A place in Cairo where a book can feel safe
Youssef opened the first branch of her bookstore, Kotob Khan, in a neighborhood in southern Cairo.
“It was my wish that there would be a place to take care of books, where a book—that sentient being—can feel safe.” That’s how she settled on the name, she said. “A khan for books, or a motel for books, where books can rest during their long journey and start again on their eternal travels.”
Source: Your Middle East
Breaking down the presidential deadlock
It’s been a year. Not many people actually care about it, but it has been a year since Lebanon has gone on without a president because the country’s legislators can’t come up with a proper candidate that makes everyone happy.
Source: NOW.
A new role for the UN in Western Sahara
The UN Security Council’s renewal of MINURSO’s mandate on April 28 marked a shift in the UN’s approach to the Western Sahara dispute. The inability of Morocco or the Polisario to negotiate over Western Sahara’s self-determination—whether autonomy or independence—has largely confined the UN’s mediator role to contextual, if not peripheral issues. As a result, the Western Sahara dispute has shifted ground with Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario advancing competing agendas on the purpose and role of the UN Mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO), particularly whether the peacekeeping force should monitor human rights.
Source: Sada
