The Truth

Venezuela accuses Washington of colonialism after President Donald Trump said he's shutting down its airspace. The country is on high alert after US attacks on boats nearby and a huge military and naval build-up. Trump says he's fighting drug trafficking. But is that the real reason?

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A corruption scandal in Ukraine claims its biggest scalp yet - with the resignation of President Volodomy Zelenskyy's top aide. Andriy Yermak had been due to lead key talks with the US on the war with Russia this weekend. So what does this mean for Ukraine?

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France is to bring back a form of military service, weeks after Germany announced plans to assess young people's suitability for military duty. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced European states to examine their readiness. So could conscription return?

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In the Philippines, a massive corruption scandal is triggering street protests and putting pressure on the government of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The population’s increasing exposure to typhoons, floods and rising sea-levels has seen the government allocate $9.5bn of taxpayer funds to more than 9,800 flood-control projects in the last three years.

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Did the Biden administration help cover up the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces? This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill speaks to Steve Gabavics, a colonel-turned-whistleblower who was sent by the United States Department of State to investigate Abu Akleh's killing in 2022.

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This episode explores the meaning and potential impact of a shutdown by South Africa’s women, including how its online expression amplified the message and linked it to global trends in digital, colour-based activism. We also examine the situation in Mali, where the execution of a female TikTok influencer has raised questions about the dangers women face as their voices and visibility grow online.

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The music industry is changing rapidly, with streaming dominating how people listen to music and online content creators constantly reviewing new releases of music. We explore how the music industry has evolved over the past decade.

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Has love evolved, or has the modern world rewritten it? Love binds generations and shapes cultures. But in an age defined by individualism, consumerism and algorithms, its meaning is shifting. So is love a noble quest for connection, or is it just a fairytale?

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Embera elders often blame malevolent spirits for the deaths of young people, having no word for suicide in their language. Ilsa Banuvi, who was raised between Indigenous tradition and modern society, spearheads organisations that seek to reinforce identity while also recognising the need to adapt.

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The World Food Programme is warning 318 million people face critical levels of hunger next year. The United Nations body says that is double the number compared to 2019. What is behind this worsening crisis that is putting so many people in danger?

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A boy who grew up during Syria’s war reveals the untold origins of the conflict and the fight for his nation’s freedom. In 2017, Al Jazeera broadcast a documentary by Clover Films that sought to highlight the true origins of the Syrian civil war. By that year, international sympathy for the rebel cause had diminished dramatically as Western media adopted the accepted mainstream position that groups such as al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and even ISIL (ISIS) had been behind the revolution. (ISIL didn’t even exist at the time of the uprising.) The Boy Who Started the Syrian War would change...

Mediha, a teenage Yazidi girl from Iraq, shares her story after four years of abduction and enslavement by ISIL (ISIS). Through intimate video diaries, she confronts trauma and seeks justice by initiating legal action against her captors. Meanwhile, rescuers risk their lives to look for her missing mother and younger brother in Syria and Turkiye.

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Global military spending reached its all-time highest level last year. More NATO countries than ever before spent two percent of their GDP on defence. China recorded 30 unbroken years of increased military spending, the longest streak of any country in modern history.

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The battle over the investigation files of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has reached a new turn with the US Congress voting for the Department of Justice to release its information on the case. As the world waits for what the full files may reveal, what do we know about the rich and elite who surrounded Epstein?

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In 2022, the Pretoria Agreement ended a brutal civil war between the federal government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

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Children today grow up surrounded by screens, swipes and algorithm-driven content. While digital life connects, educates and entertains, it can also distract, misinforms and reshape identity. But is social media helping young people or harming them?

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The world could be producing more oil than it needs next year. An oversupply usually pushes the price of oil lower. For consumers, that means cheaper transport, shipping and flight costs. Until now, the OPEC+ group appeared to shrug off worries over a glut. It had been unwinding output cuts, putting more barrels on the market to regain share. But, with its new forecasts suggesting demand will only match supply, the group is hitting the pause button on extra output for the first quarter of 2026.

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is operating in an unprecedented way during US President Donald Trump’s second term. The agency has existed for over 20 years, but now operates as a masked force. Imposters posing as agents have committed crimes such as kidnapping and sexual assault. The FBI has urged ICE officers to unmask and identify themselves. How did the agency get here?

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US President Donald Trump has met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). They held a press conference at the White House. Trump said MBS had agreed to invest $600bn in the US, which could go up to a trillion dollars, but he’d have to “work on him”.

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China is experiencing an AI revolution, but what does this $84 billion industry mean for Chinese citizens and the Global South? This week, Professor Shen Yi of Fudan University in Shanghai joins Amanda Yee to discuss how China is harnessing artificial intelligence to transform its economy and society, and how it plans to bridge the digital divide so that no one is left behind.

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South Africa’s foreign minister Ronald Lamola speaks to Talk to us about the mysterious arrival of a flight carrying Palestinians, why authorities were blindsided, and what the incident reveals about the networks moving people out of Gaza.








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More than 150 Palestinians from Gaza landed in Johannesburg on a mysterious charter flight run by a little-known group called Al-Majd Europe. South Africa says it was blindsided, but Israel calls the move “voluntary emigration”. The journey is raising fears that these flights are becoming a new way to push Palestinians off their land.

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What is China's political system really like? China’s Constitution calls for “leadership of the Communist Party of China” over a “system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation.” But could it actually have more “democratic” practices than the U.S.? Western media often frames China as a totally authoritarian top-down state, but this narrative doesn't explain the high levels of public satisfaction reported in studies like the one from Harvard. This week, Amanda Yee is joined by Paweł Wargan, Political Coordinator for the Progressive International, to debunk common Western myths and discuss the reality of China's governance model. The two dive deep into...

Abby Martin, Empire Files journalist and filmmaker, will discuss her new film Earth’s Greatest Enemy, which reveals how the US military, as the world's largest polluter, impacts the environment while operating with minimal accountability. Brian Becker, host of The Socialist Program, breaks down the latest prospects for peace in the Ukraine proxy war as Washington unveils a new “peace plan” to end the brutal conflict.

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Artificial Intelligence is everywhere, in workplaces, education, and even relationships. But not everyone is onboard, and more and more people are pushing back against the constant presence of AI. Individuals who value of face-to-face interaction, are rejecting its use in the arts and education, and exposing the dark underbelly of the sector that exploits workers around the world. 

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Iranian-born author and professor Trita Parsi joins Centre Stage to unpack the history between the US and Iran, Iran’s nuclear ambitions and Washington's role as a strategic player in an increasingly divided world. He also breaks down Tehran’s relationships with groups like Hezbollah and Hamas and how those alliances have shaped its regional position.Parsi is also the co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

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Human rights lawyer Craig Mokhiber joins the show to break down the UN Security Council’s newly adopted resolution that effectively hands the U.S. control over Gaza — a move he says marks a return to 19th-century colonialism. He explains the horrific absurdity of granting governing authority to Washington, a co-perpetrator of the ongoing genocide, while stripping Palestinians of their right to self-determination. The resolution greenlights a U.S.-run administration atop an already-illegal Israeli occupation and creates a “stabilization force” aimed at containing the very population under attack. Mokhiber calls it a historic betrayal — a “day of shame” for the UN and a d...

Trump’s exploitation of national tragedies for cheap political gain, backfires. Trump senior officials admit to violating court orders in contempt, and are caught giving oral orders to fire missiles at people clinging to life. MAGA and the public start recognizing Trump’s lame duck status and starting talking about the “next DOJ” and what it will do to Trump and those in his Administration.

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It’s been called the world’s stinkiest fruit. But it’s deeply beloved by many. Durian is a pungent, prickly fruit from Southeast Asia that has fascinated foreigners for centuries, and China is no exception. China buys most of the world’s durian exports, a surge spurred over the past decade by social media and growing trade ties with durian-producing countries. Both locals and Chinese are seeking to expand the booming durian industry across Southeast Asia. But the prospect of high profits has also ignited tensions, resulting in land disputes and environmental concerns.

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Congolese govt and M23 rebel group sign deal in Doha. DRC peace agreement reached in Qatar

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As the world slides deeper into imperial rot — from Trump’s transformation of the U.S. into a Department of War state, to Europe’s political collapse, to global leaders shamelessly bowing to Washington — a socialist shockwave has erupted in New York City: Zohran Mamdani has just won the mayoral race while proudly defending Palestine.

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Human rights lawyer Craig Mokhiber joins the show to discuss the UN Security Council’s newly adopted resolution that effectively hands the U.S. control over Gaza. He breaks down what this colonial plan means for Palestine and the horrific absurdity of granting authority over Gaza to a co-perpetrator of the ongoing genocide. Kurt Hackbarth, host of Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast, joins the show to discuss the so-called Gen Z protests in Mexico, where an alleged right-wing, foreign-funded destabilization campaign is raising serious questions about who’s really driving the unrest. Hackbarth will discuss what these demonstrations say about...

Michael Cohen and Ben Meiselas discuss bad news before for Donald Trump as he crashes out on Friday as the backlash against him grows following Thanksgiving. All that and more on a new episode of Political Beatdown.

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A year ago, the US was offering a $10 million reward for the arrest of the commander of a Syrian armed group, previously linked to al-Qaeda. Yet on Monday, President Donald Trump hosted him at the White House. As Syria's leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa has positioned his country as a regional player - formally joining the global coalition against ISIL. Trump has also suggested he wants Sharaa to join the Abraham Accords. However, the Israeli military is carrying out air strikes on Syria. So, how might the new US-Syria relationship reshape power dynamics in the Middle East?

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After nearly four years of war between Kyiv and Moscow, fighting is heating up on the frontlines of eastern Ukraine. But with drones spotted at sensitive sites across the European Union, its leaders have declared Russia is fighting a hybrid war beyond Ukraine's borders. They say the bloc will protect "every centimetre" of its territory, as member states scale up military spending to heights not seen for decades. And although only Ukraine and Russia are officially at war, the continent has now entered an arms race that's reshaping its economies, rattling governments and reframing relationships within the union itself. All...

showing Israeli soldiers raping a Palestinian prisoner has shaken Israel’s military and judiciary, leading to the arrest of the prosecutor who leaked it. But as the fallout centers on the leak, and not the events in the video, what does it mean for the victim of the so-called Sde Teiman affair? 








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The Israeli government is facing what it calls a “public relations disaster” after a video surfaced showing soldiers torturing and sexually assaulting a Palestinian prisoner - a clear war crime under any legal system. Public outrage in Israel has focused less on the abuse itself and more on the leak. And the military’s chief prosecutor, who admitted leaking the footage, has been arrested and branded a traitor. The saga is yet another example of Israeli society’s unwillingness to confront what it has become.

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A long siege by al-Qaeda-linked fighters has left Bamako low on fuel, food and power. Life has stalled and fear is growing across Mali. The crisis now tests a military government that has promised safety yet cannot break the blockade. What does this mean for Mali and the wider region?

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Kenyan President William Ruto talks to Al Jazeera about the nationwide protests that left dozens dead, accusations of police brutality and enforced disappearances, and whether he’s betrayed the “hustler” generation that helped elect him.

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The US is seeking to strengthen ties in Central Asia which has long been dominated by Russia. President Donald Trump met five leaders from the resource-rich region. He wants deals on critical minerals, trade and energy. Washington wants to reduce its reliance on China for critical minerals. The leaders of the C5 face a delicate balancing act - make deals with the US without annoying Moscow or Beijing.

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