Last week, in a fit of unbridled road rage, Suleiman al Assad – a young cousin of Syrian president Bashar al Assad – shot and killed an air force colonel over a traffic dispute . The murder of Hassan al Shaikh kicked off three days of demonstrations in the Syrian seaside city Latakia, and flung this – the hometown of the Assad clan and a regime stronghold throughout the five-year civil war – Alawi-hot spot on the map. Is this the start of a new Syrian splintering? The Britain-based Syrian ...

A picture tells a thousand words. It also conveys meaning when words fall down on the job. And words fail frequently when stories are raw and emotional, and when they involve crossing boundaries - national ones in times of war, and cultural and linguistic ones in refugee camps. Therein lies the power of the graphic novel. Canadian artist Jean Bradbury, a frequent visitor to Jordan, started a small non-profit called Studio Syria to raise funds for art and educational supplies for refugees in Zaatari camp and in centers serving Syrian ...

All over the world, more and more people are looking abroad for medical treatment, whether it’s for a complex heart operation or a simple facelift. Medical tourism is said to be a $50 billion-a-year business, and one that is increasing by 15-25 percent year over year, according to Patients Beyond Borders, an industry publication. While countries like Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia have traditionally dominated the market, a number of Middle Eastern nations are fast becoming go-to destinations for affluent people looking to find affordable, quality healthcare and catch some sun ...