Beyond the Headlines
394 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsDive deeper into the week’s biggest stories from the Middle East and around the world with The National’s foreign desk. Nuances are often missed in day-to-day headlines. We go Beyond the Headlines by bringing together the voices of experts and those living the news to provide a clearer picture of the region’s shifting political and social landscape.
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Episodes
The Coronavirus: Unnecessary panic or grave concern?
February 06, 2020 15:36 - 9 minutes - 9.19 MBOn December 31st, 2019 China reported 27 cases of pneumonia from an unknown cause in the city of Wuhan, in central China. The majority of people affected were workers from a local seafood and live animal market. As the virus spread and more cases were announced, talk of a deadly pandemic began circulating. This week's host Juman Jarallah, deputy national editor, talks to Dr. Amr Mahmoud El Naggar, Head of ER at Medcare Hospital Dubai and Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson for the World Health Org...
The coronavirus: Unnecessary panic or grave concern?
February 06, 2020 15:36 - 9 minutes - 9.19 MBOn December 31st, 2019 China reported 27 cases of pneumonia from an unknown cause in the city of Wuhan, in central China. The majority of people affected were workers from a local seafood and live animal market. As the virus spread and more cases were announced, talk of a deadly pandemic began circulating. This week's host Juman Jarallah, deputy national editor, talks to Dr. Amr Mahmoud El Naggar, Head of ER at Medcare Hospital Dubai and Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson for the World Health Or...
The Middle East peace plan. Explained
January 30, 2020 13:00 - 17 minutes - 16 MBTwo and a half years after US administration began drafting a plan for a lasting peace between Israel and Palestinians, it is finally here. Long delayed and often described as dead on arrival, the proposal was roundly rejected by Palestinian officials even before it was released. The announcement on January 28 was met with anger on the streets of the West Bank. Countries around the world have reacted. While many have welcomed the effort to restart long dead talks the praise isn’t effusive....
Tear gas, fireworks and a new government in Lebanon
January 23, 2020 16:18 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MBAfter more than three months of protests, Lebanon's politicians agreed on a new government. But this has done little to ease anger on the streets after three months of mass uprisings. Hassan Diab announced the formation of his 20-member government on Tuesday and vowed to get to work on fixing the country's mounting problems. Lebanon faces a huge economic crisis – debt has topped $85 billion, growth is flat, unemployment is rising and the currency has lost nearly 40 per cent of its value in th...
Sultan Qaboos: what comes next for Oman?
January 13, 2020 14:53 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBThe first signs that something big was happening came a little after noon on Friday when the army and police deployed across Oman. The tensions between the United States and Iran lead many to assume the sudden deployment was related. When regular overnight programming stopped and the television stations started broadcasting excerpts from the Quran, it was obvious. Sultan Qaboos, the longest serving monarch in the Middle East, had passed away. Host James Haines-Young looks at the life of Sul...
Will Iran and America go to war?
January 09, 2020 14:59 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBThe United States has killed Iran’s Qassim Suleimani sparking the most serious situation in the Middle East since ISIS took over huge areas of Iraq in 2014. The late head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard overseas Quds force has spent decades building up Tehran’s army of proxy militia and allies from Beirit to Sana’a. The response from Tehran came just four days later when they fired 22 rockets at US troop locations on Iraqi bases. This week on Beyond the Headlines, host James Haines-Young lo...
A decade in the Middle East, stories that changed the region
December 26, 2019 13:56 - 28 minutes - 26.6 MBThe Arab uprisings, the brutal Syrian war, the rise of ISIS, the slide into chaos in Libya and Yemen, the counter revolutions, the crackdowns on protesters in Iraq and Iran, the displacement of millions of Syrians and Iraqis. This week on Beyond the Headlines, were going to travel across the region, speaking to The National’s writers and reporters who have been covering the biggest stories in the Middle East and around the world this decade.
Stranded seafarers to return home after years
December 19, 2019 12:55 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBIn March 2017 the ship Tamim Aldar found itself, along with its crew, abandoned at sea 25 nautical miles off the coast of the UAE. It was one of seven ships owned by Elite Way Marine Services, a company that was facing financial difficulties and found itself unable to pay crew salaries or maintenance for its fleet. It has been over two and half years but four crew members, two from India and two from Eritrea, had been awaiting payment and to travel home. On December 19th, 33 months after th...
Journey through the ISIS badlands
December 10, 2019 04:00 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MBISIS has dominated headlines for nearly a decade. Even as the groups power has waned the fear it instils has remained. In 2019 ISIS saw its last pocket of territory wiped from the map, ripped from its dying hands by Kurdish forces in Eastern Syria. In October, US special forces managed to chase down the group’s elusive leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. He killed himself by detonating a suicide vest. US president Donald Trump may have declared ISIS defeat. But are they are really? The National...
Is overpopulation our biggest climate challenge?
December 05, 2019 15:10 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBIn the last century, the global population has exploded. Today, there are 7.7 billion people on the planet and that number is rising at the pace of another billion every 12 to 15 years. Scientists say this is simply unsustainable. In this week’s Beyond the Headlines, we’re asking, how many children is too many when it comes to climate change? We hear from Emma Lim, 18-year-old activist and creator of the No Future No Children pledge has vowed, along with over 5000 others, not to have childr...
A look at national service on National Day
November 28, 2019 10:36 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MBEvery year on December 2nd, millions across the seven emirates mark the day the UAE became a country. This week, we are doing something a bit different. Regular listeners will know that on Beyond the Headlines, we try to break down some of the most pressing issues from across the region and beyond. In the last few months, we’ve discussed protests in Sudan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon and Hong Kong. We’ve tackled environmental issues from India’s choking smog to whether carbon capturing rocks in ...
Beyond the Headlines special: A conversation about conscription
November 25, 2019 02:00 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MBFaisal Salah, social media journalist and Daniel Lee, freelancer at The National talk about their mandatory military service for their respective countries (United Arab Emirates and South Korea) on this special episode of Beyond the Headlines. They talk about the struggles, highlights and benefits of being drafted and doing service for their nation.
Who’s really running Iraq?
November 21, 2019 15:04 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MBThe true extent of Iranian infiltration of Iraq has been revealed. 700 pages from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security were released to western outlets, The New York Times and The Intercept. They show interference at the highest level in Iraq’s political, military, and judicial system. Host Taylor Heyman, foreign editor from The National talks to Dr Zana Gulmohamad, from the University of Sheffield and Dr Michael Knights from The Washington Institute. We also talk to Iraqi member of...
Who’s really running Iraq?
November 21, 2019 15:04 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MBThe true extent of Iranian infiltration of Iraq has been revealed. 700 pages from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security were released to western outlets, The New York Times and The Intercept. They show interference at the highest level in Iraq’s political, military, and judicial system. Host Taylor Heyman, foreign editor from The National talks to Dr Zana Gulmohamad, from the University of Sheffield and Dr Michael Knights from The Washington Institute. We also talk to Iraqi member of ...
India's fight against death by breath
November 14, 2019 16:06 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBFor the past two weeks, air pollution in the Indian capital of Delhi has been off the scale. A toxic mix of dust, soot from farmers burning paddy field stubble, car fumes and construction all combined into a murky grey film over the city. The pollution was so bad visibility was reduced and the government moved to close schools and advise people to stay in doors. This week, host James Haines Young talks to Dr Vikas Maurya (Specialist Pulmonology at Fortis Hospital in Delhi) and Professor Guoj...
Is Iraq ready for the new Syrian refugees?
November 07, 2019 15:35 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBOn October 9 after months of warning, Turkey launched an offensive across their southeast border into Syria. The move came after US President Donald Trump pulled his forces back from the border, effectively green lighting the operation. The move abandoned America’s Kurdish and northern Syrian allies who had led much of the fighting in the long campaign against ISIS in Syria. This week host James Haines-Young looks at the situation for the newly displaced refugees fleeing a Turkish offensive ...
Noura Al Kaabi on UAE's effort to re-build Al Nuri Mosque
October 31, 2019 08:12 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBThe 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...
Songs of Revolution
October 25, 2019 02:00 - 8 minutes - 8.05 MBA 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 ab...
Songs of Revolution
October 25, 2019 02:00 - 8 minutes - 8.05 MBA 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 a...
Politics, protests and partying in the streets of Lebanon
October 23, 2019 17:20 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBHundreds 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?
October 17, 2019 10:52 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBOn 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 inf...
Why Turkey is invading Northern Syria
October 09, 2019 17:35 - 21 minutes - 20.1 MBOn 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 ...
As Hazza Al Mansouri returns, the UAE looks to Mars, the Moon and beyond
October 03, 2019 12:48 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MBAt 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 ...
Hazza Al Mansouri and the UAE’s space ambitions
September 26, 2019 14:00 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBOn 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 y...
UNGA special: Greta Thunberg and Donald Trump
September 25, 2019 11:36 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBThe 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 event...
Is the Israeli election Netanyahu’s final chapter?
September 19, 2019 14:12 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBWhat 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 pow...
Bye bye, Bolton
September 12, 2019 14:53 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MBUS 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 departu...
The Amazon is still burning. Can we save it?
September 05, 2019 09:03 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MBIn the first 26 days of August alone, 1,114 square kilometres of Brazil's Amazon rainforest, an area equivalent to the size of Hong Kong was on fire. Tens of thousands of fires, far more than last year, have broken out and nbunrned off hundred of kilometres of one of the world's most diverse and unique habitats. But this isn't a natural distaster. James Haines-Young speaks to prominent climate scientist, Carlos Nobre, and Natalie Unterstell, Director of policy at Talanoa solutions in Bra...
Drones above Beirut: Israel's battle against Hezbollah
August 30, 2019 02:00 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBThis week, we ask if Israel is stepping up its campaign against Iran and will it spark a war with Hezbollah. We talk to Sunniva Rose, the National's Beirut correspondent and Joseph Haboush, the national editor of The Daily Star, Lebanon's only english language newspaper. The National's deputy foreign editor, Jack Moore, joins James to talk about why this is all happening and how it's being seen from Beirut and Tel Aviv.
Sudan: Can democracy work?
August 21, 2019 02:00 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBOn this week's episode, we catch up with The National’s Hamza Hendawi to talk about the historic move to democracy in Sudan and what he sees as the challenges ahead. We also speak to Sara Abduljaleel, a spokeswoman for the Sudanese Professionals Association, one of the leading umbrella groups that organised the protests. Catch up on our episode when Hamza was in Sudan after Omar Al Bashir was forced from his 30-year dictatorship. Here is the link to the episode: Sudan moves on from Omar A...
What sparked the Hong Kong protests?
August 15, 2019 07:44 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBHong Kong is facing one of the biggest crisis since Britain handed the city back to China in 1997. For 10 weeks, protesters have shut down the city, stormed the legislature, and even shut down the airport. Dozens have been arrested, scores of police and protesters have been wounded in clashes. In this week's Beyond the Headlines we’re asking why thousands of residents of Hong Kong taking to the streets in increasingly violent protests against the city’s leaders. We’ll hear from one you...
Hajj for my brother who was killed at Christchurch
August 08, 2019 10:16 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBOn this week's episode we talk to Aya Al-Umari, the sister of Hussein Al-Umari, one of the victims who was gunned down in the Christchurch massacre earlier this year. King Salman of Saudi Arabia has invited her amongst two hundred relatives and survivors of the shooting to perform Hajj. The Hajj is an essential part of Islam and undertaking the pilgrimage can be a difficult though rewarding task. Aya tells us about her experience in Makkah, the feelings of kinship with the millions of Musli...
Can Oman's carbon capturing rocks help save the Earth?
July 25, 2019 02:00 - 19 minutes - 17.5 MBAround the world, many governments are starting to take action about carbon emissions, looking at ways to cut greenhouse gases produced each year that are warming up our planet. But action is slow, the choices we face are stark and time is limited. Green and renewable energies are increasing and people today are more aware of the need to reuse, reduce and recycle. But to truly make an impact experts tell us cutting emissions is not enough. We must remove carbon dioxide from the air. Host Ja...
Ghost ships: how Iran avoids US oil sanctions
July 17, 2019 14:25 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBAt around 2 am on July 4, the Panamanian flagged Iranian tanker Grace 1 was boarded by British Royal Marines off the coast of Gibraltar at the mouth of the Mediterranean. The Marines from 42 Commando division stormed the vessel. some descended onto the ship’s deck by ropes from a Wildcat helicopter. The rest approached the side via speedboat. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host James Haines-Young, takes a look at the seized ship accused of dodging Syria-sanctions. Read more on ou...
The Minnesota model for fighting ISIS in the US
July 11, 2019 14:01 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBIn Northern Syria tens of thousands of women and children are now living in squalid, overcrowded camps. Thousands more military aged men have been corralled into Kurdish jails. Hundreds of them had left their homes in Europe and America to join the militants. Publicly, United States President Donald Trump has called for countries to take responsibility for their nationals who joined ISIS in Iraq and Syria and return them home. But how is America handling its extremists? A retired former pr...
Locusts: battling the great plague
July 04, 2019 11:00 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBThe first written records of locust swarms are over 3 millennia old. Today, international organisations work to prevent the formation of these swarms that devour their own body weight in food every day. A swarm of desert locusts can build into tens of millions of insects, wreaking havoc on farmland, and are a serious threat to human food security. In 2019 swarms have hit Sardinia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Jordan and Yemen. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host James Haines-Youn...
Iraq could face another summer of bloodshed
June 27, 2019 11:57 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBHundreds of protesters converged on the streets of the southern Iraqi city of Basra last week. Demonstrators across the province are calling for structural change to fix rampant corruption, a stagnant economy, high unemployment and underfunded public utilities. Protests in Iraq are common, but last summer's demonstrations saw an escalation into violence. Hundreds were wounded and killed, and many thousands more were arrested after clashes with police forces. Government buildings were set on...
Tanker attacks straight from Iran’s playbook
June 21, 2019 02:00 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MBOn June 13th, two more tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman, just over a month after four vessels off the coast of the Emirate port at Fujairah. The USA blames Iran for the attacks and has sent one thousand troops to the region to deter any further attacks. Host, James Haines-Young looks at the strategic relevance of the Strait of Hormuz where the attacks happened and what the political motivations are behind the attacks. He speaks to Jennifer Gnana, The National's energy corresponden...
Life in Afghanistan during America's longest war
June 13, 2019 06:46 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MBOn October 7, 2001 US forces invaded Afghanistan in response to the devastating 9/11 attacks by Al Qaeda from bases in the Afghan mountains. Although this drove the Taliban from power in a matter of days, 18 years later the bloody conflict is ongoing. It is by far the longest US war and the most expensive. We speak to Stefanie Glinski in Kabul who has been reporting from across Afghanistan for The National, speaking to government supporters and Taliban families, reporting on war damaged s...
Exporting ISIS justice
June 07, 2019 02:00 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBThis week on Beyond the Headlines, we look into the growing number of European ISIS fighters captured in Syria and ask what should Europe do with them? France has agreed to allow eleven ISIS fighters to be handed over to Iraq where the penalty for belonging to a terrorist group is death. France is opposed to the death penalty and has campaigned against the punishment globally. Is there a growing change in the European public's appetite for reform and rehabilitation? We speak top Hanif Q...
A queue in Everest's death zone
May 31, 2019 05:39 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBAfter a photograph of a queue of climbers waiting to summit Mount Everest went viral, we explore what risks this poses for climbers and sherpas. Eleven deaths have been recorded on the mountain so far this year, more than double last year's count. Some have attributed the deaths to overcrowding on the mountain. This week on Beyond the Headlines, we’re joined by Lakpa Rita Sherpa, a seasoned sherpa who has led more than 17 expeditions to the summit and Fatima Deryan, the first Lebanese wo...
What’s next for America and Iran?
May 23, 2019 11:32 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBThe US has upped the pressure on Iran and since the start of May, tensions across the Middle East have risen. Officials on both sides are publically saying they don’t want a war but have released numerous statements warning of the devastating consequences if the other starts one. In recent weeks, there has been an uptick in rockets and weaponized drones launched towards Saudi Arabia from Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, four ships were sabotaged off the coast of the UAE, and a rocket landed in t...
Yemen's floating bomb
May 17, 2019 02:00 - 14 minutes - 13.5 MBMoored off Yemen’s Red Sea Coast is a rusting oil tanker, with a million barrels of crude aboard. It has been described as a 'floating bomb'. After going without maintenance for the duration of Yemen’s four-year civil war, the UN says it is now at risk of exploding, potentially unleashing an environmental catastrophe on an historic scale. But, with 80 million dollars’ worth of oil involved, Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government have disagreed on what is to be done.
The bombing of Syria's last rebel province
May 10, 2019 02:00 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBFor months, the headlines have revolved around the winding down of the Syrian war and what the next phase looks like. In April, US backed and Kurdish led forces retook the once sprawling so called caliphate of ISIS in eastern Syria. Across much of the rest of the country, the regime was consolidating control. But talking about the future has overlooked the fate of nearly 3 million civilians living in the last rebel-held territory that is now largely controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a...
Sudan moves on from Omar Al Bashir
May 03, 2019 02:00 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBFor three decades, Omar Al Bashir ruled over Sudan. But in April, in the face of growing protests, he was removed from office and the future of the country was suddenly up in the air. In this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines, we talk about the changes sweeping Sudan. Hamza Hendawi, The National’s Cairo correspondent, has been on the ground in Sudan this week. He tells foreign editor James Haines-Young about the mood in the streets of Khartoum, where since December demonstrations have ...
Sri Lanka reels after Easter Day massacre
April 26, 2019 02:00 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MBSuicide bombs, 359 dead and an ISIS claim of responsibility. On Sunday, Sri Lanka was hit by the single largest terror attack in its history. Hundreds attending Easter Sunday mass or at high-end Colombo hotels were killed and wounded in a coordinated wave of bombings. In the wake of the blasts, communities have undoubtedly rallied together. But the shared grief belies the underlying communal tensions that have existed for years. Amid the pain, there is also anger. It appears intelligence r...
The many issues at play in India's election
April 19, 2019 02:00 - 10 minutes - 9.47 MBThe scale of India’s ongoing election is staggering – nearly 900 million people are registered to cast their ballots. And there are many issues at stake, with India's economy on pace to become of the world's five largest this year. While many have been concerned about the economy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s track record of reforms, national security, the rural economy and Hindi nationalism are all issues that have played a central role as Indians go to the polls. The National's Ram...
Israel’s Arab population and the Palestinians fear for the future as Benjamin Netanyahu clinches victory in a general election.
April 11, 2019 16:49 - 8 minutes - 7.85 MBBenjamin Netanyahu has won a fifth term in office and looks set to be Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister, after a campaign which saw him pledge to annex the occupied West Bank.
Beyond the Headlines podcast: Bouteflika bids goodbye to power in Algeria
April 04, 2019 15:12 - 7 minutes - 7.31 MBAfter weeks of mounting protest, Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika has stepped down, ending 20 years as the country’s ruler. While the moment is historic, protesters – many of whom won’t remember a time before Mr Bouteflika was their president – are not finished. Fear that a younger, healthier version of the ailing 82-year old will step into his place or that the army may co-opt power, they say they will push on to ensure a real democratic transition. After years of economic s...
Former UK PM Tony Blair says Brexit is a mess
March 25, 2019 08:32 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MBThe Untied Kingdom’s march towards Brexit has been postponed but questions about the fate of the country’s place in the world continue to swirl. Prime Minister Theresa May has been given extra few weeks to breath but the UK remains no closer to any solutions. On this week’s edition of Beyond the Headlines The National’s Editor-in-Chief Mina Al Oraibi sat down with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss how the divide nation can move forward.