Salman Rushdie on Gender, Fake News and Trump - BBC Newsnight

In his latest book, The Golden House, Salman Rushdie describes an Indian family fleeing to a new life in America. It's a novel that explores and explodes identity - of race and gender, and it's a novel that begins in the era of Obama and ends in the era of Trump. He speaks to Emily Maitlis.

Women in Saudi Arabia – The Secret Revolution | DW Documentary

Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world where women were not permitted to drive – until now.

King Salman’s has issued a decree to lift the ban. It is a victory for women’s rights, though many other restrictions remain. A new generation is pushing for change.

This film presents some of the pioneers who are seeking to improve the lot of Saudi women and reshape Saudi society. In December 2015, women were allowed to vote and to run as candidates in municipal elections for the first time. Rasha Hefzi was elected as a city councillor in Jeddah. When conservative men on the council said she should not sit in the chamber with them, she refused to play along. Hefzi belongs to a new generation of independent-minded Saudi women who are staking claims in the professions, business and, now, politics, and who are not afraid to voice criticism of Saudi society. Two female film makers from Germany spent several weeks in Saudi Arabia making this film about such exceptional women.

Spain Races to Prevent Catalonia Independence; the United States and Its Guns

Trump Targets Iran Deal and Hints at War

Amid news he will go to Congress to de-certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal, Donald Trump called a gathering of military leaders Thursday night "the calm before the storm." We speak to Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian-American Council

Saudi King Says Consensus with Russia on Broadening Relations

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. He's the first Saudi monarch in history to visit Russia. Russia and Saudi Arabia have agreed to work together to unite Syria's opposition. Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands reports from Moscow.

Top US News & World Headlines — October 6, 2017

Asma al-Assad – The Beautiful Face of the Syrian Dictatorship | DW Documentary

Asma al-Assad, the First Lady of Syria and wife of president Bashar al-Assad, was initially a beacon of hope. Today, she is regarded as the dictator’s accomplice.

She grew up in London, went to elite schools and had a promising career. The former ambassador of the European Union to Syria, Frank Hesske, still gets a sparkle in his eyes when he talks about Asma al-Assad. She was ‘a darling’, and comparable to Princess Diana - and not just because of her British roots: ‘We diplomats,’ the former ambassador now reveals with surprising honesty, ‘let ourselves be seduced’. Many of the diplomats, politicians and journalists from the West who met the presidential couple during the 11 years after Assad took power and before the civil war broke out shared that fate: they let themselves be duped. Torture, arrests and threats were unleashed on all those who got in the way of the regime - just as under Assad’s father. There’s the famous opposition activist Riad Seif, whose daughter talks about the regime’s humiliations and the constant fear that her family could be taken by the secret police and her father killed. While the country remains as dark as ever, this film looks at Asma al-Assad’s international role as the face of the dictatorship, the woman from London who for a long time managed to make the Assads socially acceptable.

Catalonia Villagers Report Intimidation by Far-right Activists

While much of the focus from the Catalan secession referendum has been on the region’s capital, Barcelona, there are claims in smaller villages of a campaign of intimidation by far-right activists.

People in the Catalonia countryside say cars’ tires have been slashed and windows broken since Sunday's vote.

Al Jazeera’s Laurence Lee reports from the village of Verzhas.

Top US News & World Headlines — October 5, 2017

THE DEBATE: Trump in Las Vegas: What Response to the Worst Mass Shooting in US History?

'The Refugee Crisis Was for Europe What 9/11 Was for the United States'

Saudi King Salman Meets Vladimir Putin in Russia: "Oil Is a Giant Factor Here!"

A Challenge to Saudi's War on Yemen?

The United Nations has overcome Saudi Arabian opposition to establish a human rights probe of the war on Yemen, just as Congressmembers seek a debate over the critical US military role

Top US News & World Headlines — October 4, 2017

THE DEBATE - Catalonia: What's the Next Move?

US Gun Safety: Nothing But Despair On Offer

Will France's Tough New Counter-terrorism Law Erode Civil Liberties?

Top US News & World Headlines — October 3, 2017

Join The Dots: What's the Deal? Brexit, Arms and Corporate Power

Real Media's senior editor Kam Sandhu and investigative journalist Matt Kennard discuss UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox - his history and ties to US corporations, what this means for Brexit negotiations and what's it's really like inside the world's largest arms fair

The Debate: Special Edition: Las Vegas Shooting