How Iran Expands Its Influence in Iraq: By Building Shrines
Iraq’s government grants religious projects special privileges, including tax exemptions on imports of Iranian cement, steel and other materials
In Depth
COVID-19 worsening gender-based violence, trafficking risk, for women and girls
With the COVID-19 pandemic heightening the dangers of gender-based violence and human trafficking, action on these two fronts is needed now more than ever, the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Monday.
How close is Iran to producing a nuclear bomb?
The accord’s restrictions on Iran’s atomic work had one objective: to extend the “breakout time” for Tehran to produce enough fissile material for a bomb, if it decided to make one, to at least a year from about two to three months.
China to build a major dam on Brahmaputra river: Official
Yan Zhiyong, chairman of the Power Construction Corp of China, said China will “implement hydropower exploitation in the downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River” (the Tibetan name for Brahmaputra) and the project could serve to maintain water resources and domestic security, the Global Times reported.
UN report finds Gaza suffered $16.7 billion loss from siege and occupation
Between 2007 and 2017, Gaza’s economy grew by 5 per cent, or less than half a percentage point per year, and its share in the overall Palestinian economy halved from 37 per cent to 18 per cent, according to UNCTAD
Autocracy is on the rise: Should we expect military spending to follow
Autocracies—political regimes where civil society’s influence and control over decision making is limited and unevenly distributed—are, for the first time since 2001, the majority in the world.
In Search of the Biden Doctrine
Biden’s desire to reach agreement with opponents across the aisle and allies across the ocean makes it hard to decipher a unique foreign policy creed.
Extortion, bio-warfare and terrorism: Extremists are exploiting the pandemic, says UN report
Criminals and violent extremists are exploiting the pandemic to build their support networks, undermine trust in government and even weaponize the virus, according to a research report published on Wednesday by the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI).
UN agency for Palestine refugees runs out of money as COVID-19 spreads
UNRWA was established following the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, and has operations in Gaza and the West Bank, but also in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, funded almost entirely by contributions from UN Member States.
Peace deal paves way for talks on Libya’s future
The country has been beset by chaos and conflict since the downfall of long-time Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, culminating in a civil war and the siege of the Libyan capital Tripoli which began in April last year.