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West Asia
‘Muhammad’ represents Iran at the Oscars
The epic film “Muhammad” by director Majid Majidi, which portrays the childhood of the Muslim prophet, will represent Iran in next year’s competition for an Oscar for best foreign film, media reported Saturday. With a budget of nearly $40 million (€34 million), partly funded by the state, “Muhammad”, is the…
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Society
Nepal bans novice climbers from Everest
Facing increasing criticism over safety and the environmental impacts of climbing on Mount Everest, Nepalese tourism officials have banned novice climbers from the world’s tallest peak and are considering additional limits, says CNN reports. “We must maintain the glory of Everest climbing,” Mohan Krishna Sapkota, joint secretary of Nepal’s Ministry…
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West Asia
Tunisian student gets a year in jail for homosexuality
A Tunisian court has sentenced a student to a year behind bars on charges of homosexuality, in a judgement condemned by local rights groups, AFP reports. The youth had been detained on September 6 in the Mediterranean resort area of Sousse for questioning in connection with a murder after his telephone…
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West Asia
Hundreds killed in hajj stampede in Mecca
A stampede during one of the last rituals of the Hajj season — the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca — has killed more than 700 people and injured close to 900 others in Saudi Arabia. The stampede occurred Thursday morning during the ritual known as “stoning the devil” in a…
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West Asia
Qatar sign a memorandum to help Nepali migrants
IOM and the State of Qatar have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will see them working together over the next two years to provide voluntary return and reintegration assistance to Nepali migrant workers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon and Malaysia. The new project, to be run…
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South Asia
Indian Muslim cleric issues ‘fatwa’ against A.R. Rahman for Muhammad film
A Muslim group, The Raza Academy in Mumbai, India said it has issued a “fatwa” against the Oscar-winning Indian music composer A.R. Rahman and Majid Majidi, the Iranian director of the film Muhammad: The Messenger of God. The institute also wrote to the Indian government, seeking a ban on…
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Business
French AccorHotels becomes first international chain to open in Iran
The French group AccorHotels, the world’s sixth-largest hotel group, announced on Monday it would become the first international hotel group to operate in Iran as the Islamic republic opens up to the west after the deal on its nuclear program. AccorHotels will open an Ibis hotel and a Novotel branch…
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South Asia
Teacher who educates Afghan refugee girls wins UN prize
Aqeela Asifi, 49, a teacher who has dedicated her life to educating Afghan refugee girls, challenging cultural sexism by setting up classes in a temporary tent, has been named the 2015 Nansen Refugee Award winner by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Asifi left Kabul with her…
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Society
GSMF 16th forum in Gyeonggi
In its 16th forum, Global Students Mentoring Forum chose Gyeonggi creative economy and innovation center (CCEI) as their destination. G-CCEI was established by Korean government’s joint partnership with Gyeonggi province and other chaebols and business giants to foster IT projects. They have up till now 18 partnerships aiming to…
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West Asia
Egyptian security forces ‘kill Mexican tourists’
Security forces in Egypt have mistakenly killed 12 people, including Mexican tourists, during an anti-terror operation, the interior ministry says. The tourists were travelling in four buses that entered a “banned area” in the Wahat area of the Western Desert, the ministry said in a statement. Ten Mexicans and Egyptians…
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