Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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Iraqi Sunnis displaced by ISIS in Diyala province, demonstrate against Shi’ite fighters in front of the US consulate in Arbil, north of Baghdad, on February 4, 2015. (REUTERS/Azad Lashkari)

Government forces not responsible for Diyala village massacre: official

by Manaf Al-Obaidi | Feb 6, 2015 | Middle East

Diyala, Asharq Al-Awsat—The head of an Iraqi parliamentary committee charged with investigating an alleged massacre of Sunni villagers in Diyala province last month denied on Thursday that any official Iraqi forces were involved in the killings. Local sources reported...

Media ID: 55309509
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Iranian president-elect Hassan Rouhani stands in front of a portrait of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, during visit of his shrine, just outside Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 16, 2013. .(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Opinion: Iran must confront its past to move forwards

by Amir Taheri | Feb 6, 2015 | Opinion

Over the past week the Iranian authorities have marked the 36th anniversary of the Khomeinist revolution by deploying the heaviest propaganda artillery at their disposal. The official narrative is that Iran, under its “Supreme Guide,” has the most perfect political...

Media ID: 55341190
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The headquarters of Al-Bashayer publishing house in Damascus, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Syrian Publishing’s Uncertain Future

by Hisham Adra | Feb 6, 2015 | Lifestyle & Culture

Damascus, Asharq Al-Awsat—In the years before the Syrian uprising broke out the publishing industry in Syria was thriving. Those acquainted with the business maintain that nearly a thousand publishing houses were operating in Syria, two hundred of which were...