Two-year-old Salmaan disappears in the chaos of the final days of the war against ISIS. After the war against the Islamic State was won, what became of the children of its fighters? There are thousands of kids like Salmaan, with roots in Canada, the U.K., the U.S. and beyond — many of whom are still trapped without a way back home. Is it a race against time to rescue them?

Crimes like this don't often happen on land. A 10-minute slow-motion slaughter captured by a cell phone camera shows a group of unarmed men at sea, possibly 15 of them, killed one by one by a semiautomatic weapon, after which the culprits pose for celebratory selfies. The shocking footage is then made public, and yet no government is willing to investigate, much less prosecute the murderers. This episode traces a tireless journalistic investigation of a shocking video that after 8 years,...

It would be hard to believe if it hadn't actually happened. The longest law-enforcement chase in nautical history, spanning 110 days and 10,000 miles, featured a bunch of vigilantes pursuing Interpol's most wanted illegal fishing ship. Slaloming around icebergs in a deadly glacier field, cutting through a category 5 storm, this chase only ended when one of the ships sank. To discuss why illegal fishing is so rampant and unchecked, this episode takes us from the capture of the world's most...

Ian’s account of his groundbreaking reporting on slavery in the South China Sea, the first time a reporter had ever made it onboard a Thai distant-water vessel using enslaved labour. Found shackled by the neck as part of the crew on a dilapidated fishing vessel, Lang Long was a victim of the nightmarish world of debt bondage. A global scourge, sea slavery is something most people do not realize exists. This episode explains how it happens, taking us for the first time on board one such roach...

The sea has always been a metaphor for freedom – an escape from governments, laws and other people. This episode takes us off the coast of England to Sealand. A rogue “micronation” meant to embody this very freedom, which was founded on an abandoned British anti-aircraft platform in 1967. “From the Sea, Freedom” explores the world of libertarian-minded endeavors at sea, where renegades and mavericks of all sorts seek to escape the laws of land-bound nation-states. The reporting also visits...

The oceans are running out of fish. To slow down that problem, environmentalists pushed for fish farming or aquaculture. The problem is this industry became too big and too hungry. To fatten the farmed fish faster, they started feeding the high-protein pellets called fishmeal — made from massive amounts of fish caught at sea. Now, more than 30 percent of all marine life pulled from the sea feeds other fish in aquaculture farms inland. To explore this upside-down situation, we travel to the...

When a ship inadvertently spills oil, it’s big news. But every three years, ships intentionally dump more oil than the Exxon Valdez, and BP spills combined. This episode highlights a vexing and woefully under-discussed problem. It is made possible by corrupt ship captains who use a so-called “Magic Pipe” that dumps oil discreetly under the water line rather than disposing of it on land as legally required. To learn about this problem, the episode tells the story of Carnival’s Caribbean...

When a ship inadvertently spills oil, it’s big news. But every three years, ships intentionally dump more oil than the Exxon Valdez, and BP spills combined. This episode highlights a vexing and woefully under-discussed problem. It is made possible by corrupt ship captains who use a so-called “Magic Pipe” that dumps oil discreetly under the water line rather than disposing of it on land as legally required. To learn about this problem, the episode tells the story of Carnival’s Caribbean...

High Seas. High Stakes. High Crimes. There are few remaining frontiers on our planet. Perhaps the wildest, and least understood, are the world’s oceans: too big to police, and under no clear international authority, these immense regions of treacherous water play host to rampant criminality and exploitation. The Outlaw Ocean is a 7-part series that explores a gritty and lawless realm rarely seen, populated by traffickers and smugglers, pirates and mercenaries, wreck thieves and repo men,...

New Year’s Eve. Simon receives a message from a beautiful stranger, named Shirley: “Greetings…from my world to yours.” A digital flirtation begins. Then Shirley needs cash – fast. Shirley’s photo is actually adult entertainment “cam girl” Janessa Brazil and many accounts are using her image to lure victims. Who is Janessa? Has she any idea that she’s the bait in worldwide catfishing schemes? To hear all episodes of Love, Janessa now, visit here. For transcripts of this series, please visit...

Roberto is in love. Without ever seeing her or talking to her, he thinks he falls deeply for Janessa. He sends thousands of dollars and begs her to leave the adult entertainment world. Everyone tells the Italian sustainable farmer that he’s being scammed. Then why is Janessa coming to meet him at an airport in Europe? Please note, this series contains adult themes and strong language. To hear all episodes of Love, Janessa now, visit here. For transcripts of this series, please visit here.

Tracking down scammers – how and why do they do it? One tells host Hannah Ajala: “I always feel bad”. Researchers estimate half of global romance scams originate in West Africa. In Ghana, there are the Sakawa Boys. The conning process can involve staying up late, chatting on the phone… building trust and deepening the connection — a bit like a real relationship. It takes time to fall “in love”. To hear all episodes of Love, Janessa now, visit here. Please note, this series contains adult...

Where is Janessa Brazil? She seems to have vanished. Then, she turns up somewhere unexpected. Is that really Janessa on a radio show, with the wife of a scam victim? Meanwhile, Hannah discovers that justice is hard to come by. Can victims of romance fraud even get their money back? Please note, this series contains adult themes and strong language. To hear all episodes of Love, Janessa now, visit here. Transcripts for this series are here.

“I'm an offensive person.” Can a shock jock radio talk show host help us find Janessa Brazil? Meet Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. Bubba and Janessa used to host his show together and they were even housemates. Did they talk about romance scammers using her images? And does he know where Janessa is now? To hear all episodes of Love, Janessa now, visit here. Transcripts for this series are here.

Her real name is Vanessa. Her model name is Janessa Brazil. Where does Janessa end and Vanessa begin? Vanessa tells her story and reveals the human cost of being the bait in catfishing schemes around the world. To hear all episodes of Love, Janessa now, visit here. Transcripts for this series are here.

When the fish met the bait. Roberto has a broken heart and lost thousands of dollars to scammers. Vanessa had her images stolen by scammers and her life fell apart. An emotional finale. For transcripts of this series, please visit here.

“I love her. I just love her!” You meet someone online. It turns out many others think they have fallen for the same person. Introducing the search for the unwitting face of a digital con. With host, Hannah Ajala. Episode 1 coming to Uncover on Feb. 26, 2024.

Einar Stangvik is a white-hat hacker — an internet security expert with an expertise in cracking the most secure and disturbing parts of the web. He discovers a troubling phenomenon online and joins forces with journalist Håkon Høydal. It leads them to Australia, to confront two men who are running the largest child abuse site on the dark net. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/hunting-warehead-transcripts-listen-1.5346693

All Gordon wants for his birthday is to travel to Washington, D.C., to visit museums and see the opera. He’s completely unaware that his companion on this trip has very different plans. His friend has an alter ego, Warhead, and it turns out police are not far behind. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/hunting-warehead-transcripts-listen-1.5346693

After the arrest of Canadian Benjamin Faulkner, Taskforce Argos has to learn how to become Warhead on Child’s Play, before its users realize that the site has been compromised. But time is running out — and very difficult moral decisions will have to be made. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/hunting-warehead-transcripts-listen-1.5346693

Jenn was home alone with her children when she received a call from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They needed to talk to her as soon as possible. It was about her relative, Ben Faulkner. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/1.5346693