
Ep 2. The Blast - The Six-Year Wait
In Episode 2 of The Blast, The National’s Finbar Anderson and Sunniva Rose head down to the docks of Beirut port. They try to piece together what was happening in the six years the ammonium nitrate sa...
3 Aug 202131min

Ep 1. The Blast - The Russian and The Rhosus
On August 4, 2020 the heart of Beirut was ripped apart by a huge explosion caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate detonating at the city’s port. The National’s Finbar Anderson was one of the thou...
2 Aug 202127min

The Blast from Beyond the Headlines
On August 4, 2020 the heart of Beirut was ripped apart by a huge explosion caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate detonating at the city’s port. The National’s Finbar Anderson was one of the thous...
1 Aug 202129s

Is France's anti-separatism law anti-Muslim?
An IT technician facing the sack for discussing voting habits at work or parents barred from home schooling their children. It sounds pretty dystopian, but activists say a new French law may bring t...
29 Jul 202123min

Why some Saudis stop everything to volunteer at Hajj
Every year in Saudi Arabia, as the time of the pilgrimage to Makkah nears, thousands of people from the city and around the country gather to volunteer for Hajj. Often these people will give up their ...
20 Jul 202113min

Will Iraq's power problem ever end?
Iraq’s summer is crippling the country. People are having to seek refuge indoors to escape scorching temperatures that regularly reach 50°C. But indoors isn’t much better with regular power blackouts ...
15 Jul 202123min

South Sudan faced war and famine, but what's next for the world's youngest country?
On July 9, 2011, when South Sudan finally became independent after a 56-year struggle and a bitter secession from Sudan, it was a dream come true for many. Roughly the size of the United Kingdom and...
8 Jul 202117min

Will there be lasting peace in Tigray?
On June 28, Ethiopia’s federal government declared a ceasefire in Tigray. Mekelle, the capital of the restive region, sprang to life as thousands flooded the streets chanting and dancing, many drape...
1 Jul 202119min





















