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the motorcycle-riding, leftist, feminist, pro-LGBTQ Canan Kaftancioglu, Istanbul district head for the Republican People’s Party (CHP).

Kaftancioglu is widely recognized at home as a key factor in her party’s success battling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. She is both a public iconoclast and a tireless behind-the-scenes worker—and at 48 years old, a symbol of generational change in a party traditionally dominated by older men. Her style of politics is an implicit rejection of the nationalist faction of her own party

Since becoming Istanbul district head 2018, she’s poured energy into teaming up with other opposition parties, mobilizing young professionals, and developing a new approach—grassroots in organization, conciliatory in tone—to win over segments of the population that had previously often been ignored by the party.

High Commissioner Navi Pillay said countries in the region need to address the issues of abuse against foreign workers and improve women's rights.

"If you could name one thing that would really change your life, what would it be?" I ask. I’m expecting him to say a better house, or more food, or a doctor, or education for his kids. I’m expecting him to mention one of the things relief money often provides for.But Lebrun grins broadly at me, revealing a missing tooth, and says, "What would help me most? A land registry."

What Lebrun needs is security – security he can build a future on. And he needs agencies to safeguard that security. What Lebrun needs is bureaucracy.

Bureaucracy is also the system that organises everything into procedures that are the same for everybody. It’s what holds societies together. It’s not excessive; it’s indispensable.

The arrest of an operator of a popular Telegram channel on Oct. 14 shocked many Iranian dissidents abroad. Rohollah Zam, the administrator of Amad News, was residing in France as a political refugee when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization announced his arrest and shortly thereafter aired a video confession. Many dissidents and observers abroad wondered how someone could be apprehended by the IRGC in the relative safety of Europe. According to BBC Persian, Zam was arrested in Iraq and handed over to Iranian authorities. Zam reportedly flew to Iraq on Oct. 12, according to BBC Persian. One day after his arrival his wife, Mahsa Razani, lost contact with him. It is not yet clear what Zam was doing in Iraq or why he thought he would be safe in a country that has an extradition agreement with Iran.

In the video, Zam looks into the camera and says that he “regrets” his activities of the last few years. He added “it was a mistake to trust the French government,” adding, “In general trusting governments is not wise, especially those who show they have a bad relationship with the Islamic Republic, such as the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.” Zam added that he would need to “apologize to the system as a whole” for his actions.

Zam is the son of Mohammad Ali Zam, an influential cleric who has held important media positions within various institutions in the Islamic Republic. Mohammad Ali told the Iranian press that he had no knowledge of his son’s arrest until he saw it on the news.

A court in Iran has sentenced six wildlife conservationists accused of spying to between six and 10 years in prison, their families say.They were among a group detained in early 2018 while using cameras to track endangered species.Another conservationist died in custody shortly after his arrest, but the circumstances remain disputed.

The conservationists denied the charges, and scientists around the world lobbied to try to secure their release.

The conservationists were arrested in January 2018 by the intelligence wing of the powerful Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

Ennahda has ceded control of key ministries, including foreign affairs, defence and the interior.

Technocrats have taken several important positions, with diplomat Othman Jerandi named as foreign minister, Lotfi Ben Jeddou as interior minister and Rachid Sabbagh as defence minister.

Ennahda said its members only made up 28% of Mr Larayedh's government, down from 40% in the previous coalition. Independents formed 48% of the new cabinet

Knowing that the west is nervous about providing the Free Syrian Army and other "mainstream" rebel groups with serious, balance-tilting weaponry for fear that it may fall into the hands of the radicals, al-Qaeda may have decided deliberately to contaminate the entire opposition by association, and deter western arms to the moderates, in order to preserve the jihadis' ascendancy on the ground.

The dilemma the Americans face - and which they will be trying to resolve in a series of meetings between President Barack Obama and Middle East allies in the coming weeks - is how to back the rebels enough to induce the stubborn regime to negotiate a controlled transition, but not enough to trigger an abrupt regime collapse which might allow the radicals to take over. It may be impossible to get that balance right. The inner core of the regime might not opt out until collapse is already there.

Well-placed diplomats believe Hezbollah is also providing part of the regime's inner praetorian guard, as some of the big Alawite clans have become so alienated by the level of casualties they have suffered that their members are no longer regarded as fully reliable.

A spokesman for President Marzouki's Congress for the Republic ( CPR) told Reuters news agency that it would withdraw its three ministers from the Ennahda-led government because its demands over key portfolios had been ignored.

Another leader of the centre-left CPR, Chokri Yacoub, told the state-run TAP news agency that the withdrawal would be confirmed during a news conference on Monday.

Sources within the Congress for the Republic (CPR) also said they believed that a technocratic government was not the solution to the crisis. Instead, party leaders are reported to support the creation of a national unity government, led by Mr Jebali and supported by technocrats.

The death of Mr Belaid, a leading critic of the governing party has proved to Tunisians what they already feared, says our correspondent, and Friday's funeral is certain to be an emotional and highly charged event. Government critics say that in recent months, Ennahda has allowed ultra-conservative Muslim groups to impose their will and opinions on what was always regarded as a bastion of Arab secularism.

four opposition groups - including Mr Belaid's Popular Front - announced that they were pulling out of the country's constituent assembly in protest

sentenced to life in prison on charges of "inciting to overthrow the ruling system" and "insulting the emir"

One of our fundamental demands is to provide us with transparency on the national budget

It has been widely assumed that most Qataris are delighted at the prospect of hosting the World Cup and other major sports tournaments. But even here, Mr Kuwari raises an eyebrow. "I can't say for sure if the people welcome it, because nobody asks the Qataris their opinion about this matter. Decision are are taken out of the blue and we have to accept them,"