Esteghlal's Mojtaba Haghdust (C) fights for the ball agaisn al-Ain's Omar Abdulrahman (R) during the 2017 AFC Champions League round 16 football match between Iran's Esteghlal FC and UAE's Al-Ain (UAE) FC at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran on May 22, 2017. STRINGER / afp

Biggest, largest, tallest - Dubai has a vertiginous skyline spiked with buildings of the superlative. These stars of architecture attract millions of tourists every year and are widely featured on Instagram. Number one on Instagram is the Burj Khalifa tower, the tallest building in the world, receiving 1.5 million posts. It is followed by the Burj Al Arab and Cayan Tower, or the Infinity Tower as it was previously named. Check out the top 10 of the most Instagrammed buildings according to Arabian Construction Company - twisting, stretching and spiraling ...

A picture taken with a fisheye lens on May 19, 2017, shows a general view of the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, after it was refurbished ahead of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, ahead of hosting the Qatar Emir Cup Final football match between Al-Sadd and Al-Rayyan. KARIM JAAFAR / AFP

New French President Emmanuel Macron (C) poses next to the president of the IOC Evaluation Commission for the 2024 Olympics Patrick Baumann (L) and French member of the IOC Guy Drut (R) at the Elysee Palace in Paris after a meeting with members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission, on May 16, 2017, prior to a vote for the 2024 Summer Olympics. STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP

On the 15 th of May , Palestinians commemorate the Nakba or ‘catastrophe’ of 1948, when 700,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes as a result of the war and the creation of the state of Israel. Since then, Palestinians have used different forms of resistance to fight against Israeli oppression. Around 800,000 Palestinians have been imprisoned by Israeli authorities throughout the years and 6,500 Palestinians are currently in Israeli jails. In 1969, Palestinian prisoners started to engaged in hunger strikes to pressure Israeli authorities to improve conditions in ...

CONMEBOL player Diego Maradona (R) and Carlos Valderrama (L) celebrate a goal during a FIFA Legends football game on May 10, 2017 in Manama, Bahrain. JACK GUEZ / AFP

Al-Hilal's Abdulmalek Al Khaibri(L) fights for the ball against al-Rayyan's Nathan Otávio during a AFC Champions League match between Qatar's al-Rayyan and Saudi Arabia's al-Hilal at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on March 8, 2017. Karim JAAFAR / AFP

On May 19 th , Iranians are casting their ballots and choosing their new President. For many, the election will be a decision between the moderates (led by Rouhani) and the conservatives (led by Ghalibaf and Raisi). For some, however, the decision is about whether it is worth going to the polls or not, as the elected President has limited powers and the strong influence of the Supreme Leader and unelected institutions weakens the democratic elements. In the last week before the elections, we look at the political system in ...

Angers' French defender Issa Cissokho (L) vies for the ball with Lyon's French midfielder Nabil Fekir (R) during the French L1 football match between Angers (SCO) and Lyon (OL) at Raymond-Kopa Stadium in Angers on April 28, 2017. JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP

As we observe World Press Freedom Day on May 3rd this week, we have a look at states’ interference in press freedoms in the MENA region and the West. The abuses on press freedom run the gamut from thin-skinned leaders who can’t take criticism to conflict zones that make it difficult for any reporters to do their jobs. But while the MENA region is often criticized for its freedom of speech record, we ask, is the West any better? Under the pretext of terrorism, religion, fake news and state security ...

Real Madrid's French coach Zinedine Zidane gestures during a press conference at Valdebebas training ground in Madrid on April 22, 2017, on the eve of the Spanish League Clasico football match Real Madrid CF vs FC Barcelona. GERARD JULIEN / AFP