MMA: Russia's Extreme Obsession

101 East investigates the forces at play in the brutal world of mixed martial arts in Russia and the former USSR.

On a Sunday morning in suburban Moscow, a crowd is gathering around a ring.

Fans have come to watch fighters punch, kick and knee their opponents in the brutal sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).

Across Russia and the former USSR, millions share a passion for this extreme sport, with superstar fighters earning a fortune and inspiring a new generation. But critics say political leaders are using the sport to promote their own interests.

Japan: The Age Of Social Withdrawal

101 East examines why more people are withdrawing from society in Japan.

Kenji Yamase spends his days in his bedroom.

The 54-year-old has been a "hikikomori" all of his adult life. The term describes Japanese who rarely interact with society beyond their family.

"It's a sense or feeling that you shouldn't be here. Even if you are here, you feel like you aren't yourself," Kenji says.

Korean Dogs: Friend or Food

The dog meat industry and animal rights activists face off as South Korea considers banning killing dogs for meat.

In South Korea, dog meat has been on the menu for centuries, with about 2 million dogs believed to be eaten every year.

But strict government regulations and a growing animal rights movement are cracking down on the industry.

Today, consumption is declining, especially among younger generations who see dogs as pets, not food.

But dog farmers argue there's no difference between raising dogs and raising cows, pigs or chickens. And that the ancient cultural practice has health benefits.

The propaganda films of apartheid-era South Africa

In the 1970s and 80s, the apartheid government funded a little-known film scheme aimed at black South Africans.

In 1973, a ground-breaking film, Joe Bullet, was screened - for the very first time - at the Eyethu Cinema in Soweto. It was the first South African-produced film with a black action hero and an all-black cast.

Benjamin Cowley, the CEO of Gravel Road Productions, described the film as "unique" because "at the height of apartheid, no one was producing movies with all-black cast members for black audiences".

According to Tonie van der Merwe, the writer and producer of Joe Bullet, the apartheid censors banned the film after just two screenings. In a letter, the censors listed the reasons for their decision which included: the main character carrying a gun, driving a sports car, living in a white neighbourhood. "Stupid, stupid reasons," said van der Merwe.

Korean Lovers in Baghdad

A young Iraqi woman's obsession with all things Korean inspires her dream of moving to South Korea.

Heba is a young Iraqi woman with a good job as an electrical engineer and the prospect of a decent future.

At 28, she owns a modern flat in the newly-built Bismayah New City in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, where she lives with her mother and younger sister. It's a vast development of neat, white and beige apartment blocks, wide, well-lit walkways and plenty of green spaces, where children can play and ride their bikes.

Heba says living there makes her feel safe and secure.

Thailand's Rebel Artists

Rap Against Dictatorship is striking a chord across Thailand.

The rap group's hit single, What My Country's Got, has been viewed almost 60 million times since it was uploaded last October.

The lyrics rail against corruption, human rights abuses and a social divide that's grown since the army took power in 2014.

Five years after the coup, a wave of young artists is finding new ways to push the boundaries in the lead-up to general elections this month.

Cuba's Unfinished Spaces

Castro's dream for Cuba's artists and the three architects who tried to make it a reality.

Castro's dream for Cuba's artists and the three architects who tried to make it a reality.

In 1961, three young, visionary architects were commissioned by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara to create Cuba's National Art Schools on the grounds of a former golf course in Havana, Cuba.

Construction of their radical designs began immediately and the school's first classes soon followed.

Dancers, musicians and artists from all over the country reveled in the beauty of the schools, but as the dream of the revolution quickly became a reality, construction was abruptly halted and the architects and their designs were deemed irrelevant in the prevailing political climate.

Korean Lovers in Baghdad

A young Iraqi woman's obsession with all things Korean inspires her dream of moving to South Korea.

Heba is a young Iraqi woman with a good job as an electrical engineer and the prospect of a decent future.

At 28, she owns a modern flat in the newly-built Bismayah New City in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, where she lives with her mother and younger sister. It's a vast development of neat, white and beige apartment blocks, wide, well-lit walkways and plenty of green spaces, where children can play and ride their bikes.

Heba says living there makes her feel safe and secure.

The Soviet Scar: Legacy of USSR Architecture in Georgia

A union of equals or Russian occupation? A personal journey exploring how decades of Soviet rule have shaped Georgia.

Journalist Tamila Varshalomidze grew up in Georgia after the downfall of the Soviet Union, but she is very aware of how the USSR's influence has affected her life, her family and community and her country.

In 1937, during Stalin's "Great Terror," her great great grandfather, a wealthy peasant, was purged. In the middle of the night, someone knocked on his door; he was told to get dressed and leave with the authorities.

History suppressed: Censorship in Israel's archives

Troves of looted Palestinian books, documents, photographs and films are sealed in Israel's archives and libraries.

Sealed in Israel's archives and libraries are troves of Palestinian books, documents, photographs and films that were looted from Palestinian institutions and personal archives by Jewish militias and later, the Israeli military.

"This confiscation is a kind of daily struggle that Palestinians face," says Sherene Seikaly, a scholar of Middle Eastern history. "One of the reasons, that these archives are a target, that they're threatening, is because they're really a record of Palestinian social life, and Palestine more broadly."

Dagestan's Peaceful Warriors

On the edge of Russia, a martial arts expert strives to find a balance between faith and independence.

Hidden in the mountainous republic of Dagestan, Gusein Magomaev runs a famed martial arts school that has produced several European champions, Olympians and the only non-Chinese king of Kung Fu.

Nurturing an array of talent, some 200 children train at the site that provides an escape for the region's disenfranchised youth.

But in a republic with a high concentration of Muslims, outside the school's thick walls a fierce battle for control of the Northern Caucasus is raging between Muslim separatists and the minority Moscow-backed nationalists.

Korean Dogs: Friend or Food

The dog meat industry and animal rights activists face off as South Korea considers banning killing dogs for meat.

In South Korea, dog meat has been on the menu for centuries, with about 2 million dogs believed to be eaten every year.

But strict government regulations and a growing animal rights movement are cracking down on the industry.

Today, consumption is declining, especially among younger generations who see dogs as pets, not food.

But dog farmers argue there's no difference between raising dogs and raising cows, pigs or chickens. And that the ancient cultural practice has health benefits.

India: The New Maharajas

101 East goes inside the world of India's billionaires, where money is no object.

Extravagant Bollywood weddings, luxury yachts, the finest delicacies and opulent homes. India's billionaires are cashed up and they're not afraid to flaunt it.

Home to the highest number of billionaires in the world after China and the US, India's super-rich love to splurge on round-the-world, first-class holidays and lavish parties, no expense spared.

But in a country where millions still live in poverty, the spending habits of the wealthiest heirs and self-made success stories can spark controversy.

Speaking the unspeakable in Bangladesh

Protests in Dhaka are about more than road safety. Plus, how the late Tom Wolfe inspires journalists today.

Speaking the unspeakable in Bangladesh

It is rare for traffic accidents to result in international headlines. But that is what happened in Bangladesh - where two road fatalities triggered weeks of protests and landed a renowned photojournalist in prison.

Award-winning photographer Shahidul Alam was arrested and charged for making "false" and "provocative" comments in a TV interview on Al Jazeera. He criticised the alleged excessive use of force on protesters demanding road safety and questioned the legitimacy of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government.

There's a general election coming up later this year, and the government has grown increasingly intolerant of critical voices, especially on the internet. The authorities rely on a vaguely worded law, the Information and Communications Technology Act, which can land anyone publishing "fake and obscene material" online behind bars.

An Innocent Warrior

A Maori activist's fight for his people after being accused of running a paramilitary training camp in New Zealand.

In 2007 New Zealand police arrested charismatic Maori leader Tame Iti and others in anti-terrorist raids after a period of surveillance.

In a long trial, Iti and three other people (the "Urewera Four") were accused of running a terrorist training camp and of being members of a criminal group. The high court found them not guilty of terrorism but they were jailed for firearms offences. The case was the culmination of 170 years of conflict between the New Zealand Crown and the Ngai Tuhoe tribe, who had suffered appalling injustice including the dispossession of their land.

Nepal: The Great Plunder

Investigating how antiquities stolen from the Himalayas end up in museums and private collections around the world.

On the global art market, Himalayan statues of religious deities fetch millions of dollars. But to the Nepalese, they are living gods who have been stolen from their communities.

In this exclusive Al Jazeera investigation, 101 East senior presenter and reporter Steve Chao takes viewers on a breathtaking journey across the Himalayas, to reveal how the art world's hunger for ancient artefacts is destroying a centuries-old culture.

As he seeks to expose the international black market in religious treasures, Chao travels across Nepal from its capital Kathmandu to remote and ancient Buddhist temples in Mustang.

Sudan's Forgotten Films

Two elderly men in Sudan race to save the national film archive, as reels of rare footage disintegrate in its vaults.

Benjamin and Awad run Sudan's national film archive. The two men, who have worked together for more than 40 years, are devoted to protecting their country's visual memories.

Home to some 13,000 films, the archive preserves pivotal moments of Sudan's turbulent history and is one of the largest in Africa. 

But the archive is in a fragile state. Following years of neglect and poor storage, many film reels are turning to dust in Sudan's unforgiving tropical climate.

Thank You, Football: Yaya Toure and Yacine Brahimi

Cote d'Ivoire captain and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure admits to being a dreamer from childhood, "Even wake up, I was dreaming sometimes."

The Ivorian had been training at the MimoSifcom Academy in Cote d'Ivoire - home to the ASEC Mimosas of Abidjan - when he was spotted by former player and coach Jean-Marc Guillou. Toure's brother, Kolo, had already made a splash playing for the Mimosas and soon joined Arsenal in the English Premier League. The two brothers would be reunited later in their careers. 

Guillou noticed the younger Toure's skill and ambition: "When they told me he was Kolo's brother, I said he was better than his brother ... Everything seemed easy for him. He was very determined and knew what he wanted. Back then I said this kid could eventually win the Golden Boot."  

A Tale of Singers and Murderers

Meet the prisoners competing to participate in Russia's prison song contest and the woman inspiring them to sing.

Every year, prisoners across Russia dream of taking part in the annual Kalina Krasnaya Prison Song Contest.

It is open to all of Russia's approximately 700,000 prisoners and thousands of applications are submitted each year.

They all end up with the contest's director, Natalia Abashkina, a woman for whom Kalina Krasnaya has become an all-consuming passion.

"It's my life, my destiny, my love," she explains.

The Last Nomads of Morocco

Morocco's nomadic tribes are gradually giving up their traditional way of life to offer their children formal education.

Many of Morocco's nomadic communities living across the Atlas Mountains, like the Ait Atta tribe, are gradually changing their way of life from roaming herders to part settlers - or what sociologists call "a sedentary lifestyle".

But such fundamental change comes challenges, as well as opportunities.

Traditionally, nomads do not receive a formal education. However in the past decade, there have been moves to introduce what they call "tent schools" to try and equip their children for the modern world. But for them to attend school, their families have to remain in one place all year. It might also mean that the children ultimately leave their parents' traditional nomadic way of life.