Protests against Iran hijab ban highlights years of evolution
AFP | A spate of unprecedented protests against Iran's mandatory headscarves for women have been tiny in number, but have still reignited a debate that...
Hackers make pro Pakistan tweets from Anupam Kher’s account
News Desk | Turkish hacker Ayyildiz Tim breached the Twitter accounts of actor Anupam Kher, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav and Rajya Sabha...
What was Israel’s PM up to in Moscow?
Andrew Korybko | Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting with President Putin last week was very significant. The “Israeli” premier traveled to Moscow to meet with...
Asia’s dark underbelly: Conflicts threaten long-term stability and development
James M. Dorsey | A host of conflicts, stretching across the Asian landmass from the Middle East to Southeast Asia and northwest China, are likely...
How risky is Trump’s Iran policy?
By James M. Dorsey | US President Donald J. Trump’s inclination to withdraw from a three-year old international agreement that curbs Iran’s nuclear program is...
Saudis ban botox lips for Camels at beauty pageant
AFP | Huddled together on a dusty racetrack, Saudi judges scrutinise pouty lips and shapely humps in a high-stakes camel beauty pageant mired in scandal after botox and cosmetic...
Saudi government to tighten fundraising laws to promote moderate Islam
James M Dorsey | A Saudi draft law could constitute a first indication that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s vow to return the kingdom to...
Is the Ayatollah serious about Islamic Revolutionary Guard divestments?
Andrew Korybko | The Ayatollah ordered the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the country’s conventional military forces to divest their holdings in the economy....
Gulf crisis continues to fuel the fire in Syria and Iran
James M Dorsey | Turkish allegations of Saudi, Emirati and Egyptian support for the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) threaten to turn Turkey’s military offensive...
Is Saudi inspired ultra-conservatism leading to worsening Shiite conditions in Malaysia?
James M Dorsey | Allegedly kidnapped, forty-three-year old Malaysian activist Amri Che Mat, a foreign exchange trader and mountain climber, has not been heard of...
Iran: Protests and threat of renewed sanctions lead to revolutionary guard involvement in economy
James M Dorsey | Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appears in the wake of recent anti-government protests to have put his weight behind President...
Is the Saudi Crown Prince still encouraging moderate Islam?
James M Dorsey | Recent Algerian media reports detailing Saudi propagation of a quietist, apolitical yet supremacist and anti-pluralistic form of Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism raises...