Al Jazeera journalist Eki Rrahmani, a former refugee from Kosovo, reflects on his years as an asylum seeker. He looks back at his escape from his country 30 years ago and compares his experience with the plight of the thousands of refugees and migrants seeking sanctuary in Europe today. He travels to the Greek island of Lesbos which hosts the largest refugee camp in Europe. Many there live in makeshift tents in unsanitary, overcrowded conditions, with access to substandard food. Physical...

The COVID-19 pandemic forced governments worldwide to impose lockdowns earlier this year. As millions stayed at home for months, normal life ground to a virtual halt. That meant a major reduction in air and water pollution; some animals even reclaimed their stolen habitats. But as world leaders implement plans to rescue the global economy, many are concerned the clearer blue skies will not last forever. This week, Talk to Al Jazeera connects with one of the loudest voices urging an...

This is a story of a financial scandal, of fortunes won and lost and political collusion in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that goes right to the heart of Emirati business and politics. At the centre of it is a self-made Indian billionaire - Dr BR Shetty. As founder of New Medical Centre Health (NMC), Shetty built relationships with the UAE's all-powerful sheikhs that appeared to open doors. Business was booming and, in 2012, NMC was the first Abu Dhabi company to be listed on the London...

Sweden's unorthodox approach to handling the health crisis has made headlines throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike most European Union members, the Swedes did not impose any strict lockdown measures. While the relaxed strategy is expected to ease the impact on the economy, Sweden has the worst death toll by far in Scandinavia. So what went wrong? And what should have been done differently? Sweden's minister for health and social affairs, Lena Hallengren, talks to Al Jazeera. -...

From Cairo's narrow downtown streets and alleys to the affluent residential areas in the outer reaches of the city, nothing escapes the attention of the ever-vigilant doormen. Sitting at the entrances of apartment blocks in Cairo and Alexandria - and often mindful of the chance to make a quick buck - the "bawabs" have been an integral part of the social fabric of Egypt's big cities for decades. This Al Jazeera World documentary celebrates the men, their history, their job and their...

Luiz Inacio da Silva, also known as Lula, was president of Brazil from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2010. The former labour union leader lifted millions of people out of poverty in one of the world's most unequal countries. Lula was jailed in 2018 after the "car wash" investigation saw dozens of politicians imprisoned and accused of corruption. He was released after 580 days on grounds that he had been denied a due process. The 74-year-old former president talks to Al Jazeera about...

John Bolton is one of the most divisive figures in American politics today. To some, he is Washington's most famous warmonger. To others, a fearless defender of US interests. From Iraq to Iran, Syria to North Korea, his decades of conservative foreign policy have influenced the position and actions of the US in conflicts worldwide. Since first serving under President Ronald Reagan's administration in the 1980s, Bolton built a career as a solid, conservative Republican politician. He was...

In July 1995, an estimated 8,000 Muslim men and boys - sons, husbands and brothers - were dragged away never to be seen again. The Srebrenica massacre marks a particularly inhumane and brutal act within the tragedy and bloodshed of the 1992 to 1995 Bosnian War. This film follows four survivors of the massacre as they look to the future despite the pain of their loss and the angst of trying to make sense of the past. *This film, first broadcast in 2012, was updated in July 2020, 25 years...

Stretching from Mozambique in south-east Africa to Syria in the Middle East, the Great Rift Valley is home to the world's lowest city, Jericho, which was established over 10,000 years ago. Farmers and shepherds have tended flocks and lived off the land in the Jordan Valley for thousands of years. But Israel's continued occupation of the region since 1967 is threatening people's traditional way of life, restricting Palestinian development on the land - and Bedouin homes in the area have...

On December 24, 1979, Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan. Leaders of the Soviet Union said they had been invited by Afghanistan's communist leader Babrak Karmal. But the invasion set Afghanistan on a path of decades of conflict - from the Soviet-Afghan War to Moscow's complete withdrawal in the late 1980s, and the eventual collapse of the communist government. Civil war followed, eventually leading to the Taliban's rise to power. Once backed by the United States's CIA, the Taliban ruled...

The coronavirus is changing the world as we know it. When infections soared earlier this year, governments worldwide implemented strict social distancing measures that slowed the global economy dramatically. So far, more than half-a-million people have died, with 10 million infected worldwide. But the pandemic's huge cost has forced many countries to lift restrictions and reopen their economies. The United Kingdom, one of the world's largest economies, has one of the highest COVID-19...

After Yugoslavia fell apart in the early 1990s and descended into a bitter regional conflict, Alija Izetbegovic fought for the survival of his country and people. The first president of the independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Izetbegovic was no stranger to controversy and had served five years of a 14-year prison sentence in the 1980s. This two-part documentary series uses interviews with members of his family and major regional figures as well as archive footage and...

On February 26, Brazil became the first country in South America to confirm a COVID-19 infection. And as the number of cases increased over the subsequent weeks and months, its president, Jair Bolsonaro, refused to take any drastic measures. He fought with state leaders who imposed lockdowns and mandated social distancing rules - calling their actions "economically ruinous". Bolsonaro still refuses to acknowledge the seriousness of the global pandemic. He has called the virus nothing more...

After Yugoslavia fell apart in the early 1990s and descended into a bitter regional conflict, Alija Izetbegovic fought for the survival of his country and people. The first president of the independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Izetbegovic was no stranger to controversy and had served five years of a 14-year prison sentence in the 1980s. This two-part documentary series uses interviews with members of his family and major regional figures as well as archive footage and...

After Yugoslavia fell apart in the early 1990s and descended into a bitter regional conflict, Alija Izetbegovic fought for the survival of his country and people. The first president of the independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Izetbegovic was no stranger to controversy and had served five years of a 14-year prison sentence in the 1980s. This two-part documentary series uses interviews with members of his family and major regional figures as well as archive footage and...

One of the world’s most fertile fishing grounds is beset by scandal. Al Jazeera goes undercover to expose how foreign companies get a corrupt cut of a priceless natural resource in Namibia. Host Kevin Hirten sits down with producer James Kleinfeld to break down the “Anatomy of a Bribe” that engulfed a nation.

How much would you pay for diplomatic immunity? The trade-in Caribbean diplomatic passports has become a magnet for wealthy foreigners, corrupt businessmen, and criminals from around the world. Al Jazeera exposes two prime ministers who are complicit in the deals. The investigation reveals details of how an oil smuggler, turned ambassador, turned international fugitive bought his way into the diplomatic class. Investigators go undercover to reveal the inner-workings of a secret system: to...

Maestro Daniel Barenboim is one of the leading figures in the world of classical music. He has conducted all the major orchestras and performed at some of the world's most prestigious concert venues. Born in Argentina, his first performance came at the age of seven back in 1950. Two years later his family moved to Salzburg, Austria, and then to Israel, where he became passionate about politics and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Barenboim has since had an outstanding international career...

Just how free are women in Saudi Arabia today? The Saudi government has said it supports the empowerment of women and young people. While there have been reforms, including lifting the ban on women driving in June 2018, the arrest and detention of women speaking out against the government appear to have continued. Al Jazeera World looks at the individual cases of five Saudi women currently in detention, or who have fled the country following apparent harassment for their political views. It...

Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit secretly films officials in Namibia demanding cash in exchange for political favours. It’s a story of how foreign companies plunder Africa’s natural resources. Using confidential documents provided to Al Jazeera by Wikileaks. “Anatomy of a Bribe” exposes the government ministers and public officials willing to sell off Namibia’s assets in return for millions of dollars in bribes. Al Jazeera journalists spent three months undercover posing as foreign...

After months of anti-government protests and political uncertainty, Iraq is now grappling with its worst fiscal crisis in decades. The country's economy and state budget are heavily reliant on oil income, and have been hit hard by the sharp decline in global oil prices. The World Bank has projected Iraq's GDP to contract by 9.7 percent, with the fiscal deficit expected to reach almost 30 percent of GDP. Iraq's newly appointed government, led by Mustafa al-Kadhimi, is now faced with a...

Asked to pick a country where people are passionate about Indian cinema, few might choose the North African Kingdom of Morocco. Bollywood came to the country in the 1950s, where it was embraced for its glamour, dance, romance and pure escapism. There is no obvious explanation for the connection, although it may have started when Ibrahim al-Sayeh began dubbing films - including Indian cinema - into the local Arabic dialect, Darija. Now, the most devoted fans have decorated their homes with...

The global coronavirus pandemic has changed the world as we know it. It has been particularly devastating for the aviation sector. Airports have been shut, thousands of aeroplanes grounded, businesses have ceased operations, and the long-term financial cost may not be known for years to come. According to the International Air Transport Association, this year's loss of revenue has cost airlines more than $300bn. Thousands in the air travel industry have been left jobless. Qatar Airways,...

The global coronavirus pandemic has changed the world as we know it. It has been particularly devastating for the aviation sector. Airports have been shut, thousands of aeroplanes grounded, businesses have seized operations, and the long-term financial cost may not be known for years to come. According to the International Air Transport Association, this year's loss of revenue has cost airlines more than $300bn. Thousands in the air travel industry have been left jobless. Qatar Airways,...

When the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, newly independent states emerged. These new borders meant that all of a sudden people found themselves on the wrong side - foreigners in a country they called their home, but were unable to prove or formally claim as such. The United Nations refugee agency estimates that at least 280 million people lost their citizenship during the formation of post-Soviet republics, including in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and...