Sunday 29 Sep 2019 | | AW

Top Stories

Deflecting blame at the UN

No US-Iran summit at UN, tensions soar

Jacques Chirac remembered as ‘friend of the Arab world’

Eruption of protests triggers speculation about who’s fanning the flames of unrest

Nabil Karoui says could challenge election outcome, in TAW interview

Interview

Tunisian media magnate and would-be presidential candidate is pictured after submitting his candidacy to Tunisia's electoral commission in the capital Tunis, August 2. (AFP)

Nabil Karoui says could challenge election outcome, in TAW interview

Economy

A long odyssey comes to abrupt end. An Air Travel Organiser’s Licence official directs Thomas Cook customers at the airport of Heraklion, on the island of Crete, Greece, September 24.(Reuters)

Mediterranean tourism jolted by Thomas Cook’s collapse

Fragile economy. Sudanese women at Abul Fadel shopping centre in Khartoum. (AFP)

Sudan announces 9-month plan to rescue economy

A push to diversify the economy. Participants attend the launch of the new tourism visa in Diriyah, a UNESCO-listed heritage site, outside Riyadh, September 27.(AFP)

Eager for tourism, Saudis build more hotels and end abaya restrictions

New opportunities. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi (L) and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang attend a signing ceremony in Beijing, September 23.(AFP)

Iraq turns to China to boost economy

Culture

Meeting point for celebrities. Syrian directors Talal Derki (R) and his wife Heba Khaled Sherine on the red carpet during the third edition of El Gouna Film Festival, September 26.(AFP)

Arab talents shine at El Gouna Film Festival

Hassan Abdel Zaher

Advancing the cause. Tunisian producer Dora Bouchoucha during an interview in Sale, Morocco.(International Women’s Film Festival)

Sale’s International Women’s Film Festival features Tunisian cinema

Zakia Abdelnabi

Much to see. Sculptures on display at Beirut Art Fair. (Samar Kadi)

Cultural frenzy sweeps Beirut with international art exhibits

Travel

A view of the beach in Menzel Temime.(Facebook)

Cap Bon’s Menzel Temime is a hidden gem in Tunisia’s northeast

Society

Challenges and hopes. Students cross their arms as they listen to their teacher at the Hakim Kassar Primary School in Tunis, September 16.(Reuters)

Back-to-school expenses prove prohibitive for Tunisian families

A man takes a picture of an illustration depicting an astronaut with the Emirati national flag outside Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai on September 25. (AFP)

Mansoori's space quest inspires all young Arabs

A limited number of students are seen at one of the public schools during the first day of teachers' open strike in Amman, September 8. (Reuters)

Jordan teachers’ strike underscores educational woes, exasperates parents

News & Analysis

US sanctions to spare Hezbollah’s political allies, for now

Simon Speakman Cordall

Iraq seeks to reassure Saudi Arabia amid Iran-US tensions

Mamoon Alabbasi

Russia-Turkey-Iran plan for Syria shuns Kurds, US

Sudan’s Revolutionary Front prepares for talks with Khartoum

Controversy surrounds Egypt’s construction of presidential palaces

Ahmed Fouad Anwar

Tunisian election front-runner says ‘uncomfortable’ with detention of rival

Kurdish publishing house struggles with bans as state repression escalates

Constanze Letsch

Iran’s oil trade struggles for survival in the shadows as it tries to evade sanctions

Thoughts

Is it wise for Arabs to support Gantz for Israeli prime minister?

Whether Netanyahu or Gantz, Team Israel will stay on the same page

Opinion

Is Oman another proxy for Iran and Qatar?

Tourism in MENA is resilient in face of setbacks

Iran tops concerns at the UN General Assembly

Sycophantic Nasrallah begs Iran for more funds

Attack on Saudi oil facilities demonstrates drone threat

Alessandro Arduino

Iraq’s well-meaning parliamentary quotas are a disservice to women

Bahira al-Sheikhly

Mediterranean tourism jolted by Thomas Cook’s collapse

Tough times for Muslim Brotherhood and its Qatari sponsors in Europe

The quiet tragedy of a teenage boy in Damascus

Macron’s proposals a bridge too far for US, Iran

Gregory Aftandilian

Tunisia can pull it off but with caveats

Oussama Romdhani

Returning empty-handed from UN, Erdogan needs victory abroad

When Trump’s Iran policy takes an Obama-like turn

Mansoori's space quest inspires all young Arabs

Five years of Houthi troublemaking in Sana’a

Khairallah Khairallah