Beyond the Headlines

Taliban bombings in Afghanistan's election

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?

Syria-Jordan border restoration opens up many opportunities

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.

Scientists warn: Act now on climate change or it will be too late

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.

Refugees trapped in Libya ask for mercy

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.

At least on Iran, Trump has clear message

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?

A summer of reform in the UAE

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.

The cultural importance of rebuilding Mosul; Child mortality rates in Afghanistan on the rise

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.

Iraq's parliament starts off on wrong foot; the US-Palestine relationship

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.

How does Caspian Sea demarcation affect Iran?

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.

The view from Hajj; Rohingya refugee update

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.