Sunday 05 May 2019 | | AW

Top Stories

Defeat in eastern Syria forces Baghdadi out of his hideout

Burial of Islamist leader in Algeria a bellwether of fading Islamism

Wariness grows about role of militants in fighting over Tripoli

Palestinians raise stakes in financial face-off with Israel

Mamoon Alabbasi

In Cairo, after Ramadan prayers comes night-time entertainment

Hassan Abdel Zaher

Interview

Hopes and challenges. Bryan Gibson, of Hawaii Pacific University, poses for a photo in the Iraqi city of Erbil. (Courtesy of Bryan Gibson)

Momentum for Kurdish independence stalled but is not finished

Iraqi poet Muhsin al-Ramli. (Courtesy of Muhsin al-Ramli)

An Iraqi poet’s view of the merits of literature

Economy

Culture

Festive season. Traditional lanterns on diplay ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Cairo. (Reuters)

In Cairo, after Ramadan prayers comes night-time entertainment

Hassan Abdel Zaher

Iraqi poet Muhsin al-Ramli. (Courtesy of Muhsin al-Ramli)

An Iraqi poet’s view of the merits of literature

Paintings on display at the Koudourat exhibition in Beirut. (Courtesy Rania Halaw)

Beirut exhibition where art serves philanthropy

A digital blueprint of the Beirut Museum of Art. (BeMA)

Striving to build a museum culture in the Middle East

The damaged pencil minaret of the Ottoman Adliyah mosque in Aleppo, April 11. (Reuters)

Syria’s lost heritage stands out in Aleppo’s shell-beaten minarets

Travel

Exterior view of the Cave of Miracles. (Dubai Municipality)

Dubai’s Quranic Park on mission to build cross-cultural bridges

N.P. Krishna Kumar-22991

Society

A camel competes at Sharm el-Sheikh International Camel Racing Contest. (Courtesy of Egyptian Camel Racing Federation)

International camel racing another attraction in Sharm el-Sheikh

A man climbs a palm tree during date picking season in Iraq. (Oumayma Omar)

‘Sponsor a Palm’ initiative for conserving Iraq’s famed dates

A scene from “Masafat Aman” shows Syrian actor Abdel Moneim Amiry. (Al Arab)

Syrian TV series shows ‘safe distance’ in post-war chaos to be fake

Nidhal Koushaha

Poster of the Egyptian series “Hikayti” (“My Story”). (Twitter)

Egypt’s Ramadan fare: Fewer television series, less politics

Mohamed Abdelhadi

News & Analysis

A power struggle between radicals looms in Idlib

In designating Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organisation, the devil is in the detail

Will US sanctions bring Iran to the negotiating table?

Time running short in missile row between Turkey and US

Turkey-UAE tensions rise after suspicious death in jail

Signs of closer Egypt-Israel ties in a changing region

Hassan Abdel Zaher

Egypt opposition soul-searching after referendum

Iraqis see Baghdadi’s video as threat of more terror

Azhar Al-Rubaie

US move towards Brotherhood ban could upend Turkish-Qatari strategies

Thoughts

Issue of Shebaa Farms stirs heated debate in Lebanon

Reckless statements expose Lebanon’s precarious defence strategy

Lebanon nearing fiscal crunch

Spanish election shows there’s hope yet for Europe

Opinion

Corporate West embraces Ramadan but culturally it’s a work in progress

Rashmee Roshan Lall

Lebanon needs a realistic Shia voice

Khairallah Khairallah

Baghdadi video shows evolving threat from ISIS’s ‘virtual caliphate’

Gregory Aftandilian

Welcoming Ramadan

The re-emergence of Baghdadi

The problem with corruption

Oussama Romdhani

Sonatrach’s skeletons coming out of the closet

US sanctions on Iran to affect Turkey, India most

Turkish top court deals blow to journalism on World Press Freedom Day

Trump’s peace plan brings more questions than answers

Kuwait’s modernist drive faces political setbacks

The Trump administration is getting to the root of the problem

Khairallah Khairallah

Iranian threats

Remembering the jihadists' progenitors