Gulf Region
All countries-
Health and ageing
Middle East and North Africa unprepared for coming dementia epidemic
By 2050, the Middle East and North Africa could be dealing with many more elderly people suffering from dementia. A lack of facilities, specialists and local knowledge means the region is woefully underprepared. By Cathrin Schaer, Tarak Guizani and Mohammed Magdy
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Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia
Trading recognition for oil
With his fist bump greeting for a man he previously called a pariah, US President Biden has paved the way for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's return to the international stage. All other items on the agenda of his Middle East trip faded into the background. By Karim El-Gawhary
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Gulf states and sustainability
Desert-grown superfood puts 'healthy' burgers on UAE menus
A hardy plant grown using salt water is thriving in the UAE's desert farms and helping create "healthy" burgers, showing sustainable agriculture's potential in the toughest conditions. The succulent, salicornia, is already being used as a salt replacement in burger patties
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Vladmir Putin’s war in Ukraine
Why the public support in the Arab world?
Although many Arabs express sympathy for the Ukrainian people, social media reveals a current of support for Russian President Vladimir Putin that is rooted in polarisation, writes Amr Salah
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Middle East
How cybercrime laws are used to silence dissent
Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among those countries increasingly misusing cybercrime legislation to silence dissent and curb freedom of speech. Could a new global cybercrime framework under UN supervision save regime critics? Jennifer Holleis reports
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Emancipation in the MENA region
The patriarchy is crumbling
With regard to gender justice, things look bleak in the Arab world. Laws typically discriminate against women, while national legislation all too often does not comply with the international agreements governments have signed. By Mona Naggar
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Narendra Modi's ruling BJP
Middle East furore at Indian official's Prophet remarks
Anger in the Middle East is spreading over comments made by an official of India's ruling BJP about the Prophet Muhammad, with various countries summoning New Delhi's envoy and a Kuwaiti supermarket removing Indian products
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Iran and the Ukraine war
Ali Khamenei prepares for the future
The Ukraine war is changing the global geopolitical landscape. Ali Khamenei, Iran's most powerful man, is already cosying up to Russia in anticipation of a harsh post-war reality. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Middle East oil states
Surging energy prices likely to de-rail reforms?
The Ukraine war has seen energy prices spike with oil producers in the Middle East making more money than ever. But will it put the brakes on long-planned reforms to diversify oil-reliant economies in the region? By Cathrin Schaer
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Gulf region
Women’s empowerment not all it seems
Women's empowerment in the Gulf has become a tool of deflection, rather than a genuine effort to promote women’s full and equal participation in society. By Mira Al-Hussain
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UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan
Iran and Islamists a threat to Gulf safe haven
United Arab Emirates strongman Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who was formally elected president on 14 May, has led a realignment of the Middle East, creating a new anti-Iran axis with Israel while fighting a rising tide of political Islam in the region
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Female scholars in Islam
Unsung guardians of the 'true' tradition
Back in 1995, when The Times asserted Islam was to blame for the poor levels of education among women in the Muslim world, Mohammad Akram Nadwi began scouring ancient Arabic manuscripts for women's names. Looking specifically for female scholars, his hope was to find maybe 20 or 30 women. What he found was astounding. By Julia Ley