Recorded

UAE at 50: How the Emirates is tackling climate change

Since the Emirates’ formation 50 years ago, it has become a close friend and strategic partner of the UK.
In this miniseries, The UAE at 50, we speak to those at the heart of this connection about what it means.
In this episode, we talk to two environmental experts about the UAE’s fast-changing environmental sector and how the country is forging ahead with its commitment to have net-zero emissions by 2050.

Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, who sits on the board of advisors of the Yale Centre for Environmental Law and Policy, and Dr Richard Perry, advisor to Abu Dhabi’s Environment Agency, who helped establish the institution decades ago, tell us how partnerships and collaborations with countries such as the UK are at the heart of the UAE’s goal to become a world leader in sustainability and renewable energy.

Hosted by Layla Maghribi
Produced by Ayesha Khan and Arthur Pereira

9/11 anniversary: in conversation with US diplomat Sean Murphy

The deadly 9/11 terror attacks reshaped US foreign policy with regards to the Middle East. Its consequences continue to be felt, 20 years on.

 

In this special episode, The National’s Assistant Editor in Chief, Mustafa Alrawi, and Sean Murphy, Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi, discuss the impact of that tragic event, both broadly on the region and in terms of their own careers.

Diego Maradona: The Dubai Years Ep. 5

Ten years ago, Diego Maradona stunned the world as he arrived in the UAE to manage club team Al Wasl. In this series, Paul Radley, sportswriter for The National, and football correspondent John McAuley will be looking back at the time when Maradona mania arrived in the UAE.

Subscribe to this five-part special to hear the story in full.

Produced by Ayesha Khan and Arthur Eddyson.

Diego Maradona: The Dubai Years Ep. 4

In stark contrast to his gilded playing career, Diego Maradona never won a trophy as a manager. His spells in charge of teams were only ever brief, and often ended in turmoil.

And yet those who played for him during his time in the UAE remember him with deep affection. They describe a manager full of empathy, warmth, and charisma, who would back them - even when all was lost.

In Episode 4 of our podcast series, hosts John McAuley and Paul Radley hear from a number of players who were managed by Maradona at Al Wasl and Fujairah.

The question to each of them was a simple one: what was it like to be coached by one of the most effervescent characters in all of sport?

Subscribe to this five-part special to hear the story in full.

Produced by Ayesha Khan and Arthur Eddyson.

Diego Maradona: The Dubai Years Ep. 3

Diego Maradona is, for many, the greatest footballer to have ever played the game. So what made him so good?

In 1982, when aged 22, he moved from Boca Juniors to Barcelona for a world-record $7.6 million fee.

During his two years at Camp Nou, Maradona was a constant thorn in the side of arch-rivals Real Madrid, even helping Barcelona defeat the old enemy in the 1983 Copa del Rey final.

He would spend two spells at Boca, returning in 1995 following an ignominious exit from the World Cup the previous summer. Two years later, he brought down the curtain on his professional career with a 2-1 victory away to bitter rivals River Plate.

That wasn’t technically when Maradona hung up his boots, though. In 2011, he arrived in the UAE to manage Al Wasl, and was a regular on the 5-aside or 7-aside pitch. Apparently, he treated those games as anything but recreational.

In Episode 3 of our podcast series looking at the Maradona's time in the country, hosts Paul Radley and John McAuley speak to a former opponent at Real Madrid, an ex-teammate at Boca, and even a close friend who was tasked with organising the weekly “friendly” matches in Dubai.

True to form, they attest to the fact the World Cup winner could be a handful on and off the pitch.

Subscribe to this five-part special to hear the story in full.

Produced by Ayesha Khan and Arthur Eddyson.

Diego Maradona: The Dubai Years Ep. 2

Diego Maradona was a magnet for news throughout his career, and his relationship with the media rarely ran smooth.

When he came to Dubai a decade ago to manage Al Wasl, the glare of the limelight might have been less harsh than it had been for him in Buenos Aires, Barcelona or Naples. And yet he still managed to find his way into scrapes.

From kicking supporters of his own team, wading into the stands to remonstrate with opposition fans, and fostering fierce rivalries both near and far, Maradona frequently vented his fury.

In Episode 2 of our podcast series looking at his time in the country, hosts Paul Radley and John McAuley speak to those tasked with trying to keep track of El Diego’s escapades in Emirates.

Subscribe to this five-part special to hear the story in full.

Produced by Ayesha Khan and Arthur Eddyson.

Diego Maradona: The Dubai Years Ep. 1

It marks one of the most extraordinary developments in UAE sport, a moment that carried Emirati football beyond its borders and to the world. Ten years ago, in May 2011, Diego Maradona was announced as the new manager of Al Wasl, a Dubai-based club fourth in the nascent UAE Pro League.

The previous summer, Maradona had coached Argentina at the World Cup in South Africa, aiming to lead his country to football’s greatest prize, just as he did most famously as a player in 1986. Now he was appointed head coach at Wasl, a decorated club in the UAE top flight but without a trophy in four seasons.

Maradona signed a two-year contract, promising to restore his new employers to former glory. It did not quite work out that way, but Fifa’s joint player of the century would go on to make Dubai his home for the best part of the next decade.

To commemorate that remarkable period, The National has created a podcast series entitled “Diego Maradona: The Dubai Years”, with insight from some of the people who knew best the colourful Argentine during his time here.

In Episode 1, hosts Paul Radley and John McAuley detail the whirlwind moment Maradona was considered as Wasl manager, what it meant for UAE football, his arrival in the Emirates, and that first press conference in which the World Cup winner set the stage for what became a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

Subscribe to this five-part special to hear the story in full.

Produced by Ayesha Khan and Arthur Eddyson.

Nigel Shadbolt on the ideals of artificial intelligence

Sir Nigel Shadbolt, chairman of the Open Data Institute which he co-founded with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, talks about the ethics of AI. 

Super League shambles - 48 hours when the game self-destructed

When plans were revealed for a new European Super League, featuring the biggest football clubs in Europe, initially 12 teams signed up. Six of them were from the English Premier League - Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea. There was to be no relegation for the 15 founder members.

Dominic Hart, sports editor at The National, talks to Andy Mittin, The National’s European football correspondent, about the reaction to the announcement and the clubs withdrawing.

Jordanian teen sensation Issam Alnajjar on his newfound success

Hadal Ahbek, by singer-songwriter Issam Alnajjar, is one of Spotify’s most streamed songs right now. The National's Saeed Saeed talked to the singer, who even caught the ear of the The Weeknd's manager, about his viral hit and how he came up with the song.