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From his gilded youth in Europe to the bloody repression of the Arab Spring, this is the engrossing story of Muammar Gaddafi's second son who, despite arrest warrants for crimes against humanity, is running for election in Libya.

Saif Al Islam Gaddafi's Comeback

Muammar Gaddafi's second son is running for election in Libya, despite arrest warrants for crimes against humanity.

Son of a Dictator

Current Highlights

Cyprus is a divided island: Greeks live in the south in the recognised Republic of Cyprus, part of the EU and the wider international community whilst Turks live in the north in a state only recognised by Turkey.

Cyprus: A Divided Island

Focus on theisland of Cyprus split between the Greek south and the Turkish north.

Mapping the World

How do our neighbours in Europe see the pressing social issues of our time? Which of today's problems and challenges concern them the most, and how do they deal with them? Five partners, six languages and one joint project: The European Collection. ARTE joins forces with Germany's ARD and ZDF, France Télévisions and Switzerland's SRG SSR to offer a selection of documentaries and reports on European current affairs and the issues driving our politics and society.

The view of our European neighbours on current political and social issues in Europe.

The European Collection

On 24 February, Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine. We follow the war day by day and provide background information with special insights, reports and documentaries.

War in Ukraine

Російське вторгнення в Україну не тільки приголомшило Європу, а і зміцнило загальноєвропейську самосвідомість та самоідентичність. Співчуваючи мільйонам українських біженців, розпорошених по всьому Європейському континенту, «ARTE» пропонує україномовним глядачам ряд матеріалів, що мали б не тільки розповісти їм про події на Батьківщині, а і вселити в них надію, показавши, які культурні програми і концерти солідарності з Україною проходять у різних куточках Європи. (ARTE is offering a selection of content in Ukrainian).

ARTE for Ukrainians

Підтримуємо мільйони українських біженців у Європі: «ARTE» пропонує їм сюжети про події на Батьківщині, а також трансляції концертів солідарності, що проходять у різних куточках континенту. 

ARTE для українців

Нападение России на Украину повергло Европу в шок и пролило свет на хрупкое положение независимых СМИ в России. Кроме видеоконтента на украинском, ARTE предлагает подборку материалов на русском языке, освещающих ужасные события в Украине, а также культурные программы и концерты солидарности с Украиной со всего мира. (ARTE is offering content in Russian).

ARTE in Russian

Помимо видеоконтента на украинском, ARTE предлагает подборку материалов на русском языке, освящающих ужасные событиям в Украине, а также культурные программы и концерты солидарности с Украиной со всего мира.

ARTE на русском 

Chinese people make do without Google, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter. Instead, the regime has built its own online offer. How is this Chinese internet structured and what does it mean for democracy and debate?

How is this Chinese internet structured and what does it mean for democracy and debate? 

Internet Made in China

Collections

Playlists

In Lebanon, the world of horse racing has not escaped the economic crisis that has hit the country. An emblem of the city's glorious past, the Beirut racecourse, founded two hundred years ago, is now threatened with closure.

Lebanon: Racing in Crisis

The Beirut racecourse, An emblem of the city's glorious past is now threatened with closure.

ARTE Reportage

Nickel, gold, iron, zinc, uranium... Beneath the pastures of Southern Greenland lies a host of natural resources. With global warming making them more easily accessible will Greenland choose to mine them? Or alternatively take advantage of a milder climate to develop the agricultural sector?

A crucial dilemma for Greenlanders: Mine their rich natural resources or concentrate on agriculture?

Greenland: Agriculture or Mining?

The war in Ukraine is taking place 5,000 kilometres from the Indian subcontinent, yet its impact is clear in the city of Surat. The centre of India’s diamond industry is suffering from western sanctions on Russian diamonds.

The war in Ukraine is happening 5,000 kilometres from the subcontinent, yet its impact is clear on India's diamond industry.

India: Diamonds in War

The tankas, or boat people, have been part of the cultural landscape in southern China for centuries. But today their distinctive way of life is under threat from China’s rampant modernisation.

The tankas have been part of the cultural landscape in southern China for centuries. But today their distinctive way of life is under threat.

China: The Boat People

Every year in China, thousands of parents send their offspring to military holiday camps to provide them with discipline and to toughen them up. From the age of six, boys and girls learn what it means to defend their homeland.

China: Military Holiday Camps

Many Chinese parents send their offspring to military holiday camps to learn what it means to defend their homeland.

In Spain, healthcare professionals are sick of their healthcare system. Overworked and underpaid, 92% of healthcare workers in Madrid say they are suffering from burnout. The Spanish system, once considered the best in Europe so renowned, is in crisis.

Overworked and underpaid, many healthcare workers in Madrid say they are suffering from burnout. 

Re: Spanish Healthcare in Crisis

More

Investigation and reports

On 7 October 2023, Hamas launched a major attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza strip. Mapping the World looks over the key moments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and  the current situation - with input from geopolitical expert Frédéric Encel.

Middle East: How Many More Wars?

Focus on the key moments of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and  the current situation - with input from geopolitical expert Frédéric Encel.

In the summer of 2020, a military confrontation between Greece and Turkey seemed almost inevitable. The reason for the disputes was new natural gas reserves in the Mediterranean - but not only that. Turkey spans across Europe, Asia, and the Caucasus, giving it a strategic position in the Mediterranean region. Wars in Syria and Ukraine are raging at its borders, posing a threat to the established world order. As a significant regional power, Turkey is at the centre of conflicts in the eastern Mediterranean. In the documentary, presidential advisors, ministers, and diplomats explain the crises and rivalries in the area on the doorstep of Europe.

Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean

As a significant regional power, Turkey is at the centre of conflicts in the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey: The Mediterranean Heavyweight

A focus on the geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East following the signing in 2020 of the Abraham Accords between Israel and four countries in the Arab world.

New Alliances in a Region in Crisis

A focus on Middle East geopolitical after the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and four Arab countries.

Middle East: Between War and Peace

From the powers of biscuits to influence revolutions to who is really to blame for the war in Ukraine, the editors of Doschd (TV Rain) dissect every allegation made in Russian state news and propaganda programmes. For Fake News, Konstantin Goldenzweig analyses how Kremlin propaganda blames the West for their every misfortune.

Putin Propaganda on Russian State TV

From the powers of biscuits to influence revolutions to who is really to blame for the war in Ukraine, the editors of Doschd (TV Rain) dissect every allegation made by Russian propaganda.

Fake News

It is a David versus Goliath story: Saúl Luciano LLiuya, a farmer in the Andes, is suing the German energy giant RWE for its carbon emissions. When Saúl Luciano LLiuya learned that RWE is said to have emitted more CO2 than Peru since the country was founding, he had to take action.

Peru: Farmers Take On Big Business

It is a David versus Goliath story: a Peruvian farmer is suing the German energy giant RWE for its carbon emissions. 

What happened in Russia over the weekend of 23 June? Exiled Russian journalist Masha Borzunova didn't sleep a wink at the weekend and followed the events on Russian television.

The Wagner Rebellion

What happened in Russia over the weekend of 23 June? Exiled Russian journalist Masha Borzunova explains all.

Masha on Russia

Insights

As China's influence continues to expand around the world, at home the regime is becoming more repressive. A UN report has denounced crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs and the international community has criticised its bullying stance towards Taiwan. Reports and analysis of the Middle Kingdom.

As China's influence continues to expand around the world, at home the regime is becoming more repressive.

China: The Repressive Economic Giant

Category Banner (ACT)

Jennifer Weist, Disarstar, Blond, PTK and the “Ton Steine Scherben” are German artists with one thing in common: the use music to send out radical political messages out. Because if the cultural world isn’t ready to play politics, then who is? These outspoken artists live in squats and write songs against the far-right AfD party, sometimes tinkering around the edges of legality.

This programme by German channel ARD is part of The European Collection, a joint initiative of European public media (ARD, ARTE, France Télévisions, SRG SSR and ZDF), coordinated by ARTE.

The power of music

Political protest can also be done through music, as these Berlin-based artists have shown.

Rebels: I rebel, therefore I am

Family fights, drugs, self-harm and money problems were part of Joana’s harsh reality for a long time. She started stripping because she was able to live in a flat above the club without paying rent. It was the first time she had a solid income and a job in a safe place, with people to turn to in times of need.

This programme by German channel ARD is part of The European Collection, a joint initiative of European public media (ARD, ARTE, France Télévisions, SRG SSR and ZDF), coordinated by ARTE.

Joana never planned to become a professional stripper, but now that she is, she doesn’t regret it.

Hard Life – I strip, so what?

Mamadou is back in Gandiol, his home village in Senegal, after spending eight years living illegally in Spain. He want to be a positive force in his community, build a future for his country and, along with his wife Laura, chase his dreams.

After spending eight years living illegally in Spain, Mamadou is back home in Senegal where he wants to build a future.

Doxandem - The Dream Chasers

Agit, Ahmad, Parham, Kianush and Sinan are Germans of Palestinian, Kurdish and Iranian descent. They live in the gray areas of society, where the limits of legality are permeable, and where dreams of success quickly collide with the barriers of reality. 

Meet the Germans of Palestinian, Kurdish and Iranian descent living in the gray areas of society

Another Reality

Jana is 26 and got her bachelor’s degree a year ago. Having worked odd jobs all throughout her studies, she thought that things would get easier once she graduated. But she is finding it difficult to get a job that corresponds to her studies. And coming from a working-class family, she doesn’t have a financial safety net to fall back on.

This programme by German channel ARD is part of The European Collection, a joint initiative of European public media (ARD, ARTE, France Télévisions, SRG SSR and ZDF), coordinated by ARTE.

Portrait of a student from a working-class background who embarks on the bumpy road to find a career.

Hard Life – I have a degree but I’m broke

In the deprived suburbs of Chicago, Tom Benson's launderette, reputedly the largest in the world, is an institution for residents on a tight budget. An immersion into this microcosm of America where, despite extreme poverty, everyone still wants to believe in, and strives for, the American dream.

In the deprived suburbs of Chicago, Tom Benson's launderette is an institution for residents on a tight budget.

Berwyn USA: The World's Biggest Laundrette

In the middle of the desert, Malika has been running a tiny refreshment bar for about thirty years, where she offers tea, coffee, soft drinks, cigarettes and sometimes an omelette to passing travellers along the National Highway 1, the longest road on the African continent, linking Algiers to Tamanrasset. Alone in this cement shack, with her dog, her cat and her radio, she describes herself as the sentry of this almost uninhabited plateau. Sage or recluse, Malika lives in her own kingdom.

A Film by Hassen Ferhani

In the middle of the desert, Malika runs a tiny refreshment bar for passing travellers next to the the longest road on the African continent.

The Kingdom of Malika

Switching viewpoints

Kids

Europe as a source of inspiration: Meeting artists from across the continent whose works spring from Europe’s cultural diversity.

Europe of Artists

Saype is a graffiti artist with a difference. He doesn't spray his works on walls but in fields and on grass, using his own biodegradable paint. His huge works of art are best appreciated by drone, where the true scale is revealed. 

Gymnastics

Saype, Green-Fingered Graffitti Artist

For the last 50 years, German artist Christina Kubisch has been obsessed with the sounds of everyday life.

Christina Kubisch - Sound Artist

The American director Peter Sellars was invited to the Salzburg Festival. For the 2017 edition he staged The Clemency of Titus by Mozart.

Carte Blanche to Peter Sellars

Square Artiste: Peter Sellars

Mariusz would never have become the artist he is now if Poland had not joined the European Union. He now creates striking murals in cities all over the world.

Mariusz Waras, Street Artist

French writer Emmanuel Ruben is a bicycle enthusiast. Writing about his cycle from west to east following Europe’s longest river, the Danube, Ruben reflects on Europe and migration.

Rewriting Europe Along the Danube

Through the eyes of artists

Through the prism of a romance between an ex-guerrilla fighter and a trans woman, documentary filmmaker Joris Lachaise creates a vibrant political picture of Colombia's recent painful history.

A Film by Joris Lachaise

A romance between an ex-guerrilla fighter and a trans woman brings a vibrant picture of Colombia's recent painful history to life.

Transfariana

Diwa is only 11 years old. She is one of the thousands of victims of a crime that is hardly reported on in Europe but which is causing havoc in the Philippines. She was raped by her parents, live on the internet, to satisfy the desires of foreign paedophiles who paid for the spectacle of her rape, giving instructions from a distance.

Philippines: Child Rape Online

Thousands of children in the Philippines have been abused, live on the internet. Report on a shocking crime.

On 7 October, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a complex and large-scale attack on Israel. How has Europe reacted? And what does this mean for the EU aid that Palestine receives? We look at how much influence the EU really has in the longstanding conflict.

The price of peace: EU aid to Palestine under scrutiny

Hamas’s attack on Israel has drawn attention to the aid that Palestine receives from the European Union and how it’s used.

ARTE Europe Weekly

Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel was unprecedented, both in terms of its violence and scale. The terrorist group had carried out suicide bombings in the 1990s and 2000s, but the recent attacks demonstrated a new level of sophistication, both in terms of weaponry and strategy. Let’s take a closer look at how the group’s military strategy has evolved over the years.  

The attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7 show how the terrorist group’s strategies have evolved.

Hamas's strategy of power through chaos

This is the engrossing story of Muammar Gaddafi's second son who, despite arrest warrants for crimes against humanity, is running for election in Libya.

Tehran, September 2022: The death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the morality police triggered a wave of demonstrations. Under the slogan "Women, Life, Freedom", the protest movement has spread throughout the country and has become a serious challenge to the regime. Based on anonymous eyewitness accounts, the film tells the story of this unprecedented uprising.

Tehran, September 2022: The death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the morality police triggered a wave of demonstrations.

Woman, Life. Freedom: An Iranian Revolt

In January 2023, the Netanyahu government put forward reforms to the Israeli Supreme Court. This overhaul of the judicial system has provoked unprecedented protests in Israel. For its opponents, it threatens democracy. For its defenders, it rebalances power between government and the judicial system. Can the deep divisions within Israeli society be reconciled?

ARTE Info Plus

In January 2023, the Netanyahu government put forward reforms to the Israeli Supreme Court. This overhaul of the judicial system has provoked unprecedented protests in Israel.

Israel: A Divided Society?

Sister Hatune dreams of single-handedly bringing her deserted village back to life to make her father's deathbed wish come true. A Syrian Orthodox nun, Hatune Dogan was born in 1970 in the village of İzbırak, in southeastern Turkey. 270 Christian families lived there, but when fighting broke out between Kurdish PKK militias and the Turkish army in the 1990s, they were stuck in the middle and the entire community fled.

Sister Hatune is single-handedly bringing her deserted village back to life to make her father's deathbed wish come true.

Re: Christians in Turkey

We look at Argentina to understand why this country with multiple resources did not live up to its promise. The missed opportunities are numerous: over-investment in agriculture, a singular political model, inequality, and corruption.

Argentina: Country of Missed Opportunities

We look at Argentina to understand why this country with multiple resources did not live up to its promise

About 500,000 to 800,000 people in Germany are addicted to porn and many are no longer in control of their lives due to their sexual disorder. The problem is a taboo subject. But sex sells, especially on the internet: In Germany alone, online porn providers turn over an estimated 4.5 billion euros a year.

When Pleasure turns into Pain

About 500,000 to 800,000 people in Germany are addicted to porn with severe consequences for their lives and relationships.

Re: Porn Addiction

In the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel, the international community is scrambling to react and take positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict which in recent years had become a secondary geopolitical concern.

Israel-Palestine: The Other Players

In the aftermath of the Hamas attack, the international community is scrambling to react and take positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Mapping the World Essentials

Chanel’s first fashion show in Dakar in 2023 was historic – not least because of the historically significant venue of the Palace of Justice, a colonial edifice from former "French West Africa". Karine Silla's film about this event focusses on questions of identity, transmission and exchange, and how art and beauty can bring people together.

A Film by Karine Silla Perez

Filmed during Chanel's 2022/23 fashion show in Dakar, Mixing explores how art and beauty can bring people together.

Mixing (Métissages)

In France, the ready-to-wear sector is going through an intense crisis. In the first quarter of 2023, around 50 companies were in receivership or liquidation. A figure that has risen by 33% in one year. Why the turmoil? And why are Spanish brands like Zara and Mango still so successful?

While the number of clothing store closures are increasing in France, Spanish brands are doing well.

French Fashion Industry in Turmoil

The German Reichsbürgerbewegung (Reich citizens movement) rejects the post-war democratic order and want to rip up the German constitution. Suspected of involvement in a 2022 coup d’état plot, the movement is growing. Who are its members? And why do they want to do away with democracy?

Inside the German Far Right Movement

What is the dangerous and extreme organisation that rejects the post-war democratic order in Germany?

Citizens of the Reich

The creation of an independent Palestinian state seemed possible in 1993, but thirty years later it feels like a distant prospect. The two-state solution has yet to materialise, and recent years have been marred by political assassinations, violent uprisings, extremism, terrorist attacks, and police repression.

What Future for Palestine?

The creation of an independent Palestinian state seemed possible in 1993, but thirty years later it feels like a distant prospect.

Far from the metropolitan centre of Tel Aviv, Sderot show another side of Israel. One with high-levels of social deprivation and strong support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government’s controversial judicial reforms.

Sderot - The Other Israel

Far from the metropolitan centre of Tel Aviv, Sderot is a different Israel with strong support for Netanjahu and high levels of social deprivation.

Most popular

As it erupts onto the streets of Europe, few conflicts divide society as much as Israel-Palestine. In this week's ARTE Europe Weekly, an EU leadership scrambles to find common ground. In the Netherlands, the far-right capitalizes on Hamas' attacks, while in France, fears of terror grow.

Israel-Hamas: Europe is divided

The Israel-Hamas war exposes deep-rooted social and political divisions in Europe.

Overcrowded prisons, a shortage of prison staff and a high re-offending rate... Europe's prison system is failing. How could open structures help break the deadlock? In Germany and Finland, a new way of treating prisoners is getting results.

In Germany and Finland, a new way of treating prisoners is getting results.

Re: Prisons without Walls?

The Phelophepa is a train hospital that travels rural South Africa providing much needed healthcare. Every two weeks the train travels to a new town where its dedicated health care teams offer their services tirelessly to local communities.

South Africa: A Hospital on Rails

A train hospital crosses rural South Africa to provide healthcare to communities that need it.

A crucial dilemma for Greenland: Mine their rich natural resources or concentrate on agriculture?

Finland’s right-wing government has plans to roll out sweeping austerity measures, which has sparked protests and strikes across the country. The measures include cutting workers' rights and social welfare benefits, but also clamp down on immigration at a time when Finland is in need of skilled workers.

Union leaders in Finland say the right-wing government is rolling out “reverse Robin Hood” austerity measures.

Finland faces strikes and protests over labour law reforms

Turned into a ghetto and Nazi concentration camp, Theresienstadt - today known as Terezín - remains a symbol of dehumanisation and suffering during one of Europe's darkest chapters. However, the historic sites of this small Czech town are falling into ruin. Locals just want a normal life, but Holocaust survivors want to make sure that the horrors of the past are never forgotten. 

Terezín's Nazi buildings are falling into disrepair and Holocaust survivors say the past is being forgotten.

Re: Theresienstadt Concentration Camp

The growing demand for fruit and vegetables in Europe is raising concerns about water management in Spain. A dispute has flared up between the tourism and agriculture sectors around the Tagus river, the largest watercourse in the Iberian peninsula, from which water is diverted south to irrigate Spain's booming agriculture sector.

The growing demand for fruit and vegetables raises concerns about water management in Spain.

Re: Water Shortages in Spain

El Rocío, a village with a population of just 800, attracts almost 900,000 pilgrims every year for one of the most spectacular events in Spain - a festival that brings together religion, flamenco and horses.

An Andalusian Fiesta

The small village of El Rocio attracts almost 900,000 pilgrims every year for one of the most spectacular events in Spain.

Re: The El Rocío Pilgrimage

The Mikea are a little-known ethnic group that live in the forest that bears their name in south-west Madagascar. The last nomadic hunter-gatherers on the island, their way of live is threatened.

Madagascar: Guardians of the Forest

The way of life of the Mikea, a little-known ethnic group in south-west Madagascar, is threatened.