For Ayla Agit, the deal signed in March between Europe and Turkey to stem the flow of migrants and refugees was a prayer answered. “Finally, we have a chance to get a new life in Germany!” says Agit, who was driven from her home this past October by fighting. The twist: Agit isn’t a Syrian… Continue reading Turkey: A Not-So-Cunning Plan
Tunisia: Desperately Seeking Direction
Tunisia, the much lauded “success story” of the Arab Spring, is fighting for its survival. According to the World Bank, growth for the past year is expected to be near zero at best. In fact, among all the countries of the Middle East, only war-torn Libya is expected to do worse when the final numbers… Continue reading Tunisia: Desperately Seeking Direction
Yemen: The Kindness of Strangers
When Adel Mahmoud, 54, a teacher in Taiz province, went to buy commodities for Ramadan, he was shocked to find a huge increase in prices. Although it’s often the case that there is an increase in prices before the sacred month, as some of Yemen’s Muslims tend to buy in bulk—and special kinds of food… Continue reading Yemen: The Kindness of Strangers
Safeguarding Palestinian History
On top of a hill not far from the West Bank City of Ramallah, where on a clear sunny day one can see the Mediterranean, sits a curiously shaped building. The $28 million stone and glass terrace-shaped structure is the new Palestinian Museum, which was designed by the Dublin-based Heneghan Peng. The design, according to… Continue reading Safeguarding Palestinian History
Muhammad Ali: Rumble, Young Man
“Rumble, young man, rumble.” Muhammad Ali, three-time world heavyweight boxing champion, lost his final fight to Parkinson’s on June 3, at the age of 74. Ali died at a Phoenix-area hospital, where he had undergone treatment over a span of five days for respiratory complications. According to family spokesperson, Bob Gunnell, Ali died of septic… Continue reading Muhammad Ali: Rumble, Young Man
Sahrawis, Officials Pay Tribute to Western Sahara Leader
RABONI, Algeria, June 4 – Chanting slogans for independence, hundreds of Sahrawi people joined diplomats and government officials in southern Algerian camps to pay their respects to Western Sahara independence leader Mohamed Abdelaziz who died this week after illness. Abdelaziz, 68, will be buried on Saturday. On Friday his coffin arrived in the southern Algerian… Continue reading Sahrawis, Officials Pay Tribute to Western Sahara Leader
Cannes Festival Entry Focuses on Taiwan Death Penalty Debate
TAIPEI, May 9 – A prize-winning Taiwanese film exploring the use of the death penalty will screen at the Cannes Film Festival later this month, adding to recent increased debate about the island’s use of capital punishment. Leon Lee’s 23-minute film titled “The Day To Choose” puts its main character, a lawyer and strong opponent… Continue reading Cannes Festival Entry Focuses on Taiwan Death Penalty Debate
Eastern Libya Ships First Oil Cargo In Defiance of Tripoli
BENGHAZI, Libya, April 27 – A government based in eastern Libya has shipped its first cargo of crude in defiance of authorities in the capital Tripoli, a bold move that could deepen the divisions that have brought chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. The Tripoli authorities asked the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to… Continue reading Eastern Libya Ships First Oil Cargo In Defiance of Tripoli
Sudan’s Darfur Votes on Political Future, Rebels Cry foul
El FASHER, Sudan, April 12 – Darfur residents began voting on Monday in a referendum on whether to reunite their arid western region into one entity, a poll Sudan says will settle an issue at the heart of the long-running conflict. The Sudanese government’s decision to split Darfur into three states in 1994 helped fuel… Continue reading Sudan’s Darfur Votes on Political Future, Rebels Cry foul
Lebanese Citizenship Law Strips Women of Identity and Property
BEIRUT, May 26 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – When her teenage daughter – a talented football player – was selected for a national Lebanese team, Nadine Moussa could not have been more proud. But the celebrations were short-lived. Under a 91-year-old law, women like Moussa, who are married to foreigners, cannot pass their Lebanese nationality on to their… Continue reading Lebanese Citizenship Law Strips Women of Identity and Property
A Colonial Canvas: The Art of Shahzia Sikander
Nestled above the glittering, modernist skyscrapers of downtown Hong Kong is an isolated remnant of the city’s fading colonial past. In the mid-19th century, at the height of its imperial power, the British army built the Old Victoria Barracks to produce explosives and ammunition for the empire’s eastern wing. For a city that rose to… Continue reading A Colonial Canvas: The Art of Shahzia Sikander
Kashmir Militants Wage Selfie War Against Indian Crackdown
TRAL, India, May 23 – Rebels like Burhan Wani, more adept at spreading their message via smartphone than wielding an assault rifle, are becoming a rallying point in disputed Kashmir for youth who reject the authority of India’s federal government. Wani, a 22-year-old commander of Islamic separatist group Hizb-ul Mujahideen, personifies a new generation of… Continue reading Kashmir Militants Wage Selfie War Against Indian Crackdown
Kashmir Militants Wage Selfie War Against Indian Crackdown
TRAL, India, May 23 – Rebels like Burhan Wani, more adept at spreading their message via smartphone than wielding an assault rifle, are becoming a rallying point in disputed Kashmir for youth who reject the authority of India’s federal government. Wani, a 22-year-old commander of Islamic separatist group Hizb-ul Mujahideen, personifies a new generation of… Continue reading Kashmir Militants Wage Selfie War Against Indian Crackdown
Domestic Focus May Limit Clout of $2 Trillion Saudi Fund
DUBAI, May 17 – Saudi Arabia aims to create the world’s biggest sovereign wealth fund, a $2 trillion behemoth that can throw its weight around global markets, but the fund’s growth abroad is likely to be slowed by its responsibility for aiding the economy at home. Building the Public Investment Fund (PIF) into “the largest… Continue reading Domestic Focus May Limit Clout of $2 Trillion Saudi Fund
Fetchr: Signed, Sealed, Delivered
It is practically impossible to get Silicon Valley investors to fund a start-up in the Middle East, because they do not believe there is tech talent in this region, says Joy Ajlouny, co-founder of Fetchr, a Dubai-based tech company with an app that allows you to use your cell phone number as your address, “but… Continue reading Fetchr: Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Top Gun
When Zaha Hadid died, the world bemoaned a visionary talent. Who was there to replace her? Architecture is a notoriously difficult space in which to make a mark; it took many years before one of her designs was realized. And an architect that can marry the designs of the east and the west—yet still find… Continue reading Top Gun
Sri Lanka’s Torrential Rains Drive More Than 130,000 from Homes
COLOMBO, May 17 – Flash floods and landslides in Sri Lanka, triggered by more than three days of heavy rain, have forced more than 130,000 people from their homes and killed at least 11, disaster officials said on Tuesday. Troops have launched rescue operations in inundated areas of the Indian Ocean island, with boats and… Continue reading Sri Lanka’s Torrential Rains Drive More Than 130,000 from Homes
Iraqi Leader Says Political Crisis Helps Daesh Attack
BAGHDAD, May 15 – A political crisis in Iraq is hampering the fight against Daesh, Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi said on Saturday after some of the bloodiest attacks on Baghdad this year. Abadi’s government has been crippled for weeks since parties resisted a cabinet reshuffle aimed at fighting corruption. In a televised speech, he… Continue reading Iraqi Leader Says Political Crisis Helps Daesh Attack
Google Says its Engineers Working with UNICEF to Map Zika
SAO PAULO, March 3 – Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Thursday that its engineers were working with U.N. child agency UNICEF to analyse data in an effort to map and anticipate the spread of the Zika virus, linked to birth defects among children in Brazil. Google said in a statement it was providing a $1… Continue reading Google Says its Engineers Working with UNICEF to Map Zika
A Nation Of Their Own
When in the summer of 2012, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) took over the town of Kobani and later other Kurdish-majority areas in northern Syria, few took the occurrence to be so consequential. It was in the midst of the Syrian uprising and the world’s focus was on the fight in major areas such as… Continue reading A Nation Of Their Own
In Remote Corner of Iraq, An Unlikely Alliance Forms Against Daesh
UMM Al-DHIBAN, Iraq, May 11 – They share little more than an enemy and struggle to communicate on the battlefield, but together two relatively obscure groups have opened up a new front against Daesh militants in a remote corner of Iraq. The unlikely alliance between an offshoot of a leftist Kurdish organization and an Arab… Continue reading In Remote Corner of Iraq, An Unlikely Alliance Forms Against Daesh
Our Man In London?
For a site that has served as a historical symbol of christian influence for over a thousand years, Southwark Cathedral in central London took on a new meaning this week. Standing next to a large table where Bishops offer sermons and couples sometimes exchange their marriage vows, a slight 5-foot 4-inch tall Asian man began… Continue reading Our Man In London?
Palestine: Childhood Lost
It took 12-year-old Dima Al Wawi’s parents some serious persuasion to get their daughter to talk. But even then, Dima would only utter a few hardly audible words that failed to form complete sentences at times. “She is still in shock from the experience she lived through during her arrest,” Dima’s mother, Sabha Al Wawi,… Continue reading Palestine: Childhood Lost
France: Rainbow Dreams
I was still at school when France’s so-called “Rainbow Team”—a collection of black, white and Arab footballers—won the World Cup in 1998. It was a time of immense optimism and hope for those of us living on the same kind of suburban estates that many of the players came from. We had a chance to… Continue reading France: Rainbow Dreams