All Episodes 2012 - 2023

Senator Bernie Sanders spoke with Joie Chen about his thoughts on income inequality, the health care debate, and the political gridlock on Capitol Hill

The man described as the world's 'poorest president' discusses Uruguay's move to legalise marijuana.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, is the man at the centre of Tehran's historic agreement on its nuclear programme. The Islamic Republic has agreed to restrict its nuclear activities in exchange for a partial lifting of sanctions but says its ultimate goal is a permanent solution that would allow it to pursue a peaceful programme

Talk To Al Jazeera interviews former top NY Times editor Jill Abramson about press freedom and the digital age. “Edward Snowden did help The New York Times keep the public informed on what I consider to be very important matters,” said Jill Abramson, who at the time of the interview with Al Jazeera America was the paper's Executive Editor. She also talks about what she says is the “most secretive White House,” she’s covered.

He’s best known for his Holocaust story “Maus.” The critically acclaimed comic book artist Art Spiegelman also had a brother he never met, who was poisoned by a family member to avoid being captured by the Nazis. During his career, the Pulitzer Prize winner has created some controversial covers for The New Yorker. John Seigenthaler spoke to Spiegelman at the Jewish Museum in New York, where “Co-Mix,” a retrospective on his work, is on display until March 23.

One-on-one conversations with the individuals who are shaping the world around us. Hear intimate in-depth interviews with leaders, icons and other people about their revolutionary ideas.

Al Jazeera's Joie Chen sat down with the real life Willy Wonka, Angus Kennedy, who is Britain's chief chocolate taster.

Lea Tsemel discusses the deportation and detention of Palestinians, torture, and discriminatory laws in Israel. The Israeli parliament has passed a new law legalising the force-feeding of prisoners on hunger strikes. For Palestinians in Israeli jails, hunger strikes are a strong mode of protesting detention and occupation. The United Nations, the Palestinian Prisoners Commission and the Israeli Medical Association have all condemned the new law. The country's medical association are urging doctors to not partake in force-feeding, saying it is effectively torture and violates medical ethics. But Israel has said that Palestinian hunger strikes could lead to deaths and set off protests across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. It is a move that highlights the treatment of Palestinian prisoners and how those defending them face difficult odds. One of these defenders is lawyer Lea Tsemel, who has had a career spanning more than four decades and is a rarity in Israel - almost all her clients have been exclusively Palestinian. Tsemel has rarely ever turned a case down and has defended men, women, and increasingly children who are tried in Israeli courts for alleged crimes ranging from stone throwing to attempted suicide bombings. In her view, as Israel continues to occupy Palestinian land, any reaction - violent or otherwise - is a direct result of the occupation. "I believe that people who are under occupation have the right to fight it," she says. Born in Haifa in 1945 to pro-Zionist parents, Tsemel worked as a volunteer for the Israeli army during the 1967 war. It was an experience that she says drove her into political activism and a career in law. Tsemel's legal career has been marked, in her own words, by "major failures," but also important successes. Her defense of Palestinians remains deeply controversial in Israel and she has even received death threats. As she talks to Al Jazeera, Lea Tsemel says she is determined th

The AK party has been ruling Turkey for 13 years, but then a stunning defeat came in June. The movement President Recep Tayyip Erdogan helped create, the Justice and Development Party, also known as the AK party, lost its majority in Parliament, throwing the political system into uncertainty.This was even more remarkable given what supporters say was a long list of accomplishments:When Erdogan took over as Prime Minister in 2003, the country carried billions of dollars of debt to the International Monetary Fund. Since then, it has paid off the loans.The country's infrastructure needed major improvements. Since then, bridges, roads, tunnels and airports have been constructed all across the country.And, symbolically, Muslim women wearing headscarves no longer have to hide.When he left his job as prime minister due to his party's term limits, he campaigned for the presidency last year. Erdogan got 52 percent of the vote and became the first popularly elected president of Turkey.Not satisfied with playing the symbolic role set out in the constitution, he immediately pushed for changes to make the job more powerful.All of those constitutional changes would have been debated by Parliament around now. But that did not happen - the people voted his party out of power.After failing to construct a coalition government, Erdogan's former foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who succeeded him as prime minister, was forced to admit defeat. So President Erdogan responded by calling for new parliamentary elections in November.At the same time, there are major security challenges. Attacks by ISIL and the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, on Turkish soil and a Turkish bombing campaign against PKK and ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq, are already having political effects domestically.So how will all this play out Why, exactly, did his party suffer Will Erdogan pull off a victory in November And either way, how is all this affecting this country so strategically important to the larger Mid

It has been a remarkable week of rapid change in Guatemala.The people in the Central American republic witnessed the resignation of President Otto Perez Molina, only to see him appear in court facing corruption charges before being taken into custody.In the following presidential election, TV comedian Jimmy Morales faced off against several candidates also accused of corruption.All this was accompanied by cheers from the protest movement that has finally pushed this country to face up to years of government mismanagement. Tens of thousands od people had for the past five months taken to the streets in peaceful demonstrations and now they have got what they were calling for.Former President Otto Perez Molina is in court over his alleged involvement in a massive corruption scandal, dubbed 'La Linea' or 'The Line', in which importers gave bribes to avoid paying customs charges.The inquiry continues until the judge decides whether a full trial should go ahead. Perez claims to be innocent.The new interim President, Alejandro Maldonado also backs the charges. He was the vice president who took office only in May when his predecessor resigned after accusations that she too was involved in 'La Linea'.He will hold office for 133 days until a new president is chosen in run-off elections later this fall.Corruption charges are certainly not new in Guatemala, nor in Central and Latin America as a whole. But because the popular uprising had such a dramatic effect, leaders and people in many countries in the region are paying attention.Maldonado called on protesters to remain vigilant and not to stop. 'This is an opportunity,' he said. 'They cannot relax.'Talk to Al Jazeera sat down with the interim president of Guatemala to discuss politics, protests, corruption and impunity in Guatemala.We also talk to one of the leaders of the protest movement, Gabriel Wer from 'Justice Now', about the impact of the peaceful protests and his hopes for the future of Guatemala.

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, UN high commissioner for human rights, discusses the Balkan wars, Syria, and the refugee crisis.

At 66 years old Jeremy Corbyn isn't exactly the youngest politician in Britain. But his election as leader of the Labour Party and head of the opposition has injected a huge amount of energy into UK politics.As he campaigned for his party leadership, thousands of people turned up to hear him across the country.Massive lines of supporters queuing up to listen to the veteran left-wing politician became a symbol of the new movement he has built.But Corbyn isn't without critics, his opponents bill him as an activist who's policies are impossible to implement. He believes in re-nationalising Britain's rails, is a fervant campaigner against Nuclear weapons and wants to introduce new taxes on big businesses and the country's rich.Corbyn has also stirred controversy with his perceived anti-monarchy beliefs. and his past support for Irish resistance groups.On this week's Talk to Al Jazeera, he explains what he would do to solve the current refugee crisis facing Europe, his view on ending the war in Syria, and the truth behind his relationship with Palestinian Resistance group Hamas.You can talk to Al Jazeera too. Join our Twitter conversation as we talk to world leaders and alternative voices shaping our times. You can also share your views and keep up to date with our latest interviews on Facebook .

As the refugee crisis in Europe worsens, new political divisions have emerged across the continent with several member states trading blame on how to cope with the swelling numbers of people arriving from war-torn countries.We have hard divisions within Europe on internal policies, and I have warned not only interior ministers but leaders of European member states that this is weakening our unity and our credibility in our external actionsFederica Mogherini, EU foreign policy chiefGermany, which hosts the largest number of refugees, has been hailed as a model for the rest of Europe after offering to take in 800,000 asylum seekers.Cheering crowds have greeted refugees in cities and towns, as buses teeming with tired men, women and children have been welcomed by locals.In other countries of the 28-member EU bloc, however, refugees have been subject to degrading and inhumane treatment at detention camps likened to concentration camps during the Holocaust.Earlier this month, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius criticised Hungary for its decision to erect a 175km razor-wire fence on its border, saying the move was not in line with 'European values'.As thousands continue to embark on the perilous, dangerous and costly journey to reach safety in Europe; on this week's Talk to Al Jazeera we speak to Federica Mogherini, the woman in charge of the European Union's foreign policy on how the region plans to address the current crisis.In the interview, Mogherini talks about the refugee crisis, how it is the result of the war in Syria, and what the EU plans to do to end the conflict.You can talk to Al Jazeera too. Join our Twitter conversation as we talk to world leaders and alternative voices shaping our times. You can also share your views and keep up to date with our latest interviews on Facebook.

As Europe's refugee crisis continues to intensify, EU member states remain divided over how to respond to the growing number of people arriving from war-torn countries like Syria and Afghanistan. Hungary's right-wing government has faced international criticism over recent clashes between Hungarian riot police and refugees trying to enter the country from Serbia.Sweden has been one of the few European countries to take the opposite approach. Swedish immigration officials were deployed to train stations, meeting and greeting arriving refugees. Despite the fact that more than 10,000 people have been denied asylum in Sweden, many are still in the country, escaping deportation.This is creating the picture of an open-door policy, and the numbers seem to back that up. No country in Europe is taking in more immigrants per capita than Sweden, not even Germany.'It's a moral principle and we are also obliged by international conventions and we stick to that. Every individual has the right to seek asylum in Sweden.... We cannot prevent people from getting a chance to seek asylum if they need it. We are not closing our borders for refugees ... but we have to have control over our borders,' says Sweden's prime minister.But the policy has a downside: Many new arrivals are languishing in temporary housing, beggars and homeless live in the streets, and some neighbourhoods have seen an uptick in violent demonstrations - this is not the picture of Sweden that existed just a few years ago.At the same time, there is another issue preoccupying the Swedes. Russia's takeover of Crimea has reverberated in the region. Many people here now so worried about the Russians they are advocating giving up Sweden's traditional non-alignment policy and instead joining NATO.As many changes are sweeping across this part of northern Europe, Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven talks to Al Jazeera about refugees, immigration policies, and other challenges facing his country and Europe.

Afghanistan was supposed to get a new start one year ago. After 13 years in power, President Hamid Karzai, who had led the country since the Taliban government was defeated after the 9/11 attacks, finally stood down.After a contentious election in 2014, with widespread claims of ballot rigging, the two main candidates were persuaded to share power. Dr Ashraf Ghani became president and his opponent, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, the chief executive.All this happened to coinicide with the departure of many of the international forces in the country, leaving the Afghan army and police in charge of security.At the peak of the US-led Afghanistan combat mission there had been about 130,000 US and NATO troops in the country. Now there are about 16,000.This has led to an increase in insecurity and a very negative effect on the country's economy. Corruption is rife and jobs are few and far between. Civilian casualties have soared to a record high in the first half of 2015 according to a UN report, and many Afghans are leaving the country to escape increasing violence. Afghans are the second-largest group of refugees seeking asylum in Europe.'The current security situation is challenging. Perhaps people don't have confidence in the future of security.That is the main issue [why people are leaving Afghanistan] and it is something we have to address.... It has turned into a crisis for Europe,' says Abdullah Abdullah.So how are the two rivals managing working together How will they cope with the country's deteriorating security situation How do they deal with the Taliban And what is Pakistan's role in AfghanistanAbdullah Abdullah joins Talk to Al Jazeera to discuss the political and economic challenges facing Afghanistan; the threat of ISIL and the Taliban; and why so many Afghans are fleeing to Europe.Editor's note: The conversation was conducted just before the recent Taliban takeover in the city of Kunduz.

After four-and-a-half years of deadly conflict and many failed Western-backed efforts to remove the Assad regime from power, millions of people are fleeing the violence in Syria.And just as world leaders were assembling at the United Nations last week, the battleground in the Middle East shifted - suddenly and deliberately.In a dramatic move, Russia increased its military presence in the country and then launched a fierce bombing campaign against groups opposed to the Syrian regime. On top of it, there is speculation of a ground assault.It all happened so swiftly that many are wondering if Russian President Vladimir Putin is outmaneovering those who are trying to push the Syrian president out of power.When Russian warplanes then entered Turkey's airspace, which is bordering Syria, tension increased further, especially as the American Secretary of Defense said he did not believe it was a simple Russian mistake.It demonstrated clearly the potential for a big power confrontation inherent in the Syrian conflict.'What we are trying now is have a legitimate transition in order to save Syria and to have a unified, secular, whole Syria going forward. But if the Russians insist on fighting against that, there could be very serious consequences. The most serious of which would be that... Russia itself will become a target... So if they are not there to actually fight Daesh, it's very dangerous for the longterm,' US Secretary of State John Kerry told Al Jazeera.Behind the scenes there is intense work now underway to break some sort of political deal. There is even talk of a transition that would allow Syria's President Assad to stay on just a little longer.British Prime Minister David Cameron believes that Assad 'can't be part of Syria's future. Of course it requires a sustained diplomatic push in terms of reconstruction and transition in Syria ... we support a Syria without Assad and a Syria without ISIL.' From the American and European side, the efforts to end the Syrian cri

After more than 20 years in the limelight, former US President Bill Clinton is still in the public arena. But his main focus now is his foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative, which is trying to tackle the most pressing challenges facing the developing world.He says he is 'out of politics' but that is hard to believe, given that his wife is running for president.When Hillary Clinton put on a strong performance at the first Democratic debate in Las Vegas, it seemed to reignite her campaign, which had suffered earlier this summer, when criticism of her private email use as secretary of state saw many supporters flock to her main Democratic opponent Bernie Sanders instead.It has been the sort of back-and-forth political campaign her husband is familiar with as well.Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the war in Syria has taken a dramatic turn with Russia's military campaign in support of Bashar al-Assad's regime.Despite increasing tension over Russia's bombing campaign, Bill Clinton believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama will work out some sort of understanding.The volatile situation in Israeli occupied territories is leading to fears of a total meltdown between the Palestinians and the Israelis.But Clinton, who dealt extensively with both sides as president, is surprisingly optimistic. He thinks there is potential for a Palestinian deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:'If you just looked at what just happened you wouldn't be very hopeful [that a two-state solution can be achieved].... but I would not give up on it - for a simple reason that Israel is still worried about Iran.... [After the last election in Israel] Netanyahu is now in a better position than he has been in a long time to make some sorts of more comprehensive agreement with the Palestinians, if - but only if - he can sell it as part of a rapprochement with people who will help them be secure against terror and Iran. So it might happen, I wouldn't write it off

Hundreds of thousands of refugees are making their way to Europe.Although this number is smaller than the millions pouring into Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, it is a crisis dividing Europe.Many Europeans are uneasy and concerned about what they feel is a lack of control and wonder who is coming and whether their societies can cope.So what are the refugees seeking in Europe And what do they have to say to Europeans who do not want them to come to their countries

He is known as 'El Bronco' - the man who cannot be tamed. And he says he is launching a new Mexican revolution. Against all odds, Governor Jaime Rodriguez Calderon has challenged the establishment to become Mexico's first independent governor - in a country where three parties have monopolised power for seven decades.And he has done so by vowing to wipe out widespread corruption and impunity in his prosperous state of Nuevo Leon, a major economic hub that borders Texas. As mayor of his district, the rags-to-riches farmer and politician survived two assassination attempts when he took on the feared Zeta drug cartel. Now as governor, he is warning the establishment and organised crime that the 'party is over for the bandits'.Jaime Rodriguez grew up on a farm, the fourth of 10 children raised by an illiterate mother and a father who toiled the land to give him an education. His heroes are the Lone Ranger and Zorro, the fictional masked rider who battled injustice in Mexico - 'because he fought for justice to free people from evil.'An eccentric with an oversized ego to some, a hero to others, Jaime Rodriguez is without a doubt one of a kind in Mexico, where corruption and rampant violence go largely unpunished.But El Bronco was not always such a rebel. For 33 years he belonged to the nation's most powerful political party, Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), a party Rodriguez now accuses of abuse of power and worse.When he resigned last year to run for governor as an independent candidate, he was widely dubbed naive, even insane. But he captured the imagination of young and old Mexicans by going from town to down on horseback - literally passing the hat to finance his campaign and using social media networks to bypass the pro-establishment mass media that had shut him out.So what drives El Bronco And what is his vision for the future of MexicoOn this episode of Talk to Al Jazeera, we talk to the man who claims to be on a mission to save his people from evil - Gover

For years, Brazil's future looked very bright. A rapidly growing economy was moving millions of poor people into Brazil's middle class.Like Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the country seemed destined to become a new and important player in the global marketplace.And then, suddenly and surprisingly, it all came to an end. Rising unemployment and high inflation has descended across the country with a rapid slowdown in economic growth.The country's economic growth, tied to the oil industry and the state oil company Petrobras, Brazil's largest corporation, has slumped as oil prices have fallen by almost 50 percent in the past 12 months.Millions of people are now afraid that they will become poor once again.Adding fuel to the fire was a corruption scandal bigger than anything anybody has ever seen - it was revealed that billions and billions of dollars were secretly transferred from Petrobras to senior politicians - and the oil giant lost half its value.Before she became president, Dilma Rousseff was chairman of the board of Petrobras. She denies any involvement - and she has not been charged with any wrongdoing - but her connection to the company has not served her well. She has become the symbol of what has gone wrong in the country.The reaction among the people in Brazil was severe. Thousands demanded the impeachment of the country's president.Others are more quiet but just as angry, as they look ahead at a future more uncertain than they thought just a few months ago.'They say that the dictatorship was bad, but name me one president from the dictatorship period who died rich or who got rich from politics or by being the president. You won't be able to name even one. The dictatorship was bad, but not that bad, I think that things now are worse, far worse,' says Junior, a barber.So what went wrong in Brazil How are Brazilians coping And how do they feel about the economic and political future of their countryAl Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid meets Adriana, a taxi d

Global oil prices have dropped sharply over the past year, leading to significant revenue shortfalls in many energy exporting nations - and according to experts there is no end in sight.Oil and gas producing countries in the Gulf region are struggling to keep their income and expenses in balance.If they do not adapt to the oil price drop and seek alternatives, countries like Saudi Arabia could run out of buffers in just five years, warns the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a recent report.'The price of oil has sharply declined in the last 12 months and... we do not see a significant improvement in the near term. So as a result of the new reality, we believe that finance ministers and authorities should take steps in the spending site of their budget, in the revenue site of their budget, and they should also welcome private sector operators in order to create growth from alternative sources,' said Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF.Lagarde travelled to the Gulf countries to deliver this message in person, meeting both, leaders and the younger generation in order to raise awareness and to offer solutions.One of them involves the imposition of what might have been difficult to imagine just a few months ago: taxes.'When you are running out of money, you don't have many options. You need to cut expenses or look for other income - or both,' Lagarde said.But aside from the issue of oil prices, there are many other critical issues facing the global economy and thereby the IMF.Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, talks to Al Jazeera about the future of the GCC economies, Europe's refugee crisis, the continuing financial problems in Greece, and the rising power of China. She also talks about inspiring women across the globe and her career - will she run for president in France's next presidential elections

A former religious advisor to Osama bin Laden, Abu Hafs al-Mauritani has joined a chorus of Muslims in condemning the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, denouncing its recent attacks in Paris as going against the tenets of Islam.In his first interview to an English-TV audience, Mauritani tells Al Jazeera's Sami Zeidan that ISIL has 'misunderstood' Islam, just as people in the West might 'misunderstand Christianity'.'Islam forbids the killing of innocent people, regardless of whether they are Muslims or non Muslims,' he says. 'Killing civilians and innocent people ... is unacceptable and has nothing to do with jihad.'A former al-Qaeda ideologue who served on the group's Shura Council, Mauritani left al-Qaeda in August 2001 after disagreeing with bin Laden's decision to target civilians.After the September 11 attacks, he fled to Iran where he spent 10 years in prison before being extradited to Mauritania.Speaking from the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, he accuses ISIL's recruitment methods, citing political and not religious grievances for the group's rise.He blames the West's support for Israel, 'corrupt Arab regimes' and 'counter revolutions after the Arab Spring' for the spread of the armed group.'Why else would they have hit France and not hit the Vatican' he says. 'The Vatican represents western Christianity, why didn’t they attack a church'France has been bombing ISIL targets in Syria since late September, and since the Paris attacks has carried out a wave of air strikes on the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de-facto capital of the 'Islamic State'.Mauritani, who rejects Baghdadi's claim to be the leader of all Muslims, says ISIL fails to meet the conditions and requirements of a caliphate and is a 'fruit' of the US-led occuptaion of Iraq.Mauritani also talks to Al Jazeera about why he joined - and left - al-Qaeda and what drives people to join the ranks of ISIL and other armed groups.You can talk to Al Jazeera too. Join our Twitter conversation as

Ibrahim Boubacar Keita discusses the Bamako hotel attack, what his government plans to do next and the volatile north.

For several weeks, tensions and street violence between Israelis and Palestinians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories have taken such a serious turn that many wonder where it will all end.More than 100 people have been killed and thousands have been wounded - the overwhelming majority Palestinians. The question many are now asking is whether there's any room left for the two communities to peacefully negotiate their differences. Is Israeli society becoming more right wing and less in favour of peace And will there ever be a time when the two people will live together in peaceIn this edition of Talk to Al Jazeera in the Field, Al Jazeera's Imtiaz Tyab meets people on both sides of the conflict.You can talk to Al Jazeera, too. Join our Twitter conversation as we talk to world leaders and alternative voices shaping our times. You can also share your views and keep up-to-date with our latest interviews on Facebook.

South Sudan's peace agreement signed in August was meant to end a 21-month-old civil war that has left thousands dead and many more displaced in the wake of the country's historic declaration of independence in 2011.Hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes after experiencing horrible crimes. Last month, a previously secret report by the African Union was finally made public. It contains shocking details of human rights abuses in South Sudan, committed not only by government troops but by opposition militia as well.It paints a grim picture of what is happening in the country.Talk to Al Jazeera In The Field goes deep inside the country to find out the truth about a failed state, a country letting its people slip into despair. We meet South Sudanese women and listen to their stories of broken dreams and a stolen future.

Football's world governing body, FIFA, will elect a new president in February 2016, but the successful candidate will inherit an organisation in crisis, engulfed by claims of widespread corruption.Suspended FIFA President Sepp Blatter was in power for 17 years before wrongdoing was finally exposed.The dramatic dawn arrests of FIFA executives in Zurich before the FIFA Congress in May was the beginning of the end for the old corrupt regime.Bahraini royal Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa is one of the new faces on the FIFA executive committee. For two years he has also served as head of the powerful Asian Football Confederation.Sheikh Salman is considered the favourite to ascend to the governing body's top role. He is drawing support from Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, so there is a high chance for him to become FIFA's first Asian president in the February election.But his own background has been questioned - with allegations of being complicit on the detaining and torture of Bahraini athletes after the country's anti-government protests in 2011.In February 2011, one of Bahrain's most well-known football players, Alaa Hubail, joined anti-government protesters at a rally in which he expressed his unhappiness with the country's security forces.In April that year he and his brother were arrested and, they allege, subsequently interrogated and beaten up. Around the same time, the government announced the formation of a committee to investigate the activities of athletes who broke the law. The head of the committee was allegedly Sheikh Salman.So, what is behind these allegations Will Sheikh Salman become FIFA's new president And what does this mean for the future of the organisation and footballOn Talk to Al Jazeera, Sheikh Salman responds to torture allegations, discusses the challenges facing the FIFA, and tells us why he thinks he is the only man able to clean up FIFA.

We speak to Otto Perez Molina at a military prison as he waits to find out if he'll stand trial on corruption charges.

Among the hundreds of thousands of refugees entering Europe a significant number is made up of young men from Afghanistan. Last year, more than 100,000 Afghans fled to Europe and the exodus continues.But why are so many Afghans leaving their home countryIn Kabul's Kote Sangi neighbourhood, painters, carpenters, plasterers, and other manual workers sit outside waiting for someone to come by and hire them, even if only for a few hours. This scene is replicated throughout the Afghan capital as thousands of casual workers hope to earn a dollar or more a day, the desperation etched on many faces. But their chances aren't good. These men don't have the family or the political connections often needed to get a job. And Afghanistan's unemployment rate is estimated to be at 40 percent or higher.Afghanistan's economy still depends heavily on international aid and 61 percent of the country's operating budget is funded by foreign donors. The withdrawal of more than 100,000 NATO troops, and a scaling down of aid has shrunk the economy drastically. Building bases for the troops, staffing them, moving food and water to them, injected billions of dollars into the economy and employed tens of thousands of Afghans for years. In response to the economic downturn, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has launched the National Employment Programme in November 2015 to give thousands of Afghans job opportunities.But will he succeed How do do young Afghans feel about their country's economic futureOn this week's Talk to Al Jazeera in the Field, we examine the job market in Afghanistan. How does it really work And what jobs, if any, offer some kind of future for the young people who decide to stay in Afghanistan We talk to business leaders who are looking for workers; the head of one of Afghanistan's biggest recruitment companies; and job seeker Abdel Fatah, who studied sociology at Kabul University and wants to stay and work in his country.

After UN probe into the country’s civil war, Sirisena downplays allegations as 'human rights violations only.'

With the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence a whole new concept of food may soon radically change what we eat. And at the same time, some experts believe, it could reduce global warming.No longer based on animal ingredients, this is a food entirely based on plants - although it looks and tastes like the classic food based on ingredients derived from animals.This is not a new idea, it has been around for about 10 years.But the breakthrough has been delayed, perhaps one of the reasons is that many consumers still prefer locally produced food, they want to trust the supply chain, and not simply depend on big manufacturers.However, a group of young scientists in Chile are working on alternatives for a sustainable and meatless future.Commercial engineer Matias Muchnick and Harvard research associate Karim Pichara are two of the founders of the Not Company.Together with biochemist Isidora Silva they are developing new plant-based food and are determined to bring it to people in their local market.Part of what motivates them is what they consider to be the biggest drawback of classic animal farming: It requires massive amounts of land and it affects global warming.According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, livestock contributes both directly and indirectly to climate change through the emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.Livestock is also a major driver of deforestation, desertification, as well as the release of carbon from cultivated soils. Overall the livestock sector is contributing 2.7 billion tonnes of CO2 emission according to the UN.'When you get behind the scenes of the food industry, you don't like what you see. There is a lot of things that we should be knowing... but we are blindsided by a whole industry that is making it really hard for us to see what we are really eating,' says Matias Muchnick. The main scientist of the Not Company team is a computer, an artificial intelligence a

As the WHO investigates the massive outbreak of microcephaly in Brazil, we travel to ground zero of the epidemic.What is the true scale of the health crisis over the zika virus Is Brazil, and the region, losing the battle against the virus How far is the world from finding a cure And will the Brazilian government help the mothers and their babies Today on Talk to Al Jazeera, we travel to the centre of the crisis to find out how the children and parents are coping, whether they receive the help they have been promised, and we talk to a scientist about a possible way to stop the disease.

Ahead of the presidential elections, Mahamadou Issoufou discusses politics, regional instability and how to defeat Boko Haram and ISIL.

Ahmet Davutoglu discusses the recent attacks in Turkey, the downed Russian military jet, and the refugee situation.Is there a possibility Turkey will lose its patience and order some sort of military intervention in Syria against Kurdish and government forces And if so, is a military conflict with Russia imminent

Ahmet Davutoglu discusses the recent attacks in Turkey, the downed Russian military jet, and the refugee situation.

Despite living in self-imposed exile for the best part of ten years, Thailand's former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, continues to shape and influence Thai politics.Elected to power in 2001, he was the first democratically elected prime minister to serve a full term in office, before being re-elected in a 2005 landslide victory.A former telecommunications billionaire, the business tycoon turned politician drew his support from Thailand's rural poor, with his populist healthcare programmes and assistance for farmers schemes winning him great levels of support.But loathed by the elite who saw him as a threat to the monarchy, Thaksin would face increasing allegations of corruption, with attention soon turning towards his tremendous wealth.Coupled with accusations that he insulted the revered monarchy, protests would pave the way for the military to launch a bloodless coup in September 2006 while he was in the US.Apart from a brief return to Thailand in 2008, Thaksin has based himself in self-imposed exile in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, ever since.He has since been found guilty by Thai courts of abusing his power over a land deal whilst also being stripped of around $1.4 billion for concealing ownership of shares in a telecommunications company and for amending government policies to benefit it.Thaksin told Al Jazeera that fears over his safety were stopping him from returning to the country.'If I was there, who could guarantee my safety,' he said. When asked if his life was in danger Thaksin replied: 'definitely,' pausing before adding that while Prime Minister there were 14 attempts on his life including a 2006 foiled car-bomb assassination near his residence.Thaksin's younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra would later become the country's first female prime minister in 2011, but when her government tried to push through a bill that would have granted amnesty to those found guilty of political crimes, protests gripped the country.Yingluck was removed from office

Nine months after he came to power, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari received an official welcome from Qatar's Emir on Buhari's latest trip of many to boost Nigeria's standing abroad.The Nigerian president is seeking support for his crackdown on corruption and to encourage much-needed investment in his country's ailing economy.Qatar is the current president of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer.Low oil prices have a devastating impact on the Nigerian economy, which has long depended on the export of oil. 'We were unable to diversify our economy, hence we are much more disadvantaged by the lower oil prices,' Buhari says.Buhari tells us he values the institution of OPEC and that 'Nigeria will make the necessary sacrifice to remain in OPEC.'With a chorus of voices, including from the IMF, calling for the Nigerian government to devalue the naira, Buhari says he will not reconsider his insistence on freezing the currency. Buhari says as Nigeria 'virtually imports everything, from rice to toothpicks', it cannot afford to devalue its currency.'If it is against our national interest, why can't we go against the IMF advice' Buhari asks.Buhari's election campaign rode on pledges to root out corruption and quash Boko Haram. Yet, Boko Haram remains active in many areas of Nigeria, seemingly able to strike at will.And many questions are being asked about whether Buhari's anti-corruption drive is yielding results and if newer forms of corruption are emerging with a freeze on the naira.President Buhari talks to Al Jazeera about his campaign against graft and why he is adamant he hasn't failed in the fight against Boko Haram. He also explains why he believes the security of his country is best served by being part of the Saudi-led Islamic anti-terrorism coalition announced in December 2015.

It's been five years since pro-democracy protests started challenging the rule of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. After years of ongoing bloodshed and multiple failed attempts to resolve the conflict, no one is counting the dead anymore, but it is estimated that the Syrian crisis has killed 300,000 people and displaced millions.Ahead of the resumption of peace talks in Geneva on March 14, Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria, says there is a higher chance than ever of achieving a political solution.'Five years [ago], no one would have ever imagined this conflict would have gone there. But perhaps now we have a chance to try and put an end to it,' says de Mistura.So, as the bloody conflict enters its sixth year, what are the prospects for peace for Syria And after so many failed attempts, what does it take to end the ongoing violenceAl Jazeera's James Bays talks to Staffan de Mistura, about his challenging mission to bring peace to Syria.

Five years after the Syrian civil war began, images of bombings, destruction and suffering continue to dominate the coverage on television screens.Before the war, the ancient city of Aleppo was Syria's largest city and the country's financial heart.Anti-government fighters partially controlled the city for some time, but have lost much of it after intense Russian airstrikes in support of Syrian government forces.Once a bustling city of two million, Aleppo is now a war zone, mortared and shelled into oblivion - a city under attack and under siege. Many have been killed and many more have fled. But what about those who have stayed Those who are trapped inside Away from the battlefront, what has life become for the people of AleppoThis is what renowned Syrian photographer Ammar Abd Rabbo has tried to capture in his latest exhibition. Rabbo is one of the Arab world's most prominent photographers.For the past 20 years, he has witnessed some of the most profound political changes in the Middle East and made intimate portraits of heads of states.From Libya, to Iraq, to Lebanon, his works have been published in the world's most widely-circulated publications, earning him numerous awards and accolades.Over the last few years, Ammar Abd Rabbo has travelled to Aleppo several times to bring back images - snapshots of everyday life that not only remind us of the impact of the ongoing Syrian war, but also show the strength and resilience of the people of Aleppo. His photos show that live still goes on in war-torn Aleppo despite the war, destruction and devastation.'It [Aleppo] used to be once a city where Christians, Muslims and Jews lived together, not always in love and harmony, but at least [they] lived together and built and created an amazing city. Today, it [the city] is wounded, it's bleeding, but it's still very lively,' says Rabbo.'It's shelling, it's under terrible moments and violence, and still people send their kids to school. It says a lot about the resilience and t

It is one of history's greatest unknown crimes: More than a million people were brutally killed after Indonesia's military coup in 1965.The victims were accused of being communists, an umbrella that included not only members of the country's Communist Party, but all those who opposed General Suharto's new military regime.The killers were often members of paramilitary groups or death squads that carried out the executions with the approval of the military government and killed with impunity.The perpetrators have stayed in power, living alongside the survivors and the victims' families who were threatened into silence. Fear and anti-communist rhetoric persist in Indonesia today.For nearly 10 years, American filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer researched and documented the atrocities.He spoke to victims and their families as well as the perpetrators of the crimes, shedding light on Indonesia's dark past and today's impunity in his two films, The Look of Silence (2014) and The Act of Killing (2012).His first film tells the story from the point of view of the killers - some of whom are celebrated as heroes in Indonesia today. The Look of Silence follows an optometrist, born two years after his brother was killed, as he meets those responsible for his brother's death.'Neither film is a historical documentary about events 50 years ago. Both films are about a present-day regime of fear that subsists because everybody knows who the perpetrators are and knows what the perpetrators did,' Oppenheimer tells Al Jazeera.He says the perpetrators in his films are performing - rather than reenacting the past - 'the present-day fantasies, lies, stories they tell themselves so they can live with what they've done.'Oppenheimer says that the films are fundamentally about impunity, but as he dug deeper, he realised it wasn't unique to Indonesia.'What I was really finding there was an allegory for an impunity that defines so many of our societies.'The filmmaker explains how his films have helped

Sweden has received more refugees per capita than any other country last year, but many Swedes have started to question the country's immigration policies as crime rates and extremism are on the rise.Traditionally, Sweden has been viewed as welcoming to refugees.In 1970, most immigrants came from other European nations like Finland, Yugoslavia, Denmark and Greece. The 1980s saw people come from Iran, Chile, Lebanon and Turkey.In the last 10 years, the numbers have taken off and in 2015, nearly 163,000 individuals applied for asylum in Sweden, a nation of 9.8 million people.Syrians accounted for 51,000 of these asylum seekers, 41,000 came from Afghanistan, 20,000 from Iraq, along with thousands from Eritrea, Somalia and Iran. A combined 4,000 came from Albania and Kosovo.Today, around 1.6 million people living in Sweden were born in another country - that is 16 percent of the population.Many new arrivals are languishing in temporary housing, beggars and homeless live in the streets, and some neighbourhoods have seen an uptick in violence and extremism.Concerns over security are growing and recent information about members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) living in Sweden and going to fight in Syria has received lots of media attention. According to Swedish police, around 300 people, many of them from the city of Gothenburg, are believed to have gone to Syria.Then there's violent crime - in the past several months murders and assaults have taken place in asylum centres and in neighbourhoods with large numbers of immigrants.The Sweden Democrats, the only party that has been advocating a more restrictive immigration policy, is now the third largest party in opinion polls, despite efforts by established political parties to isolate it.So, what is behind the recent backlash against immigration in Sweden Why is the tide turning for refugees in SwedenAl Jazeera went to the Swedish community of Ostra Goinge, an area that has received a n

He rose quickly from political obscurity, emerging first as a mayoral candidate in Johannesburg and soon after becoming leader of South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), in 2015.Mmusi Maimane thinks he has got the answers to South Africa's problems. At a time of economic and political turmoil, the ruling African National Congress (ANC), he says, is focused less on the needs of the people, and more on the enrichment of its ruling elite.When he called for a vote in parliament recently to impeach President Jacob Zuma for breaching the constitution, Maimane struck a heavy blow in an opposition campaign to overtake the party that he accuses of betraying the ideals of Nelson Mandela.But the vote failed and the ANC is fighting back, using the rhetoric of race to discredit Maimane. They call him a sellout, a puppet of the rich, the black face of a white party.'The true test was whether or not the ANC would defend the constitution or defend Jacob Zuma. I found that as the leader of the opposition it was important to put that test before them. When they took the test and made the decision to defend Jacob Zuma it made us realise, and it made South Africans realise, that project Zuma is not an anomaly to the ANC, it is the ANC itself,' says Maimane.The politician believes that 'one of the things the ANC has departed from is the basic freedom that is the freedom of association. They fail to recognise the fact that it is possible that black South Africans can join any party that they so choose, they have departed from that. The second thing the ANC has departed from is what I believe the generation on 1956 that was led by President Nelson Mandela that said that they were fighting a system not a race. And if you are fighting a system you recognise the fact that black and white can join together to fight a system that oppresses black people even though the same white people were benefitting they can join arms with black people and fight against it.... I

Julius Malema is never far from the spotlight. In 2012, his aggressive and divisive brand of rhetoric led to expulsion from South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC). As head of the influential ANC youth league he had earlier helped Jacob Zuma become president.

The senior leader of Ethiopia's Somali rebel group discusses a growing alliance of groups seeking self-determination.

The veteran statesman discusses Jacob Zuma, the return of race to the political discourse and his Zulu culture.

Brazil, the world's fifth largest country, is in turmoil. It's a nation submerged in economic recession and corruption while its president has been forced out of the presidential palace to face an impeachment trial, betrayed by her own coalition.Accused of transferring money from the state-owned Bank of Brazil - without the approval of Congress - to cover a massive budget deficit, Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff is fighting for her political life.Rousseff insists she is the victim of a political coup d'etat triggered by a thirst for revenge, and made worse by a dramatic slowdown in economic growth.Now abandoned even by her vice president who has taken over her office, Rousseff has one trusted ally - the man she appointed attorney general, who is today leading her defence team.Jose Eduardo Cardozo is a passionate defender of the president, even though she caved into pressure to remove him as justice minister in February when he refused to block corruption investigations against members of their own party. When her trial begins, he must convince the Senate that Rousseff is innocent. On this episode of Talk to Al Jazeera we go to the presidential residence - which is now a sort of bunker for the impeached president - to meet the man responsible for what many call 'mission impossible' - bringing Dilma Rousseff back to office.

The decision by the US and UK to invade Iraq in 2003 was met with condemnation around the world at the time - and is still haunting its principal architects.On the British side, it was Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Foreign Secretary Jack Straw who took their country into war. Ever since, there's been an intense debate about why they did so.The long-awaited culmination of an official British investigation should bring insights into how Blair and Straw reached their decision.The Chilcot Inquiry, named after its chairman Sir John Chilcot, will reveal its findings in July, seven years after it began its work.Leaks from the final report, which is 2.6 million words in total, suggest that both the prime minister and foreign secretary come under severe criticism.Jack Straw was a key witness at the Chilcot Inquiry, where he insisted that he supported an attack on Iraq for good reasons: to destroy Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.But the evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed such weapons was hotly contested at the time, and was shown to be false after the invasion.'Of course I regret the fact that the basis on which we made the decision, which was that there were extensive holdings of what we knew Saddam had had, holdings of very dangerous chemical and biological weapons, were not found,' he tells Al Jazeera.Jack Straw stayed on in the British Parliament until 2015. He is now campaigning for the UK to remain in the EU in the referendum on June 23, and also lectures on international relations.On this episode of Talk to Al Jazeera, the former UK foreign secretary talks about Turkish-Iranian relations, Western intervention in Syria's war; the threat of ISIL; Tony Blair's legacy'; and the issues behind the 'most difficult decision of his life' - the invasion of Iraq.

Dilma Rousseff, the former leftist guerrilla who became the first woman president of Latin America's largest country, is now fighting for her political survival.Brazil's immensely popular former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, chose his chief of staff to carry on with his legacy of economic growth with social justice.But it didn't last. By the time Rousseff began her second term in 2015, Brazil was in turmoil.Now Rousseff has been suspended to face an impeachment trial - abandoned by her allies and millions of Brazilians who accuse her of driving the nation's once healthy economy into the ground and of turning a blind eye to corruption within her own left-wing party.It's the material political soap operas are made of: almost daily corruption scandals are splattering every political party, most recently, that of interim President Michel Temer.This week, more leaked phone conversations revealed that two of his top ministers, including the man in charge of combatting corruption, were apparently trying to derail ongoing investigations into a multi-billion dollar bribery scheme.Temer, who was until last month the vice president, turned against Dilma Rousseff, so she could face impeachment.Rousseff is charged with having tampered with fiscal accounts to hide a massive budget deficit in order to get re-elected. Yet, unlike a great many of those seeking her impeachment, she is not being accused of stealing money for herself.In fact at least 60 percent of Brazilian lawmakers are under investigation or indictment for crimes ranging from attempted murder to massive corruption, including the president of the senate who will be overseeing the impeachment trial.Rousseff claims her enemies are punishing her for refusing to block corruption investigations, but will the latest scandals involving the interim government be enough to save herAl Jazeera's Lucia Newman speaks to President Dilma Rouseff in Brasilia as the suspended leader faces a controversial impeachment trial which

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the impoverished son of illiterate farmers, rose to become not just the president of the world's seventh largest economy, but the man who catapulted Brazil onto the global stage as no one ever has.US President Barrack Obama called him the world's most popular president. Newsweek, Le Monde and the Financial Times dubbed him the world's most influential president.The former trade union leader who lost a finger working at a metal factory at age 14, is the only Brazilian president to never have gone to university. Yet, even his adversaries recognise that his political skills are unparalleled.Elected in 2003, the leader of Brazil's left-wing Workers' Party, or PT, embraced both George Bush and Hugo Chavez, determined to assert Brazil's place in the Americas and beyond.While he played by market rules during his two-term presidency, Lula catapulted tens of millions of impoverished Brazilians into the lower-middle and middle classes, through unprecedented social programmes that won him praise worldwide. While corruption allegations dogged his party from the start, he left the presidency in 2010 with a historic 80 percent approval rating.The trajectory of his chosen successor, his former cabinet chief, Dilma Rousseff, has been vastly different. Many said early on she didn't have the political skills of her predecessor.She now faces an impeachment amid an unprecedented economic and political crisis. Revelations of a billion-dollar corruption scheme in the state-owned oil company Petrobras while Lula was president, have eroded the legacy of the so-called 'Teflon' leader. In March, police detained him for interrogation on suspicion of money laundering, just one of several corruption allegations against him. Al Jazeera visited Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at his Sao Paulo foundation, The Lula Institute, which focuses on social equality and economic development, furthering the policies he pursued during his presidency. Al Jazeera's Lucia Newman spoke to Lu

In mid-June, the bodies of 34 migrants were found in the Niger desert, 20 of them were children. They had been abandoned by human traffickers.On June 3, Boko Haram, the armed group battling Western influence, carried out an attack in the Diffa region of eastern Niger. More than 30 soldiers were killed and about 50,000 people were forced to flee.The people of Niger, a landlocked country almost entirely covered by the Sahara Desert, face unemployment, the threat of armed groups, hunger, poverty and drought. Niger is one of the world's poorest countries and one with the highest percentage of people under the age of 20.Yet, hope remains for many young Nigeriens who are most affected by the country's lack of opportunities.In March 2016, three young people in Niamey, the capital, talked to Al Jazeera on what they want to accomplish and the dangers they see as they try to build a future in an uncertain environment.Abdel Nasser Boubacar, Mamane 'Kaka' Touda and Rachida Abdourahamane tell of what it means to grow up in Niger, how they give hope to others and what future they see for their country.

The US Secretary of State and deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes discuss Syria, ISIL & investing in innovation.

South Sudan became the world's youngest nation in July 2011, but despite independence the country went to conflict again two years later, when civil war broke out - leaving tens of thousands dead, more than two million people displaced and an economy in ruins. In 2013, former rebel leader and vice president Riek Machar was sacked by President Salva Kiir in a cabinet purge. Later that year, Kiir accused him of plotting a coup, which prompted Machar to flee the capital, Juba.Machar denied the allegation, but the incident triggered South Sudan's vicious civil war.After protracted negotiations by regional mediators, a peace deal was achieved between both sides in August last year and Machar has been sworn in again as vice president.Kiir and Machar, have agreed to share power and are now tasked with rebuilding the world's youngest country that has been devastated by the conflict.South Sudan is facing severe economic problems, and a deal with international donours has yet to be implemented.'Whenever there are displaced people, or there are refugees, the solution is always money so that you can settle them. And then you get them food, medicine, everything so that they live comfortably, whether they are foreigners or citizens. So our problem is money. We have no money.' says Kiir.Riek Machar's delayed but much-publicised return should mean a positive working relationship with his arch rival Salva Kiir, but the key question is: Can they work together And are they aiming for the same goals'We are unified now... As the government of national unity, we are functioning smoothly,' President Salva Kiir says.But asked about the agreement and his message to Riek Machar, Kiir says: 'When you preach messages of hate, probably you are going to divide the people.The problem, that we are not moving smoothly on the implementation of the agreement, is the way the agreement was designed. And when I signed this agreement in August last year, I said this in front of the president of Uganda. I

From above, Caracas' skyline still hints at the opulence that once characterised oil-rich Venezuela, but at ground level there's no hiding today's reality: people are queuing all night for food and medicine; inflation is with over 700 percent the highest in the world; and murders and kidnappings are spiralling out of control.Venezuelans who can, are fleeing their country, once a magnet for immigrants.And with a political confrontation mounting steadily, many warn that the nation with one of the world's largest oil reserves is on the edge of an abyss. Political violence against opponents of the populist government of President Nicolas Maduro is intensifying, but it's common crime which is terrifying most Venezuelans, no matter what their beliefs or social class.Venezuela is now one of world's most dangerous countries, and its capital, Caracas, the city with one of the highest murder rates in the world, according to a recent study.Violent crime is rampant and the police are unable to stop - or don't want to intervene - people from looting, or others from killing for a bag of food.The looting of bakeries, pharmacies and especially supermarkets is spreading throughout the country. At long queues of people waiting to buy food, the army is deployed to maintain order.Talk to Al Jazeera travels to the Venezuelan capital, where many airlines are now refusing to fly. Al Jazeera's Lucia Newman speaks to five Venezuelans about life in the midst of the country's mounting turmoil.