• West Asia

    Civilians Continue to Bear Brunt of Appalling Middle East War

    Funeral prayers for Sara Dashti By Habib Toumi MANAMA: In the Qur’an, the holy book of Muslims, there are verses that stand as a timeless reminder that every human life carries inherent dignity and value, and that no act of oppression or injustice—especially against the most vulnerable—escapes divine scrutiny. Those…

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  • West Asia

    A Problem Called Trump and Oil!

    A missile attack on a Shahran gasoline depot in Tehran. This scene was repeated in several Iranian cities.(Photo: Vahid) By Alireza Bahrami TEHRAN: President Donald Trump, by attacking Iran, made a decision that five presidents before him had not made. The decision, he said, was made to prevent Iran from…

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  • South Asia

    International Women’s Day: I Chose Myself. Why Not You? There Is Immense Strength Within You

    Pirah Aijaz: We shall never silence our voices, never underestimate our worth, By Pirah Aijaz Karachi: There was a time when I believed that everything in my life had ended. I felt as if my story was over. But in reality, that moment became the beginning of my new life…

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  • EditorsPick

    One Week Into the War: The Battle of Rage and Reason

    The condition of cars parked in front of a bombed building in Tehran(Photo: Alireza Bahrami) By Alireza Bahrami,Correspondent for AsiaN TEHRAN: While a week has passed since the Israeli and US attacks on Iran and Iran’s defensive-offensive response that embroiled Arab countries in the war, the challenge of anger-reason has…

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  • Main Slide

    War Came to Our Tower at 2:11 a.m

    Flat burning after it was struck by a drone (Photo: Samira Danouni) By Habib Toumi MANAMA: My brush with death on the seventh day of the war in the Middle East came at 2:11 a.m. on Friday. An Iranian Shahed kamikaze drone struck a flat about 12 meters from ours…

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  • EditorsPick

    Life and war! The Latest Situation in Tehran

    Iranian international footballer Mehdi Taremi reacts to the death of elementary school girls in a missile attack on southern Iran. The tragedy has resonated with athletes and artists in Iran and around the world. By Alireza Bahrami,Correspondent for AsiaN TEHRAN: The last month of winter in Iran is like Christmas.…

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  • West Asia

    A Call to Prayer, a Siren and the Absurdity of War

    Malls are gradually returning to normal in Bahrain (Photo: Al Ayam) By Habib Toumi MANAMA: Just before dawn, the call to prayer, the first of the regular five prayers a day for Muslims, began to rise from the neighborhood mosque in Manama. Within seconds it was swallowed by the piercing…

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  • West Asia

    When War Silences the Songs of Gulf Children

    Drive-by Gargaoon Handing gifts to children in a car (Photo: Al Ayam) By Habib ToumiMANAMA: For children in Bahrain and across the Gulf, Gargaoon is the most eagerly awaited night of Ramadan, the sacred month Muslims associate with reflection, generosity, and blessings. It is a ritual stitched into childhood memory:…

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  • EditorsPick

    War Kills Innocent People

    People were in bed when their homes were destroyed. (Photo: Entekhab) By Alireza BahramiCorrespondent for AsiaN TEHRAN: A few weeks ago, people were killed in the streets, protesting against a government they believed had taken away their freedom. These days, people are dying at home, by governments they claim want…

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  • People

    From Hope to Hostility: The Middle East’s Fragile Calm Shattered. Again.

    Symbol of Compassion: A woman carrying her dog as she flees from missiles launched by Iran on Bahrain – Picture: Samira Danouni) By Habib Toumi MANAMA: Another war in the Middle East began on Feb. 28, adding yet another chapter to a region’s long history of armed conflict, shattered hopes…

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