Running battles with the police, fires burning, lootings and protesters arrested. Riots over the death of George Floyd have spread across dozens of US cities, and close to President Donald Trump's doorstep at the White House.
Governors have imposed curfews and dispatched National Guards. The Floyd case has reignited rage over the deaths of black Americans at the hands of police and racial inequality. It's also opened a divisive political debate between Democrats and Republicans.
President Donald Trump has promised to put an end to what he calls 'mob violence'. Trump says healing is needed, but he's accused of the opposite - igniting tension. So can America overcome its divisions?
Presenter: Kim Vinell | Guests: Maurice Jackson, an Associate Professor in the History Department and African American Studies at Georgetown University; Kevin Powell, author and civil rights activist; Sahar Aziz, professor of law & Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar at Rutgers University
The inner circle of Syria's president Bashar Al Assad has always been tight, any disputes within the ruling family were kept strictly behind closed doors. Until recently. There's a rift between the president's cousin Rami Makhlouf and the Syrian government, and it's very public.
Makhlouf has long been considered untouchable, but now he's accused of owing millions of dollars in back taxes to the state... an indication the tycoon is being isolated from power. But in an unprecedented move, Makhlouf posted his views on social media, accusing government officials of trying to take over his telecommunications company and arresting his employees.
Makhlouf said he won't step down from Syriatel - one of Syria's biggest firms. But he's already been barred from traveling and his assets have been seized. So what's exactly triggered this now, after nine years of war?
Presenter: Kamahl Santamaria | Guests: Bassam Barabandi, former Syrian diplomat and a non-resident Fellow at the Center for Global Policy: Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and Editor of the 'Syria Comment' blog: Alexey Khlebnikov, a Middle East specialist at the Russia International Affairs Council.
The United States is removing its Patriot anti-air missiles, and other weapons systems from Saudi Arabia. Donald Trump says it is part of an effort to scale back on a military presence that he says doesn't benefit the US
American weapons and fighter jets were sent to the Kingdom last year after Saudi-Aramco oil facilities were attacked. They were also intended as a deterrent, as tensions rose between Tehran and Washington.
But the reduction in the U.S. military presence is believed by some to be based on assessments Iran no longer poses an immediate threat to U.S. strategic interests. So, what's exactly changed? And is oil politics at play?
Presenter: Peter Dobbie | Guests: Joel Rubin, President of the Washington Strategy Group; Mahjoob Zweiri, Director of Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University; Mohammad Marandi, Head of the American Studies Department at Tehran University
Stock markets around the world have had a turbulent week with some of the worst losses in over 30 years. It's the world's biggest health emergency. The coronavirus outbreak is now a pandemic, and there are fears it can lead to a catastrophic global economic crisis.
Sweeping containment measures have disrupted markets around the world - including in the US. A travel ban on 26 European countries came into effect on Friday and the unprecedented move sent stocks crashing to their worst losses in over 30 years.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 10 percent on Thursday -- its biggest plunge since the Black Monday crash of 1987. While European markets showed some signs of recovery on Friday. So, what's the economic fallout?
Presenter: James Bays | Guests: Pedro Da Costa - Senior Reporter at Market News International; Hosuk Lee-Makiyama - Director of the European Centre for International Political Economy; Gareth Leather - Senior Economist who specialises in Asian and emerging markets at the firm Capital Economics
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has had a controversial rise to power, and he appears to be tightening his grip even further.
Media reports suggest at least 20 Princes, officials and army officers have been arrested in the Kingdom's latest purge. They include former Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef and the King's last-surviving full brother, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz.
The Saudi government hasn't officially responded to reports that the princes were accused of a coup plot. In just three years, Mohammed Bin Salman has silenced nearly all voices of dissent at home, with critics jailed, even killed. So, what are the implications of this crackdown?
Presenter: Jonah Hull | Guests: Roxane Farmanfamaian - Lecturer on Middle East Politics at the University of Cambridge; David Hearst - Editor in Chief of the online publication ‘Middle East Eye’; Ali Al-Ahmed - Director of the Gulf Affairs Institute and a former Saudi political prisoner.
The last opportunity for peace. That's how U.S. president Donald Trump described his plan to end seven decades of conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.
However, Palestinian leaders weren't involved in the process and they immediately rejected it as a conspiracy. The plan sides with Israel on the so-called 'final status issues' to be resolved with the Palestinians.
Israel gets Jerusalem as its capital, as well as sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Palestinians have been promised a path towards their own state, but only after four years of monitoring to determine whether their leaders are doing enough to fight 'terrorism'.
So does the proposal boost or undermine peace? And what does it say about America's evolving position on the conflict?
Presenter: Sami Zeidan | Guests: Robbie Sabel - Professor at Hebrew University of Jersualem and Former Legal Adviser to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Nabil Sha'ath - Senior Palestinian Official and Adviser to President Mahmoud Abbas; Phyllis Bennis - Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and author of the book, 'Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict.'
Germany's Social Democrats elect new leaders, putting at risk Angela Merkel's coalition government.
Germany's Social Democrats, or SPD, have chosen two leaders who want to leave Angela Merkel's grand coalition. Many of their party members say they want to focus on rebuilding support in the opposition.
The coalition between Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats and the SPD was formed last year. The SPD's new leaders ran on a joint ticket with a promise to re-negotiate the partnership deal on issues of spending and climate policies. Its party congress is expected to decide by next week - on whether it will continue to support Merkel. But should the SPD decide to leave, the Chancellor has the option of leading a minority government or forming a new coalition with smaller opposition parties. A snap election is also in the cards.
So, where does this leave Germany and Europe?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan | Guests: Thorsten Benner - Director of Global Public Policy Institute;. Julien Hoez - Managing Director of Vocal Europe; Matt Kvortrup - Author, 'Angela Merkel: Europe's Most Influential Leader'
It’s a dramatic shift in US policy, and goes against the position taken by international organisations and most other countries.
The US says it no longer views the illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied West Bank as “inconsistent with international law”... The Palestinians are furious and many observers say it makes Israeli-Palestinian peace even more elusive.
It’s another U-turn on policy by the US President in favour of Israel. Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the American embassy there. He also recognised Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights from Syria.
So what's the reason for this latest controversial move?
Presenter: Imran Khan | Guests: Gideon Levy, columnist at Haaretz News and author of 'The Punishment of Gaza’; Richard Falk, professor emeritus at Princeton University. Richard is the former UN special rapporteur for occupied Palestinian territories; Nour Odeh, political analyst and former spokesperson for the Palestinian Task Force on public diplomacy
Saudi Arabia's crown jewel and the world's largest oil producing firm, Aramco, is now set to go public after several delays.
The initial public offering, or IPO, will be on the Saudi stock exchange. How much of the company's for sale and at what price, will be determined later.
Part of the Crown Prince's economic plans for the kingdom, the flotation aims to raise billions of dollars. But estimates of how much it might actually draw, vary widely. Mohammed Bin Salman wants a $2 trillion price tag, many bankers put it at $1.5 trillion.
But can ARAMCO's IPO satisfy his ambitions? And what, if any, are the risks?
Presenter: Dareen Abu Ghaida | Guests: Mohammed Cherkaoui, author and senior fellow at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies; Jeff Colgan, associate professor at Brown University and author of 'Petro-Aggression: When Oil Causes War'; Joseph Kechichian, senior fellow at King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic studies
US House of Representatives votes to make proceedings public. In only the fourth time in US history, the “House of Representatives’ has formalised impeachment proceedings against a sitting president. Public hearings will begin later this month after weeks of testimonies behind closed doors.
At the centre of the investigation is whether President Donald Trump abused his power and jeopardised national security by withholding US military aid from Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into his political rival, Joe Biden.
Trump has repeatedly denied doing anything wrong, and the White House is refusing to cooperate; so what happens next? And what will be the impact on next year's elections?
Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault | Guests: Richard Goodstein - Political consultant for the Democratic Party and former adviser to President Bill Clinton; Jack Kingston - Republican Party member and former senior adviser to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign; Scott Lucas - Professor of political science and international studies at the University of Birmingham
Russia and Turkey reach deal on northern Syria after US brokered ceasefire expired.
Russia and Turkey are on opposite sides of the war in Syria. Moscow backs the Syrian president, while Ankara supports opposition rebels who want to remove Bashar Al Assad. However, the two sides have been working more closely in recent months.
On Tuesday, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave Kurdish fighters six days to retreat from the Syrian-Turkish border. They reached the agreement just before the end of a US-brokered ceasefire that halted Turkey's military offensive in the region.
As Washington pulls back from the region, is Russia becoming the new power-broker? And what are the implications for the wider Middle East?
Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Yusuf Alabarda - Retired Colonel of the Turkish Armed Forces; Pavel Felgenhauer - Russian Defence and Military Analyst; Samuel Ramani - Researcher at Oxford University and a member of the Valdai Discussion Club, a Moscow-based think tank and discussion forum
Britain's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, may have to live up to his words very soon - that's if the European Union doesn't approve his proposals for Brexit.
The EU has already said there are problems - key, is what happens to the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
There are more talks planned for October 17th - but that's just 10 days before Boris Johnson says leave will mean leave, even if it's against the law as it now stands.
With one eye on a possible general election, UK MPs would have to vote for what he wants, knowing that the EU can ultimately veto the whole thing anyway.
So, is the European Union ready to compromise?
Presenter: Peter Dobbie | Guests: Donnacha Ó Beacháin, Professor of Politics at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University; Pieter Cleppe, Head of the Brussels Office, Open Europe think tank; Professor Alex De Ruyter, Director of Centre for Brexit Studies at Birmingham City University
Details emerge of the White House's efforts to lock down records of a Presidential phone call, leveraging the office of the US President to interfere in the 2020 election.
That's the accusation facing Donald Trump in a whistleblower complaint that's set him on course for an impeachment investigation.
Donald Trump has been accused of trying to persuade the Ukrainian leader to dig up dirt on his rival, Joe Biden. So, will the impeachment effort against Donald Trump intensify? Or will it backfire on the President's opponents?
Presenter: Sami Zeidan | Guests Greg Swenson, Spokesman for Republicans Abroad UK; Rina Shah, Republican Strategist; Arshad Hasan, Democratic Political Strategist
Extra-marital relations outlawed in Indonesia; and jail sentences for insulting the president. These are some of the controversial proposals causing an outcry in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, which are considered disastrous by rights groups.
Thousands of students vented their anger. Coming under pressure, President Joko Widodo postponed the vote on changes to the draft criminal code, but Indonesians still fear it could be passed by parliament.
They're also angry over the passing of another law that weakens Indonesia's anti-corruption organization. The protests have been dismissed by the Indonesian government. So, can the outrage stop the government's plans?
Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom | Guests: Greg Barton, expert on terrorism at Deakin University: Calvin Dark, former Indonesian Government Campaign Adviser; Damien Kings, conflict resolution specialist
Washington has blamed Tehran for the attack on Saudi oil facilities and says it's now building a coalition against Iran.
The Gulf region is on the edge. Who's responsible for last week's attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure, has led to accusations from different sides. The US and Saudi Arabia say Iran is behind the Aramco strikes. But the Houthis in Yemen say they are responsible and have warned of more to come.
The US Secretary of State visited allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE to talk to their leaders. Mike Pompeo said Washington was seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis, but blamed Iran for seeking an 'all-out war.'
Iran's foreign minister says the U.S. is preparing to use the Aramco incident as an excuse to attack his country, and that Tehran's ready to defend itself. So, will tension escalate even further? Or would diplomacy defuse it?
Presenter: Imran Khan | Guests: Nader Hashemi, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver; Mohammad Marandi, Professor of American Studies at the University of Tehran; Adolfo Franco, Republican strategist and former adviser to Senator John McCain
Oil prices soar as Saudi Arabia tries to reassure market.
Saudi Arabia is trying to reassure the world that it will quickly recover from Saturday's attacks on its oil plants. However, the reassurance failed to stop oil prices soaring 19 percent - their highest-ever increase in a day.
Prices have since eased, but concerns remain about the 50 percent cut for the world's biggest crude exporter.
Houthi fighters in Yemen are vowing more attacks to cripple the Saudi economy. President Donald Trump warned that the US is 'locked and loaded' to respond, and ready to release emergency oil reserves if needed.
Will the attack force us to rethink our reliance on oil?
Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Jawad Anani - Former Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan; Cornelia Meyer - Oil and gas specialist, Meyer Resources financial advisory firm; Bill Law - Journalist and Gulf affairs analyst
Drone attacks force world's largest oil exporter to halve output. It's being described as an unprecedented attack on the world's energy supply.
Oil prices are expected to rise after Saudi Arabia was forced to cut production in half. Houthi rebels in Yemen say their latest drone attacks knocked out the world's largest crude processing plant.
Iran is dismissing US accusations that it was responsible. Is the possibility of a war between Iran and the Saudis increasing?
Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Hussain Al Bukhaiti - Yemeni affairs specialist; Simon Mabon - Director, Richardson Institute for Peace Studies, Lancaster University; Josh Young - Portfolio Manager, Bison Interests energy investment firm
He was the longest-serving US National Security Advisor under President Donald Trump. But that wasn't enough to save him. Just like his predecessors, John Bolton has been tweeted out of the White House.
Bolton was known for his hardline stance against countries like Iran and North Korea. And he'd disagreed with the president over foreign policy - most recently on Afghanistan. He opposed Trump's plan to bring members of the Taliban to Camp David to sign a peace accord.
Those views led to the president firing him, although Bolton says he resigned; so what does his departure mean for US foreign policy? And is there anyone who can hold onto one of the most powerful positions in the White House?
Presenter: Imran Khan Guests John Jones, Former Senate National Security Director under former National Security Advisor Chuck Schumer Scott Lucas, Founder and Editor of EA World View and Professor of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Birmingham. Jenna Ben-Yehuda, President and CEO of the Truman National Security Project.
Only a few days ago he said he would rather 'die in a ditch' than ask the EU for an extension to Brexit negotiations. But it seems Boris Johnson may have to admit defeat and find another way to deal with his deeply divided government.
His attempt to call an early election has been thrown out, and Parliament has been suspended for the next five weeks. He needed more than 430 votes to get a snap election - he only got 293.
That's left him cornered if he wants the UK to leave the bloc on October 31st. So, what are his options now? And where does this leave Brexit?
Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom | Guests Bobby Friedman, political commentator on UK politics and the author of 'Bercow, Mr Speaker: Rowdy Living in the Tory Party'; Alex De Ruyter, director of the Centre for Brexit Studies at Birmingham City University; Sonia Purnell, journalist and author of 'Just Boris: A Tale of Blond Ambition'
More than three years ago, a majority of voters in the UK said they wanted to leave the EU. But what followed has been a lot less clear.
British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, failed to break the latest deadlock over Brexit. On Wednesday, MPs voted down his attempts to trigger a snap election. They also passed a bill blocking the possibility of a 'no-deal' exit from the EU.
Johnson had said he was willing to consider that if no new withdrawal deal was agreed. So, where does that leave the Brexit process? And Johnson's own future?
Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests Alex Deane, Managing Director and Head of Public Affairs UK at FTI Consulting and former Chief of Staff to former UK Prime Minister David Cameron; Larissa Brunner, Policy analyst at the European Policy Centre; Asa Bennett, Brexit Commissioning Editor at the Telegraph.
