Middle east & africa

Middle east & africa

South Africa in crisis: There are 57 murders per day, on an average

South Africa is in crisis: who can help and how, one wonders? For a country that is the quintessential home to arguably, the greatest revolutionary the world has known, things aren’t looking that good for Madiba’s South Africa. In fact, where…

Wildlife fatality: Chinese Tourist dies taking pictures of wildlife as a Hippo attacks him

At 66, you’d rather want to stay at a place where you are safe and sound and not endangered by some kind of a terrible situation. Still, one doesn’t quite know where the next, unsought attack from fatality occurs or…

Blasphemy takes centerstage in Saudi Arabia again: Woman’s car set ablaze after driving ban lifted

It could be said, Saudi Arabia is easily among the most polarised of Middle East nations. The oil-rich emirate that happens to be a royal hub of princes and kings rules over its denizens with an iron-fist. How else could…

Can the slaughter of African elephants ever stop? How is the ivory ban failing?

They are amongst the easiest of animals around. The genteel, peace-loving, large-sized mammals, the elephants are to wildlife what a pious, God-fearing, homely grandmother is to a family. Unless really threatened and needlessly cornered, the elephants could never harm. They…

Why are they calling a tourist visiting Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park as the dumbest ever?

Chances are if you were to poke your hand into hot, blazing fire- you’d get burned, quicker than you could imagine. Similarly, if one were to put his hand out at a sterling rainfall, with the tiny droplets falling down like…

Proud parents happily record children dressed as Jihadis, killing Israeli’s in nursery show in Gaza

Just a few hours ago, a group of parents were seen recording their children on video in Gaza but the recording, part of a school nursery function was marked in a different taste and was quite a world away from usual…

Productive meets strange: is this the first country in the world to have imposed a social media tax?

You know the country to be the home of one of the mightiest tyrants ever who ever walked the face of the earth. You also know it to be a home to numerable national parks and a flowering wildlife scene.…

Nigeria Witnesses Boko Haram Tyranny Again As Dozens Of Soldiers, Fleeing The Rogue Clan Rape Women

It’s almost the Al Qaeda of Africa and despite several alleged onslaughts against toppling its tyrannical regime, there still doesn’t seem to be any cohesive measure that can bring Boko Haram on its feet. What on earth can you expect…

Saudi Arabia arrests activists who challenged the driving ban imposed on women

Back in the Second World War, a group of mind-bogglingly brave Russian snipers- who happened to be women- fought off the Nazis and drove them away to despair in the legendary battle of Sevastapol. A lot behind Russia’s eventual usurping…

Why you’ve got to know Zambian musician Pilato? What difference is he bringing to the society?

It could be said, there are talents and then there are those who possess what’s called prescient talent; souls gifted with rare virtues. Perhaps qualities that we hear in movies or fairy tales concocted solely to inspire. What might be…

There’s hope for Morocco’s refugees as kindergarten becomes African nation’s first refugee cooperative

Dwarfed by Spain and France after decades of rule and subjugation, Morocco hasn’t had the easiest of times in its lifetime. For a country to have earned independence only in 1956 and having been plunged ever since in a bitter…

India, building important convention centres in Africa, is strengthening Indo-Africa ties

No more is it the sleepy continent of the world. And no longer is it just celebrated as the golden bird of the olden decades. India and Africa are two resurgent powers that are growing in immensity by the tick of…

Looking Back At The Lioness Of Israel: Golda Meir Would Have Been 81 Today

Implicit in the heart of every country is a quintessential figure by whose accomplishments the country is known and revered. Their character and feats define a nation. Their standing, often in their country mirrors the respect they command from the…

Free from Mugabe’s damning era of misgovernance, a new Zimbabwe is fighting to comeback from the brink

If someone wanted to enroll in a crash-course in understanding Zimbabwe- both as a southern African region and an independent entity- then perhaps writing an essay on the African republic’s crisis-ridden state of affairs may serve an effective criterion for…

India To Play A Strong Role In Iraq’s Road To Recovery

Given the massive state of disarray prevailing in Iraq, it is hardly a surprise to note that the country is in shambles. If classicists, aware of the reign of tyranny during former leader Saddam’s rule had labeled Iraq to be…

Dreaded Terror Outfit Boko Haram Frees 13 Hostages in Nigeria

In an age where there seems to be just no respite from terrorism and terror-related elements, it isn’t everyday that one hears an extremist group undergo a slight change of heart. Exploding bombs, tense geopolitical crises, hostilities, political revolutions and,…

Is The Dubai Frame Its Most Absorbing Structure Ever?

The days are filled with divine sunshine. The evenings are all about indulging in a brighter side of life and the nights are sashayed with party, grandeur and myriad colours. There are few places in the world that match the…

Middle East’s Tourism Is Back On the Rise Again With Chinese, Russian Tourist Spike

Following the spectacular unfurling during the Arab Spring, tourism was one of the spheres that received a major jolt in the Middle East. Egypt, Libya, Tunisia were all engulfed in widespread political disarray; it was almost as if the umbilical…

Jeddah Holds Saudi Arabia’s First Ever Women-Only Car Exhibit!

A car and motor show is something that tends to attract attention and wide anticipation from all corners of a society. We are in an age where there are more women motorists and a rising tide of women bikers. There’s…

Iran Does The Unthinkable- Bans English From Primary Schools

Even in this part of the 21st century, where most of the world is fighting admirable battles to make inroads toward education, posing the mantle of intellectual development on literacy, there seem be several countries that are functioning in a…

The Pope Had This To Say On Christmas As Part Of His Message

December 25th each year brings up a wide range of celebrations for the world in entirety. But while Christmas means a jolly good time for the christian world in general and a lot of fanfare in the wake of the…

What’s Going To Happen To Jerusalem Now?

The Middle-East is boiling yet again, quite like the regular state of issues in that bit of geography in the world that is often besieged by some geopolitical crisis. Clearly, the focus is on Israel and Palestine, with Jerusalem being…

Kenya’s Terribly Damaging Custom Of Widow Cleansing Will Give You Nightmares

One wonders don’t all human beings deserve an equal right- regardless of gender, caste, colour or creed- to have the freedom to lead their lives the way they wish to? But sadly, people are often castrated, undone and stripped off…

Saudi Arabia Holds Its ‘Corrupt’, ‘Ruling Elite’ In A Rich, Swanky Palatial Setting

There are myriad ways in which to dub the oil rich Saudi Kingdom of Riyadh, the burlesque capital city of Saudi Arabia. It is a doyen for those who thrive on luxury and opulence. It is anything but a humble…

All’s Not Well With Qatar, Especially With a Grim 2017

It is one thing to be an optimist; but something quite other to be a rationalist in the face of adversity. The above couldn’t be truer for Qatar, the tiny Emirate in the heart of the Middle East. For a…