Qatar

Qatar prepares to deport workers who engaged in labor action for better rights, leading many to question its commitment to improving conditions Qatar has signaled its intention to reject demands by activists to grant union and collective bargaining rights to migrant workers with the expected deportation of around 100 South Asian laborers who went on strike to protest low pay and poor condition

Syria rejected as "fabricated" U.S. accusations that its forces are targeting civilians with air strikes and said Washington would do better to criticize hardline Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) who have killed American citizens.
   

When you are in it, you might sort of get used to it. That’s why sometimes it becomes important when someone holds up a mirror.

I had this sentiment when I came across the findings of the “media barometer,” a study conducted with the support of a German think tank, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

The outcome of the debate about the invitation extended to Jordan and Morocco to attend the Gulf Cup will serve as one more indicator of the balance of power among the Gulf states Wealthy Gulf states have invited Jordan and Morocco to compete in future Gulf Cups as part of a bid to strengthen their fragile six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), at a time when they have - at best - papered

Some 14,000 militants of the Syrian rebel group have abandoned Aleppo, while its commander has fled to Turkey, according to Turkish security sources The Free Syrian Army (FSA), the recognized armed opposition group against the Bashar al-Assad in Syria, has ceased its resistance in Aleppo, Syria’s second biggest city, withdrawing its 14,000 militia from the city, a ranking Turkish security so

Forced to pick cotton, grow cannabis, prostitute themselves, fight wars or clean up after the wealthy, some 35.8 million people are currently trapped in modern-day slavery, a new report said Nov. 17.

Gulf leaders agreed Nov. 16 on the return of Saudi, Emirati, and Bahraini envoys to Qatar after an extraordinary meeting in Riyadh, promising an end to eight months of tense relations.
      

Qatar, caught in a Catch-22 between a requirement to quickly reform its labor system in a bid to convince human rights and trade union activists that it is serious on workers’ rights and the domestic need to proceed slowly, risks losing the goodwill it has built in recent years that could further fuel demands to deprive the Gulf state of its 2022 World Cup hosting rights.

The head of the Istanbul organization of the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) Aziz Babuşçu spoke to NTV on Nov. 14, saying the project concerning making Istanbul a finance center was proceeding.

Risks and threats to the national, regional and global security on the Balkan Peninsula and in the Black Sea region are on the agenda of an international conference that begins Thursday.

Participants are to discuss developments in Ukraine and the offensive of Islamic State (IS) and also their impact on Bulgaria and its neighbors.