Slavery in Thai fishing industry in spotlight at Berlinale 2019

The plight of workers trapped in slavery on Thai fishing boats will be cast in the spotlight at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Thailand is one of the world’s largest exporters of fish. But its fishing industry has faced accusations of human trafficking, slavery and abuse.

Two very different movies at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival are highlighting the problem in an attempt to make us think more about the food we eat.

Al Jazeera’s Nadim Baba reports from Berlin.

Mixed feelings in Afghanistan over US-Taliban talks

Peace talks between the US and the Taliban have stirred up mixed feelings among Afghans.

The two sides have been holding talks in Qatar to try and bring an end to the 17-year conflict.

Some see it as a surrender and others are concerned about just what sort of peace agreement, if any, will come out at the end.

Many women fear that if the Taliban hasn’t changed it will seek to impose the old doctrines that subjugated women and closed girls schools.

Al Jazeera’s Tony Birtley reports from Kabul.

Senegal election: Presidential campaign gets under way

Challenged by four candidates, President Macky Sall is running for a second term.

Senegal’s presidential election campaign has begun with the incumbent, Macky Sall, running for a second term.

Sall faces four challengers who have accused him of clamping down on the opposition.

Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque reports from the capital, Dakar.

US-Poland summit: Many nations snubbing meet

A number of countries are either pulling out or sending low-level delegations to the Warsaw summit aimed at curbing Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East.

Some countries are snubbing a US-sponsored meeting about Iran’s role in the Middle East.

But Poland, the host country, says Iran will not be the only item on the agenda.

They say delegates will also discuss the presence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), and the war in Syria.

Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahlebarra reports from Warsaw.

Sudan's university professors leave country to flee poverty

Fed up with neglect and oppression, over 50 percent of Sudan’s professors go abroad in search of better opportunities.

Sudan’s economic and political crisis is having a deep impact at all levels of society. And it is not just dividing public opinion but also the members of the same household.

A group of professors is putting forward a political plan which they say could get Sudan out of its crisis. But these intellectuals say they are used to being ignored.

Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Vall reports from Khartoum.

Twitter Critics Mock CPAC For ‘Formally Not Inviting’ Mitt Romney After Witness Vote

Twitter wags weren’t so very broken up Friday when Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was rudely not invited to February’s Conservative Political Action Conference after he voted to call witnesses at a trial — President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial.

The “extreme conservative” from the “great state of Utah” is “formally not invited” to CPAC 2020, declared Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, in a tweet featuring a photo that managed to make Romney look like he just rose from hell. 

As if Romney planned to attend CPAC. One critic suggested CPAC might want to fill his imagined empty seat with a white supremacist.

Other fallen-away supporters argued that Romney was more of a “true” conservative than Trump or his supporters will ever be — and honest.

Iran celebrates 40th anniversary of 1979 Islamic revolution

Over the next 10 days, people across Iran will commemorate the events that gave birth to the modern Islamic Republic.

Celebrations have begun in Iran to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

A ceremony has been held at the mausoleum of Iran’s first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, to mark the day he returned from exile.

During the celebrations, Iranians have reflected on the events that led to the emergence of modern Iran and the state of the Islamic Republic today.

Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi reports from Tehran.

Romania's health system in crisis

Romania’s crumbling health system is no longer a secret, and many say corruption is to blame.

With the highest child mortality rates in Europe and no new government hospitals built since the fall of communism, Romania’s healthcare system is undeniably in crisis.

Some officials are saying corruption is to blame.

Al Jazeera’s Laurence Lee reports from Bucharest.

Cambodia economy: High growth expected to continue

From the ashes of war, Cambodia is forecast to have the sixth fastest growing economy in the world.

Cambodia has been one of the best-performing economies in the world over the past two decades, and that’s forecast to continue this year.

But there are threats to Cambodia’s growth.

Al Jazeera’s Wayne Hay reports from Phnom Penh.

Food, humanitarian aid pawns in Venezuela political standoff

Venezuelans stream across the Colombian border while foreign aid remains stuck in a standoff between President Maduro and the US.

The political crisis gripping Venezuela has turned into a standoff over a consignment of aid from the United States, which is stuck on the Colombian side of the border.

The opposition is trying to work out how to get it into the country after it was blocked by the Venezuelan military.

Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo reports from Caracas.