Al Jazeera Correspondent

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 ailments and psychological problems are rife among them. The refugees and migrants in Lesbos who have crossed through the Turkey-Greece border have complained about human rights abuses and say masked men in uniform robbed and beat them as they travelled through. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/

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 repeatedly been razed. Some 56,000 Palestinians live in the part of the valley that lies in the West Bank, many of who are Bedouin living in temporary communities, always moving with the herds. Their determination to remain on the land is becoming ever more difficult in the face of constant attempts by the Israeli military and settlers to drive them off their land. With water resources and agricultural potential, the valley would be the breadbasket and water source of any future Palestinian state. The Jordan Valley has some of the most fertile land in all of the occupied territories. Arable farming is a lifeline for many rural Palestinian communities, yet Israel controls most water resources in the area. While making life difficult for local communities, Israel has also encouraged the spread of settlements - regarded illegal under international law - across the occupied West Bank for over five decades. The number of Jewish settlers in the Jordan Valley has nearly doubled from 2011 to 2018. Israeli settlers already use the vast majority of the area's water resources and an increased influx would further threaten the living conditions of Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley, limiting their opportunities for economic growth and pushing the people living there into greater poverty. "The Israeli policy is to drive us away, not to aid our survival here," says Abu Saqr, one of the Jordan Valley residents struggling to stay on in the face of Israeli policies of home demolitions and arrest. His home has been destroyed three times. Between 2011 and 2018, 458 housing units were demolished by the Israeli Army in the Jordan Valley districts of Tubas and Jericho. During that same period, three of Abu Saqr's eight sons and Abu Saqr himself spent time in Israeli prisons. Since then, Israel's policy on settlements has also hardened and in 2018, it announced plans to expand 14 of the 20 existing illegal settlements and build three new ones, effectively doubling the Israeli settler population. Local campaigners like Sirene Khudairi, have consistently protested against Israel's human rights violations in the Jordan Valley; and her activities led to her detention for nine months. "I get so upset when I see this well nearly empty and the settlement draining our water to turn their areas into a Garden of Eden," says Sirene, during one of her visits to Abu Saqr. Since this film was originally made in 2011, Sirene has got married and moved to Bethlehem to start a family. Those like Abu Saqr and Sirene are stuck between a rock and a hard place. There's Israel on one hand, and the Palestinian Authority - whom they constantly have to pressure to support their cause – on the other. The PA does its best to protect Palestinian farming communities in the valley and considers itself the last line of defence for any future, self-sufficient Palestinian state. But unfortunately, the Valley forms a third of the occupied West Bank, with 88 percent of its land classified as Area C (under the terms of the 1993 Oslo Accords), which falls under full Israeli military control. This film documents the struggle of Palestinian shepherds and farmers in the Israeli-occupied Jordan Valley as they try to cling on to an age-old way of life.

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 most of Afghanistan until 2001, when the US-led coalition invaded after the 9/11 attacks, and the group's leadership fled Kabul. After that, general elections were held in 2004, then 2005, 2009, then 2010, 2014 and 2018. Afghan politicians squabbled for power and struggled to control large swathes of their own territory. But the Taliban did not recognise the authority of any of the elected governments. Nearly 20 years later, US forces signed an agreement to withdraw from Afghanistan - on condition that the Taliban will not harbour hardline groups or attack the US and its allies. The agreement came after nearly seven years of efforts to facilitate political reconciliation between the Taliban, the Afghan government, the US, and other countries after Qatar agreed to open an office for the Taliban where Afghan leaders and western governments could negotiate face-to-face. But as attacks continue, efforts to arrange intra-Afghan talks have been delayed yet again. So, what will it take to achieve lasting peace in Afghanistan? We find out as Khairullah Khairkhwa, a member of the Taliban's political office in Qatar, talks to Al Jazeera. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/

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 infection and death rates globally. British scientists, like many others, are working around the clock to find a vaccine, and one of the country's most renowned institutions, Oxford University, is fighting the pandemic on multiple fronts. Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology Martin Landray is one of the scientists leading The Recovery Trial, the world's largest randomised clinical trial of potential COVID-19 treatments. He is not looking for a cure on its own. He is more focused on finding treatments with drugs used for other viruses such as HIV and SARS. But will there ever be a cure for COVID-19? Or will we all just have to learn to live with it? And how? Find out more as Professor Martin Landray talks to Al Jazeera. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/

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 reconstruction to tell the chequered history of this part of the Balkans through Izetbegovic's eyes.

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 than a "little flu". His priority has been to keep the economy going at any cost. But now, Brazil has recorded more than 1.2 million infections - and has the world's second-highest death toll. And as Bolsonaro pushes for people to go back to work, two of his health ministers have walked away. Nelson Teich had taken office on April 17, but left the job just four weeks later. Teich had replaced Luiz Henrique Mandetta, whom Bolsanaro had dismissed. The president called it "a consensual divorce", but Mandetta's sacking caused anger across Brazil - with many banging pots and pans from their windows. So, how will President Bolsanaro's handling of this pandemic affect the more than 200 million Brazilians? And are his decisions influenced by his friendship with US President Donald Trump? We put those questions to one of the men who played a central role during this crisis - Brazil's former health minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/

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 reconstruction to tell the chequered history of this part of the Balkans through Izetbegovic's eyes.

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 reconstruction to tell the chequered history of this part of the Balkans through Izetbegovic's eyes.

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 find out how much it costs and what it takes to purchase what’s become the ultimate luxury item a diplomatic passport.

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 and is also recognised for his humanitarian work. In 1999, he created the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with young musicians from across the Middle East to promote dialogue and peaceful coexistence. But Barenboim has also faced controversy and criticism from some of the musicians who have played under his baton. As Israel's recently elected government plans to annex parts of the illegally occupied West Bank, can peace in the region ever be achieved? And can arts and culture play a new role in our lives after the global coronavirus pandemic? To discuss this and more, the general music director of the Berlin State Opera and the Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim, talks to Al Jazeera. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/

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 asks whether Saudi Arabia is publicly championing the rights of women while privately punishing those who challenge the status quo. In this film, the family of one detainee makes serious allegations of torture during her imprisonment, while others give testimonies about random arrests and arbitrary detention at Dhahban prison near Jeddah. According to Human Rights Watch, and following international pressure, the Saudi Human Rights Commission carried out an investigation into conditions at Dhahban and found no evidence of torture. This film examines the consequences of activism in Saudi Arabia, hearing from women detainees and international human rights organisations, as well as seeking responses from those at the heart of decision-making within the country. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/

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 investors looking to exploit the lucrative Namibian fishing Industry. The country’s Minister of Fisheries is shown willing to use a front company to accept a $200,000 ‘donation’. Exclusive testimony from a whistleblower who worked for Iceland’s largest fishing company reveals that his employers instructed him to bribe ministers and even the president in return for fishing rights worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

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 challenging task of implementing long-overdue structural reforms, such as reducing public sector employment while also keeping popular unrest at bay. But what are the root causes of the current economic crisis and what needs to be done to tackle it? And how can the new government overcome entrenched political interests that oppose reform while also winning over a public that has lost all trust in the political establishment? Ramzi Neman, the World Bank's special representative to Iraq, talks to Al Jazeera. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/

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 Bollywood paraphernalia and perform Hindi songs at themed events - and there is sometimes an Indian section at the annual Marrakech International Film Festival attended by well-known actors and directors. Others have gone even further, like Imane Karouach who left Morocco for India when she was 16. She has worked hard to become a jobbing Bollywood actress and, although not a mega-star, she has had several high-profile roles; she also runs a pizzeria in Mumbai. This quirky documentary, filled with a wide variety of characters, voices and movie clips, is a fascinating snapshot of a world few outside Morocco knew existed. It also includes a contribution from legendary Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor who passed away in April 2020. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/