Episodes
Published 02/15/18
Former youth football coach Barry Bennell, one of the top talent spotters in Britain with ties to major clubs like Manchester City and Crewe Alexandra, spent his days coaching children and his nights abusing them. Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit profiles six men, all victims of Bennell, and explores the long-term impact of his serial abuse. Deborah Davies first reported on Barry Bennell’s crimes 20 years ago. She has befriended his victims and has a rare insight into their plight. In a...
Published 02/15/18
For almost 3 years now, Yemeni aid workers Anas Shahari and Sukaina Sharafuddin have gone to bed hearing Saudi fighter jets circling over their city, Sanaa. Through WhatsApp voice messages, they tell our host Jasmin Bauomy what that’s like. Producer / host: Jasmin Bauomy, Audio producer: Laurentiu Colintineanu,  Platforms & distribution: Mohsin Ali, Executive producer: Yasir Khan. This episode has been made in collaboration with Save the Children Yemen.
Published 12/27/17
This week we take you to America’s poorest county and to a tiny town that never changes, regardless of who’s in power in Washington - Republicans or Democrats. Welcome to Booneville. Population: 87. On the show: Patrick Strickland, Al Jazeera journalist who reported this story. Our host is Jasmin Bauomy.
Published 12/21/17
In 2016, roughly 800 Romanians were trafficked in Western Europe. Most of them were women. Most of them were forced into prostitution and violently abused. Today on the Debrief - a woman who was trafficked, a woman who saved her, and a trafficker who’s trying to redeem himself. Our reporter and host is Laurentiu Colintineanu.
Published 12/13/17
This week on The Debrief: our correspondent Ted Regencia on the opposition to Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, the rise of vigilantism, and its human cost. On the show: Al Jazeera journalist @tedregencia. Our host is @mohsin.
Published 12/04/17
A couple of weeks ago we took you on a harrowing journey to the Central African Republic. Al Jazeera journalist Azad Essa told you about the effects of rape and exploitation at the hands of UN peacekeepers, and about how victims are often left defenceless. After that story went out, the United Nations got in touch and they wanted to talk. So our editor Yasir Khan called up the person who oversees what happens when a peacekeeper is accused of sexual abuse - Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General...
Published 11/27/17
This week on The Debrief, Al Jazeera’s Hassan Ghani goes to Kibera to find stories that take us beyond the miserable stats and hardship of life in poverty - a young man bringing toilets to the slum, a mother going to school to ensure a better life for her kids, and a radio DJ who gives a voice to Kibera’s voiceless. While you’re listening, check out this satellite view of Kibera to see how densely populated it is. https://goo.gl/maps/7qW7XCYmMmG2 On the show: Al Jazeera journalist Hassan...
Published 11/20/17
Manal Tamimi wears many hats: mother, activist and a Palestinian resisting occupation, alongside her children. For her, these roles are inseparable because she’s part of a family that has become known for their protests in the village of Nabi Saleh. How does she find normalcy for herself and her children amidst the chaos? On the show: Al Jazeera journalist Hyojin Park, who visited Manal in Nabi Saleh. Our host is Jasmin Bauomy. Follow them on Twitter: @HyojinParkh and @jasminbauomy The...
Published 11/13/17
When Karimul Haque's mother died because she couldn't get to a hospital, he swore no one else in his village of Dhalabari, in India's West bengal state, would suffer the same fate. For the last 20 years, he's used his motorcycle as an ambulance and has saved more than 4,000 lives. People call him 'Ambulance Dada'. On the show: Al Jazeera journalist Priyanka Gupta, who visited Dhalabari. Our host is Mohsin Ali. Follow them on Twitter: @PriyankagIND and @mohsin. Ambulance Dada is part of AJ...
Published 11/08/17
At the White Tiger Muay Thai Camp in Athens, they believe that your politics should be a part of every aspect of your life. You don’t just learn martial arts here. If you’re an anarchist and an anti-fascist, the camp is a place where your beliefs are welcomed and fostered. This week we take you to Athens’ staunchly leftist neighbourhood of Exarchia, where we’ll meet people who spend their days training to physically confront fascism in the streets. On the show: Al Jazeera journalist Patrick...
Published 10/30/17
UN peacekeepers are sent to the most war-ravaged countries on Earth, ostensibly to help them transition to peace. But some soldiers stand accused of committing crimes against the very people they are supposed to protect. We take you on a harrowing journey to the Central African Republic, where you’ll learn about the effects rape and exploitation at the hands of UN peacekeepers, and about how victims are often left defenseless. On the show: Al Jazeera journalist Azad Essa, who authored an...
Published 10/23/17
Myanmar's military crackdown on the country's Rohingya has resulted in the killing of more than 400 men, women and children and has driven hundreds of thousands out of the country. More than 500,000 Rohingya refugees are now in Bangladeshi refugee camps. Of them, more than half are in unregistered camps, where food, shelter, drinking water and sanitation are a luxury. Their stories are dark enough to break down even the most seasoned journalists. “No pictures, no videos, no writings can...
Published 10/16/17
Rumours made two tribes go to war in rural Kenya, until they learned the facts. In August of 2012, two major tribes in Kenya’s Tana River District took part in some of the worst ethnic clashes in the country’s history. The Orma, nomadic cattle-herders, and their farming neighbours, the Pokomo, have a history of fighting over water and grazing rights, but this time it was different. Fake news and rumours incited the tribes to attack each other viciously, leaving 118 people dead and 13,500...
Published 10/09/17
An Iraqi ex-intelligence officer turned refugee tries to find his missing son. It's been two years since Jamal's youngest son vanished without a trace. Equipped with the skills he gained from Saddam Hussein's secret service, Jamal is reconstructing his son's last known steps, taken during the height of the refugee crisis, when his boat sank into the Aegean Sea. We join Jamal on his search for Bakeer - the journey takes him from Turkey to Greece, but key information is shrouded in...
Published 10/02/17
Venezuela used to be the richest country in Latin America, sitting on the world’s largest oil reserves. Yet Venezuelans are scrambling for money, food and basic necessities. More than 100 people were killed in protests since April last year. In this episode of The Debrief, we ask: Where did all the money go, and how did Venezuela come to where it is today? Our senior correspondent Lucia Newman has been covering Venezuela for years. She tells us what she’s seeing on the ground and what...
Published 09/25/17
Just last year, 48 journalists were killed on the job, around the world. More than 5 times that number were thrown in prison. What happens to journalists when they’re beaten up, locked up and tortured? What do they do when they get death threats, or worse? Give up or push forward? That’s what we’re asking on The Debrief today. We also talk about Gauri Lankesh, editor of Lankesh Patrike, a weekly magazine in India, who was shot dead in front of her house on September 5th. In the studio: Al...
Published 09/18/17
You wouldn’t expect a 19-year-old to write “we are ready to die” when filling out a form. That’s exactly what happened in August 2017, when Maryam, a young Iranian refugee, put pen to paper on Nauru island, where the Australian government runs an offshore processing camp for asylum seekers. People being held there have long complained of horrendous, prison-like conditions. Journalists are banned from the camp, but we managed to get through to Maryam to find out how someone so young can...
Published 09/11/17
Meet Irmela Mensah-Schramm - 70 years old and part of Germany’s long history of anti-fascism. For more than 30 years, Irmela has defaced some 100,000 public manifestations of far-right sentiments - graffiti, posters and stickers. Her one-person anti-fascist battle has left her with an injury, death threats and a long legal battle. We follow Irmela to an anti-fascist rally in Berlin, and also hear from the far-right activists whom she's fighting. On The Debrief: Al Jazeera's Patrick...
Published 09/04/17
A message from our editor Yasir Khan: Al Jazeera English is launching a new audio podcast. In this introduction to our programme we explain what we do and how we do it. Join us on the ride. And tell us what you think at [email protected]
Published 08/24/17