Archives for August, 2017

An Egyptian Muslim woman takes a picture of children at the end of prayers on the first day of Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on June 25, 2017, in Cairo. / AFP PHOTO / SAMER ABDULLAH (Photo credit should read SAMER ABDULLAH/AFP/Getty Images)

Two is enough: A fix for Egypt’s overpopulation

Egypt’s Ministry of Social Solidarity, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, announced the launch of a population control program targeting 1.3 million Egyptian women.

A picture taken in the capital Tehran on July 16, 2017 shows the front pages of Iranian newspapers bearing portraits of the top female scientist Maryam Mirzakhani, who died of cancer a day earlier.
Iranian-born mathematician, who became the first woman to win the coveted Fields Medal in 2014, died on July 15 in a US hospital after the breast cancer she had been battling for four years spread to her bone marrow, at the age of 40. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Get

Talent continues to leave Iran in droves

The untimely death of Iranian-American math genius Maryam Mirzakhani gives rise to renewed debate on the issue of "brain drain" in Iran.

A member of Iraqi army walks at the remains of wall panels and colossal statues of winged bulls, destroyed by Islamic State militants in the Assyrian city of Nimrud eastern bank of the Tigris River, south of Mosul, Iraq, November 16, 2016. REUTERS/Ari Jalal - RTX2TYPA

Iraq steps up efforts to restore lost heritage at ancient Nimrud

After the defeat of the Islamic State in Mosul, a campaign to reconstruct the ancient city of Nimrud with the cooperation of UNESCO has begun.

Iraqi writer, Ahmed Saadawi poses with his book titled in French "Frankenstein a Bagdad" (Frankenstein in Baghdad) on August 4, 2016 in the capital Baghdad.
When Ahmed Saadawi finished writing "Frankenstein in Baghdad", a dark fantasy about the war that tore Iraq apart a decade ago, he thought his novel dealt with the past. But just like the monster Mary Shelley first dreamt up exactly 200 years ago, Saadawi's hero took on a life of its own. Saadawi won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2014 and

'Frankenstein in Baghdad' to come to life in film

Iraqi novelist Ahmed Saadawi's award-winning novel "Frankenstein in Baghdad" is to become a film.

A man sews an Iraqi Kurdish flag bearing a portrait of Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani, in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, on February 3, 2016.
Barzani has declared that the "time has come" for the country's Kurds to hold a referendum on statehood, his office said.

/ AFP / SAFIN HAMED (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi clerics fuel dispute over Kurdish independence

As the Kurdistan region is preparing for a referendum on independence, the religious authorities from both Kurdish and Arab sides are fueling the political dispute over the issue.

Iraqi fighters from Hashid Shaabi take part in a training at Makhmur camp in Iraq December 11, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTX2UHUL

Iraq, Iran struggle for control over Popular Mobilization Units

The Popular Mobilization Units are divided into two rival groups, with some wanting to join the Iraqi army and others wanting to remain independent.

Zaka emergency personnel clean a bloodstain from the ground at the scene of a Palestinian stabbing attack in Tel Aviv, Israel November 19, 2015. REUTERS/Nir Elias - RTS7YAW

Congress moves bill cutting Palestinian aid over ‘martyr’ stipends

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 17-4 for the Taylor Force Act after modifications were made to get Democrats on board.

Clouds pass behind the White House in Washington, U.S., August 3, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RTS1AASJ

Iran hawks, Bannon loyalists booted in White House purge

A civil war for the soul of the Donald Trump administration has emerged into the open, pitting a motley array of anti-globalists and Iran hawks against more moderate national security professionals.

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (R), flanked by Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar (L) and the country's top generals, leaves Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, after a wreath-laying ceremony ahead of a High Military Council meeting in Ankara, Turkey, July 28, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSK1K6

Turkey tells a story with major military personnel moves

Turkey's military council made some surprise decisions this week that provide insight into the president's re-election strategy.

TAL ABYAD, SYRIA - JUNE 19: (TURKEY OUT) A Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG fighter controls the weapons in downtown of Tal Abyad, Syria. June 19, 2015. Kurdish fighters with the YPG took full control of Tal Abyad, dealing a major blow to the Islamic State group's ability to wage war in Syria. Mopping up operations have started to make the town safe for the return of residents from Turkey, after more than a year of Islamic State militants holding control of the town. (Photo by Ahmet Sik/Getty Image

US pushes back on Turkish media claims about Syrian Kurds

US Embassy in Ankara refutes fevered claims about aid deliveries to Syrian Kurds.

Rouhani officially begins second term

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is set to begin his second term after being officially endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani waves as he stands next to a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after he registered for February's election of the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that chooses the supreme leader, at Interior Ministry in Tehran December 21, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX1ZKHQ

Rouhani, Reformists battle over Cabinet picks

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani is facing pushback over his second-term Cabinet appointments.

An Israeli waves a Soviet flag during a march in Jerusalem commemorating the 70th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day May 10, 2015. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTX1CBAH

Israel gives nod to Russia with new national holiday

Israel, seeking to keep Russian ties close, realizes little things do matter.

Demonstrators including Israeli and Palestinian activists take part in a demonstration in support of peace near the West Bank city of Jericho October 19, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RTX2PI50

Most Israelis, Palestinians are tired of fighting

Israeli right-wing legislators do all they can to keep the two-state solution at a distance, yet a majority of Israelis still support it.

Yair Lapid (C), leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, is surrounded by police as he visits the scene of what Israeli police said was a stabbing attack outside the Lion's Gate of Jerusalem's Old City October 12, 2015. A border policeman shot dead a Palestinian who police said tried to stab him, according to Israeli police. The account was disputed by a Palestinian passerby, who said he witnessed the incident and saw no knife. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTS449S

Israeli centrist looks to profit from Netanyahu’s troubles

Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid is looking to collect Knesset seats on the right as police investigations close in on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Palestinians take part in a protest against Israel's new security measures at the entrance to the al-Aqsa mosque compound, in Gaza City July 21, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTX3CDUH

Where do Al-Aqsa protests leave the Islamic Movement in Israel?

The Islamic Movement in Israel has tried to keep a low profile in recent weeks after three men connected to its base, Umm al-Fahm, killed two Israeli police officers, sparking deadly protests.