Beyond the Headlines

Why did so many buildings collapse in Turkey’s earthquake?

Most people were tucked up in bed when the first quake hit. The ground shook violently as a fault roughly 200 km long and 25km wide slipped, causing a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

The force of the quake in the early hours of February 6 caused death and destruction across hundreds of kilometres of eastern Turkey and northern Syria.

The UN estimated that 23 million people were affected; the death toll jumped by hundreds, hour after hour.  

But as a number of experts told us in the wake of the tragedy, it’s not earthquakes that kill – it’s collapsing buildings.

This week on Beyond the Headlines, host James Haines-Young takes a closer look at the catastrophe and asks: could more have been done to make the buildings quake-proof?

Are we prepared for another pandemic?

We all know exactly what happened three years ago. The winter we didn’t expect was coming, and it stayed with us for years.

This time of the year now comes with memories of the world’s first Covid lockdown in China, and later when almost 3.9 billion people around the world followed suit. But still, more than 6 million people lost their lives due to coronavirus.

So what have we learnt from the pandemic?

On this week’s episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Enas Refaei takes a look at the legacy of Covid-19 and our preparedness for another pandemic.

How did Ukraine finally get the tanks it wanted?

It took months of wrangling and it nearly didn’t happen - but Ukraine will soon get some of the most formidable tanks ever built.

At the start of the war in February 2022, Western aid focused on sending either equipment the Ukrainian military already used, or items like night-vision and body-armour that could quickly be assimilated.

And for a long time there were still no tanks. But then that changed.

This week on Beyond the Headlines, host James Haines-Young takes a closer look at how and why the West suddenly agreed to send its best battle tanks to Ukraine and what this means for the war as it approaches its one year anniversary.

Davos 2023: Highlights from the World Economic Forum

Thousands of business leaders, policy makers, experts, heads of government and state have gathered once again in a snowy Swiss mountain resort in January. There are crises affecting different parts of the world; the war in Ukraine, mitigating the impact of climate change and weakening global economic outlook. But other regions, like the Middle East, are looking at the opportunities from a world in transition.

In this special episode of Beyond the Headlines at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, host Mustafa Alrawi is highlighting the main discussions of the forum with The National’s editor in chief Mina Al-Oraibi and CNN’s international correspondent and anchor Richard Quest.

Why Covid in China spread so fast

Since Covid-19 first emerged in Wuhan province in late 2019, China has pursued an aggressive containment policy. In October, 28 cities across China were in some form of lockdown impacting 207 million people.
By comparison, much of the world had got rid of lockdowns, international travel had resumed, and life was returning to normal. But the government still maintained that Zero Covid was the most cost effective policy.

People across China started to protest – lift the restrictions. Then the infections spread. In the first 20 days of December 2022, China may have had 250 million Covid infections alone – that’s according to a leaked memo from top health officials. Reports from hospitals show overwhelmed wards, but officials in Beijing insist that everything is under control

This is Beyond the Headlines, host James Haines-Young looks at how many cases there are in China, how the numbers exploded so fast and what this means for the rest of the world.

Football history in the making as the Arabian Gulf Cup returns to Iraq

The Arabian Gulf Cup is returning to Iraq for the first time since 1979.

Coming less than a month after the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the tournament in the once war-torn city of Basra represents another electrifying moment for football fans in the region. 

This week on Beyond the Headlines, host Robert Tollast takes a closer look at an historic moment in sport for Iraq - and what it means for the country and the region.

What’s changed around the world in 2022?

2022 was a year of uncertainty on the global stage.

Amid the lingering impact of Covid-19, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused a fresh shock to the system and its reverberations were felt across the planet. 

The unnerving combination of a European land war and the inflation it helped to export worldwide wasn’t what anyone expected as life was just beginning to move forward from the pandemic.

This week on Beyond the Headlines, as we turn the corner from 2022, host Jamie Goodwin speaks to The National’s correspondents as they look at this year’s pivotal moments and their lessons.

What has changed in the Middle East in 2022?

2022 was a year in the global spotlight for the Middle East. 

Mass protests in Iran after the death of a young woman in police custody brought about real hope of change, while in Israel, the re-election of Benjamin Netanyahu kick-started a journey towards what has been described as a fully right-wing government.

The Middle East held its first World Cup and the region also returned to the forefront of the global drive for carbon neutrality when Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh hosted the UN’s climate change conference.

This week on Beyond the Headlines, host Jamie Goodwin speaks to The National’s regional correspondents as they go through the year’s biggest stories in the Middle East.

Tunisia’s parliamentary elections - what to expect

On December 17, 2010, Tunisian fruit seller Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation became the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the Arab Uprisings. Coinciding with the 12th anniversary of his death, Tunisians head to the polls on Saturday for the second time this year.

Over those years, Tunisia has seen new constitutions, changing governments, different presidents and deadlocked parliaments. All played out against a backdrop of terrorist attacks and food shortages.

While politicians promise people a better tomorrow, there have been calls for boycotts and demonstrations in the week leading up to the polls.

This week on Beyond the Headlines, host James Haines Young looks at what’s next for Tunisia as it heads back to the ballot box.

Iran’s religious rules and the force that upholds them

A group of men in green uniforms and women in loose black chador head scarfs roaming the streets in a van is a familiar sight in Iran. This is a patrol by Iran’s so-called morality police
 
Officially called the Guidance Patrol, officers have the power to arrest anyone deemed to be flouting the country’s strict rules on how men and women should dress and act in public.
 
While officially they police everyone - men wearing shorts or showing visible tattoos can fall foul of officers - it is women who are overwhelmingly scrutinised.
 
On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host James Haines-Young looks at Iran’s religious rules and the force that upholds them.