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 lol 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 liberad by a coation of syriannd kurdish forces. islamic state ght be o, but many wes and children of foign is figers are stl in raqqa. incding some om geany. d they'rdesperate 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 saying. she has one urgent request. >> what i want to say to my governme, please bng us back. plse take usack. just bring us bk to germa. >> 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, u can go a live yourslam, nobody puts essure 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 mont we were tnking, yeah

it's true, you can live your islam, we don't see anything bad. >> it s 2014 wn 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'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'another wa so they showed me w to get itouch with dae. with my people. so iet in contact th daesh, th 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 teorism. buthe certain did experiencehe wrath othe 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 terrogroup and swore an oath of allegiance to them. >> they speak about i.s. as a conqueroring army. and the i-s methods of conquering were extremely brutal, and that was cumentedn film. th praganda videos were filmed there. people were publicly whipped and executed. those living in raqqa mu have been aware of these tngs, especially as it's not even 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, d 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 tional 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 otectors. 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 gettg stung. they also have an acute sense of smell and hearing, so e 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 th maybe havg on r 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 the trees wee hoping tt we can find a new method to actually protect the trees from elephant iact. >>hile elsewhere in africa, the elephant population is in decline, in south africa, their numbers are growing. here, nature reserves are fenced in and equippedith manmad watering holes. protected an we-provided r, the eleant

population has flourished, so much so that they've become a problem. thelephants sip ees and shbs naked, ten uprooting them ithe proces and destroying the habitat other animals and plants in the park rely on. elhants are rticularly partl to one othe park's largest trees,he marula. >> marula trees are highly sought after trees by elephants and that's bause 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 th as a keysne species >> the eleants often flatten the marula trees just so they can geto the leas. but so far,he marulasith bees living in them remain largely untouched. out of 50 trees, only onhas been daged over the past year.

cook's bee project is a ne apoach in pa managemen in e past, a rge numberf ephants re simply lled. nearly 17,000 were shot dead in kruger national park to keephe population stable and protect the vegetation. >> so when it comes to managing the efcts that elephants have onarge treesthere's been a ndset shiffrom contrling ephant nbers theelves as was priously tught to tigatinghe effec that th tually he on therees. so you uld apprch this a large sce where u could y and mage elepht distrition down ta smallescale of actuly managg the lae trs themsees, protting the large trees themselves. >> with e beehives, the zoologists are hoping to control the ephants' mements, by keeping them moving. if the animalstay in onplace too long, th 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 res. so the 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 eangered spies - will react to the insec. in the villages around the park, people have little experience with bees. many are afid of them, an attude ronn makuku is workinto change. he pns to start keeping bees

in his village, and to train some of the local residents as beekeers. the fit hives shoulde set up sn on this piece of land just outside the village. he wants to help residents overcome their fears and teach young people how to keep bs. >> staing a bee project in this community will help the community to make income out of bees by also starting thr own projects through bees and also producing hoy that they can sell in the supermarkets. >>ack inside the park, the conservationis have found another way of reducing elephant numbers in problem areas. th've laid d a number tering holesthat meanshe 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 es. he believes it's a groundbreaking

methodith huge pential. >> 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 nes in theusing african honeybees and whether that relionship wi 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 theirds and animals that depenon 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 anywhe 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 require 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.

ruben martinez: a century ago, hundreds of thousands of mexicans fled the chaos of the mexican revolution, most of them arriving in los angeles, gravitating to the old pueblo area around olvera street. raquel gutierrez: they recreated a sense of home and history in the theaters of the nearby broadway corridor, where