Beyond the Headlines

Noura Al Kaabi on UAE's effort to re-build Al Nuri Mosque

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.

Songs of Revolution

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.

Politics, protests and partying in the streets of Lebanon

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.

Where are Iraq's protests going?

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.

Why Turkey is invading Northern Syria

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.

As Hazza Al Mansouri returns, the UAE looks to Mars, the Moon and beyond

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.

Hazza Al Mansouri and the UAE’s space ambitions

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.

UNGA special: Greta Thunberg and Donald Trump

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

Is the Israeli election Netanyahu’s final chapter?

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.

Bye bye, Bolton

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.