The Inside Story Podcast

Former Saudi intelligence agent Saad Al Jabri is suing the Saudi Crown Prince in the US, alleging Mohammed Bin Salman sent the 'hit squad' that murdered Jamal Khashoggi to kill him in Canada.

In a rare rebuke, the State Department praised Jabri and demanded answers about the safety of his children.

Will President Donald Trump, a staunch supporter for Bin Salman, be forced to take action?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Khalil Jahshan - Executive Director, Arab Center Washington DC

Mahjoob Zweiri - Director, Gulf Studies Center, Qatar University

Rami Khouri - Senior Fellow, Issam Fares Institute, American University of Beirut

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A man with close ties to the Saudi royal family falls out with the Crown Prince, goes into exile, and is targeted with assassination.

It sounds like what happened to journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

But this is the story of Saad Al Jabri.

The former Saudi intelligence official is suing Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman for damages in the U.S.

What's the potential impact of this lawsuit?

Presenter: Imran Khan

Guests:

Imad Harb - Director of Research and Analysis, Arab Center Washington DC

Abdulaziz Almoayyad - Saudi Human Rights Activist

Karen Greenberg - Director, Center on National Security, Fordham University

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"Lebanon deserves better": that's one of the main messages coming out of Beirut after Tuesday's devastating port explosion.

The blast killed at least 138 people and destroyed much of the city centre.

Many are blaming decades of government corruption and mismanagement.

Lebanon was already in an economic and political crisis before the disaster.

So can the country rise from the destruction?

Presenter: Imran Khan

Guests:

Alia Moubayed - Chief Economist for the Middle East and North Africa, Jefferies Investment Bank

Rana Khoury - Political Activistt

Karim Makdisi - Founding Director, Public Policy & International Affairs Program, American University of Beirut

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It's described by some as The Great Collapse.

The Lebanese capital Beirut is in a state of chaos and ruin.

Many have been killed, thousands injured, hundreds are missing and hospitals overwhelmed.

Homes and businesses are wrecked. A blast that struck the city with the force of an earthquake, has left the nation in shock.

Initial reports suggest explosive materials stored in a warehouse for six years in Beirut's port detonated.

About 2,700 tonnes of confiscated ammonium nitrate are thought to be involved - it's a fertilizer that can be used in bombmaking.

Health officials warned of a toxic cloud and urged people to wear masks and stay indoors.

Beirut's governor estimates about 300,000 people have been displaced.

And the economic impact is also expected to be devastating.

So, what will be the fallout from all this?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests

Edmond Abboud, adviser to the Lebanese Minister of Health.

Carmen Geha, Associate Professor of Public Administration at the American University of Beirut.

Heiko Wimmen, Director of the Lebanon Project at the International Crisis Group.

Habib Battah, journalist

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#AlJazeeraEnglish #Lebanon #InsideStory #Beirut

They're known for their role in ending the 26-year war against Tamil separatists.

Now, they are seeking to extend their family's rule over the island nation.

President Gotabaya's party aims to win a two-thirds majority in Wednesday's parliamentary election.

He'll need it to amend the constitution and restore presidential powers curbed under changes to legislation in 2015.

The Prime Minister, Mahinda, wants to be re-elected.

Many fear fractures within the opposition could help the Rajapaksas win outright.

Such a victory would concern defenders of human rights, who accuse the pair of abusing power and cracking down on dissent.

So, how crucial is the election this time?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests

Palitha Kohona, former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United Nations

Vindhya Buthpitiya, researcher at the University College London

Gehan Gunatilleke, political analyst and human rights Lawyer

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It's one of the most downloaded apps of all times and famous for its catchy videos.

The Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok has millions of users in the U.S. alone.

But many feel disappointed by President Donald Trump's threats to ban it in their country.

Now tech giant Microsoft says it will continue talks to buy Tiktok's operations in the U-S, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The corporation says it's spoken to Trump and will tackle his concerns about the social media platform.

Washington is worried users' data could be shared with the Chinese government and videos censored.

TikTok rejects that.

How far will Trump go in his business war against China?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests

Victor Gao, Vice President at the Center for China and Globalisation.

Megha Mishra, Researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute.

Elliott Zaagman, Co-Host of the podcast China Tech Investor.

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Just a few weeks ago, many governments thought they had the coronavirus under control.

The number of cases was falling and the curve of infections flattening.

Governments started lifting restrictions and reopening their economies.

Some were even praised for their successes and many people resumed their daily lives.

But that optimisim hasn't lasted. A sudden record number of infections is being reported in many countries.

Some call it a resurgence, others a comeback.

And scientsists are debating how to identifiy and define what a 'second wave' is.

The World Health Organization says the virus is unfolding in one big wave with no evidence it is impacted by changes in seasons.

And it predicts the pandemic is likely to go on for a long time.

Can lockdowns work this time?

And what will the fallout be?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests

Marcus Plescia, Chief Medical Officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, which represents health agencies across the United States.

Arisina Ma, President of the Hong Kong Public Doctors' Association.

Azeddine Ibrahimi, Director of the Medical Biotechnology Laboratory at Rabat Médical School within the University Mohammed V.

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#AlJazeeraEnglish #Coronavirus #InsideStory

It's been an eventful month since China's government imposed a national security law on Hong Kong.

China's leaders say it's essential to curb months of disruptive protests, but critics say it's the death knell of democracy in one of the most vibrant cities in the world.

Police detained student activists.

12 democratic candidates were disqualified from a now postponed legislative council election.

And despite going into exile, activists overseas such as Nathan Law now face wanted notices if they return to Hong Kong.

So what's the future for autonomy and freedom of expression in the global financial hub?

Presenter: Imran Khan

Guests:

Isaac Cheng - Pro-Democracy Campaigner

Andrew Leung - Independent China Strategist

Stephen Vines - China Analyst and Author of Defying the Dragon: Hong Kong and the World's Largest Dictatorship

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The US presidential election is planned to happen just over three months from now.

With the number of coronavirus infections still rising in the world's worst-affected country, many states are making postal voting easier so Americans won't need to queue at polling stations.

But Donald Trump says mail-in ballots will lead to fraud, without providing evidence.

The President's tweeted about wanting to delay the election, prompting criticism from Democrats and even his Republican supporters.

So can the vote be postponed?

Presenter: Imran Khan

Guests:

Adam Goodman - Republican party Strategist

Clyde Wilcox - Professor of Government at Georgetown University

Simon Rosenberg - President of the New Democrat Network think tank

#AlJazeeraEnglish #US #Election

Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook - four companies that have changed the way we live, work, shop, and stay in touch with our friends and family.

But the four American tech giants have long been accused of abusing their power to drive out competition, and mishandling user data.

The U.S. Congress has questioned the firms' Chief Executives as part of a year-long investigation into their business practices.

So, have the internet giants become too powerful? And is there a need for new laws to regulate them?

Presenter: Imran Khan

Guests:

Larry Irving - Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications & Information.

Itika Sharma Punit - Editor at Quartz India.

Mark Coeckelbergh - Member, European Commission Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence.

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