Tracks East

With music banned by the Taliban, Afghan refugees in Pakistan want to keep their musical traditions alive.

18 years after American troops first arrived in Afghanistan, the United States has announced their withdrawal. Can the Afghan forces keep the Taliban at bay without help from NATO?

Since the Taliban retook Kabul in August 2021, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated considerably. Afghanistan remains the world's largest producer of opium and the country also has high rates of addiction. The Taliban is trying to rid the country of heroin addicts, with particularly brutal methods.

Since the Taliban's return to power, Fawzia Koofi has been forced to continue her fight for women’s rights in exile.

The last foreign troops are leaving Afghanistan, leading to fears of a Taliban resurgence

 Whilst the Afghan government negotiates with the Taliban, babies seem to have become targets in a never-ending war.

Masha Borzunova meets a Russian deserter who tells how he went from being a war hero to an ostracised traitor of his country.

Opposing the Neom project in Saudi Arabia can get you put in prison or killed.

From queer cake sitting to sex positive tasting evenings, Tracks finds out about food and sexuality.

They are reclaiming their bodies and freely expressing their sexuality: A focus on sex positive popstars in contemporary culture.

Ancient Greek statues are white, pure and classical, just like the marble they are carved from. False. These statues were painted in fabulous bright colours. Archaeologists and art academics have known this for centuries so why does the white myth endure?

Audio pornography leaves room for the imagination while arousing the listener with erotic stories

With one of his paintings, Gerhard Richter made an intervention into a long-running an passionate debate: Which way round should you put the toilet roll?

It seems that scientist have proven that the enigmatic gaze of the Mona Lisa does not follow you as you move around the room. So why did we think that in the first place?

Not all nipples are the same. On Instagram or Facebook female breasts are censured whereas the bare male torso is not. Some artists are challenging this double standard. 

How can we have more fulfilling sex? Ronja von Rönne meets couples and singles who have reinvented their sexuality.

The war in the Middle East is turning into a global oil crisis and fuel costs in Europe are soaring.

Paris city hall is pursuing a green traffic policy: Less cars, more bicycles. But not everybody is pleased.

A complex feeling that is both problematic and useful, the latest research on boredom.

Culture magazine Twist meets artists and creatives to discuss insomnia and how it manifests in their art.

From queer cake sitting to sex positive tasting evenings, Tracks finds out about food and sexuality.

They are reclaiming their bodies and freely expressing their sexuality: A focus on sex positive popstars in contemporary culture.

Using the latest technology, researchers are discovering the bright colours of ancient Greek art and architecture.  

Claude Monet made the cliffs at Étretat famous, but the charming town now suffers from overtourism.

How can we age well? Ronja von Rönne trys to find out by talking to chimney sweep Norbert Skrobek, who is close to retirement and Monika Gutte who defies age with a zest for life