Sunni-Shia tension
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Yemen, Ukraine, the world
Fighting fake news and disinformation
Sidq Yemen, an independent online platform, specialises in fact-checking viral Yemeni news stories and countering mis/disinformation. Hannah Porter spoke to its head of communications about fake news in Yemen
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Russia, Ukraine, world energy
Why the Saudis won't pump more oil
Just as Saudi Arabia refused to accommodate American requests to increase oil production last November, it is likely to refuse U.S. President Joe Biden’s request today. When the Saudis increase their production, it will be because to do so is in their own interest, writes Bernhard Haykel
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Yemen's youth
Fighting to retain a national identity
War has been raging in Yemen since 2015. Now some fear that Yemeni culture is also being hijacked by the warring parties. Whether it's coffee, particular species of bird or dragon trees, Yemenis have a lot to lose. By Dunja Ramadan
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Saudi Arabia's detainees
Speak your mind – face the consequences
Family and activists hope that Raif Badawi will be released soon. However, the well-known blogger is not the only activist behind bars for expressing dissenting views. By Kerstin Knipp
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Lebanese thinker Martin Accad
"Lebanon's tragedy is political sectarianism"
With no end to Lebanon's crisis of statehood in sight, Qantara.de met up with leading Lebanese thinker and theologian Martin Accad to discuss the country's current difficulties and explore ongoing efforts to find a way out of the morass. Interview by Erik Siegl
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The Gulf
Bahrain – where human rights don’t count
The catastrophic human rights situation in Bahrain is being largely ignored by the rest of the world. Despite all the damning evidence, which includes a Human Rights Watch report, the West is unlikely to apply any pressure on the regime due to geostrategic interests. By Diana Hodali
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Yemen conflict
Marib: from refuge to battlefield
The city of Marib is the most important place of refuge in Yemen for those displaced in the country. But fighting between Houthi rebels and government troops is currently escalating there, further exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe. Karim El-Gawhary reports
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Climate heroes in Iraq
A life for the trees
It is getting hotter and hotter in Iraq. Fifty degrees or more is no longer a rarity. The state between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers is now one of the hottest countries on earth. Muwafaq Mubareka from Baghdad is determined to fight global warming. Birgit Svensson paid the climate hero a visit
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The Afghanistan-Pakistan-China axis
India's Taliban problem
The Taliban’s victory over the United States in Afghanistan will not only greatly embolden their fellow jihadists, but also shake up the region’s geopolitics. An Afghanistan-Pakistan-China axis involving policy co-ordination would represent a major risk for India, writes Shashi Tharoor
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Afghanistan
Taliban size up the threat from a tenacious IS-K
As the Taliban shift their focus from insurgency to government, their most formidable rival is the Islamic State's regional chapter, which has staged a string of bloody attacks in recent weeks.
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Middle East
Factbox: Who's competing in Iraq's elections?
Iraq holds a general election on 10 October, its fifth parliamentary vote since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 and ushered in a complex multi-party system contested by groups defined largely by sect or ethnicity.
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Iraq's electricity crisis
Iraqis left in the dark by their corrupt politicians
Every electricity minister since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein has faced the same daunting equation: Iraq should be able to produce over 30,000 megawatts of power, enough to meet current demand, but only about a half of that reaches consumers. Samya Kullab explores the reasons why