Yesterday, Egyptian actress Ragaa Elgedawy passed away aged 86 after a 43-day fight with Coronavirus. Arab and Western a-listers paid tribute to the late artist, either by attending her funeral or leaving heartfelt words on their social media accounts. Ragaa was a model-turned-actress, and here are some images from her modelling career.

Syrian farmers are relieved the yield looks good this year, even as a tanking economy leaves millions hungry across war-torn Syria. Heavy rains and reduced violence in parts of the country this year have led to a much improved harvest, one that farmers and officials hope will soften the blow of an economic crunch that has plunged millions into food insecurity. More than nine years into a conflict that has killed over 380,000 people and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population, a staggering 9.3 million Syrians face food ...

Sudanese workers have gathered outside their embassy in Beirut to protest after loosing their jobs due to the deteriorating economic situation in Lebanon, on July 2, 2020. Abdallah Malek from the Association of Young Sudanese in Lebanon revealed that over 1,000 Sudanese have signed at the Sudanese Embassy to be repatriated, out of at least 4,000 living in Lebanon. On the other hand, Lebanese people have been demonstrating since last year after the currency plunged to record lows, causing food prices to skyrocket in a country where more than 45 ...

For guests at the "Dolce Hanoi Golden Lake" coffee comes in a gold cup and bath time is taken in gilded splendor. The world's first self-proclaimed gold-plated hotel is open for business -- and the Vietnamese owners insist they have the Midas touch despite the cramping of global travel during the coronavirus pandemic. The hotel cost $200 million to construct with a 24-carat plating across lobbies, an infinity pool and rooms with even cutlery, cups, shower heads and toilet seats receiving the golden treatment. While expensive for Vietnam, at $250 ...

Over 5.6 million people have fled Syria since 2011, seeking safety in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, and beyond. Millions more are displaced inside Syria and, as the war continues, hope is fading fast. The pace of displacement remains relentless. The Syrian refugee crisis is the result of a March 2011 violent government crackdown on public demonstrations in support of a group of teenagers who were arrested for anti-government graffiti in the southern town of Daraa. Families have suffered under a brutal conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, torn ...

Splashing mud and drinking local rice beer, Nepali farmers this week celebrated National Paddy Day to mark the beginning of the rice-planting season, despite some coronavirus lockdown measures still in place. Traditional farming songs and laughter echoed in the air as farmers waded into waterlogged fields to sow green paddy. "It is an important day for us. Our family and friends all came together in the fields to plant and have fun," farmer Ramesh Dongol, 35, told AFP. Nepali farmers across the country mark the 15th of the Nepali month ...

The outbreak of COVID-19 forced countries to go into lockdown, closing down businesses, airports and borders and forcing strict measures and restrictions on travel. The aviation industry was one of the worst hit and impacted by the lockdown. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) for Africa and the Middle East region expected that global airlines’ loss will reach up to $400 billion in 2020, along with the 550 billion of debts, which they won’t be able to get rid of for many years to come. IATA also confirmed that the ...

Bakeries are easy to locate in Iran, just simply detect the irresistible scent of freshly baked flatbreads. Of the four main traditional types, sangak is the most popular and is seen as Iran’s national bread. It is made from wholewheat flour and topped with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and sometimes poppy seeds at the customer’s request. The baker moves and gesticulates constantly as he works in what resembles a dance in front of gas-fired ovens. Exclusively the job of men in the Islamic republic, bakers get up well before ...

Nearly 100 Rohingya from Myanmar, including 30 children, have been rescued from a rickety wooden boat off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island, a maritime official said Wednesday. Images shot from Indonesian rescue boats showed dozens of children and adults, many weeping, after they had been plucked from their vessel by local fishermen, according to AFP. "The boat with Rohingya onboard was broken and floating in the middle of the sea when the fishermen found them," said Mr Muhammad Nasir, head of the maritime authority in Sumatra's northernmost Aceh province ...

Egyptian belly dancer Sama El-Masri was arrested yesterday for 'incitement to debauch'. El-Masri's Instagram account is followed by 3 million people and has 4,306 posts. In most of pictures, Sama focuses on her assets, and you can rarely find normal pose of her in front of the camera. Here, we gathered 8 uncontroversial positions of Sama El-Masri.

The 450,000 Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank hold often violent relations with the Palestinians. From July 1, the Israeli government aims to take its first steps toward implementing part of a US-proposed Middle East peace plan that paves the way for annexing key parts of the West Bank, including settlements long considered illegal by the majority of the international community. The controversial plan also envisions the creation of a Palestinian state, but on reduced territory and the Palestinians have rejected it outright. As for annexation, they are 'obviously ...