Beyond the Headlines

At 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 he’s back. And his visit sparked the imagination of a country. Host Suhail Rather looks at the mission and what is next for the UAE. He spoke to James Langton, contributor for The National who was in Kazakhstan covering the departure of Hazza from Baikonur and Salem Al Marri, Assistant Director General for Scientific and Technical Affairs at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre about their objectives and their plans for Mars. He also spoke to Mikolaj Zielinski, a UAE resident from Poland and a Mars One candidate. Mars One is a Netherlands based project that is raising money to be one of the first to send humans to Mars on a one way trip to colonise the red planet.

On 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 years before the UAE was formed in 1971. Since then 40 more nationalities have left the earth’s atmosphere, the 40th being the UAE. Although few nations have their own technology to make the journey, the desire to take part in humanity’s expedition into the cold, hostile environment is vast, with many nations spending millions of dollars to take part in the privilege. What does space offer them? Why does it capture the human imagination and what does it mean for a nation?   Host Suhail Rather looks at the UAE space programme and where it’s headed. With a human colony on Mars planned for 2117 and a probe headed for the red planet next year we take a look at what Hazza’s mission means for the local population.

The 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 events as they unfold. He speaks to The National’s Editor-in-Chief, Mina Al-Oraibi and Damien McElroy, our London Bureau-Chief about the events so far.    To read more about the United Nations General Assembly visit www.thenational.ae

What 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 power? And what hope does the Joint List offer Arab Israelis or the Palestinians in the occupied territories?   Jack speaks to Miriam Berger, freelance journalist in Jerusalem, Hugh Lovatt, Middle East and North Africa policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and Tareq Baconi, Ramallah-based Israel/Palestine analyst for The Crisis Group to get an insight into the prospects for the country.

US 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 departure might bring.

In 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 Brazil about who is starting these fires and why. 

This 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.

On 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 Al Bashir

Hong 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 young resident of Hong Kong who attended some of the early protests and also from David Schlesinger, the former editor in chief of Reuter’s news agency and an expert on Hong Kong and China.

On 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 Muslims visiting the country for the pilgrimage and how she feels her brother's presence is accompanying her on her journey.