Istanbul, Turkey – Turkish publishers are struggling to release new books and face agonizing choices to survive amid the country’s economic crisis, according to some of Turkey’s most prestigious publishing houses. Turkey’s rampant inflation, which officially reached 70 percent in May, has weakened the purchasing power of Turkish bookworms. Meanwhile, with the Turkish lira slumping … Read more
Tacoma, Washington State – Marcia Carter, 62, stands on the sidewalk gazing solemnly at the single-storey housing unit with its peeling white and blue paint. The front porch of the decaying property is sealed off with plywood. Beside Marcia, on a patch of dying grass, is a small wooden crucifix, wrapped in a Seattle Seahawks … Read more
On a crisp, sunny day in Maryland, United States, in March 2021, President Joe Biden sprang onto the red carpet-lined steps of Air Force One. Four seconds after he began climbing to the aircraft’s entrance, he slipped. He reached down, steadied himself on one of the steps with his left hand, and started climbing again. … Read more
Abuja, Nigeria – James Ndubuisi, in-house lawyer at Lagos-based entertainment firm SoundHive Group, is certain he has no need for the eNaira – Nigeria’s official digital currency – or its app. “It needs to be entirely binned,” the 30-year-old told Al Jazeera. He downloaded the app the same day it was released – on October … Read more
“We have two more bunches” I shouted so that my younger sister, who was in the other room, could hear me as I carried two hands of fresh green bananas (locally known as matooke) from the front door to the kitchen. It was the second time that week that we had received bananas from generous … Read more
Listen to this story: Since the war in Ukraine started on February 24, more than three million Ukrainians have fled across the border to Poland. The Polish state and society mobilised rapidly to ensure that Ukrainian refugees were made to feel welcome. Ukrainians are entitled to receive an initial 300 zloty ($67) stipend and can … Read more
Serekunda, The Gambia – Baptismal certificate. A baseball cap. Wallets, belts, neckties and bank membership cards. At first, the ordinary-seeming items do not seem fit for display in a museum. Then, with just a few words from one of the slips of paper accompanying them, the objects’ quotidian nature takes a chilling turn. “Certificate awarded … Read more
Occupied East Jerusalem – Days after Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces while reporting on an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, her family gathered the strength to visit the site of where it all happened. It was the first time Shireen’s niece and close companion, … Read more
This Sunday, Hassan Shekh Mohamud made history as the first person to be elected president twice in Somalia’s nascent democracy after a landslide victory against the incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, aka Farmaajo. In a contest of more than 36 candidates, both men made it to the third round of what was arguably the most competitive … Read more
Athens, Greece – A 26-year-old asylum seeker from Afghanistan is facing up to 10 years in prison in Greece for the death of his five-year-old son, who drowned after boarding a dinghy from Turkey to Greece with his father on November 8, 2020 Hafez, the pseudonym of a defendant who spoke to Al Jazeera on … Read more