All Middle East
First LookRare dinosaur discovery marks Egypt's strides in paleontologyThe discovery of a rare plant-eating dinosaur's fossils in western Egypt has ignited international excitement about the region's potential deposits. While a global leader in archeology, the country has seen far less success with prehistoric excavation.
First LookFemale Afghan coders break gender barriers in fight against opiumA girls-only computer programing school in Herat is empowering girls to learn code as a way to change their lives. The girls have created a game centered around the opium crisis to raise awareness among the young.
Afghanistan by the numbers: inside the fight over factsThe Congress-appointed government watchdog for the war in Afghanistan is expressing the concern that the American people are not getting basic facts about the conflict. Analysts agree, and say it's not going well.
First LookMoroccan miners protest lack of economic opportunityProtests over a lack of jobs and development have stirred in Morocco's remote communities. Out-of-work miners are asking for the king's involvement after men who were scavenging for coal in an abandoned coal were killed.
First LookSyrian refugees return to their war-torn homesUnable to stand the cold weather, language barrier, and unemployment, a small but growing number of refugees are feeling the pull to return to Syria.
Why Israeli plan to deport Africans is facing growing Jewish oppositionNetanyahu refers to the nearly 40,000 Africans as 'illegal labor infiltrators.' But Jews in the Diaspora and Israel, including Holocaust survivors, say deportation would be a violation of Jewish values and history, citing the commandment to 'Love the stranger.'
With elbow grease and conviction, Jordanian women move into male vocationsThe women workers – mechanics and plumbers, welders and drivers – invoke conservative social norms even as they stretch them, saying they're providing services to other women in a more comfortable environment.
In Turkey, cruel tradition trumps ‘picture perfect’ gender lawsLaws to promote women's rights are on the books in Turkey. But as the mood grows more conservative, gender issues are out of the spotlight and activists fear the government is backsliding. Part 3 of Reaching for Equity: a global series on gender and power.
In Syrian 'epicenter of suffering,' women model resilienceIn Douma, in rebel-held eastern Ghouta, food is scarce, bombings routine, and peace a memory. But the women of all ages who stream into Sabah's cozy apartment choose to be happy, sharing joy, music, and laughter.
Syria: Can Trump's anti-Iran strategy survive hostilities with Turkey?As Russia, Iran, and the US strive to establish facts on the ground to maximize their chances of shaping postwar Syria, Turkey is posing a challenge to a key piece of the Trump administration’s emerging policy.
First LookPence's reference to 'Israel's capital' calls US ability to mediate into questionVice President Mike Pence began his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by referring to Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The US stance on Israel's capital continues to sow doubt among Arab leaders that the US can effectively mediate Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.
How insecurity in Afghanistan is constraining the Red CrossCurtailing operations anywhere is not exactly in the ICRC's DNA, but attacks in 2017 undermined the relief organization's sense of security in Afghanistan and called into question its 'need versus risk' calculations.
The ExplainerLibya crisis as opportunity: Who are the Madkhalis?The fundamentalist Madkhalis, who supported Qaddafi until the end, have fought hard to prevent ISIS from establishing a base in Libya. But experts warn of their influence on society and aim of establishing a theocracy.
First LookDaily life is slow to return to Syrian 'rebel' capitalFour years after the start of the civil war, the Bab Dreib district of Hobs, Syria, stands abandoned and destroyed. Only 30 percent of its former inhabitants have returned as roads and buildings are in ruins, making access to food and other resources difficult.
First LookNew directive by Pakistani Muslim clerics bans suicide bombingsPakistani Muslim clerics have banded together to issue a fatwa, or religious ruling, against suicide bombing. The ruling, contained in a book published by a state-run university, opposes extremist action and supports moderate Islam within the country.
Israel's BDS dilemma: Is it wise to blacklist the boycotters?Israel intensified its battle with the BDS movement this week, listing 20 groups whose members could not enter the country. Critics say such moves corrode Israeli democracy, doing more harm than the pro-Palestinian boycotters themselves.
The rabbi and the rapper: what they see in old Ladino love songsThe musical duo 'Los Serenos Sefarad' sing and rap in Ladino, an old Spanish dialect. The centuries-old love songs in their repertoire, they say, tell more about Jews' painful expulsion from Spain than they do about romantic love.
First LookUnited Nations exhorts Israel to reconsider forcible return of African migrantsLast week Israel gave Eritrean and Sudanese migrants an ultimatum: leave or face imprisonment. Israel has offered to pay thousands of African migrants living illegally in the country to leave, prompting the UN to urge resettlement in other countries.
First LookDays of protest and unrest in Iran lead to 3,700 arrestsIn two weeks, Iran's protests against high unemployment and official corruption have embroiled dozens of towns and cities in unrest. The turmoil has resulted in 21 deaths and some 3,700 arrests, says an Iranian reformist lawmaker.
In Iran’s surprise uprising of the poor, dents to revolution’s legitimacyIran's recent violent protests surged among the nation's poor, presumed bedrock supporters of the regime, who have been angered by recent crass displays of wealth by the elite and other perceived inequities. Even the opposition intelligentsia was surprised.
