Publication Mar 27, 2018 Thousands more leave Syria’s Ghouta as Assad takes back control (Reuters) – The last remaining insurgent-held area in Ghouta is the town of Douma. The United Nations said it is highly concerned for 70,000-78,000 people it said were trapped inside….
Publication Mar 26, 2018 Egypt election begins with President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi certain win (USA Today)– Polls opened on Monday in Egypt’s presidential election with the outcome — a second term for President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi — a foregone conclusion. A general-turned-president, el-Sissi is challenged…
Publication Mar 19, 2018 Sisi’s only challenger lays low ahead of Egyptian election (Reuters) – Days ahead of Egypt’s presidential election, Moussa Mostafa Moussa, the only candidate standing against incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, is avoiding the limelight. Moussa’s presidential bid seemed to come…
Media Mar 12, 2018 ‘Unsafe even to bury the dead’ in besieged Syrian enclave (Reuters) – Thousands of families are sleeping in the open in the streets of the biggest town of Syria’s rebel-held eastern Ghouta enclave, where there is no longer any room…
Publication Mar 12, 2018 In Egypt, a strongman’s only challenger is barely campaigning (The Washington Post) –The election billboards of President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi are everywhere in this bustling capital. They read: “Yalla Sissi” — “Go Sissi” in Arabic — urging him on…
Publication Mar 8, 2018 Egyptian prosecutors seek death sentence for photographer Shawkan (IFEX) –Prosecutors have requested a death sentence for Mahmoud Abou Zeid, an Egyptian photojournalist known as Shawkan who has been held for four and a half years. Reporters Without Borders…
Publication Mar 6, 2018 ‘Oh My God’ Turns to ‘Yay Me’ as Saudi Women Practice Driving (The New York Times)–“O.K. Come drive now,” said the trainer. “Oh my God,” the architecture student replied. She climbed into the driver’s seat, put on her seatbelt, found the pedals,…
Publication Mar 5, 2018 UN begins aid distribution in Syria’s Ghouta area amid shelling (The Washington Post) – A United Nations convoy carrying lifesaving assistance entered the besieged Syrian enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Monday, reaching civilians for the first time in weeks amid…
Publication Mar 2, 2018 Egypt’s Sherine sentenced to prison over Nile joke (BBC) – Egyptian singer Sherine Abdel Wahab has been sentenced to six months in prison for joking about the cleanliness of the River Nile. Sherine, one of the country’s most…
Media Mar 1, 2018 Iran detains 35 women for going to football match (BBC) – They tried to go to a game between Tehran teams Esteqlal and Persepolis. Iran said they were temporarily held and would be released after the match.
Publication Feb 21, 2018 Bahrain Sentences Prominent Activist to 5 Years in Prison (U.S. News & World Report) – A prominent human rights activist in Bahrain was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison over tweets alleging prison torture in his country and…
Media Feb 27, 2018 U.N. Links North Korea to Syria’s Chemical Weapon Program (The New York Times)– North Korea has been shipping supplies to the Syrian government that could be used in the production of chemical weapons, United Nations experts contend. The evidence…
Publication Feb 26, 2018 Chlorine gas symptoms reported in eastern Ghouta, Syria (NBC News) – In recent weeks, the United States has accused Syria of repeatedly using chlorine gas as a weapon. Rebel-held areas of the Ghouta region were hit in a…
Media Feb 23, 2018 Iran Arrests Two More Women For Protesting Compulsory Hijab (RFE) – Iranian security officers have arrested two women who protested against the compulsory hijab in Tehran by removing their head scarves in public and waving them while standing on…
Publication Feb 21, 2018 UN demands halt of ‘monstrous campaign’ in Syrian town (Al Jazeera) – Top UN officials demanded an immediate cessation of aerial attacks on Syria’s devastated Eastern Ghouta with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling the rebel-held enclave “hell on Earth”. Syrian…
Media Feb 16, 2018 Turkey sentences journalists to life in jail over coup attempt (The Guardian) – A Turkish court has sentenced six defendants, including three prominent journalists, to life in prison over allegations of involvement in a 2016 coup attempt, drawing fierce condemnation…
Publication Feb 14, 2018 Libya’s supreme court blocks legal challenges to draft constitution (Reuters) – Libya’s supreme court blocked legal challenges from lower courts to a draft constitution on Wednesday, paving the way for a possible referendum on the document and a move…
Publication Feb 6, 2018 Air strikes pound Syria’s last rebel strongholds, gas chokes civilians (Reuters) – Warplanes launched heavy attacks on the two last major rebel-held areas in Syria, killing at least 29 people in the Ghouta suburb near the capital and choking people…
Media Feb 2, 2018 Tehran hijab protest: Iranian police arrest 29 women (The Guardian) – Although women in Iran have fought against the hijab for nearly four decades, the new wave of protests has grabbed more attention and sparked a debate rarely…
News Jan 25, 2018 Rights group fears for detained Bahrain activist BEIRUT — A human rights group says the life of an imprisoned activist in Bahrain is at risk because he has been denied adequate medical care and is being held…
