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Stories about West Asia & North Africa from June, 2021
Istanbul: divided on two fronts
As Erdogan delivered a speech at the opening ceremony for the Canal Istanbul project, scores of Istanbul residents were inhaling tear gas and hit with rubber bullets while celebrating Pride.
Yemen stalemate deepening its long-ignored human rights crisis
All parties are hostile to human rights and “show no regard to international law or the lives, dignity and rights of the people of Yemen ... ”
In Turkey, Pride Picnic draws police violence
The Istanbul Pride Week Committee said one person was detained and several were battered during a violent police intervention.
Turkey: Pandemic restrictions out, new restrictions in
"Excuse me, but nobody has the right to disturb anyone at night," President Erdogan said recently about new restrictions concerning music, which drew immediate backlash.
Turkey moves to ban pro-Kurdish political party
The 843-page indictment was first filed by the chief prosecutor of Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals in March 2021, accusing the party of collaborating with the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party militant group.
An Emirati human rights defender's life has ended abruptly, but her legacy remains
Those who knew Alaa are saddened at the loss of a courageous human rights defender who addressed the injustices committed by the UAE against its law-abiding citizens and elsewhere.
Marmara Sea covered by “sea snot”, with possible dangers to environment
"Sea snot"—or "marine mucilage"—may cause biodiversity loss. It is triggered by global warming, waste pollution and rising water temperatures.
To save its economy, can Tunisia reform its oversized public sector?
“These past 10 post-revolution years, romanticised by the West, have solidified for us as more misery and living with the failing of state’s institutions."
Balloons, graffiti, sports and economic power are the latest tools of Palestinian resistance
These latest acts of resistance reflect the energy brought to the movement by young people seeking their right to self-determination and to claim the spaces in which they live.
Zagor: Legendary Italian comics series that captured Balkan hearts turns 60
"It's because of Zagor that I started reading comics and my life would be very different without him."
Yemeni artist Hakim Al-Akel: ‘War imposed itself, but art will remain’
Al-Akel's work, which has been exhibited in over 80 countries and sold at Sotheby's, depicts vibrant scenes of a Yemeni daily life that preceded the ongoing war.
Global Voices’ top stories on environmental destruction, as the planet just observed World Environment Day
Global Voices has covered environmental issues extensively, and one focus of our stories has been the way pollution, massive urbanization, development infrastructures, and human-caused accidents are destroying fragile ecosystems.
Late-night raid at Turkey's Boğaziçi University as students continue resisting interference in campus affairs
Six months later, university students, alumni, and faculty members are still agitating against the government-appointed rector Melih Bulu and his policies, which they claim are eroding the campus' democratic culture.
Daraa protests burst the Syrian regime's bubble of election day
'Al-Assad voted in Douma, a prominent opposition stronghold, to send a message that the war ended and that he's the victor. But Daraa's protests thwarted the play he tried to pass'
Omanis stage rare protests demanding jobs and end to corruption
In the largest rallies since 2011, protests broke out across Oman for several days, leading to speedy employment policy by Sultan Haitham, who faces his first bout of dissent.
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