Society

Detention in Egypt

Cairo's model Badr prison rife with abuse

A new prison, touted by Egypt as a model for reform, that holds some of its most prominent prisoners denies inmates healthcare and subjects them to punitive treatment including isolation, relatives of those inside and rights groups say.
Germany's culture of remembrance

An exercise in empathy

Holocaust, Nakba and the German culture of remembrance: the Einstein Forum in Potsdam facilitated a discussion banned in Tel Aviv. Inge Guenther attended
By Inge Günther
Afghan diaspora

Refugee from Taliban offers virtual tours of homeland

Forced to flee by the Taliban, Fatima Haidari now offers virtual tours of Afghanistan from her new home in Italy – with the proceeds funding secret English classes for women there
Earthquake in Turkey

Germany’s Turkish community sends aid

Germany is home to more than three million people with Turkish roots. Many of them are worried about loved ones affected by the devastating earthquake in southern Turkey – and they want to help. Peter Hille reports
By Peter Hille
Wretched life of migrants building Senegal's city of the future

When Mohamed was hired at the construction site for the United Nations' new West Africa headquarters in Senegal, he was proud to say he would be working "not only for Africa, but for the world"
France24 earthquake report

In Syria’s rebel zones, volunteers dig mass graves

As rescue workers continued to search for survivors of the earthquake that happened on 6 February, residents of Syria’s northwestern opposition-controlled territories were forced to start digging mass graves to bury victims
Human rights in Algeria

Banned, intimidated, driven into exile

Algeria's civil society is once again being targeted by the authorities. With the judicial dissolution of the human rights league LADDH, yet another human rights group critical of the government has been shut down – the outlook could hardly be worse. By Sofian Philip Naceur
By Sofian Philip Naceur
South Sudan

Through football, South Sudanese youth forge ahead

With the return of peace after a decade of war, South Sudan's youth national teams qualified for the country's first continental football championships. They are helping forge a stronger national identity and pride. By Lolade Adewuyi
By Lolade Adewuyi
Sufism in Egypt

Cairo's mystic revival

Egyptian Sufis have been on the defensive against the country's Islamists for decades. Meanwhile, interest in mysticism is growing among the young members of Cairo’s middle and upper classes. By Marian Brehmer
By Marian Brehmer
Hindu nationalism

Gandhi's killer – a Hindutva hero

Hindu fundamentalist Ashok Sharma has devoted his life to championing the deeds of an Indian "patriot": not revered independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, but the man who shot him dead
Women's rights in Egypt

We need to talk about abortion

Abortions are illegal in Egypt unless they are necessary to save a married woman's life. But that doesn't stop local women from having one. Egyptian society needs to acknowledge this, activists say. By Diana Hodali
By Diana Hodali
Hindu nationalism

Interfaith marriage in India – a dangerous undertaking

Citing archaic "anti-conversion" laws, right-wing Hindu groups are working to prevent marriages between Indian Hindus and Muslims. Some couples have faced violence and death threats. Murali Krishnan reports from New Delhi
By Murali Krishnan