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In The News Migrant Lives Society

The Hidden Pipeline Trafficking Women Into Domestic Slavery In Iraq

The Nepali government bars working abroad in Iraq for safety reasons. But more Nepali women are ending up there in abusive domestic work — including some who were trafficked.

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Geopolitics In The News

Iran Nuclear Talks: Why Tehran Has Always Preferred War

War with Israel and the United States may harm Iran and its infrastructures. But for the regime, it’s a chance to distract opinion from its economic failures and to quell dissent.

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Geopolitics In The News Israel-Palestine War

Kim In Beijing, Darfur Landslide, Mosul Mosque Reopens

👋 Allo!* Welcome to Tuesday, where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has arrived for a historic visit in Beijing, a landslide kills more than 1,000 in Sudan’s Darfur region, and today’s quiz question features a surprising find by the French police. Meanwhile, Juanjo Ramón in Catalan-language digital media outlet Catalunya Plural looks at how Spain’s […]

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Geopolitics In The News Society

Syrian Ceasefire, Ukraine’s New PM, Iceland Eruption

👋 Hyvää päivää!* Welcome to Thursday, where a ceasefire in Syria appears to be holding after government soldiers clashed with Druze minority forces, Ukraine gets a new prime minister and our daily quiz question is about a festival in Belgium. Meanwhile, Marcelo Cantelmi for Argentine daily Clarín looks at why Trump’s threats against Brazil aren’t […]

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This Happened

Chessmaster vs Computer Game To 1960s Anthem — On This Day In History February 10

A historic chess defeat, the birth of a literary giant, and the release of an iconic song.

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Geopolitics Ideas

What Follows Dictatorship? Syria Can Find Useful Clues From The Past — And Present

Supporters of the Assad regime rallied around the slogan “Assad forever.” But we have now seen what happens the day after “forever.” Egyptian writer Ezzat el-Kamhawi considers what that means for Syria and the region.

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This Happened

A New Soviet Era To Golfing Greatness — On This Day In History December 30

The creation of a Communist state, the execution of a dictator and the birthday of one of the greatest golfers of all time.

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Geopolitics

The Future Of Syria Could Be Much Brighter — Or Even Darker

Events have moved very quickly in the past week in Syria, with the demise of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Amid questions over how the country will be run and fears of more conflict, experts parse the national and international influences at play.

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Geopolitics

Taking Down Tyrants — Can Syria Learn From The Arab World’s Past Mistakes?

The direction of Syria’s new rulers remains uncertain, but examples of transitions in Iraq, Egypt, Libya or Tunisia after the fall of their dictators highlight the pitfalls to avoid. Will Syria be able to escape them?

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This Happened

This Happened — October 17: Raqqa Freed From ISIS

Updated Oct. 17, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. Raqqa was declared fully liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria on this day in 2017. Why was Raqqa so important in the Syrian Civil War? Raqqa was of strategic importance because it served as the self-proclaimed capital of ISIS and was a center for the […]

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Geopolitics Society Women Worldwide

Dakhil And Samia, A Love Story That Survived The Yazidi Genocide

Married shortly before ISIS militants began their genocide of Yazidi people in northern Iraq, Samia Samu was later abducted and held captive for nine years. Upon her recent release, she and her husband, Dakhil Hassan, celebrated by renewing their wedding vows.

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This Happened

This Happened — August 2: Iraq Invasion Of Kuwait

Updated August 2, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. Iraq invaded Kuwait on this day in 1990. This surprise invasion marked the beginning of a major international conflict and set the stage for the Gulf War. What were the reasons behind Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait? One key factor was Iraq’s desire to control Kuwait’s vast oil reserves, as Iraq was struggling with significant debt from the Iran-Iraq War. Additionally, territorial disputes, economic grievances, and claims of Kuwaiti overproduction of oil were cited by Iraq as reasons for the invasion. What were the major events of the Gulf War? Significant events included the […]

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Geopolitics Israel-Palestine War

Israeli Assassinations: Did Netanyahu Get Green Light During Washington Visit Last Week?

A series of strikes occurred just days after Netanyahu returned from the United States, which will have difficulty denying a role in the targeting of three capitals in the region in 24 hours, and may spark a much wider war in the Middle East.


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Geopolitics Ideas

The Zarif Card: Why Nobody Is Buying Tehran’s Old “Reformist” Trick This Time

Fearing Europe’s shift to the right and a second Trump term, Tehran has dusted off its reformist credentials — with president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian and veteran diplomat Mohammed Javad Zarif — to show the West it is willing to talk. But this ploy will not work again.

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Geopolitics Ideas

The Leftist-Islamist Alliance Is More Dangerous Than You Know

A confounding alliance between leftists, wokism and Islamic fanatics is the perfect smokescreen for an insidious enemy targeting the West’s liberal values. It’s happened before.

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Geopolitics

The Persecution Of Julian Assange Leaves Lasting Damage To Press Freedom

After spending the past five years in prison in the UK and nearly 15 years battling for his freedom, the founder of WikiLeaks is set to be released. Nonetheless, his case sends a terrifying message to any sources sitting on evidence of abuses by the government and its agencies.

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LGBTQ Plus

The Many Enemies Of Iraqi Transgender: The State, Islamists — And Some Feminists

With the increase of the tyranny of religious fundamentalism and its bureaucratic apparatus, we see related reactions spreading towards non-normative women. And among those who want to deny rights to trans women are certain feminist groups and activists.

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This Happened

This Happened — April 9: Saddam Hussein Statue Pulled Down

Updated April 9, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. The photos of the Saddam Hussein statue being toppled were iconic images of the fall of the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on this day in 2003. U.S. forces entered Baghdad and toppled a statue of Saddam Hussein in Firdos Square and the image of the statue […]

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This Happened

This Happened – March 20: Iraq Invasion Begins

Updated March 20, 2024 at 11:30 a.m The United States invaded Iraq on this day in 2003 under the pretext of Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). The Bush administration argued that Saddam Hussein’s regime posed a threat to U.S. national security and to the stability of the Middle East. However, no WMDs were […]

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Geopolitics

How Russia And China Will Try To Exploit The Houthi Red Sea Blockade

Houthi rebels are now blocking the strategic Red Sea, by striking or seizing merchant ships, while also attempting to launch rockets into Israeli territory. This has sparked a strong response from the U.S and Britain, escalating a situation that could impact global security in major ways, with competing powers ready to cash in.

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Geopolitics Ideas Israel-Palestine War

End Of Deterrence? How To Face The Multiplying Risks Of Nuclear Conflict

Nuclear weapons are a constant fear simmering in the background of modern-day conflicts. With the potential for Iran to join the Israel-Hamas war, and a threatening Russia at war with Ukraine, there is a more urgent necessity of reestablishing communication channels and confidence-building measures among nuclear powers.

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Geopolitics Society Women Worldwide

Iran’s War On Abortion Rights, A Toxic Mix Of Theocracy And Demographic Panic

Ending a pregnancy has become a major complication, and a crime, for Iranian women who cannot or will not have children in a country wracked by socio-economic woes and a leadership crisis.

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In The News

How Iran’s Supreme Leader Is Short-Circuiting Diplomacy To Forge Alliances In Arab World

Iran’s Supreme leader Ali Khamenei recently sent out a special envoy to ease tensions with wealthy Arab neighbors. He’s hoping to end the country’s international isolation and dismal economic conditions that contributed to last year’s mass protests.

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Geopolitics

Troll Next Door: How Iran Is Provoking Political Violence Inside Iraq

Iran’s brazen meddling in Iraqi politics has provoked a parliamentary impasse and clashes between rival militias. And while Tehran may be losing influence in Iraq, it won’t let go easily.

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In The News

Has Lebanese Politics Finally Freed Itself Of Iran’s Influence?

Lebanon’s recent elections have shrunk the legislative block led by national power-brokers Hezbollah. But will a precarious new majority be able to rid the government of the long shadow of Tehran?

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Economy Geopolitics Migrant Lives

Iranians Used To Flee For Politics, Now It’s Economics

The desperation to leave Islamic Iran has spread from writers, dissidents and minority groups to hundreds of thousands of Iranians willing to live and work “anywhere that isn’t Iran.”

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In The News

Kim Jong-Un Blames U.S., Iraq Election Results, Bi Superman

? Halu!* Welcome to Tuesday, where Iraq’s hardline Shia cleric claims election victory, the UK confronts its historic COVID failure and Superman comes out as bisexual. We also look at “silent” Chinese investment in Latin America’s railway sector. [shortcode-LGBTQ–Sign-up-box] [*Inuktitut – Inuit]   7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW • COVID update: Thailand will reopen […]

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In The News

Immigrants Don’t Drive Up Crime: Here Are The Facts

Crunch the numbers, or just look around…and we see that immigrants, wherever they may come from, are not a disproportionate cause of crime or cultural degradation across Europe.

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Geopolitics Ideas

How Iran’s Regional Meddling Could Eventually Backfire

In Lebanon and Iraq, two countries that Iran’s clerical regime has long tried to control, some Shias are fed up with Tehran’s machinations and affiliated militia groups.

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In The News

The Latest: Wuhan Anniversary, ISIS In Baghdad, Google v. Australia

Welcome to Friday, where it’s been a year since the first COVID lockdown began in Wuhan, ISIS is back in Iraq and James Bond fans get a license to kill some more time. Die Welt also takes us on a typographic journey through the infamous story of the Gothic typeface, a.k.a. the “Nazi font.” Biden […]

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Geopolitics

U.S.-Iran: France May Be Last Best Hope To Prevent All-Out War

PARIS — In diplomacy, there’s always room for talk, even when the window for negotiation seems all but shut. Such is the scenario that Emmanuel Macron faces in wake of the assassination by the United States of Ghassem Soleimani, an act that has kicked up a whirlwind in the Middle East, with consequences that remain […]

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In The News

Inside Iraq’s Tuk-Tuk Revolution

What began as a slogan shared among Facebook users has since morphed into a full-blown, youth-led movement for deep structural changes in the war-torn country.

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In The News

In Iraq, The Revolt Of Generation 2018

Young people with little memory of the Saddam Hussein era are fed up with unemployment, public sector corruption and unfulfilled government promises.

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In The News OneShot

Watch: OneShot — Sadr City Bus Stop

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/embed/bu1gqxkrQ70 expand=1] OneShot — Sadr City bus stop, 2008 (©Andrea Bruce/NOOR) OneShot is a new digital format to tell the story of a single photograph in an immersive one-minute video. Follow OneShot:

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Ideas Syria Crisis

Here We Go Again: Iraq To Syria, Chemical Weapons And Collective Amnesia

-OpEd- Tensions are reaching a bursting point over Syria! Just as Saddam Hussein’s (hypothetical) possession of weapons of mass destruction led U.S. President George W. Bush to invade Iraq, the (alleged) use of lethal gases on Douma, a district in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta controlled by Islamists, now allows Donald Trump to announce harsh reprisals. Once […]

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In The News OneShot

Watch: OneShot — Saving Mosul

[dailymotion //www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/k4OfmxI2yTFG6qqyXUK expand=1] OneShot — The Battle for Mosul, 2017 (©Ivor Prickett) An unidentified young boy who had survived the siege of last ISIS-controlled area in the Old City of Mosul is cared for by Iraqi Special Forces soldiers. This photo is among the World Press Photo of the Year 2018 Nominees. OneShot is a new digital format to tell the story of a single photograph in an immersive one-minute video. Follow OneShot: [rebelmouse-image 27068863 original_size=”320×320″ expand=1][rebelmouse-image 27068864 original_size=”174×174″ expand=1][rebelmouse-image 27068865 original_size=”128×128″ expand=1][rebelmouse-image 27068866 original_size=”227×227″ expand=1][rebelmouse-image 27068867 original_size=”256×256″ expand=1]

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In The News OneShot

Watch: OneShot — The Battle For Mosul

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/embed/tQ6IXJrut2g expand=1] OneShot — The Battle for Mosul, 2017 (©Ivor Prickett) Civilians who had remained in west Mosul after the battle to take the city line up for aid in the Mamun neighborhood. This photo is among the World Press Photo of the Year 2018 Nominees. OneShot is a new digital format to tell the story of a single photograph in an immersive one-minute video. Follow OneShot: [rebelmouse-image 27068863 original_size=”320×320″ expand=1][rebelmouse-image 27068864 original_size=”174×174″ expand=1][rebelmouse-image 27068865 original_size=”128×128″ expand=1][rebelmouse-image 27068866 original_size=”227×227″ expand=1][rebelmouse-image 27068867 original_size=”256×256″ expand=1]

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In The News OneShot

Watch: OneShot — Mother’s Comfort

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/embed/Me_6ixAVhOQ expand=1] OneShot — Mother’s comfort, 2004 (©Andrea Bruce/NOOR) OneShot is a new digital format to tell the story of a single photograph in an immersive one-minute video. Follow OneShot:

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In The News

In Baghdad’s Sadr City, Where Women Practice Weightlifting

BAGHDAD — Her hands, covered in magnesium carbonate for a better grip, are white. Her face is flush. Her gaze fixed. Huda Salem, 20, exhales loudly — twice — into the already sweat-saturated air. Her face contorts. Then, a shout as she lifts 70 kilos of cast iron. Behind the young woman’s massive, muscular figure, […]

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In The News

Al-Qaeda To ISIS And Beyond, The Battle Is Not About To End

-Analysis- The Islamic State is now on the run in Syria and Iraq. Following the terror group’s defeat this summer in its self-declared Iraqi capital of Mosul, ISIS has now been driven from its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. This comes more than four years after ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared his “Caliphate” from the […]

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