Politics

Thoraya Obaid - Working for Women

Thoraya Obaid, the first Saudi Arabian Executive Director of the United Nations' Population Fund (UNFPA), enjoys a reputation as a fighter and a 'pioneer for the education of women'. Sigrid Dethloff and Renate Bernhard took a look at what her job entails.
Germany

Turkish Community Criticizes Merkel

Christian Democrat party leader Angela Merkel has created a stir in Germany's Turkish community for her refusal to consider admitting the largely Muslim country into the European bloc.
France

Parliament Votes for Headscarf Ban in Schools

An overwhelming majority of French parliamentarians voted to ban conspicuous religious symbols in state-run schools Tuesday. The law, which is sure to be passed by the Senate, will be effective next school year.
Iran

The Shattered Illusions of the Revolution

The political system in Iran remains ossified even after 25 years of the revolution. As Ali Sadrzadeh reports, it is not only young Iranians who do not believe that any real reforms will be made under the guardianship of the jurisconsult.
Iran

The Lost Children of the Revolution

Twenty-five years after the foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, reforms are still being blocked, and the younger generation is increasingly distrustful of the state. Bahman Nirumand reports
Afghanistan

German Experts Offer Alternatives in Drug War

While Britain proposes a "slash and burn" policy in the fight against the Afghan opium trade, the Germans want to link education and prevention with development in a different type of war.
Germany

Fischer Calls for New Roadmap for Mideast Peace

At an international security meeting in Munich, Germany calls for the creation of a new US and European peace plan for the Middle East as Donald Rumsfeld again explains Washington's justification for the Iraq war.
Germany

The Only Verdict Possible

The roller-coaster course of the five-month trial against the Moroccan Abdelghani Mzoudi left judges no choice but to acquit him, Deutsche Welle's Peter Phillip writes in his commentary.
Germany

Case of Suffocated Refugee Reaches Court

After five years, three German border guards face a Frankfurt court to answer questions on their involvement in the death of a Sudanese refugee who died while being deported in 1999.
Elections

Iran Rattled by Political Unrest

The Mullah regime has until now seemed incapable of reform. But it cannot resist much longer a population that time and again turns against it and its religion. By Katajun Amirpur
India-Pakistan

End of the Ice-Age?

The World Social Forum has just happened to coincide with the sudden diplomatic thaw between India and Pakistan. Some 1000 Pakistanis have traveled to Bombay and, for many, this is their first trip to the neighboring country. Thomas Bärthlein talked with some of the delegates.
Peacekeeping Mission

German Police Around the World

In March, experts from the German Bureau of Criminal Investigation will begin training Iraqi police officers in the United Arab Emirates. But the Persian Gulf isn't the only area where German police are active.