Every year, political and business leaders from around the world come together in the quaint ski resort of Davos nestled in the Swiss Alps for dialogue on the pressing global issues, including not just economic challenges, but environmental concerns and political roadmaps.

The 54th edition of the World Economic Forum took place while many countries in the Middle East are grappling with geopolitical tensions, from the Israel and Gaza conflict to Sudan. The annual meeting is also happening while the world is still adapting to the rapid advancements in generative AI.

So, as Davos closes, what happened there this year and - what does it tell us about the direction the world is heading?

In this week’s episode of Beyond The Headlines, host Enas Refaei in Davos dissects the annual event with The National’s Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi and CNN’s Richard Quest.

Experts have long warned the violence in the Gaza Strip could spill over into a wider conflict. And those warnings have become more relevant and real today.

The US and Britain launched overnight strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, these attacks being carried out from the air and sea in response to the Iran-backed militia's attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, affecting commercial shipping.

The mission was a response to the rebel group’s nearly 30 attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea since November.

This week on Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at how the Red Sea has become a battlefield and what impact that has had on global trade.

Gaza has borne the brunt of three months of war between Israel and Hamas.

2024 will be a big year in global politics. A slew of important general elections will be held across the developing world – in India, Pakistan and Indonesia, to name but three.

The global stocktake, or what is now known as the UAE Consensus, is the first-ever climate deal to transition away from fossil fuel - and it has been unanimously approved by almost 200 nations in Dubai. This is significant, as no previous Cop text has mentioned moving away from oil and gas.

It has been a week of big announcements at the Cop28 in Dubai – from action on the loss and damage fund to pledges to reduce methane gas emissions.

But as the UN climate summit in Dubai enters in final days, much work is still to be done to help keep global temperature rises to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Heads of state and government, ministers, captains of industry, decision makers, experts, and advocates from more than 190 countries make up some of the 90,000 participants at Expo City Dubai.

Every corner of the site is full of energy, discussions and panels on diverse topics, from policy commitments and climate finance to innovations and global. 

On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Sarah Forster delves into the latest developments in climate action and global initiatives at Cop28.

The UAE’s 52nd Union Day, which falls on the 2nd of December, is special this year. It coincides with Cop28, the international climate summit taking place at Expo City in Dubai.

For decades, the relationship between the United States and Arab countries has been complex and multifaceted, and defined by a combination of geopolitical interests, economic ties and regional conflicts.

This often-fraught relationship has been affected by many factors, including the Arab-Israeli conflict, regional power dynamics and US military interventions.

With the current war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, US President Joe Biden faces domestic and global calls to pressure one of its most important allies to agree to a ceasefire with the militant group.  Mr Biden's administration has not been open to the option - despite the growing civilian death toll - something governments in the Middle East have repeatedly called for.

This week on Beyond the Headlines, host Ismaeel Naar is joined by Brian Katulis, vice president of policy at the Middle East Institute, to explain how Israel’s war on Gaza affected the US’s position in the region.

We’re almost six weeks into the Israel-Gaza war and few believe it will end any time soon. Calls for ceasefires from the international community have fallen on deaf ears and hostage release negotiations are proving fruitless. But end at some point, it must.