Media
BUSINESS
Weapons Go Viral: The Houthis’ X Rated Marketplace
Western weapons flood Yemen’s black markets as arms dealers use social media to sell rifles, pistols, and grenade launchers.
PODCASTS
A Story to be Told by the Author
The UAE became a MENA media hub by building media to shape soft power and to tell its own story of development, diversification, and renewal.
EUROPE
Another Blow: New EU Sanctions Hit Russia in 2025
The EU's 16th sanctions package targets Russia’s finance, energy, and tech sectors, increasing economic pressure and geopolitical pressure between Europe and Russia.
Popular
Poland’s Catholic Football Pilgrimage: Unity, Faith and a Hard Line on Migration
At a Marian shrine where football supporters gather to pray, a presidential call for “Poland without illegal immigrants” turned a devotional event into a political stage.
AfDB Turns to Gulf as Western Funders Step Back
The African Development Bank has installed a president with ingrained Gulf experience as Washington pulls back hundreds of millions
Modern Toys, Old Childhood: Barbie and Lego at a Crossroads
As Mattel unveiled its first autistic Barbie yesterday, developed over 18 months with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the $11.87 doll raised familiar questions about whether modern toys widen childhood or quietly narrow it.
Alps Without Snow: Winter Tourism Tries Reinvention
As Grandvalira in the Pyrenees postponed its late-November 2024 opening until mid-December, warm temperatures left slopes across France, Austria and Spain grassy well into the month, forcing managers to watch thermometers anxiously.
Iranian Heritage Under Threat From All Sides
As civil unrest spreads across Iranian cities in early January 2026 and President Trump renews warnings about military options, the country's 28 UNESCO World Heritage sites sit vulnerable to dangers from multiple directions.
