Beyond the Headlines

The right to self-determination is not only the core upon which we gauge human rights but it’s considered one of the fundamental freedoms the United Nations outlines as necessary to all mankind. So why is that when people look to exercise that freedom, it’s almost universally met with resistance? We spoke to Mina Al Droubi, reporter at The National, about what is happening in Iraqi #Kurdistan and what the referendum might mean in terms of the region actually gaining independence. In #Spain, another unrelated push for independence is coming from the Catalans as they look to achieve a long-desired autonomous state. We spoke to Richard Ferraris, who is reporting on the events in Barcelona. At home in the UAE, a new law will see for the first time in the region an excise tax hike aimed directly at urging consumers to make more health conscious decisions. The tax includes a 100 per cent hike on both cigarettes and energy drinks and a 50 per cent tax on cola. This could be a precursor for more moves of its kind in the future, Roberta Penington told us.

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#currentaffairs #news #politics #iraq #uae #middleeast #foreign #world

Another session of the United Nations General Assembly has come and gone. Fiery speeches, discussions of nuclear war and celebrity appearances made the headlines. But beyond the headlines, there were developments that are poised to impact lives all over the world, including millions in the Middle East. In this podcast, Editor in Chief Mina Al-Oraibi, London Bureau Chief Damien McElroy and Washington DC correspondent Joyce Karam take an in-depth look at Libya, Syria and Yemen -- three countries that received considerable attention at the 72nd General Assembly and currently have peace processes being mediated by the UN. Finishing things off, they also look at the prospects of reform at the global body and the initiatives championed by Secretary-General António Guterres.

President Trump has addressed world leaders at the United Nations headquarters in New York City for the first time since taking office, and he didn’t mince words. He took direct aim at the regimes in Pyongyang and Tehran, while highlighting key policy approaches including military engagements 'without arbitrary timetables' and promoting the 'sovereignty' of nations. In this podcast, Editor in Chief Mina Al-Oraibi is joined by London Bureau Chief Damien McElroy and correspondent Joyce Karam to digest the President's words, and their potential impact on the global order.

The United Nations general assembly kicks off in earnest next week. We analyse what might happen in some of the highlights expected from the meeting, including American President Donald Trump’s first real address to the international community and UN Secretary General António Guterres presiding over his first General Assembly debate since assuming his new role. Mina Al Oraibi, Editor in Chief of The National and a journalist with more than 10 years experience covering the event in New York, gives insight into just how much happens on the side-lines and whether the intergovernmental body still holds its weight in global politics. Toby Harward, head of the UNHCR office in the UAE, describes how refugees are not only one of the biggest issues on the agenda this year but could become increasingly more prevalent as global warming is likely to cause even more human displacement as the earth warms. Carla Mirza, a writer for The National, explains that more could be done in the UN if people begin to understand leadership dynamics and how personalities play a part on this, the global stage.

Despite two potential wars on the horizon, people are still finding it in them to get angry at cartoons. This week, nuclear war might break out between the US and North Korea in an unpredictable game of attrition and reporter Rob Crilly explains to us how tensions are rising between the two. With nuclear weapons involved a war between the two would involve the entire region, if not the entire world. How likely is that to happen?

In the Middle East, Israel and Lebanon might be going at it again. With the US sounding the alarm and Israel making complaints at the UN, war in Lebanon might be closer than we think. We spoke to Luna Safwan, a Beirut-based journalist, who told us that war this time would be even worse than the conflict between the two in 2006.

Despite all this war of talk, possibly the most controversial message to come out of any periodical or newspaper this week was surprisingly, a cartoon. Unsurprisingly, it came from Charlie Hebdo. Cartoonist Armand Homsi shed some light on the ethics of cartooning and how drawing the line in satire is difficult to understand internationally.

This week, more than 2 million people will go to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, Islam’s holiest event on the calendar. What draws so many to go through what is not an easy journey, one that is often marred in media coverage that seldom highlights the significance the pilgrimage has with every practicing Muslim. We speak to Islamic scholar who works for Awqaf in the UAE, Yusuf Jha, who explains the spirituality of Hajj, often overlooked in Western media. Our reporter Haneen Al Dajani, who performed Hajj in 2012, provides a unique insight into what it means for to have performed Hajj. Finally, we talk to one of our former writers, Ayesha Al Mazroui, who is now in Hajj performing the pilgrimage for the first time.

Beyond the Headlines is The National's weekly current-affairs podcast. #news #islam #mecca #hajj #foreign #world

This week, Yemen might be approaching the first step towards a peace agreement in the three-year war. We use poetry to understand what that means. Oxford University academic Elisabeth Kendall gives us an idea of how Yemen could be understood through tribal lines. Host Naser Alwasmi speaks to Mina Al Droubi to get an understanding of how ISIL exists in Iraq and how the battle against the caliphate is being used as a political tool for Prime Minister Haidar Al Abadi to guarantee success in the upcoming elections. Finally, in the event of Emirati Women’s Day, we interview Etihad Airways' first female pilot Salma Al Baloushi, a UAE pioneer.

Beyond the Headlines is the current affairs podcast for The National. #yemen #foreign #world #iraq #isil #isis #uae

This week, half a million kilograms of rocket fuel launch an Emirati high school student’s experiment into space, as part of the Genes in Space competition. The show features a clip from Alia Al Mansoori during the launch of the shuttle from the Kennedy Space Centre. Also, Joyce Karam tells host, Naser Al Wasmi, how the alt-right and neo-nazis in the United States have found a champion in Syrian dictator Bashaar Al Assad. Finally, Taimur Khan, our Gulf Correspondent, draws from both history and his family’s personal legacy as Pakistan turns 70 and tells us what the future holds for the dynamic country.

Beyond the Headlines is The National's weekly look at current affairs affection the Middle East and abroad.

#News #Politics #MiddleEast #Space #NASA #Pakistan #Foreign #World #Trump #Syria #USA #rasicm #bigotry

For International Youth Day, Editor in chief Mina Al Oraibi is joined by a few of The National's resident youngsters -- Mina Al Droubi, Juman Jarallah and Naser Alwasmi -- to discuss what it means to be young and Arab in the UAE. What are the unique challenges? How can the region do more to create opportunity and harnessing potential. They also discuss their hopes for the future and what International Youth Day means to them. A special edition of Beyond the Headlines.

Episode 6: The Torch tower in Dubai erupted in flames this week, the second time one of the world's tallest residential buildings has done so in little over a year. The National's Ramola Talwar tells Naser Al Wasmi how new UAE building standards might help avoid fires like the one that happened in one of the world’s largest residential buildings last week. On Qatar, Mishaal Al Gergawi, the founder of Delma Institute, talks about the irreparable damage the crisis might be causing to the idea and the identity of an Arabian Gulf national. And finally, Jo Tan, an editor at The National, interviews a former Singaporean diplomat on how Golf and a tropical beach shaped ASEAN.