Al Jazeera World

Filmmakers: Mohammad Amr and Nasser Farghaly

Al Jazeera World with a series of films titled Arabs Abroad sources emigration success stories from all parts of the world. This film documents two Arabs abroad whose life and work reflects people with disabilities.

The Paralympian

Abderrahman Ait Khamouch represents his adopted country Spain as a Paralympic athlete, gaining accolades and awards including three Olympic silver medals.

His story begins several hundred kilometres to the south, with a traumatic childhood accident in the small Moroccan village where he was raised. He was just eight years old when his right arm was burned by a bonfire, after which he jumped into a well to quell the pain. He suffered a severe fracture and infection which resulted in his arm being amputated.

“When the doctor saw me, he told my brother I had just 24 hours to live. That night, the doctor amputated my right arm,” Abderrahman Ait Khamouch tells Al Jazeera.

As a young adult, Ait Khamouch migrated to Spain in a small boat along with 40 other people. He later became a world-class long-distance runner, despite facing challenges finding work as a person with a disability.

“I was motivated by the goal of helping my family in the village of Melaab. I also wanted to prove to myself that one day I could be successful and to show the others I could do it.”

The Bone Maker

Dr Hala Zreiqat is a Jordanian living in Sydney, Australia’s biggest city. She has become a world leader in regenerative medicine, designing synthetic bone implants using 3D printing.

She uses cutting-edge technology and ceramic material to create bone implants which have been successfully tested in animals. Human trials of her 3D printed bones are just around the corner.

“My ultimate goal is to see our inventions used by people so that humanity can benefit from our work,” Zreiqat tells Al Jazeera.

Her work reflects the future of 3D printing technology that may include better treatment options for millions of people around the world.

Zreiqat is Professor of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Sydney in Australia and has earned recognition in her adopted country. In 2018, Zreiqat was named New South Wales Woman of the Year for her outstanding contribution to medical research.

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Filmmakers: Mohammad Amr and Nasser Farghaly

Al Jazeera World with a series of films titled Arabs Abroad sources emigration success stories from all parts of the world. This film documents two Arabs abroad whose life and work reflects people with disabilities.

The Paralympian

Abderrahman Ait Khamouch represents his adopted country Spain as a Paralympic athlete, gaining accolades and awards including three Olympic silver medals.

His story begins several hundred kilometres to the south, with a traumatic childhood accident in the small Moroccan village where he was raised. He was just eight years old when his right arm was burned by a bonfire, after which he jumped into a well to quell the pain. He suffered a severe fracture and infection which resulted in his arm being amputated.

“When the doctor saw me, he told my brother I had just 24 hours to live. That night, the doctor amputated my right arm,” Abderrahman Ait Khamouch tells Al Jazeera.

As a young adult, Ait Khamouch migrated to Spain in a small boat along with 40 other people. He later became a world-class long-distance runner, despite facing challenges finding work as a person with a disability.

“I was motivated by the goal of helping my family in the village of Melaab. I also wanted to prove to myself that one day I could be successful and to show the others I could do it.”

The Bone Maker

Dr Hala Zreiqat is a Jordanian living in Sydney, Australia’s biggest city. She has become a world leader in regenerative medicine, designing synthetic bone implants using 3D printing.

She uses cutting-edge technology and ceramic material to create bone implants which have been successfully tested in animals. Human trials of her 3D printed bones are just around the corner.

“My ultimate goal is to see our inventions used by people so that humanity can benefit from our work,” Zreiqat tells Al Jazeera.

Her work reflects the future of 3D printing technology that may include better treatment options for millions of people around the world.

Zreiqat is Professor of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Sydney in Australia and has earned recognition in her adopted country. In 2018, Zreiqat was named New South Wales Woman of the Year for her outstanding contribution to medical research.

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The Middle East peace process is a term that has been used by world leaders time and time again.

It refers to efforts by the international community to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

One of the most significant events of the past 50 years was the Oslo Accords, a set of agreements that were first signed in 1993 by the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

It put in place a series of procedures based on United Nations (UN) resolutions for the eventual goal of an independent Palestinian state.

To oversee this agreement the UN established the office of the special coordinator for the Middle East peace process. The coordinator's mandate is to lead the UN system in all political and diplomatic efforts related to the peace process.

But nearly 30 years since its establishment, how has it affected Palestinians, Israelis and the broader region? And is there hope to achieve peace in the region?

"There is no Middle East peace process," says Nickolay Mladenov, who has been the UN's special coordinator for the Middle East peace process since 2015. "I don't think either the Israeli or the Palestinian side - for various different reasons - are in a position to actually currently engage in meaningful negotiations.... I feel that a lot of our work currently is focused more on preventing war in Gaza ..., preserving the consensus internationally as much as possible on how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be resolved, and really working quietly to build conditions for the future leadership on both sides to hopefully come back to the negotiating table in a meaningful manner."

He points out that despite changing realities on the ground and ongoing conflict, "ultimately ... you have two million people in Gaza, three million people in the West Bank - and they are not going anywhere. As much as Israel has a right to stay ... in the land between the river and the sea, so do they."

Mladenov shares his concerns about the future of the region and the situation in Gaza, and he says, "I am very fearful; if you look at the rest of the Middle East, if you look at Iraq, if you look at Syria. If you leave a community long enough marginalised, and disempowered and disenfranchised and segregated and closed, that community collapses and becomes a breeding ground for radicals. We don't want to see that happening," he says.

"I fear every single day that we are just days away from another war in Gaza."

The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, talks to Al Jazeera about Jared Kushner's Middle East plans, Israeli settlements, and the challenges facing the Middle East.

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For years, private armies have provided services to governments around the world. They are often secretive and operate in the shadows.

Blackwater - now known as Academi - is one of the most well-known private armies. It has provided troops and other services to the US government in different conflicts, including the Iraq war.

But it is not always clear how these private armies are formed, where they operate, or even what their missions consist of.

Eeben Barlow is chairman of 'Specialised Tasks, Training, Equipment and Protection International' - a private army that - according to Barlow - has operated throughout Africa and beyond. He was also behind another similar company that shut down in 1998 - called Executive Outcomes.

And while many argue private armies are mercenaries doing the jobs governments do not want to do - Barlow insists his operations are legitimate and follow international law.

So who makes sure these armies are indeed following international law? How do they operate? And is there accountability?

Eeben Barlow provides an insight into the world of private military contractors as he talks to Al Jazeera about his company's role in fighting Boko Haram in Nigeria, the LRA in Uganda and other conflicts across Africa.

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For years, private armies have provided services to governments around the world. They are often secretive and operate in the shadows.

Blackwater - now known as Academi - is one of the most well-known private armies. It has provided troops and other services to the US government in different conflicts, including the Iraq war.

But it is not always clear how these private armies are formed, where they operate, or even what their missions consist of.

Eeben Barlow is chairman of 'Specialised Tasks, Training, Equipment and Protection International' - a private army that - according to Barlow - has operated throughout Africa and beyond. He was also behind another similar company that shut down in 1998 - called Executive Outcomes.

And while many argue private armies are mercenaries doing the jobs governments do not want to do - Barlow insists his operations are legitimate and follow international law.

"We don't see ourselves as mercenaries. We are first of all contracted by a national government. We become part of their armed forces, we wear their uniforms, we follow their procedures and guidelines, we fall under the legal regulations of that country. So, in other words, we serve the country that contracts us. And yes, we get paid for it, but we certainly don't get paid to run around and cause chaos," says Barlow.

Some private military contractors have been accused of prolonging conflicts instead of ending them, but Barlow believes that "there is a fine line between moral and immoral".

"But that really goes back to the people that are involved ... We've never prolonged a conflict, in fact, we've ended them despite them carrying on for decades and decades. We've ended them in a very short space of time. But I am aware of companies that do not mind if the conflict continues because that's the goose that lays the golden egg, and they certainly don't want to stop it," says Barlow.

He stresses the importance of cultural understanding and expertise needed to end conflicts across Africa.

"We are after all Africans that work in Africa. But I do think there is a major concern that Africans can actually end African conflicts," says Barlow.

"We look at all these private military companies going into Africa, they are just charging, they don't understand the environment they are in, they don't understand the area of operation, they don't understand the people and very quickly, they offend people ... If they are not going to add value and bring about ... stability and peace, then they shouldn't be there. But unfortunately, this has been allowed to drag on."

So who makes sure these armies are indeed following international law? How do they operate? And is there accountability?

Eeben Barlow provides an insight into the world of private military contractors as he talks to Al Jazeera about his company's role in fighting Boko Haram in Nigeria, the LRA in Uganda and other conflicts across Africa.

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In early 2018, a US-China trade war broke out with the two countries eventually imposing tariffs worth billions of dollars on each others' imports.

As tensions between the world's two biggest economies continue, analysts warn of potential harm to the global economy.

The IMF predicts that US-China trade tensions will have reduced global GDP by 0.8 percent by the beginning of next year, contributing to slowed global economic growth, which stands at 3 percent for 2019.

Huiyao Wang, the founder and president of the Center for China and Globalization, agrees the trade war "certainly is a big deal" for China, calling the situation "unprecedented".

"China and the US relations this year is exactly 40 years of diplomatic ties," he says.

"China ... largely opened up to the US and actually, for the last four decades, there's bumps, there's up and downs, but not as big a surprise as I expect at this one."

Wang claims that the tariffs have not affected business in China so much as possibly undermined confidence.

"I don't think there is a lot of economic impact. There could be some psychological impact, people just perhaps withholding from further heavy investing or maybe rolling back a bit of the employment on that. But basically, I think both China and the US are looking towards stability and towards a deal that can be mutually beneficial."

Meanwhile, Wang agrees that the effects of the trade war could reach beyond either countries' shores.

"The thing about the China-US trade war is that it dampens confidence, it actually makes people reluctant to invest and also ... the value chain is hitted on that. Because China is in the epicentre of the global value chain. You know, a lot of things go through China," he says.

"So, if China is really hitted by this trade war, all the other suppliers from other regions, from other countries, will all [be] affected ... So, in return that will have [an] effect on the US, as well. So, I don't see how the world economy will maintain such a strong growth and then them become effective."

He says coming to an agreement with the US is critical, noting that recent negotiations have been a step in the right direction.

"This partial deal that President Trump and China strike in the last month is absolutely crucial. Because if we do not do that, I mean the two biggest economic powers in the world and then, if they really fight ... all the others will suffer, absolutely. And then, we may drag the world into a recession. And that's quite possible, too, and we may have another financial crisis. Because this is really [an] alarming situation."

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More than 60,000 people are currently detained in Italy's prisons. Of those, around one in 20 are women, one in 100 are juveniles, and some one in three are foreign prisoners.

The jail featured in the documentary on the outskirts of the city of Verona houses several hundred prisoners including many from North Africa - serving sentences for a range of crimes, from drug trafficking to robbery to murder.

Filmed entirely inside the jail over three years, Double Exile is the story of three men and a woman from North Africa whose dreams of a new life abroad ended behind bars. With rare access to both inmates and the prison regime, the film focuses on prisoners from Morocco and Tunisia who arrived in Italy hoping for a new life, only to descend into criminal behaviour and incarceration.

One Tunisian tells how he began using drugs at the age of 18 in nightclubs. Soon he was selling narcotics to a few friends and before long he was a dealer, extravagantly displaying the trappings of sudden wealth, fast cars and cash aplenty.

"I made a lot of money and back in Tunisia, people looked up to me," he says. " I arrived in prison, knowing nothing about it."

Now more than two years into his sentence, he is still coming to terms to the daily grind of taking orders from prison guards.

"I never imagined I'd have to take orders ... Prison teaches perseverance and dedication," he says.

Another Moroccan recalls being smuggled into Spain before travelling to Italy. There he too became a drug dealer and lived the high life - wine, women and song every night - before his inevitable arrest.

"Europeans in prisons in Arab countries wouldn't be abandoned by their home countries. But our countries don't care about us. We pay doubly for our mistakes," he says. "The laws here aren't in our favour."

Inarguably the most shocking case featured in Double Exile is that of a Moroccan man who disapproved of his 18-year-old daughter dating an Italian man in his 30s. A fight broke out and the father stabbed his daughter, inflicting multiple wounds on the young woman. She died at the scene.

Double Exile gives a rare insight into life in an Italian prison, a closeted environment where young North African men and women are jailed whenever their new lives abroad spiral into serious crime.

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More than 60,000 people are currently detained in Italy's prisons. Of those, around one in 20 are women, one in 100 are juveniles, and some one in three are foreign prisoners.

The jail featured in the documentary on the outskirts of the city of Verona houses several hundred prisoners including many from North Africa - serving sentences for a range of crimes, from drug trafficking to robbery to murder.

Filmed entirely inside the jail over three years, Double Exile is the story of three men and a woman from North Africa whose dreams of a new life abroad ended behind bars. With rare access to both inmates and the prison regime, the film focuses on prisoners from Morocco and Tunisia who arrived in Italy hoping for a new life, only to descend into criminal behaviour and incarceration.

One Tunisian tells how he began using drugs at the age of 18 in nightclubs. Soon he was selling narcotics to a few friends and before long he was a dealer, extravagantly displaying the trappings of sudden wealth, fast cars and cash aplenty.

"I made a lot of money and back in Tunisia, people looked up to me," he says. " I arrived in prison, knowing nothing about it."

Now more than two years into his sentence, he is still coming to terms to the daily grind of taking orders from prison guards.

"I never imagined I'd have to take orders ... Prison teaches perseverance and dedication," he says.

Another Moroccan recalls being smuggled into Spain before travelling to Italy. There he too became a drug dealer and lived the high life - wine, women and song every night - before his inevitable arrest.

"Europeans in prisons in Arab countries wouldn't be abandoned by their home countries. But our countries don't care about us. We pay doubly for our mistakes," he says. "The laws here aren't in our favour."

Inarguably the most shocking case featured in Double Exile is that of a Moroccan man who disapproved of his 18-year-old daughter dating an Italian man in his 30s. A fight broke out and the father stabbed his daughter, inflicting multiple wounds on the young woman. She died at the scene.

Double Exile gives a rare insight into life in an Italian prison, a closeted environment where young North African men and women are jailed whenever their new lives abroad spiral into serious crime.

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Since the 1990s, globalisation gave the impression that emerging markets were and could converge with developed nations.

The BRICS and Next 11 became the latest investment craze. Hundreds of millions were lifted out of poverty and millions more climbed the social escalator into the middle class.

But something has gone wrong. The end of the commodity supercycle and easy money came long before populism and the threat to globalisation.

And it can be argued that most emerging market growth was attributable to China and India.

To dissect what countries really want from globalisation and more importantly Foreign Direct Investment, our panel at the Doha Forum 2019 is at the cutting edge of policymaking.

Panel:

Arancha Gonzalez - executive director of the International Trade Centre

Murat Emirdag - chief executive of Hepsiburada

Ali Alwaleed Al Thani - chief executive of the Investment Promotion Agency Qatar

Issam Abousleiman - regional director for the GCC at the World Bank

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Filmmaker: Hamza Elamin

Every day, somewhere in the world, teams gather to play football. But rarely is "The Beautiful Game" played in the shadow of a bloody conflict that has claimed many thousands of lives.

Darfur: Football for Peace follows a football tournament set in a refugee camp in North Darfur where passion for the game is high.

Darfur covers a vast area of western Sudan and is synonymous with a conflict that is difficult to comprehend, except for its legacy.

The conflict peaked in 2003 and remains largely unresolved. The UN estimates that war, famine and disease have cost some 300,000 lives, though the government of Sudan disputes this figure. An international aid response has brought some stability to Darfur where refugee camps the size of small cities are dotted throughout the region

One such place is the Abu Shouk refugee camp. Established in 2004 at a time when the Darfur conflict was at its height, it has now become a home of sorts to a young generation whose only knowledge of their family roots come from stories told by their parents.

Many are trapped with no homes to return to as the fighting left many villages in ashes. But despite everything, Abu Shouk is also a place where hope is still very much alive, a place where battle now takes place on a football pitch with young barefoot sporting warriors seeking glory on their own terms.

This film features a group of boys hoping to win a locally organised football tournament. They call their team Al-Jabal al-Akhdar or The Green Mountain, named after a small mountain near the city from where they were displaced.

The team's star striker is Eissa Adam, whose only memory is of life in the Abu Shouk refugee camp.

Eissa's very survival was due to his mother's quick thinking, having rescued Eissa as a toddler at a time when their village was under attack by armed raiders.

"When they attacked our village, I dressed my son like a girl so they wouldn't take him," Khadija Suleiman, Eissa's mother, tells Al Jazeera. Her strength in the face of adversity saved the life of not just her young son Eissa, but also her eldest son captured by the attackers.

"To this day, when I think about how brave my mother was, tears run down my face. She saved me from those people," Al-Fatih Adam, Eissa's brother, says.

During the holidays when Eissa is not at school, he leaves home early to buy and resell goods like perfumes, air fresheners and paper towels so he can pay his way, balancing his schooling with work.

In the evening, Eissa returns to football training where he has gained popularity not just within his team, but throughout his community.

"When I walk down the street, people stop and call my name even though I don't know them. It's because of football."

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