People & Power
Encyclopedia
People & Power is the flagship current affairs
programme on Al Jazeera English, broadcast twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, and repeated throughout the week.
Each 22.30 minute programme features one or two short investigative documentaries on a power issue from around the world. The programme sometimes has one hour specials.
People & Power is aired on Al Jazeera English at these times (GMT):
Wednesday: 14:30 GMT
Thursday (repeat): 01:30 and 13:30
Friday (repeat): 06:30 and 20:30
Saturday (repeat): 03:00
Sunday: 14:30 GMT
Monday (repeat): 01:30 and 13.30
Tuesday (repeat): 06:30 and 20.30
Presenter
March 2007 – present.
Before joining the programme Samah worked closely with Al Jazeera in the past, most recently on a special film for People & Power called 'A Bitter Clash’. Samah founded Thingybob Productions, a film company, in order to raise awareness of development issues in the South. Samah is also a development economist, and has been a consultant to the International Development Research Centre
(IDRC), the Canadian Government, Foundation for International Training (FIT) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). She has also been an economic advisor on SMEs and innovation policy to the governments of Kenya
, Egypt
, Ghana
, Pakistan
and Mauritius
. Samah will obtain her PhD in economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies
(SOAS), University of London, in 2007.
Juliana Ruhfus
Main reporter
November 2006 – present.
Award-winning filmmaker and journalist Juliana Ruhfus has spent over a decade working as a reporter and producer for British and international broadcasters, specialising in international programme making and investigative work.
In news pieces, current affairs films and feature length documentaries Juliana has covered many of the world's under-reported conflicts including Somalia
, Haiti
, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia
, Yemen
and Peru
, often gaining unique access to the warring factions and always with a strong focus on the human stories behind the news. Her films have often had an impact beyond television and have been shown at festivals, the British Parliament, international trade union congresses and at universities.
Juliana has also worked as a print journalist and as a consultant on small arms issues to the UN and other organisations.
Shereen El Feki
Presenter
November 2006 – February 2007.
Shereen was a reporter for The Economist
magazine before she joined the programme. She left People & Power in February 2007.
Zeina Awad
Reporter
Zeina Awad
has covered some of the Middle East
and Africa
’s most important stories for People and Power, including the rise of Islamism
in Lebanon
’s Palestinian refugee camps, Iraq
’s forgotten refugees, and the underground world of Zimbabwean human trafficking. Prior to joining Al Jazeera English, Zeina worked for the BBC
’s HARDtalk
and Panorama
programmes, and for the Al Jazeera Arabic channel.
Bob Abeshouse
Occasional reporter
Bob Abeshouse is an award-winning journalist who has produced investigative and long-form programs on a wide range of public policy issues for NBC, ABC, PBS, CNN and other broadcasters.
Max Keiser
Occasional reporter.
Max Keiser brands himself as a ‘financial anarchist’ and has reported several viewpoint films for the programme.
He is currently working on several new projects for the programme.
He also has his own website.
Sapna Bhatia
Occasional reporter.
Sapna Bhatia has worked for the programme from the beginning and has reported on several films from India
.
She is currently working on a new film for People & Power.
Mohamed Maklouf
Mohamed Maklouf has been a filmmaker and film journalist since 1983. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Arab Screen Independent Film Festival, which specializes in Arab short films and documentary films.
He made a film for People & Power on the constraints of the media in Egypt
, and is currently working on a new project for the programme.
Neil Cairns is the producer.
Bob Abeshouse is the U.S producer and occasional reporter for the programme.
There is a People & Power researcher/producer in each of the four Al Jazeera Hubs – London, Washington DC, Kuala Lumpur and Doha.
It was originally presented by reporter Shereen El Feki but she was replaced by a new presenter, Samah El-Shahat, a development economist, in March 2007.
Juliana Ruhfus is the programme’s main reporter and occasional presenter. Her film on the ex-combattants in Liberia launched the strand the day Al Jazeera went on air.
She is formerly an independent current affairs and documentary reporter and producer for international broadcasters such as Channel 4 (UK), BBC, ARD (Germany) and NHK (Japan).
Other regular reporters include Zeina Awad, Bob Abeshouse, Max Keiser, Sapna Bhatia, Paul Martin and Mohamed Maklouf.
The show has introduced several regular slots. A series called ‘If I had the Power’ asked people in the street what they would do if they had the power of President of the United States
George W. Bush
for the day. Five minute long ‘Power of One’ films look at how one person has changed the lives of a community through their own actions. People featured to date are ‘Rob the Rubbish’, Cambridge scientist Helen Lee, and Trevor Bayliss, inventor of the clockwork radio
.
In June 2007 People & Power launched its first special season – presented from Doha
, Qatar
.
Since Al Jazeera
's launch on YouTube in spring 2007 the programme's availability has increased.
Episode 74 Italy Gate
People & Power investigate the mysterious death of a security expert who had uncovered extensive spyware in his country's telecommunications system. Just after noon on July 21, 2006, Adamo Bove, head of security at Telecom Italia, told his wife he had some errands to run as he left their Naples apartment. Hours later, police found his car parked atop a freeway overpass. Bove's body lay on the pavement some 100 feet below.
Did he jump or was he pushed?
First broadcast: Wednesday 1 August 2007
Presenter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 72 & 73 Greek Gate
Just before the 2004 Olympic Games began in Athens, the worst espionage scandal in Greece's history was uncovered.Vodafone, Greece's largest telecommunications provider, discovered wire tap software in its cell phone system, allowing thousands of illegal interceptions to be made.What made the incident even more extraordinary were the kind of people whose phones were tapped. They included the Greek PM, Costas Karamanlis, a member of the opposition party, former prime ministers, journalists and businessmen.
The event took a tragic and suspicious turn when Vodafone's leading engineer was found hanging from a pipe in his bathroom a day after the discovery of the devices.
First broadcast: Wednesday 25 July 2007
Episode 71 Benazir Bhutto and Young Turks
In an exclusive interview, Hussain Aidid, the Somali deputy prime minister, speaks to Juliana Ruhfus about the Ethiopian 'occupation' of Somalia – and why he chose not to attend the reconciliation and peace conference.
More than half of the current Turkish population is under 24.Last year, the Turkish government emphasised its dynamic population, saying it would make it an engine of growth in the EU. But how strongly do Turkish youth believe that Turkey's accession into the EU is a good idea?
First broadcast: Wednesday 12 July 2007
Presenter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 70 Taylor Un-Made
Kimmie Weeks is a 25-year-old Liberian child activist who is talked about among the likes of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Gandi. Before his fourteenth birthday, Kimmie's work helped to disarm 20,000 child soldiers, for which the Liberian government attempted to assassinate him.
First broadcast: Wednesday 18 July 2007
Episode 69 Zimbabwean Exodus
Zimbabwe's economy is crumbling, and it has the highest inflation rate in the world. This is driving Zimbabweans out in the thousands. They trek across the crocodile-infested Limpopo River, and razor wires fences in search of a better life in South Africa, relying on a sophisticated ring of smugglers who guide them through an often long and dangerous journey.
People & Power's Zeina Awad gains exclusive access to the underground world of Zimbabwean trafficking with a veteran human smuggler.
First broadcast: Wednesday 11 July 2007
Presenter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 68 Taking on Chanel
Carmen Colle is a former steelworker who worked her way up to become a luxury hand-stitcher for some of Europe's top fashion houses. Now she has decided to sue Chanel for alleged counterfeiting. The claim comes after she spotted a cardigan bearing a crochet design which she says her company submitted to Chanel as an idea – and which they turned down.
First broadcast: Wednesday 8 July 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Episode 67 Golan Heights
The Golan Heights, a rocky plateau in south-western Syria
, has long been an area of dispute. Filmmaker Paul Martin looks at this divided region and what the possibilities are for peace.
First broadcast: Wednesday 4 July 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Episode 66 Lockerbie: Bombing Probe
People & Power look into the findings of the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, which has been reviewing the conviction of a Libyan man after an airline was bombed over Scotland
in 1988, killing 270 people.
First broadcast: Sunday 1 July 2007
Presenter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 65 Divided Island / Another Darfur?
People and Power investigates democracy in Bahrain
amid sectarian tensions, and then travels to Eastern Sudan
to investigate a hidden conflict.
First broadcast: Wednesday 27 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Chris Milner (Another Darfur?) / Abdulrahman Elshayya (Divided Island)
Episode 64 Sultan’s Blue Dream
A report into the political and cultural structure of Oman
, and the Sultan
’s rule. Its present ruler, Qaboos bin Said Al Said, holds absolute power and decision-making authority. And, as director/producer Abdel Karim Sekkar finds, nobody there seems even remotely interested in having it any other way.
First broadcast: Sunday 24 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director: Abdel Karim Sekkar
Episode 63 Depopulation Hebron / Coffee in Cairo
People & Power finds out why Palestinian
residents are leaving the ancient city of Hebron
, and follows with an investigation of Starbucks
in Egypt
.
First broadcast: Wednesday 20 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Circa 1 Media (Coffee in Cairo) / Sami Zeidan (Depopulation Hebron)
Episode 62 Human Wrongs
Tunisia
has been praised by Western powers for its advancement with women’s rights - but activists say its President has become a virtual dictator.
First broadcast: Sunday 17 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director: Synergy Films
Episode 61 Extraordinary Antics
26 American CIA operatives are being tried for the kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric in Milan. Financial activist Max Keiser goes on the trail.
First broadcast: Wednesday 13 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director / Reporter: Max Keiser, Max Keiser Productions
Episode 60 The High Cost of Cheap Salmon / Maradona Church / Helen Lee
The High Cost of Cheap Salmon
Salmon farming, a booming industry around the world, is leading to massive ecological destruction, say environmentalists.
Maradona Church
Behind a religion dedicated to the worship of Argentina’s most beloved footballer.
The Power of One: Dr Helen Lee
The story of a woman whose scientific marvels are saving the sight of Maasai children in East Africa.
First broadcast: Sunday 10 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director / Reporter: Pacha Films (Salmon), Gerbil Films (Maradona); Sue Ellicott (Helen Lee)
Episode 59 G8 Special
People & Power reports on protests at the G8
, and Samah El-Shahat meets the U.S Ambassador to the UK, and quizzes him on Bush’s approach to global warming.
First broadcast: Thursday 7 June 2007
Director / Reporter / Presenter: Inigo Gilmore (Power and Protest); Samah El-Shahat
Episode 58 Fragmentation of the Middle East
Presenter Samah El-Shahat discusses the reasons for fragmentation in the Middle East
with her special panel of experts and asks for solutions.
First broadcast: Sunday 3 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Episode 57 Bloody Tea
The Indian state of Assam
is famous for its tea, but not its 28 year conflict in which 180,000 people have died. People and Power investigates.
First broadcast: Wednesday 30 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director / Reporter: Hazel Chandler
Episode 56 Blood Trails
People & Power meets the Argentine grandmothers in search of their grandchildren who were ‘disappeared’ in President Jorge Rafael Videla
’s ‘Dirty War
’.
First broadcast: Sunday 27 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director: Gerbil Films
Episode 55 Seeing It Through / Baghdad Lives / Salween Dam
People & Power meet Argentine factory workers and an Iraqi woman coming to terms with life in Baghdad
, and visit the Salween Dam in Myanmar
.
First broadcast: Wednesday 23 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director: Gerbil Films (Argentine); Hilba Bassem (Iraq)
Episode 54 Rigged Markets
Free markets are meant to give the investors an equal chance of success – but are they in fact in rigged? People & Power looks at the evidence.
First broadcast: Sunday 20 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Max Keiser, Max Keiser Productions
Episode 53 Argentine Land Fight
People & Power investigate an Argentine land fight, between rich and poor, and then meet a man single-handedly taking on Wales’ rubbish problem.
First broadcast: Wednesday 16 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Bob Abeshouse (Argentina)
Episode 52 The Blair Legacy
People & Power take the people’s questions for Prime Minister
, Tony Blair
, to a panel of experts including a Labour
Lord, and an Iraqi journalist.
First broadcast: Sunday 13 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Episode 51 Banking On It / Power of One – Trevor Bayliss
People & Power investigates the World Bank
– does it help or create poverty? Then an interview with Trevor Bayliss
, inventor of the clockwork radio
.
First broadcast: Wednesday 9 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Max Keiser, Kinooga Productions (Banking On It), Sue Ellicott (Power of One)
Episode 50 Communists in Kolcata / Fish for Oil
People & Power visits those pushed off their land in West Bengal
by the government, and investigates oil smuggling in Iraq, damaging the economy.
First broadcast: Sunday 6 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Sapna Bhatia (Kolcarta), Out There News (Fish for Oil)
Episode 49 Bus 601 / I Love Malaya
People & Power takes the Parisian Bus 601a through racial tensions, then goes to Southern Thailand, where the communist ex Guerillas are in hiding.
First broadcast: Wednesday 2 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Karim Sekkar and Shereen El-Feki (Bus 601), Chan Kar May (Malaya)
Episode 47 – 48 Iraqi Refugees / Green Fields and Gas
People & Power investigates the conflict between Shell
and rural Ireland. Then, to the Jordan-Iraq border, the home of thousands of refugees.
First broadcast: Wednesday 25 April 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Zeina Awad (Iraqi Refugees), Sinead O’Shea (Mayo vs Shell)
Episode 46 Bargaining Chips
People & Power investigates the prisoner exchange deal in the Middle East – are captives mere bargaining chips in the Israel
i – Hizbollah conflict?
First broadcast: Sunday 22 April 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director:
Episode 45 French Election Special
As the French go to the polls, People & Power visit France
to investigate some of the issues at the heart of this weekend’s presidential elections.
First broadcast: Wednesday 18 April 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Various
Episode 44 Turf Wars
This week's People & Power examines allegations that officials in Cambodia
have been profiting from illegal land seizures in the country.
First broadcast: Sunday 15 April 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Eric Campbell
Nigeria Delta Special
The 2007 National elections are approaching in Nigeria
. People & Power reporter Juliana Ruhfus and director Hazel Chandler travel to the conflict ridden and oil rich Niger Delta
to explore what is at stake. In spite of the Delta's vast oil wealth the people are poor—and deprived of a democratic voice. As a result, the last 15 months has seen an escalation in militant groups operating in the region. Some claim that that they are fighting to help ensure local people benefit from the Delta's oil wealth, in the face of intimidation and corruption from politicians.
First broadcast: Saturday 14 April 2007
Presenter: Juliana Ruhfus
Reporter: Juliana Ruhfus
Producer / Director: Hazel Chandler
Episode 43 Baghdad Lives: Staying
In this week's programme Iraqi filmmaker, Mounaf Shaker, provides a personal account of his attempts to build a future against all odds in today's Baghdad
.
First broadcast: Wednesday 11 April 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter: Mounaf Shakar
Episode 42 Ain El Helweh
People & Power has gained exclusive access to Ain El Helweh, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp. People & Power's Zeina Awad witnesses this violence first hand and investigates the context through which militant Islam grew to become a potent force inside Lebanon's most controversial Palestinian refugee camp.
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter: Zeina Awad
Episode 41 Outlaws and Lost Boys
People & Power has gained unique access to Sudanese refugees struggling to cope on the streets of Cairo. This is a story of desperation and violence, but also of ingenuity and creativity against all the odds. At its heart this is a story about power.
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter: Hugh Miles
Episode 40 Palestinian Unity
People & Power takes an inside look at how the new Palestinian unity government came into being.
First broadcast: Friday 30 March 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Paul Martin
Episode 39 Masters and Slaves
People & Power takes a look at modern day slavery in Mauritania
on the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery throughout the British empire
.
First broadcast: Tuesday 27 March 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Episode 38 After Castro Who Wins?
A battle is raging inside the US administration over policy towards Cuba
after Castro
’s eventual death. People & Power gets inside the debate.
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Producer: Bob Abeshouse
Episode 37 LADA
People and Power visits the LADA
car manufacturing factory in Russia
, to investigate President Vladimir Putin
’s new economic strategy and the state’s role.
Reporter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 36 How can I sell my chicken?
P&P looks at the collapsed WTO round though the eyes of a Senegalese chicken farmer and traipses the corridors of power looking for answers.
Reporter: Samah El-Shahat
Episode 35 Amam / Chinese Soyafication of Argentina
Syria
's withdrawal from Lebanon
two years ago was supposed to have been a new beginning. But Lebanon remains an unstable place. There isn't a single Shia minister in the current government. Instead, Shia Hezbollah is leading a coalition of opposition parties. People & Power was in Beirut
when the Lebanese capital witnessed the most violent protests in recent times. Our film explores the country's new divisions – and we listen to Lebanese voices alarmed by the state of affairs. P&P visited Beirut to get under the skin of a politically divided city. And then to Argentina
, where soybean cultivation is taking its toll.
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter: Zeina Awad
Producer: (Soyafication): Bob Abeshouse
Episode 34 Iraqi Oil Law
An exclusive investigation into the new oil laws in Iraq
. Is it all in the interest of the international multinationals?
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter/ Director: Chris Frederick
Episode 33 Paradise Lost / The People Versus the Mafia
A look at the economic, political and social issues in last month’s military coup in Fiji
. Also, People & Power explores how Italians are resisting mafia violence.
Episode 32 Exxon in the Dock
People & Power's Juliana Ruhfus investigates claims that Exxon Mobil, the most profitable oil company in the world, is responsible for human rights abuses carried out by its private soldiers in Aceh
, Indonesia
.
Reporter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 31 The Battle with Extremism: Putin’s Law
Critics allege that Vladimir Putin
is introducing increasingly oppressive laws in Russia
. But are they giving rise to the very extremism he wishes to defeat?
Reporter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 30 Tamil Tigers
People & Power investigates the massive fundraising drive allegedly launched by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in London and elsewhere from late 2005 onwards, as violence intensified in the North and East of Sri Lanka
. The programme speaks with Tamils in London who the LTTE has tried to pressurise into providing funding for the 'final war'.
Reporter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 29 Shining Path / Solomon Islands strife
People & Power gains access to a top commander of the Peruvian Maoist guerrilla movement, Shining Path
. The programme also examines escalating tensions in the Solomon Islands
.
Episode 28 Baghdad Lives
In this People & Power, an Iraqi filmmaker provides a personal account of his attempts to build a future against all odds in today's Baghdad
.
Episode 27 China In Africa
China
is increasingly looking to Africa
to supply the raw materials it needs to feed its surging economy. What is Africa getting in return?
Episode 26 Our New Best Friend
People & Power examines the relationship between western countries and the Uzbek president before and after the Andijan massacre
in 2005. Who was responsible?
Episode 25 Power and Media in Egypt
The programme examines the alleged intimidation, physical abuse and arrests made against journalists in Egypt
who criticize the regime.
Reporter: Mohamed Maklouf
Episode 24 Coke In Trouble
Is Coca-Cola
stealing water from Indian communities? A look at why local people are speaking out, and what those at the top have to say in response.
Reporter: Sapna Bhatia
Episode 23 The People's President
Ahmadinejad’s life and character revealed. Many people think they know the “People’s President”, but why is he so popular - in and outside of Iran
?
Episode 22 Big Coal / The Battle to Re-brand Sinn Féin
We examine how much is being done to keep carbon emissions from new coal plants in the USA to a minimum. We also explore Sinn Féin
’s re-branding campaign in Northern Ireland
.
Episode 21 Omar Deghayes
People & Power follows the family and local community of Guantanamo Bay detainee, Omar Deghayes
, in their attempts to secure his release.
Director: Scott Imren, Parsley Productions
Episode 20 The Battle for Panama Canal / Wilma's Warning / If You Had The Power?
We explore tensions in Panama
sparked by the new breed of mega-ships that form the arteries of global trade. We also meet a scientist whose work has provoked threats to her life. Then People & Power goes to the streets and asks: “what would you do if you had the power of George Bush?”
Episode 19 Thai Democracy / Reconstruction of Southern Lebanon
We explore a tale of two Thailand
s and the struggle to re-instate democracy. Also, we investigate Hizbullah’s role in the reconstruction of Southern Lebanon
.
Episode 18 People & Power Exclusive: Interview with Khaled Meshal
Khaled Meshaal, exiled leader of the Hamas
party, talks to People & Power about his views on a way forward for the Palestinian
situation.
Reporter: Paul Martin
Episode 16 Liberia’s Firestone Slaves / Barefoot E-Business / Cleaners
People & Power explores the working conditions on Liberia
’s rubber plantations, internet farming in India
, and a campaign by London cleaners to gain better rights.
Episode 15 All the President’s Women / The Struggle for Enterprise / Outsourcing Comes full Circle
Liberia’s president Ellen Sirleaf is recruiting women to re-build the country.
In the second part People & Power discovers that the Indian rapid growth could be slowed down by red tape.
Episode 14 Cutting the Wire
The story of the Brazilian poor who are fighting for right to occupy land that once belonged to them. Then a discussion with the economist Hernando de Soto
.
Episode 13 North Korea
A revealing insight into a day in the life of the North Korean family living under the dictatorship of the Beloved Leader Kim Jong-il
.
Episode 12 ‘Injection’/ Aids in Libya
Neglect and denial have characterised the Arab response to Aids
. People & Power investigates in Libya
. The programme also includes an activist’s account of the recent death sentences of health workers in the country.
Episode 11 Lockerbie – A Cover Up
A look into why many of the victims’ families are unhappy with the Lockerbie
verdict that sent a Libyan intelligence agent to prison for life.
Episode 10 After the Tsunami
Reporter Juliana Ruhfus travels to Aceh
to find out where all the aid money has gone. What went wrong – and could it ever have gone right?
Episode 9 Berlusconi's Last Battle / Chile’s Courageous Judge
Silvio Berlusconi
maybe out of office, but chaos still reigns in Italian politics. People & Power also meets the Chilean judge who dared to take on Pinochet.
Episode 8 Death of the Dollar / Ecuador and Texaco
Max Keiser claims that the US has falsely maintained the image of a strong dollar, and Chevron
is accused of failing to clean up in the Amazon
.
Episode 7 Reconstructing Jihad / Bajagua
Hezbollah’s construction company is filling a vacuum left by the cash-strapped Lebanese government and People & Power explores how companies and lobbyists work the U.S. Congress for personal gain.
Episode 6 Racism in France / Corruption In Paradise
A special report investigating racial tensions in France
. In the second part a film following Tonga
’s early steps to democracy.
Episode 5 No One Left Behind
A report on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and then People & Power goes behind the bars to see what life is like for prisoners.
Episode 4 The Price of Wine / Peace Games
India’s fast growth is leaving some of its traditional farmers in desperation. In the second part - can a computer game teach peaceful revolution?
Reporter (Price of Wine): Sapna Bhatia
Episode 3 Kyrgyzstan
Following a spate of killings, People & Power investigates the tangled and murky connections between sport, crime and politics in Kyrgyzstan
.
Reporter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 2 The Other Campaign / Turkmenistan:Cult of the Leader
The real battle over Mexico
's future is being fought outside of electoral politics. In the second part, People and Power investigates why Turkmenistan
is a study in absolute power and its abuse.
Episode 1 Army of Discontent
A journey around Liberia
, investigating the fate of its 100,000 ex-combatants and the threat that some of them may pose to peace in the country.
On the day of Tony Blair
’s departure, Samah El-Shahat led a discussion on the departing Prime Minister’s legacy. Her guests were the Iraqi journalist Ziad Al-Khuzai, Ruth Lea
- the Director of the Centre for Policy Studies
and Lord Ahmed from the British House of Lords
.
In a People & Power special on 3 June 2007, Samah El-Shahat led a discussion on the ‘Fragmentation of the Middle East’ from the Doha
studios. It featured Dr. Azzam Tamimi, the Director of the Institute for Islamic Political Thought, Dr. Amr Hamzawy, a Senior Researcher at the Carnegie Endowment, Dr. Ibrahim Mousawi
, the Editor-in-Chief of foreign news at Al Manar TV, and Dr. Ahmed Abdel Malik, a Qatari Journalist.
On 7 June 2007 Samah interviewed Robert Holmes Tuttle, the American Ambassador in London, on the subject of the G8 summit.
Current affairs (news format)
Current Affairs is a genre of broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of news stories that have recently occurred or are ongoing at the time of broadcast....
programme on Al Jazeera English, broadcast twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, and repeated throughout the week.
Each 22.30 minute programme features one or two short investigative documentaries on a power issue from around the world. The programme sometimes has one hour specials.
People & Power is aired on Al Jazeera English at these times (GMT):
Wednesday: 14:30 GMT
Thursday (repeat): 01:30 and 13:30
Friday (repeat): 06:30 and 20:30
Saturday (repeat): 03:00
Sunday: 14:30 GMT
Monday (repeat): 01:30 and 13.30
Tuesday (repeat): 06:30 and 20.30
List of presenters and reporters
Samah El ShahatPresenter
March 2007 – present.
Before joining the programme Samah worked closely with Al Jazeera in the past, most recently on a special film for People & Power called 'A Bitter Clash’. Samah founded Thingybob Productions, a film company, in order to raise awareness of development issues in the South. Samah is also a development economist, and has been a consultant to the International Development Research Centre
International Development Research Centre
The International Development Research Centre is a Canadian Crown Corporation created by the Parliament of Canada that supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development...
(IDRC), the Canadian Government, Foundation for International Training (FIT) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). She has also been an economic advisor on SMEs and innovation policy to the governments of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. Samah will obtain her PhD in economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
(SOAS), University of London, in 2007.
Juliana Ruhfus
Main reporter
November 2006 – present.
Award-winning filmmaker and journalist Juliana Ruhfus has spent over a decade working as a reporter and producer for British and international broadcasters, specialising in international programme making and investigative work.
In news pieces, current affairs films and feature length documentaries Juliana has covered many of the world's under-reported conflicts including Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, often gaining unique access to the warring factions and always with a strong focus on the human stories behind the news. Her films have often had an impact beyond television and have been shown at festivals, the British Parliament, international trade union congresses and at universities.
Juliana has also worked as a print journalist and as a consultant on small arms issues to the UN and other organisations.
Shereen El Feki
Presenter
November 2006 – February 2007.
Shereen was a reporter for The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
magazine before she joined the programme. She left People & Power in February 2007.
Zeina Awad
Reporter
Zeina Awad
Zeina Awad
Zeina Awad co-hosts Fault Lines, Al Jazeera English’s flagship current affairs programme about the Americas. Awad believes that Fault Lines strives to identify and patch information gaps by "asking the tough questions" of the countries and people in power....
has covered some of the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
’s most important stories for People and Power, including the rise of Islamism
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
’s Palestinian refugee camps, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
’s forgotten refugees, and the underground world of Zimbabwean human trafficking. Prior to joining Al Jazeera English, Zeina worked for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
’s HARDtalk
HARDtalk
Hardtalk is a flagship BBC television programme, consisting of in-depth half-hour one-on-one interviews.It is broadcast four days a week on BBC World News and the BBC News channel. Launched in 1997, much of its worldwide fame is due to its global reach via BBC World...
and Panorama
Panorama (TV series)
Panorama is a BBC Television current affairs documentary programme, which was first broadcast in 1953, and is the longest-running public affairs television programme in the world. Panorama has been presented by many well known BBC presenters, including Richard Dimbleby, Robin Day, David Dimbleby...
programmes, and for the Al Jazeera Arabic channel.
Bob Abeshouse
Occasional reporter
Bob Abeshouse is an award-winning journalist who has produced investigative and long-form programs on a wide range of public policy issues for NBC, ABC, PBS, CNN and other broadcasters.
Max Keiser
Max Keiser
Timothy Maxwell "Max" Keiser is an American broadcaster, film-maker, and former equities broker. Keiser is the host of On the Edge, a program of news and analysis hosted by Iran's Press TV. He also hosts Keiser Report, a financial program broadcast on RT - formerly Russia Today...
Occasional reporter.
Max Keiser brands himself as a ‘financial anarchist’ and has reported several viewpoint films for the programme.
He is currently working on several new projects for the programme.
He also has his own website.
Sapna Bhatia
Occasional reporter.
Sapna Bhatia has worked for the programme from the beginning and has reported on several films from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
She is currently working on a new film for People & Power.
Mohamed Maklouf
Mohamed Maklouf has been a filmmaker and film journalist since 1983. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Arab Screen Independent Film Festival, which specializes in Arab short films and documentary films.
He made a film for People & Power on the constraints of the media in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, and is currently working on a new project for the programme.
List of editors and producers
Richard Dove is the editor.Neil Cairns is the producer.
Bob Abeshouse is the U.S producer and occasional reporter for the programme.
There is a People & Power researcher/producer in each of the four Al Jazeera Hubs – London, Washington DC, Kuala Lumpur and Doha.
History
People & Power was launched on November 15, 2006 on the new Al Jazeera English channel.It was originally presented by reporter Shereen El Feki but she was replaced by a new presenter, Samah El-Shahat, a development economist, in March 2007.
Juliana Ruhfus is the programme’s main reporter and occasional presenter. Her film on the ex-combattants in Liberia launched the strand the day Al Jazeera went on air.
She is formerly an independent current affairs and documentary reporter and producer for international broadcasters such as Channel 4 (UK), BBC, ARD (Germany) and NHK (Japan).
Other regular reporters include Zeina Awad, Bob Abeshouse, Max Keiser, Sapna Bhatia, Paul Martin and Mohamed Maklouf.
The show has introduced several regular slots. A series called ‘If I had the Power’ asked people in the street what they would do if they had the power of President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
for the day. Five minute long ‘Power of One’ films look at how one person has changed the lives of a community through their own actions. People featured to date are ‘Rob the Rubbish’, Cambridge scientist Helen Lee, and Trevor Bayliss, inventor of the clockwork radio
Clockwork radio
A windup radio or clockwork radio is a radio that is powered by human muscle power rather than batteries or the electrical grid. In the most common arrangement, an internal electrical generator is run by a mainspring, which is wound by a hand crank on the case. Turning the crank winds the spring...
.
In June 2007 People & Power launched its first special season – presented from Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
.
Since Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
's launch on YouTube in spring 2007 the programme's availability has increased.
Episode rundown
A list of all the shows broadcast to date, in reverse chronological order with the programme information supplied by the channel. Many of the later shows have been uploaded on the Al Jazeera YouTube channel.Episode 74 Italy Gate
People & Power investigate the mysterious death of a security expert who had uncovered extensive spyware in his country's telecommunications system. Just after noon on July 21, 2006, Adamo Bove, head of security at Telecom Italia, told his wife he had some errands to run as he left their Naples apartment. Hours later, police found his car parked atop a freeway overpass. Bove's body lay on the pavement some 100 feet below.
Did he jump or was he pushed?
First broadcast: Wednesday 1 August 2007
Presenter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 72 & 73 Greek Gate
Just before the 2004 Olympic Games began in Athens, the worst espionage scandal in Greece's history was uncovered.Vodafone, Greece's largest telecommunications provider, discovered wire tap software in its cell phone system, allowing thousands of illegal interceptions to be made.What made the incident even more extraordinary were the kind of people whose phones were tapped. They included the Greek PM, Costas Karamanlis, a member of the opposition party, former prime ministers, journalists and businessmen.
The event took a tragic and suspicious turn when Vodafone's leading engineer was found hanging from a pipe in his bathroom a day after the discovery of the devices.
First broadcast: Wednesday 25 July 2007
Episode 71 Benazir Bhutto and Young Turks
In an exclusive interview, Hussain Aidid, the Somali deputy prime minister, speaks to Juliana Ruhfus about the Ethiopian 'occupation' of Somalia – and why he chose not to attend the reconciliation and peace conference.
More than half of the current Turkish population is under 24.Last year, the Turkish government emphasised its dynamic population, saying it would make it an engine of growth in the EU. But how strongly do Turkish youth believe that Turkey's accession into the EU is a good idea?
First broadcast: Wednesday 12 July 2007
Presenter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 70 Taylor Un-Made
Kimmie Weeks is a 25-year-old Liberian child activist who is talked about among the likes of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Gandi. Before his fourteenth birthday, Kimmie's work helped to disarm 20,000 child soldiers, for which the Liberian government attempted to assassinate him.
First broadcast: Wednesday 18 July 2007
Episode 69 Zimbabwean Exodus
Zimbabwe's economy is crumbling, and it has the highest inflation rate in the world. This is driving Zimbabweans out in the thousands. They trek across the crocodile-infested Limpopo River, and razor wires fences in search of a better life in South Africa, relying on a sophisticated ring of smugglers who guide them through an often long and dangerous journey.
People & Power's Zeina Awad gains exclusive access to the underground world of Zimbabwean trafficking with a veteran human smuggler.
First broadcast: Wednesday 11 July 2007
Presenter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 68 Taking on Chanel
Carmen Colle is a former steelworker who worked her way up to become a luxury hand-stitcher for some of Europe's top fashion houses. Now she has decided to sue Chanel for alleged counterfeiting. The claim comes after she spotted a cardigan bearing a crochet design which she says her company submitted to Chanel as an idea – and which they turned down.
First broadcast: Wednesday 8 July 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Episode 67 Golan Heights
The Golan Heights, a rocky plateau in south-western Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, has long been an area of dispute. Filmmaker Paul Martin looks at this divided region and what the possibilities are for peace.
First broadcast: Wednesday 4 July 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Episode 66 Lockerbie: Bombing Probe
People & Power look into the findings of the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, which has been reviewing the conviction of a Libyan man after an airline was bombed over Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1988, killing 270 people.
First broadcast: Sunday 1 July 2007
Presenter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 65 Divided Island / Another Darfur?
People and Power investigates democracy in Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
amid sectarian tensions, and then travels to Eastern Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
to investigate a hidden conflict.
First broadcast: Wednesday 27 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Chris Milner (Another Darfur?) / Abdulrahman Elshayya (Divided Island)
Episode 64 Sultan’s Blue Dream
A report into the political and cultural structure of Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, and the Sultan
Sultan of Oman
-List of Imams :-Nabhan Dynasty :-Ya'ariba Dynasty :-Banu Ghafir Dynasty :-Ya'ariba Dynasty :-Al Said Dynasty :-See also:...
’s rule. Its present ruler, Qaboos bin Said Al Said, holds absolute power and decision-making authority. And, as director/producer Abdel Karim Sekkar finds, nobody there seems even remotely interested in having it any other way.
First broadcast: Sunday 24 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director: Abdel Karim Sekkar
Episode 63 Depopulation Hebron / Coffee in Cairo
People & Power finds out why Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
residents are leaving the ancient city of Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
, and follows with an investigation of Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
First broadcast: Wednesday 20 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Circa 1 Media (Coffee in Cairo) / Sami Zeidan (Depopulation Hebron)
Episode 62 Human Wrongs
Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
has been praised by Western powers for its advancement with women’s rights - but activists say its President has become a virtual dictator.
First broadcast: Sunday 17 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director: Synergy Films
Episode 61 Extraordinary Antics
26 American CIA operatives are being tried for the kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric in Milan. Financial activist Max Keiser goes on the trail.
First broadcast: Wednesday 13 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director / Reporter: Max Keiser, Max Keiser Productions
Episode 60 The High Cost of Cheap Salmon / Maradona Church / Helen Lee
The High Cost of Cheap Salmon
Salmon farming, a booming industry around the world, is leading to massive ecological destruction, say environmentalists.
Maradona Church
Behind a religion dedicated to the worship of Argentina’s most beloved footballer.
The Power of One: Dr Helen Lee
The story of a woman whose scientific marvels are saving the sight of Maasai children in East Africa.
First broadcast: Sunday 10 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director / Reporter: Pacha Films (Salmon), Gerbil Films (Maradona); Sue Ellicott (Helen Lee)
Episode 59 G8 Special
People & Power reports on protests at the G8
G8
The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
, and Samah El-Shahat meets the U.S Ambassador to the UK, and quizzes him on Bush’s approach to global warming.
First broadcast: Thursday 7 June 2007
Director / Reporter / Presenter: Inigo Gilmore (Power and Protest); Samah El-Shahat
Episode 58 Fragmentation of the Middle East
Presenter Samah El-Shahat discusses the reasons for fragmentation in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
with her special panel of experts and asks for solutions.
First broadcast: Sunday 3 June 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Episode 57 Bloody Tea
The Indian state of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
is famous for its tea, but not its 28 year conflict in which 180,000 people have died. People and Power investigates.
First broadcast: Wednesday 30 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director / Reporter: Hazel Chandler
Episode 56 Blood Trails
People & Power meets the Argentine grandmothers in search of their grandchildren who were ‘disappeared’ in President Jorge Rafael Videla
Jorge Rafael Videla
Jorge Rafael Videla Redondo is a former senior commander in the Argentine Army who was the de facto President of Argentina from 1976 to 1981. He came to power in a coup d'état that deposed Isabel Martínez de Perón...
’s ‘Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
’.
First broadcast: Sunday 27 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director: Gerbil Films
Episode 55 Seeing It Through / Baghdad Lives / Salween Dam
People & Power meet Argentine factory workers and an Iraqi woman coming to terms with life in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, and visit the Salween Dam in Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
.
First broadcast: Wednesday 23 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Director: Gerbil Films (Argentine); Hilba Bassem (Iraq)
Episode 54 Rigged Markets
Free markets are meant to give the investors an equal chance of success – but are they in fact in rigged? People & Power looks at the evidence.
First broadcast: Sunday 20 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Max Keiser, Max Keiser Productions
Episode 53 Argentine Land Fight
People & Power investigate an Argentine land fight, between rich and poor, and then meet a man single-handedly taking on Wales’ rubbish problem.
First broadcast: Wednesday 16 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Bob Abeshouse (Argentina)
Episode 52 The Blair Legacy
People & Power take the people’s questions for Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, to a panel of experts including a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Lord, and an Iraqi journalist.
First broadcast: Sunday 13 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Episode 51 Banking On It / Power of One – Trevor Bayliss
Trevor Bayliss
Trevor Harley Bayliss is a former coach of the Sri Lanka national cricket team. Bayliss is a former cricketer for New South Wales and a former coach...
People & Power investigates the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
– does it help or create poverty? Then an interview with Trevor Bayliss
Trevor Bayliss
Trevor Harley Bayliss is a former coach of the Sri Lanka national cricket team. Bayliss is a former cricketer for New South Wales and a former coach...
, inventor of the clockwork radio
Clockwork radio
A windup radio or clockwork radio is a radio that is powered by human muscle power rather than batteries or the electrical grid. In the most common arrangement, an internal electrical generator is run by a mainspring, which is wound by a hand crank on the case. Turning the crank winds the spring...
.
First broadcast: Wednesday 9 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Max Keiser, Kinooga Productions (Banking On It), Sue Ellicott (Power of One)
Episode 50 Communists in Kolcata / Fish for Oil
People & Power visits those pushed off their land in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
by the government, and investigates oil smuggling in Iraq, damaging the economy.
First broadcast: Sunday 6 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Sapna Bhatia (Kolcarta), Out There News (Fish for Oil)
Episode 49 Bus 601 / I Love Malaya
People & Power takes the Parisian Bus 601a through racial tensions, then goes to Southern Thailand, where the communist ex Guerillas are in hiding.
First broadcast: Wednesday 2 May 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Karim Sekkar and Shereen El-Feki (Bus 601), Chan Kar May (Malaya)
Episode 47 – 48 Iraqi Refugees / Green Fields and Gas
People & Power investigates the conflict between Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
and rural Ireland. Then, to the Jordan-Iraq border, the home of thousands of refugees.
First broadcast: Wednesday 25 April 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Zeina Awad (Iraqi Refugees), Sinead O’Shea (Mayo vs Shell)
Episode 46 Bargaining Chips
People & Power investigates the prisoner exchange deal in the Middle East – are captives mere bargaining chips in the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i – Hizbollah conflict?
First broadcast: Sunday 22 April 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director:
Episode 45 French Election Special
As the French go to the polls, People & Power visit France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to investigate some of the issues at the heart of this weekend’s presidential elections.
First broadcast: Wednesday 18 April 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Various
Episode 44 Turf Wars
This week's People & Power examines allegations that officials in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
have been profiting from illegal land seizures in the country.
First broadcast: Sunday 15 April 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Eric Campbell
Nigeria Delta Special
The 2007 National elections are approaching in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. People & Power reporter Juliana Ruhfus and director Hazel Chandler travel to the conflict ridden and oil rich Niger Delta
Niger Delta
The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil...
to explore what is at stake. In spite of the Delta's vast oil wealth the people are poor—and deprived of a democratic voice. As a result, the last 15 months has seen an escalation in militant groups operating in the region. Some claim that that they are fighting to help ensure local people benefit from the Delta's oil wealth, in the face of intimidation and corruption from politicians.
First broadcast: Saturday 14 April 2007
Presenter: Juliana Ruhfus
Reporter: Juliana Ruhfus
Producer / Director: Hazel Chandler
Episode 43 Baghdad Lives: Staying
In this week's programme Iraqi filmmaker, Mounaf Shaker, provides a personal account of his attempts to build a future against all odds in today's Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
.
First broadcast: Wednesday 11 April 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter: Mounaf Shakar
Episode 42 Ain El Helweh
People & Power has gained exclusive access to Ain El Helweh, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp. People & Power's Zeina Awad witnesses this violence first hand and investigates the context through which militant Islam grew to become a potent force inside Lebanon's most controversial Palestinian refugee camp.
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter: Zeina Awad
Episode 41 Outlaws and Lost Boys
People & Power has gained unique access to Sudanese refugees struggling to cope on the streets of Cairo. This is a story of desperation and violence, but also of ingenuity and creativity against all the odds. At its heart this is a story about power.
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter: Hugh Miles
Episode 40 Palestinian Unity
People & Power takes an inside look at how the new Palestinian unity government came into being.
First broadcast: Friday 30 March 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter / Director: Paul Martin
Episode 39 Masters and Slaves
People & Power takes a look at modern day slavery in Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
on the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery throughout the British empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.
First broadcast: Tuesday 27 March 2007
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Episode 38 After Castro Who Wins?
A battle is raging inside the US administration over policy towards Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
after Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
’s eventual death. People & Power gets inside the debate.
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Producer: Bob Abeshouse
Episode 37 LADA
People and Power visits the LADA
Lada
Lada is a trademark of AvtoVAZ, a Russian car manufacturer in Tolyatti, Samara Oblast. All AvtoVAZ vehicles are currently sold under the Lada brand, though this was not always so; Lada was originally AvtoVAZ's export brand for models it sold under the Zhiguli name in the domestic Soviet market...
car manufacturing factory in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, to investigate President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
’s new economic strategy and the state’s role.
Reporter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 36 How can I sell my chicken?
P&P looks at the collapsed WTO round though the eyes of a Senegalese chicken farmer and traipses the corridors of power looking for answers.
Reporter: Samah El-Shahat
Episode 35 Amam / Chinese Soyafication of Argentina
Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
's withdrawal from Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
two years ago was supposed to have been a new beginning. But Lebanon remains an unstable place. There isn't a single Shia minister in the current government. Instead, Shia Hezbollah is leading a coalition of opposition parties. People & Power was in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
when the Lebanese capital witnessed the most violent protests in recent times. Our film explores the country's new divisions – and we listen to Lebanese voices alarmed by the state of affairs. P&P visited Beirut to get under the skin of a politically divided city. And then to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, where soybean cultivation is taking its toll.
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter: Zeina Awad
Producer: (Soyafication): Bob Abeshouse
Episode 34 Iraqi Oil Law
An exclusive investigation into the new oil laws in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Is it all in the interest of the international multinationals?
Presenter: Samah El-Shahat
Reporter/ Director: Chris Frederick
Episode 33 Paradise Lost / The People Versus the Mafia
A look at the economic, political and social issues in last month’s military coup in Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
. Also, People & Power explores how Italians are resisting mafia violence.
Episode 32 Exxon in the Dock
People & Power's Juliana Ruhfus investigates claims that Exxon Mobil, the most profitable oil company in the world, is responsible for human rights abuses carried out by its private soldiers in Aceh
Aceh
Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
Reporter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 31 The Battle with Extremism: Putin’s Law
Critics allege that Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
is introducing increasingly oppressive laws in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. But are they giving rise to the very extremism he wishes to defeat?
Reporter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 30 Tamil Tigers
People & Power investigates the massive fundraising drive allegedly launched by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in London and elsewhere from late 2005 onwards, as violence intensified in the North and East of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. The programme speaks with Tamils in London who the LTTE has tried to pressurise into providing funding for the 'final war'.
Reporter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 29 Shining Path / Solomon Islands strife
People & Power gains access to a top commander of the Peruvian Maoist guerrilla movement, Shining Path
Shining Path
Shining Path is a Maoist guerrilla terrorist organization in Peru. The group never refers to itself as "Shining Path", and as several other Peruvian groups, prefers to be called the "Communist Party of Peru" or "PCP-SL" in short...
. The programme also examines escalating tensions in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
.
Episode 28 Baghdad Lives
In this People & Power, an Iraqi filmmaker provides a personal account of his attempts to build a future against all odds in today's Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
.
Episode 27 China In Africa
China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
is increasingly looking to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
to supply the raw materials it needs to feed its surging economy. What is Africa getting in return?
Episode 26 Our New Best Friend
People & Power examines the relationship between western countries and the Uzbek president before and after the Andijan massacre
Andijan massacre
The Andijan massacre occurred when Uzbek Interior Ministry and National Security Service troops fired into a crowd of protesters in Andijan, Uzbekistan on 13 May 2005. Estimates of those killed on 13 May range from between 187, the official count of the government, and 5,000 people, with most...
in 2005. Who was responsible?
Episode 25 Power and Media in Egypt
The programme examines the alleged intimidation, physical abuse and arrests made against journalists in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
who criticize the regime.
Reporter: Mohamed Maklouf
Episode 24 Coke In Trouble
Is Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
stealing water from Indian communities? A look at why local people are speaking out, and what those at the top have to say in response.
Reporter: Sapna Bhatia
Episode 23 The People's President
Ahmadinejad’s life and character revealed. Many people think they know the “People’s President”, but why is he so popular - in and outside of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
?
Episode 22 Big Coal / The Battle to Re-brand Sinn Féin
We examine how much is being done to keep carbon emissions from new coal plants in the USA to a minimum. We also explore Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
’s re-branding campaign in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Episode 21 Omar Deghayes
People & Power follows the family and local community of Guantanamo Bay detainee, Omar Deghayes
Omar Deghayes
Omar Deghayes is a Libyan citizen with residency status in the United Kingdom, who was arrested in Pakistan in 2002. He currently lives in the United Kingdom....
, in their attempts to secure his release.
Director: Scott Imren, Parsley Productions
Episode 20 The Battle for Panama Canal / Wilma's Warning / If You Had The Power?
We explore tensions in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
sparked by the new breed of mega-ships that form the arteries of global trade. We also meet a scientist whose work has provoked threats to her life. Then People & Power goes to the streets and asks: “what would you do if you had the power of George Bush?”
Episode 19 Thai Democracy / Reconstruction of Southern Lebanon
We explore a tale of two Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
s and the struggle to re-instate democracy. Also, we investigate Hizbullah’s role in the reconstruction of Southern Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
Episode 18 People & Power Exclusive: Interview with Khaled Meshal
Khaled Meshaal, exiled leader of the Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
party, talks to People & Power about his views on a way forward for the Palestinian
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
situation.
Reporter: Paul Martin
Episode 16 Liberia’s Firestone Slaves / Barefoot E-Business / Cleaners
People & Power explores the working conditions on Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
’s rubber plantations, internet farming in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and a campaign by London cleaners to gain better rights.
Episode 15 All the President’s Women / The Struggle for Enterprise / Outsourcing Comes full Circle
Liberia’s president Ellen Sirleaf is recruiting women to re-build the country.
In the second part People & Power discovers that the Indian rapid growth could be slowed down by red tape.
Episode 14 Cutting the Wire
The story of the Brazilian poor who are fighting for right to occupy land that once belonged to them. Then a discussion with the economist Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto (economist)
Hernando de Soto is a Peruvian economist known for his work on the informal economy and on the importance of business and property rights. He is the president of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy , located in Lima, Peru.-Childhood and education:Hernando de Soto was born in 1941 in Arequipa,...
.
Episode 13 North Korea
A revealing insight into a day in the life of the North Korean family living under the dictatorship of the Beloved Leader Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
.
Episode 12 ‘Injection’/ Aids in Libya
Neglect and denial have characterised the Arab response to Aids
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. People & Power investigates in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. The programme also includes an activist’s account of the recent death sentences of health workers in the country.
Episode 11 Lockerbie – A Cover Up
A look into why many of the victims’ families are unhappy with the Lockerbie
Lockerbie
Lockerbie is a town in the Dumfries and Galloway region of south-western Scotland. It lies approximately from Glasgow, and from the English border. It had a population of 4,009 at the 2001 census...
verdict that sent a Libyan intelligence agent to prison for life.
Episode 10 After the Tsunami
Reporter Juliana Ruhfus travels to Aceh
Aceh
Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
to find out where all the aid money has gone. What went wrong – and could it ever have gone right?
Episode 9 Berlusconi's Last Battle / Chile’s Courageous Judge
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
maybe out of office, but chaos still reigns in Italian politics. People & Power also meets the Chilean judge who dared to take on Pinochet.
Episode 8 Death of the Dollar / Ecuador and Texaco
Max Keiser claims that the US has falsely maintained the image of a strong dollar, and Chevron
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
is accused of failing to clean up in the Amazon
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
.
Episode 7 Reconstructing Jihad / Bajagua
Hezbollah’s construction company is filling a vacuum left by the cash-strapped Lebanese government and People & Power explores how companies and lobbyists work the U.S. Congress for personal gain.
Episode 6 Racism in France / Corruption In Paradise
A special report investigating racial tensions in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In the second part a film following Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
’s early steps to democracy.
Episode 5 No One Left Behind
A report on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and then People & Power goes behind the bars to see what life is like for prisoners.
Episode 4 The Price of Wine / Peace Games
India’s fast growth is leaving some of its traditional farmers in desperation. In the second part - can a computer game teach peaceful revolution?
Reporter (Price of Wine): Sapna Bhatia
Episode 3 Kyrgyzstan
Following a spate of killings, People & Power investigates the tangled and murky connections between sport, crime and politics in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
.
Reporter: Juliana Ruhfus
Episode 2 The Other Campaign / Turkmenistan:Cult of the Leader
The real battle over Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
's future is being fought outside of electoral politics. In the second part, People and Power investigates why Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
is a study in absolute power and its abuse.
Episode 1 Army of Discontent
A journey around Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, investigating the fate of its 100,000 ex-combatants and the threat that some of them may pose to peace in the country.
Interviews
Occasionally the programme features studio discussions.On the day of Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
’s departure, Samah El-Shahat led a discussion on the departing Prime Minister’s legacy. Her guests were the Iraqi journalist Ziad Al-Khuzai, Ruth Lea
Ruth Lea
Ruth Jane Lea is a British economist, who works in the financial sector and has also worked in the Civil Service, policy research bodies and the media....
- the Director of the Centre for Policy Studies
Centre for Policy Studies
The Centre for Policy Studies is a British right wing policy think tank whose goal is to promote coherent and practical public policy, to roll back the state, reform public services, support communities, and challenge threats to Britain’s independence...
and Lord Ahmed from the British House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
In a People & Power special on 3 June 2007, Samah El-Shahat led a discussion on the ‘Fragmentation of the Middle East’ from the Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
studios. It featured Dr. Azzam Tamimi, the Director of the Institute for Islamic Political Thought, Dr. Amr Hamzawy, a Senior Researcher at the Carnegie Endowment, Dr. Ibrahim Mousawi
Ibrahim Mousawi
Ibrahim Mousawi is a Lebanese journalist and Hezbollah media relations officer.He was born in 1965 to a family from Baalbek and grew up in the southern suburbs of Beirut.Mousawi is shiite....
, the Editor-in-Chief of foreign news at Al Manar TV, and Dr. Ahmed Abdel Malik, a Qatari Journalist.
On 7 June 2007 Samah interviewed Robert Holmes Tuttle, the American Ambassador in London, on the subject of the G8 summit.