Iraq
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Climate change in Middle East
Weathering sandstorms, Iraqis grit their teeth
Another sandstorm has darkened Iraqi skies and it's hard to breathe, but Baghdad motorcycle delivery rider Milad Mitti doesn't have the luxury of missing a day's work. Like most people in the now blistering hot desert country, the 30-year-old battles on in frustration, wearing goggles and a grey neck warmer over his mouth and nose "so I can breathe
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The Turkish state and the Kurdish question
Turkey – a battle of narratives
For a century, the Kurds and other minorities in Turkey have been subject to state repression. With his dissertation "The Kurdish Question in Turkey", political analyst Ismail Kupeli presents a new research paper on the topic. Interview by Gerrit Wustmann
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Climate change in Middle East
Iraqi gazelles die of hunger in a parched land
Gazelles at an Iraqi wildlife reserve are dropping dead from hunger, making them the latest victims in a country where climate change is compounding hardships after years of war
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Cancelling "The Lady of Heaven"
Why the fuss over the Prophet's daughter?
Written by the controversial Kuwaiti Shia preacher, Yasser Habib, the film's plot pursues two threads: one from the Islamic past, the other from the present. The narratives meet when Islamic State seizes vast areas of Iraqi territory. By Shady Lewis Botros
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Iraq bans contact with Israel
Anti-Semitism as state doctrine?
A law has been passed by the Iraqi parliament that criminalises any contact with Israel. In the midst of heated debates on the subject, one crucial aspect has been forgotten: the restitution of Jewish property. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
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Middle East
In Iraq, sectarian prejudice goes beyond the grave
The "Islamic State" group is gone, but many of their Iraqi victims are still missing. They may well be buried in mass graves the extremists left. But critics say exhumations are too slow, and possibly politically biased. By Judit Neurink
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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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Ukraine and the West's selective values
Less 'clash of civilisations', more rift
Very different Western reactions to the suffering in Ukraine and the Arab world show that there is a profound rift among cultures. Essay by Michael Young
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Sensational find in Turkey
Turkish archaeologists discover subterranean city of Matiate
Welcome to the underground! In Midyat, Turkey, the gateway to a huge underground city has been discovered. It was used for over 1900 years and could accommodate up to 70,000 people. Hannah Fuchs has the details
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Middle East
Water resources – another conflict trigger?
From the Euphrates to the Mekong, dams that ensure one country's water supply risk leaving others parched. But shared water resources can be a source of peace as well as conflict. By Ruby Russell
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Reform in Iraq
Muqtada al-Sadr must court the political elite
Muqtada al-Sadr, the biggest winner in the recent election, aspires to implement great change in Iraq, but reform is easier said than done, writes Massaab al-Aloosy. Correcting a crisis that has been decades in the making will take the combined efforts of everyone involved
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'The Game': The perilous trek of refugees from Bosnia to the EU