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West Asia
Celebrations across UAE as Dubai wins right to host World Expo 2020
Fireworks erupted in Dubai after the tiny Gulf emirate won the right to host the 2020 World Expo, becoming the first Middle Eastern city to organize the event in its more than 150-year history. Dubai bested competing bids from Izmir, Turkey; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Yekaterinburg, Russia, after three…
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“To have a friend, you must be a friend”
The following excerpt is a part of Najwa Zahhar’s autobiography. Her book was published in Arabic in 2004, and was translated under the title of Gardenia, which means Garden in local Arabic. She talks about the meaning of friendship and life as lamenting the loss of her friend. -Editor’s note “To have a…
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West Asia
History-shaping Iran nuclear deal in Geneva breaks 3-decade gridlock
In this photo released by the Iranian Students News Agency, ISNA, Iranians hold posters of President Hassan Rouhani as they welcome Iranian nuclear negotiators upon their arrival from Geneva at the Mehrabad airport in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013. Hundreds of cheering supporters greeted Iran’s nuclear negotiators as…
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West Asia
Charitable supply reaches Tunisian state Siliana under AJA banner
A big covered truck usually used in moving furniture along with some small boxes which didn’t find a place in the truck were put in the bus which accompanied the supply convoy to Siliana state, Tunisia. The bus moved the “Tunisian Association for Retirees and Elderly” delegation headed by Mr…
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South Asia
Hemant Divate: Poetic butterflies from the garden of India
An email sent from a friend opened a whole new world for me. It happened when Ahmed Al Shahawi, the well known Egyptian poet, sent me his friend Hemant Divate’s poems, to introduce them for Arab readers. Mr. Hemant Divate is an internationally known Marathi poet from India, who lives…
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West Asia
Women in revolution
Women had an effective role in rebellions even in earlier revolutions like the French Revolution, Russian Revolution, and even in Arab revolutions. Women’s participation in revolutions started much earlier than 1000 A.D.; Cleopatra II of Egypt led a rebellion against her brother Ptolemy VIII and drove him and Cleopatra III…
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West Asia
UN report confirms use of sarin gas in Syria’s chemical weapons attacks
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday received the report from the UN fact-finding group on the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. He will brief the UN Security Council on the findings Monday morning, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters here Sunday. “The report by the United Nations Mission…
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East Asia
Halal food displayed at China-Arab Expo helps China explore market
Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is showing its ambition ahead of Sunday’s China-Arab States Expo, to build itself into a global halal food center. The government of Wuzhong City, the home of Islamic Hui ethnic group, is building a halal industrial park to integrate research, design, manufacture, processing and trade…
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East Asia
China willing to make efforts on advancing Iran’s nuclear talks, Xi says
China is willing to make constructive efforts on advancing the Iranian nuclear talks, Chinese President Xi Jinping said here on Thursday while meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani. Xi said China believes that Iran’s legitimate rights should be respected, and China upholds the principle of resolving the issue through dialogue and negotiation.…
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West Asia
Syrian President Assad agrees to secure and destroy chemical weapons
Syrian President Bashar Assad publicly agreed Thursday to a Russian plan to secure and destroy his chemical weapons, but said the proposal would work only if the U.S. halts threats of military action. Assad also said his government will start submitting data on its chemical weapons stockpile a month after…
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