
Assad’s Cousin Stands Trial in Damascus for Crackdown That Sparked Syria’s Uprising
Fifteen years after his security forces tortured a group of schoolboys in Daraa and ignited Syria's uprising, Atef Najib, Bashar al-Assad's cousin and the regime's former political security chief in the south, appeared in a Damascus courtroom on Sunday.

The West Bank on Strike
While international attention has been focused elsewhere, Israel has been steadily constricting everyday life in the occupied West Bank, including through the withholding of tax revenues it is legally obligated to pass to the Palestinian Authority. The desperate situation has led to a general strike, but there are few avenues for relief.

Is the Special Relationship Really Special Anymore?
Journalist Michael Smith and New Lines Culture Editor Lydia Wilson join Kwangu Liwewe on Global Insights to discuss how the Iran war has tested the U.S.-U.K. special relationship

How a Sufi Saint’s Coffee Recipe Took Senegal by Storm
Senegal’s cafe Touba, a spicy, milkless coffee, was created by the Sufi saint Sheikh Amadou Bamba as spiritual fuel while he was exiled by French authorities. More than a century later, it has become a national symbol that is giving major corporations like Nestle a run for their money.

Music and Survival in Wartime Tehran
As U.S. and Israeli missiles rained down on Iran, music emerged as a means of fostering resilience and a tool of resistance, but the war’s destruction has left many artists struggling to support themselves.