Add
Private Notes
People and Power examines the problems of investigating Poland's past.
People & Power looks at the damaging revelations about child abuse in the Catholic Church.
People & Power looks at the controversial handling of gang violence in Jamaica.
People & Power investigates an extraordinary scandal of international arms deals, corruption, fraud and murder in Albania.
People & Power investigates the controversial Australian government programme to tackle poverty, alcoholism and violence in Aboriginal communities.
Two years ago the election of Barack Obama, the US president, was hailed as a turning point in US race relations. The country was said to be entering a new era of post-racial politics, on the path to a future of greater diversity and tolerance. But while crowds flocked to Washington to witness their new leader's inauguration, others were refusing to join the party. Racially motivated threats against Obama rose to new heights in the first months of his presidency, with the US seeing nine high-profile race killings in 2009. Meanwhile white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups claim their membership is growing and that visits to their websites are increasing. With important Congressional elections in a few weeks time, People & Power looks back at this earlier report which set out to investigate whether the racial undercurrent that has long structured US politics was reasserting itself. Filmmakers Rick Rowley and Jacquie Soohen went inside the white nationalist movement to investigate. In the process we uncovered links between white nationalists and a conservative movement that has since become a force within more mainstream politics.
The killing of so-called child witches is a practice that continues in the African republic of Benin. While murder is of course illegal in the country, making the allegations of witchcraft that lead to the deaths of children is not. Changing the law is not something easily achieved in Benin where the belief in sorcery is all pervasive and often seen as fundamental to the country's heritage and national identity. Charles Stratford and cameraman Fadi el-Benni with a disturbing report - first screened in November 2010.
In May 2009, Sri Lanka's decades long civil war with the Tamil Tigers, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam came to a bloody close after government forces launched a massive offensive. What exactly happened during the last days of the battle is still the subject of fierce debate, but it is clear that as the rebel perimeter shrank, around a third of a million civilians were trapped between the two armies and tens of thousands were killed.
People & Power examines the story behind the hunt for Ratko Mladic, Europe's most wanted man.
Fifty years after the Berlin Wall was erected, the spectre of the Stasi continues to loom over Germany. How the search for justice by victims of Germany's Stasi repression is inspiring survivors of the Middle East's overthrown dictatorships. On August 13, 1961, 50 years ago this month, the Berlin Wall went up in Germany. This barrier divided a country, segregated families and separated friends, and its existence would cast a pall over the country. As a stark symbol of the Cold War, the wall existed in an era of fear, secrecy and heightened political tension, and those that lived in its shadow would know the painful repercussions of its hardliner policies. For what followed in the years of a divided Germany was a surveillance culture brought on by one of the largest and most feared secret service organisations in the world - the Stasi.
People and Power investigates allegations that for over four decades Spanish government officials sanctioned the abduction of thousands of babies.
An investigation into the trafficking of Nepalese children to work in Indian circuses.
Filmmaker John D McHugh goes to Kunar province in Afghanistan to spend some time with units of the US 25th Infantry Division battling to establish and maintain control over a highly-volatile region.
A mutated bird virus that could kill millions has been built by scientists to advance medical knowledge -- but should their research be published?
The US has more than 100 reactors similar to Japan's destroyed Fukushima plant. Some located in earthquake zones or close to major cities are now reaching the end of their working lives. People & Power sent Joe Rubin and Serene Fang to investigate.
Fifty years after the Berlin Wall was erected, the spectre of the Stasi continues to loom over Germany.
An undercover Al Jazeera correspondent takes us inside the lives of Syria's anti-government demonstrators. "I can't tell you my name. I've spent many months secretly in Syria for Al Jazeera." So begins this intriguing episode of People & Power, which gives an unusual but compelling first-person account of a country in turmoil and a revolution in progress. The words are those of an Al Jazeera journalist who cannot be identified for fear of compromising the security of the many Syrians with whom he came into contact. For weeks with their help, he travelled the length and breadth of the county, gathering testimony about the year-long uprising against the al-Assad regime. With Al Jazeera cameras banned inside Syria, it was too difficult and dangerous to openly use a video camera, but he was able to use his mobile phone. With its tiny camera, filming secretly on street corners, through car windows and behind closed doors, he was able to gather images that reveal ordinary people showing extraordinary courage. "I followed them on protests, I saw them demonstrate and fight and die, and I even heard their songs of freedom," he says. "This is their story." His journey took him from the back streets of Damascus, Homs and Idlib to remote mountain villages. His arrival in the city of Sanamein early one evening was typical. "It was about 5pm when we got there. It was already dark because it's winter. And the electricity was shut off, so we had to walk in complete blackness. It's very eerie there in this urban environment, and you can't see anything except the occasional light from a cell phone or a cigarette. They [the regime] block all communications - especially on Thursday nights and Friday mornings, because people get ready for the big demonstration on Friday. "Sanamein was one of the sights of an early massacre committed by Syrian security, who just opened fire directly in the crowd of demonstrators. Now there are constant raids at night, searching
The world's wealthy countries often criticise African nations for corruption - especially that perpetrated by those among the continent's government and business leaders who abuse their positions by looting tens of billions of dollars in national assets or the profits from state-owned enterprises that could otherwise be used to relieve the plight of some of the world's poorest peoples.
An investigation into the loose but interconnected multi-million dollar international criminal enterprise of human organ trading. People & Power tries to find out how this trade continues to flourish and the challenges law enforcers are faced with.
The ceremonial transition to manhood in South Africa's Xhosa society is time honoured but can have tragic consequences.
An investigation into the ritual killing of disabled Ghanaian children deemed to be possessed by evil spirits.
Will a local anti-Taliban revolt in the south affect the future course of the country when NATO forces exit in 2014?
People & Power investigates one of the world's most forgotten conflicts - the West Papuan struggle for independence.
After decades of suppression, the Russian Orthodox Church appears to be back in favour with the country's leadership.
After three decades of economic liberalisation, have China's communist ideals been discarded forever?
The country's soya industry is booming, but what is the impact on Argentinians and their land?
Investigating a mysterious murder case in Bolivia that sheds light on a controversy dividing the country to this day.
Can Brazil shake off the murky past of its security forces as it attempts to cement its place as a 21st century power?
"Chosen to host both the 2014 football World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games and with abundant natural resources and one of the fastest growing economies in the world, one way or another Brazil is set to become a major player in the affairs of the 21st century. With an ambitious, progressive government, a population of around 193 million, now well established federal democratic structures and apparent political stability, many even see it as a global superpower in the making, perhaps even deserving of a permanent seat on the UN Security Council in the not too distant future. But its solid international reputation has not always been so glossy. At Al Jazeera English, we focus on people and events that affect people's lives. We bring topics to light that often go under-reported, listening to all sides of the story and giving a 'voice to the voiceless.' Reaching more than 270 million households in over 140 countries across the globe, our viewers trust Al Jazeera English to keep them informed, inspired, and entertained. Our impartial, fact-based reporting wins worldwide praise and respect. It is our unique brand of journalism that the world has come to rely on. We are reshaping global media and constantly working to strengthen our reputation as one of the world's most respected news and current affairs channels. "
How the Obama administration is redefining the US military's strategic priorities with far-reaching consequences.
Proposed programme by Dutch diplomat aims to end the violence that 'conflict minerals' have caused in South Kivu.
Behind the scenes with units of the Free Syrian Army as they battle the Assad regime for control of a key province.
Will the Bolivarian revolution die with Chavez, or will his legacy live on regardless of his successors?
Investigating why critics of Hungary's authoritarian government believe it is leading the country towards fascism.
As the US draws back its combat forces from Afghanistan, what will they leave behind?
We go behind the scenes with the cricketer turned politician on the final few days of his election campaign.
Are El Salvador's abortion laws endangering some women's lives while putting others behind bars?
Europe's job hungry migrants are flocking overseas, with many landing in nations once colonised by their home countries.
More than 20 years after the end of its civil war, the country is ready to confront and redress its bloody past.
An insight into how the recent dramatic events in Egypt have affected those who brought about its 2011 revolution.
How political corruption is turning the country's spiralling youth unemployment into a threat to society.
In northern Scandinavia, locals are taking on mining giants in a bid to save an ancient environment and way of life.
We explore how three key Afghan cities are being affected by the gradual withdrawal of the US troops.
More than two years since the country's revolution, can rival factions reconcile and will stability ever fully return?
An exclusive investigation into how intelligence was extracted by torture in Tripoli's notorious Abu Salim prison.
Did a bloody confrontation over land rights lead to a coup against the country's former President Fernando Lugo?
People & Power investigates the plight of children forced to work in Malawi's tobacco industry.
In the midst of a changing criminal underworld, we investigate the spread of mafia-style activity from East to West.
As the economy thrives, we examine the plight of Ethiopians forced from their land to make way for foreign investors.
People & Power goes behind the scenes with UN peacekeepers who are shifting their rules of engagement in the DR Congo.
How are British mining companies impacting the Central Asian nation's worsening environmental track record?
We investigate attitudes towards legalisation, and ask if the Americas are reaching a tipping point in the war on drugs.
In the second half of a special investigation, we look at legalisation and drug violence in the US and Latin America.
People & Power investigates allegations that exiled opponents of the Uzbek regime are being hunted down and killed.
We investigate the worrying rise in suicides among young IT professionals in Bangalore, India's tech capital.
People & Power goes behind the scenes with a famous super cop in Pakistan's fastest-growing and most lawless city.
Twenty years after Rwanda's genocide, should President Paul Kagame be seen as a saviour or a dictator?
An undercover investigation reveals disturbing evidence about the abuse of disabled people in Romania.
People & Power investigates why Bulgarians have been protesting against corruption in the heart of government.
People and Power investigates how Israeli drone technology came to be used by the US.
People and Power investigates how migrants trying to reach Europe fall into the hands of Libya's militias.
As crucial elections approach, is Ukraine really as divided as people have been told?
Can Afghanistan harness a fortune in unexploited precious stones to rescue its ailing economy?
After a 12 year absence a correspondent returns to the infamous US military prison to ask why it is still open.
People & Power investigates the sinister disappearance of 500 Albanian 'street' children from a Greek State orphanage.
As Scotland prepares to vote on independence, what would a 'Yes' vote mean for the UK's standing in the world?
With the conflict between Russia and Ukraine getting bloodier, fears are increasing that Moldova could be next.
Is the tough application of Canada’s immigration laws justified?
People & Power uncovers the harrowing stories of Afghanistan's prison children.
As Myanmar emerges slowly from five decades of dictatorship, will it ever catch up with its more prosperous neighbours?
People and Power investigates the effects of China's increasing influence in Africa.
The second part of our investigate into the effects of China's increasing influence in Africa.
What impact will America's oil and gas boom from fracking have on US power and global geopolitics?
Behind the scenes with medics who struggle to cope with the deadly effects of barrel bombs dropped by the Syrian regime.
The three-part report goes behind the scenes with a pro-democracy campaign trying to ensure free elections in Hong Kong.
People & Power's three-part report goes behind the scenes with a pro-democracy campaign trying to ensure free elections in Hong Kong.
Can Somalia's embattled president unite his country against the armed group al-Shabab?
Can the Republic of Georgia remain aloof from Russian expansionism or will internal division drag it towards conflict?
Behind the scenes with Colombia's insurgents as they bring their 50-year-long conflict to a close.
Behind the scenes with Colombia’s insurgents as they bring their 50 year bloody conflict to a close (Part 2 of 2).
The damaging health effects of Tunisia's phosphate mines on workers who hoped the Arab Spring would bring change.
This three-part People & Power report goes behind the scenes with a pro-democracy campaign trying to ensure free elections in Hong Kong.
People & Power investigates how a match-fixer and his syndicate corrupted global football.
People & Power investigates the environmental consequences of palm oil plantations in equatorial Africa.
People & Power meets young Muslims who have abandoned the West to fight in Syria.
People & Power investigates whether rising ethnic tensions in Macedonia could result in civil conflict.
Can an international boycott of Israeli goods and services help end its occupation of Palestinian lands?
How Chinese entrepreneurs have taken control of Madagascar's booming vanilla trade and what it means for local farmers.
We investigate the shady world of Britain's fake marriage brokers and how they beat the UK's tough immigration rules.
In the second part of With This Passport I Thee Wed, our undercover reporters turned their attention to those who provide legal advice to migrants seeking visas - in particular two lawyers who were said to have a curious attitude to the UK's immigration laws. The distorting effect of fake marriages on the UK immigration system and the suspicions and tougher rules they give rise to can only make it harder for those genuine migrants who want to enter Britain legally and make - as so many of them have - a real contribution to its society. But until a better answer to the problem is found, the criminal gangs who take huge sums of money from would-be migrants and exploit women from poorer parts of Europe will only continue to flourish.
People & Power investigates how Chad is responding to the threat posed by Boko Haram across West Africa.
Are advances in artificial intelligence, robotics and other technologies leading to fewer jobs and more inequality?
As automation gets cheaper than the cost of labour, developing economies are being hit the hardest.
An investigation into the abuse and exploitation of aboriginal women in Canada and the authorities' failure to stop it.
People and Power investigates the sinister impact of a secret cyber war on the Syrian civil war.
We investigate why the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania are nervous about Russia's regional ambitions.
The politics of ransom paying: should governments give money to armed groups in exchange for hostages?
People and Power exposes how Peru's Amazonian rainforest is being stripped bare by corruption.
People & Power investigates two deadly attacks by the Israeli army during the 2014 war on Gaza.
People & Power investigates South Korea's disturbing rise in suicides, particularly among the elderly.
We investigate allegations that despite its new democratic institutions, police torture continues in Tunisia.
People & Power investigates allegations that Kenya’s police are involved in extra judicial killings.
An investigation into the high rate of child sex abuse in Jamaica and the government's failure to protect its children.
People & Power investigates India's Hindu fundamentalists and their influence on the country's government.
People & Power investigates the use of exploited labour in Italy’s famous tomato industry.
We investigate Romania's efforts to rid the country of corruption amid its powerful political and business elites.
How a pioneering approach to treating mental illness is helping to fight one of the world's most neglected diseases.
We investigate the state of political freedom in Belarus and President Lukashenko's unshakable grip on power.
People and Power investigates the growing global phenomenon of organized begging.
How will improving relations between communist Cuba and the capitalist US affect the lives of people on both sides? Last year, the United States flag was raised in Cuba for the first time in more than five decades, as diplomatic relations between the two states were unfrozen and the American embassy in Havana reopened.This dramatic turnaround was preceded by a series of previously unthinkable shifts in policy enacted by the Cuban government, now led by Fidel Castro's brother, Raul.The president has been opening up Cuba's economy since 2010, permitting Cubans to open private businesses and buy and sell property, while foreign companies can now invest in the island nation.In three reports to be broadcast this month, we look at the reforms that appear to be bringing a return to capitalism ever closer and ask what these changes mean for Cuban citizens and the future of their socialist state.In part one of Cuba Year Zero, we explore what it means for Cuba's socialism to make peace with the US government and ask if this decision reflects recognition by the state of a failure to empower its people.
"How will improving relations between communist Cuba and the capitalist US affect the lives of people on both sides? In Cuba Year Zero part two, we meet members of the revolutionary generation. Inside Cuba, we talk to those who were members of Fidel Castro’s rebel army and sacrificed their individualism to make the revolution succeed. In Miami, we meet their former enemies: one million Cubans who left the country in the 1960s and formed groups in exile to conspire against the communist government. Both sides must now face the fact that Castro’s Cuba is finally making peace with the United States, thereby ending a struggle which has lasted, and dominated, most of their lives."
We investigate the recent economic changes and the effect of property ownership on Cuba's communist legacy.
We investigate the horrifying consequences for civilians under Russian air strikes in Syria.
After welcoming one million refugees, attitudes across Germany are changing with confrontations and vitriol on the rise.
We examine France's aggressive counterterrorism measures and the consequences for the Muslim community.
Five years after the revolution, Tunisia's black minority has yet to experience the freedoms enjoyed by other citizens.
We investigate how the erosion of democracy in the US is being revealed by the 2016 presidential campaign.
Part two of our investigation into the erosion of US democracy and how it is revealed in the 2016 presidential campaign.
We investigate claims that Poland’s new right-wing government is undermining the country’s democratic freedoms.
Inside the people-smuggling rings specializing in getting refugees into Europe.
People and Power goes on the trail of a Somali army commander accused of involvement in mass killings and war crimes.
We investigate how an underground fire that has been burning for 100 years has led to one of India's largest land grabs.
What is behind Venezuela's descent into chaos and the bitter ideological struggle dividing the nation?
We investigate how a fight against corruption and pro-Russian oligarchs in Odessa may determine Ukraine's future.
We investigate the events leading up to the Fundao dam disaster. Is enough being done to avoid future recurrences?
People and Power investigates the forgotten war taking place on the borders between North and South Sudan.
People and Power investigates whether India is about to escalate its nuclear arms race with rivals Pakistan and China.
Could a faltering economy, corruption and public disaffection over its relationship with Russia lead to an uprising?
Can the next US president retrieve the secure, well-paid employment enjoyed by previous generations of American workers?
We investigate the race to save Iran's water, before water scarcity dries out entire cities and displaces millions.
People and Power investigates the rise of piracy in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
How states have used Interpol alerts to persecute exiled dissidents and refugees across international borders.
Why a new group of radical activists in Hong Kong are calling for greater autonomy - and even independence - from China.
An investigation into a massacre reveals the lack of political will to unite the country.
We investigate allegations involving a Chinese billionaire and a controversial alternative health scheme in Africa.
People and Power goes behind the scenes with the Taliban in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.
What is the truth behind an apparent coup attempt in the Balkan state of Montenegro?
People & Power examines the impact of the far right on the French presidential elections.
People and Power investigates the recruitment by ISIL of fighters from Trinidad and Tobago.
People & Power investigates how a region of Laos is being taken over by Chinese interests with potentially disastrous consequences for the local population.
People & Power follows pro-democracy protestors in their fight against dictatorship in Belarus.
Following a group of Afghan women who have signed up to fight the Taliban.
How President Trump's opponents believe the US Constitution may prove the most effective barrier against his policies.
The astonishing inside story of how the people of Jobar, a suburb of Damascus, have defended their homes against the might of the Assad regime (1/2).
Just a couple of kilometers east of the centre of Old Damascus and some of the city's best-known ancient monuments - and just a couple more from the pompous modernistic monolith that is the Syrian presidential palace - the suburb of Jobar was once a peaceful and modestly prosperous place. It's probably most famous as the site of the 8th-century Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue, a place of Jewish pilgrimage for centuries. Otherwise, it was the kind of pleasant-enough area to which ordinary people gravitate when wanting to bring up their children, go about their business and get on with their lives: unassuming streets of shops, apartment blocks, offices, cafes, neighborhood schools and mosques. Then came the Arab Spring, the Syrian uprising of 2011 and the devastating war that followed. As in other parts of the capital and the country, many residents of Jobar joined the early peaceful demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad, seeking democratic reforms and policy changes.
People & Power investigates New Zealand's water pollution problem as regional elections gear up.
How would Estonia and its NATO allies respond should the small Baltic state be invaded by Russia?
A look at questions on diversity and incitement to violence in the UK raised in the aftermath of the Manchester bombing.
What lies behind the close relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and President Vladimir Putin?
What are the consequences of President Trump's decision to slash US aid to international NGOs that promote abortion?
We investigate claims of corruption, harassment and xenophobia experienced by Russia's Central Asian migrant community.
Why the Mapuche of Argentina and Chile have been pushed to the brink of insurrection in defence of their ancient lands.
The remarkable story of two Syrian refugees and their journey to safety in Germany.
In August 2017, a devastating landslide in Sierra Leone, killed over a thousand people. It was a terrible blow to a country that still bears the scars of a brutal civil war that ended two decades ago and the more recent, but equally appalling, Ebola crisis, which stretched the nation's limited resources to breaking point. Initially freak rains brought on by climate change were thought to be the cause, but then then other stories emerged - of corruption, greed and environmental degradation, of disastrous urban expansion and unheeded laws. It became clear that the catastrophe may have been as least as much a consequence of local failings as the result of global weather events. What's more, there had been stark warnings of looming disaster for many years. Filmmaker Paul Glynn, who'd first heard these predictions while living in Sierra Leone a decade ago, went back to find out why they’d been so tragically ignored.
When the former British colony of Singapore became an independent nation in 1965, there were doubts about its survival. The tiny island state has no hinterland and few natural resources and few at the time thought it a candidate for any kind of success on the world stage. But today, it's one of Asia's richest cities, a truly modern metropolis that's frequently been described as an economic miracle. It's safe, courteous, orderly, and business friendly, its people are educated and cared for to an extent many of its neighbours can only dream of emulating. The principal architect of this remarkable achievement was Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew, who served three decades as prime minister and even longer as leader of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP). On his death in 2015, over a million Singaporean residents turned out to honour his memory, his infamously tough pragmatism and his many accomplishments - not the least of was the creation of an effective and largely incorrupt government and civil service, which proved a huge magnet to foreign investors . But for many this respect was also undermined by disappointment that development was bought at the price of civil rights. Throughout his time in power LKY - as he was known - was often accused of stifling freedom of speech and suppressing political opposition. It is no accident, say critics, that he won election after election up until he stepped down as prime minister in 1990 (he continued as an MP to be an influential figure behind the scenes), because under his tenure his authoritarian government maintained such tight political control over every aspect of the city state that it became almost impossible for parties other than the PAP to gain a foothold. Now, almost three years after his death, there are signs of some very modest relaxation in that control, but it's by no means as much as some would like. Singaporeans still do not enjoy many of the liberties citizens in most fir
Launched in early 2014, the operation was initially thought to be routine - one of a number of similar ongoing probes that the Brazilian Federal Police had on their books. In this case, the targets were doleiros: black-market money dealers who used small businesses, such as petrol stations and car washes, to launder the profits of crime. But it soon evolved into one of the biggest and most complex corruption investigations in South American history. Four years on and Lava Jato - or Operation Car Wash, as it is now known in English - has left its mark on 11 countries, from Brazil to Peru. Business leaders, multinational corporations and leading politicians have been caught up in allegations ranging from bribery and money laundering to attempting to distort the democratic process, with more than 150 people arrested, prosecuted or facing criminal proceedings. So how and why did this extraordinary investigation become so far-reaching We sent filmmaker Luis del Valle and journalist Gustavo Goritti, from Peru's IDL Reporteros, to find out how prosecutors and police began to unravel a case that has sent shock waves across a continent - and still has some way to run.
It's well known that the United States exports billions of dollars' worth of arms and ammunition to its allies. What isn't as widely understood is that many of the guns it supplies to 'partner forces' fighting wars in the Middle East - particularly to rebels in Syria - are Soviet-style munitions such as RPGs and Kalashnikovs which are obtained from manufacturers in Bulgaria, Serbia and other Eastern European countries. There are many reasons for this, of which the most obvious are that fighters in the region have long been familiar with these types of weapons and would rather use them than anything else, and they are relatively easy to obtain. Another reason is that providing guns which can't easily be traced back to the US puts a politically convenient degree of separation between the US and those to whom the arms go - even when the supplies have been sanctioned at the highest level. Nevertheless, the process still necessarily involves complicated procurement and supply routes, and a less than diligent application of the 'rules' that are theoretically supposed to constrain the international sale and movement of guns into such a volatile environment - embargos, sanctions, 'end-user' certification and so on. It often requires officials to turn a blind eye to less than satisfactory paperwork, the use of private contractors to act as cut-outs and trainers, and middlemen and dead-of-night cargo flights to and from strange, out-of-the-way places. Meanwhile, a host of other players, from Russia, to Turkey, to Saudi Arabia and Iran are all doing variants of the same thing: providing deadly weapons to their own proxies, which in the Syrian conflict alone has contributed to a death toll of around 500,000, the vast majority of whom are civilians. It's also inevitable, in this murky world of shifting alliances and often hidden deals with irregular militias on an ever-fluctuating battleground, that some of these arms do not always end
The United states's constitutionally enshrined love-affair with firearms has given it the highest levels of private gun ownership in the world, a truly staggering rate of gun related deaths (from high profile 'mass killings' to more routine daily homicides) and a hugely powerful and wealthy arms industry dedicated to preserving the status quo. Following the latest appalling calamity last month, when 17 people were slaughtered at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, the pro and anti-gun lobbies have been engaging in a now familiar debate about the extent to which US gun laws should be tightened up - with the notoriously pro-gun President Donald Trump pledging, somewhat unconvincingly, to stop such carnage happening in the future. But it isn't just the US that's felt the effects of this gun epidemic. South of the border in Mexico, American-sourced weapons have been playing a deadly role in that country's drug cartel wars for well over a decade. The violence and chaos fuelled by these smuggled firearms is so widespread and devastating that it's been a significant motivating factor in the desire of many in that country to flee to the north. Of course, it won't be lost on anyone with an appreciation of painful ironies that this kind of desperate migration is precisely why President Trump wants to build a wall along the frontier between the two nations. It seems that it's ok for deadly munitions to travel one way but not for the prospective victims of those munitions to go the other. So how exactly do these weapons get trafficked across the border and why is the US government doing so little to stop the flow For the second of our two special reports on America's guns, we sent correspondent Juliana Ruhfus and filmmaker Karim Shah to investigate.
Last month South African President Jacob Zuma was forced from office by his own party, the African National Congress, when almost a decade's worth of corruption, bribery and racketeering allegations finally became too great to ignore. It is possible that within weeks he could appear in court to face charges relating to at least one of the many financial intrigues from his years in power. As anyone following this story will know, his most infamous former associates, the billionaire Gupta brothers, are now fugitives from justice amid claims that during the Zuma years they systemically looted state assets on a truly astonishing scale - principally by using their friendship with the then-president to influence political appointments and win lucrative government contracts. They are believed to have fled the country and taken refuge in Dubai, where they own property. But the former president and his state-capturing confrères aren't the only ones under scrutiny in South Africa these days. We've been to examine the role allegedly played by major international companies in scandals so toxic and far reaching, they look set to haunt the country for years to come.
Afghanistan: The General Last year, US President Donald Trump announced a 'new' strategy for his country's forces in Afghanistan. The plan involved reversing his predecessor's phased withdrawal, bumping up the number of US troops to as many as 15,000, and giving new authority to US commanders to strike the Taliban in an effort to force the group to eventually negotiate a truce with the Afghan government. But almost 17 years since the original US-led invasion, there are no signs that this approach is proving any more successful than those that have gone before it. Indeed, a string of brutal attacks over the past few months, killing and injuring hundreds of innocent Afghans, have shown the stark reality of the fragile and worsening state of security in Afghanistan. It's made even worse by the increasingly bloody contribution of Daesh (or ISIS-K as it's known locally) to the fray. General John Nicholson is the man charged with implementing Trump's strategy. He is the 'Four Star' controlling Resolute Support and counter-terrorism in the region, and after his appeals to the US Senate for more troops, fresh boots on the ground began arriving in 2017. But under his watch the general has also seen an emboldened insurgency take control of large parts of the country and launch attacks seemingly at will. People & Power sent correspondent Sue Turton to meet the general now in overall charge of foreign forces in Afghanistan to ask whether and how this bloody and interminable conflict can ever be brought to an end.
People & Power investigates disturbing claims that New Zealand’s rivers and lakes are among the most polluted in the developed world
For over three years, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS) controlled and terrorised large swaths of northern Iraq. Then, after it was militarily defeated and largely driven out by the Iraqi army and international forces in late 2017, local militias took over short term responsibility for law and order in some of the areas ISIL had relinquished. They began searching for fugitives, meting out an uncompromising form of justice on captured enemy fighters and their alleged civilian collaborators who came into their hands. One of the most reputedly vengeful of those militias operated in the strategically important Shirqat district, which lies between the cities of Tikrit and Mosul. Unusually, its commander was a 40-year-old woman, Wahida Mohamed al-Jumaily, who's also known as Um Hanadi. She and her 80-man force had played a key role in driving ISIL out of the area and had since shown their utter determination to keep it that way. Both intrigued and disturbed by some of the stories about Wahida's ferocity that were circulating on the internet, Dutch journalist Tom Kleijn went to meet her.
More than 600,000 migrants have arrived by boat in southern Italy over the past four years - seeking sanctuary from war, persecution and extreme poverty across the Mediterranean.
Desperate for a better life, be it relief from war and persecution or simply an escape from grinding poverty and lack of opportunity, huge numbers of people from the Middle East and Africa have sought refuge in Europe in recent years - around 1.8 million of them since 2014. Sometimes their dreams of sanctuary and welcome are realised; they make it to the continent, are granted leave to stay and, with help, begin the slow and difficult process of establishing a place for themselves. And sometimes it all goes terribly wrong; the dangers, setbacks and obstacles on the journey are simply too great to overcome and they are forced to give up or turn back, or the reception they get on arrival is so hostile and unforgiving that eventually they are deported or disenchantment drives them home. In the first of two consecutive episodes exploring these contrasting experiences, People & Power has been to the small affluent city of Detmold, in north western Germany, the European country which under the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, has taken in more refugees and migrants than any other and which, through generous state-funded welfare provision and language and job training, has sought to make a success of integration. Although this process is by no means universally popular across Germany - anti-migrant sentiment found in other parts of Europe is increasingly being echoed here too - in Detmold, at least, where the openheartedness of the local population is making a crucial difference, it appears to be working.
Prior to his election as Prime Minister of Pakistan in July 2018, Imran Khan was accused by his rivals of being strong on rhetoric and short on genuine policies or answers to the country’s many problems. His response was to promise that in its first three months in power his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) would be transformational. It would take steps to clean up the police and judiciary, end political corruption and ensure fairness and justice for all. It would reverse the fiscal mismanagement of previous administrations, bring inflation under control and revitalise the ailing Pakistani economy with a job creation scheme designed to provide new employment for 10 million people. At the same time a bold programme to build five million new homes would also get underway. Pakistan would also reset troubled relations with India and the US, embellish friendships with China and Saudi Arabia and, crucially, break its addiction to hand-outs from the West. No longer would this proud nation have to go begging to the IMF for funds; instead Khan’s government would recoup billions of dollars hidden from the taxman abroad… There was much else besides and his supporters lapped it all up, but in reality, as the former cricketing superstar turned politician surely knew, delivering on such ambitious campaign pledges once in office was always going to be harder than it looked. Many complex fault lines run through Pakistani society and it would be challenging dealing with the dynastic political and military elites who have long kept a stranglehold on the country’s affairs. So what progress is he making We asked Pakistani journalist Amber Rahim Shamsi to weigh up the successes and failures of Imran Khan’s first 100 days in office.
In 2018 a new government came to power in Armenia, amid widespread optimism that its leader Nikol Pashinyan would end decades of corruption and economic and industrial mismanagement. But now his administration faces a major dilemma - whether to proceed with a hugely divisive, multi-billion dollar mining project at Amulsar in the mountainous south of the country. READ: Mining vs the environment: The battle over Armenia's Amulsar gold mine Its backers say it could bring Armenia benefits in the form of foreign investment and jobs. But ranged against it is an increasingly effective coalition of activists and protesters who warn that the project will cause enormous environmental damage and further endanger one of the world's rarest and most beautiful animal species - the Caucasian Leopard.
During World War II, Britain mobilised a huge, now-forgotten, army of African soldiers from its colonies on the continent to fight against the Axis powers (Nazi Germany, Italy and Japan) in battlefields across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
This film from Australian journalist Emma Alberici investigates the background to this disturbing story and the human cost of getting too close to the machinery of war.
Part I of a two part special: People and Power investigates the activities of the world’s most powerful drug cartel.Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel is one of the most powerful criminal enterprises in the world, its multibillion-dollar revenue gained mostly from trafficking narcotics such as cocaine, heroin and fentanyl into the United States.
Part II of a two part special: People and Power investigates the activities of the world’s most powerful drug cartel.Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel is one of the most powerful criminal enterprises in the world, its multibillion-dollar revenue gained mostly from trafficking narcotics such as cocaine, heroin and fentanyl into the United States.
