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PODCAST

Beyond the Headlines

The National News

Dive deeper into the week’s biggest stories from the Middle East and around the world with The National’s multi-award-winning podcast, Beyond the Headlines — winner of two Signal Awards and the New York Festivals Radio and TV Awards. 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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All Episodes

23:53

The question of Palestine: Is recognition the answer?

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/09/23

The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly marks a milestone for the region. After years of being the exceptions, several western countries have joined more than 140 others in recognising Palestine as a state.French President Emmanuel Macron made his country’s declaration on Monday at the French-Saudi summit at UNGA to revive the long defunct two-state solution. The same position was declared by the UK a day earlier. Both are permanent UN Security Council members. It has come full

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20:24

Can the Global Sumud Flotilla really break the siege...

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/09/19

Dozens of boats carrying activists from about 44 countries have finally set sail for Gaza after much delay.The Global Sumud Flotilla is not the first humanitarian mission to attempt to break Israel’s sea blockade of the strip, but it is the largest to date. It follows unsuccessful attempts by individual boats earlier this year and countless others over the past almost 20 years. Activists say they are taking action to open a humanitarian corridor and deliver aid to Gaza where UN experts have

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23:20

What does Israel’s strike on Doha mean for the Gulf?

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/09/12

In the past month, Israel has bombed Palestine, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, but its attack on Hamas officials in Qatar this week was most unexpected. And it hit a nerve.Arab leaders immediately expressed solidarity with their Gulf neighbour and condemned what they said was a breach of Qatar's sovereignty. In the coming days they will meet at an emergency regional summit to discuss the attack. But analysts say a military response is not an option. Qatar has been a major mediator in Gaza ceasefire

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9:14

What next after Israel’s strike on Hamas in Doha?

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/09/10

Israel’s attack on Hamas leaders in Doha on Tuesday drew widespread condemnation from the international community. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani described it as “state terrorism”.It was the first time that Israel attacked a Gulf state, sending shock waves across the region. But the timing was also critical. Mediators had been in Doha to advance Gaza ceasefire talks, while people in the enclave came under new displacement orders. Five Hamas members and a Qatari

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19:19

What will happen to the Houthis after Israel’s...

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/09/05

The Israeli army's killing of several Houthi government officials, including the prime minister, marks another serious escalation in the region. Until now, the army had mostly attacked infrastructure in Yemen, hitting power plants and ports, but the latest strike was different. The Houthis have pledged to retaliate. The Iran-backed group has already fired back with missiles toward Israel. It has been doing this periodically since the start of the war in Gaza, in what it says is solidarity with

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20:20

What guarantees does Lebanon have after Hezbollah...

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/08/29

US envoys Tom Barrack and Morgan Ortagus were in Lebanon this week to restate a key demand: Hezbollah must disarm.The latest push from Washington came with economic incentives as Mr Barrack proposed the US becomes a “substitute” to Iranian influence. The Lebanese government agreed to disarm non-state groups this month but it wants guarantees that Israel will withdraw militarily from the country. Israel says it will not de-escalate until the disarmament process begins. This puts Lebanon in a

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16:28

Why Ehud Olmert wants an end to Israel’s war in Gaza

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/08/27

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert supported the war in Gaza when it began, but soon changed his mind. He advocated a limited military operation rather than a full-scale offensive.Now, he says it’s time to end the war. He strongly opposes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to reoccupy Gaza and is on a mission to topple him at next year’s legislative elections. Almost two years since Israel began its offensive in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas, tens of thousands of

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18:28

The compounded suffering caused by Gaza’s...

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/08/22

Israel has imposed a strict blockade on Gaza since March leaving 2.2 million Palestinians in the strip with practically nothing. Food, medicine and water are extremely scarce with only trickles of aid entering every now and then. There’s barely anything to buy in the market. But in the middle of all this, there’s another crisis: cash. Banks have closed because of the war. ATMs have been destroyed. No new notes have been injected into the strip since 2023, with Israel suspending the Palestinian

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23:43

What's changed in Afghanistan after the Taliban...

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/08/15

Four years after the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan remains in the shadow of that chaotic August day in 2021 when US troops finally withdrew, ending two decades of war.The images from Kabul’s airport are still etched in global memory, as crowds of desperate Afghans clung to departing planes as the US backed government collapsed and the Taliban took full control. Since then, the country is going through a deepening economic crisis and the end of an active conflict. All of this has been

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26:47

Why has Israel decided to reoccupy Gaza - and at what...

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/08/08

Nearly two decades after Israel withdrew from Gaza, dismantling settlements and military posts under Ariel Sharon’s leadership, the Israeli government has now approved a plan to take over the Palestinian enclave again, following 22 months of its war there.What began as speculation this week quickly became official policy after a 10-hour security cabinet meeting, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gained approval to take full control of northern Gaza. The plan includes displacing up to a

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16:42

More states say they will ‘recognise’ Palestine, but...

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/08/02

A growing number of countries in the West have said they could soon recognise Palestinian statehood as Israel becomes increasingly isolated over its war in Gaza. Fifteen countries issued a joint declaration during a UN conference this week led by France and Saudi Arabia, to push for a two-state solution. Nations including Canada and the UK are expected to make their endorsement official at the UN General Assembly in September. The US - Israel’s strongest ally - remains the exception, and even moved

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17:48

Why is justice so delayed in Beirut port explosion?

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/08/01

Five years have passed since the Beirut port explosion – and still the families of the more than 220 victims killed in the blast await justice. Mariana Foudalian is one of them. She lost her sister Gaia in the disaster but says she still has not had the chance to grieve as nobody has been held accountable even after all these years. The investigation into the blast has faced an uphill battle because of the institutional corruption that has long plagued Lebanon. Political interference by officials

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27:32

The Blast Episode 3: Zero hour (Re-run)

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/07/28

Ghassan Hassrouty was working with his colleagues at the port’s grain silos. Sarah Copland, an Australian UN employee, was feeding her son Isaac, 2. And then, it’s zero hour, the moment the blast tore through the city on August 4, 2020. This episode is the third of a four-part investigation into the 2020 Beirut port explosion. It tells that story through witness accounts of people who were there. Editor’s Note: We want to hear from you! Help us improve our podcasts by taking our two-minute listener

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37:52

The Blast Episode 4: Fallout (Re-run)

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/07/28

In the aftermath of the blast, residents took to the streets to sweep the shards of glass and piles of rubble. Meanwhile, politicians bickered and resigned. Judges were appointed to investigate the blast but one year on, had yet to publish their case. In this series finale of our 2020 Beirut port blast investigation we hear how people feel about their politicians, their country and their lives a year later.Editor’s Note: We want to hear from you! Help us improve our podcasts by taking our

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31:19

The Blast Episode 2: The six-year wait (Re-run)

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/07/28

After the cargo was moved to a warehouse at the port, it sat there for years. This episode connects the dots to understand why the chemical, commonly used in fertilisers and explosives, was neglected for so long. We hear from officials and workers at the port, and we try to establish who knew about the ammonium nitrate all this time, and whose responsibility it was to make sure it was safe. This episode is the second of a four-part investigation into the 2020 Beirut port explosion that follows

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28:21

The Blast Episode 1: The Russian and the Rhosus (Re-run)

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/07/28

In the summer of 2020, Lebanon had already been experiencing some of its worst days, due to a deepening financial crisis and the global pandemic. On August 4, things took a much darker turn. Hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate detonated at the Beirut port, ripping through the capital and wreaking havoc. More than 200 people were killed and thousands injured. It destroyed homes, overwhelmed the city and shattered livelihoods. This week, to mark the fifth anniversary of the Beirut explosion, Beyond

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23:27

The enduring consequences of mass starvation in Gaza

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/07/25

Hunger has killed more than 110 people so far in Gaza over the past 20 months of war.And in the past week, the number of deaths has accelerated, causing alarm about a looming full-scale famine in the strip. More than 100 NGOs have warned of mass starvation, and a coalition of mostly European states issued strong words condemning Israel's aid policy. Israel insists there is no famine in Gaza, and blames Hamas for food shortages. Yet haunting images and videos show emaciated children crying for food

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21:33

Is Israel exploiting distrust between Syria’s Druze...

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/07/18

The city of Sweida in southern Syria became a battleground this week after a series of retaliatory attacks between Druze militiamen and Bedouin tribes escalated.President Ahmad Al Shara's government deployed general security forces to the area, ostensibly to restore order. What followed were deadly confrontations and dozens of soldiers were killed. But residents of the Druze-majority city say the government's response was brutal. Populous neighbourhoods came under heavy shelling, forcing people to

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23:20

What is the cost of ending the war in Gaza?

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/07/11

The toll of war is often measured in figures: the number of people killed, injured or displaced. But how do we calculate the cost of ending a war?In the case of Gaza, where Israel continues to pursue a 20-month military offensive, the sacrifices will be difficult to quantify. US President Donald Trump had been confident that a ceasefire would be reached this week as Israel and Hamas negotiate through mediators in Doha. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited and left the White House

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21:58

Does the easing of US sanctions on Syria come with...

Beyond the Headlines ·

2025/07/04

During a visit to the Gulf in May, US President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement that he would revoke sanctions on Syria. This week, he kept that promise.He signed an executive order on Monday to waive or review penalties, some of which have been in place for decades. The move comes as a relief for struggling Syrians after almost 14 years of a brutal civil war that has devastated their economy. For their transitional leader Ahmad Al Shara, it’s a milestone that could give him the

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113 results

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