keeping elephants away from individual jects of pticular importancelike trees that have birds nesting in them. >> we have got bark stripping here by elephants and what the bark stripping does is that it leaves the trees slightly vulnerable to other infestations. so we have got wood brow activi which hav co over herebut it canlso allow termites to get in and it can allow the tree to be vulnerable to fires. so these sortf trees start to get een up from the inside and it's because they have got some bark remove >> t bees willikely wardff e elephas. but is not ye clear w the vultes - which are an endangered spies - will react to the insects. in the villages around the park, people have little experience

with bees. many are afraid of them, an attitude ronnie makukule is workg to chang helans to start keeping bees in his village, and to train some of the local residents as beekpers. the rst hives shou be set upoon on thi piece of land just outside the village. he wants to help residents overcome their fears and teach young people how to keepees. >> starting a bee project in this community will help the community to make income out of bees by also starting their own projects through bees and also producing honey that they can sell in the supermarkets. >> back inside the park, the conservationists have found another way of reducing elephant numbers in problem areas. they've laid dry a number of watering holes. that means the elephants have to keep moving to findresh waterrelieving e essure on e local ecystem. but smaller parks don't have

that optn. so thers growing interest in the resus of rob cook's experiments with bees. he believes it's a groundbreaking methodith huge potential. >> we would love to see it applied to new species, particularly species which elephants are after such as the baobab species and then to see if it can be applied to our other projects such as the vulture nest project to see if we can protect trees with vulture nests in them using african honeybees and whether that relationship will or won't work. >> they should soon find out. the first hives are already in place. if it all works out, the bees could in future not only protect trees but also the birds and animals that depend on the trees for their survival. ♪ >> this week on global snack we check out something very tasty from brazil.

>> the central market in sao paulo, the mercado municipal, offers a huge range of products, including typical brazilian fare. the market has existed since 1933 and the mortadella sandwich has been around almost as long. the sandwich consists of bread, a whopping 400 grams of mortadella sausage, and cheese. the padaria paulista is said to do the best mortadella sandwich in town. locals will tell you there's a story behind the snack.

>> the sandwich is a longstanding tradition in brazil and especially in sao paulo. people have been coming to this market for a long time to sell their goods, and they never had much time, they wanted everything fast. one time a man came and asked for a sandwich. he was given one, but he said, that's too small. the chef was upset. he put more and more mortadella in the sandwich and then said, right, here you go. and the man said, that's just the size i wanted. >> the sandwich costs the equivalent of 4 euros and is one of brazil's most famous snacks.

>> i love the bread, the hot crust is phenomenal, and the mix of the meat with the sundried tomatoes. >> we come from a town 120 kilometers away, just to have lunch here. i'd recommend this sandwich to anyone. >> but you'd better have an appetite, you won't find a mortadella sandwich packed so full of meat anywhere else. which is why the customers keep coming back. >> toxic fog sweeps through the streets of beijing, the city is literally suffocating in a blanket of car and factory fumes. asia's mega cities are among the most smog-addled on the planet. according to the world health organisation, last year more than 4 million people died there from the effects of air pollution. in africa, that figure was 1 million. in the

middle east, around half a million, and in europe too more than 500,000 people died last year as a result of poor air quality. in the u.s., 300,000. many cities are now tackling the problem head on by banning vehicles with particularly dirty engines. electro-mobility is the way forward. but making the switch is a hard, and expensive, process. >> steve kenton is proud to be a london taxi driver. he's been behind the wheel of one of the city's iconic black cabs for 27 years now and he loves his job. >> when you look at pictures of london, whether it be on film... what you see are red buses, you see the old red telephone boxes, and black taxis. they identify london. you know, when you see one of these vehicles you automatically know that you're in london.

>> but a change is coming. to combat air pollution, london is phasing out diesel-powered cabs. as of 2018, only e-cabs are issued new operating licenses. not to everyone's liking. >> if you lose the licensed london taxi, you lose part of london's identity. it is so iconic and recognizable. >> london's black cabs have cult status. but they're also major polluters. unlike these new cabs. they're quiet, and much cleaner than diesel-powered taxis. besides other advantages. >> we've got the door opening the completely opposite direction. passengers come from this way so they can get fit in between gaps a bit better, in traffic. usb port, here. wifi as well. it's all connected over here. controlled by the driver. you have the panoramic roof. on a good day seeing the sights of

london. it's just been a revolution. a customer actually thought they were getting in a bentley because the badge, it looks a little bit like. he was like is this a taxi or are we in a bentley? his experience was completely different. yeah, it's been different. >> steve kenton's older diesel taxi can't compete with these kinds of fancy features. all he can do is keeps his cab spotless. he's all for cleaner air, too. but thinks the new e-cabs are too luxurious for london. and, at about 25 percent more than regular diesel cabs, too expensive. >> a 62,000 pound vehicle, which is what the new taxi is, to put that into perspective, it puts it into the same price bracket as a maserati or a mid-range porsche. >> a hefty price tag. but london has the ambitious goal of becoming a zero emission city by 2050. the government gives a

grant amounting to 8,500 euros toward buying a new e-cab. and paul chrisostomou says he saves on fuel. >> okay, so there's a car in there at the moment. but you can see there's a charging point there. >> finding a charging station can be difficult. as a backup, his e-cab also runs on gasoline. but soon enough, he's found a spot to recharge his battery. he saves an additional 100 euros each week because recharging the battery is cheaper than filling up on gasoline. but it requires patience. how long does he usually have to wait? >> between 20 and 45 minutes, depending on how much you need. how much you want to charge. to fully charge it, to be safe, i would say 35 to 45 minutes. >> and how much does he save? >> between 3 pound 80 and 6 pounds, depending on the provider you are using. >> jemima hartshorn wants dirty diesel cabs to disappear from

london's streets sooner rather than later. she's concerned about the health of london's children, which is why she founded the mums for lungs initiative. >> traditional black cabs are among the biggest contributors to nitrogen oxides and fine particle emissions in central london. they're all diesel-powered, so it's great they'll gradually disappear from our streets. but every one of those old taxis has a 15 year operating license, so it will be 2033 before they're all replaced by e-taxis. >> but steve kenton thinks the change is happening too fast. he feels overwhelmed, and he's not alone. one colleague owns 80 diesel-powered cabs, and a garage to service them. he's worried he would have to start from scratch when they're banned

from london's streets. >> i personally haven't got 150,000 pounds. if the government wanted to come in and give me a grant, or i could see the state of the trade being able to sustain me spending that money and earning it back, potentially, but at this moment in time, no. >> it may have divided opinion within the capital, but london's taxi transformation is in full gear, gradually making the city's air cleaner. who cares about lgbt right in australia? who cares about female empowerment in senal? >> i do.

>> and that's all from global 3000 this time. we're back next week, make sure to join us. in the meantime send us your ideas and your feedback, we love hearing from you. write to global3000@dw.com and visit us on facebook, dwglobalsociety.

man: the islamic state's brutal reign of terror in raqqa may be at an end. woman: raqqa is now almost fully under the control of coalition forces. man: the liberation of the syrian city is celebrated in the streets. a shadow of the group remains. man 2: hi. i'm stuart ramsay in raqqa and this is "hotspots." tonight, we're gonna take you behind the scenes of the world's biggest and hardest-hitting stories. we come face to face with cops playing for keeps. from