Al Jazeera English marks 20 years: Stories that shaped the journey

On this day, 20 years ago, Al Jazeera English flashed on television screens across the world. A new channel was born. The aim? Tell stories from every corner of the world. The purpose? To give a voice to the voiceless. The ambition? To reshape the news agenda, shattering stereotypes, challenging narratives, and putting people at the heart of our storytelling. An unparalleled global presence from the front lines to the most remote locations. So we have a new studio, we have a new look, but the core is the same. Our commitment to fearless and accountable journalism remains what it has always been. So as we mark our 20th anniversary, we are taking stock of the world. From Latin America to Europe, Asia and beyond, what are the big trends and what are the under-reported stories? You'll find that often they're interconnected. We're in Senegal with Nicholas Haque. Bernard Smith is in Spain's Canary Islands. And at the Kenya-Ethiopia border, we are with Catherine Soy. In Palestine, we have Hani Mahmoud in Gaza, Nour Odey in Hebron in the Occupied West Bank, and Zeina Hodder will be in southern Lebanon for us. In Yemen, we have Youssef Mawry, and Tohita Saadi is reporting from the Iranian capital, Tehran, and to Europe. Natasha Butler is in France, Rosie Burchard is in Portugal, Charlie Angela is in the UK, and Audrey McAlpine is in Ukraine. And across that border, reporting from the Russian capital, Moscow, is Yulia Shapovalova. Manuel Rapolo is in Washington, D.C., while Katrina Yu joins us from Beijing. Tony Cheng will report from Myanmar and Teresa Bo is in Buenos Aires, while Alessandro Rampieti is in Bogota. We'll get to all of that, but first, a brief reminder of what the past 20 years of Al Jazeera coverage have been like. Welcome to Al Jazeera. It's November the 15th, day one of a new era in television news. For three days, Al Jazeera have been with Taliban fighters. For much of that time, we've been traveling by road, yet we've seen no Afghan army, no Afghan police and no British soldiers. Zero sign of the Taliban. The Taliban seems to remain one step ahead. They want their bases. It's quite obvious that we're the target now, not the protesters. Israeli commandos descended upon the ship, two people killed. A large presence of tanks on the street. Around 50,000 people filled Tahrir Square. They shot at us, they shot at us. Targeting of Al Jazeera, our officers were entered. Gaddafi forces! Two opposition fighters who jumped in, we all came under attack. The two missiles that landed about 100 meters away from us. I was just thrown tear gas by the police on purpose. And then putting them on these buses, knowing that these people are actually allowed to be on these flights, how they are doing that. Stop, stop, stop filming. Pick it up! It's getting here. They're taking down the poster, and this is the Syrian government checkpoint, everyone can see the flag. These are people returning to their homes. Guys, Massive explosions are being heard after the initiation of a campaign. Mourners were pushed and beaten by Israeli forces. Forces. But even after her death, she continued to tell the Palestinian story. That is Al Jazeera's offices in Gaza. Getting into the hospital. That's the hospital. That's the hospital. Over the past three years, we have borne witness to genocide, Israel's genocide in Gaza. The ceasefire is meant to be in place, yet Israel violates it nearly every day. Since it came into effect just over a year ago, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,600 Palestinians. And they are among the nearly 75,000 killed so far since 2023. Most of the Gaza Strip has been reduced to rubble and the Israeli military is restricting the entry not only of humanitarian aid but also of building materials, tents and mobile homes. Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud is in Gaza City. Hani, more than three years after October the 7th and more than a year after a ceasefire was agreed, what does daily life look like for Palestinians Sarah, daily life for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has been been largely defined by survival by the the uncertainty and the struggle to find some normality amid devastation and destruction everywhere you look here there is sheer level of destruction it's quite a thing here when we were driving around trying to find a spot where we can park the truck with the satellite and set up our camera we were looking for an area that that doesn't have much of the rocks and the rubble right on the sidewalk or the street. So we can have a bit of a stable ground. We found it very difficult. It took us about three hours in this neighborhood just to find this spot, just given the sheer level of destruction in this area, almost every single building here. So the daily life, if we look over the past three years, the uncertainty, the struggle for finding some sense of normality amid this devastation. So if you look at the... Daily routines here, getting up in the morning or making breakfast, going to work, visiting relatives or just doing daily errands that are normal across the world have become very difficult and sometimes very impossible and exhausting here. So this is not just a humanitarian crisis, it's about people. For over the past year, a little over a year as the ceasefire started, supposedly trying to rebuild the daily routine when the very conditions, very basic conditions of making of this life, of making this life are impossible to find around them. From getting the water to drink, which most of the time requires queuing for long hours. And if they're lucky, it's not contaminated and they can drink it. Into the search for food and the cost of living, staying in tents. It's an overcrowded shelters and the absence of the privacy that affecting people's daily life and their private life. The absence of of health care system, virtually no hospitals operating properly here, given how many hospitals have been destroyed and whatever is left here, whatever remain of the health care system is struggling to survive and to provide necessary medical care. Education system has been destroyed. Half of the students are in the streets, they're not attending school simply because they're There are no learning spaces, most of the schools have been destroyed or severely damaged or those are still intact turned into shelter. So at the heart of it, if you look, Palestinians here are not looking for aid as much as they're trying to rebuild life, to make life function again. And that's what we see around here when we drive around. A mother who tries to help her children, a father searching for food, a student studying in a tent, or a patient inside the hospital waiting for medical aid. When the world hears about it, these are just normal things. They are part of daily life. But here, these circumstances, the devastating destruction made them very, very difficult and extremely to obtain. Hani, we were talking about fearless journalism at the top of the show. You and our teams in Gaza have been a fearless and constant presence on our screens for the past three years and longer than that. Hani Mahmoud, reporting live from Gaza City, thank you very much. And the Israeli military is also carrying out ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank. Israeli raids, demolitions and incursions have intensified since October 2023. In addition, settler attacks on Palestinians and their property have increased and illegal settlements have expanded. Al Jazeera's Noor Odeh is in Hebron in the Occupied West Bank. And Noor, I'll point out that you were with Al Jazeera 20 years ago. You have chronicled life in Palestine since then. Same question to you as to Hani. What does daily life look like for Palestinians, but this time in the Occupied West Bank? Well, Cyril, daily life now in the Occupied West Bank is almost unrecognizable to those who still remember what 20 years ago was like. I was here in Hebron 18 years ago. We were covering an Israeli holiday and the impact of that holiday on the residents of the old city behind me. We were still able to be on those streets that are behind me in the screen. And now we cannot even get to that, to those neighborhoods, to those streets. The residents of the thousands of Palestinians who live there are basically under lockdown and curfew on Friday and Saturday to make way for the Israeli settlers who live illegally in their midst in order for them to roam. the streets free and that really is a microcosm of what is happening across the occupied West Bank. The UN calls it a silent war. International experts have talked about ethnic cleansing and forced displacement. Palestinians say this is part of the genocide because the intention whether it's here or in Gaza is to force Palestinians out and take over the land. The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem calls this a campaign of erasure, and that's really what we see. The tactics, well, settler attacks, Israeli military raids, land grab, gates and checkpoints, more than a thousand of them now, that basically turn every Palestinian community into an open-air prison that only opens and closes at the whims of an Israeli soldier. And Nora, everything you've just reported on has... The footprint of Benjamin Netanyahu on it, it has the Israeli prime minister's stamp on it. He is Israel's longest serving prime minister. He, of course, has been in office the whole time since October the 7th, since the genocide. So the question I want to ask you, given that there have been now elections in Israel and that Benjamin Netanyahu does, barring a last minute surprise, appear now to be on his way out, will anything change for Palestinians? Well, to be honest, Palestinians aren't really holding their breath because what Benjamin Netanyahu has done, or the era of Benjamin Netanyahu in Israeli politics has done, is take Israel... way to the far right. And so the mainstream opinion right now in Israeli politics is no to Palestinian statehood, no to leaving the occupied West Bank, yes to more settlements, yes to more land grab. There is an unprecedented number of Israeli settlers who are now members of Israel's Knesset. They're not exactly going to be sanctioning themselves. So it's not just about Benjamin Netanyahu or his right-wing coalition, for that matter. The concern. Among Palestinians and Israelis who want to see an end to this, an end to the genocide and to the ethnic cleansing, is that there isn't enough internal motivation in Israel to change course, and that's why you see a lot of former officials, a lot of human rights advocates, even in Israel, saying that pressure has to come from without. It has to come from the outside. against Israel to change course. Otherwise, nothing internal is going to push Israel to change course and let go of the Palestinians anytime soon. Noor Odeh reporting live from Ramallah, from Hebron in the occupied West Bank. Very much. Thank you very much, Noor. Another regional flashpoint in the Middle East is Yemen, fighting resumed after four years of relative calm. The Ansarullah Houthis launched a major ground offensive. The government forces are fighting back with the support of a Saudi-led military coalition. But Houthis are targeting airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, widening the conflict. Youssef Mari is live from Yemen's capital, Sana'a. Youssef, the last time the Saudi-led coalition really took on the Houthis, we saw seven years of fighting. And a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. Where does the conflict stand now? Well, we actually have major breaking news developing as we speak. According to the Ansar Allah Houthis, they released a statement claiming that the internationally recognized Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia have withdrew completely from Bab al-Mandab and have withdrew from the airport in the district of Dubaab and in these areas along the Red Sea coastline. According to the latest that we are hearing from the Ansar Allah Houthis, They are advancing militarily towards the city of Aden itself. So this is a major development from when the conflict first began three months ago. What started with the Yemeni government forces expanding and standing in control of the majority of the southwestern region. Now the Ansar Allah Houthis are the ones who are standing in control and are threatening. To advance even further, to take over the city of Aden. This is breaking news that we are getting right now. And according to the Ansar Allah Houthis, they're releasing footage to show the withdrawal of government forces from the governorate of Lahj, which leads to Bab al-Mandab and leads to the district of Ras al-Ara. Now, these are strategic positions along the Red Sea coastline. Whoever controls it controls Bab al-Mandab and controls traffic not only through the Red Sea, but also through the Gulf of Aden and gives them an overview of ships coming in from the Indian Ocean. But the danger now for the internationally recognized Yemeni government is if the Ansar Allah Houthis manage to advance even deeper south to try and attempt to gain a foothold. In the city of Aden, according to some of the reports that we are getting now, the Yemeni government forces are withdrawing their forces and are trying to reorganize and recuperate in the outskirts of Aden in order to try to prevent a potential ground advancement from the Ansar al-Houthi. So major development happening today. The Yemeni map. It's constantly shifting and some of these areas are fractured landscapes, which means that even though Ansar al-Houthi's have advanced and have taken some areas in the governorate of Lahj, the Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia and backed with the Saudi airstrikes, they could attempt a counter military offensive to try to regain back some of those territories. Since this conflict began, it's been. A war of two narratives, a narrative from the Ansar al-Houthis and a narrative from the internationally recognized Yemeni government. What is certain is that civilian casualties, the number of civilian casualties continues to pile in according to the IOM, 340,000 internally displaced personnel since the conflict first began in September. Al Jazeera's Youssef Mawri reporting from Yemen's capital Sana'a there on all the very latest developments there. Thank you very much, Youssef. Now, Israeli forces also continue to occupy a significant chunk of southern Lebanon, 600 square kilometers of land, in violation of a ceasefire agreement there as well. The UN peacekeepers and satellite images show the Israeli military is building roads there, raising fears that it is planning to stay in Lebanon. Zainab Khudr is another Al Jazeera original joining us in the program with the network since day one. Zainab, you're in Haniyeh near Tyre in southern Lebanon. You've been speaking to the communities there. What is it going to take for them to be able to return to their homes and to their land? 350,000 people remain displaced. The Israeli military will have to withdraw from dozens of villages that it occupies across southern Lebanon. Villages that they have systematically, deliberately leveled to the ground. If I move out of the frame, you're going to see one of those villages. Mansouri. What you're going to see is rubble. The rubble of people's homes. Tens of thousands of homes have been leveled to the ground. And these are controlled demolitions. This did not happen during the height of the hostilities, but after the ceasefire. So controlled demolitions, the Israeli military really making this whole area, 6% of Lebanese territory, uninhabitable. Billions of dollars will be needed to rebuild if people can return to their homes. What people tell you is that we know our homes. Our homes have been destroyed, but what about the graves of our ancestors, our fathers, our mothers? Will we ever be able to visit them again? So these are the questions people ask, and the conflict is far from over. Israeli aerial activity has increased in recent days. Israeli warplanes, Israeli drones, they fly across southern Lebanon at low altitude, even in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The diplomatic track is at a stalemate, Israel refusing to withdraw unless Hezbollah fully Hezbollah refusing to discuss this armament until the Israeli army withdraws from southern Lebanon. So you have this situation and... There is growing concern the Israeli military plans to escalate this conflict with statements by Israel Army Radio saying that Hezbollah still possesses thousands of drones, missiles, and that they're preparing possible operations inside the occupied zone. So when people hear statements like that, they really are concerned that the trajectory of this conflict will be once again an escalation. And that's Zainab Khota reporting from Haniyeh. And Zainab, thanks to you and your cameraman, as always. Thanks to all our teams who are operating in war zones. You just showed us the extent of the destruction there across large parts of southern Lebanon. We appreciate it. Thanks for your reporting. Staying in the Middle East just a little while longer, the war that the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran has been at the center of news globally this year. It began at the end of February, and U.S. President Donald Trump initially described it as a four- to six-week operation. It is now into its ninth month and there is no clear path to peace. Tauhid Asadi is in the Iranian capital Tehran. He asked Iranians how they see the conflict. Nearly nine months into the war, Iran appears to be pursuing two parallel tracks. Keeping the door open to diplomacy, while preparing for the possibility of renewed military confrontation, Tehran insists that any return to the table of negotiations must be conditioned upon the United States committing to meet seven demands put forth by Iran. These include, most importantly, an end to the war across the region, the lifting of sanctions, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, and the maintenance of Iran's control and authority over the Strait of Hormuz which Tehran says it's now closed. Alongside the diplomatic efforts mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, Tehran is also warning of the possibility of a war extending beyond the borders of region. This dual messaging continues to define Iran's international signaling, while the situation at home remains increasingly challenging. Many Iranians are grappling with mounting economic pressures, rising prices, A weakening national currency and persistently high inflation. The situation is still the same. They don't know what they want. One moment they're going to war, the next they're negotiating. Nothing changes except that prices keep going up. All of us, when a message... Whenever we receive a signal from the other side, there's always a worry about war deep down inside all of us. This isn't the first time we've been through something like this, but for now that concern is eased slightly. The U.S. assumed that Iran was much weaker, but once it went to war, it realized Iran is not like other countries. The U.S. seriously overestimated its own strength, and Iran turned into a quagmire for it. I'm starting to speak now. To be honest, I don't pay attention to the war news or the war itself. The sound of explosions nearby doesn't even matter to me anymore. Somehow it's become normal to me, and I've come to learn that we're living in what I call a state of never-ending crisis. The situation is far from straightforward. Efforts to revive diplomacy are ongoing. The war has never truly come to an end. And uncertainty continues to be the name of the game. So it is at 11.00. See you around. Now to a story that has been at the center of Al Jazeera's reporting for two decades. People leaving everything they have, hoping for a better life. It's the story of migration. Spain has just declared a migration emergency in the Canary Islands. More than 7,400 people arrived on its Atlantic Ocean territory in the first 10 days of November alone. Most of them set out from West Africa in search of opportunities in Europe. But to get there, they risked their lives in overcrowded boats at sea. Bernard Smith is in El Hierro, one of Spain's Canary Islands, and Nicolas Haque is in Senegal's capital, Dakar. That's where we're going to start. Nick, where you are right now, this is one of the jumping-off points for people trying to make it to Europe. Brief us on what you've seen and what's happening there. Well, I'm in this village of Guacam in Dakar, and this is really a departure point for many migrants. And the reason why we're seeing in Spain a wave of migrants at the moment, well, look at the weather behind me. It's unusually calm, and when the weather conditions allow it, then boats... Boats do go out there to try to make it to Europe. It is a treacherous journey, and yet so many people, just like the young people that you see behind me, are willing to take it. And they don't take boats that carry people, but they use these fishing vessels, these wooden boats like this one called pirogues. You have up to 100 people that are packed in boats like this for... A journey that can last a week. They put food, fuel in here hoping to make it across. Now it is a journey when you speak to so many people here that works. The reason why so many do it is because so many have successfully made it across. Now there has been interceptions of boats out there at sea. There's been an increasing amount of joint patrols between the Senegalese Navy and the Spanish Navy. And sometimes, Cyril, it feels like the European borders are just here, off the coast of Africa, just here. And yet, people continue to get on these boats, and they're not fleeing war, they're not fleeing poverty. When you speak to the people behind me, they say they want a dignified life, an opportunity. to make a decent living, something that they can't find here. I've met people who have graduated from law school, nurses, fishermen, teachers, that are trying to escape their country to try to make ends meet. Cyril? Bernard, over to you in El Hierro, on one of Spain's Canary Islands. Viewers may have heard me on the mic there because as Nick was reporting, I was also watching you and where you are, Bernard, and I'm pretty sure I saw what you're looking at now, which was a boat passing by behind you, one of those pirogues that Nicholas was reporting on. Tell us what the scene is there and also what Spain is doing about this surge in crossings. Yeah, Cyril, that was a pirogue that was being taken to be broken up. That's what happens. Migrants come in here. There's some of those boats, pirogue boats, just behind me over there. They are rescued on these... by these rescue boats, a record number in the last 24 hours, a record in 32 years of keeping the statistics. 1,448 people rescued on Saturday from 14 boats. There have been even more today. This one brought in one an hour ago. There's one around the corner in the sea due in the next 10 minutes. El Hierro is full to capacity, over 9,000 migrants since since the start of November. Many of them processed here, taken to a reception centre and sent on to other Canary Islands or to the Spanish mainland. But they arrive in Europe on a continent where attitudes towards migrants are hardening. They arrive after enduring the European Union's pact on migration and asylum was introduced. That says the European Union introduces firm and fair rules on asylum across the European Union, but being no doubt firm and fair. It's because European governments are under pressure to do more to control migration from outside the European Union. It's supposed to make it easier to remove migrants whose asylum claims fail. It's not working very well here in Spain. A judge back in June tried to remove under these new regulations 89 migrants, 82 migrants back to Senegal. They were kept in detention for 60 days, the maximum they can keep them, because it took so long to try and organise their removal to Senegal. It never happened. They were released. and freed but without the right paperwork, showing the enormous challenge that Spain faces. And these migrants arrive at the time of an election campaign in Spain. The current minority socialist government accused of being too permissive on migration. The far right hoping to win by cracking down on migration. Bernard Smith reporting live from El Hierro on Spain's Canary Islands. And Nicholas Haque, thanks to you as well, reporting from Dakar in Senegal, of course. Thank you, gentlemen, to both of you. A mass displacement of people also looks like this. At least 50,000 Ethiopians have fled renewed violence and crossed the border into Kenya. They are living in makeshift camps in the town of Moyale, and there isn't enough shelter, food or water to go around. The government and the UN say that they cannot provide enough assistance because of funding cuts. The fighting is rooted in a longstanding dispute over land between Ethiopia's Oromia and Somali regional administrations, which escalated in October. Well, Catherine Soy is at a refugee camp in Moyale on Kenya's border with Ethiopia. Catherine, what are you seeing there? Yes, we've been at this school all day and the school itself is quite close to Ethiopia. These people have used an informal border crossing. Thousands of them are here now. They say they've come with nothing. They are talking about what happened back home. There was, you know, intense gunfire. They were exchanging heavy weapons, there was looting going on at home. Many of them are women. The men are still in Ethiopia protecting their homes. So they're saying the situation there is still very fluid. And like I say, they have come with nothing, but NGOs, UNHCR and other organizations are helping them settle. So here they are getting blankets. Mats, they're being given food as well. The school itself is... It's quite packed. People are living in the classrooms, but the classrooms are quite full. So they are being forced to go to the bushes outside. That's where they are trying to get some shelters and they're using whatever they can to build these shelters. They're using sticks and leaves and anything that they can get. And this is the rainy season, so they're worried about that situation. Once they're there, that is not sustainable because of the rain. People are saying that, you know, water is getting in. So there's a lot of concern also because of the health challenges. They're saying that this is not a problem that has been brought from outside. This is a problem that has been brought by politicians back home and they want this situation de-escalated as quickly as they can. And Catherine Soy reporting from Moyale in Kenya, near the border with Ethiopia. Thank you very much, Catherine. Earlier, we reported on upheaval in the Middle East, specifically on the Iran war. Well, that war has had a global impact, pushing up energy prices and squeezing economies around the world. The ripple effect in Europe? Life is more expensive for people and for governments. We're finding it more difficult to fund some public services. In France, students are protesting against what they say is a lack of public spending on education. In Portugal, the housing crisis has taken center stage. And in the UK, the new prime minister faces a cost of living crisis. So let's start in France, we take you to a Paris suburb where one school has become a focal point of the protest movement with more than 80 staff on strike and some teachers say they're angry with the police and the government response to the demonstrations. Natasha Butler reports. They formed human chains to protect students from police during protests calling for more funding for France's education system. Now more than 80 staff members including teachers at this high school in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis are on strike, angry about the police response and calling for the principal to resign. My name is Lucie Sabzé and I'm an English teacher at Paul-Éluard High School. For Lucie and many of her colleagues this incident last month 10th was the tipping point. Two plainclothes policemen entered the school to arrest a teenager that some officers had accused of insulting them during one of the blockades. Teachers intervened, forcing them to leave. We're all very scandalized by what we were seeing, but I think that's very, very traumatizing for the children to be treated as such. Lucy says police have used tear gas and stop and checks to clear blockades, but the students are not deterred. I think they are not surprised by the attitude of the police because they are used to it. That's when you are a non-white person in France, when you are from a lower class background, the relationship with the police is very, very difficult. Student protests calling for more teachers, funding and equality in the education system began in this suburb more than two months ago and spread across France. This high school has become a symbol of the movement and although it's been shut temporarily, some teachers are determined to keep classes going. So this is the local public library, not far from the high school, and what has happened is one of the rooms here has been transformed into a makeshift classroom with some teachers and volunteers. Saratha is attending a philosophy lesson. She says the government isn't listening to young people. They don't take us seriously. They say we're protesting so we don't have to go to class. But the reality is there are problems in the French education system. This maths teacher is among those on strike but are helping out here. You can see all these students who are here. Look at all the students who are here. They want to work. They want their baccalaureate diploma. They want to succeed. The past weeks have not been easy, but there's a sense of solidarity and a collective desire to write a different future. Natasha Butler, Al Jazeera, Saint-Denis, near Paris. Now to Portugal, where protests against the rising cost of living are focused on the housing crisis. Construction firms trying to build more homes say that curbs on immigration actually make it more difficult to address the shortage. Rosie Burchard reports from Lisbon. These are million-dollar homes in the making. And these are the migrant men behind them. 62-year-old Antonio came to Lisbon from Cape Verde as a young man. Now he's wondering who might replace him. But there's a lot of work to be done here. There's a huge worker shortage. We're always looking for labourers. We can't find any. It's a race to build more houses here to plug a critical gap. Portugal needs around 300,000 to 400,000 new homes to tackle the crisis and according to construction industry groups 80,000 more workers are needed just to keep up with current projects. The 2008 financial crisis hit this country hard and house prices began climbing after laws were later liberalized. Faça a procuração. Portugal has become a destination in high demand for international buyers. But there aren't many new construction projects. The sector was essentially destroyed and the recovery, which has been very slow, has relied heavily on immigrant labour. From 2021 to 2025, Portugal's foreign resident population doubled. The far-right gained popularity and the rapid shift left some locals uneasy. Large-scale immigration, like what we're seeing in Europe, tends to destabilise the national economy. We should find ways to foster development in the countries people leave. The right-wing government here promised voters reform and delivered. They've doubled the time it can take to obtain citizenship to 10 years and restricted visa access. Now far fewer people are coming and those who are here often live in uncertainty. Say wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, one month ago, he said wait, wait, wait, just waiting. Agencies that help sectors find staff say Portuguese politics has got in the way of pragmatism. Immigrants are coming to Europe and the people are taking them as enemies. We are not your enemies. There are many specific jobs like agriculture, like garbage collection, constructions, and they don't have enough people here to do this kind of job, so they definitely need the immigrants. The government says it's working hard to make houses more affordable, but the people building them say its policies have backfired. Rosie Burchard, Al Jazeera, Lisbon. And Britain hasn't seen protests yet, but is grappling with an affordability crisis. Al Jazeera's Charlie Angela joins us live from a farm in Horsham, Sussex. That's an important agricultural region in southeastern England. So, Charlie, what has this farm got to do with affordability? Rising food prices are putting huge pressure on people here in the UK and Prime Minister Burnham has promised to bring down supermarket bills and boost the economy and in part that means helping farms like this and food trade and to do that he's starting with Brexit. Now, when the UK left the EU 10 years ago, farms like this were hit incredibly hard. They were suddenly faced with relentless red tape, new regulations, new border checks, and many of them simply abandoned trading with the EU. This farm lost a fifth of its volume. So he is now looking at sealing a deal on Friday in Brussels that will mean going... To take away a lot of the extra paperwork, a lot of those border checks. It will mean that cows like this, the meat from cows like this, will not need to be subject to extra health certificates. They're calling it a Brexit reset deal. And as part of the package, they're also looking at linking the UK's carbon market with the EU and also a scheme for young people that will allow them to live, work and study in Europe for a limited time. Now, he's saying that the whole package could be worth around $22.5 billion. billion to the U.K. economy by 2040. That's roughly equivalent to 0.4% of GDP. He's saying it will be a win-win deal, more like the Brexit he thought people were voting for in 2016. But he has admitted that people are going to have long nights of negotiations ahead of them before they can come to an agreement with Brussels. Charlie Angelo. A changing relationship for the U.K. and E.U. in the pipeline. Charlie Angelo there, reporting from Horsham in the United Kingdom. Thank you very much, Charlie. The other global conflict plaguing Europe, the war between Russia and Ukraine. It's been going on for more than four and a half years, and hundreds of thousands of people have been killed on both sides. There is no diplomatic solution in sight as we speak. Audrey McAlpine is in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, and Yulia Shapovalova is in Moscow. This is what Ukrainians see when they hear about peace talks. This is a hospital in Ukraine's capital that was damaged by a Russian drone just a matter of hours after the U.S. envoys met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Following that two days of peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi. Now, those negotiations mark the first time in nearly nine months that the three sides have gotten together to discuss an end to this war. And the big takeaway is Europe's new potential role in those. talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin agreeing to let Europe have a seat at the table. This is a big win for Europe, who has long pushed for that. But there are fears, given the recent rhetoric coming from the Kremlin, that it might use this to delay. And to distract from the fact that it has not made any new concessions when it comes to some of the big issues on the table, like territory. But meanwhile, attacks like this one on this hospital and others across the country continue, especially when it comes to Ukraine's energy. Ukraine is heading into one of its worst winters yet, as temperatures begin to plummet. Audrey McAlpine, Al Jazeera, Kyiv. After trilateral peace talks involving Russian, Ukrainian and US delegations in Abu Dhabi, President Vladimir Putin received US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner here at the Kremlin. But the central political divide remains unchanged. Russia insists Ukrainian forces must withdraw from the entire Donbass region, including territories still controlled by Kyiv. Ukraine rejects that, while Moscow also resists European involvement in the talks. At the same time, the war is becoming increasingly visible inside Russia. Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure. The aim is to disrupt the production of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel, reduce revenues that support Russia's war effort and impose growing economic costs on Moscow. Some facilities have had to cut output or temporarily suspend crude processing after strikes. Earlier this year, attacks on energy sites contributed to serious petrol shortages that directly affected consumers throughout the country. Drones also repeatedly disrupt civil aviation. When the threat is detected, Russian authorities restrict airspace at Moscow and regional airports. For passengers, that means delayed flights, diversions, missed connections and long waits. So while diplomats discuss a possible route towards peace, the military pressure continues. On the battlefield, on Russia's energy industry, and increasingly on ordinary people. Yulia Shapovalova, Al Jazeera, Moscow. The U.S. president plays a central role in all of these conflicts that we've just reported on. Some he has started, the Iran war, at great political cost. Others he has tried to end, with little success so far in Ukraine and very mixed results in Gaza, where a U.S.-brokered ceasefire has slowed but not ended the killing. Manuel Rapolo is in Washington, D.C. for us this hour. Manny, President Trump has two years left on his term. Now, he styles himself, calls himself a peacemaker. What are the prospects for Trump-led diplomacy going forward? Great to see you, Cyril. President Trump wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, and the next two years are going to prove critical when it comes to his legacy as a peacemaker, when it comes to his foreign policy. And I say that because that building behind me, right there, the U.S. Capitol, the United States Congress, Democrats will be taking control of that building. Both houses, Senate and the House of Representatives, will be controlled by Democrats. come January, and that'll give Democrats and Congress more power to scrutinize, to request subpoenas, to issue demands for documents, to demands for testimonies from the Trump administration when it comes to its military operations, and more importantly, challenge President Trump, when it comes to his foreign policy decision-making, President Trump has made it very clear that he cares very much about that foreign policy legacy, and the challenge is going to be turning that ambition into meaningful diplomatic agreements. Take Ukraine, for example. The Trump administration has placed a tremendous amount of energy and time into narrowing those differences between Kyiv and Moscow, but those disagreements remain, and even a ceasefire fire would prove a fragile We're talking about Congress and the president's ability to carry out that foreign policy. But we can reasonably expect that over the course of the next two years, starting in January, that Congress is going to place a higher priority on investigating the Trump administration rather than helping President Trump carry out his political and foreign policy agenda. Mani Rappalo, thank you very much for your reporting there from Washington, D.C., just down the road from Capitol Hill. Thank you. In Trump's second term, U.S. relations with China have been volatile. He reignited the trade war, raising tariffs on Chinese goods, and Beijing retaliated. One way it did that was tightening control on rare earth minerals, these highly valuable commodities that power electronics and advanced weapons, and China has a quasi-monopoly on them. Katrina Yu reports from Beijing. China has been working to expand its geopolitical influence across the world and play a bigger role in mediating global conflicts, including the Iran war. This month, it sent a special envoy to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Iran, and it's been stepping up calls for de-escalation and a political solution to that conflict. China is also preparing to welcome the leaders from 21 different countries for the APEC summit in Shenzhen, including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Those two leaders, together with Chinese President Xi Jinping, We'll meet on the sidelines of the summit and they will reportedly also talk about a possible end to the Ukraine war. Now, China may be miles away from that conflict, but its position as the world's second largest economy and the biggest trading partner of many countries, including Russia, give it an outsized say in many events far beyond its borders. Now, when Donald Trump is here in China, Beijing's tense relationship with Washington will also be in focus. Those two superpowers are locking horns over everything from trade to regional security China, for its part, will be focusing on its tech rivalry with Washington. It's been pouring billions of dollars into developing its homegrown semiconductors, AI and robotics, goods it hopes will be used across the world. Katrina Yu, Al Jazeera, Beijing. Myanmar has one of the world's most valuable deposits of rare earth minerals. The U.S. recently held direct talks with its isolated military government and agreed to broker peace in the civil war within four years. In return, the U.S. is believed to want access to its minerals. But the Trump administration may be speaking to the wrong people, as Tony Cheng reports from Myanmar. A remote hill in Kachin State, northern Myanmar, not far from the border with China. Dense foliage criss-crossed with paths, and if you look closely, pipes. They carry solvents, acids, pumped into the ground. The acids leach the minerals from the earth and collect in vats at the foot of the hill. This is a heavy rare earth mineral mine, and Myanmar is the largest exporter in the world. Sun Li has been monitoring these sites since they opened in 2021. Everything is exported to China, generating hundreds of millions of dollars. Even if the United States wants access, he says, it will be very hard. It would be extremely difficult to get access for the US because the location is quite proximity China and they have been long they have long been economic relationship President Donald Trump has made no secret of the fact that he wants to strike a deal with Myanmar's military government. He wants access to these rare minerals, vital for solar panels, EVs, and next-generation weapons. But the mines are all in areas under control of the ethnic Kachin group. Even if the US strikes a deal with Myanmar's military government, it's at war with the Kachin. Historically, the pattern suggests that the government in exile thinks Myanmar's generals Professionals are in no position to strike a deal. They don't have any control over these rare earth sites, let alone, you know, making deals on behalf of the Kachins because we're at war. But there's another problem. Rare earth mining devastates the environment. Acid pumped into the hills flow down into the streams and rivers on which millions rely. Myanmar is blessed with huge amounts of rare earth minerals, but they're being extracted with huge amounts of toxic chemicals, which are polluting waterways all across the country. The rush to secure natural resources in Myanmar is not new. In the past, colonial powers plundered its gemstones and teak. The race to secure rare earth minerals could leave deeper scars. Tony Chang, Al Jazeera, Myanmar. Coinciding with Trump's return to office is Washington's growing influence in Latin America. In the past 12 months, we have seen U.S. forces capture Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, and take control of the country's oil revenue. We've also seen change at the ballot box, some of it encouraged, cheered on even by Donald Trump. Teresa Vo joins us from Buenos Aires. And Teresa, you've been reporting on Latin America since the launch of Al Jazeera, along with Nora Day and Zeyna Hodder. You have been with the network since day one. You've seen the region shift to the right, with, I would say, the notable and recent exception of Brazil. What does that look like on the ground? Well, that's correct. 20 years ago, there was a completely different scenario in Latin America, with leftist or center-left governments in power, Hugo Chavez, Nestor Kirchner, and others using the high prices of commodities to implement social programs. Well, that has completely changed. And aside from Brazil, Mexico, and Uruguay, what we're seeing now is a growing trend of right-wing governments in the region. In Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, here in Argentina, Chile, among others. A closer alliance with Washington, many joining what is known as the Shield of the America. A closer military alliance supporting the strikes. In the Caribbean, supporting the capture of Nicolás Maduro. Here in Argentina, President Javier Millet is implementing a very radical economic program, lifting subsidies, laying off state employees, among many others. So this is a region that has been a pendulum, voting for the right or for the left. People permanently voting for change and never minding who is that, which which is they're voting for who will be able to deliver it. That's Teresa Bowe reporting there from Buenos Aires. And Teresa, we will see you again. Don't go too far because we'll see you again in about 10 minutes. We'll have a little trip down memory lane with some of our other presenters, correspondents, and faces of Al Jazeera. That's in just a moment. Teresa Bowe reporting from Buenos Aires. And staying on the continent, Colombia's right-wing president, Abelardo de la Espriella, came to office promising to take a hard line on crime. But as he marks 100 days in office, his security crackdown has delivered mixed results, and his plans to increase taxes are drawing opposition. Alessandro Rampieti reports from Bogota. Colombia's right-wing president promised sweeping changes in his first 90 days. Results he called miracles, but three months in, his promises are clashing with reality. Gun in his belt, radio in hand, he joined raids and arrests, flooding social media with his security crackdown. And firm for the homeland. Supporters welcome his hardline approach. Critics say walking among body bags or signing a bomb goes too far in a country scarred by decades of conflict. Bienvenido a la patria, Milagro Zapata. The Defense Ministry says killings of soldiers and police officers are up 58% on the same period under his predecessor. Homicides are down, but kidnappings, child recruitment and other crimes are up, and despite the hardline posturing, overall arrests are down. If you don't want it, you're a bandit. On the economy, he promised a smaller state, faster growth and no tax rises. But facing a huge fiscal shortfall, he is now proposing higher sale taxes on a number of goods, including vegetables and coffee, while cutting public spending and corporate taxes. He promises refunds for poorer households, but with families struggling with higher prices, He faces resistance in Congress and on the streets. His cultural counterrevolution has also met resistance. The president has ordered the removal of a number of works from the National Museum about women's rights, the peace process and leftist movements, which have sparked protests and were met by a violent police response. Abroad, he has embraced the U.S. President Donald Trump, but the Republicans' midterm defeat means Democrats will soon control Congress, testing that alliance. They abandoned what has been a tradition for decades of bipartisan work in Washington, aligning themselves with the Trump administration, with the most radical elements of the Trump administration. So they must review that policy and understand the reality that the United States is much more than Trump. Dele Espriella won the elections promising sweeping change. He still needs to convince a majority of Colombians it is the change they want. Alessandro Rampietti, Al Jazeera, Bogota. Now, in a moment, I will be joined by some of our colleagues, reporters, Teresa Bowe and Nora Day among them, presenters, editors, most faces that you know, some you don't. They've all been with Al Jazeera since day one. And we'll do what we don't usually do, that is go behind the scenes and share some Al Jazeera stories from the past 20 years. The good, the bad, the weird, the funny. That's in a few minutes. But for now, we'll leave you with this, a reminder of some of our lighter moments. Have you ever grappled with existential questions about your identity and your connection to the vast cosmos? Experience the vast networks. This movie was inspired from the snail. She's created 64 movements to reconnect humans to nature. Any kind of Palestinian resistance, any celebration of cultural identity, Israel perceives these things as a real threat. In this world of constant distraction, Gormley's works bring a stillness and a silence. It's art stripped down to bare life. Art can be done with anything, with old vehicle parts, bottles, toys. Human remains, you can see right here. This comes from the earthquake back in 2010. These are not brains, but they are made from human cells. They're consuming nutrients and exchanging signals. And most importantly, they have structures very similar to our own brain. And that's what makes them useful for studying our own complex neurological. Traffic in Tehran, two wheels are a practical choice. So I'm joining Afsaneh for a short ride. This is the only route into the disaster zone, but failure is not an option. So everyone gets out and pulls. Christmas is coming back to town. This is Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, two years after celebrations were held in silence. Jingle Bell Express sold on Amazon last year for $160. Now it's $200. They're being tariffed at 20% and prices are taking off to match. But before I could ask about a parachute... So what would that mean about two minutes? I'm insured through my employer and I have nothing. Putting the digital version of you to work on any number of AI productions. So your digital twin can be out there selling products that the real you then comes in at the end to grab for real. For the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. It's all about... Welcome to our World Cup studio. This World Cup has been full of surprises. From all our teams here in Qatar and all over the world, thank you for watching.