Featured stories about Middle East & North Africa
Stories about Middle East & North Africa
A corny TV exorcism possesses Turkish social media
In Turkey, a woman named Pelin Hürman who describes herself as metaphysics expert, performed an exorcism on a TV show and quickly became a laughing stock on social media.
Istanbul police violently break up PRIDE March and arrest over 300 people
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Istanbul LGBT+ Pride Week. While local authorities banned all PRIDE events, protestors still took to the streets, marched, and chanted slogans.
Four years on: Saudi's movie market is of humble local productions, massive sales and censorships
Four years after Saudi overturned a four-decade ban on cinemas as part of "a reform package", many ask how tolerant officials really are to diversity amidst tight censorships.
The fall of the House of Arslan: How a Lebanese political newcomer ousted a dynasty
In May's polls, the Druze minority elected Marc Daou, a reform-minded political newcomer, over long-term politician Prince Talal Arslan, representing a shakeup to Lebanon's political stagnation ushered in by the October 17 protests.
The Gezi protests were led by riffraff and sluts, according to president Erdoğan
On the ninth anniversary of Gezi Park protest, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slamed the protest and its participants, calling them corrupt, rotten, and sluts.
Trace Turkey's path to normalizing the practice of blocking news websites
The sweeping legislative amendments to national laws as well as exhaustive institutional oversight by government institutions have created an environment of unlimited digital censorship in Turkey.
Journalists in Turkey could face three years in prison for disseminating ‘false information’ online
A statement issued by seven international and local media freedom and journalism organizations said the new draft bill "will boost systematic censorship and self-censorship in Turkey instead of fighting disinformation."
Concerts are becoming a political battleground in Turkey
A series of concert bans are drawing backlash in Turkey with criticisms mounting against the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party for imposing conservative restrictions on citizens and the arts.
Iranian protesters demand justice after deaths in Abadan’s building collapse
Thousands of Abadan residents in southwest Iran took to the streets to protest against the incompetence of their government after the catastrophic collapse of a building, and chanted anti-government slogans
Syria's Samar Haddad: ‘Books are freedom and reading is what frees us’
'The true publisher, whether small, medium or large, is the freedom fighter of our age. As a publisher, I’m a resistance fighter in this age of consumerism.'
Meet the African women athletes making an impact in international basketball leagues
Odada joins a bevy of other African basketball players who are making an impact in the American-based professional league for women.
Erdoğan's priorities turn to space as earthly problems mount in Turkey
As part of its national space program, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan unveiled plans to have its citizens serve aboard the International Space Station.
Central Asia’s fears of rising militancy in Afghanistan as Moscow invades Ukraine
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the three Central Asian states that border Afghanistan intended to defend their borders through security reinforcement and diplomacy, primarily relying on Russian initiatives.
‘The ambition of expressing myself freely': A conversation with Iranian artist Arghavan Khosravi
"One does not need to be Iranian to relate to the sense of uncertainty and repression woven into [Khosravi's] paintings."
Prominent Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh shot dead by Israeli bullet to the head
Despite wearing a press jacket and standing where she is visible to Israeli soldiers firing away, Shireen was killed by a bullet to her ear, right below her helmet.
Turkey's latest attack on the arts: A provincial governor cancels a long-awaited music festival
While the statement did not specifically mention the upcoming music festival, the event falls under the calendar days mentioned in the statement.
In Turkey, a comedy show lands in hot water over a political sketch
The Guldur Guldur Show, a popular comedy show in Turkey, had its sketch removed by a television channel over a satirical bit about Minister of Finance and Treasury Nureddin Nebati.
Turkey unveils an initiative that would send one million Syrian refugees back
{lans to send close to one million Syrian refugees living in Turkey back to Syria are at "advanced stage", President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a video message on May 3.
In Turkey a journalist is arrested for covering an alleged hacking of a government database
The arrest comes after Haskoloğlu reported on an alleged hacking of a government database.
The life sentence handed to Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala is a dark day for the civil society in Turkey
Turkey's renowned philanthropist Osman Kavala was sentenced to life in prison after having spent four and a half years behind bars for baseless crimes.
In Turkey, media watchdog uses licensing to attempt to censor foreign media
A 2020 social media law introduced a set of requirements that will have a lasting impact on digital rights and freedom of expression in Turkey.
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