i made the announcement in a speech in spanish government. declared independence in october following a referendum is currently in self-imposed exile in brussels to avoid arrest. and sedition. but then that it is absurd to try to want to become president of an economist's region while living abroad it is even more absurd to try to perform one's duties i was president of an atonement region when you are abroad i really think that it's completely senseless it's not even a judicial or political issue it's just common sense i hope that we can quickly count on a government in catalonia that is able to engage in dialogue and reach an understanding with not just with. outside the hospital where former president. they're angry over their controversial decision to pardon. twenty five year sentence so far. and human rights.

so those are the headlines to keep it here on al-jazeera talk to al-jazeera is next and then more news after that visit our web site as well i'll just. keep it or. are. you with. the. sea. to say two thousand and seventeen has been an important year for news and world events would be a huge understatement it's been a year filled with consequential stories that have changed and shaped the political landscape around the world from indigenous rights in the amazon to the station battle in spain's catalonia region kenya is not one but two controversial presidential elections and then there's the crisis that hit the gulf region with

a blockade of cattle the growing refugee crisis stretching from iraq libya to europe and beyond there has been there covering it all over the next half an hour we'll look back on some of our most memorable and news making interviews of two thousand and seventeen i'm jane dutton welcome to the special edition of talk. we start in doha on june the fifth catalyze nationals and residents woke up to the news that saudi arabia the united arab emirates bahrain and egypt had all cut off diplomatic and economic ties with cats are the disputes caused major disruptions to air travelers across the region home to several of the world's major long haul carriers katter airways has been impacted by the crisis and has had to adjust its flight path and other operational procedures so what does the future look like for one of the world's leading airlines cats our airways chief executive. talked to

under simmons back in june this is the last thing any see or of an airline would want to hear that the air space in which it operates international airspace in which it operates has illegally been blocked we've heard of walls this transcends everything do you feel that in effect your under attack in fact qatar is under attack as we are being effected so are our neighbors who have got into this illegal act in blocking us their national carriers are also. getting affected what is also doing is letting the entire regions air connectivity confidence to be lost so they are in the same basket so they should not think that they will be going laughing to the bank was they are putting economic pain on my country individuals have climbed on a tree which is very tall and now to get down from this tree they

will be ensured my country will pursue them. this is not a situation that's going to have great guns if we have taken a modern high ground because the country has very wise leadership could there be a commercial motivation as well as a political one in what's happened actually they want but to coax them into a dead sphere of influence they want but that sovereignty will be to be under their control and i don't think the state of qatar will or will agree to to to relinquish our fallen policy and our sovereignty in the hands of anybody this is a wand that has been created for a generation this will never be forgotten i'm not a politician again there are certain of parts of this question should be should be answered by the political echelon of my country but one thing i can tell you the gutless if it lasts less of long they want has already been very deep

and people will not forget in the fight against eisel iraq has been at the forefront in a bloody military campaign that started nearly twenty fourteen iraqi and kurdish forces supported by an international coalition force to root out eisel mosul was the first major city in iraq the armed group took control of but after two years twenty seventeen both the end of eiseley in mosul and its surrounding villages and people began to return to their homes what is homecoming like when you find out that isis fighters lived in your house we met some returning iraqis take a look this is or should we say was the town of bar sheikha. saleman sad the arias e.-d. couple who fled their home with their children on mcconnell they had heard what i still didn't were scores of people were killed and many women kidnapped raped and then slaved when the captain by the much. less men joined the hello i'm nina and

has an now and kind of a high at how does it make you feel that these fighters were staying in your house if you saw it but i'm saying. horrible. horrible good look at pollock but no but i got in a bit. i never expected to hear thing. yeah. i had the whole mother. and. you know everybody has a favorite object or a book or something they really like and they had for years what is yours while have got that and i.

don't have. so much as. they korea. have. one of the most controversial interviews of this past year was the one our correspondent mohammed vall did with uganda's president yoweri was seventy he's been in power for over thirty one years he's been elected to office five times but he's been accused of corruption human rights abuse and nepotism it's have a look at mohammed's interview with the president after five terms. you are now. seventy one or seventy two i don't know so one to two in three years you will be you will reach the age limit and you can't run for another term who is there in the country now qualified capable sitting in the wings waiting to be the next leader the people you. have to who according to the what they are the other leaders are.

but two marks to maximize. the leadership. in a put we use all our leaders the young ones the old ones now they want to come about to come forward but they're not a lot there was a loss not about one thing this is the whole problem the talk about one thing i want you one thing it is what the situation demands your own son who is now very high and highly elevated in the army and his you are also special advisor on certain issues. your wife or so as a minister she is sitting next to you in the cabinet reports that you are preparing one of these two to be the next leader of uganda what do you say to this why should i prepare them which is the people you are going to choose the one they want if i ask the people of uganda maybe they will say something different because we are reading what the opposition says and what you can do what a little different from what you can read what they over the say why don't you ask

me to ask the people the people say something different if the four are not the owner of the opposition how would you guarantee but in the future in history you won't go down as a dictator instead of a democratic president dictate those elected five times that's that must be wonderful dictator let's hear more from mohamed vosh mohamed president the seventy doesn't give interviews very often does he what was the reaction like in uganda after this incident inside uganda people were divided according to their loyalty to president seventy or the market. those loyal to him they felt insulted and they said this interview shouldn't happen like this they addressed me in their social media messages saying how do you with their i ask our president these type of questions so i'm not used to see president seventy being challenged in this manner those who are opposed to seventy on the other hand celebrated the interview and

they said the president has never been put on the spot like this has never been pinned down and grilled in this way and they were very satisfied they sent me private messages. to thank me for that interview but what do you think is next for uganda will there be a regime change or will president seventy stay in office and how long it doesn't look this is going to happen any time soon despite the fact that he's the age limit in uganda constitution for a president to be able to run again for office he's seventy five and seventy is now seventy three hours we speak when the next election comes he will be almost seventy seven however there is debate now in the parliament for him to be able to continue to run for office a sixth term if it if it happens so that gives you signs that the man is not about to be willing to leave office thanks for having. the rangar have been called the most persecuted people in the world in their decades long plea for recognition and

man ma turned into a desperate battle for survival this year when the military began its violent crackdown in rakhine state in late august hundreds of thousands of muslim rango fled to neighboring bangladesh where they have been living in overcrowded camps without adequate food or mates and the un has called it an ethnic cleansing but at the core of this crisis is minimized refusal to recognize its reaching a population of citizens so can the muslim and buddhist communities of rakhine state come to an understanding on the and sun tsu cheez leadership. travelled to the center of the crisis me amar was a british colony on till independence in one nine hundred forty eight the man considered the father of the nation was on song su cheese father general aung some he founded an armed group that was later transformed into the nation's army but he was assassinated shortly before independence after an initial period with a parliamentary system the military staged

a coup in one thousand nine hundred two and stayed in power until the military leadership gave way to elections in two thousand and ten. aung san suu kyi who had little campaign against the military was elected to parliament two years later and when her party want to majority in two thousand and fifteen she was named state chancellor and thereby solidly becoming the leading member of the new government meanwhile the rohingya throughout this period they were living primarily in the western state of rakhine. but i like many other ethnic groups and there are hundreds of them they were never considered part of the myanmar population you say that discrimination and persecution of the weighing of people in myanmar has been going on for fifty years do you still have hope that this government of one time to cheat will reestablish to citizen rights of the ring of people also an issue that nobody laurier see or were stroking for the justice and we believe i think there is

some telling this in front of her. i think international community should have men as this issue the government has said that if a group of extremists of militants were behind the attacks of october ninth and even call them terrorists with help from abroad do you think that that this true one thing we don't encourage any kind of insurgency we don't and broken are going to terrorism and even all the rooting out the a peace loving people there will not encourage this thinks who we want peace and we want to leap with harmony and now we take you to catalonia it is a prosperous region in the northeast of spain but in recent years a session a sentiments have risen among catalans colors prism or was the president of the catalan regional government but he was forced out of his job by the spanish government for holding a referendum on secession that spain had ruled was illegal he picked talk to

al-jazeera as the first international news program to discuss explicit details about the referendum this is what he said to hundred dollar honeyed in barcelona back in april what is the nature of this conflict the political in the nest of a spaniel didn't get at the reaction in the seal that the death of those he. had set up those in compliment to the us that. either. you know. what is the question or the questions that will be put forward to the voters to answer if you want to stay part of spain or you want to become an independent. exact i mean i guess because you wish there. not to. see or not. see or know.

or not happen at the moment we're facing this two quite hard positions on both sides on one side you either want negotiations or we're going ahead with the in the pen series saying on the other hand the spanish government is not compromising too much at the moment do you think that this good escalate in a dangerous way you think do you think that the spanish government could use force military for a police force even if you go with the vote not. is . that mr. a part of what. the conflict in eastern ukraine has now been raging for over three years the

un says the fighting between pro russian separatists and the ukrainian military has killed nearly ten thousand people the separatists control a large area close to the russian border from the town of nova kiff turn the north to the contested ton of cherokee in a it to the south talked to al-jazeera travelled there to talk to civilians suffering on both sides of the front lawn. this is a story about some of the people who have to enjoy the suffering of war on both sides of the frontline many of the people who remain in the of can rely on aid agencies and charities for food and water yelena came across the front line from donetsk six months ago looking for work. jobs were scarce in this region before the war and now they are even more difficult to find i mean you can do you. know you could not get even with them usually the mutombo didn't and you throats to come. i didn't in a minute but compelling like you did to people guns can you post your crimes quit

being stupid to miss it so much liberal go to this new plan you quickies that you got. to could not stick with going you just didn't so much i did not stop. she was too nice that's when you'll never see me there's never a union because you still don't miss her she children don't you just come because of unusually when you mothers to rebuild my milk mostly it's not if you're pretty much. you hear a lot of heavy machine gunfire now this neighborhood sonny around this neighborhood last night there was a lot of heavy shelling now your forces here are not allowing us any closer to the front line. but we've been speaking to people here and they say that the recent escalation in fighting feels like to them that the war is beginning again. more victoria you're impugning who has lived here for the last thirty years some cherished new idea of the eve they reach or are you watching here in effect almost

yes not only is it going to look at adams for him what does. he she shows me where she says a bullet came through her window you would fire little me up or while you wait what and where was she at the time i would say yeah don't you love to talk me up but i. she says her neighbor's home was completely destroyed in two thousand and fourteen what calculable for what to me i didn't mean. that me to levy that ecology to make sure yeah we had lawful part of would park at my dear as beautiful courtroom when everybody hugged me you would. write them you know we read you could then you would . never go to venezuela in april opponents of socialist president nicolas maduro took to the streets demanding immediate elections blaming him for acute shortages

and the world's highest inflation the duras response was to call for and when a referendum to rewrite the constitution a move many believe will turn venezuela into a one party state like cuba within one hundred twenty people were killed and thousands arrested during months of unrest as president of the new constituent assembly doesn't agree guess is augury the most powerful person in venezuela today is simply has the power to override and even replace the president at what may have been been as well as most critical hour she talked to al jazeera as you see in human. you said the other day and i was very surprised and so with the venezuelans that were near me that there is no hunger in venezuela but yet i see people and so i'm sure have you in your neighborhood picking through the rubbish or maybe a community that are going up or so in a. commune and better but going nowhere. in colombia. talking about and you know i do not know what they said but i might be so let me make this out and i mean i don't even know you know so i don't know the name upper limb at the

saudi company that even a seller put on the inside get economic up to all the low yeah you know they let a hero get these think a minister let me say that we need up ok yeah many many thirty susi for associate who see a yes and i mean tita to see first of sally so me and the law this is an immensely rich country where is the money according to one of your former client in riyadh of a million disappeared. the name in israel if i cannot see you think that most are not made to put some of the ideas that were in a toy but that all you use that are ready to believe that in tibet or later. no analyst it will be that but it will go in his soul and your government's decision to create a legislative super body that you preside over is being described by many all over the world as a consolidation of a dictatorship menace will. step out of the sea but the e.s.m. aggressor practice it but the very thought of. going to somebody and that's you know going to what about all of the opposition people who were unarmed who were

killed many times by the national guardsmen at point blank range if that had been the endo took us through that door the last week the yaml the to get into their lives to be orlando and i meant of course you know. where to menace well still they say get out. of these and they soak us let's go now to see in yemen and santiago chile you see how is the food situation right now is there still a shortage chain there is a desperate shortage of food. and also of medicine even the most basic medicine that people need just to keep alive but it's not just a matter of not finding these things it's being able to afford it people cannot afford to eat any longer because of the inflation rate in venezuela which is going up day by day in fact by the end of this will have reached at least one thousand percent which is difficult to imagine and according to the international monetary fund in two thousand and eighteen it had surpassed two thousand three hundred

percent that is called hyperinflation that is sending tens of thousands of venezuelans across the border into colombia to try to find food but it is also increasing infant mortality there is massive malnutrition not just amongst children and britney newborns but also mothers and so maternal mortality has now soared and was once the lowest in the region now it is probably the highest in all of south america but what about the people who've been killed or are there any of those cases on child has anyone been held accountable for the killings of people in theory the authorities have investigated charges of abuse of power on the part of the security forces i know of at least two cases where a policeman and a national guardsman were arrested after they were filmed shooting point blank to protesters who were killed one of them with a tear gas canister this video went viral that forced the authorities to arrest

them but as far as i know and certainly according to their relatives these people have not been tried and certainly have not been convicted thank you very much indeed. to colleges former governor known as a hawk was sentenced to two years in prison earlier this year he was charged and convicted of blasphemy of a comments he made about a verse of a cold case against the indonesian capital's first christian ethnic chinese government since the one nine hundred sixty s. was bought for by several conservative islamic groups a hawk talked to al jazeera back in january before his very. it was announced she's spoken about his legal battle and what it means for a country with the world's biggest muslim population now you're on trial for blasphemy and you're facing five years in prison do you think it's fair to use the blasphemy law in this context against you've got a similar note. in it as a job or in the. months i need of the fund or the no

notice about lima there must. be hurry in me and i thought i hope someone has. read pinking of what under the inventing bond are in them and how to get them up under the other morgan the. stefansson joins us now from jakarta step what is the latest with a hawk he's still in jail but where does he's case stand. yes jane a hawk is still serving his prison term and soon after his verdict was handed down in may two years in prison he decided not to appeal this verdict because he sat he didn't want to create more controversy in society as you remember his case and also his controversial remarks about this koranic verse led to huge protests here in the indonesian capital one of the largest protest in indonesia in modern history and

also his supporters went to the streets trying to defend him amnesty international has called a hawk a prisoner of conscience and has asked for his immediate release but as things are looking now because also the prosecutor didn't appeal the verdict it looks like a hawk will be released somewhere in two thousand and nineteen he will probably get some deductions for good behavior he's basically spending his time reading a lot he's reading a lot of religious books the koran and also the bible is learning local languages and he is receiving a lot of visitors in prison that he still quite popular here among some groups here in jakarta at the moment do you think a hoax political careers overall what's next for him. well no his political career is not necessarily over he will be released in two thousand and nineteen which is a very important political year here in indonesia it will be the next presidential election and before this whole case happened before he went to jail even hinted at

the joining this race for the presidency and that seems of course quite unlikely right now but he can still run for public office in indonesia the law says that anyone who has been in prison for last than five years can actually run for any a public office and it's very likely that the hawk will still have these ambitions he was a very very passionate governor and he's a very passionate bureaucrat but the big question of course will be how controversial will the former governor be when he comes out of prison release still be as controversial as he is today or will his prison term and also his his activities in prison will gain his popularity will destroy him into some kind of hero this can only of course be answered by the time he will be released next step that's it for us a big thanks to you our audience for watching we hope you'll join us and talk to

al-jazeera and twenty eighteen i'm jane dutton. the offense being a journalist the crime practicing journalism. the same detained for three hundred sixty five days without charge. journalism is not a crime. scene is not a criminal. free mahmoud hussein.

you are making very pointed remarks when they're on line the main u.s. response to drug use and the drug trade over the last fifty years has been to criminalize or if you join us on say no evil person just wakes up the over the morning in the sense i want to cover the world in darkness this is a dialogue and that could be what's leading to some of the confusion online about people saying they don't actually know what's going on join the colobus conversation at this time on al-jazeera. you know nothing found out i know the media often you know outrage after a gunman targets a coptic church in egypt at least nine people were killed in cairo.

i'm richelle carey this is al-jazeera also coming up. at least fifty people injured in gaza by israeli gunfire during a fourth week of protests against this recognition of truth as the capital of israel. it is absurd to try to want to become president. if. radio t.v. .