The fact that families run from a war zone is heartbreaking but hardly unexpected. (...) Most of those who fled were Russian speakers from the east, but this still raises a sobering question: If this is a conflict between Ukraine and Russia, why did so many Ukrainians choose to cast their lot with the enemy?
 

The defeat of Islamic extremism requires both hard and soft power responses. Drones need be matched with deeds that expose the false precepts of Al Qaeda's narrative.

The battle against the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) is not only military but ideological, Syrian Kurdish cartoonist Dijwar Ibrahim tells Al-Shorfa.  In an exhibition held October 12th-22nd in Iraq's Kurdish region of Erbil, Ibrahim addresses the issue with a selection of cartoons and caricatures.

The consequences of the Arctic ice melt extend far beyond shorter shipping lanes. The warmer Arctic waters are opening access to oil, gas and mineral deposits for an energy-craving global population and at the same time increasing possibilities for ecotourism. 

An Israeli hospital said on Sunday that it has treated a daughter of Gaza Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, who is a sworn enemy of the Jewish state.