Mark Cavendish of Great Britain celebrates winning the fourth stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour in Yas Marina Circuit, in the United Arab Emirates, on October 23, 2016. Estonia's Tanel Kangert of the Astana team clinched the Tour of Abu Dhabi on Sunday after the fourth and final stage at Yas Marina was won by British star Mark Cavendish. NEZAR BALOUT / AFP

A Dubai-based designer is using social media to open minds and hearts to her homeland, battle-torn Syria. On Instagram account #FollowMeInto Syria, Siba Mohtadi posts gorgeous images that contradict mainstream coverage of the war and monumental humanitarian crisis ongoing in the Syrian Arab Republic . When did Instagram first come on your radar? Probably it was from viral postings by a Russian photographer, one of the first Instagrammers to attract global attention. In 2011, Murad Osmann’s "Follow Me" series riffed his then-girlfriend’s attempts to stop his obsessive picture-taking. As she ...

Bashiqa, Iraq – Northeast of Mosul, Peshmerga (military of Iraqi Kurdistan) soldiers plan their attacks against Daesh (ISIS) from their base in mountainous Bashiqa. Surrounded by humvees, trucks, ambulances, and plenty of guns, they are hardly the only fighting force in the area. The Turkish military has a base in Bashiqa too, and train anti-Daesh Sunni militias from there. The Mosul offensive as a whole is being led by the Iraqi army, who are backed by the US-led anti-Daesh coalition as well as the Popular Mobilization Units – largely Shia ...

Naming your child isn’t the easiest of jobs. In fact, most parents start thinking of a name for their bundle of joy as soon as they see the + sign on their pregnancy test. Because one’s name sticks with them forever, if not chosen carefully, your child could end up being teased for it long after they’ve left the school playground. We’re used to laughing at some Western celebrities’ curious name choices, like Kim Kardashian’s little girl “North” West, but Arab parents are also pros at picking out baby names ...

Camels stand at the starting line ahead of a camel race held in Kabad, southwest of Kuwait City on October 15, 2016. Yasser Al-Zayyat / AFP

The second US presidential debate was conducted in front of a “town hall” audience comprised of undecided voters, vetted by the Gallup polling organization. A Muslim woman was selected to pose a question to the candidates, she of course asked about Islamophobia . Republican candidate Donald Trump's response was, "We have to be sure that Muslims come in and report when they see something going on”, inspiring another worldwide hashtag trend - #MuslimsReportStuff . Can merchandising be far behind?

Surely you’ve heard about China’s "fox hunt" campaign, a security initiative to track down wayward Chinese officials and executives hiding overseas. More than 850 fugitives were repatriated last year thanks to Beijing’s global search. But what about Arabs on the lam? Every nation has its fugitives - criminal characters and shady entrepreneurs who flee their homeland to escape justice. Arabia’s “most wanted” may be Dr. Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaeda head with a hand in terror attacks on four continents. His words pop up in media, but his exact ...

Qatar's Hasan al-Haydos (R) celebrates after scoring a penalty during the 2018 World Cup qualifying football match between Qatar and Syria at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on October 11, 2016. KARIM JAAFAR / AFP

If you live in the Middle East long enough, love may eventually find you here. But soon enough, you’ll realize that relationships are potential minefields, from meeting the family for the first time, to navigating delicate political and religious discussions, to good old fashioned drama. The upside is, when 10 family members show up at your door unannounced, it usually just means they care about you, and they’re not intentionally trying to give you a nervous breakdown. It’s all about learning how to ride out the craziness! At least you ...

LONG BEACH, CA - OCTOBER 2: Nayel Nassar of Egypt during the Longines Grand Prix event at the Longines Masters of Los Angeles 2016 at the Long Beach Convention Center on October 2, 2016 in Long Beach, California. Robert Laberge/Getty Images/AFP ROBERT LABERGE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP

Saudi Arabia is a country accustomed to oil wealth and world influence. Thanks to the massive stores of crude oil tucked away beneath its surface, it’s enjoyed almost unconditional support from the United States government and placed itself in stranglehold-like position of power on the rest of the industrialized world. In 1973 the oil embargo rocked the economy of the United States, a stark reminder of what is possible when Saudi shuts off the arteries that keep the rest of the world going. But 2016 is not 1973. Green energy ...