Beyond the Headlines

Syrian Democratic Forces are slowly extinguishing what’s left of the Islamic State. The US-backed SDF has the grouped trapped in a tiny sliver of land along the Euphrates River. Baghouz, Syria, is a small farming village. Before it became home to the last pocket of ISIS, it was just a dot on the map that many Syrians hadn’t even heard of. Now it’s the centre of a months-long battle between the SDF and what’s left of ISIS. Assistant Foreign Editor, Campbell MacDiarmid and Multimedia Producer Willy Lowry travelled to Baghouz to cover ISIS’s last stand. In this edition of Beyond the Headlines, we take you to the frontlines in the fight to end ISIS.

Enric Sala has a plan to save the planet. National Geographic’s explorer-in-residence is in Abu Dhabi for the World Ocean Summit. His one message — that we need to protect 30 per cent of our planet’s land and oceans by 2030. But at a time when it feels overwhelmingly difficult to be positive about the Earth’s future, what can be done to save our habitats? “Being a conservationist, sometimes it is hard to be optimistic,” he says. But despite the worrying headlines, the plastic in our oceans, the devastating deforestation, all is not yet lost, Sala claims. “I have seen with my own eyes how nature comes back when we give her some space, both in the oceans and on the land. Right now, we are at a tipping point so it's not too late.” Listen to the full interview with Mina Al Oraibi, editor-in-chief of The National on protecting the Earth and its species.

This week, The National spoke to Alistair Burt, the British Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa. The chance to speak to the top British official was timely.  Shemima Begum, who fled the UK when she was 15 to join ISIS, was found in a Syrian refugee camp recently. Four years later, she’s now pleading to return home with her new-born. But what does that mean for the UK as Shemima might be just one of many cases where former ISIS members plead to return to their countries. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, Minister Burt breaks down the situation with Shemima and her child. He also discusses the crisis in the Syrian Rukban camp, where 50,000 refugees have been cut off from aid and left to starve.

The World Economic Forum says that the digital transformation of economies and businesses will displace 75 million jobs as the division of labour shifts between humans, machines and algorithms. However, 133 million new roles may emerge that are more adapted to this technology-led future. The Abu Dhabi School of Government has partnered with Coursera, one of the world’s leading online learning platforms, to provide professional training and development programmes for critical skills such as data science, artificial intelligence, leadership and digital transformation.  This week's host Mustafa Alrawi, The National's assistant editor in chief talks to Solveig Nicklos, the dean of the Abu Dhabi School of Government and Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera’s chief executive, about their initiative to support Abu Dhabi’s ambition of upskilling its governmental workforce, as well as fulfilling its potential as a knowledge economy.

Pope Francis's visit to the UAE was the first time a Catholic pontiff stepped foot in the Arabian Peninsula. During his Mass, he prayed for his devotees at Sports Zayed City Stadium and for everyone in the region. On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, Naser Al Wasmi talks to those who attended the Mass and discusses how the visit impacts the region.

The richest and most powerful people met at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos.  The range of topics was as wide spanning as the challenges the world faces today.  Although this year’s forum wasn’t as well attended as previous iterations of the prestigious event, it still gathers important leaders from around the world.  But, with so many pertinent issues, such as climate change, the gender gap and trade tensions looming on the world, is one week enough to solve the world’s most pertinent crises?

The UAE and Saudi Arabia are entering a new phase of co-operation. The two countries announced a seven-point co-operation plan this week on money management for children, natural crises emergency plans and, perhaps most interestingly, a joint cryptocurrency. The move is the latest sign of strengthening ties between the two, and should open the door for easier business relations. It also strengthens the bond between the two countries as they look to face regional challenges in unity. We explain the deal in this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines.

For thousands of years, the great Arab rivers sustained some of the world’s most important ancient civilizations. The Nile River fuelled the development of 10 thousand years of Pharaonic rule. The Tigris and Euphrates, home of Mesopotamia, were witness to some of the most important developments to mankind, including agriculture and the written word. The rivers helped spread Islam during Prophet Mohammed’s conquests and sustained generations. But today, whether through government policies or global warming, all three rivers are under threat. As Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week looks for solutions to global problems, we assess the crises surrounding the Nile, Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Full report: How the great tides of history turned

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is on an expansive tour of the Gulf and wider Middle East this week. His task is to clarify President Donald Trump's often-confusing interests in the region. We discuss in this week's Beyond the Headlines. Last month, President Trump tweeted that he would pull out of Syria within 30 days, sending shockwaves around not just the region, but in his own administration. Since then, the White House has said there is timetable on US withdrawal. The message keeps changing. The National's Hashem Osserian explains how Pompeo's tour will influence the region going forward on Syria. We also ask Cinzia Bianco of Gulf State Analytics, about what else is on Pompeo's agenda.

In the middle of Africa lies one of the world's most neglected crises. In the Central African Republic — an environmentally diverse but politically fraught state — the illegal hunting of endangered species is rampant.  How did the country become such a hotbed for poaching, and is there hope to rectify the situation? We look at the issue in this week's Beyond the Headlines podcast. Chinko is a wildlife refuge in the eastern part of CAR and one of the most uniquely diverse ecological landscapes in Africa. It's also home to communal violence and combative groups vying for control of some of the country's most valuable resources — illegal animal parts.  The National's Campbell MacDiarmid speaks to experts and conservationists who explain the chaotic situation in CAR, and offer insights into how the country can start trying to resolve the issue.