You'd be forgiven if you forgot that the EU is home to the last divided capital of the world, but Cyprus is still very much partitioned and the conflict is still effecting the lives of its citizens. But after almost 50 years of continuous peace talks with the involvement of the United Nations, the United States, the UK, and others, how has the long-standing conflict still not been solved? Could political corruption have anything to do with that?

I spoke to Andormachi Sophocleous and Kemal Baykalli, both prominent bi-communal peace activists and hosts of the podcast "Nicosia Uncut" to find out. Check out their grassroots organization, Unite Cyprus Now on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter.

In the last decade, Sweden has seen a massive increase in organized gang crime. The country, renowned for its reputation as one of the safest countries on earth, has sent shockwaves around the globe with headlines describing violent shootings and street explosives. The vast majority of these crimes have been taking place in the suburbs of Sweden’s big cities (dubbed 'vulnerable areas'), mainly Stockholm, Malmö, and Gothenburg, which are overwhelmingly populated by ethnic minorities.

The uptick in crime has since forced a much deeper societal issue to the forefront, which has proven to be extremely challenging to rectify; racial segregation in Sweden.

We also spoke to Maher Turkie, the founder of 'No2Crimes' – an NGO with the goal of keeping local youth off the streets and in school. You can check out their work on their website or Facebook. 

Music Credits:
'Mystery Unsolved' by Shane Ivers – https://www.silvermansound.com
'Clarinets' by Charalambos Chrysanthou
Adobe Library


Intro music: 'Chicago' by Charalambos Chrysanthou

In true EU politics fashion, the European Green Deal is just one of those things you kinda know exists but don't really know what it actually is. What are its main goals? Does it contain aggressive enough proposals to tackle the extremely dire environmental crisis our planet is facing? We took a close look at the ambitious proposal to answer those fundamental questions, so you don't have to (although, you probably should).

Joining us on this episode is Alex Volk, a climate activist from Cologne, Germany, who told us a little bit about what he thinks about the deal, shared some advice on how we all can make an impact at an individual level, and shared his wisdom on mental health and climate activism. You can follow him on Instagram at @gutmensch_alex, and check out all the important work he's been doing on the ground.

Also, make sure you take a look at our helpful infographic which sums up the key policy areas of the European Green Deal, which you can find on our Instagram, @evrispod, or by following this link. 

Music Credits:
'Signs To Nowhere' by Shane Ivers – https://www.silvermansound.com

Sound Effect:
'Vinyl Rewind' by TasmanianPower – https://freesound.org/people/TasmanianPower/

Intro music: 'Chicago' by Charalambos Chrysanthou