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Stories about West Asia & North Africa from May, 2021
Greenpeace report highlights extent of European nations’ dumping of waste in Turkey
Packaging from UK retailers and used COVID-19 antigen test kits are among the items found in Turkish waste dumps.
People of Gaza take to social media to share days of horror and loss under Israeli fire
Of horror, pain, anger and resistance, Gazans wrote on social media about how they suffered from Israeli bombing, attempted to escape death or coexisted with it.
In Turkey, a mafia boss's YouTube videos give Netflix some stiff competition
Among the figures targeted the string of YouTube videos posted by Turkish mafia boss Sedat Peker are the Minister of the Interior and the president's son-in-law.
Istanbul mayor surprises users on live streaming platform Twitch
The first appearance on the platform of Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul mayor and member of the main opposition Republican People's Party, coincided with a national holiday celebrating youth and sports.
Tunisians left to themselves to fight COVID-19
Once the pride of Tunisia, the public health system has deteriorated since the 1990s because of corruption and deregulation in favour of the private sector.
France, Turkey, Poland: The reality of the new COVID-19 spike crisis
“The figures serve to discount the Western implication that Indian democracy and civil society have failed in the last analysis to match the achievements of the richer nations.”
Lockdown for citizens, beach holiday for tourists: New ad exposes Turkey's lopsided COVID rules
Turkey introduced fresh lockdown measures on April 29 in a bid to curb a new COVID-19 wave -- but international holidaymakers are exempt from them.
Israeli settlers’ aggressive takeover of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem is part of a decades-long struggle
Tensions have brewed in the occupied territories of Palestine for weeks, starting with Israel assaulting Muslim's holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque, evicting Jerusalemites from their homes and restricting their movement.
Villagers in Turkey's İkizdere resist mine construction
Known for its beautiful green valleys, tea cultivation, and beekeeping, the idyllic valley in Rize province is facing its most serious environmental threat yet.
Several NGOs denounce censorship of Palestinian voices by tech companies
The NGOs' statement labelled as "improbable mistakes" the fact that Facebook reported two "technical issues" within 48 hours which they said targeted Palestinian users and "compromised Jerusalemites’ right to freedom of expression..."
Public distress as Turkey institutes yet another COVID-19 lockdown
The new measures were met with much criticism, especially among working-class people who received very little or no financial support during the last year and a half of the pandemic.
Human rights groups propose #7FirstSteps to mend Egypt's ‘dismal’ record
#7FirstSteps is the minimum needed "to gauge meaningful improvement in the dismal human rights situation, and include immediate measures that can be implemented tomorrow morning if a political decision is made."
As FIFA World Cup draws closer, migrant labour concerns in Qatar persist
Over 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar between 2010 and January 2021, according to a recent investigation by The Guardian newspaper.
Egyptian TV show reignites political schism over 2013's bloody summer
The show depicts the official narrative of the 2013 coup, and of the security forces' dismantling of a sit-in at Cairo's Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square in which nearly 1,000 protesters were killed.
In Turkey, satirical TikTok video leads to arrest and travel ban
The video, titled "Areas where the Turkish passport is used," was intended to be comedic, Instead, it got its young creators in trouble with the authorities.
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