Beyond the Headlines

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.

Benjamin Netanyahu has won a fifth term in office and looks set to be Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister, after a campaign which saw him pledge to annex the occupied West Bank.

After weeks of mounting protest, Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika has stepped down, ending 20 years as the country’s ruler. While the moment is historic, protesters – many of whom won’t remember a time before Mr Bouteflika was their president – are not finished. Fear that a younger, healthier version of the ailing 82-year old will step into his place or that the army may co-opt power, they say they will push on to ensure a real democratic transition. After years of economic stagnation after oil revenue – the backbone of the economy – collapsed when oil prices fell in 2014, people are calling for a brighter future. Unemployment is high, costs are rising and many felt that there would be no future if Mr Bouteflika had won a fifth term in the election that was supposed to take place in April. But now, they say they are turning a new page in their country’s history. In this week’s Beyond the Headlines, The National’s Foreign Editor James Haines-Young speaks to Chellali Khalil who has been part of the protests since the start, and Algerian researcher Tin Hinane El Kadi from the London School of Economics to ask how the country got here and what comes next.

The Untied Kingdom’s march towards Brexit has been postponed but questions about the fate of the country’s place in the world continue to swirl. Prime Minister Theresa May has been given extra few weeks to breath but the UK remains no closer to any solutions. On this week’s edition of Beyond the Headlines The National’s Editor-in-Chief Mina Al Oraibi sat down with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss how the divide nation can move forward.

It's been one week since the terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch New Zealand. The mass shooting was the worst peacetime attack in New Zealand’s history, and has shaken the country to its core. In the week that followed the slaying of 50 people by a white supremacist gunman at two separate mosques, New Zealanders rallied around the victims, while grappling with shock, grief and anger. The government, meanwhile, has moved swiftly to announce stricter gun laws. The National's journalists and expatriated New Zealanders, Ashleigh Stewart and Campbell MacDiarmid, discuss how their homeland is responding to the tragedy, and bring stories of some of the victim's families.

Syrian Democratic Forces are slowly extinguishing what’s left of the Islamic State. The US-backed SDF has the grouped trapped in a tiny sliver of land along the Euphrates River. Baghouz, Syria, is a small farming village. Before it became home to the last pocket of ISIS, it was just a dot on the map that many Syrians hadn’t even heard of. Now it’s the centre of a months-long battle between the SDF and what’s left of ISIS. Assistant Foreign Editor, Campbell MacDiarmid and Multimedia Producer Willy Lowry travelled to Baghouz to cover ISIS’s last stand. In this edition of Beyond the Headlines, we take you to the frontlines in the fight to end ISIS.

Enric Sala has a plan to save the planet. National Geographic’s explorer-in-residence is in Abu Dhabi for the World Ocean Summit. His one message — that we need to protect 30 per cent of our planet’s land and oceans by 2030. But at a time when it feels overwhelmingly difficult to be positive about the Earth’s future, what can be done to save our habitats? “Being a conservationist, sometimes it is hard to be optimistic,” he says. But despite the worrying headlines, the plastic in our oceans, the devastating deforestation, all is not yet lost, Sala claims. “I have seen with my own eyes how nature comes back when we give her some space, both in the oceans and on the land. Right now, we are at a tipping point so it's not too late.” Listen to the full interview with Mina Al Oraibi, editor-in-chief of The National on protecting the Earth and its species.

This week, The National spoke to Alistair Burt, the British Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa. The chance to speak to the top British official was timely. Shemima Begum, who fled the UK when she was 15 to join ISIS, was found in a Syrian refugee camp recently. Four years later, she’s now pleading to return home with her new-born. But what does that mean for the UK as Shemima might be just one of many cases where former ISIS members plead to return to their countries. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, Minister Burt breaks down the situation with Shemima and her child. He also discusses the crisis in the Syrian Rukban camp, where 50,000 refugees have been cut off from aid and left to starve.

The World Economic Forum says that the digital transformation of economies and businesses will displace 75 million jobs as the division of labour shifts between humans, machines and algorithms. However, 133 million new roles may emerge that are more adapted to this technology-led future. The Abu Dhabi School of Government has partnered with Coursera, one of the world’s leading online learning platforms, to provide professional training and development programmes for critical skills such as data science, artificial intelligence, leadership and digital transformation. This week's host Mustafa Alrawi, The National's assistant editor in chief talks to Solveig Nicklos, the dean of the Abu Dhabi School of Government and Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera’s chief executive, about their initiative to support Abu Dhabi’s ambition of upskilling its governmental workforce, as well as fulfilling its potential as a knowledge economy.

Pope Francis's visit to the UAE was the first time a Catholic pontiff stepped foot in the Arabian Peninsula. During his Mass, he prayed for his devotees at Sports Zayed City Stadium and for everyone in the region. On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, Naser Al Wasmi talks to those who attended the Mass and discusses how the visit impacts the region.

The richest and most powerful people met at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos. The range of topics was as wide spanning as the challenges the world faces today. Although this year’s forum wasn’t as well attended as previous iterations of the prestigious event, it still gathers important leaders from around the world. But, with so many pertinent issues, such as climate change, the gender gap and trade tensions looming on the world, is one week enough to solve the world’s most pertinent crises?

The UAE and Saudi Arabia are entering a new phase of co-operation. The two countries announced a seven-point co-operation plan this week on money management for children, natural crises emergency plans and, perhaps most interestingly, a joint cryptocurrency. The move is the latest sign of strengthening ties between the two, and should open the door for easier business relations. It also strengthens the bond between the two countries as they look to face regional challenges in unity. We explain the deal in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines.

For thousands of years, the great Arab rivers sustained some of the world’s most important ancient civilizations. The Nile River fuelled the development of 10 thousand years of Pharaonic rule. The Tigris and Euphrates, home of Mesopotamia, were witness to some of the most important developments to mankind, including agriculture and the written word. The rivers helped spread Islam during Prophet Mohammed’s conquests and sustained generations. But today, whether through government policies or global warming, all three rivers are under threat. As Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week looks for solutions to global problems, we assess the crises surrounding the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Full report: How the great tides of history turned

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is on an expansive tour of the Gulf and wider Middle East this week. His task is to clarify President Donald Trump's often-confusing interests in the region. We discuss in this week's Beyond the Headlines. Last month, President Trump tweeted that he would pull out of Syria within 30 days, sending shockwaves around not just the region, but in his own administration. Since then, the White House has said there is timetable on US withdrawal. The message keeps changing. The National's Hashem Osserian explains how Pompeo's tour will influence the region going forward on Syria. We also ask Cinzia Bianco of Gulf State Analytics, about what else is on Pompeo's agenda.

In the middle of Africa lies one of the world's most neglected crises. In the Central African Republic — an environmentally diverse but politically fraught state — the illegal hunting of endangered species is rampant. How did the country become such a hotbed for poaching, and is there hope to rectify the situation? We look at the issue in this week's Beyond the Headlines podcast. Chinko is a wildlife refuge in the eastern part of CAR and one of the most uniquely diverse ecological landscapes in Africa. It's also home to communal violence and combative groups vying for control of some of the country's most valuable resources — illegal animal parts. The National's Campbell MacDiarmid speaks to experts and conservationists who explain the chaotic situation in CAR, and offer insights into how the country can start trying to resolve the issue.

The Middle East is not known for its good news, and 2018 was no exception. But in between the usual stories of war and political turmoil, The National's journalists found reasons for hope. We shine a light on the reasons for optimism in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines. In Iraq, date farmers work toward a future where their country is a business hub. In the West Bank, Palestinians find inspiration in art and culture. In the UAE, cultures merge to celebrate music and heritage. These stories helped remind us that plenty of reason to celebrate, however dour the headlines might seem.

The GCC has welcomed the rule book laid out as part of a COP24 deal struck in Poland, but scientists say the world is running out of time to avoid the catastrophic events brought about by unmitigated global warming. How can the region do more? Climate experts explain on this episode of Beyond the Headlines. We hear from Dr Deepthi Mittal, a program leader of the World Wildlife Fund in the UAE. She has urged governments to heed the call by scientists warning that current commitments are not enough. We also speak with Tanzeed Alam, managing director of Earth Matters Consultancy, who explains the challenges ahead for governments in the GCC as they look to break away from their fossil-fuel based economies.

Millions are on the brink of famine in Yemen. But for the first time in two years, the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels are negotiating a resolution. Last week, the UN Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, put forth a series of confidence-building measures. He says both sides need to adhere to a series of concessions to build any sort of chance at a settlement. So far, he’s succeeded in bringing both sides to agree on a prisoner exchange and made way for Houthi fighters injured in the war to fly to Oman for treatment. But the number of lives saved on the ground will ultimately define the success of these talks and that means ensuring humanitarian aid gets to the millions of starving Yemenis. We look at the process of peace in Yemen, and discuss the dire humanitarian crisis, in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines. We hear from The National’s Mina Al Droubi, who is in Sweden reporting on the peace talks, and Jueliette Touma, the UNICEF Regional Chief of Communications in the Middle East and North Africa.

In August 1990 the Iraqi military invaded neighbouring Kuwait, bombing its capital city and sparking a war that would last six months and result in thousands of deaths. Not long after the invasion, late president George H W Bush spearheaded a US-led intervention against the Iraqi forces and the country’s dictator Saddam Hussein. The death of the 41st US President on November 30th served to remind of Kuwait’s close relationship with the late president and the United States, as they paid tribute to the man who intervened against Iraq on their behalf. But across the border, for Iraqi civilians scarred by the coalition’s violent bombing of their country, the image they paint of Bush is very different. On this week’s episode of Beyond the Headlines, we discuss the lasting legacies of the Republican president in the region.

Palestinian Adeeb Joudeh is a member of one of two families safeguarding the keys to Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and is a respected figure among all factions of the city. But recently, he has come under fire. Mr Joudeh allegedly sold his home to Jewish buyers – a mark of shame among Palestinians forced to contend with Israel’s occupying forces. Real estate transactions are just one way Israelis are claiming even more land from Palestinians, but recently the Palestinian Authority has taken issue, as Wilson Fache reports from Jerusalem. He speaks to The National's Sofia Barbarani in this week's Beyond the Headlines podcast. The collective fear of losing land to settlers dates back to at least 1948, when more than 700,000 Arabs were forcefully displaced, leading the way to the formation of Israel. Today, penalties and ostracization await Palestinians who sell land to Jewish buyers. We discuss the use of real estate as a weapon of expansion in Israel and the Palestinian citizens who choose to — or are forced — to sell land and homes to Jewish settlers.

Children in the Middle East face more challenges than almost anywhere else in the world. One in four children in the region are affected by poverty, and in 2017, more than 1,823 children were killed, up from 1,563 in 2016. Armed conflict, instability and the failure of governments to provide education are all factors that have driven 5.7 million children to be out of primary school and another 3.9 million out of secondary. However, organisations like Unicef have maintained that they can help solve the problem through simple solutions. We discuss some of those solutions in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines. This year, the UN organization spent more than half of its global humanitarian budget in this Middle East and North Africa. The situation is dire, but a lot can still be done. Geert Cappalaere, Unicef's regional director, tells The National's Naser Al Wasmi what can be done to give the region's 29 million children brighter futures.

US President Donald Trump’s Republican party can no longer claim complete control of a two-branch Congress, after his rival Democratic party last week won control of the House of Representatives. The Senate, however, is still controlled by the Republicans. Newly empowered Democrats are expected to take Trump to task on many issues domestically, but to what extent will Trump's foreign policy be affected? Specifically, how might Trump's agenda in the Middle East change? We ask an expert on US-Middle Eastern affairs that question and more in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines. Danielle Pletka, the senior vice-president for foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, spoke with The National's Naser Al Wasmi, and explained the influence of a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives on Trump's Middle Eastern agenda. Will his tough stance on Iran strengthen or wane? Will new checks to his Republican party hinder the administration's goals for the region?

There's been political trouble in Sri Lanka over the past two weeks after President Maithripala Sirisena dismissed prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place. It is not clear that the president had the authority to make such a decision though, and Mr Wickremesinghe has refused to vacate the prime minister's residence. Which has left Sri Lanka in the unusual position of having two men claiming to be prime minister.

More than 10 per cent of the world’s migrant population live in the GCC, making it the highest citizen-to-migrant region in the world. A look at the demographics of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman shows that at least half of the population is non-citizen residents. In 2015, the Arab World as a whole hosted 32 million migrants, who sent home more than 100 billion dollars in remittances. However, despite their heavy presence not only in the Arab countries but around the world, international agreements on migration are practically non-existent. Louise Arbour, the UN special representative for international migration, joins host Naser Al Wasmi to discuss the upcoming International Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in Morrocco this December and how the compact will change migration in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines.

For the first time in ten years, Afghans took to the polling stations to elect candidates to National Assembly and take part in the future of their country. But a series of violent attacks have put a damper on the democratic turnout. Afghan security forces claimed more than 100 attacks took place in the week leading up to the elections and on the day, killing 23 and wounding hundreds. The Taliban claimed most of the attacks, including bombing the office of one of the candidates in the south of the country. The events represent a political reality in strife. The Taliban, who along with other insurgent groups control vast swathes of the country, attempted to curtail the elections. The attacks, which included suicide bombings, could be responsible for the low turnout. Of the 9 million registered to vote in the country, around 4 million showed up. Nonetheless, after years of delays and months of negotiations, the country has voted for the first time in a decade. On this episode, we're joined by Ruchi Kumar to answer two questions: what does this mean for the future of the country? And how will this affect the ongoing US negotiations with the Taliban over a potential peace deal?

This week, Jordan and Syria opened their border for the first time in three years. The move promises to restore the possibility for movement of both goods and people between the two countries. Jordan plays host to a large number of Syrian refugees and migrants, many of whom fled the carnage when the war broke out 7 years ago. Others have worked for decades between the two borders, trading produce, medicine and other goods. What does the border opening mean for both Syria and Jordan politically? How will this change the fate of the 1.4 million Syrian refugees in Jordan, and is this the first step towards the international Syrian diaspora returning home? We discuss these questions and more with Jordan-based journalist Taylor Luck in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines.

The world’s leading climate change scientists warned governments to act on climate change today or face a catastrophic future. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report is seen as the final warning. It says that if governments fail to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees by 2050, the world will witness significantly more violent drought, floods and extreme heat. And the Middle East is especially at risk. So are the UAE and other regional leaders doing their part? Tanzeed Alam, Managing Director of Earth Matters Consultancy, joins host Naser Al Wasmi to break down the report and assess what needs to be done in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines. Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change say that governments must act now, and that time is running out. We look to find out how the Middle East will change under global warming, and what steps we can take now.

Hundreds of men, women and children are being held in detention centres in Libya, just a stone’s throw away from clashes between rival militias, as journalist Sally Hayden has written for The National. Campbell MacDiarmid spoke with Hayden, who has direct contact with some of the men and women trapped in these jails, in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines. Also this week, we look at the ongoing parliamentary elections in Iraqi Kurdistan. A year on from a failed attempt at independence, voters express a sense of disillusion in the region’s political elite. What will the results from this election portend for the region and its relationship with Baghdad? Mina Al Droubi joins host Sofia Barbarani to discuss.

US President Donald Trump's second United Nations General Assembly was, to say the least, uneven. It started off when he showed up late to his speech at the general debate, then 20 minutes late to the UNSC briefing that he chaired. He waffled on his stance toward the Palestinian-Israeli peace plan in the span of a day. He described his correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jung Un as "beautiful". And then during his Security Council briefing on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, he seemed to claim that China was interfering in the US midterm elections against him. However, during all of that, the US president was crystal clear on Iran, and he was dead-set on making the world know it. His speeches contained strong language on Tehran, saying that its leaders were adamant on destabilizing the Arab world. We discuss Trump's impact at the UN General Assembly in this episode of Beyond the Headlines. Host Naser Alwasmi is joined by The National's Joyce Karam and Damien McElroy in New York. How will Trump's message affect US relations with foreign neighbours, and will it have any impact on the upcoming midterm elections?

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, announced the Tomorrow 2021 plan this week. It includes 50 initiatives to spur growth in areas such investment, jobs creation and improving the overall quality of life in the emirate. The announcement was the culmination of a summer full of reforms for the UAE. Mina Aldroubi and Rory Reynolds, The National's news editor, discuss what this means for the country's future in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines. Also this week, we discuss the conflict in Syria, which has swung heavily in President Bashar Al Assad’s favour. If Idlib is taken by the government, it would leave the rebels with a few pockets of territory scattered across the country, effectively signalling their defeat. The National correspondent Richard Harris analyses the situation.

Iraq needs two billion dollars to revive its cultural heritage and renovate areas destroyed by ISIS. But the country says it does not have the capacity to rebuild without support from the international community. How are the UAE and other foreign allies helping? Mina Al Droubi joins us from the Unesco conference in Paris to tell us. And in war-torn Afghanistan, child violence is on the rise more than 15 years after the US war in the country began. Preethi Nallu tells us firsthand how dire the situation has become for Afghan children. We discuss both stories in this week's Beyond the Headlines podcast.

The first day of Iraq's new parliament was a chaotic one. Where does the new government go from here? Also, the US administration is proposing a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, but it's one that has been out of favour for a long time. Why has the US-Palestine relationship become so fraught? We discuss both Iraq's new parliament and the US-Palestine situation with The National's foreign desk in this episode of Beyond the Headlines.

The Caspian Sea is the biggest enclosed body of water on earth, but depending who you ask, it’s either the largest lake in the world or a small inland sea. Either way, it has been a source of conflict among the five countries it borders — Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan — for the last 20 years. A recent gathering of the five countries might have resolved some of the legal matters. And as Robin Mills wrote for The National this week, a weakened Iran might have been left out on the ensuing oil rush in the resource-rich Caspian in this resolution. He and host Naser Al Wasmi discuss how long-sought demarcation of the Caspian Sea affects Iran and the Middle East in this week's Beyond the Headlines podcast. We also discuss how recent sanctions against Iran have perhaps hurt their position in negotiations, and how Dubai-based Dragon Oil could benefit from demarcation talks.

This week Beyond the Headlines hosts two interviews from two different corners of the Muslim world — celebration at Hajj, and an update on the ongoing Rohingya crisis. In Makkah, where over two million Muslims are fulfilling their Islamic duties for Hajj, The National's Naser Al Wasmi gives a firsthand account from Saudi Arabia. How are pilgrims adjusting to the high temperatures, and what tips can we give to others who look to descend on Makkah? Also, Campbell MacDiarmid returns from a week-long trip to Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh to provide an update on how over 700,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are surviving in increasingly desperate conditions.

Maritime oil trade from the Arabian Peninsula relies exclusively on two strategic chokepoints: The Strait of Hormuz, to the UAE’s north, and Bab Al Mandeb to the south. Despite efforts to diversify the GCC countries’ economy, oil trade remains a lifeline. More than a third of the world’s petroleum trade by sea passes through the Strait of Hormuz. At its most narrow, The Strait of Hormuz is just 54 KM wide. It connects the Arabian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, separating the shores of Oman and Iran. It’s one of the most strategically important waterways in the world. But with tensions between Iran and some of the GCC countries rising, the Strait of Hormuz might also be the GCC’s biggest strategic vulnerability. This week, we spoke to Clement Therme, who is a research fellow for Iran at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He’s based in Bahrain where he helps analyse Iran’s political trajectory.

The Bab-el-Mandeb strait is just 18 miles wide, but a large slice of global trade passes through its vital waters every day. To its north is a war zone in Yemen, and to its south sits Djibouti, a tiny but strategically crucial East African nation. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, we dissect the importance of Bab Al Mandeb, both economically and geopolitcally. Host Charlie Mitchell talks with Jennifer Gnana, who covers energy and business for The National, about the importance of Bab Al Mandeb for global shipping and markets. And Ahmed Soliman, a researcher on the Horn of Africa with the Africa Programme at Chatham House in London, offers insight into the geopolitical realities in the Horn, which have sparked a scramble to secure the strait.

Today we’re bringing you an interview with Jamie Angus, director of the BBC World Service Group. He spoke to The National’s Nick Webster in our Abu Dhabi studio about the BBC’s efforts to curb the proliferation of fake news. The Middle East is regarded as prime territory to cause further division and increase tension for online fraudsters. So what can established news organisations do to help consumers tell the difference between what is real and what is not? Mr Angus tells us how the BBC is taking a proactive approach to curb the spread of fake news.