Beyond the Headlines

The challenges of finding a Covid-19 vaccine

News update: Since publishing this podcast China announced on October 9 that it has joined Covax, the global scheme for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine backed by the World Health Organisation.


There are currently more than 150 Covid-19 vaccines in development. Billions of dollars are being pumped into research in the hope that a viable drug can reach the market in record time and ease the effects of the pandemic on individuals, societies and the global economy. 

This week we talk about the challenges in the race to find a coronavirus vaccine. We hear from Dr Jeremy Rossman, a virologist at the University of Kent, and Daniel Bardsley, who writes about the coronavirus for The National.

Hosted by Suhail Akram.

Iraq's year of protests, assassinations and foreign interference

On October the 1st 2019, protestors took to the streets of Iraq demonstrating against unemployment, government corruption and poor public services, such as electricity and clean water. As Iraqis mark the one year anniversary of the October protests, demonstrators have vowed to keep the protests going unless their demands of a peaceful and prosperous homeland are met.

Renad Mansour, senior research fellow in the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, and Inas Jabbar, human rights activist from Baghdad, tells us what has changed since the October protests started and whether protesting is achieving anything.

Hosted by Suhail Akram.

Saudi Arabia at 90, an evolution from Bedouin culture to leading power

Nadia Abdulwahab, Lecturer in English Literature at Umm Al Qura University, and Marcel Kupershoek, author and senior humanities research fellow at NYU Abu Dhabi takes us through the evolution of Saudi Arabia and its people, since the founding of the kingdom. We also hear from Ahmed Al Saleh, a 25-year old Saudi student, and Salma Ibrahim, a 27-year old electrical engineer, about the changes they see in the kingdom and their excitement for the future of Saudi. 

Hosted by Balquees Basalom.

The Abraham Accord between Israel and the UAE

On the 15th of September, the UAE signed the historic Abraham Accord with Israel at a ceremony in Washington DC, in the first such agreement between an Arab country and Israel in over a quarter of a century.

We hear from Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, UAE’s permanent representative to the United Nations, and Omar Ghobash, UAE's assistant minister for cultural affairs and public diplomacy, about the UAE’s groundbreaking decision.

Ambassador Dennis Ross, who served under President Barack Obama, President Clinton and President George H. W. Bush, and Ambassador Barbara Leaf, former US Ambassador to the UAE, give their takes on the agreement and what it means for the region.

Hosted by Willy Lowry.

Social media and the freedom of speech

Free speech is part of the US bill of rights, which was ratified in 1791. It grants the freedom to express any opinion, without any restrictions or penalty from the government. However, there are restrictions to this right, in law. These include speech that incites violence, is part of criminal conduct or commercial advertising. As social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter don't have to enforce freedom of speech, many feel they should. 

This week, we hear from Mathew Ingram, chief digital writer for the Columbia Journalism Review, and Dr. Peter Yacobucci, an associate professor of political science at Buffalo State University. With the US presidential election fast approaching, they tell us how social media giants are grappling with freedom of speech.

Hosted by Cody Combs.

How gas exploration in the Mediterranean is pitting Turkey against Europe

News update. Since publishing this podcast Greece and Turkey have agreed to talks to avoid military escalation and accidents in the Eastern Mediterranean, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on September 3.

On the 14th of August 2020, Greek and Turkish warships in the eastern Mediterranean collided. What was deemed a minor incident, prompted a virtual meeting of all 27 EU member states, and a statement was issued hinting at the possibility of sanctions in the future if Turkey failed to de-escalate.

Turkey’s foreign minister responded by saying, "Instead of indulging Greece and giving unconditional support, the EU should invite Athens to act with reason." 

As Turkey announced maritime training exercises in the Mediterreanean, viewed in Europe as an aggressive move, France and Italy said they would also be heading into the waters for joint naval exercises with Greece and Cyprus. 

On the 2nd of September, US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo called for all parties involved to reduce tensions in the easter mediterranean.

In this week's Beyond the Headlines, host Sulaiman Hakemy, takes a look at the rising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. 

How do people become radicalised online and can we stop it?

This week on Beyond the Headlines, we ask Athina Tzemprin from Moonshot CVE, an organisation that works to prevent radicalisation of people online, and Jesse Morton a former recruiter for Al Qaeda, who now works for Parallel Networks Inc, how people get radicalised on the internet.

We also hear from Chelsea Daymon, a terrorism researcher and PhD candidate at the American University in Washington DC about her research which involved joining ISIS groups on social media platforms to learn more about them.

Hosted by Taylor Heyman.

What is long-haul Covid and is it real?

‘Long haulers’ or ‘Long-termers’ are people who have recovered from the coronavirus but weeks or even months later, are still experiencing symptoms.

Diana Berrent, founder of Survivor Corps - a Facebook group with 90,000 members who discuss Covid-19 and its symptoms and seek each other's help, tells us about her experience with long-term symptoms from Covid-19. Dr. Natalie Lambert, associate research professor of medicine at Indiana University, partnered with Survivor Corps to research about these long-haul cases. She explains why we need to take cues from patient experiences and carefully understand what they need to recover. 

We also hear from Marcus Tomoff, a member of Survivor Corps, who contracted the virus and later on became a long-hauler. He describes how his life changed ever since he got a false negative.

This podcast is hosted by Suhail Akram.

Lebanon explosion: What will Lebanon do now?

In this episode, we talk to Bassam ZaaZaa, a reporter with The National, and Zina Malas, a student at the American University of Beirut about their experience of the explosion. We also talk to Marianne Samaha, programme director for aid agency Plan International, who tells us who is most affected by the explosion.

Hosted by James Haines Young

SFX provided by:
Ramston: https://freesound.org/people/Ramston/sounds/262254/
https://freesound.org/people/Ramston/sounds/262231/#

What happened when Beirut exploded?

James Haines Young pieces together the explosion and the immediate aftermath.

He talks to The National’s Sunniva Rose and Lina Mokadden, a resident in Lebanon, who explain what the explosion felt like and the aftermath. We also hear from Najat Aoun Saliba, Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the American University of Beirut, and Professor Andrew Tyas, an academic at the University of Sheffield specialising in blast and impact engineering, about the effects of the explosion. Mona Harb, a Professor of Urban Studies, tells us why Beirut didn't just lose lives, but also it's heritage.

To watch the explosion, click here.