NATIONAL IDENTITY UNDER THREAT?

When people think of the Emirates they tend to think of the glitz of Dubai - with its groundbreaking projects and swift transformation from a quiet desert trading port to major business hub. But the modern face of Dubai has really only emerged over the past few decades. What has happened to the traditional lifestyle of the country? With 170 nationalities living in the UAE, and only 10 percent of the population comprising nationals, what does it mean to be Emirati? Hala Gorani treks through the desert in search of the last true Bedouins.

ISRAELI WINE INDUSTRY

When you're choosing a wine for dinner, what comes to mind? French, Italian? Maybe Australian, Californian, Chilean. But...Israeli? In Israel, wines are actually enjoying a renaissance. There are now more than 200 wineries in the country, and more than 5,000 labels to choose from. Israel wants the world to know. The government has launched a PR offensive to literally wine and dine critics and diplomats the world over. Atika Shubert takes us on a grape tour, in Tel Aviv.

EGYPT'S WHIZ KID

Mahmoud Wael, or Moody as he's known to friends and family, is a nine year old with an intelligence quotient (IQ) of 155. He was recently thrust into the local limelight as the youngest mathematical genius in Egypt. Moody was three-and-a-half when his father, Dr. Wael Mahmoud, realized something was out of the ordinary. Mahmoud was testing Moody's older sister on her multiplication tables. When she stalled at seven times seven, Moody quickly chimed in with 49, then went on to correctly answer the tables up to 12 times 12. Aneesh Raman reports on Egypt's own whiz kid.

NEW BREED OF BILLIONAIRE

The global wealth boom has created a new breed of billionaire in once-destitute countries like Turkey, and a number of them are using their wealth to push for social changes. Turkey's richest man, billionaire Husnu M. Ozyegin, has spent more than $50 million of his own money to build primary schools and girls' dormitories in the poorest parts of the country. Flush with money and ambition, Mr. Ozyegin is doing all that he can to lift Turkish educational standards at the primary and university level. In a country where the ruling party draws its root support from an electorate that is becoming more Islamic in attitude and outlook, Mr. Ozyegin's aim to reach out to undereducated girls touches a sensitive cultural vein. Hala Gorani spent time with Turkey's wealthiest philanthropist.

DRAG-RACING YOUTH OF DUBAI

Deep in the desert, about an hour's drive northeast of Dubai, gearheads gather to test their mettle at a complex for quarter-mile drag-racing. Not long ago, speed demons took to Jumeirah Beach Road, a long stretch of highway that runs through Dubai. But when kids were killed in these impromptu races, Sheik Marwan al-Mualla decided to finance the building of the track with his own money. Although still relatively off the mainstream radar, the Emirates Motorplex has become a safe way for competitors to quench their need for speed. Wilf Dinnick reports from the track.

HOLLYWOOD IN BEIRUT

In the midst of Lebanon's worst political crisis and violence since the civil war, an independent U.S. film company is shooting an action movie in the hills overlooking Beirut. If there weren't enough acts of violence in this war-torn country, the movie makers are locked and loaded to shoot a battle sequence - weapons provided by the Lebanese Army - in an old civil war destroyed area that's a natural set for the cameras. The film is called "Blackline" - the plot inspired by controversy surrounding private military security companies like Blackwater. It's the first non-Arab movie at this level to be shot on location in Lebanon in thirty years - and the producers realize it may be the last, as Lebanon is likely close to another violent meltdown. In the six weeks they were shooting, there was a bombing, deadly street clashes and the Hezbollah assassination and fall-out from Syria. At one point an uninformed Lebanese Army unit surrounded their set in an original bombed-out building, suspecting they were a terrorist group in training. Beirut Bureau Chief Brent Sadler reports from the set.

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

U.S. President George W. Bush's recent six-nation tour of the Middle East was the first of its kind since he took office. The trip included his first visit as U.S. president to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Along for the ride were hundreds of journalists from around the world. Hala Gorani was one of those reporters, criss-crossing the region from Israel, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, in a little over a week. She brings us the story-behind-the story -- a glimpse at the media coverage surrounding President Bush's visit, and talk with locals who shared their thoughts on the presidential tour.

TO WIN: STAY SILENT

The season for film festivals in the Middle East is well underway. Egyptian director and screenwriter Ihab Lamey walks the red carpet at the Cairo International Film Festival, unsure how his fourth feature film will be received. The abstract drama centers around four young adults competing in an unusual reality TV show. The cash prize goes to the contestant who can stay silent for an entire month. The house is monitored with cameras rolling twenty-four hours a day, under the vigilante eyes of a manipulative producer. Lamey says his film addresses what he calls "the culture of silence" in Arab society. Schams Elwazer reports from Cairo.

FEARLESS FEMALE SAUDI JOURNALIST

Twenty-nine year old journalist Ebithal Mubarak has only been a reporter for three years, and is already making a name for herself. She is taking on stories no one else dares, springing to international attention late last year after she campaigned about the injustice of the gang rape of a Saudi woman. Mubarak's co-workers consider her brave; her reporting helped get the rape victim pardoned from a jail sentence and lashes. Mubarak's bold stand puts her at odds with the Kingdom's conservatives. Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson reports on her bold mission.

CYBER PEACE 
Hala travels to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where students are involved in a project by non-profit group, Soliya. The goal is to get young people from the U.S. and the Arab world to put a human face on the "other." Students from all over the world debate politics and issues, but also discuss hobbies, family and friends, in an online web forum. It's good old-fashioned conversation facilitated by 21st century technology. As part of the project, students are required to piece together a five-minute film on a sensitive subject. This semester the topic is Hamas' take-over of Gaza last summer. Soliya is driven by a simple belief: when you give people the opportunity to communicate in a constructive, safe environment, more often than not they discover that their similarities outnumber their differences.

TOP IRANIAN CHEF HAILS FROM EL SALVADOR
Hispanic cooks can be found in many of America's restaurants. But it still surprises Washington, D.C. diners that one of the city's best chefs for Iranian food is Salvadorean. Juan Alberto Melgar goes by Johnny. He says he worked his way up in the industry, learned a foreign cuisine, and made it his own. Now Melgar has opened his own restaurant, Johnny's Kabob, in Germantown, Maryland. His customers - many of them Persian, are still surprised when they discover he's not Iranian.  Juan's rise can't be attributed to a lack of competition, either: Iranians are among the largest immigrant groups in Washington. Hala Gorani talked to Juan and sampled his award-winning cooking.

BEIRUT MARATHON
Beirut's annual marathon has taken place in years past against a backdrop of political chaos and violence. Last year 100,000 people ran only a few months after the Hezbollah-Israel war. This year's run comes as the country's presidential vote was delayed multiple times. Perhaps the marathon's organizer, May Khalil, is a perfect representative of the race's indomitable spirit. May was hit by a bus while running in an event four years ago.  She can no longer run after over thirty surgical procedures to rebuild her legs, which are now mostly comprised of steel. May turned her misfortune into an obsession to bring about Lebanese unity through the marathon event.  Beirut Bureau Chief Brent Sadler has her story.

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
Life underwater through the camera lens:  Israel's Red Sea resort town of Eilat hosts an international underwater photography competition. It's the brainchild of David Pilosof, an underwater photographer himself - tired of winning competitions with no money to show for it. Top prize in this competition is $10,000 dollars in cash. More than 120 divers from around the world are competing in a variety of categories, from conservation to humor. When they take the plunge - photographers are watched by curious tourists inside the underwater observatory. Promoting conservation is one of the aims of the competition - with a hope of finding solutions that go beyond borders. Atika Shubert reports.

BITTERSWEET "CARAMEL"

"Caramel" - the first feature film by Lebanese director Nadine Labaki - became a surprise international hit after it premiered at Cannes this year. It is also the first Lebanese film to garner major U.S. distribution. The film tells the bittersweet story of five Lebanese women from different generations and different backgrounds whose lives intersect in a Beirut beauty salon. The characters bustle around the lively salon where they use a sugar treatment to wax their legs, emphasizing a common bond beyond beauty treatments. The women face social issues that are quintessential in today's Lebanon, but which society marks as taboo. Hala Gorani talks to the film's young director.

A MOUTHFUL OF QAT

Chewing the qat leaf has become a cultural phenomenon in Yemen. Until twenty-years ago, qat chewing was a weekend habit for the rich. Now it is chewed several days a week by a large percentage of the country's population. The social aspect of qat chewing is as important, if not more so, as the physical high it creates. Qat sessions are a major part of Yemeni life; participants regard the time spent chewing qat as productive time, when business deals are arranged and communication is strengthened. Ben Wedeman travels to Yemen for a look at this pastime.

EGYPT'S FIRST MAJOR BLOGGER

Thanks to the internet, alleged police abuse in Egypt is no longer hidden away. While the government calls the abuse isolated incidents, blogger Wael Abbas works in cramped quarters to prove that wrong. His is one of the most visited blogs in the country - a million hits, he says, per month. Wael posts pictures of alleged police torture, using video taken from cell phones. He even names the men he believes are responsible. So instrumental are his efforts, Wael recently was recognized by the International Center for Journalists - the first blogger to receive such an award. Aneesh Raman caught up with Wael, and gauged his influence among the young at Cairo's American University.

IRAQI REFUGEE KIDS IN SCHOOL -- HALA GORANI

The war in Iraq has scattered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis throughout the Middle East. Jordan hosts a higher number of Iraqi refugees per citizen than any of its neighbors. Recently the Jordanian government announced that regardless of status, all Iraqi children can enroll in the country's public schools. What impact will this have, not just on the learning institutions themselves, but on Jordanian society? Hala Gorani visited several schools in Amman to find out.

BROOKLYN SHEIKH OF SANA'A -- SCHAMS ELWAZER

He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and spent his life between the U.S. and Yemen. By day, he's in jeans and a t-shirt at a military range in Sana'a. He works in that capacity for the U-S embassy's military attache, training the Yemeni Counter-Terrorism Unit. By afternoon he's in a traditional white robe at home, taking care of tribal matters as the country's youngest tribal sheikh. Schams Elwazer travelled to Yemen to bring us his story.

BARISA ROCK FESTIVAL FOR PEACE

The 5th annual Barisa Rock for Peace Festival took place over the summer in Istanbul, featuring rock and metal bands from around the Middle East. One of the musicians - Mark Levine, is a Middle Eastern history professor in California. He is also the author of a new book, Heavy Metal Islam, which explores how popular culture, and especially seemingly Western forms of music such as heavy metal, punk and hip-hop, are redefining what it means to be a young Muslim today. Mark says if we want to know what's really going on in the Middle East we need to pay as much attention to the musicians as the mullahs. In his words now, we have a look at the Rock Festival for Peace.

IRAQI CULTURAL WARRIOR

Cultural life in Iraq is reeling after years of attacks linked to the violence that has gripped the country since the U.S. invasion in 2003. But against all odds, an institution that collects books and documents is rising from the ashes - largely due to the efforts of one man. Saad Eskander is the head of Iraq's National Library and Archives. Along with some four hundred other workers, Eskander risks his life to help preserve important fragments of Iraq's past. The library is situated in one of the most dangerous areas in Baghdad, near Haifa street. Eskander says the library is more than just a building - it's a battlefield where the prize is Iraq's very soul. As Hala Gorani reports from Baghdad, in a place that so often lacks hope, Eskander's library seems like a small beacon of light.

IRAQ - LONELY END

As war rages on the streets of Baghdad, tucked away at the House of Mercy Retirement Home are Iraqis who are largely forgotten. In a society where families typically take care of the elderly and keep them at home - they are sad exceptions. Their eyes have witnessed the tumultuous history of Iraq over the last seven decades. Hala Gorani talks to the residents of the retirement home, hearing their stories of past events, as well as their take on Iraq's current struggle.

IRAQ ART MEMORIAL

London's Institute of Contemporary Arts has invited 26 artists around the world to help create a memorial to the Iraqi War. The work addresses the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the country's slide into civil war, the deaths of soldiers and civilians, and the conflict's relation to global jihadism and the War on Terror. The intention is not to find a definitive memorial to a war - a difficult task at any time, and especially in the context of an ongoing conflict. As Phil Black reports from London, the exhibition explores different perspectives on what can or should be memorialized.

30 mins

Hosted by Hala Gorani from Morocco

MARRAKESH REVIVAL

With its snake charmers and storytellers, Marrakesh has long been an offbeat destination for travellers. Now hotels, holiday homes, and golf courses are transforming the ancient city into a mass tourist destination. Some residents fear the development may be too much, too fast. Hala Gorani takes us to the streets of Marrakesh's old Medina, where thousands of old-style Moroccan homes, or "riads," have been converted into hotels for tourists.

CITY IN THE DESERT

A bold vision - sprung out of the Saudi desert. A skyscraper-studded financial center... a beach resort... an industrial district... an education zone, and a residential area for almost two million people. And that's not even a complete list of all the offerings. This ambitious project - King Abdullah City - will rise out of Saudi Arabia's desert along the Red Sea coast north of Jeddah. With investments exceeding 26-billion dollars, it's the largest private development in the Kingdom's history. The Saudis envision the city as an economic epicenter for its booming youth population. Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson has this up-close look at the city's progress.

WEST BANK STORY

If you watched the Academy Awards this year, you may have noticed that the Academy honored a short film about the Middle East. What you may not know is that the film was very controversial -- a musical comedy about tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. The student film was made by an American who was warned that taking a humorous look at a serious conflict might ruin his career in Hollywood. Peter Viles has a look at the Oscar-winning best live action short,"West Bank Story," and the idealistic American who made it.

HOSTED BY HALA GORANI FROM EGYPT

NUBIANS IN MODERN EGYPT -  HALA GORANI

They once ruled Egypt and now they're barely clinging to relevance. In the space of a single generation, the Nubians, one of the oldest and richest cultures in history, have been forced into an exile of sorts in their own country. A series of floods from the construction of dams displaced this ancient community from the banks of the Nile, sometimes deep into the arid desert. Hala Gorani visits their villages and speaks to Nubians who remember their people's golden age, as well as the younger generation whose main source of income comes from turning daily Nubian life and culture into tourist attractions.

MARRIED TO A BEDOUIN -  SCHAMS ELWAZER

What would you do for love? New Zealand-born Marguerite van Geldermalsen met and fell in love with a Bedouin man while trekking through the Middle East as a college student in 1978. They married and lived in his two-thousand-year-old cave carved into the red rock of a hillside in Petra, Jordan. Marguerite became the resident nurse and learned how to live like the Bedouin: cooking over fires, hauling water on donkeys and over the years became as much of a curiosity with tourists as the cave-dwellers. Schams Elwazer has her life-changing love story.

SAUDI DESERT ECOLOGY - NIC ROBERTSON

For centuries the Saudi deserts have provided a renewable if spartan food resource for sheep and camels. Now over-population, misuse of water resources and changing climate is threatening that. Technology can make the problem worse. Herdsmen are allowed to use water trucks instead of taking their animals from oasis to oasis, leading to overgrazing. Nic Robertson introduces us to a Saudi activist who believes his nation's wealth is not just oil beneath the deserts, but the deserts themselves.