documentary

Aug 14, 2014 The Islamic State, a hardline Sunni jihadist group that formerly had ties to al Qaeda, has conquered large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the group has announced its intention to reestablish the caliphate and has declared its leader, the shadowy Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the caliph. The lightning advances the Islamic State made across Syria and Iraq in June shocked the world. But it's not just the group's military victories that have garnered attention — it's also the pace with which its members have begun to carve out a viable state. Flush with cash and US weapons seized during its advances in Iraq, the Islamic State's expansion shows no sign of slowing down. In the first week of August alone, Islamic State fighters have taken over new areas in northern Iraq, encroaching on Kurdish territory and sending Christians and other minorities fleeing as reports of massacres emerged. VICE News reporter Medyan Dairieh spent three weeks embedded with the Islamic State, gaining unprecedented access to the group in Iraq and Syria as the first and only journalist to document its inner workings. Watch next: "Fighting ISIS-linked snipers in Marawi, Philippines" - http://bit.ly/2sR2GWj Click to watch "Ghosts of Aleppo (Part 1)" - http://bit.ly/Ghosts-of-Aleppo Check out the VICE News beta for more: http://vicenews.com Follow VICE News here: Facebook: / vicenews Twitter: / vicenews Tumblr: / vicenews Instagram: / vicenews Transcript Follow along using the transcript. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUjHb4C7b94

What impact does electronic waste have on the African continent? For years, African countries have been importing used computers, smartphones, and household appliances from Europe, the U.S., and Japan. But these devices have a short lifespan. They quickly become waste, piling up across Africa. One of the largest legal e-waste dumps in the world is located in Ghana. However, many more illegal dumping grounds exist—in northern Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Kenya. How did old electronics come to pollute countries that didn’t even produce them? How can African people protect themselves from this dangerous waste? Could the rise of artificial intelligence make the problem even worse?

The US is the leading marijuana and cocaine market in the world. Many illegal drugs are grown just over border in Mexico. Sinaloa state is home to many members of its eponymous and infamous drugs cartel. The CIA considers the Sinaloa gang to be the most powerful narcotics trafficking organization in the world. It controls the entire production chain from cultivation to processing and distribution. The Cartel makes billions of dollars from American addicts. Life in Sinaloa depends largely on what the drug lords do. Wealthy gangsters frequently invest in their communities but it is even more common for residents to be killed in cross-fire. Inter-gang gunfights or street battles between mobsters and the police are regular events. Local farmers grow cannabis and opium poppies while local musicians compose and perform ‘narco corridos’, ballads that glorify the kingpins and their henchmen. Local teenagers dream of a fast track to riches and joining a gang is the only way they see to make it happen. Even a local folk hero and saint, Jesús Malverde, is considered a patron of Mexico’s drug cartels. Law-abiding citizens feel helpless to bring about change, anyone might become a victim of the ruthless mafia that kills journalists and even police officers with impunity. It is hard to find a local who hasn’t lost a loved one to the drug wars. In the deceptively quiet rural towns and villages of Sinaloa, the RTD film crew meets many different people, all united by the reality that they live in a place run by drugs. They also interview a former kingpin to explore how well crime pays. Their enquiry however did not go unnoticed; before long, our cameramen feared they might be on the wrong end of the wrong kind of shooting.