Iran
Right-wing populist slammed in Iran
Hardliner Ebrahim Raeesi reluctantly accepted Hassan Rouhani's victory after a bitter campaign, with cultural rights for Kurds and other ethnic minorities a critical dividing line.
Tag: linguistic front
North Africa
Women, Berber rights at issue in Libya constitution
Libya's Constitution Drafting Assembly is under harsh critcism from women's rights advocates, while Berber leaders have called for a boycott to press demands on language rights.
South Asia
Linguistic struggle heats up in Pakistan
A proposed amendment to Pakistan's constitution, making Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto and Balochi "national languages" along with Urdu, is sparking an angry backlash from nationalists.
Palestine
‘Jewish state’ bill approved for Knesset vote
Israel's cabinet approved the controversial "Jewish State" bill, which would revoke Arabic's status as an official language, clearing the way for a vote on the measure in the Knesset.
Syria
Great Power betrayal to re-unite Syrian revolution?
Now abandoned by all the Great Powers, Syria’s popular resistance is again emphasizing internal unity against the Assad dictatorship, bridging Arab and Kurdish forces.
Iraq
Erdogan revives Ottoman-era designs on Iraq, Syria
As Turkey turns its warplanes on the autonomous Kurds of northern Syria, state media release propaganda maps showing claims to former Ottoman lands in Syria and Iraq alike.
Palestine
UNESCO nomenclature wars in Jerusalem
The UNESCO resolution against Israel's political archaeology at the Temple Mount counter-productively refered to the site only by its Islamic name, the Ḥaram al-Sharif.
The Amazon
Peru: satellite to monitor rainforest
Peru launched its first satellite into space this month, to monitor illegal mining, logging and other extractive activities in the country's vast stretch of the Amazon rainforest.
The Amazon
Peru: indigenous leaders cleared in Bagua massacre
Following a trial lasting seven years and four months, a court in Peru's Amazonas region absolved 52 indigenous leaders in charges related to the 2009 Bagua massacre.
Iran
Iran: Ahwazi farmers protest land-grab
Ahwazi Arab farmers in Iran's Khuzestan province protested outside the state sugar refinery to oppose the company's confiscation of 1,000 hectares of agricultural land.
East Asia
Taiwan president apologizes to indigenous people
On Indigenous People's Day, President Tsai Ing-wen issued a formal apology to Taiwan's aboriginal peoples for centuries of oppression, and outlined her policies on reconciliation.
North Africa
Algeria: protests commemorate ‘Berber Spring’
Algeria's Berber community took to the streets to commemorate the 1980 "Berber Spring" uprising and demand greater cultural rights—or actual independence.