Beyond the Headlines

The dull thud of bullets smacking into water, followed by the panicked cries of desperate people trying to get to Europe. That was the scene off the coast of Bodrum, Turkey when the Greek Coast Guard confronted refugees and migrants. It’s an extreme example of scenes that have been playing out daily on land and sea. Host Willy Lowry looks at the latest wave of refugees and migrants trying to get into Europe and why Turkey is encouraging them. We talk to Fadi Hakura, an analyst at Chatham House, Kareem Shaheen, a journalist based in Canada, and Rami Jarrah, a Syrian-British journalist. We also hear from Tony Rigopoulos, who works for the Athens-based newspaper Documento, Andreas Mountzourlias and Pål Nesse from the Norwegian Council for Refugees.

The United States has just signed a deal with the Taliban that it hopes will end nearly two decades of fighting in Afghanistan. The US government has spent $2 trillion on the conflict. At least a hundred thousand Afghans have been killed or wounded in the last ten years of the war. At least 3,500 American and NATO coalition troops have lost their lives since the US invasion. To understand how long the United States has been in Afghanistan, consider this: the youngest American troops being sent to Afghanistan these days were born after the 9/11 attacks. Many of the Taliban fighters they’re battling don’t know a time before the US invasion. Will the new deal with the Taliban bring peace to the country? Host Suhail Akram speaks to Jasmine Bhatia, research fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies London, and Stefanie Glinksi, reporting for The National in Afghanistan. We also hear from Afghan-American Sulaiman Hakemy, the Deputy Comment Editor at The National.

The new coronavirus has spread far and wide - shutting schools, businesses and impacting international travel. The new coronavirus, COVID-19, has already spread to nearly 40 countries after it was first reported in Wuhan, China on December 31, 2019. Experts say the disease could be a potential pandemic if it’s not stopped. But there are many crucial pieces to this puzzle that need to be solved. This week on Beyond the Headlines, host Suhail Akram, video journalist at The National talks to Dr Angela Rasmussen, virologist at Columbia University and Dr Kamran Khan, founder of Bluedot, about how close we are to a vaccine for the new coronavirus.

Every Friday, tens of thousands of Algerians pour on to the streets of their hometowns to protest. They protest against the government, which they see as corrupt. They protest for their future, which they see as in peril. They protest a political system they say doesn’t represent them. The scale and size of the protests vary from week to week, but without fail, they happen and they’ve been happening for exactly one year. On this edition of Beyond the Headlines, host Willy Lowry delves into Algeria’s year of change. One in which the country’s longtime president, Abdulaziz Bouteflika was forced to resign and a leaderless protest movement morphed into a serious player in Algeria’s politics.

Black range rovers and luxury vehicles slowly navigated through Beirut’s protest filled streets. Angry mobs hurled rocks and other debris at the occupants and Lebanon’s political leaders trying to block them from entering the now heavily fortified parliament. On February 11, twelve weeks after Hassan Diab was tasked with forming a new government, MPs gave his administration the vote of confidence. For nearly five months, mass protests have paralysed the country as people demand a new type of government that can work to fix the worst economic crisis in Lebanon’s history. Host Willy Lowry talks to The National’s Beirut correspondent Sunniva Rose and Ghassan Moukhaiber, a lawyer and former Member of Parliament about the protests and how the newly formed government can move forward. We also hear from Imad Salamey, a professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the Lebanese American University and Sami Nadr, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs.

On December 31st, 2019 China reported 27 cases of pneumonia from an unknown cause in the city of Wuhan, in central China. The majority of people affected were workers from a local seafood and live animal market. As the virus spread and more cases were announced, talk of a deadly pandemic began circulating. This week's host Juman Jarallah, deputy national editor, talks to Dr. Amr Mahmoud El Naggar, Head of ER at Medcare Hospital Dubai and Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson for the World Health Organisation about the Coronavirus and why we should we worried.

Two and a half years after US administration began drafting a plan for a lasting peace between Israel and Palestinians, it is finally here. Long delayed and often described as dead on arrival, the proposal was roundly rejected by Palestinian officials even before it was released. The announcement on January 28 was met with anger on the streets of the West Bank. Countries around the world have reacted. While many have welcomed the effort to restart long dead talks the praise isn’t effusive. But what has Trump proposed, why has it been rejected and what happens now? On this week's Beyond the Headlines host James Haines Young, The National’s foreign editor, is taking a loo at what does the Trump plan mean for the Palestine and Israel?

After more than three months of protests, Lebanon's politicians agreed on a new government. But this has done little to ease anger on the streets after three months of mass uprisings. Hassan Diab announced the formation of his 20-member government on Tuesday and vowed to get to work on fixing the country's mounting problems. Lebanon faces a huge economic crisis – debt has topped $85 billion, growth is flat, unemployment is rising and the currency has lost nearly 40 per cent of its value in the past three months. On this week's Beyond the Headlines, The National's Willy Lowry reported from the tear gas-filled streets of Beirut. He spoke to young people angry at what they've called Mr Diab's "one-colour" government. We also spoke to Nasser Saidi, a former Lebanese economy minister and former vice governor of the central bank of Lebanon. He laid out plainly the scale of the crisis and his recommendations of what the new government should do. Previous coverage of the Lebanon protests: https://www.thenational.ae/podcasts/beyond-the-headlines/beyond-the-headlines-politics-protests-and-partying-on-the-streets-of-lebanon-1.927718 Bonus Episode: https://www.thenational.ae/podcasts/beyond-the-headlines/beyond-the-headlines-the-musicians-contributing-to-the-lebanese-protests-1.928328

The first signs that something big was happening came a little after noon on Friday when the army and police deployed across Oman. The tensions between the United States and Iran lead many to assume the sudden deployment was related. When regular overnight programming stopped and the television stations started broadcasting excerpts from the Quran, it was obvious. Sultan Qaboos, the longest serving monarch in the Middle East, had passed away. Host James Haines-Young looks at the life of Sultan Qaboos and what’s next for Oman as it looks to the future.

The United States has killed Iran’s Qassim Suleimani sparking the most serious situation in the Middle East since ISIS took over huge areas of Iraq in 2014. The late head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard overseas Quds force has spent decades building up Tehran’s army of proxy militia and allies from Beirit to Sana’a. The response from Tehran came just four days later when they fired 22 rockets at US troop locations on Iraqi bases. This week on Beyond the Headlines, host James Haines-Young looks at how Iran and the US got here and will it escalate further or is that it? We also talk to Dr Aniseh Tabrizi, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London and Ahmad Qureshi, a senior research fellow from Project Pakistan 21 focused on Iran. We are also joined by Mina Al-Oraibi, editor-in-chief at The National.

The Arab uprisings, the brutal Syrian war, the rise of ISIS, the slide into chaos in Libya and Yemen, the counter revolutions, the crackdowns on protesters in Iraq and Iran, the displacement of millions of Syrians and Iraqis. This week on Beyond the Headlines, were going to travel across the region, speaking to The National’s writers and reporters who have been covering the biggest stories in the Middle East and around the world this decade.

In March 2017 the ship Tamim Aldar found itself, along with its crew, abandoned at sea 25 nautical miles off the coast of the UAE. It was one of seven ships owned by Elite Way Marine Services, a company that was facing financial difficulties and found itself unable to pay crew salaries or maintenance for its fleet. It has been over two and half years but four crew members, two from India and two from Eritrea, had been awaiting payment and to travel home. On December 19th, 33 months after they were first abandoned at sea, the four seafarers finalised an agreement with their employer for 80% of their owed wages. We hear from Vikas Mishra one of the seafarers who has spent over three years away from his family as well as Rev. Andy Bowerman from the Mission to Seafarers, a non profit that has been helping the crew. Senior Associate Shehab Mamdouh from the legal firm Fichte and Co. gives us an insight into maritime law.

ISIS has dominated headlines for nearly a decade. Even as the groups power has waned the fear it instils has remained. In 2019 ISIS saw its last pocket of territory wiped from the map, ripped from its dying hands by Kurdish forces in Eastern Syria. In October, US special forces managed to chase down the group’s elusive leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. He killed himself by detonating a suicide vest. US president Donald Trump may have declared ISIS defeat. But are they are really? The National sent Journalists Willy Lowry and Jack Moore into Kurdish controlled Iraq to investigate the state of the world’s most feared terrorist organisation.

In the last century, the global population has exploded. Today, there are 7.7 billion people on the planet and that number is rising at the pace of another billion every 12 to 15 years. Scientists say this is simply unsustainable. In this week’s Beyond the Headlines, we’re asking, how many children is too many when it comes to climate change? We hear from Emma Lim, 18-year-old activist and creator of the No Future No Children pledge has vowed, along with over 5000 others, not to have children until governments around the world take substantive action on climate change. We’ll also hear from Professor Corey Bradshaw, fellow in Global Ecology at Flinders University in Australia, who has been modeling population growth and looking at what methods could cause the global population to decline. Robin Maynard, director of British-based campaign charity Population Matters, joins us to talk about why all this matters and whether he’s feeling optimistic about the future. If you missed last week’s episode, catch up below. https://audioboom.com/posts/7436709-a-look-at-national-service-on-national-day

Every year on December 2nd, millions across the seven emirates mark the day the UAE became a country. This week, we are doing something a bit different. Regular listeners will know that on Beyond the Headlines, we try to break down some of the most pressing issues from across the region and beyond. In the last few months, we’ve discussed protests in Sudan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon and Hong Kong. We’ve tackled environmental issues from India’s choking smog to whether carbon capturing rocks in Oman can help avert climate change. But today, we’ll hear a conversation between Faisal Salah and Daniel Lee, two men in their 20s from very different parts of the world - the UAE and South Korea - as they reflect on their time as a conscript, their fears, the lessons they learned and what they missed most while serving.

The true extent of Iranian infiltration of Iraq has been revealed. 700 pages from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security were released to western outlets, The New York Times and The Intercept. They show interference at the highest level in Iraq’s political, military, and judicial system. Host Taylor Heyman, foreign editor from The National talks to Dr Zana Gulmohamad, from the University of Sheffield and Dr Michael Knights from The Washington Institute. We also talk to Iraqi member of parliament Sarkwat Al Shamsi.

For the past two weeks, air pollution in the Indian capital of Delhi has been off the scale. A toxic mix of dust, soot from farmers burning paddy field stubble, car fumes and construction all combined into a murky grey film over the city. The pollution was so bad visibility was reduced and the government moved to close schools and advise people to stay in doors. This week, host James Haines Young talks to Dr Vikas Maurya (Specialist Pulmonology at Fortis Hospital in Delhi) and Professor Guojun (Economics Department of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) about why so many cities are struggling to breath. James also talks to Tanya Dutta, a reporter with The National in Delhi.

On October 9 after months of warning, Turkey launched an offensive across their southeast border into Syria. The move came after US President Donald Trump pulled his forces back from the border, effectively green lighting the operation. The move abandoned America’s Kurdish and northern Syrian allies who had led much of the fighting in the long campaign against ISIS in Syria. This week host James Haines-Young looks at the situation for the newly displaced refugees fleeing a Turkish offensive at home to seek safety in northwest Iraq. Firas Al Khateeb from the UNHCR, Jack Moore, our deputy foreign editor and Willy Lowry, our video journalist talk about the situation on the ground.

The Iraqi city of Mosul lays in ruins. A three year campaign by the Iraqi army and international forces managed to push ISIS out of the country they tried to take over in 2014. But it came at a huge cost. Thousands were killed, by some estimates 40 per cent of Iraqi’s famed Golden Division counter terrorism officers died as they fought street to street, house to house in Mosul. There is an estimated 8 million tonnes of rubble in Mosul, the remnants of a fierce fight with heavy weapons. In the final push to liberate the old city, ISIS blew up the famed Al Nuri Mosque. The site had stood since the 12 century, withstanding the rise and fall of nations and countless invasions. On the 23rd of April 2018 the UAE pledged over $50 million to rebuild the Al Nuri mosque, working with UNESCO and the Iraqi government to complete the project. Host James Haines-Young speaks to Noura Al Kaabi, to talk about the reconstruction of the Al Nuri Mosque and its famous leaning minaret.

A Beyond the Headlines extra. The Lebanese people have joined together with a single message, to stand against the government that they see as corrupt, inept and self serving. The clashes gave way by day three to a more jubilant atmosphere. Multiple videos of people dancing together, singing and of large community clean ups occurring in the mornings after the protests have given the rallies a festive feel. On this episode, Saeed Saeed is speaking to some of Lebanon’s biggest indie artists about what the protests mean to them.

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Lebanon from the north to the south. The demonstrations have gone viral across social media platforms with videos of raves through the evenings and clean-up efforts the morning after. Host James Haines-Young takes a look at what sparked the protests, how the government is reacting and what options are available to Lebanon as they continue.

On October 1st, young Iraqis took to the streets in Iraq’s southern provinces to demand basic services like clean water and electricity, job creation and an end to widespread corruption. The government response to the protests was swift and brutal, killing over 100 people and leaving a further 6,000 wounded. Demonstrators said they were set upon by armed forces and attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire. Anger at the violence meted out against demonstrators only served to inflame the situation further, driving more Iraqis out to protest and garnering global attention to their cause. Just as their cause seemed to be gaining momentum, the protests came to an abrupt stop. But young protestors are planning to get back to the streets. Host Taylor Heyman, assistant foreign editor at The National, looks at what is driving the protests and where they are heading.

On the afternoon of October 6, US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the more than 8 year Syrian civil war. That one phone call upended nearly five years of US policy in Syria. Shortly afterwards, the White House released a statement announcing their withdrawal from the country and Erdogan's plans to launch an offensive across the Northern border. Host James Haines-Young looks at why Donald Trump stood aside for a Turkish invasion of Syria and why does Ankara want a new war.

At 2.59pm UAE time on Thursday the 3rd of October 2019 Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati in space touched down on Earth after spending 8 days at the international space station. For the last eight days Al Mansouri was speeding around the earth at 7.66km/hour completing approximately 16 orbits a day. During his time there in zero gravity, Hazza conducted experiments relating to the perception of time in microgravity and the effects of space on the body’s cardiovascular system. But now he’s back. And his visit sparked the imagination of a country. Host Suhail Rather looks at the mission and what is next for the UAE. He spoke to James Langton, contributor for The National who was in Kazakhstan covering the departure of Hazza from Baikonur and Salem Al Marri, Assistant Director General for Scientific and Technical Affairs at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre about their objectives and their plans for Mars. He also spoke to Mikolaj Zielinski, a UAE resident from Poland and a Mars One candidate. Mars One is a Netherlands based project that is raising money to be one of the first to send humans to Mars on a one way trip to colonise the red planet.

On the 27th of September 2019, Hazza Al Mansouri became the first Emirati to go to space. He did it from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, from the same spot that Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, started his journey over 58 years ago. Back then, in the early years of the space race, Cold War rivals The Soviet Union and the United States were in a technological battle to achieve spaceflight capability, in hopes to secure their scientific and symbolic superiority. Yuri Gagarin went into space ten years before the UAE was formed in 1971. Since then 40 more nationalities have left the earth’s atmosphere, the 40th being the UAE. Although few nations have their own technology to make the journey, the desire to take part in humanity’s expedition into the cold, hostile environment is vast, with many nations spending millions of dollars to take part in the privilege. What does space offer them? Why does it capture the human imagination and what does it mean for a nation? Host Suhail Rather looks at the UAE space programme and where it’s headed. With a human colony on Mars planned for 2117 and a probe headed for the red planet next year we take a look at what Hazza’s mission means for the local population.

The United Nations General Assembly is the pinnacle of global diplomacy. For one week every year more than 190 world leaders gather in New York City. Some of the big news stories from the UN General Assembly so far have been the impassioned speech given by 16 year old Greta Thunberg and the much more listless speech from Donald Trump. Trump addressed his anti-globalist agenda and the US relationship with Iran. Multimedia producer and host, Willy Lowry, is in the big apple reporting on events as they unfold. He speaks to The National’s Editor-in-Chief, Mina Al-Oraibi and Damien McElroy, our London Bureau-Chief about the events so far. To read more about the United Nations General Assembly visit www.thenational.ae

What does Israel’s second election in 2019 mean for Netanyahu, the Jewish population and the Arabs and Palestinians? Deputy foreign editor, Jack Moore, takes a look at the results of the vote and speaks to people in the region about the ramifications for the state and those living inside it. Can Israel’s titan, Benjamin Netanyahu, hold on to power and what does Benny Gantz offer as an alternative? With Natanyahu facing corruption charges is it possible he is looking for immunity more than power? And what hope does the Joint List offer Arab Israelis or the Palestinians in the occupied territories? Jack speaks to Miriam Berger, freelance journalist in Jerusalem, Hugh Lovatt, Middle East and North Africa policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and Tareq Baconi, Ramallah-based Israel/Palestine analyst for The Crisis Group to get an insight into the prospects for the country.

US National Security Advisor John Bolton has been fired. Or perhaps he resigned. On Twitter Donald Trump says he fired him whilst Bolton claims he quit. The hawkish security advisor has been one of Iran’s most vocal critics so what does his departure mean for the Middle East? Host James Haines-Young speaks to Douglas Silliman, former US Ambassador to Iraq, and Joyce Karan, The National’s Washington correspondent, about what Bolton’s role was in the Trump administration and what his departure might bring.

In the first 26 days of August alone, 1,114 square kilometres of Brazil's Amazon rainforest, an area equivalent to the size of Hong Kong was on fire. Tens of thousands of fires, far more than last year, have broken out and nbunrned off hundred of kilometres of one of the world's most diverse and unique habitats. But this isn't a natural distaster. James Haines-Young speaks to prominent climate scientist, Carlos Nobre, and Natalie Unterstell, Director of policy at Talanoa solutions in Brazil about who is starting these fires and why.

This week, we ask if Israel is stepping up its campaign against Iran and will it spark a war with Hezbollah. We talk to Sunniva Rose, the National's Beirut correspondent and Joseph Haboush, the national editor of The Daily Star, Lebanon's only english language newspaper. The National's deputy foreign editor, Jack Moore, joins James to talk about why this is all happening and how it's being seen from Beirut and Tel Aviv.

On this week's episode, we catch up with The National’s Hamza Hendawi to talk about the historic move to democracy in Sudan and what he sees as the challenges ahead. We also speak to Sara Abduljaleel, a spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association, one of the leading umbrella groups that organised the protests. Catch up on our episode when Hamza was in Sudan after Omar Al Bashir was forced from his 30-year dictatorship. Here is the link to the episode: Sudan moves on from Omar Al Bashir

Hong Kong is facing one of the biggest crisis since Britain handed the city back to China in 1997. For 10 weeks, protesters have shut down the city, stormed the legislature, and even shut down the airport. Dozens have been arrested, scores of police and protesters have been wounded in clashes. In this week's Beyond the Headlines we’re asking why thousands of residents of Hong Kong taking to the streets in increasingly violent protests against the city’s leaders. We’ll hear from one young resident of Hong Kong who attended some of the early protests and also from David Schlesinger, the former editor in chief of Reuter’s news agency and an expert on Hong Kong and China.

On this week's episode we talk to Aya Al-Umari, the sister of Hussein Al-Umari, one of the victims who was gunned down in the Christchurch massacre earlier this year. King Salman of Saudi Arabia has invited her amongst two hundred relatives and survivors of the shooting to perform Hajj. The Hajj is an essential part of Islam and undertaking the pilgrimage can be a difficult though rewarding task. Aya tells us about her experience in Makkah, the feelings of kinship with the millions of Muslims visiting the country for the pilgrimage and how she feels her brother's presence is accompanying her on her journey.

This summer has beaten temperature records. Throughout July, Europe sweltered in baking heat. Paris hit 42 degrees centigrade, Berlin 40 and London 39. It is projected that at current rates of climate change many cities across the world will be uninhabitable by 2070 due to the heat. Such extremes will become increasingly common until it’s the norm not the exception. So what can we do in the face of increasing temperatures? Host James Haines-Young asks how we can heatproof our cities. He speaks to Professor Shipworth, Professor of Energy and the Built Environment at University College London and Karim El Jisr from See Nexus who is already living in a city of the future, built to withstand summer temperatures in the UAE without pumping out masses of Co2. While you're here please do subscribe and leave a review. Read more on our website: • Hitting climate target like landing man on the moon, says Danish ambassador to UAE • Planting 350 million trees, Ethiopia strikes at the roots of climate change • Temperature records tumble as extreme heatwaves become new reality • You think this is hot? The US heatwave has nothing on the UAE summer

Around the world, many governments are starting to take action about carbon emissions, looking at ways to cut greenhouse gases produced each year that are warming up our planet. But action is slow, the choices we face are stark and time is limited. Green and renewable energies are increasing and people today are more aware of the need to reuse, reduce and recycle. But to truly make an impact experts tell us cutting emissions is not enough. We must remove carbon dioxide from the air. Host James Haines-Young looks into the natural resource Oman has to offer that can do just that. Ibra's rocks and boulders hold the secret to what scientists now think could make a viable, industrial scale carbon capture and storage. Subscribe for free to receive new episodes every week: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | Audioboom | Spotify | RSS

At around 2 am on July 4, the Panamanian flagged Iranian tanker Grace 1 was boarded by British Royal Marines off the coast of Gibraltar at the mouth of the Mediterranean. The Marines from 42 Commando division stormed the vessel. some descended onto the ship’s deck by ropes from a Wildcat helicopter. The rest approached the side via speedboat. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host James Haines-Young, takes a look at the seized ship accused of dodging Syria-sanctions. Read more on our website: • Vanished Strait of Hormuz tanker 'towed to Iran for repairs', says Tehran • We will negotiate if US lifts sanctions, says Iranian foreign minister • Britain wants assurances before releasing Iranian oil tanker, Jeremy Hunt says • Panama withdrawing flags from vessels that violate sanctions

In Northern Syria tens of thousands of women and children are now living in squalid, overcrowded camps. Thousands more military aged men have been corralled into Kurdish jails. Hundreds of them had left their homes in Europe and America to join the militants. Publicly, United States President Donald Trump has called for countries to take responsibility for their nationals who joined ISIS in Iraq and Syria and return them home. But how is America handling its extremists? A retired former probation officer has lead a deradicalisation programme in Minnesota with a local Somalian community. Can the results be used to counteract the threat of ISIS ideology? James Haines-Young speaks to The National's correspondent Stephen Starr, along with Nikita Malik from the Henry Jackson Society and Colin Clarke from the Soufan Group in New York to find out what the strategies and options are. If you would like to listen to our podcast about returning European ISIS fighters you can do so here. Subscribe for free to receive new episodes every week: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | Audioboom | Spotify | RSS

The first written records of locust swarms are over 3 millennia old. Today, international organisations work to prevent the formation of these swarms that devour their own body weight in food every day. A swarm of desert locusts can build into tens of millions of insects, wreaking havoc on farmland, and are a serious threat to human food security. In 2019 swarms have hit Sardinia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Jordan and Yemen. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host James Haines-Young speaks to Keith Cressman from the FAO Desert Locust Information Service that keeps a watch on all potential locust infestations across the globe and Professor Stephen Simpson AC, the Academic Director of the Charles Perkins Centre, who has over three decades experience in studying locusts. Read more on our website: • Massive locust swarm provides a desert bounty in central Yemen - in pictures • Jordan sends out air force to defeat locust swarm • Like the locusts, the regional response knows no borders • Swarms of locusts descend on Al Dhafra in Abu Dhabi

Hundreds of protesters converged on the streets of the southern Iraqi city of Basra last week. Demonstrators across the province are calling for structural change to fix rampant corruption, a stagnant economy, high unemployment and underfunded public utilities. Protests in Iraq are common, but last summer's demonstrations saw an escalation into violence. Hundreds were wounded and killed, and many thousands more were arrested after clashes with police forces. Government buildings were set on fire, and the province was on the edge of revolt. Despite the violence, little has changed. The government still suffers from mismanagement and fraud. The country's elite have done little to improve conditions for the lower classes. As temperatures creep closer to 50°C and the struggling electrical grid and fresh water supply are strained, many question whether the protests will spiral into similar violence. On this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Campbell MacDiarmid speaks with Dr Renad Mansour, a research fellow in the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, and Belkis Wille, the senior Iraq researcher in the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch. Read more on our website: Southern Iraq: Basra protests resume as temperatures and anger rise Iraq’s electricity ministry subjected to political meddling, minister says After years of war and drought, Iraq's bumper crop is burning

On June 13th, two more tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman, just over a month after four vessels off the coast of the Emirate port at Fujairah. The USA blames Iran for the attacks and has sent one thousand troops to the region to deter any further attacks. Host, James Haines-Young looks at the strategic relevance of the Strait of Hormuz where the attacks happened and what the political motivations are behind the attacks. He speaks to Jennifer Gnana, The National's energy correspondent and Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, Research Fellow on the Middle East from the Royal United Services Institute in London to discuss the economic aspects of instability in the region and the origins and outcomes of the current tensions. You can listen to our podcast on the rising tension between Iran and the USA in May here. Find related coverage and more at The National website.

On October 7, 2001 US forces invaded Afghanistan in response to the devastating 9/11 attacks by Al Qaeda from bases in the Afghan mountains. Although this drove the Taliban from power in a matter of days, 18 years later the bloody conflict is ongoing. It is by far the longest US war and the most expensive. We speak to Stefanie Glinski in Kabul who has been reporting from across Afghanistan for The National, speaking to government supporters and Taliban families, reporting on war damaged schools and hearing how people in the cafes of Kabul are trying to build a more hopeful future. Nargis Azaryun who works with Open Society Foundations tells us about what peace talks mean for the societal changes that have occurred since the war started. We also hear from Graeme Smith from Crisis group in London who spent years in Afghanistan, about efforts for talks, why they’re taking place now and what might come of it all. Read more on our website: The hidden lives of children of the Afghan Taliban 'What use is it all': surge in Kabul violence leaves Afghans celebrating Eid in Hospital America's closing act in Afghanistan is playing out as both tragedy and farce

This week on Beyond the Headlines, we look into the growing number of European ISIS fighters captured in Syria and ask what should Europe do with them? France has agreed to allow eleven ISIS fighters to be handed over to Iraq where the penalty for belonging to a terrorist group is death. France is opposed to the death penalty and has campaigned against the punishment globally. Is there a growing change in the European public's appetite for reform and rehabilitation? We speak top Hanif Qadir, who joined Al Qaeda in the early 2000s and has been working on deradicalisation and counter extremism programmes in the UK ever since his return in 2003. Also on the show is Dr Drew Mikhael, a fellow at Queen's University in Belfast who has spent years researching the nature of radicalisation and Anthony Dworkin, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. You can keep up to date with all the headlines, news and more of our podcasts at https://www.thenational.ae/

After a photograph of a queue of climbers waiting to summit Mount Everest went viral, we explore what risks this poses for climbers and sherpas. Eleven deaths have been recorded on the mountain so far this year, more than double last year's count. Some have attributed the deaths to overcrowding on the mountain. This week on Beyond the Headlines, we’re joined by Lakpa Rita Sherpa, a seasoned sherpa who has led more than 17 expeditions to the summit and Fatima Deryan, the first Lebanese woman to reach the peak.

The US has upped the pressure on Iran and since the start of May, tensions across the Middle East have risen. Officials on both sides are publically saying they don’t want a war but have released numerous statements warning of the devastating consequences if the other starts one. In recent weeks, there has been an uptick in rockets and weaponized drones launched towards Saudi Arabia from Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, four ships were sabotaged off the coast of the UAE, and a rocket landed in the secure Baghdad Green Zone where the US embassy is located. Analysts are concerned that despite no one wanting war, a regional game of brinksmanship could lead to a conflict. Iran has dozens of proxy forces across the region from Lebanon to Yemen and an increase in US forces in the region being implemented, there is a lot of room for mistakes. It doesn’t appear that anyone in the region wants to see the situation spill over and several intermediaries – including Iraq and Oman – are stepping forward even if Washington and Tehran say that the time’s not right for talks. This week on Beyond the headlines, we’re joined by The National’s Washington Correspondent Joyce Karam to discuss what’s next for the US and Iran and how do parties cool tensions when neither side appears set to talk.

Moored off Yemen’s Red Sea Coast is a rusting oil tanker, with a million barrels of crude aboard. It has been described as a 'floating bomb'. After going without maintenance for the duration of Yemen’s four-year civil war, the UN says it is now at risk of exploding, potentially unleashing an environmental catastrophe on an historic scale. But, with 80 million dollars’ worth of oil involved, Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government have disagreed on what is to be done.

For months, the headlines have revolved around the winding down of the Syrian war and what the next phase looks like. In April, US backed and Kurdish led forces retook the once sprawling so called caliphate of ISIS in eastern Syria. Across much of the rest of the country, the regime was consolidating control. But talking about the future has overlooked the fate of nearly 3 million civilians living in the last rebel-held territory that is now largely controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group of hardline extremists once affiliated to Al Qaeda. In recent weeks, the regime and its backers in Tehran and Moscow have turned their attention to the North eastern province of Idlib. Over 150,000 people have already been displaced and 100 civilians killed in a campaign that those who fled Aleppo and Deraa say is as intense.

For three decades, Omar Al Bashir ruled over Sudan. But in April, in the face of growing protests, he was removed from office and the future of the country was suddenly up in the air. In this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines, we talk about the changes sweeping Sudan. Hamza Hendawi, The National’s Cairo correspondent, has been on the ground in Sudan this week. He tells foreign editor James Haines-Young about the mood in the streets of Khartoum, where since December demonstrations have drawn millions and eventually helped lead to a dramatic end to the ruinous reign of Mr Al Bashir. Now, the military along with the main protest group – dubbed the Freedom and Change Forces – are working together to oversee the transition into Sudan's new future.

Suicide bombs, 359 dead and an ISIS claim of responsibility. On Sunday, Sri Lanka was hit by the single largest terror attack in its history. Hundreds attending Easter Sunday mass or at high-end Colombo hotels were killed and wounded in a coordinated wave of bombings. In the wake of the blasts, communities have undoubtedly rallied together. But the shared grief belies the underlying communal tensions that have existed for years. Amid the pain, there is also anger. It appears intelligence received by some government officials could have helped police prevent the attacks. But the documents were not shared with everyone. Jack Moore, Deputy Foreign Editor at The National, talks us through the last week in Sri Lanka where he has been reporting.

The scale of India’s ongoing election is staggering – nearly 900 million people are registered to cast their ballots. And there are many issues at stake, with India's economy on pace to become of the world's five largest this year. While many have been concerned about the economy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s track record of reforms, national security, the rural economy and Hindi nationalism are all issues that have played a central role as Indians go to the polls. The National's Ramola Talwar Badam was in Uttar Pradesh, and she brings perspective and analysis with foreign editor James Haines-Young in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines.