The Documentary Podcast Folgen

Rising sea levels and a worldwide shortage of buildable land make the prospect of floating buildings and infrastructure more beneficial than ever. MAST is an architectural firm based in the southern harbour of Copenhagen in Denmark. Surrounded by shipbuilders and workshops, the MAST studio, run by two young passionate architects, devises and builds houses, community centres, saunas and whole neighbourhoods on water. While many of their projects can be seen on the waters of Copenhagen, the team is inspired by the long tradition of waterborne dwellings across the world and are currently working on constructions in Thailand, the Maldives, the USA , India and Portugal. Architecture critic and author Jonathan Glancey is invited to Copenhagen to see the studio in action and to travel out by boat to look at some of the completed projects.Presenter: Jonathan Glancey Producer: Susan Marling A Just Radio productionImage: MAST architects Marshall Blecher and Magnus Maarbjerg (Credit: Susan Marling)

Deep inside the Colombian Amazon hi-tech submarines are being built. When it comes to making the cocaine trade more profitable, there’s nothing narco-traffickers aren’t willing to try. Some of the solutions they’re reportedly employing sound like something out of the American TV series Breaking Bad: GPS-trackers, remotely operated submarines and recruiting highly specialised scientists. Reporter José Carlos Cueto of BBC Mundo has been investigating the new trends and technologies used by cartels in Colombia and abroad. Labubu dolls, the elf-like plush toys from the Chinese toy maker Pop Mart, seem to have taken the world by storm. Singer Rihanna had one clipped to her bag, influencer Kim Kardashian shared her collection of 10 dolls on Instagram, and former England football captain Sir David Beckham also shared a photo of a Labubu, given to him by his daughter. So, what’s behind this craze? Fan Wang reports from Singapore. From the US to the Middle East, sand and dust storms have recently swept across many parts of the world, colouring the skies and leaving people with breathing problems. These storms traditionally originate in vast deserts. However, scientists believe that climate change means more people could be affected - with desertification and melting glaciers, exposing more dust. Maria Zaccaro, a BBC journalist reporting for the Global Journalism Science and Climate team, finds out more. Mumbai in India is one of the most densely populated cities in the world - and it’s also the perfect habitat for leopards. BBC Marathi recently posted a video on their YouTube channel, showing these majestic wild cats strolling down residential streets and even entering people’s homes. In the past, there were several reports of human-animal conflict, including some deadly attacks. But since 2022 there have been no accidents at all. So how did people and leopards manage to find a way to live together in harmony? Reporter Mayuresh Konnur has the story. This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.This is an EcoAudio certified production. (Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

There’s plenty of chat on social media about so-called ‘grey divorce’. But are older people around the world really splitting up in record numbers?The truth is it’s hard to be sure, because reliable figures on global divorce rates don’t exist. Where research has been done - most notably in the US - there’s some evidence that rising numbers of people are deciding to go their separate ways later in life. We hear from three Americans, including 65 year-old Laura in Virginia. Her immediate feelings post break up - after almost 30 years of marriage - included loneliness and personal reappraisal. “It was also a complete loss of my sense of identity,” said Laura. “I had my ex husband’s last name longer than I had my own name. I was a mother and my divorce coincided with my kids launching. So it was, okay, who am I now?”For 68-year-old Steven in North Carolina, who split from his husband eight years ago, new relationships also required adjustment.“It has taken time to rebuild that kind of trust on the emotional level,” he said, “and then taking your clothes off at 60 is different to taking your clothes off at 45!” Two women from Malaysia and South Africa also reveal what grey divorce is like from an adult child’s point of view. Hosted by Rahul Tandon. Conversations by Luke Jones. A Boffin Media production with producer Sue Nelson in partnership with the BBC OS team and producers Iqra Farooq and Laura Cress.