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Sportswashing in Saudi Arabia

CARPO Research Forum: Road to World Cup 2022

The upcoming CARPO research forum on 30 November 2021 aims to shed more light on the role sport plays in the Gulf region, highlighting obstacles and grievances, while also examining opportunities for future social and political development

Sesame Street's new trio of refugee puppets

Basma, Jad and Ma'zooza are about to join the Sesame Street family. The trio of new Arabic-speaking characters will help teach children in the Middle East to read and write, as well as process the trauma of displacement. Diana Hodali reports

Parenting according to the Koran

At the suggestion of his Arab students, Israeli psychologist Ofer Grosbard created the project "Quranet", which uses texts from the Koran to solve educational problems in schools and families. More than ten years after its inception, the project is now attracting attention in the Arab world. Interview by Claudia Mende

Fighting for freedom in the "mullah state"

Women are the main drivers behind the new revolutionary movement in Iran. Four female authors offer inside views and moving snapshots from a variety of perspectives. Review by Rene Wildangel

Engage with our work, not our biographies

Since 2015, interest in Syrian literature in German translation has risen sharply. Artists, translators and publishers talk about their experiences – and why the hype is not only beneficial. By Mari Odoy

How Syria became a narco state

Captagon is now Syria's biggest export by far, dwarfing all its legal exports put together, according to estimates drawn from official data. An amphetamine derived from a once-legal treatment for narcolepsy and attention deficit disorder, it has become a huge drug in the Gulf, with Saudi Arabia by far the biggest market

"We must make sure this war does not drag on"

UN special envoy to Sudan Volker Perthes rejects accusations that the West is to blame for the current crisis in Sudan. In interview with Kossivi Tiassou, he warns of "bounty hunters" and mercenaries from abroad joining the conflict while tens of thousands of Sudanese citizens flee their country

Coffee production offers a fresh perspective

War has been raging in Yemen for eight years, decimating the country's economy. Unexpectedly, entrepreneurial spirit in Yemen in flourishing, especially in the coffee sector. By Mona Al-Asaadi

COP27 app gives Egypt’s Sisi access to every move attendees make

NGOs and cybersecurity experts warn that a COP27 app to "help" participants at the climate change summit easily and effectively allows President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi’s regime to surveil attendees, including top diplomats and Egyptian activists